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Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v1
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802 Divers errors of those who will not submit.
Psalm and such an one suffer not ; for I grant that I am a sinner, Expujyet surely there are some worse, who rejoice, while I suffer "tribulation : because then this is unjust, that even some
worse than I should rejoice, while I suffer tribulation, who am either righteous, or less a sinner than they, and it is certain unto me that this is unjust, and it is certain unto me that God doth not injustice ; therefore God governeth not the things of men, nor is there any care for us with Him. They then who are not right in heart, that is, who are distorted in heart, have three conclusions; either
Ps. 14,1. There is no God; for, Thefool hath said in his heart, There 1 supra, is no God. And it hath been ' said, in speaking of those p. ' floods, there wanted not such a doctrine among philosophers;
there wanted not men who said that there was no God, who governeth all things, and who created all things, but that there were many Gods, living at ease, beyond this world, caring not for it. Either, therefore, There is no God, which saith the ungodly, who is displeased with whatever happens to him against his will, and happens not to another, to whom he preferreth himself: or, God is unjust, Who is pleased at these things, and Who doeth these things; or, God governeth not human things, and there is no care for all men with Him. In these three conclusions, great ungodliness is it, either to deny a God, or to call Him unrighteous, or to take from Him the government of the world. Wherefore this ? Because he is distorted in heart. God is right, and therefore a dis torted heart acquiesceth not in Him. As it is in another
Ps. 73,i. Psalm, How good is God to Israel, even unto such as are of an upright heart. And because even he had once such a thought as this, How doth God know, and is there knowledge in the Most High? therefore he added in that place, But as for me, my feet were almost gone. As a warped beam, though you lay it on an even pavement, taketh not its place, nor is it joined and fastened to the rest, but always moves about and totters, not because that is uneven where thou placedst but because that which thou placedst warped so thy heart, as long as crooked and warped, cannot coincide with the lightness of God, and can not be so placed
Cor. therein, as to cleave unto the same, and for that to be, He that is joined unto the Lord is one Spirit. Therefore said
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All suffering by God's permission, for His children's good. 303
he, Glory, all ye that are right in heart. How glory the Veh. right in heart? Hear their glorying; And not only so, but -- we glory in tribulations also, saith the Apostle. For it is no 3 great thing to glory in gladness, to glory in rejoicing; the
right in heart glorieth in tribulations also. And hear how he glorieth in tribulation for not in vain, nor without reason, that such an one glorieth see Knowing, saith the right heart, that tribulation worketh patience and patience, experience and experience, hope and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God shed abroad in our hearts the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.
26. So then the right heart, Brethren. Let every man to whomsoever any thing happens say, The Lord gave, and the Joh Lord hath taken away. Lo, this right heart. As tte^K Lord pleased, so done. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Who hath taken away What hath He taken away? From whom hath He taken away When hath He taken
Blessed be the Name of the Lord. He said not,
The Lord gave, and the devil hath taken away. Attend therefore, Beloved, lest haply you should say, the devil did
this for me. Unto thy God alone refer thy scourge for not
even the devil doth any thing against thee unless He permit Who hath power above, either for punishment, or
for discipline: for the punishment of the ungodly, for the discipline of His son. For He scourgeth every son whom Heb. 12, He receiveth. Neither must thou hope to be without a " scourge, unless haply thou wish to be disinherited. For He scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. What, every son? Where then wouldest thou hide thyself? Everyone; and
none will be excepted, none without scourge. What?
Even to all Would you hear how truly he saith all
Even the Only-Begotten, without sin, was yet not without a scourge. Wherefore even the Only-Begotten, bearing thy
infirmity, and foreshewing in Himself thy person, as the head beareth the person of its own body when now He was approaching His Passion, out of His Manhood which He bore, became sorrowful, that He might make thee glad became sorrowful, that He might console thee. For truly the Lord was able to be without sorrow, going to His Passion. If the soldier was able, was not the Captain able?
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304 Christ's Human Will. His bearing all infirmities.
Hear Paul exulting, as he ap-
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am now ready to be
which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day : and not to me only, but unto all them that love His appearing. See how he exulteth, coming to his passion. He then rejoiceth, who should be crowned ; He, who should crown, sorroweth. What therefore did He bear ? The infirmity of some, who, when tribulation or death cometh, are sorrowful. But see how He leadeth us to rightness of heart. Behold, thou wouldest live, thou wouldest not that any thing should happen to thee ; but God hath willed otherwise : here are two wills, but thy will must be made straight to the will of God, not God's will bent to thine. For thy will is crooked ; His is even the rule. The rule must be fixed, that what is crooked may be made straight to the rule. See now the Lord Jesus Christ
Psalm How was the soldier able ?
XXXII ExP_n_'proached
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his passion. /
I have kept
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2 Tim. 4, offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
have
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have my course, finished
righteousness,
Mat. 26,teacheth this, My Soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: and, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. See, He sheweth the human will. But see the right
I will, but as Thou wilt. Do thou then the same ; rejoice in those things which happen unto thee ; and even if the last day come upon thee, rejoice.
heart ; Nevertheless, not as
Or if the frailty of any human will creep over thee, let it speedily be made straight unto God, that thou mayest be among those of whom it is said, Glory, all ye that are right in heart.
PSALM XXXIII. FIRST EXPOSITION.
1. Ver. 1. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: rejoice, O ye righteous, not in yourselves, for that is not safe ; but in the Lord. For praise is comely to the upright : these praise the Lord, who submit themselves unto the Lord;
they are distorted and perverse.
for else
Ourselves to be offered to God, of Whom is all good. 305
2. Ver. 2. Praise the Lord with harp : praise the Lord, Jjer. " presenting unto Him your bodies a living sacrifice. ^ing^^ unto Him with the psaltery of ten strings : let your members 12, i. be servants to the love of God, and of your neighbour, in
which are kept both the three and the seven command ments*.
3. Ver. 3. Sing unto Him a new song : sing unto Him a song of the grace of faith. Sing skilfully unto Him with
jubilation : sing skilfully unto Him with rejoicing.
4. Ver. 4. For the Word of the Lord is right : for the
Word of the Lord is right, to make you that which of your selves ye cannot be. And all His works are done in faith : lest any think that by the merit of works he hath arrived at faith, when in faith are done all the works which God Him self loveth.
4 5. Ver. 5. He loveth Mercy and Judgment : for He loveth
Mercy, which now He sheweth first ; and Judgment, where with He exacteth that which He hath first shewn. The earth is full of the Mercy of the Lord: throughout the whole world are sins forgiven unto men by the Mercy of the Lord.
6. Ver. b". By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens
made firm : for not by themselves, but by the Word of the
Lord were the righteous made strong. And all the strength 1 l virtus of them by the Breath of His Mouth. And all their faith
by His Holy Spirit.
7. Ver. 7. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as into a bottle : He gathereth the people of the world together, to confession of mortified sin, lest through pride they flow too freely. He layeth up the deep in storehouses: and keepeth in them His secrets for riches.
8. Ver. 8. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let every sinner fear, that so he may cease to sin. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him : not of the terrors of men, or of any creature, but of Him let them stand in awe.
9. Ver. 9. For He spake, and they were made: for no other one made those things which are to fear; but He spake, and they were made. He commanded, and they were created: He commanded by His Word1, and they were created.
' ad Lit. * See S. Aug. on Faith and Works, our 1st and 2d as one, dividing theb. i. ? .
? . 17. Tr. p. 52. note h. He takes 10th. 5,6.
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306 None blessed save in God, Who cares for all His.
Psalm
io. Ver. 10. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the Heathen Exp. I. to nought; of them that seek not His Kingdom, but kingdoms of their own. He maketh the devices of the people of none
1 Cor. 1'
14. Ver. 14. From His prepared habitation: from His habitation of assumed Humanity, which He prepared for Himself. He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth: He looketh mercifully upon all who live in the flesh, that He may be over them in ruling them.
15. Ver. 15. He fashioneth their hearts singly : He giveth spiritually to their hearts their proper gifts, so that neither the whole body may be eye, nor the whole hearing ; but that one in this manner, another in that manner, may be incor porated with Christ. He understandeth all their works. Before Him are all their works understood.
16. Ver. 16. A king shall not be saved by much strength : he shall not be saved who ruleth his own flesh, if he pre sume much upon his own strength. Neither shall a giant be saved by much strength : nor shall he be saved whoever warreth against the habit of his own lust, or against the devil and his angels, if he trust much to his own might.
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effect : of them that covet earthly happiness. And reproveth the counsels of princes : of them that seek to rule over such
peoples.
11. Ver. 11. But the counsel of the Lord standeth for
ever ; but the counsel of the Lord, whereby He maketh none blessed but him that submitteth unto Himself, standeth for ever. The thoughts of His Heart to all generations: the
thoughts of His Wisdom are not mutable, but endure to all
generations.
12. Ver. 12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord:
one nation is blessed, belonging to the heavenly city, which hath not chosen save the Lord for their God : And the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance : and which not of itself, but by the gift of God, hath been chosen, that He by possessing it may not suffer it to be uncared for and miserable.
13. Ver. 13. The Lord looketh from Heaven ; He beholdeth all the sons of men. From the souls of the righteous, the Lord looketh mercifully upon all who would rise to newness of life.
Hope in creatures vain. Trust and joy in God. 307
17. Ver. 17. A horse is a deceitful thing for safety: he is Ver. deceived, who thinketh either that through men he gaineth ------? salvation received among men, or that by the impetuosity of
his own courage he is defended from destruction.
In the abundance of his strength shall he not be saved.
18. Ver. 18. Behold, the Eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him : because if thou seek salvation, behold, the love of the Lord is upon them that fear Him. Upon them that hope in His mercy : that hope not in their own strength, but in His mercy.
19. Ver. 19. To deliver their souls from death, and to keep them alive in famine. To give them the nourishment of the Word, and of Everlasting Truth, which they lost while presuming on their own strength, and therefore have not even their own strength, from lack of righteousness.
20. Ver. 20. My soul shall be patient for the Lord: that hereafter it may be filled with dainties incorruptible, mean while, whilst here it remaineth, my soul shall be patient for the Lord. For He is our Helper and Defender : our Helper He is, while we endeavour after Him ; and our Defender, while we resist the adversary.
21. Ver. 21. For our heart shall rejoice in Him: for not in ourselves, wherein without Him there is great need ; but in Himself shall our heart rejoice. And we have trusted in His holy Name : and therefore have we trusted that we shall come to God, because unto us absent hath He sent, through faith, His own Name.
22. Ver. 22. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, accord ing as we have hoped in Thee: let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us ; for hope confoundeth not, because we have hoped in Thee.
SECOND EXPOSITION.
Discourse the Firtt. On the first part of the Psalm.
1. This Psalm admonishes us to rejoice in the Lord. It is entitled, Of David himself. Whoever then belong to the most holy seed of David, let them hearken to their own
308 Man ought to take God's Will as best, against his own.
Psalm words, and speak their own words, and let them rejoice in Exp. IIithe Lord. But thus it begins, (ver. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous: let the unrighteous rejoice in the world;
with the world ended ended the rejoicing of the un righteous. But let the righteous rejoice in the Lord be cause while the Lord remaineth, remaineth also the rejoicing of the righteous. But meet so to rejoice in the Lord, as to praise Him, Who alone has not any thing which can displease us and has many things, none so many, which displease the unfaithful. And that short precept, He pleaseth God whom God pleaseth. And think not lightly of this, dearly beloved. For ye see how many dispute against
God, how many are displeased with His works. For when He would do contrary to the will of men, because He the Lord, and knoweth what He doth, and regardeth not so much our will as our benefit they who would have rather their own will to be fulfilled than God's, would bend God to their will, not make right their will unto God. Such men, unfaithful, ungodly, unrighteous --though grieveth me to
say yet will say for ye know how truly say more easily pleased with pantomime than with God.
--are
2. Therefore when he had said, Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; because to rejoice in Him except by praising Him we cannot, and we praise One Whom we please the more, the more He pleaseth us For praise, saith he, comely to the upright. Who are the upright They who direct their heart according to the will of God and whom,
human frailty disturb them, Divine Justice consoleth. For although in their mortal heart they may privately wish something, which may suit their own immediate case, or interest, or their present necessity, yet when they have un derstood and learned that God willeth otherwise, they prefer the will of The Better, to their own will
Omnipotent, to the will of the weak the will of God, to the will of man. For far as God differs from man, so far the will of God from the will of man. Wherefore Christ having put on Man, and proposing rule to us, teaching us to live, and granting us to live, shewed also man's private will whereby He figured both His own and ours, because He is our Head, and we, as ye know, belong to Him as real
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Our Lord's Human Will. Submission due to a Father.
members. Father, saith He, if it be possible, let this cup Ver. pass from Me ; this was the human Will, wishing something ----
proper to itself, and as it were private. 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.
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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.
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802 Divers errors of those who will not submit.
Psalm and such an one suffer not ; for I grant that I am a sinner, Expujyet surely there are some worse, who rejoice, while I suffer "tribulation : because then this is unjust, that even some
worse than I should rejoice, while I suffer tribulation, who am either righteous, or less a sinner than they, and it is certain unto me that this is unjust, and it is certain unto me that God doth not injustice ; therefore God governeth not the things of men, nor is there any care for us with Him. They then who are not right in heart, that is, who are distorted in heart, have three conclusions; either
Ps. 14,1. There is no God; for, Thefool hath said in his heart, There 1 supra, is no God. And it hath been ' said, in speaking of those p. ' floods, there wanted not such a doctrine among philosophers;
there wanted not men who said that there was no God, who governeth all things, and who created all things, but that there were many Gods, living at ease, beyond this world, caring not for it. Either, therefore, There is no God, which saith the ungodly, who is displeased with whatever happens to him against his will, and happens not to another, to whom he preferreth himself: or, God is unjust, Who is pleased at these things, and Who doeth these things; or, God governeth not human things, and there is no care for all men with Him. In these three conclusions, great ungodliness is it, either to deny a God, or to call Him unrighteous, or to take from Him the government of the world. Wherefore this ? Because he is distorted in heart. God is right, and therefore a dis torted heart acquiesceth not in Him. As it is in another
Ps. 73,i. Psalm, How good is God to Israel, even unto such as are of an upright heart. And because even he had once such a thought as this, How doth God know, and is there knowledge in the Most High? therefore he added in that place, But as for me, my feet were almost gone. As a warped beam, though you lay it on an even pavement, taketh not its place, nor is it joined and fastened to the rest, but always moves about and totters, not because that is uneven where thou placedst but because that which thou placedst warped so thy heart, as long as crooked and warped, cannot coincide with the lightness of God, and can not be so placed
Cor. therein, as to cleave unto the same, and for that to be, He that is joined unto the Lord is one Spirit. Therefore said
l 6,
it is
it,
is
:
All suffering by God's permission, for His children's good. 303
he, Glory, all ye that are right in heart. How glory the Veh. right in heart? Hear their glorying; And not only so, but -- we glory in tribulations also, saith the Apostle. For it is no 3 great thing to glory in gladness, to glory in rejoicing; the
right in heart glorieth in tribulations also. And hear how he glorieth in tribulation for not in vain, nor without reason, that such an one glorieth see Knowing, saith the right heart, that tribulation worketh patience and patience, experience and experience, hope and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God shed abroad in our hearts the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.
26. So then the right heart, Brethren. Let every man to whomsoever any thing happens say, The Lord gave, and the Joh Lord hath taken away. Lo, this right heart. As tte^K Lord pleased, so done. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Who hath taken away What hath He taken away? From whom hath He taken away When hath He taken
Blessed be the Name of the Lord. He said not,
The Lord gave, and the devil hath taken away. Attend therefore, Beloved, lest haply you should say, the devil did
this for me. Unto thy God alone refer thy scourge for not
even the devil doth any thing against thee unless He permit Who hath power above, either for punishment, or
for discipline: for the punishment of the ungodly, for the discipline of His son. For He scourgeth every son whom Heb. 12, He receiveth. Neither must thou hope to be without a " scourge, unless haply thou wish to be disinherited. For He scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. What, every son? Where then wouldest thou hide thyself? Everyone; and
none will be excepted, none without scourge. What?
Even to all Would you hear how truly he saith all
Even the Only-Begotten, without sin, was yet not without a scourge. Wherefore even the Only-Begotten, bearing thy
infirmity, and foreshewing in Himself thy person, as the head beareth the person of its own body when now He was approaching His Passion, out of His Manhood which He bore, became sorrowful, that He might make thee glad became sorrowful, that He might console thee. For truly the Lord was able to be without sorrow, going to His Passion. If the soldier was able, was not the Captain able?
away
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304 Christ's Human Will. His bearing all infirmities.
Hear Paul exulting, as he ap-
.
am now ready to be
which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day : and not to me only, but unto all them that love His appearing. See how he exulteth, coming to his passion. He then rejoiceth, who should be crowned ; He, who should crown, sorroweth. What therefore did He bear ? The infirmity of some, who, when tribulation or death cometh, are sorrowful. But see how He leadeth us to rightness of heart. Behold, thou wouldest live, thou wouldest not that any thing should happen to thee ; but God hath willed otherwise : here are two wills, but thy will must be made straight to the will of God, not God's will bent to thine. For thy will is crooked ; His is even the rule. The rule must be fixed, that what is crooked may be made straight to the rule. See now the Lord Jesus Christ
Psalm How was the soldier able ?
XXXII ExP_n_'proached
.
his passion. /
I have kept
(saith he)
2 Tim. 4, offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
have
I
the faith : henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
fought a good fight, I
have my course, finished
righteousness,
Mat. 26,teacheth this, My Soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: and, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. See, He sheweth the human will. But see the right
I will, but as Thou wilt. Do thou then the same ; rejoice in those things which happen unto thee ; and even if the last day come upon thee, rejoice.
heart ; Nevertheless, not as
Or if the frailty of any human will creep over thee, let it speedily be made straight unto God, that thou mayest be among those of whom it is said, Glory, all ye that are right in heart.
PSALM XXXIII. FIRST EXPOSITION.
1. Ver. 1. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: rejoice, O ye righteous, not in yourselves, for that is not safe ; but in the Lord. For praise is comely to the upright : these praise the Lord, who submit themselves unto the Lord;
they are distorted and perverse.
for else
Ourselves to be offered to God, of Whom is all good. 305
2. Ver. 2. Praise the Lord with harp : praise the Lord, Jjer. " presenting unto Him your bodies a living sacrifice. ^ing^^ unto Him with the psaltery of ten strings : let your members 12, i. be servants to the love of God, and of your neighbour, in
which are kept both the three and the seven command ments*.
3. Ver. 3. Sing unto Him a new song : sing unto Him a song of the grace of faith. Sing skilfully unto Him with
jubilation : sing skilfully unto Him with rejoicing.
4. Ver. 4. For the Word of the Lord is right : for the
Word of the Lord is right, to make you that which of your selves ye cannot be. And all His works are done in faith : lest any think that by the merit of works he hath arrived at faith, when in faith are done all the works which God Him self loveth.
4 5. Ver. 5. He loveth Mercy and Judgment : for He loveth
Mercy, which now He sheweth first ; and Judgment, where with He exacteth that which He hath first shewn. The earth is full of the Mercy of the Lord: throughout the whole world are sins forgiven unto men by the Mercy of the Lord.
6. Ver. b". By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens
made firm : for not by themselves, but by the Word of the
Lord were the righteous made strong. And all the strength 1 l virtus of them by the Breath of His Mouth. And all their faith
by His Holy Spirit.
7. Ver. 7. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as into a bottle : He gathereth the people of the world together, to confession of mortified sin, lest through pride they flow too freely. He layeth up the deep in storehouses: and keepeth in them His secrets for riches.
8. Ver. 8. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let every sinner fear, that so he may cease to sin. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him : not of the terrors of men, or of any creature, but of Him let them stand in awe.
9. Ver. 9. For He spake, and they were made: for no other one made those things which are to fear; but He spake, and they were made. He commanded, and they were created: He commanded by His Word1, and they were created.
' ad Lit. * See S. Aug. on Faith and Works, our 1st and 2d as one, dividing theb. i. ? .
? . 17. Tr. p. 52. note h. He takes 10th. 5,6.
X 0
SeeDe
306 None blessed save in God, Who cares for all His.
Psalm
io. Ver. 10. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the Heathen Exp. I. to nought; of them that seek not His Kingdom, but kingdoms of their own. He maketh the devices of the people of none
1 Cor. 1'
14. Ver. 14. From His prepared habitation: from His habitation of assumed Humanity, which He prepared for Himself. He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth: He looketh mercifully upon all who live in the flesh, that He may be over them in ruling them.
15. Ver. 15. He fashioneth their hearts singly : He giveth spiritually to their hearts their proper gifts, so that neither the whole body may be eye, nor the whole hearing ; but that one in this manner, another in that manner, may be incor porated with Christ. He understandeth all their works. Before Him are all their works understood.
16. Ver. 16. A king shall not be saved by much strength : he shall not be saved who ruleth his own flesh, if he pre sume much upon his own strength. Neither shall a giant be saved by much strength : nor shall he be saved whoever warreth against the habit of his own lust, or against the devil and his angels, if he trust much to his own might.
#
effect : of them that covet earthly happiness. And reproveth the counsels of princes : of them that seek to rule over such
peoples.
11. Ver. 11. But the counsel of the Lord standeth for
ever ; but the counsel of the Lord, whereby He maketh none blessed but him that submitteth unto Himself, standeth for ever. The thoughts of His Heart to all generations: the
thoughts of His Wisdom are not mutable, but endure to all
generations.
12. Ver. 12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord:
one nation is blessed, belonging to the heavenly city, which hath not chosen save the Lord for their God : And the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance : and which not of itself, but by the gift of God, hath been chosen, that He by possessing it may not suffer it to be uncared for and miserable.
13. Ver. 13. The Lord looketh from Heaven ; He beholdeth all the sons of men. From the souls of the righteous, the Lord looketh mercifully upon all who would rise to newness of life.
Hope in creatures vain. Trust and joy in God. 307
17. Ver. 17. A horse is a deceitful thing for safety: he is Ver. deceived, who thinketh either that through men he gaineth ------? salvation received among men, or that by the impetuosity of
his own courage he is defended from destruction.
In the abundance of his strength shall he not be saved.
18. Ver. 18. Behold, the Eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him : because if thou seek salvation, behold, the love of the Lord is upon them that fear Him. Upon them that hope in His mercy : that hope not in their own strength, but in His mercy.
19. Ver. 19. To deliver their souls from death, and to keep them alive in famine. To give them the nourishment of the Word, and of Everlasting Truth, which they lost while presuming on their own strength, and therefore have not even their own strength, from lack of righteousness.
20. Ver. 20. My soul shall be patient for the Lord: that hereafter it may be filled with dainties incorruptible, mean while, whilst here it remaineth, my soul shall be patient for the Lord. For He is our Helper and Defender : our Helper He is, while we endeavour after Him ; and our Defender, while we resist the adversary.
21. Ver. 21. For our heart shall rejoice in Him: for not in ourselves, wherein without Him there is great need ; but in Himself shall our heart rejoice. And we have trusted in His holy Name : and therefore have we trusted that we shall come to God, because unto us absent hath He sent, through faith, His own Name.
22. Ver. 22. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, accord ing as we have hoped in Thee: let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us ; for hope confoundeth not, because we have hoped in Thee.
SECOND EXPOSITION.
Discourse the Firtt. On the first part of the Psalm.
1. This Psalm admonishes us to rejoice in the Lord. It is entitled, Of David himself. Whoever then belong to the most holy seed of David, let them hearken to their own
308 Man ought to take God's Will as best, against his own.
Psalm words, and speak their own words, and let them rejoice in Exp. IIithe Lord. But thus it begins, (ver. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous: let the unrighteous rejoice in the world;
with the world ended ended the rejoicing of the un righteous. But let the righteous rejoice in the Lord be cause while the Lord remaineth, remaineth also the rejoicing of the righteous. But meet so to rejoice in the Lord, as to praise Him, Who alone has not any thing which can displease us and has many things, none so many, which displease the unfaithful. And that short precept, He pleaseth God whom God pleaseth. And think not lightly of this, dearly beloved. For ye see how many dispute against
God, how many are displeased with His works. For when He would do contrary to the will of men, because He the Lord, and knoweth what He doth, and regardeth not so much our will as our benefit they who would have rather their own will to be fulfilled than God's, would bend God to their will, not make right their will unto God. Such men, unfaithful, ungodly, unrighteous --though grieveth me to
say yet will say for ye know how truly say more easily pleased with pantomime than with God.
--are
2. Therefore when he had said, Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; because to rejoice in Him except by praising Him we cannot, and we praise One Whom we please the more, the more He pleaseth us For praise, saith he, comely to the upright. Who are the upright They who direct their heart according to the will of God and whom,
human frailty disturb them, Divine Justice consoleth. For although in their mortal heart they may privately wish something, which may suit their own immediate case, or interest, or their present necessity, yet when they have un derstood and learned that God willeth otherwise, they prefer the will of The Better, to their own will
Omnipotent, to the will of the weak the will of God, to the will of man. For far as God differs from man, so far the will of God from the will of man. Wherefore Christ having put on Man, and proposing rule to us, teaching us to live, and granting us to live, shewed also man's private will whereby He figured both His own and ours, because He is our Head, and we, as ye know, belong to Him as real
the will of The
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Our Lord's Human Will. Submission due to a Father.
members. Father, saith He, if it be possible, let this cup Ver. pass from Me ; this was the human Will, wishing something ----
proper to itself, and as it were private. 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-
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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.
