also beautiful within.8 What are those inward charms?9 Those of conscience. It is there Christ sees; it is there Christ loves her: it is there He addresses her, there punishes, there crowns. Let then thine alms be done in secret; for " all the glory of her, the King's daughter, is from within." " With fringes of gold, clothed with divers colours" (ver. 14). Her beauty is from within; yet in the " fringes of gold " is the diver- sity of languages: the beauty of doctrine. What do these avail, if there be not that beauty " from within "? " The virgins shall be brought unto the King after her." It has been fulfilled in- deed. The Church has believed; the Church has been formed throughout all nations. And to what a degree do virgins now seek to find favour in the eyes of that King! Whence are they moved to do so? Even because the Church preceded them. " The virgins shall be brought unto the King after her. Her near kinswomen '° shall be brought unto Thee." For they that are brought unto Him are not strangers, but her " near kinswomen," that belong to her. And because he had said, " unto the King," he says, turning the discourse to Him, " her near kins- women shall be brought unto Thee."
28. " With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought and shall be led into the Temple of the King" (ver. 15). The "Temple of the King" is the Church itself: it is the Church itself that enters into " the Temple of the King." Whereof is that Temple constructed? Of the men who enter the Temple? Who but God's " faithful " ones are its " living stones "? " " They shall be led into the Temple of the King." For there are virgins without the Temple of the King, the nuns among the heretics:,2 they are virgins, it is true; but what will that profit them, unless they be led into the "Temple of the King"? The "Temple of the King" is in unity: the "Temple of the King" is not ruin- ous, is not rent asunder, is not divided. The cement '3 of those living stones is " charity."
29. " Instead of thy fathers, children are bom to thee " (ver. 16). Nothing can be more man- ifest. Now consider the " Temple of the King " itself, for it is on its behalf he speaks, on ac- count of the unity of the body that is spread throughout all the world: for those very per- sons who have chosen to be virgins, cannot find favour with the King unless they be led into the Temple of the King. " Instead of thy fathers, are thy children bom to thee." It was the Apostles begat thee.: they were "sent:" they were the preachers: they are " the fathers."
■ [Omnt's gloria filia- regis intrinsecus is Jerome's version of the Hebrew: preferable, certainly, to the tame idea of modern critics, that " within " means " (intus domum) within the palaces." -C] Psalm XLVI.]
ON THE PSALMS.
155 But was it possible for them to be with us in the body for ever? Although one of them said, " I desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better: to abide in the flesh is necessary for your sakes." It is true he said this, but how long was it possible for him to remain here? Could it be till this present time, could it be to all futurity? Is the Church then left desolate by their departure? God forbid. " Instead of thy fathers, children have been born to thee." What is that? The Apostles were sent to thee as " fathers," instead of the Apostles sons have been born to thee: there have been appointed Bishops. For in the present day, whence do the Bishops, throughout all the world, derive their origin? The Church itself calls them fathers; the Church itself brought them forth, and placed them on the thrones of "the fa- thers." Think not thyself abandoned then, be- cause thou seest not Peter, nor seest Paul: seest not those through whom thou wert born. Out of thine own offspring has a body of " fa- thers " been raised up to thee. " Instead of thy fathers, have children been born to thee." Ob- serve how widely diffused is the "Temple of the King," that " the virgins that are not led to the Temple of the King," may know that they have nothing to do with that marriage. "Thou shalt make them princes ' over all the earth." This is the Universal Church: her children have been made " princes over all the earth: " her children have been appointed instead of the " fathers." Let those who are cut off own the truth of this, let them come to the One Body: let them be led into the Temple of the King. God hath established His Temple everywhere: hath laid everywhere " the foundations of the Prophets and Apostles."1 The Church has brought " forth sons; " has made them " instead of her fathers" to be "princes over all the earth."
30. "They shall be mindful of thy name in every generation and generation; therefore shall the peoples confess unto3 Thee" (ver. 17). What does it profit then to " confess " indeed, and yet to confess out of " the Temple "? What does it profit to pray, and yet not to pray on the Mount? "I cried," says he, "unto the Lord with my voice: and He heard me out of His holy hill." * Out of what " hill "? Out of that of which it is said, " A city set upon a hill can- not be hid." s Of what " hill "? Out of that hill which Daniel saw " grow out of a small stone, and break all the kingdoms of the earth; and cover all the face of the earth." 6 There let him pray, who.hopes to receive: there let him ask, 1 [Not worldly princes, but spiritual chiefs and leaders of the floclc.-C] who would have his prayer heard: there let him confess, who wishes to be pardoned. " There- fore shall the peoples confess unto thee for ever, world without end." For in that eternal life it is true indeed there will no longer be the mourn- ing over sins: but yet in the praises of God by that everlasting City which is above, there will not be wanting a perpetual confession of the greatness of that happiness. For to that City itself, to which another Psalm? sings, " Glorious things are spoken of thee, O City of God," to her who is the very Bride of Christ, the very Queen, a " King's daughter, and a King's con- sort; "...the peoples shall for this very cause confess even to herself; the hearts of all, now enlightened by perfect charity, being laid bare, and made manifest, that she may know the whole of herself most completely, who here is, in many parts of her, unknown to herself...PSALM XLVI.8 1. It is called, " A Psalm, to the end, for the sons of Korah, for things secret." Secret is it then; but He Himself, who in the place of Cal- vary was crucified, ye know, hath rent the veil,' that the secrets of the temple might be discov- ered. Furthermore since the Cross of our Lord was a key, whereby things closed might be opened; let us trust that He will be with us, that these secrets may be revealed. What is said, " To the end," always ought to be under- stood of Christ. For " Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believ- ' eth." '° But The End He is called, not because He consumeth, but because He perfecteth. For ended call we the food which is eaten, and ended the coat which is woven, the former to consumption, the latter to perfection. Because then we have not where to go farther when we have come to Christ, Himself is called the end of our course. Nor ought we to think, that when we have come to Him, we ought to strive any further to come also to the Father. For this thought Philip also, when he said to Him, " Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us." When he said, "It sufficeth us," lie sought the end of satisfaction and perfection. Then said He, " Have I been so long time with you, and hast thou not known Me, Philip: he that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father." " In Him then have we the Father, because He is in the Father, 7 Ps. Ixxxvii. 3.
8 Lat. XLV. [In his exordium the Saint recurs to his favourite idea as follows: " Korah is interpreted ' Baldness,' and that our l.ord, since in the ' place of the Bald skull ' [Matt, xxvii 33] Hewascruci- fied, hath drawn unto Him many; like that corn of wheat, which except it die, should abide alone: and that those who are drawn unto Him are called sons of Korah [John xii. 24, 32]. Thus much in the mystery. There were indeed some sons of Korah at the time when this was first sung [1 Chron. xxvi. 1], but to us ought the Spirit to give life, not the Tetter to be a veil " [2 Cor. iii. 6] — C] 9 Matt, xxvii. 51.
Rom. x. 4.
John xiv. 8, 9.
^56 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Psalm XLVI.
and the Father in Him, and He and His Father are One.'
2. " Our God is a refuge and strength " (ver. i). There are some refuges wherein is no strength, whereto when any fleeth, he is more weakened than strengthened. Thou fleest, for example, to some one greater in the world, that thou mayest make thyself a powerful friend; this seemeth to thee a refuge. Yet so great are this world's uncertainties, and so frequent grow the ruins of the powerful day by day, that when to such refuge thou art come, thou beginnest to fear more than ever therein...Our refuge is not such, but our refuge is strength. When thither we have fled, we shall be firm.
3. " A helper in tribulations, which find us out too much." Tribulations are many, and in every tribulation unto God must we flee; whether it be a tribulation in our estate, or in our body's health, or about the peril of those dearest to us, or any other thing necessary to the sustaining of this life, refuge ought there to be none at all to a Christian man, other than his Saviour, other than his God, to whom when he has fled, he is strong. For he will not in himself be strong, nor will he to himself be strength, but He will be his strength, who has become his refuge. But, dearly beloved, among all tribulations of the human soul is no greater tribulation than the consciousness of sin. For if there be no wound herein, and that be sound within man which is called conscience, wherever else he may suffer tribulation, thither will he flee, and there find God...Ye see, dearly beloved, when trees are cut down and proved by the carpenters, sometimes in the surface they seem as though injured and rotten; but the carpenter looks into the inner marrow as it were of the tree, and if within he find the wood sound, he promises that it will last in a building; nor will he be very anxious about the injured surface, when that which is within he declares sound. Further- more, to man anything more inward than con- science is not found; what then profits it, if what is without is sound, and the marrow of conscience has become rotton? These are close and vehement overmuch, and as this Psalm saith, too great tribulations; yet even in these the Lord hath become a helper by forgiving sin. For the consciences of the ungodly hateth noth- ing save indulgence; for if one saith he hath great tribulations, being a confessed debtor to the treasury, when he beholdeth the narrowness of his estate, and seeth that he cannot be sol- vent; if on account of the distrainers every year hanging over him, he saith that he suffereth great tribulations, and doth not breathe freely except in hope of indulgence, and that in things 1 John x. 30, 38.
earthly; ' how much more the debtor of penal- ties out of the abundance of sins: when shall he pay what he owes out of his evil conscience, when if he pay, he perisheth? For to pay this debt, is to undergo the penalties. Remaineth then that of His indulgence, we may be secure, yet so that, indulgence received, we return not again to contract debts...
4. Now then, such security received, what say they? " Therefore will not we fear, when the earth shall be confounded" (ver. 2). Just be- fore anxious, suddenly secure; out of too great tribulations set in great tranquillity. For in them Christ was sleeping, therefore were they tossed: Christ awoke (as but now we heard out of the Gospel), He commanded the winds, and they were still.3 Since Christ is in each man's heart by faith, it is signified to us, that his heart as a ship in this world's tempest is tossed, who forgetteth his faith: as though Christ sleeping it is tossed, but Christ awaking cometh tranquil- lity. Nay, the Lord Himself, what said He? "Where is your faith?"4 Christ aroused, aroused up faith, that what had been done in the ship, might be done in their hearts. "A helper in tribulations, which found us 5 out too much." He caused that therein should be great tranquillity.
5. See what tranquillity: " Therefore will not we fear when the earth shall be confounded, and the mountains shall be carried into the heart of the sea." Then we shall find not fear. Let us seek mountains carried, and if we can find, it is manifest that this is our security. The Lord truly said to His disciples, " If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say to this mountain, Be Thou removed, and be Thou cast into the sea, and it shall be done." 6 Hap- ly " to this mountain," He said of Himself; for He is called a Mountain: " It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest." 7 But this Mountain is placed above other mountains; because the Apostles also are mountains, supporting this Mountain. Therefore followeth, " In the last days the Mountain of the Lord shall be mani- fest, established in the top of the mountains." Therefore passeth It the tops of all mountains, and on the top of all mountains is It placed; because the mountains are preaching The Moun- tain. But the sea signified! this world, in com- parison of which sea, like earth seemed the nation of the Jews. For it was not covered over with the bitterness of idolatry, but, like dry land, was surrounded with the bitterness of the Gentiles as with sea. It was to be, that the earth be confounded, that is, that nation of 3 Many mss. " of earthly princes."
* Luke viii. 25.
6 Matt. xvit. to, xxi. ai.
Psalm LXVI.]
ON THE PSALMS.
157 the Jews; and that the mountains be carried into the heart of the sea, that is, first that great Mountain established in the top of the moun- tains. For He deserted the nation of the Jews, and came among the Gentiles. He was carried from the earth into the sea. Who carrying Him? The Apostles, to whom He had said, " If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and it shall be done: " that is, through your most faithful preaching it shall come to pass, that this moun- tain, that is, I Myself, be preached among the Gentiles, be glorified among the Gentiles, be acknowledged among the Gentiles, and that be fulfilled which was predicted of Me, " A people whom I have not known shall serve Me." "...
6. " The waters thereof roared, and were troubled " (ver. 3): when the Gospel was preached, "What is this? He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: " 2 this the Athenians; but the Ephesians, with what tumult would they have slain the Apostles, when in the theatre, for their goddess Diana, they made such an uproar, as to be shouting, " Great is Diana of the Ephesians! " 3 Amidst which waves and roaring of the sea, feared not they who to that refuge had fled. Nay, the Apostle Paul would enter in to the theatre, and was kept back by the disciples, because it was necessary that he should still abide in the flesh for their sakes. But yet, " the waters thereof roared, and were troubled: the mountains shook at the mighti- ness thereof." Whose might? The sea's? or rather God's, of whom was said, " refuge and strength, a helper in tribulations, which have found us out too much? " For shaken were the mountains, that is, the powers of this world. For one thing are the mountains of God, another the mountains of the world: the mountains of the world, they whose head is the devil, the mountains of God, they whose Head is Christ. But by these mountains were shaken those mountains. Then gave they their voices against Christians, when the mountains were shaken, the waters roaring; for the mountains were shaken, and there was made a great earthquake, with quaking of the sea. But against whom this? Against the City founded upon a rock. The waters roar, the mountains shake, the Gospel being preached. What then, jhe City of God? Hear what followeth.
7. " The streams of the river make glad the City of God " (ver. 4). When the mountains shake, when the sea rages, God deserteth not His City, by the streams of the river. What are these streams of the river? That overflowing of the Holy Spirit, of which the Lord said, " If 1 Ps. xviii. 43.
2 Acts xvii. 18.
3 Acts xix. 34.
any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, out of his bosom4 shall flow rivers of living water." s These rivers then flowed out of the bosom 4 of Paul, Peter, John, the other Apostles, the other faith- ful Evangelists. Since these rivers flowed from one river, many " streams of the river make glad the City of God." For that ye might know this to be said of the Holy Spirit, in the same Gos- pel next said the Evangelist, " But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that were to believe on Him should receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified."6 Jesus being glorified after His Resurrection, glorified after His Ascension, on the day of Pentecost came the Holy Spirit, and filled the believers,7 who spake with tongues, and began to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Hence was the City of God made glad, while the sea was troubled by the roaring of its waters, while the mountains were confounded, asking what they should do, how drive out the new doc- trine, how root out the race of Christians from the earth. Against whom? Against the streams of the river making glad the City of God. For thereby showed He of what river He spake; that He signified the Holy Spirit, by " the streams of the river make glad the City of God." And what follows? "The Most High hath sanc- tified His tabernacle: " since then there follow- eth the mention of Sanctification, it is manifest that these streams of the river are to be under- stood of the Holy Spirit, by whom is sanctified every godly soul believing in Christ, that it may be made a citizen of the City of God.
8. " God. is in the midst of her: she shall not be moved " (ver. 5 ). Let the sea rage, the moun- tains shake; " God is in the midst of her: she shall not be moved." What is, " in the midst of her"? That God stands in any one place, and they surround Him who believe in Him? Then is God circumscribed by place; and broad that which surroundeth, narrow that which is sur- rounded? God forbid. No such thing imagine of God, who is contained in no place, whose seat is the conscience of the godly: and so is God's seat in the hearts of men, that if man fall from God, God in Himself abideth, not falleth like one not finding where to be. For rather doth He lift up thee, that thou mayest be in Him, than so lean upon thee, as if thou with- draw thyself, to fall. Himself if He withdraw, fall wilt thou: thyself if thou withdraw, fall will not He. What then is, " God is in the midst of her "? It signifieth that God is equal to all, and accepteth not persons. For as that which 4 [" Belly," English version. But I have not hesitated to sub- stitute a word more literal in fact, which relieves the text of a ludi- crous profanation. — C.J 158 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
[Psalm XLVI.
is in the middle has equal distances to all the boundaries, so God is said to be in the middle, because He consulteth equally for all. " God is in the midst of her: she shall not be moved." Wherefore shall she not be moved? Because God is in the midst of her. He is " the Helper in tribulations that have found us out too much. God shall help her with His Countenance." What is, " with His Countenance "? With mani- festation of Himself. How manifests God Him- self, so as that we see His Countenance? I have already told you; ye have learned God's Pres- ence; we have learned it through His works. When from Him we receive any help so that we cannot at all doubt that it was granted to us by the Lord, then God's Countenance is with us.
9. "The heathen are troubled" (ver. 6). And how troubled? why troubled? To cast down the City of God, in the midst whereof is God? To overthrow the tabernacle sanctified, which God helpeth with His Countenance? No: with a wholesome trouble are the heathen now troubled. For what followeth? " And the kingdoms are bowed." Bowed, saith He, are the kingdoms; not now erected that they may rage, but bowed that they may adore. When were the kingdoms bowed? When that came to pass which was predicted in another Psalm, " All kings shall fall down before Him, all nations shall serve Him." ■ What cause made the king- doms to bow? Hear the cause. "The Most High gave His Voice, and the earth was moved." The fanatics2 of idolatry, like frogs in the marshes, clamoured, the more tumultuously, the more sordidly, in filth and mire. And what is the brawling of frogs to the thunder of the clouds? For out of them "the Most High gave His Voice, and the earth was moved: " He thundered out of His clouds. And what are His clouds? His Apostles, His preachers, by whom He thundered in precepts, lightened in miracles. The same are clouds who are also mountains: mountains for their height and firm- ness, clouds for their rain and fruitfulness. For these clouds watered the earth, of which it was said, " The Most High gave His Voice, and the earth was moved." For it is of those clouds that He threateneth a certain barren vineyard, whence the mountains were carried into the heart of the sea; " I will command," saith He, " the clouds that they rain no rain upon it." ' This was fulfilled in that which I have men- tioned, when the mountains were carried into the heart of the sea; when it was said, " It was necessary that the word of God should have been spoken first to you; but seeing ye put it from you, we turn to the Gentiles; " * then was fulfilled, " I will command the clouds that they 1 P». lxxii. 11.
* Acta xiii. 46.
* Arrtptitii.
• I«a. v. 6.
rain no rain upon it." The nation of the Jews hath just so remained as a fleece dry upon the ground. For this, ye know, happened in a certain miracle, the ground was dry, the fleece only was wet, yet rain in the fleece appeared not.' So also the mystery of the New Testament appeared not in the nation of the Jews. What there was the fleece, is here the veil. For in the fleece was veiled the mystery. But on the ground, in all the nations open lieth Christ's Gospel; the rain is manifest, the Grace of Christ is bare, for it is not covered with a veil. But that the rain might come out of it, the fleece was pressed. For by pressure they from them- selves excluded Christ, and the Lord now from His clouds raineth on the ground, the fleece hath remained dry. But of them then " the Most High gave His Voice," out of those clouds; by which Voice the kingdoms were bowed and worshipped.
10. "The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our taker up" (ver. 7). Not any man, not any power, not, in short, Angel, or any creature either earthly or heavenly, but " the Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our taker up." He who sent Angels, came after Angels, came that Angels might serve Him, came that men He might make equal to Angels. Mighty Grace! If God be for us, who can be against us? " The Lord of Hosts is with us." What Lord of Hosts is with us? " If" (I say) "God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all; how hath He not with Him also freely given 6 us all things." 1 Therefore be we secure, in tranquillity of heart nourish we a good conscience with the Bread of the Lord. " The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our taker up." However great be thy infirmity, see who taketh thee up. One is sick, a physician is called to him. His own taken-up, the Physician calleth the sick man. Who hath taken him up? Even He. A great hope of salvation; a great Physician hath taken him up. What Physician? 8 Every Physician save He is man: every Physician who cometh to a sick man, another day can be made sick, beside Him. " The God of Jacob is our taker up." Make thyself altogether as a little child, such as are taken up by their parents. For those not taken up, are exposed; those taken up are nursed. Thinkest thou God hath so taken thee up, as when an infant thy mother took thee up? Not so, but to eternity. For thy voice is in that Psalm, " My father and my mother forsake me, but the Lord hath taken me up." »