25. "And the Lord shall reward Me accord- ing to My righteousness" (ver. 24). Accord- ingly not only for the breadth of faith, which worketh by love; but also for the length of perseverance, will the Lord reward Me accord- ing to My righteousness. " And according to the cleanness of My hands in the sight of His eyes." Not as men see, but " in the sight of His eyes." For " the things that are seen are temporal; but the things that are not seen are eternal: " 7 whereto the height of hope appertains.
26. "With the holy Thou shalt be holy" (ver. 25). There is a hidden depth also, where- in Thou art known to be holy with the holy, for that Thou makest holy. "And with the harm- less Thou shalt be harmless." For Thou harmest no man, but each one is bound by the bands of his own sins.8 27. "And with the chosen Thou shalt be chosen" (ver. 26). And by him whom Thou choosest, Thou art chosen. " And with the fro- ward Thou shalt be froward." And with the froward Thou seemest froward: for they say, " The way of the Lord is not right: " 9 and their way is not right.
28. " For Thou wilt make whole the humble people" (ver. 27). Now this seems froward to the froward, that Thou wilt make them whole that confess their sins. " And Thou wilt humble the eyes of the proud." But them that are "igno- rant of God's righteousness, and seek to establish their own," IO Thou wilt humble.
' are always."
9 Ezek, xviii. 25.
Psalm XVIII.]
ON THE PSALMS.
53 29. " For thou wilt light My candle, O Lord " (ver. 28). For our light is not from ourselves; but "Thou wilt light my candle, O Lord. O my God, Thou wilt enlighten my darkness." For we through our sins are darkness; but " Thou, O my God, wilt enlighten my darkness."
30. " For by Thee shall I be delivered from temptation" (ver. 29). For not by myself, but by Thee, shall I be delivered from temptation. "And in my God shall I leap over the wall." And not in myself, but in my God shall I leap over the wall, which sin has raised between men and the heavenly Jerusalem.
31. " My God, His way is undefiled "(ver. 30). My God cometh not unto men, except they shall have purified the way of faith, whereby He may come to them; for that " His way is undefiled." "The words of the Lord have been proved by fire." The words of the Lord are tried by the fire of tribulation. " He is the Protector of them that hope in Him." And all that hope not in themselves, but in Him, are not consumed by that same tribulation. For hope followeth faith.
32. "For who is God, but the Lord?" (ver. 31) whom we serve. " And who God, but our God? " And who is God, but the Lord? whom after good service we sons shall possess as the hoped- for inheritance.
33. " God, who hath girded me with strength " (ver. 32). God, who hath girded me that I might be strong, lest the loosely flowing folds of desire hinder my deeds and steps. " And hath made my way undefiled." And hath made the way of love, whereby I may come to Him, unde- filed, as the way of faith is undefiled, whereby He comes to me.
34. "Who hath made my feet perfect like harts' feet" (ver. 3^). Who hath made my love perfect to surmount the thorny and dark entanglements of this world. " And will set me up on high." And will fix my aim on the heav- enly habitation, that " I may be filled with all the fulness of God." ' 35. "Who teacheth my hands for battle" (ver. 34). Who teacheth me to work for the overthrow of mine enemies, who strive to shut the kingdom of heaven against us. " And Thou hast made mine arms as a bow of steel." And Thou hast made my earnest striving after good works unwearied.
36. " And Thou hast given me the defence of my salvation, and Thy right hand hath held me up" (ver. 35). And the favour of Thy grace hath held me up. "And Thy discipline hath directed me to the end." And Thy correction, not suffering me to wander from the way, hath directed me that whatsoever I do, I refer to that end, whereby I may cleave to Thee. " And this x Ephes. Hi. 19.
Thy discipline, it shall teach me." And that same correction of Thine shall teach me to attain to that, whereunto it hath directed me.
37. " Thou hast enlarged my steps under me " (ver. 36). Nor shall the straits of the flesh hinder me; for Thou hast enlarged my love, working in gladness even with these mortal things and members which are under me. " And my footsteps have not been weakened." And either my goings, or the marks which I have imprinted for the imitation of those that follow, have not been weakened.
38. " I will follow up mine enemies, and seize them" (ver. 37). I will follow up my carnal affections, and will not be seized by them, but will seize them, so that they may be consumed. " And I will not turn, till they fail." And from this purpose I will not turn myself to rest, till they fail who make a tumult about me.
39. " I will break them, and they shall not be able to stand" (ver. 38): and they shall not hold out against me. " They shall fall under my feet." When they are cast down, I will place before me the loves2 whereby I walk for ever- more.
40. " And Thou hast girded me with strength to the war" (ver. 39). And the loose desires of my flesh hast Thou bound up with strength, that in such a fight I may not be encumbered. " Thou hast supplanted under me them that rose up against me." Thou hast caused them to be deceived, who followed upon me, that they should be brought under me, who desired to be over me.
41. "And thou hast given mine enemies the back to me" (ver. 40). And thou hast turned mine enemies, and hast made them to be a back to me, that is, to follow me. " And Thou hast destroyed them that hate me." But such other of them as have persisted in hatred, Thou hast destroyed.
42. " They have cried out, and there was none to save them" (ver. 41). For who can save them, whom Thou wouldest not save? " To the Lord, and He did not hear them." Nor did they cry out to any chance one, but to the Lord: and He did not judge them worthy of being heard, who depart not from their wickedness.
43. " And I will beat them as small as dust before the face of the wind " (ver. 42). And I will beat them small; for dry they are, receiving not the shower of God's mercy; that borne aloft and puffed up with pride they may be hurried along from firm and unshaken hope, and as it were from the earth's solidity and stability. " As the clay of the streets 1 will destroy them." In their wanton and loose course along the broad ways of perdition, which many walk, will I de- stroy them.
* See p. 37. " The foot of sinners; that is, their love."
54 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Psalm XIX.
44. " Thou wilt deliver Me from the contra- dictions of the people" (ver. 43). Thou wilt deliver Me from the contradictions of them who said, " If we send Him away, all the world will go after Him." ' 45. "Thou shalt make Me the head of the Gentiles. A people whom I have not known have served Me." The people of the Gentiles, whom in bodily presence I have not visited, have served Me. " At the hearing of the ear they have obeyed Me" (ver. 44). They have not seen Me with the eye: but, receiving my preach- ers, at the hearing of the ear they have obeyed Me.
46. "The strange children have lied unto Me." Children, not to be called Mine, but rather strange children, to whom it is rightly said, " Ye are of your father the devil," 2 have lied unto Me. "The strange children have waxen old" (ver. 45). The strange children, to whom for their renovation I brought the new Testament, have remained in the old man. " And they have halted from their own paths." And like those that are weak in one foot, for holding the old they have rejected the new Testament, they have become halt, even in their old Law, rather following their own traditions, than God's. For they brought frivolous charges of unwashen hands,3 because such were the paths, which them- selves had made and worn by long use, in wan- dering from the ways of God's commands.
47. "The Lord liveth, and blessed be my God." " But to be carnally minded is death: " * for " the Lord liveth, and blessed be my God. And let the God of my salvation be exalted " (ver. 46). And let me not think after an earthly fashion of the God of my salvation; nor look from Him for this earthly salvation, but that on high.
48. " O God, who givest Me vengeance, and subduest the people under Me" (ver. 47). O God, who avengest Me by subduing the people under Me. " My Deliverer from My angry ene- mies: " the Jews crying out, " Crucify Him, Crucify Him." » 49. " From them that rise up against Me Thou wilt exalt Me " (ver. 48). From the Jews that rise up against Me in My passion, Thou wilt exalt Me in My resurrection. " From the unjust man Thou wilt deliver Me." From their unjust rule Thou wilt deliver Me.
50. "For this cause will I confess to Thee among the Gentiles, O Lord" (ver. 49). For this cause shall the Gentiles confess to Thee through Me, O Lord. " And I will sing unto Thy Name." And Tnou shalt be more widely known by My good deeds.
• John xi. 48, xii. 19.
* Matt. xt. a. 1 John xix. 6.
8 John viii. 44. 4 Rom. viii. 6.
51. "Magnifying the salvation of His King" (ver. 50). God, who magnifieth, so as to make wonderful, the salvation, which His Son giveth to believers.6 " And showing mercy to His Christ: " God, who showeth mercy to His Christ: " To David and to His seed for evermore: " to the Deliverer Himself strong of hand, who hath overcome this world; and to them whom, as believers in the Gospel, He hath begotten for evermore. What things soever are spoken in this Psalm which cannot apply to the Lord Himself personally, that is to the Head of the Church, must be referred to the Church. For whole Christ speaks here, in whom are all His members.
PSALM XIX.'
TO THE END, A PSALM OF DAVID HIMSELF.
i. It is a well-known title; nor does the Lord Jesus Christ say what follows, but it is said of Him.
2. " The heavens tell out the glory of God " (ver. 1). The righteous Evangelists, in whom, as in the heavens, God dwelleth, set forth the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, or the glory wherewith the Son glorified the Father upon earth. " And the firmament showeth forth the works of His hands." And the firmament showeth forth the deeds of the Lord's power, that now made heaven by the assurance of the Holy Ghost, which before was earth by fear.
3. "Day unto day uttereth word" (ver. 2). To the spiritual the Spirit giveth out the fulness of the unchangeable Wisdom of God, the Word which in the beginning is God with God.8 " And night unto night announceth knowledge." And to the fleshly, as to those afar off, the mortality of the flesh, by conveying faith, announceth future knowledge.
4. " There is no speech nor language, in which their voices are not heard " (ver. 3). In which the voices of the Evangelists have not been heard, seeing that the Gospel was preached in every tongue.
5. " Their sound is gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world"' (ver. 4).
6. " In the sun hath He set His tabernacle." Now that He might war against the powers of temporal error, the Lord, being about to send not peace but a sword on earth,'0 in time, or in manifestation, set so to say His military dwelling, that is, the dispensation of His incarnation. " And He as a bridegroom coming forth out of His chamber" (ver. 5). And He, coming forth * [The epigraph of this Psalm in s Sam. xxiii. 1-5 seems to con- nect with I*a. Tv. 3, and so with Acts xiii. 34. — CI 1 Lat. XVIII. » John i. 1.
9 [Rom. x. 18. " And therefore are tve evtti speaking here? says our author in his second homily (omitted) on this Psalm. — C.J 10 Matt. x. 34.
Psalm XIX.]
ON THE PSALMS.
55 out of the Virgin's womb, where God was united to man's nature as a bridegroom to a bride. " Rejoiced as a giant to run His way." Rejoiced as One exceeding strong, and surpassing all other men in power incomparable, not to inhabit, but to run His way. For, " He stood not in the way of sinners. " ' 7. " His going forth is from the highest heaven " (ver. 6). From the Father is His going forth, not that in time, but from everlasting, whereby He was born of the Father. " And His meet- ing is even to the height of heaven." And in the fulness of the Godhead He meets even to an equality with the Father.' "And there is none that may hide himself from His heat." But whereas, " the Word was even made flesh, and dwelt in us," 3 assuming our mortality, He permitted no man to excuse himself from the shadow of death; for the heat of the Word penetrated even it.
8. " The law of the Lord is undefiled, con- verting souls " (ver. 7). The law of the Lord, therefore, is Himself who came to fulfil the law, not to destroy it; 4 an undefiled law, " Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth," s not oppressing souls with the yoke of bondage, but converting them to imitate Him in liberty. " The testimony of the Lord is sure, giving wis- dom to babes." " The testimony of the Lord is sure; " for, " no man knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will re- veal Him," 6 which things have been hidden from the wise and revealed to babes; 7 for, " God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble."8 9. " The statutes of the Lord are right, re- joicing the heart " (ver. 8). All the statutes of the Lord are right in Him who taught not what He did not; that they who should imitate Him might rejoice in heart, in those things which they should do freely with love, not slavishly with fear. " The commandment of the Lord is lucid, enlightening the eyes." "The commandment of the Lord is lucid," with no veil of carnal ob- servances, enlightening the sight of the inner man.
10. " The fear of the Lord is chaste, enduring forever" (ver. 9). "The fear of the Lord;" not that distressing' fear under the law, dread- ing exceedingly the withdrawal of temporal goods, by the love of which the soul commits fornication; but that chaste fear wherewith the Church, the more ardently she loves her Spouse, the more carefully does she take heed of offend- ing Him, and therefore, " perfect love casteth " not " out " this " fear," '° but it endureth for ever.
1 Ps. Li.
11. "The judgments of the Lord are true, justified together." The judgments of Him, who "judgeth no man, but hath committed all judg- ment unto the Son," " are justified in truth un- changeably. For neither in His threatenings nor His promises doth God deceive any man, nor can any withdraw either from the ungedly His punishment, or from the godly His reward. " To be desired more than gold, and much precious stone" (ver. 10). Whether it be "gold and stone itself much," or " much precious," or " much to be desired; " still, the judgments of God are to be desired more than the pomp of this world; by desire of which it is brought to pass that the judgments of God are not de- sired, but feared, or despised, or not believed. But if any be himself gold and precious stone, that he may not be consumed by fire, but received into the treasury of God, more than himself does he desire the judgments of God, whose will he preferreth to his own. " And sweeter than honey and the honey comb." And whether one be even now honey, who, disenthralled already from the chains of this life, is awaiting the day when he may come up to God's feast; or whether he be yet as the honey comb, wrapped about with this life as it were with wax, not mixed and become one with it, but filling it, needing some pressure of God's hand, not oppressing but ex- pressing it, whereby from life temporal it may be strained out into life eternal: to such an one the judgments of God are sweeter than he himself is to himself, for that they are " sweeter than honey and the honey comb."
12. " For Thy servant keepeth them"(ver. n). For to him who keepeth them not the day of the Lord is bitter. " In keeping them there is great reward." Not in any external benefit, but in the thing itself, that God's judgments are kept, is there great reward; great because one rejoiceth therein.
13. "Who understandeth sins?" (ver. 12). But what sort of sweetness can there be in sins, where there is no understanding? For who can understand sins, which close the very eye, to which truth is pleasant, to which the judgments of God are desirable and sweet? yea, as darkness closes the eye, so do sins the mind, and suffer it not to see either the light, or itself.
14. " Cleanse me, O Lord, from my secret faults." From the lusts which lie hid in me, cleanse me, O Lord. " And from the " faults "of others preserve Thy servant" (ver. 13). Let me not be led astray by others. For he is not a prey to the faults of others, who is cleansed from his own. Preserve therefore from the lusts of others, not the proud man, and him who would be his own master, but, Thy servant. " If 11 John v. aa.
56 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Psalm XX.
they get not the dominion over me, then shall I be undented." If neither my own secret sins, nor those of others, get the dominion over me, then shall I be undented. For there is no third source of sin, but one's own secret sin, by which the devil fell, and another's sin, by which man is seduced, so as by consenting to make it his own. " And I shall be cleansed from the great offence." What but pride? for there is none greater than apostasy from God, which is " the beginning of the pride of man." ' And he shall indeed be undefined, who is free from this offence also; for this is the last to them who are returning to God, which was the first as they departed from Him. 15. "And the words of my mouth shall be pleasing, and the meditation of my heart is always in Thy sight " (ver. 14). The meditation of my heart is not after the vain glory of pleasing men, for now there is pride no more, but in Thy sight alway, who regardest a pure conscience. " O Lord, my Helper, and my Redeemer " 2 (ver. 15). O Lord, my Helper, in my approach to Thee; for Thou art my Redeemer, that I might set out unto Thee: lest any attributing to his own wisdom his conversion to Thee, or to his own strength his attaining to Thee, should be rather driven back by Thee, who resistest the proud; for he is not cleansed from the great offence, nor pleasing in Thy sight, who redeem- est us that we may be converted, and helpest us that we may attain unto Thee.
PSALM XX.J TO THE END, A PSALM OF DAVID.
i. This is a well-known title; and it is not Christ who speaks; but the prophet speaks to Christ, under the form of wishing, foretelling things to come.'1 2. " The Lord hear Thee in the day of trou- ble " (ver. 1). The Lord hear Thee in the day in which Thou saidst, " Father glorify Thy Son." s " The name of the God of Jacob protect Thee." For to Thee belongeth the younger people. Since " the elder shall serve the younger." 6 3. " Send Thee help from the Holy, and from Sion defend Thee " (ver. 2). Making for Thee a sanctified Body, the Church, from watching? safe, which waiteth when Thou shalt come from the wedding.
4. " Be mindful of all Thy sacrifice " (ver. 3). Make us mindful of all Thy injuries and despite- ful treatment, which Thou hast borne for us. " And be Thy whole burnt offering made fat."
1 Ecclus. x. la.
• [Here the word i« rendered " Redeemer" in the Septuagint, and i» the same in the Hebrew as in Job xix. 3<. — C.l ' Lai. XIX. 5 ' * [This and the next Psalm are a prelude to the great Psalm of the expiation which is to follow. — C A And turn the cross, whereon Thou wast wholly offered up to God, into the joy of the resurrec- tion.
5. " Diapsalma. The Lord render to Thee according to Thine Heart " (ver. 4). The Lord render to Thee, not according to their heart, who thought by persecution they could destroy Thee; but according to Thine Heart, wherein Thou knewest what profit Thy passion would have.8 "And fulfil all Thy counsel." "And fulfil all Thy counsel," not only that whereby Thou didst lay down Thy life for Thy friends,9 that the corrupted grain might rise again to more abundance; IO but that also whereby " blindness in part hath happened unto Israel, that the ful- ness of the Gentiles might enter in, and so all Israel might be saved." " 6. "We will exult in Thy salvation" (ver. 5). We will exult in that death will in no wise hurt Thee; for so Thou wilt also show that it cannot hurt us either. " And in the name of the Lord our God will we be magnified." And the con- fession of Thy name shall not only not destroy us, but shall even magnify us.
7. " The Lord fulfil all Thy petitions." The Lord fulfil not only the petitions which Thou madest on earth, but those also whereby Thou intercedest for us in heaven. " Now have I known that the Lord hath saved his Christ" (ver. 6). Now hath it been shown to me in prophecy, that the Lord will raise up His Christ again. " He will hear Him from His holy heaven." He will hear Him not from earth only, where He prayed to be glorified; u but from heaven also, where interceding for us at the Right Hand of the Father,'3 He hath from thence shed abroad the Holy Spirit on them that believe on Him. " In strength is the safety of His right hand." Our strength is in the safety of His favour, when even out of tribulation He giveth help, that " when we are weak, then we may be strong." I4 " For vain is " that " safety of man," '5 which comes not of His right hand but of His left: for thereby are they lifted up to great pride, whosoever in their sins have secured a temporal safety.
8. "Some in chariots, and some in horses" (ver. 7). Some are drawn away by the ever moving succession of temporal goods; and some are preferred to proud honours, and in them exult: " But we will exult in the name of the Lord our God." But we, fixing our hope on things eternal, and not seeking our own glory, will exult in the name of the Lord our God.
9. "They have been bound, and fallen" (ver. 8). And therefore were they bound by the lust of temporal things, fearing to spare the 8 John xii. 33. 9 John xv. 13.
10 John xii. 34. *3 Heb. vii. 35.
Psalm XXI.]
ON THE PSALMS.
57 Lord, lest they should lose their place by " the Romans: " ' and rushing violently on the stone of offence and rock of stumbling, they fell from the heavenly hope: to whom the blindness in part of Israel hath happened, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and wishing to establish their own.2 " But we are risen, and stand up- right." But we, that the Gentile people might enter in, out of the stones raised up as children to Abraham,3 who followed not after righteous- ness, have attained to it, and are risen; 4 and not by our own strength, but being justified by faith, we stand upright.
10. " O Lord, save the King: " that He, who in His Passion hath shown us an example of conflict, should also offer up our sacrifices, the Priest raised from the dead, and established in heaven. " And hear us in the day when we shall call on Thee" (ver. 9). And as He now offereth for us, " hear us in the day when we shall call on Thee."
PSALM XXI.s TO THE END, A PSALM OF DAVID HIMSELF.
i. The title is a familiar one; the Psalm is of Christ.6 2. "O Lord, the King shall rejoice in Thy strength" (ver. 1). O Lord, in Thy strength, whereby the Word was made flesh, the Man Christ Jesus shall rejoice. " And shall exult exceedingly in Thy salvation." And in that, whereby Thou quickenest all things, shall exult exceedingly.
3. " Thou hast given Him the desire of His soul " (ver. 2). He desired to eat the Passover,7 and to lay down His life when He would, and again when He would to take it; and Thou hast given it to Him.8 " And hast not deprived Him of the good pleasure of His lips." " My peace," saith He, " I leave with you: " 9 and it was done.
4. "For Thou hast presented Him with the blessings of sweetness" (ver. 3). Because He had first quaffed the blessing of Thy sweetness, the gall of our sins did not hurt Him. " Dia- psalma. Thou hast set a crown of precious stone on His Head." '° At the beginning of His discoursing precious stones were brought, and compassed Him about;" His disciples, from whom the commencement of His preaching should be made.
5. " He asked life; and Thou gavest Him: " He asked a resurrection, saying, " Father, glorify 1 John xi. 48. 3 Matt. iti. 9.
* Rom. ix. 30. 5 Lat. XX.' 6 [Prophetic of His ascension. — C] 10 [Rev. xix. 12. Our author agrees with the Septuagint and the Vulgate here, as to " precious stone." Jerome gives coronam obrizam. Gr. 60pi»£oi'. — C] Thy Son; ",J and Thou gavest it Him, " Length of days for ever and ever" (ver. 4). The pro- longed ages of this world which the Church was to have, and after them an eternity, world with- out end.
6. " His glory is great in Thy salvation " (ver. 5). Great indeed is His glory in the sal- vation, whereby Thou hast raised Him up again. " Glory and great honour shalt Thou lay upon Him." But Thou shalt yet add unto Him glory and great honour, when Thou shalt place Him in heaven at Thy right hand.
7. " For Thou shalt give Him blessing for ever and ever." This is the blessing which Thou shalt give Him for ever and ever: "Thou shalt make Him glad in joy together with Thy coun- tenance " (ver. 6). According to His manhood, Thou shalt make Him glad together with Thy countenance, which He lifted up to Thee.
8. " For the King hopeth in the Lord." For the King is not proud, but humble in heart, he hopeth in the Lord. "And in the mercy of the Most Highest He shall not be moved" (ver. 7). And in the mercy of the Most Highest His obedience even unto the death of the Cross shall not disturb His humility.
9. " Let Thy hand be found by all Thine enemies." Be Thy power, O King, when Thou comest to judgment, found by all Thine enemies; who in Thy humiliation discerned it not. " Let Thy right hand find out all that hate Thee " (ver. 8). Let the glory, wherein Thou reignest at the right hand of the Father, find out for punishment in the day of judgment all that hate Thee; for that now they have not found it.
10. " Thou shalt make them like a fTery oven: " Thou shalt make them on fire within, by the consciousness of their ungodliness: " In the time of Thy countenance: " in the time of Thy manifestation. " The Lord shall trouble them in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them" (ver. 9). And then, being troubled by the vengeance of the Lord, after the accusation of their conscience, they shall be given up to eternal fire, to be devoured.
n." Their fruit shalt Thou destroy out of the earth." Their fruit, because it is earthly, shalt Thou destroy out of the earth. "And their seed from the sons of men" (ver. 10). And their works; or, whomsoever they have seduced, Thou shalt not reckon among the sons of men, whom Thou hast called into the everlasting inheritance.
12." Because they turned evils against Thee." Now this punishment shall be recompensed to them, because the evils which they supposed to hang over them by Thy reign, they turned against Thee to Thy death. " They imagined a 12 John xvii. x.
58 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Psalm XXII.
device, which they were not able to establish " (ver. n). They imagined a device, saying, " It is expedient that one die for all: " ' which they were not able to establish, not knowing what they said.
13. "For Thou shalt set them low." For Thou shalt rank them among those from whom in degradation and contempt Thou wilt turn away. " In Thy leavings 2 Thou shalt make ready their countenance" (ver. 12). And in these things that Thou leavest, that is, in the desires of an earthly kingdom, Thou shalt make ready their shamelessness for Thy passion.
14. "Be Thou exalted, O Lord, in Thy strength" (ver. 13). Be Thou, Lord, whom in humiliation they did not discern, exalted in Thy strength, which they thought weakness. " We will sing and praise Thy power." In heart and in deed we will celebrate and make known Thy marvels.
PSALM XXII.'
TO THE END, FOR THE TAKING UP OF THE MORN- ING, A PSALM OF DAVID.4