And what is
righteousness
herself like ?
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v1
But because He ' ' 39.
willed man to be right in heart, that whatever in him was somewhat crooked, He might make straight toIHim, Who is
ever Right; Nevertheless, saith He, not as
Thou, Father. But what evil could Christ will ? What, in
short, could He will other than the Father. Whose Divinity is one, Their Will can not be different. But in the person of Man, transforming His Own into Himse/lf ; whom He had transformed into Himself when He said,
was an hungred, Mat. 25, and ye gave Me meat : whom He transformed into Himself,
when to Saul raging, and persecuting the Saints, He cried
from Heaven, though none touched Him, Saul, Saul, why Acts 9,
'
will, but as
309
persecutest Thou Me ? He shewed as it were man's proper will ; He shewed thee, and corrected thee. Behold, saith He, thyself in Me ; for thou also canst will something proper to thyself, though God will otherwise ; this is granted to human frailty, it is granted to human infirmity : to have a proper will, it is difficult that this should not happen to thee: but think straightway Who is above thee; think of Him above thee, thyself below Him ; Him the Creator, thyself the creature ; Him the Lord, thyself the servant ; Him Omni potent, thyself weak ; correcting thyselfI, submitting to His Will, and saying, Nevertheless, not as
will, but as Thou wilt. Wherein art thou severed from God, who now willest that which God willeth ? Then shalt thou be upright, and praise shall be comely to thee, for, praise is comely to the
upright.
3. But if thou art crooked, thou praisest God when it is
well with thee, blasphemest when it is ill : which ill indeed, ifitbejust,isnotill; butjustitis,sinceitisdonebyHim,
Who can do nothing unjust : and so thou wilt be a foolish
boy in the house of thy father, loving thy father if he
fondle thee, and hating him when he scourgeth thee : as if
he were not, both when fondling and when scourging, pre
paring for thee the inheritance. But see how praise is comely to the upright ; hear the voice of the upright praising
from another Psalm, / will bless the Lord at all times, HisP<<. 34,\. praise shall continually be in my mouth. What is at all
310 77ie Righteous encouraged to rejoice in all cases.
Psalm times, that is, continually ; and what is, I will bless, that is>
'Exp. ll. be in XXX11I. His praise shall
my mouth.
At and con all times,
Joh 1,
tinually, whether in prosperity or in adversity. For if in prosperity and not in adversity, how at all times ? how con tinually ? And we have heard many such words from many : when any good fortune befals them, they exult, they rejoice, they sing to God, they praise God ; nor are they to be dis approved, nay, we must rejoice in them, for many praise Him not even then. But they who have now begun to praise God on account of their prosperity, must be taught to acknowledge their Father also when scourging them, and not to murmur against the hand of Him correcting ; lest remain ing ever perverse they deserve to be disinherited, so that being now made upright, (what is upright? so that nothing which God doth, displease them,) they may be able to praise God even in adversity, and to say, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; as the Lord pleased, so is it come to
Vuig.
pass.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. To such upright, praise is comely, not to them that will first praise, and after wards blame.
4. Therefore, ye righteous upright, rejoice in the Lord r for your praise is comely. Let none say, Who am I, that am righteous? or, When am I righteous? Cast not yourselves away, and despair not of yourselves. Ye are men, in the image of God were ye created: He Who made you men, for you also was made Man : that ye, being many sons, might be adopted to an eternal inheritance, the Blood of the Only-Begotten was shed for you. If ye unto your selves have become vile through earthly frailty, according to your own price weigh yourselves : What ye eat, What ye drink, Whereto ye subscribe Amen, consider as is meet. Do we give you this warning, that ye may be proud, and dare to claim to yourselves some perfection? No: but neither again ought ye to think yourselves to be exiled from all righteousness. For I will not question you of your righ teousness ; for perhaps none of you would dare to answer, I am righteous : but I question you of your faith. As none of you dares to say, I am righteous, so none dares to say, I am not faithful. I ask not yet how thou livest, but how thou believest. Thou wilt answer, that thou believest in Christ.
Thefaithful may do so. The Psaltery and Harp. 311
Hast thou not heard the Apostle, The just shall live by faith ? Ver. Thy faith is thy righteousness, because truly if thou dost 2 believe, thou dost beware ; if thou dost beware, thou dost ' '
17. endeavour ; and God knoweth thy endeavour, and beholdest
thy will, and considereth the wrestling with the flesh, and exhorteth thee to fight, and assisteth thee to conquer, and contending watcheth thee, and fainting, lifteth thee up, and conquering, crowneth thee. Therefore, Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous : or this I would say, Rejoice in the Lord, O ye faithful, because the just shall live by faith. Praise is comely to the upright. Learn to give thanks unto God, both in prosperity and in tribulation. Learn to have in thy heart what every man hath in his tongue ; The will of God be done. The common speech of the people is mostly saving doctrine. Who saith not daily, What God willeth, that let Him do ? And so the upright will be among those, who rejoice in the Lord, and to whom praise is comely, whom
the Psalm addresseth, in the words following, and saith, (ver. 2. ) Praise the Lord with harp : sing unto Him with the psaltery of ten strings. For this even now we sang, this expressing with one mouth, we instructed your hearts.
5. Hath not the institution of these Vigils b in the name of Christ brought it to pass that harps should be banished out of this place ? And, lo, the same are bid to sound. Praise the Lord, saith he, with harp; sing unto Him with the
0xf'
psaltery of ten strings. Let none turn his heart to instru
ments of the theatre. That which is commanded him, he
hath in himself, as it is elsewhere said, Thy vows are upon Ps. 56,
Iwill render praises unto Thee.
me, O God;
ber, who some while since were present, when what difference '>>"? ' there between the psaltery and harp, as best could, explained in my discourse0, and tried withal to bring home
to the understanding of all but how much effected, they know best who heard. And now in due season repeat
that in this diversity of two musical instruments, we may
find the diversity of human actions signified by the same,
SeeSer. 115, de Diversis, (al. 311. ) delivered in the Church which con- c. 5. where the same more clearly re- tained the remains of the Martyr lated from which passage, and from the Cyprian. Bet. The religious Vigil following exposition, c. appears superseded a revel of dancing, &c.
that these discourses on Ps. 33. were On Ps. 43. and on Ps. 71. Exp. 2.
They'remem-
c
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312 Our earthly state, should ' harp" to God in joy and sorrow.
chords lean, so that when touched they sound. I speak not of the staff wherewith they are touched, but that hollow board I mean, over which they are laid, upon which in some wise they lean, so that from thence trembling at the touch, and from that concavity conceiving sound, they are rendered more harmonious; this board then the harp hath in the lower, the psaltery in the upper part. This is the distinction between them. Now in this place we are bidden to praise the Lord with harp, and to sing to Him with a psaltery of
ten strings. He saith not, with a harp often strings, neither in this Psalm, nor, if I mistake not, in any other place. My sons, the readers may read and examine more thoroughly and leisurely for themselves ; but as far as I myself remem ber, I have found in many places a psaltery of ten strings, a harp of ten strings no where occurs, that I have read. Re member that the harp hath that wherefrom it sounds in the lower part, the psaltery in the higher. In our lower life, that is, our earthly, we have prosperity and adversity: wherefore must we praise God in both, that His praise may be con-
Ps. 34,1. tinnally in our mouth, and that we may bless the Lord at all times. For there is an earthly prosperity, and there is an earthly adversity : in both must God be praised, that so we may harp. What then is earthly prosperity ? When we are sound in body ; when all things abound whereby we live ; when our safety is sure ; when the fruits come in largely ;
Matt. 5, when He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. All these things contribute to earthly life. Whoever therefrom praiseth not God, is ungrateful. Because they are earthly
things, are they therefore not of God ? Or is therefore an other to be thought to give them, because they are given also to the evil. For manifold is the mercy of God, patient is long-suffering. Thereby sheweth He the more what things He reserveth for the good, when He sheweth what great things He giveth even to the evil. And adversities there are, forsooth from the lower part, from the frailty of the human race, in griefs, in weariness, in pressures, in tribulations, in temptations. In all these let him praise God
Psalm and to be fulfilled in our life. The harp hath that hollow XXXIII.
Exp. II. board, like a tabor, covered with tortoiseshell, on which the
it,
The spiritual man, a psaltery of ten strings for God. 313
who barpeth. Let him consider, not that they are from Ver. below, but that they cannot be ruled and governed but by ?
that Wisdom, which reacheth from end to end mightily,Wisd. and sweetly ordereth all things. For He doth not rule ' heavenly things, and leave alone earthly; or it would not be
said unto Him, Whither shall I go Thy
from whither shall Ijtee from Thy presence ?
I Spirit? ascend
or^s. l39, up
into heaven, Thou art there;
art there. Where then is He wanting, Who no where is not? Praise then the Lord on the harp. Whether any earthly thing abound to thee, give thanks to Him Who gave
if
I If
go down into hell, Thou
or whether ought be wanting to thee, or haply by mis fortune be taken from thee, harp without care. For He
not taken from thee, Who gave, though that be taken from thee which He gave. Even so, say, harp without care. Assured in thy God, touch the strings in thy heart, and say,
as to an harp sounding well in the lower part, The LordJoh gave, and the Lord hath taken away, whatever the Lordy^
pleased that did He. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.
6. But now, when thou considerest the superior gifts of God, what Commandments He hath given thee, with what
heavenly doctrine He hath imbued thee, what things He hath commanded thee from above, from the fountain of His Truth turn also to the psaltery, sing unto the Lord with psaltery of ten strings. For the Commandments of the
Law are ten in the ten Commandments of the Law thou
hast the psaltery. The thing complete. Therein thou
hast the love of God in three, and the love of thy neighbour see p. in seven. And truly thou knowest, the Lord Himself having
said that On these two commandments hang all the Law Mat. 22, and the Prophets. Saith God unto thee from above, Tke D'at
Lord thy God one Lord; thou hast one string. Thou4. shall not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain 20 thou hast another string Remember the Sabbath day, to keep holy, not carnally, not with their Jewish delights,
who abuse rest unto wickedness. For better were that
they should dig the whole day, than the whole day dance.
But thou, thinking on rest in thy God, and for that rest doing all things, abstain from servile work. Now, Whosoever John committeth sin, the servant ofsin; and would that could34.
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314 Three ' strings' of love to God, seven of love to man.
Psalm say, of man, and not of sin ! These three relate to the love XXXIII.
Exp. II. of God: of Whom consider thou the unity, the truth, and the pleasantness, for there is a pleasantness in the Lord, where there is a true Sabbath, a true rest11 ; wherefore it is
Ps. 37,4. said, Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. For who giveth such de light, as lie Who maketh all things which delight? In
Ex. 20, these three is the love of God, in the other seven is the love of our neighbour, that thou do not to another, what thou wouldest not suffer. Honour thy father and thy mother: because thou also wouldest be honoured by thy children. Thou shall not commit adultery: because thou wouldest not that thy wife should commit adultery, behind thy back. Tltou shall not kill: because thou also wouldest not be killed. Thou shalt not steal: because thou also wouldest not suffer robbery. Thou shalt not bear false witness: because thou hatest him that beareth false witness against thee. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife; because thou wouldest not thy wife to be coveted by another. Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbour's : because if any other covet aught that is thine, thou art displeased. Direct thy tongue to thyself also, when thou art displeased at him who injures thee. All these are the commandments of God ; by Wisdom Herself were they given ; their sound cometh from above. Touch the psaltery, fulfil the Law
Matt. 5, which the Lord thy God came not to destroy but to fulfil. By love wilt thou fulfil, what by fear thou couldest not. For he who through fear doth not evil, would fain do it if he could : and so though the power is not given, the will remained). I do it not, saith he. Wherefore ? Because I fear. Not yet lovest thou righteousness ; thou art still a servant : be a son. But of a good servant is made a good son : now do it not through fear ; thou wilt learn also to do it not through love : for there is a beauty in righteousness : punishment may deter thee, but righteousness hath its own comeliness ; it seeketh men's eyes, it inflameth its lovers.
d It appears from this that St. as most Churches have since applied Augustine did not consider the fourth it. Of the views of the Fathers re- Commandment directly applicable to specting the Lord's Day, see a note
the Lord's day, and perhaps also that at the end of the Rhythms of St. he did consider it to apply indirectly, Ephrem.
Love not to be quenched, butfixed on Righteousness. 315
For this the Martyrs, treading under foot the world, shed Ver. their blood. What loved they when they renounced all ---- things ? For were they not lovers ? or say we this to you
that ye may love not ? Who loveth not, is cold, is dead.
Love we, but that beauty which seeketh the eyes of the heart. Love we, but that beauty which with praise of righteousness inflameth the mind. Men exclaim, they cry aloud, they say every where, How good ! How excellent !
What see they ? Righteousness they see, in which an old
man bowed down is beautiful. For neither if an old man
that is righteous walk abroad, is there any thing in his body
to be loved, and yet he is loved by all. Even there is he
loved where he is not seen : nay there is he loved where he
is seen, but with the heart. Let him then delight you, and
pray ye to the Lord, that He may delight you. For TliePs. 85, Lord shall give sweetness, and our land shall yield her increase: that through love ye may fulfil, what by fear it is
hard to fulfil. Why say I, it is hard? The mind is not yet
able : it would rather that there were not any commandment,
if to do, it is not led by love, but by fear constrained. Do
not steal ; fear hell1: he would rather that there were no'Geben- hell, into which he should be cast. When beginneth ana? ' man to love righteousness, but when he had rather that
there were no stealing, even though there were no hell into which thieves should be cast ? This it is, to love righteousness.
7.
And what is righteousness herself like ? Who painteth
her? What beauty hath the Wisdom of God? Through
her are all things beautiful, that are pleasant to the eyes:
her to see, her to embrace, our hearts must be cleansed,
her lovers we profess ourselves; herself so dresseth3 us that8Co1"- we may not be displeasing to her. And when men reprove
us for those things, whereby we please her whom we love,
how is it that we so little regard our reprovers, how is it we
so despise them, and altogether care nothing for them ? Women's lovers, loose and worthy of condemnation, when
their mistresses dress them after their own fancy, if they
can but please them, care not for those whom they displease, thinking it sufficient for them that they please
their eyes, whom they court: and grave men they mostly
316 Please Him Who is worthy of love. New song for New Men.
Psai. m displease, nay, grave men they always displease, and by Exp. ii. better judgment are blamed. Thou art not well shorn, saith a grave man to a wanton youth, it becometh thee not to go
with such-like curls. He knoweth, however, that a certain person is pleased with those curls: he hateth thee that with true judgment blamest, and keepeth in himself that which pleaseth his perverse will. He thinketh thee his enemy,
1al. ' be. because thou wouldest take away3 his disgrace. He nieth loveth/thy eyes, and altogether careth not by what rule of righteous
ness he be blamed. If therefore these regard not their reprovers in truth, that they may be handsome in falsehood ; ought we, in those things whereby we please the Wisdom of God, ought we to regard unrighteous mockers, having no eyes wherewith they may see What we love ? These things considering, all ye upright in heart, Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto Him with a psaltery often strings.
8. Ver. 3. Sing unto Him a new song. Put off oldness : ye know the new song. A new man, a New Testament, a new song. A new song belongeth not to men that are old: none learn that but new men, renewed through Grace
from oldness, and belonging now to the New Testament, which is the kingdom of Heaven. For that sigheth all our love, and singeth a new song. A new song let it sing, not with the tongue, but with the life. Sing unto Him a new song: sing skilfully unto Him. Every man asketh how he should sing unto God. Sing unto Him, but sing not un
He would not that His Ears be offended. Sing skilfully, Brother. in the audience of any good musician, when said to thee, Sing, to please such an one, without some knowledge of the musical art, thou fearest to sing, lest thou shouldest displease master of the art, because, what an unskilful person nndeth not amiss in thee, master blameth who can undertake to sing skilfully before God, so judging of the singer, so examining every part, so exactly
hearing How canst thou shew so nice skill in singing, as in nothing to displease Ears so perfect Behold, he giveth as were the tune of thy song seek not words as thou couldesl explain whereby God is pleased. Sing with jubila tion for this to sing skilfully unto God, to sing with jubilation. What to sing with jubilation To be
skilfully.
is it
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it is
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Joy beyond words. Work of Faith. God, how Faithful. 317
unable to understand, to express in words, what is sung Ver. in the heart. For singers, either in the harvest, or in the '-- vineyard, or in any other busy work, after they have begun
in the words of their hymns to exult and rejoice, being
as it were filled with so great joy, that they cannot express
it in words, then turn from actual words, and proceed to sounds of jubilation. The jubilee is a sound signifying that
the heart laboureth with that which it cannot utter. And
whom beseemeth that jubilation, but the Ineffable God?
For He is Ineffable, Whom thou canst not speak; and if
thou canst not speak Him, and oughtest not to keep Him
silent, what remaineth to thee but jubilation ; that the heart may rejoice without words, and the boundless extent ofjoy may have no limits of syllables? Sing skilfully unto Him with jubilation.
9. Ver. 4. For the Word of the Lord is right, and all
His works are done in faith. In that even wherein He dis- pleaseth the not right, He is right. And all His works areTMSm. 1, done infaith. Let thy works be done in faith, for TIiejustU&b. 2, shall live by faith; and Faith worketh by love. Let thygal,5 works be done in faith, because by trusting in God thou art6- rendered faithful. How can the works of God be done in
faith, as though God also should live by faith ? We find
God also called faithful, and that not in our own words: hear
an Apostle ; God, saith He, is faithful, Who will not suffer i Cor.
you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able
to bear it. Thus ye have heard God called faithful, hear it
also in another place. // we suffer, we shall also reign 2 Tim. with Him : ifwe deny Him, He also will deny us: If we ' ' believe not, yet He abideth Faithful : He cannot deny Him
We have then a Faithful God also: but let us well dis tinguish Faithful God from faithful man. Man is faithful
when he trusteth in God promising: God is Faithful because
He performeth what He promised to man. Let us hold Him
a Debtor most Faithful, since we hold Him a Promiser most Merciful. For neither have we lent unto Him any loan, that
we should hold Him a debtor ; since from Him we have whatever we offer unto Him, and from Him cometh whatever
good there is in us. All the good things, in which we rejoice, are from Him. For who hath known the Mind q/34-- 36.
self.
'
318 God owes by Promise. Times of Mercy and Judgment.
Psalm the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor? or who hath Y,xr. lijirst given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again ? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. We then have given nothing to Him, and yet we hold Him a debtor. Wherefore a debtor ? Because He is
P*. 27,
a Promiser. We say not unto God, Lord, render what Thou hast received ; but, Render what Thou hast promised. For the Word of the Lord is right. What is, The Word of the Lord is right? He deceiveth thee not: do not thou deceive Him, rather do not thou deceive thyself; for who can deceive the Omniscient ? But iniquity hath lied unto itself. For the Word of the Lord is right, and all His works are done in
faith.
10. Ver. 5. He loveth Mercy and Judgment. Do thou
the same, because He doth. Observe ye both Mercy and Judgment. The time of Mercy is now, the time of Judg ment shall be hereafter. Whence is it now the time of Mercy ? He calleth those but now averted, He forgiveth sin to them converted : He is patient with sinners, until they be converted: when they are converted, He forgetteth things past, He promiseth things to come: He exhorteth the sloth ful, consoleth the afflicted, teacheth the studious, assisteth the fighting: He deserteth none labouring and crying unto Himself. He giveth that wherewith sacrifice may be done
unto Himself; He bestoweth that wherewith He may be recon ciled. Let not the great time of Mercy pass, Brethren, let it not pass away from us. There will come a judgment, and then also there will be repentance, but then without fruit, then
wisd. 5, they repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit, shall say within themselves, (is it not written in the book of Wisdom? ) What hath pride profited us ? or what good hath riches with our vaunting brought us ? All these things are passed away
like a shadow. Let us now say, All these things are passing away like a shadow. Let us now say to our profit, They are passing away ; lest then we say without avail, They are passed away. This then is the time of Mercy, there will
come also the time of Judgment.
11. But think not, Brethren, that these two can in any
wise be separated, the one from the other, in God. They do indeed seem somewhat contrary to each other ; as if one who is Merciful could not observe Judgment; and one who is
God keeps both. How man may do the like. 319 tenacious of Judgment, would forget Mercy. But God is Ver.
'. --
Omnipotent; neither in Mercy loseth He Judgment, nor in Judgment, Mercy. For He hath compassion, He considereth His Own Image, our frailty, our wandering, our blindness, and He calleth ; and to those converted unto Him He for- giveth sins, to the unconverted He forgiveth not. Is He Merciful to the unrighteous ? Has He therefore lost Judg ment, or ought He not to judge between the converted and the unconverted ? Seemeth it just to you, that the converted and the unconverted be treated equally; that the same regard be paid to one confessing and one lying, to the humble and the proud ? Therefore hath He Judgment, yea even in Mercy. Again, in The Judgment will He have Mercy, namely,
/ was an hungered, and Mat25, ye gave Me meat. For in a certain Apostolic Epistle it is
upon those unto whom He shall say,
said, For he shall have Judgment without Mercy, that hath James
shewed no Mercy. Blessed (saith He) are the merciful : mm. 5, for they shall obtain Mercy. Therefore in The Judgment7.
shall there be also Mercy, but not without Judgment. For
if not every one, but he shall have Mercy, who hath before shewn Mercy; even Mercy itself will be just, because it will
not be indiscriminate. Mercy it surely is, that sins should Lake 6, be forgiven, Mercy it that life eternal should be bestowed;
see then also Judgment, Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven
give, and shall be given unto you. Surely this, It shall be Matt. given unto you, and, ye shall be forgiven, Mercy but Judgment had departed therefrom, He would not say, Wi'/AMatt. what measure ye mete, shall be measured to you again.
12. Thou hast heard how God sheweth Mercy and Judg
ment, do thou also shew Mercy and Judgment. Do these
things perhaps belong unto God do they not belong unto
man If they belonged not unto man, the Lord would not
have said to the Pharisees, Ye have omitted the weightier Mat. 23,
'
matters of the Law, Judgment and Mercy. Therefore unto Thee belong Mercy and Judgment. Think not that Mercy belongeth unto thee, but Judgment belongeth not unto thee. It may be thou hearest cause between two, of whom one rich, and the other poor; and may happen that the poor man hath bad, the rich good cause. Now thou art not instructed in the Kingdom of God, thou seemest to thyself to do well, as pitying the poor man, thou hide and conceal
if,
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320 No mercy in favouring the poor against justice.
Psalm his iniquity, and strive to justify him, so that he may seem Exp. ll. to have a good cause; and if thou shouldest be blamed
Ex. 23,
against a poor man, who had not wherewithal to pay, or if he had, could not, after that he had paid, find wherewithal to live ? Thy God saith unto thee, Neither shall thou coun tenance a poor man in his cause. It is an easy thing that we should be warned not to accept the person of the rich ; this every man knoweth, and would that every man so did. That is where one is deceived ; where one would please God, by accepting the person of the poor in judgment, and saying unto God, I have shewn favour unto the poor. Nay, but thou shouldest hold fast both, even both Mercy and Judg ment. First, what sort of mercy hast thou shewed towards him, whose iniquity thou hast favoured ? Lo, his purse thou hast spared, his heart thou hast wounded : that poor man hath remained in his iniquity, and is so much the more in iniquity, as he hath seen thee, as if a righteous man, favour his iniquity. From thee hath he departed, unjustly succoured ; by God he remaineth justly to be condemned. What sort of mercy hast thou shewn to him, whom thou hast made un righteous? Lo, thou art found more cruel than merciful.
What then, sayest thou, should I do ? Thou shouldest judge first according to the cause. Thou shouldest con
vict the poor, prevail on the rich man. There is one time for judgment, another for supplication. When the rich man saw that thou hadst held justice, hadst not lifted up the head of the wicked because he was poor, but according to the merits of his sin hadst justly punished him ; would not he be prevailed on to mercy at thy supplication, who had been made glad by thy judgment ? My Brethren, though there remaineth indeed more of the Psalm, yet must we now
spare our strength, both of mind and body, by reason of the variety of hearers : for also when we are taking food from the same wheat, many new tastes as it were are made for us, so as to do away loathing: may this suffice you.
-- because thou hast judged ill, thou answerest as concerning Mercy, It is true, and I too know it; but he was poor, Mercy was due unto him. How hast thou kept Mercy, and lost Judgment? And how, sayest thou, if I should keep Judg ment should I not lose Mercy ? Should I pronounce
God isfaithful both in Mercy and in Justice. 321
DISCOURSE THE SECOND.
On the Second Part of the Psalm.
1. Both in preaching and hearing the Word of Truth is Ver. labour; and this labour, my Brethren, we bear with patience, JldL- if we remember the Lord's sentence, and our condition. For
from the very first beginning of our race hath man heard,
and that not from man that deceiveth, nor from the devil
that seduceth, but from Truth Itself out of the mouth of God,
In the sweat of thy Jace shall thou eat thy bread. There- Gen. 3, fore if our bread is the Word of God, let us sweat in hearing,19.
le6t we die in lasting. A few verses of the first part of this
Psalm, at the solemnity of the vigil lately past*, were handled:
let us hear what remaineth.
2. Now thus begins the part which remaineth, which but now we sang, (ver. 5. ) The earth is full of the Mercy of the Lord. (Ver. 6. ) By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made firm. For it is the same thing, By the voice of the Lord were the Heavens established. He had said above, Sing skilfully unto Him with jubilation, that is, Sing inef fably : (ver. 4. ) For the Word of the Lord is right, and all His works are in faith. He promiseth nothing which He payeth not : He that is Faithful is made a debtor, be thou a covetous exacter. Then when he had said, All His works are done in faith ; he added wherefore : (ver. 5. ) He loveth Mercy and Judgment. He then, Who loveth Mercy, pitieth. But He Who pitieth, can He promise and not give, Who
could give though He promised not ? Therefore because He loveth Mercy, it behoveth Him to afford that which He pro
miseth : and because He loveth Judgment, it behoveth Him
to exact what He gave. Wherefore said the Lord Himself
to a certain servant; Wherefore gaveIst thou not the money Lukel9, into the bank, that at My coming
might have required Mine own with usury? Which therefore we mention, that we may understand what we have but now heard. For the
same Lord saith in another place, in the Gospel, / judge no John 8,
>> In the Church of St. Cyprian. Ben. Seep. 311.
'
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322 Mercy freely offerIed, man answerable for the offer.
have spoken, the same shall judge "E. xv. ll.
willed man to be right in heart, that whatever in him was somewhat crooked, He might make straight toIHim, Who is
ever Right; Nevertheless, saith He, not as
Thou, Father. But what evil could Christ will ? What, in
short, could He will other than the Father. Whose Divinity is one, Their Will can not be different. But in the person of Man, transforming His Own into Himse/lf ; whom He had transformed into Himself when He said,
was an hungred, Mat. 25, and ye gave Me meat : whom He transformed into Himself,
when to Saul raging, and persecuting the Saints, He cried
from Heaven, though none touched Him, Saul, Saul, why Acts 9,
'
will, but as
309
persecutest Thou Me ? He shewed as it were man's proper will ; He shewed thee, and corrected thee. Behold, saith He, thyself in Me ; for thou also canst will something proper to thyself, though God will otherwise ; this is granted to human frailty, it is granted to human infirmity : to have a proper will, it is difficult that this should not happen to thee: but think straightway Who is above thee; think of Him above thee, thyself below Him ; Him the Creator, thyself the creature ; Him the Lord, thyself the servant ; Him Omni potent, thyself weak ; correcting thyselfI, submitting to His Will, and saying, Nevertheless, not as
will, but as Thou wilt. Wherein art thou severed from God, who now willest that which God willeth ? Then shalt thou be upright, and praise shall be comely to thee, for, praise is comely to the
upright.
3. But if thou art crooked, thou praisest God when it is
well with thee, blasphemest when it is ill : which ill indeed, ifitbejust,isnotill; butjustitis,sinceitisdonebyHim,
Who can do nothing unjust : and so thou wilt be a foolish
boy in the house of thy father, loving thy father if he
fondle thee, and hating him when he scourgeth thee : as if
he were not, both when fondling and when scourging, pre
paring for thee the inheritance. But see how praise is comely to the upright ; hear the voice of the upright praising
from another Psalm, / will bless the Lord at all times, HisP<<. 34,\. praise shall continually be in my mouth. What is at all
310 77ie Righteous encouraged to rejoice in all cases.
Psalm times, that is, continually ; and what is, I will bless, that is>
'Exp. ll. be in XXX11I. His praise shall
my mouth.
At and con all times,
Joh 1,
tinually, whether in prosperity or in adversity. For if in prosperity and not in adversity, how at all times ? how con tinually ? And we have heard many such words from many : when any good fortune befals them, they exult, they rejoice, they sing to God, they praise God ; nor are they to be dis approved, nay, we must rejoice in them, for many praise Him not even then. But they who have now begun to praise God on account of their prosperity, must be taught to acknowledge their Father also when scourging them, and not to murmur against the hand of Him correcting ; lest remain ing ever perverse they deserve to be disinherited, so that being now made upright, (what is upright? so that nothing which God doth, displease them,) they may be able to praise God even in adversity, and to say, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; as the Lord pleased, so is it come to
Vuig.
pass.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. To such upright, praise is comely, not to them that will first praise, and after wards blame.
4. Therefore, ye righteous upright, rejoice in the Lord r for your praise is comely. Let none say, Who am I, that am righteous? or, When am I righteous? Cast not yourselves away, and despair not of yourselves. Ye are men, in the image of God were ye created: He Who made you men, for you also was made Man : that ye, being many sons, might be adopted to an eternal inheritance, the Blood of the Only-Begotten was shed for you. If ye unto your selves have become vile through earthly frailty, according to your own price weigh yourselves : What ye eat, What ye drink, Whereto ye subscribe Amen, consider as is meet. Do we give you this warning, that ye may be proud, and dare to claim to yourselves some perfection? No: but neither again ought ye to think yourselves to be exiled from all righteousness. For I will not question you of your righ teousness ; for perhaps none of you would dare to answer, I am righteous : but I question you of your faith. As none of you dares to say, I am righteous, so none dares to say, I am not faithful. I ask not yet how thou livest, but how thou believest. Thou wilt answer, that thou believest in Christ.
Thefaithful may do so. The Psaltery and Harp. 311
Hast thou not heard the Apostle, The just shall live by faith ? Ver. Thy faith is thy righteousness, because truly if thou dost 2 believe, thou dost beware ; if thou dost beware, thou dost ' '
17. endeavour ; and God knoweth thy endeavour, and beholdest
thy will, and considereth the wrestling with the flesh, and exhorteth thee to fight, and assisteth thee to conquer, and contending watcheth thee, and fainting, lifteth thee up, and conquering, crowneth thee. Therefore, Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous : or this I would say, Rejoice in the Lord, O ye faithful, because the just shall live by faith. Praise is comely to the upright. Learn to give thanks unto God, both in prosperity and in tribulation. Learn to have in thy heart what every man hath in his tongue ; The will of God be done. The common speech of the people is mostly saving doctrine. Who saith not daily, What God willeth, that let Him do ? And so the upright will be among those, who rejoice in the Lord, and to whom praise is comely, whom
the Psalm addresseth, in the words following, and saith, (ver. 2. ) Praise the Lord with harp : sing unto Him with the psaltery of ten strings. For this even now we sang, this expressing with one mouth, we instructed your hearts.
5. Hath not the institution of these Vigils b in the name of Christ brought it to pass that harps should be banished out of this place ? And, lo, the same are bid to sound. Praise the Lord, saith he, with harp; sing unto Him with the
0xf'
psaltery of ten strings. Let none turn his heart to instru
ments of the theatre. That which is commanded him, he
hath in himself, as it is elsewhere said, Thy vows are upon Ps. 56,
Iwill render praises unto Thee.
me, O God;
ber, who some while since were present, when what difference '>>"? ' there between the psaltery and harp, as best could, explained in my discourse0, and tried withal to bring home
to the understanding of all but how much effected, they know best who heard. And now in due season repeat
that in this diversity of two musical instruments, we may
find the diversity of human actions signified by the same,
SeeSer. 115, de Diversis, (al. 311. ) delivered in the Church which con- c. 5. where the same more clearly re- tained the remains of the Martyr lated from which passage, and from the Cyprian. Bet. The religious Vigil following exposition, c. appears superseded a revel of dancing, &c.
that these discourses on Ps. 33. were On Ps. 43. and on Ps. 71. Exp. 2.
They'remem-
c
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312 Our earthly state, should ' harp" to God in joy and sorrow.
chords lean, so that when touched they sound. I speak not of the staff wherewith they are touched, but that hollow board I mean, over which they are laid, upon which in some wise they lean, so that from thence trembling at the touch, and from that concavity conceiving sound, they are rendered more harmonious; this board then the harp hath in the lower, the psaltery in the upper part. This is the distinction between them. Now in this place we are bidden to praise the Lord with harp, and to sing to Him with a psaltery of
ten strings. He saith not, with a harp often strings, neither in this Psalm, nor, if I mistake not, in any other place. My sons, the readers may read and examine more thoroughly and leisurely for themselves ; but as far as I myself remem ber, I have found in many places a psaltery of ten strings, a harp of ten strings no where occurs, that I have read. Re member that the harp hath that wherefrom it sounds in the lower part, the psaltery in the higher. In our lower life, that is, our earthly, we have prosperity and adversity: wherefore must we praise God in both, that His praise may be con-
Ps. 34,1. tinnally in our mouth, and that we may bless the Lord at all times. For there is an earthly prosperity, and there is an earthly adversity : in both must God be praised, that so we may harp. What then is earthly prosperity ? When we are sound in body ; when all things abound whereby we live ; when our safety is sure ; when the fruits come in largely ;
Matt. 5, when He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. All these things contribute to earthly life. Whoever therefrom praiseth not God, is ungrateful. Because they are earthly
things, are they therefore not of God ? Or is therefore an other to be thought to give them, because they are given also to the evil. For manifold is the mercy of God, patient is long-suffering. Thereby sheweth He the more what things He reserveth for the good, when He sheweth what great things He giveth even to the evil. And adversities there are, forsooth from the lower part, from the frailty of the human race, in griefs, in weariness, in pressures, in tribulations, in temptations. In all these let him praise God
Psalm and to be fulfilled in our life. The harp hath that hollow XXXIII.
Exp. II. board, like a tabor, covered with tortoiseshell, on which the
it,
The spiritual man, a psaltery of ten strings for God. 313
who barpeth. Let him consider, not that they are from Ver. below, but that they cannot be ruled and governed but by ?
that Wisdom, which reacheth from end to end mightily,Wisd. and sweetly ordereth all things. For He doth not rule ' heavenly things, and leave alone earthly; or it would not be
said unto Him, Whither shall I go Thy
from whither shall Ijtee from Thy presence ?
I Spirit? ascend
or^s. l39, up
into heaven, Thou art there;
art there. Where then is He wanting, Who no where is not? Praise then the Lord on the harp. Whether any earthly thing abound to thee, give thanks to Him Who gave
if
I If
go down into hell, Thou
or whether ought be wanting to thee, or haply by mis fortune be taken from thee, harp without care. For He
not taken from thee, Who gave, though that be taken from thee which He gave. Even so, say, harp without care. Assured in thy God, touch the strings in thy heart, and say,
as to an harp sounding well in the lower part, The LordJoh gave, and the Lord hath taken away, whatever the Lordy^
pleased that did He. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.
6. But now, when thou considerest the superior gifts of God, what Commandments He hath given thee, with what
heavenly doctrine He hath imbued thee, what things He hath commanded thee from above, from the fountain of His Truth turn also to the psaltery, sing unto the Lord with psaltery of ten strings. For the Commandments of the
Law are ten in the ten Commandments of the Law thou
hast the psaltery. The thing complete. Therein thou
hast the love of God in three, and the love of thy neighbour see p. in seven. And truly thou knowest, the Lord Himself having
said that On these two commandments hang all the Law Mat. 22, and the Prophets. Saith God unto thee from above, Tke D'at
Lord thy God one Lord; thou hast one string. Thou4. shall not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain 20 thou hast another string Remember the Sabbath day, to keep holy, not carnally, not with their Jewish delights,
who abuse rest unto wickedness. For better were that
they should dig the whole day, than the whole day dance.
But thou, thinking on rest in thy God, and for that rest doing all things, abstain from servile work. Now, Whosoever John committeth sin, the servant ofsin; and would that could34.
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314 Three ' strings' of love to God, seven of love to man.
Psalm say, of man, and not of sin ! These three relate to the love XXXIII.
Exp. II. of God: of Whom consider thou the unity, the truth, and the pleasantness, for there is a pleasantness in the Lord, where there is a true Sabbath, a true rest11 ; wherefore it is
Ps. 37,4. said, Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. For who giveth such de light, as lie Who maketh all things which delight? In
Ex. 20, these three is the love of God, in the other seven is the love of our neighbour, that thou do not to another, what thou wouldest not suffer. Honour thy father and thy mother: because thou also wouldest be honoured by thy children. Thou shall not commit adultery: because thou wouldest not that thy wife should commit adultery, behind thy back. Tltou shall not kill: because thou also wouldest not be killed. Thou shalt not steal: because thou also wouldest not suffer robbery. Thou shalt not bear false witness: because thou hatest him that beareth false witness against thee. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife; because thou wouldest not thy wife to be coveted by another. Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbour's : because if any other covet aught that is thine, thou art displeased. Direct thy tongue to thyself also, when thou art displeased at him who injures thee. All these are the commandments of God ; by Wisdom Herself were they given ; their sound cometh from above. Touch the psaltery, fulfil the Law
Matt. 5, which the Lord thy God came not to destroy but to fulfil. By love wilt thou fulfil, what by fear thou couldest not. For he who through fear doth not evil, would fain do it if he could : and so though the power is not given, the will remained). I do it not, saith he. Wherefore ? Because I fear. Not yet lovest thou righteousness ; thou art still a servant : be a son. But of a good servant is made a good son : now do it not through fear ; thou wilt learn also to do it not through love : for there is a beauty in righteousness : punishment may deter thee, but righteousness hath its own comeliness ; it seeketh men's eyes, it inflameth its lovers.
d It appears from this that St. as most Churches have since applied Augustine did not consider the fourth it. Of the views of the Fathers re- Commandment directly applicable to specting the Lord's Day, see a note
the Lord's day, and perhaps also that at the end of the Rhythms of St. he did consider it to apply indirectly, Ephrem.
Love not to be quenched, butfixed on Righteousness. 315
For this the Martyrs, treading under foot the world, shed Ver. their blood. What loved they when they renounced all ---- things ? For were they not lovers ? or say we this to you
that ye may love not ? Who loveth not, is cold, is dead.
Love we, but that beauty which seeketh the eyes of the heart. Love we, but that beauty which with praise of righteousness inflameth the mind. Men exclaim, they cry aloud, they say every where, How good ! How excellent !
What see they ? Righteousness they see, in which an old
man bowed down is beautiful. For neither if an old man
that is righteous walk abroad, is there any thing in his body
to be loved, and yet he is loved by all. Even there is he
loved where he is not seen : nay there is he loved where he
is seen, but with the heart. Let him then delight you, and
pray ye to the Lord, that He may delight you. For TliePs. 85, Lord shall give sweetness, and our land shall yield her increase: that through love ye may fulfil, what by fear it is
hard to fulfil. Why say I, it is hard? The mind is not yet
able : it would rather that there were not any commandment,
if to do, it is not led by love, but by fear constrained. Do
not steal ; fear hell1: he would rather that there were no'Geben- hell, into which he should be cast. When beginneth ana? ' man to love righteousness, but when he had rather that
there were no stealing, even though there were no hell into which thieves should be cast ? This it is, to love righteousness.
7.
And what is righteousness herself like ? Who painteth
her? What beauty hath the Wisdom of God? Through
her are all things beautiful, that are pleasant to the eyes:
her to see, her to embrace, our hearts must be cleansed,
her lovers we profess ourselves; herself so dresseth3 us that8Co1"- we may not be displeasing to her. And when men reprove
us for those things, whereby we please her whom we love,
how is it that we so little regard our reprovers, how is it we
so despise them, and altogether care nothing for them ? Women's lovers, loose and worthy of condemnation, when
their mistresses dress them after their own fancy, if they
can but please them, care not for those whom they displease, thinking it sufficient for them that they please
their eyes, whom they court: and grave men they mostly
316 Please Him Who is worthy of love. New song for New Men.
Psai. m displease, nay, grave men they always displease, and by Exp. ii. better judgment are blamed. Thou art not well shorn, saith a grave man to a wanton youth, it becometh thee not to go
with such-like curls. He knoweth, however, that a certain person is pleased with those curls: he hateth thee that with true judgment blamest, and keepeth in himself that which pleaseth his perverse will. He thinketh thee his enemy,
1al. ' be. because thou wouldest take away3 his disgrace. He nieth loveth/thy eyes, and altogether careth not by what rule of righteous
ness he be blamed. If therefore these regard not their reprovers in truth, that they may be handsome in falsehood ; ought we, in those things whereby we please the Wisdom of God, ought we to regard unrighteous mockers, having no eyes wherewith they may see What we love ? These things considering, all ye upright in heart, Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto Him with a psaltery often strings.
8. Ver. 3. Sing unto Him a new song. Put off oldness : ye know the new song. A new man, a New Testament, a new song. A new song belongeth not to men that are old: none learn that but new men, renewed through Grace
from oldness, and belonging now to the New Testament, which is the kingdom of Heaven. For that sigheth all our love, and singeth a new song. A new song let it sing, not with the tongue, but with the life. Sing unto Him a new song: sing skilfully unto Him. Every man asketh how he should sing unto God. Sing unto Him, but sing not un
He would not that His Ears be offended. Sing skilfully, Brother. in the audience of any good musician, when said to thee, Sing, to please such an one, without some knowledge of the musical art, thou fearest to sing, lest thou shouldest displease master of the art, because, what an unskilful person nndeth not amiss in thee, master blameth who can undertake to sing skilfully before God, so judging of the singer, so examining every part, so exactly
hearing How canst thou shew so nice skill in singing, as in nothing to displease Ears so perfect Behold, he giveth as were the tune of thy song seek not words as thou couldesl explain whereby God is pleased. Sing with jubila tion for this to sing skilfully unto God, to sing with jubilation. What to sing with jubilation To be
skilfully.
is it
If,
is
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it
? :
it is
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if
a
;
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Joy beyond words. Work of Faith. God, how Faithful. 317
unable to understand, to express in words, what is sung Ver. in the heart. For singers, either in the harvest, or in the '-- vineyard, or in any other busy work, after they have begun
in the words of their hymns to exult and rejoice, being
as it were filled with so great joy, that they cannot express
it in words, then turn from actual words, and proceed to sounds of jubilation. The jubilee is a sound signifying that
the heart laboureth with that which it cannot utter. And
whom beseemeth that jubilation, but the Ineffable God?
For He is Ineffable, Whom thou canst not speak; and if
thou canst not speak Him, and oughtest not to keep Him
silent, what remaineth to thee but jubilation ; that the heart may rejoice without words, and the boundless extent ofjoy may have no limits of syllables? Sing skilfully unto Him with jubilation.
9. Ver. 4. For the Word of the Lord is right, and all
His works are done in faith. In that even wherein He dis- pleaseth the not right, He is right. And all His works areTMSm. 1, done infaith. Let thy works be done in faith, for TIiejustU&b. 2, shall live by faith; and Faith worketh by love. Let thygal,5 works be done in faith, because by trusting in God thou art6- rendered faithful. How can the works of God be done in
faith, as though God also should live by faith ? We find
God also called faithful, and that not in our own words: hear
an Apostle ; God, saith He, is faithful, Who will not suffer i Cor.
you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able
to bear it. Thus ye have heard God called faithful, hear it
also in another place. // we suffer, we shall also reign 2 Tim. with Him : ifwe deny Him, He also will deny us: If we ' ' believe not, yet He abideth Faithful : He cannot deny Him
We have then a Faithful God also: but let us well dis tinguish Faithful God from faithful man. Man is faithful
when he trusteth in God promising: God is Faithful because
He performeth what He promised to man. Let us hold Him
a Debtor most Faithful, since we hold Him a Promiser most Merciful. For neither have we lent unto Him any loan, that
we should hold Him a debtor ; since from Him we have whatever we offer unto Him, and from Him cometh whatever
good there is in us. All the good things, in which we rejoice, are from Him. For who hath known the Mind q/34-- 36.
self.
'
318 God owes by Promise. Times of Mercy and Judgment.
Psalm the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor? or who hath Y,xr. lijirst given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again ? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. We then have given nothing to Him, and yet we hold Him a debtor. Wherefore a debtor ? Because He is
P*. 27,
a Promiser. We say not unto God, Lord, render what Thou hast received ; but, Render what Thou hast promised. For the Word of the Lord is right. What is, The Word of the Lord is right? He deceiveth thee not: do not thou deceive Him, rather do not thou deceive thyself; for who can deceive the Omniscient ? But iniquity hath lied unto itself. For the Word of the Lord is right, and all His works are done in
faith.
10. Ver. 5. He loveth Mercy and Judgment. Do thou
the same, because He doth. Observe ye both Mercy and Judgment. The time of Mercy is now, the time of Judg ment shall be hereafter. Whence is it now the time of Mercy ? He calleth those but now averted, He forgiveth sin to them converted : He is patient with sinners, until they be converted: when they are converted, He forgetteth things past, He promiseth things to come: He exhorteth the sloth ful, consoleth the afflicted, teacheth the studious, assisteth the fighting: He deserteth none labouring and crying unto Himself. He giveth that wherewith sacrifice may be done
unto Himself; He bestoweth that wherewith He may be recon ciled. Let not the great time of Mercy pass, Brethren, let it not pass away from us. There will come a judgment, and then also there will be repentance, but then without fruit, then
wisd. 5, they repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit, shall say within themselves, (is it not written in the book of Wisdom? ) What hath pride profited us ? or what good hath riches with our vaunting brought us ? All these things are passed away
like a shadow. Let us now say, All these things are passing away like a shadow. Let us now say to our profit, They are passing away ; lest then we say without avail, They are passed away. This then is the time of Mercy, there will
come also the time of Judgment.
11. But think not, Brethren, that these two can in any
wise be separated, the one from the other, in God. They do indeed seem somewhat contrary to each other ; as if one who is Merciful could not observe Judgment; and one who is
God keeps both. How man may do the like. 319 tenacious of Judgment, would forget Mercy. But God is Ver.
'. --
Omnipotent; neither in Mercy loseth He Judgment, nor in Judgment, Mercy. For He hath compassion, He considereth His Own Image, our frailty, our wandering, our blindness, and He calleth ; and to those converted unto Him He for- giveth sins, to the unconverted He forgiveth not. Is He Merciful to the unrighteous ? Has He therefore lost Judg ment, or ought He not to judge between the converted and the unconverted ? Seemeth it just to you, that the converted and the unconverted be treated equally; that the same regard be paid to one confessing and one lying, to the humble and the proud ? Therefore hath He Judgment, yea even in Mercy. Again, in The Judgment will He have Mercy, namely,
/ was an hungered, and Mat25, ye gave Me meat. For in a certain Apostolic Epistle it is
upon those unto whom He shall say,
said, For he shall have Judgment without Mercy, that hath James
shewed no Mercy. Blessed (saith He) are the merciful : mm. 5, for they shall obtain Mercy. Therefore in The Judgment7.
shall there be also Mercy, but not without Judgment. For
if not every one, but he shall have Mercy, who hath before shewn Mercy; even Mercy itself will be just, because it will
not be indiscriminate. Mercy it surely is, that sins should Lake 6, be forgiven, Mercy it that life eternal should be bestowed;
see then also Judgment, Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven
give, and shall be given unto you. Surely this, It shall be Matt. given unto you, and, ye shall be forgiven, Mercy but Judgment had departed therefrom, He would not say, Wi'/AMatt. what measure ye mete, shall be measured to you again.
12. Thou hast heard how God sheweth Mercy and Judg
ment, do thou also shew Mercy and Judgment. Do these
things perhaps belong unto God do they not belong unto
man If they belonged not unto man, the Lord would not
have said to the Pharisees, Ye have omitted the weightier Mat. 23,
'
matters of the Law, Judgment and Mercy. Therefore unto Thee belong Mercy and Judgment. Think not that Mercy belongeth unto thee, but Judgment belongeth not unto thee. It may be thou hearest cause between two, of whom one rich, and the other poor; and may happen that the poor man hath bad, the rich good cause. Now thou art not instructed in the Kingdom of God, thou seemest to thyself to do well, as pitying the poor man, thou hide and conceal
if,
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if
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320 No mercy in favouring the poor against justice.
Psalm his iniquity, and strive to justify him, so that he may seem Exp. ll. to have a good cause; and if thou shouldest be blamed
Ex. 23,
against a poor man, who had not wherewithal to pay, or if he had, could not, after that he had paid, find wherewithal to live ? Thy God saith unto thee, Neither shall thou coun tenance a poor man in his cause. It is an easy thing that we should be warned not to accept the person of the rich ; this every man knoweth, and would that every man so did. That is where one is deceived ; where one would please God, by accepting the person of the poor in judgment, and saying unto God, I have shewn favour unto the poor. Nay, but thou shouldest hold fast both, even both Mercy and Judg ment. First, what sort of mercy hast thou shewed towards him, whose iniquity thou hast favoured ? Lo, his purse thou hast spared, his heart thou hast wounded : that poor man hath remained in his iniquity, and is so much the more in iniquity, as he hath seen thee, as if a righteous man, favour his iniquity. From thee hath he departed, unjustly succoured ; by God he remaineth justly to be condemned. What sort of mercy hast thou shewn to him, whom thou hast made un righteous? Lo, thou art found more cruel than merciful.
What then, sayest thou, should I do ? Thou shouldest judge first according to the cause. Thou shouldest con
vict the poor, prevail on the rich man. There is one time for judgment, another for supplication. When the rich man saw that thou hadst held justice, hadst not lifted up the head of the wicked because he was poor, but according to the merits of his sin hadst justly punished him ; would not he be prevailed on to mercy at thy supplication, who had been made glad by thy judgment ? My Brethren, though there remaineth indeed more of the Psalm, yet must we now
spare our strength, both of mind and body, by reason of the variety of hearers : for also when we are taking food from the same wheat, many new tastes as it were are made for us, so as to do away loathing: may this suffice you.
-- because thou hast judged ill, thou answerest as concerning Mercy, It is true, and I too know it; but he was poor, Mercy was due unto him. How hast thou kept Mercy, and lost Judgment? And how, sayest thou, if I should keep Judg ment should I not lose Mercy ? Should I pronounce
God isfaithful both in Mercy and in Justice. 321
DISCOURSE THE SECOND.
On the Second Part of the Psalm.
1. Both in preaching and hearing the Word of Truth is Ver. labour; and this labour, my Brethren, we bear with patience, JldL- if we remember the Lord's sentence, and our condition. For
from the very first beginning of our race hath man heard,
and that not from man that deceiveth, nor from the devil
that seduceth, but from Truth Itself out of the mouth of God,
In the sweat of thy Jace shall thou eat thy bread. There- Gen. 3, fore if our bread is the Word of God, let us sweat in hearing,19.
le6t we die in lasting. A few verses of the first part of this
Psalm, at the solemnity of the vigil lately past*, were handled:
let us hear what remaineth.
2. Now thus begins the part which remaineth, which but now we sang, (ver. 5. ) The earth is full of the Mercy of the Lord. (Ver. 6. ) By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made firm. For it is the same thing, By the voice of the Lord were the Heavens established. He had said above, Sing skilfully unto Him with jubilation, that is, Sing inef fably : (ver. 4. ) For the Word of the Lord is right, and all His works are in faith. He promiseth nothing which He payeth not : He that is Faithful is made a debtor, be thou a covetous exacter. Then when he had said, All His works are done in faith ; he added wherefore : (ver. 5. ) He loveth Mercy and Judgment. He then, Who loveth Mercy, pitieth. But He Who pitieth, can He promise and not give, Who
could give though He promised not ? Therefore because He loveth Mercy, it behoveth Him to afford that which He pro
miseth : and because He loveth Judgment, it behoveth Him
to exact what He gave. Wherefore said the Lord Himself
to a certain servant; Wherefore gaveIst thou not the money Lukel9, into the bank, that at My coming
might have required Mine own with usury? Which therefore we mention, that we may understand what we have but now heard. For the
same Lord saith in another place, in the Gospel, / judge no John 8,
>> In the Church of St. Cyprian. Ben. Seep. 311.
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4S'
322 Mercy freely offerIed, man answerable for the offer.
have spoken, the same shall judge "E. xv. ll.
