Does not the force of it seem to
you to answer and say, That I said, I Am that I Am, is
true, but thou dost not comprehend it; that I said, / am the
God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, is true, and thou dost understand it?
you to answer and say, That I said, I Am that I Am, is
true, but thou dost not comprehend it; that I said, / am the
God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, is true, and thou dost understand it?
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v6
If we have received good at the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure evil?
See what is, Lift up your hands by night in the sanctuary, and praise the Lord.
What said Job ?
' Thou hast spoken as one of the foolish women.
' The Adam in his misery drove away Eve, as though he said, Enough is it for thee, that I am made mortal on thy account.
Thou
124 The blessing of Unity.
Psalm didst prevail in Paradise, thou art vanquished on the dunghill. Great is the grace of God. But how is this, save that the
6.
' dew of Hermon had rained down on that soul, and the Lord B5' had given a sweet savour, that our land might yield her fruit. By night lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and
bless the Lord.
3. The Lord out of Zion bless thee, Who made heaven
and earth. He exhorts many to bless, aud Himself
blesseth one, because He maketh one out of many, since Ps. 133, it is good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in one. It is a plural number, brethren, and yet singular, to
,
dwell together in one. Therefore, The Lord out of Zion bless thee, Who made heaven and earth. Let none of you say, It cometh not to me. Knowest thou of whom he speaks, the Lord bless thee out of Zion. He blessed one.
unum. I}e one1, and the blessing cometh to thee.
Lat. CxxxVI.
PSALM CXXXV. COMMENTARY.
A Discourse to the people.
Very pleasant ought it to be to us, and we should rejoice because it is pleasant, to which this Psalm ex- horteth us. For it says, Praise the name of the Lord. And it forthwith appends the reason, why it is just to praise the name of the Lord. Praise the Lord, ye servants. What more just r what more worthy ? what more thankful ? Yea, if His servants praised not the Lord, they would be proud, unthankful, impious. And what will they get by not praising the Lord, except to feel the Lord's wrath. For even the thankless servant, if he will not praise his Lord, does not thereby cause himself not to be a servant. Praise Him or not, thou art still His servant; but if thou praise, thou wilt appease Him, if thou praise Him not, thou wilt displease Him. It is a good and useful exhortation, then, and hence we should
thought, how the Lord should be
praised, rather than
occupy ourselves with the
Man, not God, benefitted by Praise. 125
doubt whether He is to be praised. Therefore, praise the Ver. name of the Lord. The Psalm exhorts us, the Prophet ----- exhorts us, the Spirit of God exhorts us, lastly, God
Himself even exhorts us, to praise the Lord. For He in- creaseth not by our praises, but we do. God is neither the better, if you praise Him, nor the worse, if you reproach Him ; but thou, by praising Him that is good, art the better, by reproaching, the worse ; for He remaineth good, as He is. For if He teaches His own servants who have deserved well of Him, the preachers of His Word, the rulers of His Church, the worshippers of His name, the obeyers of His command, that in their own conscience they should pos sess the sweetness of their life, lest they be corrupted by the praise or disheartened by the reproach of men ; how much the more is He above all, the unchangeable One, Who teacheth these things, neither the greater if thou praisest, or the less if thou reproachest. Yet as it is our gain to praise the Lord, in mercy He bids us praise Him, not for His own gain. Let us hear then what he says. Praise the Name of the Lord, praise the Lord, ye servants. For ye will do nothing out of place, by praising your Lord, as servants.
And if ye were to be for ever only servants, ye ought to praise the Lord ; how much more ought ye servants to praise the Lord, that ye may hereafter gain the privilege of sons?
2. But since it is written in another Psalm, Praise Ps. 33,i. befitleth the just ; and also in another place, Praise is not Ecclus. comely in the mouth of a sinner; and moreover in another15' 9" place it is said, The sacrifwe of praise shall glorify Me, Pa. so, and there is the way in which I will shew him the sal- 23' vtilion of God ; and after, But to the sinner, saith God 'A. 16.
Why dost thou talk of My judgments, and takest My l7, covenant in thy mouth ? Whereas thou hatest instruction, and hast cast My precepts behind thee, therefore lest any should think, since it is said, Praise the Lord, ye servants, that though he be a bad servant in that great house, the praise of the Lord shall profit him, he forthwith goes on to explain who they are who should praise the Lord. Ye who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Ye who stand, not, ye who fall. They
are said to stand, who persevere in His commands, who
Psalm cxxiiv.
1^6 Praise due for God's Mercies.
serve God with unfeigned faith, with firm hope, and sincere char|tv . wno uonour l-Ii8 Church, and give no offence, by an evil life, to them who would come in, but find stones of offence in the way. Therefore, Ye who stand in the house of the Lord, praise ye the name of the Lord. Be thankful ; ye were without, and ye stand within. Since then ye stand, is it a small thing for you to think where He should be praised, Who raised you when you were cast down, and caused you to stand in His house, to know Him, and to praise Him ? Is it a small boon, that we stand in the house of the Lord? Here meanwhile, in this our sojourn ing, in this house, which is also called the tabernacle of our sojourning: since we stand here, ought we at all to fail of thankfulness ? Must we not think of that we stand here? Must we not remember what we have been made Must we not remember where we were cast down, and whither we have been gathered Must we not remember that all the wicked sought not the Lord that them who sought Him not, He sought; whom He found, He aroused; whom He aroused, He called whom He called, He led in, and caused to stand in His house If one thinks of this, and not unthankful, he will utterly despise himself in
with the love of his Lord, Who hath done so great things for him. And since he hath nothing wherewith to repay God for so great benefits, what remains for him but to give Him thanks, not to repay Him It belongs to the very act of thanksgiving, to receive the cup of the Lord, and to call upon His name, for what can the servant repay the Lord for all that He hath given him? Therefore, Ye who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house our God, praise the Lord.
Ps. 116, 12"
ib. 11.
Gen. 31,
3. What reason shall give why you should
Him Because the Lord is good. Briefly in one word
here explained the praise of the Lord our God. The Lord good; good, not in the same manner as the things which He here made are good. For God made all things very good not only good, but also very good. He made the sky and earth, and all things which are in them good, and He made them very good. If He made all these things good, of what sort He Who made them And yet
comparison
praise
?
?
;
l,
is
of is I
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? is
is
?
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And for His intrinsic Goodness. 127
since He made them good, and He who made is much Ver.
'--
He good by His own goodness, not by any good derived
from elsewhere. He by His own good, that Himself,
good, not by attachment to some other good. But for me to attach myself to God good Him Who never needed one Ps. 73, by whom He might be made good, but all other things28" needed Him, that they might be made good. Would you
hear how He good alone The Lord when asked said,
No one good, save God alone. would not briefly pass Mat. 19, over this singularity of His goodness, and yet am not able
fitly to recommend to you; fear lest should be found unthankful, pass over rapidly and withal fear lest
when undertake to expound may be oppressed
the vast burden of the Lord's praises. Yet so, my brethren,
accept me, who praise, and yet am incompetent, that the
w orship of my praise may be accepted, though the expo
sition of His praise be not fulfilled. And may He approve
of my will, and pardon my failure.
4. am filled with ineffable delight, when hear that The Lord good, and after examining and surveying all things
which see without, since they are all from Him, although these things please me, yet return to Him from Whom they arise, to understand that the Lord good. And when penetrate toward Him as near as can, find Him deeper within, and higher than my reach, because the Lord in such sort good, as to need in no wise these things to make Him good. Lastly, do not praise these things apart from Him. Him however find to be perfect without them, needing nothing, unchangeable, seeking no good of another whereby He may be increased fearing no evil, whereby He may be diminished. And what more shall say find in creation that the sky good, the sun good, the moon good, the stars are good, the earth good, the things which grow in the earth, and are fixed on roots, are good, those which walk and move are good, those which in the air and
better than the things which He made, you can find nothing better to speak of Him than that the Lord is good, however, you understand Him to be in peculiar sense good, from whom other good things proceed. For He made all things good, He Himself good, Whom no one made.
by
is
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it, I I;
fly
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is
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is II
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is
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it
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is I 1 is '
if 1
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1. 28 God alone good in Himself.
Psalm swim in the waters are good. I say that man is good, for the good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth
35. forth good. I say that an angel is good, who hath not fallen by pride and become a devil, but remains in obedience to Him by whom he was made. I say all these things are good, but I do so in connexion with their names, as the good sky, a good angel, a good man; but when I betake myself to God, I think I can say nothing better than good.
Mat. 12, For truly the Lord Jesus, who Himself said, A good man; MarklO sa'd moreover, No one is good but God alone. Did He
18-
not urge us to seek and distinguish what is that good which is made good by another good, and that Good which is by itself good ? How Good must that be, from which all good things proceed ? You can find no good at all, which is not good from Him. As He is properly the Good which makes things good, so is He properly the Good. For neither is it true, that these things which He hath made are not, nor yet is any wrong done to Him when we say that the things which He made are not<. Why then did He make them, if they are not when He has made them? Or what did He make, if that which He made is not ? But since these things which He made have being, we come still to the comparison of Him with them; and as
anc'' t hou thalt say to the children of Israel, He Who Is ' 3 ka^1 sent me unio you- ^e did not say, The Almighty 'Lord God, the merciful, the just, though He would have said what was quite true, had he so spoken. Every thing being taken away, by which God might be named and called, He
Exod. 3, though He alone had being, He says, / Am That I Am,
ipsum 13.
answered that He is called Very Being, and as though this were His name. This thou shalt say to them, he says, He Who Is hath sent me. For He Is in such wise, that in with Him, things which are, are not. If He be
comparison
not compared with them, they are, because they are from Him, but compared with Him they are not, because to Be truly is to Be unchangeably, and this He Is alone. For what is, is; just as the good of goods, is good. Reflect and see that whatever else ye praise, ye do praise, because it is good. He is mad, who praises what is not good. If thou
' i. e. in the sense, in which He alone IS; self-existent.
God made sweet to Man by the Incarnation. 129
praisest him who is unjust because he is unjust, wilt not Ver. thou too be unjust? If thou praisest a thief because he is a ---- - thief, wilt not thou too be a partaker? If thou praisest a just
man because he is just, dost not thou too have thy part therein
by praising him ? For thou wouldest not praise the just, didst thou not love him; thou wouldest not love him, if thou hadst no part with him. If then whatever else we praise, we praise because it is good ; thou couldest have no better or stronger or greater reason for praising God, than that He is good. Therefore, Praise the Lord, because He is good.
5. How far can we speak of His goodness? Who can conceive in his heart, or apprehend how good the Lord is ?
Let us however return to ourselves, and in us recognise Him,
and praise the Maker in His works, because we are not fit to contemplate Him Himself. And in hope that we may be able to contemplate Him, when our heart hath been purified by faith, that hereafter it may rejoice in the Truth; now as He cannot
be seen by us, let us look at His works, that we may not
live without praising Him. So 1 1 have said, Praise the Lord, 1 He
for He is good; sing praises unto His Name, for He is sweet, j^j1 Perchance He would be good and not sweet, if He had notOxf. given thee the power of taste. But such did He shew Him- Ms"'
self to men, that He even sent bread from heaven ; and John 6, the Son Who is equal to Him, Who is what He is, He41-60" gave to be made man, and to be slain for man, that by that
which thou art, thou mightest taste what thou art not. It was
meet for thee to taste the sweetness of God, because it is too remote and lofty, thou art too abject, and grovelling below.
In this so great severance was sent a Mediator. Being man
thou couldest not come to God ; and God was made Man,
that as, being man, thou mayest come to Man, but canst not come to God; by Man thou mightest come to God; and there
was made a Mediator between God and Man, the man Christ Jesus. But if He were man alone, by following what thou l Tim. art, thou wouldest never reach Him ; if He were God alone,2' 5- for lack of comprehending what thou art not, thou wouldest
never reach Him. So God was made man, that by following man which thou canst, thou mayest reach God which thou couldest not. He is Mediator, and therenpon is sweet. What is sweeter than angels' food ? How can God not be
VOL. VI. K
130 God's praises tempered to Man's weaknesses.
Psalm sweet, since man ate angels' food ? For men and angels ,fIxx*J" live not on different meat. That is truth,' that is wisdom,
Fa 88,
25. that is the goodness of God, but thou canst not enjoy it in
like wise with the angels. For how do they enjoy it? As John 1, it is written, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, by Whom all things
ib. 14. were made. But how dost thou reach it? Because the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us. That man might eat angels' food, the Creator of the angels was
made man. Therefore, Sing praises unto His Name, for He is sweet. If ye taste, sing praises ; if ye have tasted how sweet the Lord sing praises that which ye have tasted has good savour, praise who so unthankful to cook or purveyor, as not to return thanks by praising what he tastes, he be pleased by any food. If we are not silent on such occasions, shall we be silent concerning Him,
Who has given us all things Sing praises unto His Name, for He is sweet.
6. Now hear of His works. Ye have striven perchance to see the Good of all good, the Good from which all good things come, the Good without which nothing else good, and the Good which good without other things ye have striven to use it; and perchance in straining the sight of your minds, you have found yourselves wanting. For thus gather from myself, such are my feelings. But if there be any one, as may be, and well may be, stronger in this mental sight than who fixes the gaze of his heart for long on that which is, let him praise as he can, let him praise as we are not able. Still, thanks be to Him, who hath tempered His own praise in this Psalm, so that both strong and weak may assay it. For in the mission of His
Exod. 3, servant Moses, when He said, Am that Am, and thou
. . .
14
ib. 15.
shall say to the sons of Israel, He who Is hath sent me to you since difficult for the human mind to conceive the fact of His special Being, and a man was sent to men, though not by man forthwith God tempered His praise, and said this of Himself, which could sweetly be appre hended; He would not abide in that praise which the worshipper could not attain to. Go, said he, tell the sons of Israel, The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac,
;
;
I
it is
if
a
I, I
is
is,
I
if is
;
is
?
it ;
;
Instanced in the Children of Israel. 131
and the God of Jacob, hath sent me to you. This is My Name Ver. for ever. Seeing, O Lord, Thou bast that former Name, ---- --
because Thou hast also said, I Am : He Who Is, hath sent
me to you ; why didst Thou forthwith change Thy Name
so as to say, The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, Exod. 3, and the God of Jacob ?
Does not the force of it seem to
you to answer and say, That I said, I Am that I Am, is
true, but thou dost not comprehend it; that I said, / am the
God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, is true, and thou dost understand it? That I Am that I
Am, belongs to Me; but that I am the God of Abraham, and
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, belongs to thee.
And if thou art unable to see what I am to Myself, under
stand what I am to thee. And that no one may think
that what God said, I Am that I Am, and, He Who Is,
hath sent me unto you, is His only Eternal Name, but
that what He said, / am the God of Abraham, and the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, is His temporal Name, God
took not care when He said, I Am that I Am, and He Who
Is hath sent me to you, to say that this His Name is eternal; for though He said not this, it would be so understood. For He is, and truly and for the very reason that He truly Is,
He Is without beginning or end. But as for man He is, am the God Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob lest men should feel anxiety, because this not eternal but temporal, He hath assured us, that He leads us to eternal life out of temporal things. This, He says, My Name for ever, not because Abraham or Isaac or Jacob are eternal, but because God makes them eternal afterwards for ever. They had indeed beginning, but shall have no end.
In Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, understand His whole church, understand the whole seed of Israel; but all the seed of Israel not alone that of the flesh, but that also which of faith. For the Apostle spake to the Gentiles,
to whom he said, If then ye be Christ's, then are ye Gal. Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise. We then are
all blessed in the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
He blessed indeed certain tree, and created an olive,
as the Apostle has said, even the holy Patriarchs, from
K 2
a
a
it
3,
7. is
is
; of
is,
is is /
132 Christians the true Israel.
Psalm whence the people of God grew; but this olive was pruned,
cxxxv.
Rom.
cuj. down, and from thence the proud branches were broken off, that the blasphemous and impious people of the Jews. Yet good and useful branches remained, for from thence were the Apostles. And as some useful branches had been left, by God's mercy the wild olive of the Gentiles was grafted in, to whom the Apostle said, But thou when thou wast a wild olive wert grafted among them, and wert made a partaker of the fatness of the olive-tree. Boast not thyself against the branches. But thou boastest, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. This the one tree
which belongeth to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and, which more, the grafted wild-olive belongeth more to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, than the branches which were broken off. They by reason of the breaking off are not there now; but the wild-olive was not once, and now. They deserved to be broken off by reason of their pride that gained grace to be grafted in by its humility. They lost the root, that retains it. Since then ye are called the Israel of God, the Israel who belongeth to God, do not thereafter make yourselves strange to Him. Ye were^a wild-olive, but now ye are an olive, partakers of the fatness of the olive. For would ye know how the wild-olive has been grafted into Abraham and Isaac and Jacob; lest ye think yourselves not to belong to this olive, because ye belong not to the seed of Abraham according to the flesh When the Lord wondered at the faith of that Centurion, who was not of the people of Israel, but of the people of
Matt. 8,the Gentiles; Wherefore, saith He, tell you, that many shall come from the east and west. Behold now the wild- olive in the hand of the grafter. Many shall come from the east and the west. We see what bears that which to be grafted in, let us see where He grafteth it. And they shall sit down, He says, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. We see both what He grafted, and where He grafted it. What saiih He of the proud natural branches. But the children of the kingdom shall go into outer darkness, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. The fact was foretold, the fact was accomplished.
8. Therefore, Sing praises to the Lord, for He
sweet.
is
is ? ;
is
/
if is
is
i|
is,
By God's Grace, not their own Merit. 1 33
And note what He hath done for us. For the Lord hath Vp. r.
' 5-
chosen Jacob to Himself, Israel for His own possession. Praise Him, sing praises to Him, because He hath done these things. I say such words as ye can comprehend. The other nations
He put under the Angels; the Lord chose Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own possession. He made His own people the field which He cultivated, which He
sowed Himself; although He made all nations, He com
mitted the others to the Angels ; this He designed to be possessed and preserved by Himself, this people, this Jacob.
By its merits, or of His own grace ? He says of them
who are not yet born, The elder shall serve the younger : so Rom. 9, says the Apostle. What merit could they who are not yet 12' born possess, before either of them had done either good or
evil ? Let not Jacob therefore extol himself, let him not boast himself, or ascribe it to his own merits. He was known before, predestinated before, elected before, not elected for his own merits, but found out, and gifted with life by the grace of God. So with all the Gentiles ; for how did the wild-olive deserve, that it should be grafted in, from the bitterness of its berries, lhe barrenness of its wildness ? It was the wood of the wilderness, not of the Lord's field, and yet He of His mercy grafted the wild-olive into the (true) olive. But up to this time the wild-olive was not grafted in, since the Lord chose Jacob to Himself, and Israel for His own possession.
I
that the Lord is great. With mind flying upward, raised above the flesh, passing beyond the creature, he knew that
9. And what says the Prophet ? Because
have known v. 5.
the Lord is great. Not all can know by seeing ; let them praise what He hath done. {The Lord) is street, the Lord hath chosen Jacob to Himself, Israelfor His own possession.
Hence too praise Him. For further, /
have known that the
Lord is great. The Prophet spoke who entered into the 2 Cor. sanctuary of God, who heard by chance unspeakable words, 12' 4"
which it is not lawful for man to utter; who said what could be said to man, who reserved to himself what could not be said. Let him then be heard as far as we can, and believed where we cannot. Let him be heard as far as we can, Because the Lord hath chosen Jacob to Himself, Israel for
134 God's Greatness known through His Works.
Psalm his own possession; let him be believed as far as we cannot, cx:txv' because he himself knew that the Lord is great. If we should say to him, we ask thee, explain to us His greatness ; would he not perchance answer us, He whom I see is not so very great, if He be able to be expounded by me. Let him then return to His works, and tell us. Let him hold in his conscience the greatness of God, which he has seen, which he has committed to our faith, whither he could not lead our eyes, and enumerate some of the things which the Lord hath done here ; that unto us, who cannot
see His greatness as he can, He may become sweet through the works of His which we can comprehend. Because, says he, / know that the Lord is great, and our God is above all gods. What gods ? As the Apostle says,
^
Cor. 8, Though there he who are called gods in heaven and in earth, as there are gods many, and lords many; but to us there is one God, the Father, from Whom are all things, and we in Him ; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we by Him. Men may be called gods. For it
/ have said, Ye are gods, and all the sons of the Highest; is not God above men? But what is there great in this, if God is above men ? God is also above Angels, because the Angels did not make God, but God made the Angels ; and He Who made all things must needs be above all which He has made. He therefore knowing the greatness of the Lord, and seeing Him to be above every creature, not merely corporeal but spiritual, says, He is a great King above all gods, He is the highest God, Who has no god above Him. Let him tell us His works. They are understood.
10. All whatsoever the Lord willed, He made in the heaven, and in the earth, in the sea, and in all its deep places. Who can comprehend these things ? Who can enumerate the works of the Lord in the heaven and earth, in the sea, and in all deep places ? Yet if we cannot comprehend them all, we should believe and hold them without question, because whatever creature is in heaven, whatever is in earth, whatever is in the sea and in all deep places, has been made by the Lord, because all that He
PH. 82,i. is said, God stood in the congregation of gods. It is said,
lb. 6.
v. 6.
His Works all done of His own Free-will, 135
willed, that He made, in heaven and earth, in the sea, and Ver. in all deep places, as we have just now said. He was nol -- forced to make all that He made, but all that He willed He made. His will
was the cause of all things which He made. Thou makest a house, because if thou didst not
make thou wouldest be left without habitation
compels thee to make home, not free-will. Thou makest garment, because thou wouldest go about naked thou
didst not make it; thou art therefore led to making garment by necessity, not by free-will. Thou plantest mountain with vines, thou sowest seed, because thou didst not do so, thou wouldest not have food; all such things thou doest of necessity. God has made things of His goodness. He needed nothing that He made and therefore He hath made all things that He willed.
11. Dost thou think, 'we too have what we do of free
necessity
The things we have spoken of, we do of necessity, we did not do them, we should be needy and
will
because
helpless.
We do indeed, when we praise God, through loving Him. This indeed thou doest of free-will, when thou lovest that which thou praisest for this not of necessity, but because pleaseth thee. Therefore God pleaseth the just and His saints even when He scourgeth them. When He displeaseth all
the unjust, He pleaseth them; and though they are subject
to his rod, though in toils, in labours, in wounds, want,
they praise God; He displeaseth them not, though He even torment them. This free love, not for the receipt of specified pay, because God Himself will be thy highest reward, Whom thou lovest freely, and so oughtest to love,
as not to cease to desire Him for thy reward, as Him Who
alone can satisfy thee; as Philip desired Him, when He said,
Shew us the Father, and satisfieth us. Rightly,JohnH, because we do this of free-will, and we ought to do this of8, free-will, because we do so of our pleasure we do so of our
love, because though we be chastened by Him, He never
ought to displease us, for He always just. Thus spoke
His worshipper, Upon me, God, are Thy tons, which
will pay, praise to Thee. And in another place, will ps's^e. offer Thee free-will offerings. What means, will offer
Do we find any thing which we do of free-will
Pa. 56,
/
if
:
of
O
is
is
;
is it
a
/in if
I
it ? aa
;
? ' if
a
it,
;
136 God doeth all that He willeth in Heaven and Earth.
Psalm Thee free-offerings? I will freely praise Thee. For He J""'- saith, The sacrifice of praise shall glorify Me. If thou wert
23. '
compelled to offer thy Lord a sacrifice, pleasing and accept able to Him, as formerly sacrifices were vowed for a shadow of things to come, perchance thou wouldest not find a fitting bull in thy herds, or a he-goat in thy goats worthy of the altar of the Lord, or a ram in thy sheepfolds a worthy victim for thy Lord; and not finding them, thou wouldest be troubled what to do, and wouldest perchance say to God, 1 would and had not. Canst thou say of praise, I
would and had not ? The very wish is praise. God seeketh not words from thee, but the heart. Lastly, thou mayest say, I had no tongue. If any one by sickness be dumb, he has no tongue, but he has praise. For if God had ears of llesh, and needed the sound of thy body, as long as thou remainest without a tongue, thou wouldest remain without
14'
on earth to men ofgood will.
12. That God then, Who is omnipotent, did whatsoever
He willed in the heaven and earth, thou doest not all thou willest in thine own house. He did whatsoever He willed in the heaven and earth: do thou do all that thou willest even in thy field. Thou willest many things, but canst not do all thou wishest in thy own house. Thy wife perchance gainsays thee, thy children gainsay thee, sometimes even thy slave contumaciously gainsays thee, and thou doest not what thou willest. But thou sayest, I do what I will, because
1 punish the disobedient and gainsayer. Even this thou doest not when thou willest. Sometimes thou wouldest punish, and canst not; sometimes thou threatenest, and diest before thou doest what thou threatenest. Do we think thou doest in thyself what thou willest? Dost thou bridle all thy lusts ? Perchance thou dost ; dost thou even bring about,
But now, as He seeketh for the heart, looketh into the heart, is the witness, the judge, the approver, the helper, the giver of the crown within, it is enough that thou open
praise.
Rom. 1o, thy will. When thou canst, thou confessest with thy mouth '"' to salvation ; when thou canst not, thou believest with the heart to justification. Thou praisest with the heart, blessest with the heart ; with the heart thou placest sacred victims
Luke 2, on the altar of conscience, and the answer to thee is, Peace
Man cannot even in himself. 137
that the lusts thou bridlest do not rise up ? Verily thou Ver. wishest this, not to be vexed with the importunity of thy il lusts, and yet, the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and <AeGal. 5, spirit against the Jlesh, so that ye cannot do the things ye1"*- would. Thou doest not in thyself the things thou wouldest.
But our God did whatsoever He would, in the heaven and earth. May He give thee grace, that thou tnayest do in thyself what thou willest, for except by His help, thou doest not in thyself what thou willest. Moreover, when he could not do in himself what he would, who said, The
flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, so that ye cannot do the things ye would; when he bewailed himself, I / delight in the law of God,
see another law in my wieMi-22'33, bers warring against the law of my mind, and making
me captive to the law of sin, which is in my members; because, not only in his house, not only in his field, but
in his flesh, and even in his spirit, he fulfilled not what
he would; he cried to God, Who did whatsoever He would in heaven and earth; and said, Wretched man that lh. 24. / am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death !
And as if He Who is good, He Who is sweet, had answered
him, straightway he adds, Thanks be to God, through Jesus ib. 25. Christ our Lord. Love therefore this Sweetness, praise this Sweetness. Understand hereby God, Who did whatsoever He would in the heaven and earth; He will do in you also what
ye will ; by His help ye shall fulfil your will. But while
ye cannot, confess to Him; when ye shall be able,
give Him thanks; when ye fall, cry to Him; when ye are raised up, be not high-minded. He therefore did whatsoever He would in heaven and earth, in the sea, and in all deep places.
13. Raising the clouds from the ends of the earth, ver. 7. We see these works of God in His creation. For the clouds come from the ends of the earth to the midst thereof,
and rain ; thou scannest not whence they arise. Hence the prophet signifies this, from the ends of the earth, whether it
be from the bottom, or from the circumference of the ends of the earth, whencesoever He wills He raises the clouds, only from the earth. He hath made lightnings into rain. For
after the inner man, but
saying, Rom. 7,
Psalm
John 3,
ver. 8.
ver. 9.
138 God's mighty works in behalf of His People.
lightnings without rain would frighten thee, and bestow nothing on thee. He tnaketh lightnings unto rain. It lightens, and thou tremblest; it rains, thou rejoicest. He hath made lightnings unto rain. He Who terrified thee, Himself causest that thou shouldest rejoice. Who bringeth the winds out of His treasures, their causes are hidden, thou knowest not whence they come. When the wind blows, thou feelest it; why it blows, or from what treasure of His wisdom it is brought forth, thou knowest not; yet thou owest to God the worship of faith, for it would not blow unless He had bidden Who made unless He had brought forth Who created it.
14. We see therefore these things in that work of His; we praise, we marvel at, we bless God let us see what He has done among men for His people. Who smote thefirst-bom of Egypt. But withal those divine doings are told which thou mightest love, those are not told which thou mightest fear. Attend, and see that also when He angry, He doeth what He willeth. He smote the first-born Egypt, from man even unto beast. He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, Egypt Ye know, ye have read what the hand of the Lord did by Moses in Egypt, to crush and cast down the proud Egyptians, on Pharaoh and on all his servants. Little did He in Egypt what did He after His
was led out thence Who smote many nations, who possessed that land, which God willed to give His ver. 11. people. And slew mighty kings, Sehon king of the Amorites,
and Og the king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan. All these things which the Psalm records simply, do we read likewise in others of the Lord's books, and there the hand of the Lord great. When thou seest what has been done to the wicked, take heed lest be done to thee. For such things were done to them, that thou mightest pass by and not follow them, and not suffer such things. Yet see that the rod of the Lord over all flesh.
124 The blessing of Unity.
Psalm didst prevail in Paradise, thou art vanquished on the dunghill. Great is the grace of God. But how is this, save that the
6.
' dew of Hermon had rained down on that soul, and the Lord B5' had given a sweet savour, that our land might yield her fruit. By night lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and
bless the Lord.
3. The Lord out of Zion bless thee, Who made heaven
and earth. He exhorts many to bless, aud Himself
blesseth one, because He maketh one out of many, since Ps. 133, it is good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in one. It is a plural number, brethren, and yet singular, to
,
dwell together in one. Therefore, The Lord out of Zion bless thee, Who made heaven and earth. Let none of you say, It cometh not to me. Knowest thou of whom he speaks, the Lord bless thee out of Zion. He blessed one.
unum. I}e one1, and the blessing cometh to thee.
Lat. CxxxVI.
PSALM CXXXV. COMMENTARY.
A Discourse to the people.
Very pleasant ought it to be to us, and we should rejoice because it is pleasant, to which this Psalm ex- horteth us. For it says, Praise the name of the Lord. And it forthwith appends the reason, why it is just to praise the name of the Lord. Praise the Lord, ye servants. What more just r what more worthy ? what more thankful ? Yea, if His servants praised not the Lord, they would be proud, unthankful, impious. And what will they get by not praising the Lord, except to feel the Lord's wrath. For even the thankless servant, if he will not praise his Lord, does not thereby cause himself not to be a servant. Praise Him or not, thou art still His servant; but if thou praise, thou wilt appease Him, if thou praise Him not, thou wilt displease Him. It is a good and useful exhortation, then, and hence we should
thought, how the Lord should be
praised, rather than
occupy ourselves with the
Man, not God, benefitted by Praise. 125
doubt whether He is to be praised. Therefore, praise the Ver. name of the Lord. The Psalm exhorts us, the Prophet ----- exhorts us, the Spirit of God exhorts us, lastly, God
Himself even exhorts us, to praise the Lord. For He in- creaseth not by our praises, but we do. God is neither the better, if you praise Him, nor the worse, if you reproach Him ; but thou, by praising Him that is good, art the better, by reproaching, the worse ; for He remaineth good, as He is. For if He teaches His own servants who have deserved well of Him, the preachers of His Word, the rulers of His Church, the worshippers of His name, the obeyers of His command, that in their own conscience they should pos sess the sweetness of their life, lest they be corrupted by the praise or disheartened by the reproach of men ; how much the more is He above all, the unchangeable One, Who teacheth these things, neither the greater if thou praisest, or the less if thou reproachest. Yet as it is our gain to praise the Lord, in mercy He bids us praise Him, not for His own gain. Let us hear then what he says. Praise the Name of the Lord, praise the Lord, ye servants. For ye will do nothing out of place, by praising your Lord, as servants.
And if ye were to be for ever only servants, ye ought to praise the Lord ; how much more ought ye servants to praise the Lord, that ye may hereafter gain the privilege of sons?
2. But since it is written in another Psalm, Praise Ps. 33,i. befitleth the just ; and also in another place, Praise is not Ecclus. comely in the mouth of a sinner; and moreover in another15' 9" place it is said, The sacrifwe of praise shall glorify Me, Pa. so, and there is the way in which I will shew him the sal- 23' vtilion of God ; and after, But to the sinner, saith God 'A. 16.
Why dost thou talk of My judgments, and takest My l7, covenant in thy mouth ? Whereas thou hatest instruction, and hast cast My precepts behind thee, therefore lest any should think, since it is said, Praise the Lord, ye servants, that though he be a bad servant in that great house, the praise of the Lord shall profit him, he forthwith goes on to explain who they are who should praise the Lord. Ye who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Ye who stand, not, ye who fall. They
are said to stand, who persevere in His commands, who
Psalm cxxiiv.
1^6 Praise due for God's Mercies.
serve God with unfeigned faith, with firm hope, and sincere char|tv . wno uonour l-Ii8 Church, and give no offence, by an evil life, to them who would come in, but find stones of offence in the way. Therefore, Ye who stand in the house of the Lord, praise ye the name of the Lord. Be thankful ; ye were without, and ye stand within. Since then ye stand, is it a small thing for you to think where He should be praised, Who raised you when you were cast down, and caused you to stand in His house, to know Him, and to praise Him ? Is it a small boon, that we stand in the house of the Lord? Here meanwhile, in this our sojourn ing, in this house, which is also called the tabernacle of our sojourning: since we stand here, ought we at all to fail of thankfulness ? Must we not think of that we stand here? Must we not remember what we have been made Must we not remember where we were cast down, and whither we have been gathered Must we not remember that all the wicked sought not the Lord that them who sought Him not, He sought; whom He found, He aroused; whom He aroused, He called whom He called, He led in, and caused to stand in His house If one thinks of this, and not unthankful, he will utterly despise himself in
with the love of his Lord, Who hath done so great things for him. And since he hath nothing wherewith to repay God for so great benefits, what remains for him but to give Him thanks, not to repay Him It belongs to the very act of thanksgiving, to receive the cup of the Lord, and to call upon His name, for what can the servant repay the Lord for all that He hath given him? Therefore, Ye who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house our God, praise the Lord.
Ps. 116, 12"
ib. 11.
Gen. 31,
3. What reason shall give why you should
Him Because the Lord is good. Briefly in one word
here explained the praise of the Lord our God. The Lord good; good, not in the same manner as the things which He here made are good. For God made all things very good not only good, but also very good. He made the sky and earth, and all things which are in them good, and He made them very good. If He made all these things good, of what sort He Who made them And yet
comparison
praise
?
?
;
l,
is
of is I
;?
? is
is
?
?
;
it,
And for His intrinsic Goodness. 127
since He made them good, and He who made is much Ver.
'--
He good by His own goodness, not by any good derived
from elsewhere. He by His own good, that Himself,
good, not by attachment to some other good. But for me to attach myself to God good Him Who never needed one Ps. 73, by whom He might be made good, but all other things28" needed Him, that they might be made good. Would you
hear how He good alone The Lord when asked said,
No one good, save God alone. would not briefly pass Mat. 19, over this singularity of His goodness, and yet am not able
fitly to recommend to you; fear lest should be found unthankful, pass over rapidly and withal fear lest
when undertake to expound may be oppressed
the vast burden of the Lord's praises. Yet so, my brethren,
accept me, who praise, and yet am incompetent, that the
w orship of my praise may be accepted, though the expo
sition of His praise be not fulfilled. And may He approve
of my will, and pardon my failure.
4. am filled with ineffable delight, when hear that The Lord good, and after examining and surveying all things
which see without, since they are all from Him, although these things please me, yet return to Him from Whom they arise, to understand that the Lord good. And when penetrate toward Him as near as can, find Him deeper within, and higher than my reach, because the Lord in such sort good, as to need in no wise these things to make Him good. Lastly, do not praise these things apart from Him. Him however find to be perfect without them, needing nothing, unchangeable, seeking no good of another whereby He may be increased fearing no evil, whereby He may be diminished. And what more shall say find in creation that the sky good, the sun good, the moon good, the stars are good, the earth good, the things which grow in the earth, and are fixed on roots, are good, those which walk and move are good, those which in the air and
better than the things which He made, you can find nothing better to speak of Him than that the Lord is good, however, you understand Him to be in peculiar sense good, from whom other good things proceed. For He made all things good, He Himself good, Whom no one made.
by
is
I
it, I I;
fly
I
1
I I
a is
is
1
is II
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I
is
I
I is
I
is
if, is
it
isI is
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I? ; is
I it
is I 1 is '
if 1
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1. 28 God alone good in Himself.
Psalm swim in the waters are good. I say that man is good, for the good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth
35. forth good. I say that an angel is good, who hath not fallen by pride and become a devil, but remains in obedience to Him by whom he was made. I say all these things are good, but I do so in connexion with their names, as the good sky, a good angel, a good man; but when I betake myself to God, I think I can say nothing better than good.
Mat. 12, For truly the Lord Jesus, who Himself said, A good man; MarklO sa'd moreover, No one is good but God alone. Did He
18-
not urge us to seek and distinguish what is that good which is made good by another good, and that Good which is by itself good ? How Good must that be, from which all good things proceed ? You can find no good at all, which is not good from Him. As He is properly the Good which makes things good, so is He properly the Good. For neither is it true, that these things which He hath made are not, nor yet is any wrong done to Him when we say that the things which He made are not<. Why then did He make them, if they are not when He has made them? Or what did He make, if that which He made is not ? But since these things which He made have being, we come still to the comparison of Him with them; and as
anc'' t hou thalt say to the children of Israel, He Who Is ' 3 ka^1 sent me unio you- ^e did not say, The Almighty 'Lord God, the merciful, the just, though He would have said what was quite true, had he so spoken. Every thing being taken away, by which God might be named and called, He
Exod. 3, though He alone had being, He says, / Am That I Am,
ipsum 13.
answered that He is called Very Being, and as though this were His name. This thou shalt say to them, he says, He Who Is hath sent me. For He Is in such wise, that in with Him, things which are, are not. If He be
comparison
not compared with them, they are, because they are from Him, but compared with Him they are not, because to Be truly is to Be unchangeably, and this He Is alone. For what is, is; just as the good of goods, is good. Reflect and see that whatever else ye praise, ye do praise, because it is good. He is mad, who praises what is not good. If thou
' i. e. in the sense, in which He alone IS; self-existent.
God made sweet to Man by the Incarnation. 129
praisest him who is unjust because he is unjust, wilt not Ver. thou too be unjust? If thou praisest a thief because he is a ---- - thief, wilt not thou too be a partaker? If thou praisest a just
man because he is just, dost not thou too have thy part therein
by praising him ? For thou wouldest not praise the just, didst thou not love him; thou wouldest not love him, if thou hadst no part with him. If then whatever else we praise, we praise because it is good ; thou couldest have no better or stronger or greater reason for praising God, than that He is good. Therefore, Praise the Lord, because He is good.
5. How far can we speak of His goodness? Who can conceive in his heart, or apprehend how good the Lord is ?
Let us however return to ourselves, and in us recognise Him,
and praise the Maker in His works, because we are not fit to contemplate Him Himself. And in hope that we may be able to contemplate Him, when our heart hath been purified by faith, that hereafter it may rejoice in the Truth; now as He cannot
be seen by us, let us look at His works, that we may not
live without praising Him. So 1 1 have said, Praise the Lord, 1 He
for He is good; sing praises unto His Name, for He is sweet, j^j1 Perchance He would be good and not sweet, if He had notOxf. given thee the power of taste. But such did He shew Him- Ms"'
self to men, that He even sent bread from heaven ; and John 6, the Son Who is equal to Him, Who is what He is, He41-60" gave to be made man, and to be slain for man, that by that
which thou art, thou mightest taste what thou art not. It was
meet for thee to taste the sweetness of God, because it is too remote and lofty, thou art too abject, and grovelling below.
In this so great severance was sent a Mediator. Being man
thou couldest not come to God ; and God was made Man,
that as, being man, thou mayest come to Man, but canst not come to God; by Man thou mightest come to God; and there
was made a Mediator between God and Man, the man Christ Jesus. But if He were man alone, by following what thou l Tim. art, thou wouldest never reach Him ; if He were God alone,2' 5- for lack of comprehending what thou art not, thou wouldest
never reach Him. So God was made man, that by following man which thou canst, thou mayest reach God which thou couldest not. He is Mediator, and therenpon is sweet. What is sweeter than angels' food ? How can God not be
VOL. VI. K
130 God's praises tempered to Man's weaknesses.
Psalm sweet, since man ate angels' food ? For men and angels ,fIxx*J" live not on different meat. That is truth,' that is wisdom,
Fa 88,
25. that is the goodness of God, but thou canst not enjoy it in
like wise with the angels. For how do they enjoy it? As John 1, it is written, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, by Whom all things
ib. 14. were made. But how dost thou reach it? Because the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us. That man might eat angels' food, the Creator of the angels was
made man. Therefore, Sing praises unto His Name, for He is sweet. If ye taste, sing praises ; if ye have tasted how sweet the Lord sing praises that which ye have tasted has good savour, praise who so unthankful to cook or purveyor, as not to return thanks by praising what he tastes, he be pleased by any food. If we are not silent on such occasions, shall we be silent concerning Him,
Who has given us all things Sing praises unto His Name, for He is sweet.
6. Now hear of His works. Ye have striven perchance to see the Good of all good, the Good from which all good things come, the Good without which nothing else good, and the Good which good without other things ye have striven to use it; and perchance in straining the sight of your minds, you have found yourselves wanting. For thus gather from myself, such are my feelings. But if there be any one, as may be, and well may be, stronger in this mental sight than who fixes the gaze of his heart for long on that which is, let him praise as he can, let him praise as we are not able. Still, thanks be to Him, who hath tempered His own praise in this Psalm, so that both strong and weak may assay it. For in the mission of His
Exod. 3, servant Moses, when He said, Am that Am, and thou
. . .
14
ib. 15.
shall say to the sons of Israel, He who Is hath sent me to you since difficult for the human mind to conceive the fact of His special Being, and a man was sent to men, though not by man forthwith God tempered His praise, and said this of Himself, which could sweetly be appre hended; He would not abide in that praise which the worshipper could not attain to. Go, said he, tell the sons of Israel, The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac,
;
;
I
it is
if
a
I, I
is
is,
I
if is
;
is
?
it ;
;
Instanced in the Children of Israel. 131
and the God of Jacob, hath sent me to you. This is My Name Ver. for ever. Seeing, O Lord, Thou bast that former Name, ---- --
because Thou hast also said, I Am : He Who Is, hath sent
me to you ; why didst Thou forthwith change Thy Name
so as to say, The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, Exod. 3, and the God of Jacob ?
Does not the force of it seem to
you to answer and say, That I said, I Am that I Am, is
true, but thou dost not comprehend it; that I said, / am the
God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, is true, and thou dost understand it? That I Am that I
Am, belongs to Me; but that I am the God of Abraham, and
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, belongs to thee.
And if thou art unable to see what I am to Myself, under
stand what I am to thee. And that no one may think
that what God said, I Am that I Am, and, He Who Is,
hath sent me unto you, is His only Eternal Name, but
that what He said, / am the God of Abraham, and the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, is His temporal Name, God
took not care when He said, I Am that I Am, and He Who
Is hath sent me to you, to say that this His Name is eternal; for though He said not this, it would be so understood. For He is, and truly and for the very reason that He truly Is,
He Is without beginning or end. But as for man He is, am the God Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob lest men should feel anxiety, because this not eternal but temporal, He hath assured us, that He leads us to eternal life out of temporal things. This, He says, My Name for ever, not because Abraham or Isaac or Jacob are eternal, but because God makes them eternal afterwards for ever. They had indeed beginning, but shall have no end.
In Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, understand His whole church, understand the whole seed of Israel; but all the seed of Israel not alone that of the flesh, but that also which of faith. For the Apostle spake to the Gentiles,
to whom he said, If then ye be Christ's, then are ye Gal. Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise. We then are
all blessed in the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
He blessed indeed certain tree, and created an olive,
as the Apostle has said, even the holy Patriarchs, from
K 2
a
a
it
3,
7. is
is
; of
is,
is is /
132 Christians the true Israel.
Psalm whence the people of God grew; but this olive was pruned,
cxxxv.
Rom.
cuj. down, and from thence the proud branches were broken off, that the blasphemous and impious people of the Jews. Yet good and useful branches remained, for from thence were the Apostles. And as some useful branches had been left, by God's mercy the wild olive of the Gentiles was grafted in, to whom the Apostle said, But thou when thou wast a wild olive wert grafted among them, and wert made a partaker of the fatness of the olive-tree. Boast not thyself against the branches. But thou boastest, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. This the one tree
which belongeth to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and, which more, the grafted wild-olive belongeth more to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, than the branches which were broken off. They by reason of the breaking off are not there now; but the wild-olive was not once, and now. They deserved to be broken off by reason of their pride that gained grace to be grafted in by its humility. They lost the root, that retains it. Since then ye are called the Israel of God, the Israel who belongeth to God, do not thereafter make yourselves strange to Him. Ye were^a wild-olive, but now ye are an olive, partakers of the fatness of the olive. For would ye know how the wild-olive has been grafted into Abraham and Isaac and Jacob; lest ye think yourselves not to belong to this olive, because ye belong not to the seed of Abraham according to the flesh When the Lord wondered at the faith of that Centurion, who was not of the people of Israel, but of the people of
Matt. 8,the Gentiles; Wherefore, saith He, tell you, that many shall come from the east and west. Behold now the wild- olive in the hand of the grafter. Many shall come from the east and the west. We see what bears that which to be grafted in, let us see where He grafteth it. And they shall sit down, He says, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. We see both what He grafted, and where He grafted it. What saiih He of the proud natural branches. But the children of the kingdom shall go into outer darkness, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. The fact was foretold, the fact was accomplished.
8. Therefore, Sing praises to the Lord, for He
sweet.
is
is ? ;
is
/
if is
is
i|
is,
By God's Grace, not their own Merit. 1 33
And note what He hath done for us. For the Lord hath Vp. r.
' 5-
chosen Jacob to Himself, Israel for His own possession. Praise Him, sing praises to Him, because He hath done these things. I say such words as ye can comprehend. The other nations
He put under the Angels; the Lord chose Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own possession. He made His own people the field which He cultivated, which He
sowed Himself; although He made all nations, He com
mitted the others to the Angels ; this He designed to be possessed and preserved by Himself, this people, this Jacob.
By its merits, or of His own grace ? He says of them
who are not yet born, The elder shall serve the younger : so Rom. 9, says the Apostle. What merit could they who are not yet 12' born possess, before either of them had done either good or
evil ? Let not Jacob therefore extol himself, let him not boast himself, or ascribe it to his own merits. He was known before, predestinated before, elected before, not elected for his own merits, but found out, and gifted with life by the grace of God. So with all the Gentiles ; for how did the wild-olive deserve, that it should be grafted in, from the bitterness of its berries, lhe barrenness of its wildness ? It was the wood of the wilderness, not of the Lord's field, and yet He of His mercy grafted the wild-olive into the (true) olive. But up to this time the wild-olive was not grafted in, since the Lord chose Jacob to Himself, and Israel for His own possession.
I
that the Lord is great. With mind flying upward, raised above the flesh, passing beyond the creature, he knew that
9. And what says the Prophet ? Because
have known v. 5.
the Lord is great. Not all can know by seeing ; let them praise what He hath done. {The Lord) is street, the Lord hath chosen Jacob to Himself, Israelfor His own possession.
Hence too praise Him. For further, /
have known that the
Lord is great. The Prophet spoke who entered into the 2 Cor. sanctuary of God, who heard by chance unspeakable words, 12' 4"
which it is not lawful for man to utter; who said what could be said to man, who reserved to himself what could not be said. Let him then be heard as far as we can, and believed where we cannot. Let him be heard as far as we can, Because the Lord hath chosen Jacob to Himself, Israel for
134 God's Greatness known through His Works.
Psalm his own possession; let him be believed as far as we cannot, cx:txv' because he himself knew that the Lord is great. If we should say to him, we ask thee, explain to us His greatness ; would he not perchance answer us, He whom I see is not so very great, if He be able to be expounded by me. Let him then return to His works, and tell us. Let him hold in his conscience the greatness of God, which he has seen, which he has committed to our faith, whither he could not lead our eyes, and enumerate some of the things which the Lord hath done here ; that unto us, who cannot
see His greatness as he can, He may become sweet through the works of His which we can comprehend. Because, says he, / know that the Lord is great, and our God is above all gods. What gods ? As the Apostle says,
^
Cor. 8, Though there he who are called gods in heaven and in earth, as there are gods many, and lords many; but to us there is one God, the Father, from Whom are all things, and we in Him ; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we by Him. Men may be called gods. For it
/ have said, Ye are gods, and all the sons of the Highest; is not God above men? But what is there great in this, if God is above men ? God is also above Angels, because the Angels did not make God, but God made the Angels ; and He Who made all things must needs be above all which He has made. He therefore knowing the greatness of the Lord, and seeing Him to be above every creature, not merely corporeal but spiritual, says, He is a great King above all gods, He is the highest God, Who has no god above Him. Let him tell us His works. They are understood.
10. All whatsoever the Lord willed, He made in the heaven, and in the earth, in the sea, and in all its deep places. Who can comprehend these things ? Who can enumerate the works of the Lord in the heaven and earth, in the sea, and in all deep places ? Yet if we cannot comprehend them all, we should believe and hold them without question, because whatever creature is in heaven, whatever is in earth, whatever is in the sea and in all deep places, has been made by the Lord, because all that He
PH. 82,i. is said, God stood in the congregation of gods. It is said,
lb. 6.
v. 6.
His Works all done of His own Free-will, 135
willed, that He made, in heaven and earth, in the sea, and Ver. in all deep places, as we have just now said. He was nol -- forced to make all that He made, but all that He willed He made. His will
was the cause of all things which He made. Thou makest a house, because if thou didst not
make thou wouldest be left without habitation
compels thee to make home, not free-will. Thou makest garment, because thou wouldest go about naked thou
didst not make it; thou art therefore led to making garment by necessity, not by free-will. Thou plantest mountain with vines, thou sowest seed, because thou didst not do so, thou wouldest not have food; all such things thou doest of necessity. God has made things of His goodness. He needed nothing that He made and therefore He hath made all things that He willed.
11. Dost thou think, 'we too have what we do of free
necessity
The things we have spoken of, we do of necessity, we did not do them, we should be needy and
will
because
helpless.
We do indeed, when we praise God, through loving Him. This indeed thou doest of free-will, when thou lovest that which thou praisest for this not of necessity, but because pleaseth thee. Therefore God pleaseth the just and His saints even when He scourgeth them. When He displeaseth all
the unjust, He pleaseth them; and though they are subject
to his rod, though in toils, in labours, in wounds, want,
they praise God; He displeaseth them not, though He even torment them. This free love, not for the receipt of specified pay, because God Himself will be thy highest reward, Whom thou lovest freely, and so oughtest to love,
as not to cease to desire Him for thy reward, as Him Who
alone can satisfy thee; as Philip desired Him, when He said,
Shew us the Father, and satisfieth us. Rightly,JohnH, because we do this of free-will, and we ought to do this of8, free-will, because we do so of our pleasure we do so of our
love, because though we be chastened by Him, He never
ought to displease us, for He always just. Thus spoke
His worshipper, Upon me, God, are Thy tons, which
will pay, praise to Thee. And in another place, will ps's^e. offer Thee free-will offerings. What means, will offer
Do we find any thing which we do of free-will
Pa. 56,
/
if
:
of
O
is
is
;
is it
a
/in if
I
it ? aa
;
? ' if
a
it,
;
136 God doeth all that He willeth in Heaven and Earth.
Psalm Thee free-offerings? I will freely praise Thee. For He J""'- saith, The sacrifice of praise shall glorify Me. If thou wert
23. '
compelled to offer thy Lord a sacrifice, pleasing and accept able to Him, as formerly sacrifices were vowed for a shadow of things to come, perchance thou wouldest not find a fitting bull in thy herds, or a he-goat in thy goats worthy of the altar of the Lord, or a ram in thy sheepfolds a worthy victim for thy Lord; and not finding them, thou wouldest be troubled what to do, and wouldest perchance say to God, 1 would and had not. Canst thou say of praise, I
would and had not ? The very wish is praise. God seeketh not words from thee, but the heart. Lastly, thou mayest say, I had no tongue. If any one by sickness be dumb, he has no tongue, but he has praise. For if God had ears of llesh, and needed the sound of thy body, as long as thou remainest without a tongue, thou wouldest remain without
14'
on earth to men ofgood will.
12. That God then, Who is omnipotent, did whatsoever
He willed in the heaven and earth, thou doest not all thou willest in thine own house. He did whatsoever He willed in the heaven and earth: do thou do all that thou willest even in thy field. Thou willest many things, but canst not do all thou wishest in thy own house. Thy wife perchance gainsays thee, thy children gainsay thee, sometimes even thy slave contumaciously gainsays thee, and thou doest not what thou willest. But thou sayest, I do what I will, because
1 punish the disobedient and gainsayer. Even this thou doest not when thou willest. Sometimes thou wouldest punish, and canst not; sometimes thou threatenest, and diest before thou doest what thou threatenest. Do we think thou doest in thyself what thou willest? Dost thou bridle all thy lusts ? Perchance thou dost ; dost thou even bring about,
But now, as He seeketh for the heart, looketh into the heart, is the witness, the judge, the approver, the helper, the giver of the crown within, it is enough that thou open
praise.
Rom. 1o, thy will. When thou canst, thou confessest with thy mouth '"' to salvation ; when thou canst not, thou believest with the heart to justification. Thou praisest with the heart, blessest with the heart ; with the heart thou placest sacred victims
Luke 2, on the altar of conscience, and the answer to thee is, Peace
Man cannot even in himself. 137
that the lusts thou bridlest do not rise up ? Verily thou Ver. wishest this, not to be vexed with the importunity of thy il lusts, and yet, the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and <AeGal. 5, spirit against the Jlesh, so that ye cannot do the things ye1"*- would. Thou doest not in thyself the things thou wouldest.
But our God did whatsoever He would, in the heaven and earth. May He give thee grace, that thou tnayest do in thyself what thou willest, for except by His help, thou doest not in thyself what thou willest. Moreover, when he could not do in himself what he would, who said, The
flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, so that ye cannot do the things ye would; when he bewailed himself, I / delight in the law of God,
see another law in my wieMi-22'33, bers warring against the law of my mind, and making
me captive to the law of sin, which is in my members; because, not only in his house, not only in his field, but
in his flesh, and even in his spirit, he fulfilled not what
he would; he cried to God, Who did whatsoever He would in heaven and earth; and said, Wretched man that lh. 24. / am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death !
And as if He Who is good, He Who is sweet, had answered
him, straightway he adds, Thanks be to God, through Jesus ib. 25. Christ our Lord. Love therefore this Sweetness, praise this Sweetness. Understand hereby God, Who did whatsoever He would in the heaven and earth; He will do in you also what
ye will ; by His help ye shall fulfil your will. But while
ye cannot, confess to Him; when ye shall be able,
give Him thanks; when ye fall, cry to Him; when ye are raised up, be not high-minded. He therefore did whatsoever He would in heaven and earth, in the sea, and in all deep places.
13. Raising the clouds from the ends of the earth, ver. 7. We see these works of God in His creation. For the clouds come from the ends of the earth to the midst thereof,
and rain ; thou scannest not whence they arise. Hence the prophet signifies this, from the ends of the earth, whether it
be from the bottom, or from the circumference of the ends of the earth, whencesoever He wills He raises the clouds, only from the earth. He hath made lightnings into rain. For
after the inner man, but
saying, Rom. 7,
Psalm
John 3,
ver. 8.
ver. 9.
138 God's mighty works in behalf of His People.
lightnings without rain would frighten thee, and bestow nothing on thee. He tnaketh lightnings unto rain. It lightens, and thou tremblest; it rains, thou rejoicest. He hath made lightnings unto rain. He Who terrified thee, Himself causest that thou shouldest rejoice. Who bringeth the winds out of His treasures, their causes are hidden, thou knowest not whence they come. When the wind blows, thou feelest it; why it blows, or from what treasure of His wisdom it is brought forth, thou knowest not; yet thou owest to God the worship of faith, for it would not blow unless He had bidden Who made unless He had brought forth Who created it.
14. We see therefore these things in that work of His; we praise, we marvel at, we bless God let us see what He has done among men for His people. Who smote thefirst-bom of Egypt. But withal those divine doings are told which thou mightest love, those are not told which thou mightest fear. Attend, and see that also when He angry, He doeth what He willeth. He smote the first-born Egypt, from man even unto beast. He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, Egypt Ye know, ye have read what the hand of the Lord did by Moses in Egypt, to crush and cast down the proud Egyptians, on Pharaoh and on all his servants. Little did He in Egypt what did He after His
was led out thence Who smote many nations, who possessed that land, which God willed to give His ver. 11. people. And slew mighty kings, Sehon king of the Amorites,
and Og the king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan. All these things which the Psalm records simply, do we read likewise in others of the Lord's books, and there the hand of the Lord great. When thou seest what has been done to the wicked, take heed lest be done to thee. For such things were done to them, that thou mightest pass by and not follow them, and not suffer such things. Yet see that the rod of the Lord over all flesh.
