The
commandment
of the Lord is lucid, enlightening the eyes.
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v1
38. Ver. 37. / will follow up mine enemies, and seize
Enemies partly converted, partly overthroion. 123
them. I will follow up my carnal affections, and will not be Ver.
seized by them, but will seize them, so that they
be ? 8~**?
'seep. 83.
consumed. And
turn,
till
make a tumult about me.
Iwill not
may they fail. And from this purpose I will not turn myself to rest, till they fail who
/will break them, and
shall not be able
39. Ver. 38.
to stand: and they shall not hold out against me. They shall fall under my feet. When they are cast dowu, I will place before me the loves1 whereby I walk for evermore.
40. Ver. 39. And Thou hast girded me with strength
the war. And the loose desires of my flesh hast Thou sinners, bound up with strength, that in such a fight I may not be their'<<' encumbered. Thou hast supplanted under me them thatlove. '
rose up against me. Thou hast caused them to be deceived, who followed upon me, that they should be brought under me, who desired to be over me.
41. Ver. 40. And Thou hast given mine enemies the back to me. And Thou hast turned mine enemies, and hast made them to be a back to me, that is, to follow me. And Thou hast destroyed them that hate me. But such other of them, as have persisted in hatred, Thou hast destroyed.
44. Ver. 43. Thou wilt deliver Me from the contradictions
of the people. Thou wilt deliver Me from the contradictions
of them who said, If ice send Him away, all the world will Johnii,
o it.
*S; 12, go after Him. 19.
they
to^^lf
42. Ver. 41. They have cried out, and there was none to save them. For who can save them, whom Thou wouldest not save ? To the Lord, and He did not hear rItem. Nor did they cry out to any chance one, but to the Lord : and He did not judge them worthy of being heard, who depart not from their wickedness.
43. Ver. 42. And I will beat them as small as dust before the face of the wind. And I will beat them small; for dry they are, receiving not the shower of God's mercy; that borne aloft and puffed up with pride they may be hurried along from firm and unshaken hope, and as it were from the earth's solidity and stability. As the clay of the streets I will destroy them. In their wanton and loose course along the broad ways of perdition, which many walk, will I destroy them.
124 The ' strange children' offended at Christ, and confounded.
Psalm I the A 45. Thou shall make Me the head of Gentiles.
have not known have screed Me. The people of the Gentiles, whom in bodily presence I have not visited, have served Me. (Ver. 44. ) At the hearing of the ear they have obeyed Me. They have not seen Me with the
eye : but, receiving My preachers, at the hearing of the ear they have obeyed Me.
46. The strange children have lied unto Me. Children, not to be called Mine, but rather strange children, to whom John 8, it is rightly said, Ye are of your father the devil, have lied
unto Me. (Ver. 45. ) The strange children have waxen old. The strange children, to whom for their renovation I brought the new Testament, have remained in the old man. And they have halted from their own paths. And like those that are weak in one foot, for holding the old they have rejected the new Testament, they have become halt, even in this old Law,
Mat. 15, rather following their own traditions, than God's. For they brought frivolous charges of unwashen hands, because such were the paths, which themselves had made and worn by long use, in wandering from the ways of God's com
mands.
47. Ver. 46. The Lord liveth, and blessed be my God.
Rom. 8, But to be carnally minded is death : for the Lord liveth,
XVIII 'people whom
'""
and blessed be my God. And let the God of my salvation be exalted. And let me not think after an earthly fashion of the God of my salvation ; nor look from Him for this earthly salvation, but that on high.
48. Ver. 47. O God, Who givest Me vengeance, and sub- duest the people under Me. O God, Who avengest Me by subduing the people under Me. My Deliverer from My
John 19, angry enemies: the Jews crying out, Crucify Him, Crucify
6.
Him.
49. Ver. 48. From them that rise up against Me Thou
will exalt Me. From the Jews that rise up against Me in My passion, Thou wilt exalt Me in My resurrection. From the unjust man Thou wilt deliver Me. From their unjust rule Thou wilt deliver Me.
50. Ver. 49. For this cause will Iconfess
the Gentiles, O Lord. For this cause shall the Gentiles confess to Thee through Me, O Lord. And I will sing unto
to Thee
among
Wonders ofsalvation. God's glory in the spiritual heavens. 125
Thy Name. And Thou shalt be more widely known by My Ver. good deeds.
51. Ver. 50. Magnifying the salvation of His King. God, Who magnifieth, so as to make wonderful, the salvation, which His Son giveth to believers. And shewing mercy to His Christ: God, Who sheweth mercy to His Christ: To David and to His seed for evermore: to the Deliverer Himself strong of hand, Who hath overcome this world; and to them whom, as believers in the Gospel, He hath begotten for evermore. What things soever are spoken in this Psalm which cannot apply to the Lord Himself personally, that is to the Head of the Church, must be referred to the Church. For whole Christ speaks here, in Whom are all His members.
PSALM XIX.
FIRST EXPOSITION.
To the end, a Psalm of David himself.
xVni.
1. It is a well-known title; nor does the Lord Jesus Christ say what follows, but it is said of Him.
2. Ver. 1. The heavens tell out the glory of God. The righteous Evangelists, in whom, as in the heavens, God dwelleth, set forth the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, or the glory wherewith the Son glorified the Father upon earth.
And the firmament sheweth forth the works of His hands. And the firmament sheweth forth the deeds of the Lord's power, that now made heaven by the assurance of the Holy Ghost, which before was earth by fear.
3. Ver. 2. Day unto day uttereth word. To the spiritual
the Spirit giveth out the fulness of the unchangeable Wisdom
of God, the Word which in the beginning is God with God. John 1, And night unto night announceth knowledge. And to the fleshly, as to those afar off, the mortality of the flesh, by con veying faith, announceth future knowledge.
4. Ver. 3. There is no speech nor language, in which their voices are not heard. In which the voices of the Evangelists
126 Our Lord's Advent, and course on earth. He is the Law.
Psalm have not been heard, seeing that the Gospel was preached
Exp. l! m every tongue.
5. Ver. 4. Their sound is gone out into all the earth, and
their words to the ends of the world.
6. In the sun hath He set His tabernacle. Now that He
might war against the powers of temporal error, the Lord, Mat. 10, being about to send not peace but a sword on earth, in time, or in manifestation, set so to say His military dwelling, that is, the dispensation of His incarnation. (Ver. 5. ) And He as a bridegroom coming forth out His chamber. And He, coming forth out of the Virgin's womb, where God was
united to man's nature as bridegroom to bride. Rejoiced as a giant to run His way. Rejoiced as One exceeding strong, and surpassing all other men in power incomparable,
Ps. 1,1. not to inhabit, but to run His way. For, He stood not in the way ofsinners.
7. Ver. 6. His going forth is from the highest heaven. From the Father His going forth, not that in time, but from everlasting, whereby He was born of the Father. And His meeting even to the height of heaven. And in the ful ness of the Godhead He meets even to an equality with the Father*. And there is none that may hide himselffrom His
John heat. But whereas, the Word was even made flesh, and dwelt in us, assuming our mortality, He permitted no man to excuse himself from the shadow of death for the heat of the Word penetrated even it.
8. Ver. 7. The law of the Lord undefiled, converting Matt. souls. The law of the Lord, therefore, Himself Who came
to fulfil the law, not to destroy it; an undefiled law, Who lPet. 2,did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth, not
'" oppressing souls with the yoke of bondage, but converting them to imitate Him in liberty. The testimony ofthe Lord is sure, giving wisdom to babes. The testimony of the Lord
Mat. ii, is sure; for, no man knoweth the Father save the Son, and
Liikeio ^ to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him, which things
*34.
17"
21.
have been hidden from the wise and revealed to babes for, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.
9. Ver. 8. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. All the statutes of the Lord are right in Him
* Vid. in Psalm 58. (59. E. V. ) Enarrat. 10.
TMe
4,
2
j*j
i. ; ? .
;
5,
1,
is is
of a
is
is
a
Holy fear. Judgments of God, clearing from earth, desired. 127
Who taught not what He did not ; that they who should Ver. imitate Him might rejoice in heart, in those things which 9' 10" they should do freely with love, not slavishly with fear.
The commandment of the Lord is lucid, enlightening the eyes.
The commandment of the Lord is lucid, with no veil of
carnal observances, enlightening the sight of the inner man.
10. Ver. 9. The fear of the Lord is chaste, enduring for
ever. The fear of the Lord; not that distressing1 fear under ? poenalis the law, dreading exceedingly the withdrawal of temporal goods, by the love of which the soul commits fornication ;
but that chaste fear wherewith the Church, the more ardently
she loves her Spouse, the more carefully does she take heed
of offending Him, and therefore, perfect love casteth not out 1 John
this fear, but it endureth for ever.
1 1 . The judgments of the Lord are true, justified together.
The judgments of Him, Who judgeth no man, but hath John 5,
"
committed alljudgment unto the Son, are justified in truth unchangeably. For neither in His threatenings or His promises doth God deceive any man, nor can any withdraw either from the ungodly His punishment, or from the godly His reward. (Ver. 10. ) To be desired more than gold, and much precious stone. Whether it be gold and stone itself much, or much precious, or much to be desired; still, the judgments of God are to be desired more than the pomp
of this world ; by desire of which it is brought to pass that the judgments of God are not desired, but feared, or despised, or not believed. But if any be himself gold and precious stone, that he may not be consumed by fire, but received into the treasury of God, more than himself does he desire the judgments of God, Whose will he prcferreth to his own. And sweeter than honey and the honey comb. And
whether one be even now honey, who, disenthralled already from the chains of this life, is awaiting the day, when he may come up to God's feast ; or whether he be yet as the honey comb, wrapped about with this life as it were with wax, not mixed and become one with but filling needing some pressure of God's hand, not oppressing but expressing whereby from life temporal may be strained out into life
eternal to such an one the judgments of God are sweeter,
?
:
it
it,
it,
it,
128 Joy in obeying. Sources of sin. Pride the ' great offence. '1 Psalm than he himself is to himself, for that they are sweeter than
x and the honey comb. Exp. \'honey
12. Ver. 11. For Thy servant keepeth them. For to him who keepeth them not the day of the Lord is bitter. In keeping them there is great reward. Not in any external benefit, but in the thing itself, that God's judgments are kept, is there great reward; great because one rejoiceth therein.
13. Ver. 12. Who understandeth sins? But what sort of sweetness can there be in sins, where there is no under
s
Vir
For who can understand sins, which close the very eye, to which truth is pleasant, to which the judgments of God are desirable and sweet ? yea, as darkness closes the eye, so do sins the mind, and suffer it not to see either the light, or itself.
14. Cleanse me, O Lord, from my secret faults. From the
lusts which lie hid in me, cleanse me, O Lord.
And from the faults of others preserve Thy servant. Let me not be led astray by others. For he is not a prey to the faults of others, who is cleansed from his own. Preserve therefore from the lusts of others, not the proud man, and him who would be his own master, but, ThyI servant.
standing?
they get not the dominion over me, then shall
If neither my own secret sins, nor those of others, get the dominion over me, then shall I be undefiled. For there is no third source of sin, but one's own secret sin, by which the devil fell, and another's sin, by which manI is seduced, so as by consenting to make it his own. And
be
Ecclus. greater than apostacy from God, which is the beginning of 10,12. n,e pride of man. And he shall indeed be undefiled, who is free from this offence also ; for this is the last to them who
are returning to God, which was the first as they departed from Him.
15. Ver. 14. And the words of my mouth shall be pleasing, and the meditation of my heart is always in Thy sight. The meditation of my heart is not after the vain glory of pleasing men, for now there is pride no more, but in Thy sight alway, Who regardest a pure conscience. O Lord, my Helper, and my Redeemer. O Lord, my Helper, in my
shall be cleansed from the great offence. What but pride ? for there is none
"(Ver. 13. )
If
undefiled.
Conversion is of grace. Singing toith understanding. 129
approach to Thee ; for Thou art my Redeemer, that I might Ver. set out unto Thee : lest any attributing to his own wisdom --'-- his conversion to Thee, or to his own strength his attaining
to Thee, should be rather driven back by Thee, who resistest the proud ; for he is not cleansed from the great
offence, nor pleasing in Thy sight, Who redeemest us that we may be converted, and helpest us that we may attain unto Thee.
PSALM XIX. SECOND EXPOSITION.
xvii'i.
1. As we have intreated the Lord to cleanse us from our own secret faults, and preserve His servants from those of others, we ought to understand the meaning of this, that we may sing with man's intelligence, and not as it were with the voice of birds. For black-birds, and parrots, and ravens, and magpies, and such like birds, are often taught by men to utter they know not what. But to sing with under
standing has been granted by the divine will to human kind. And how many bad and dissipated men thus sing what is worthy of their ears and hearts, we well know and we deplore. For they are so much the worse, as they cannot be ignorant of what they sing. For they know that their songs are impure, and yet the greater the impurity
the greater their readiness to sing, for they think themselves the more joyous in proportion as they are more unclean. But we who, in the Church, have learnt to sing the oracles of God, should at the same time be instant to be that which
is written, Blessed is the people that understand the joyful ps. 8,
sound. Therefore, dearest brethren, what we have
with accordant voice, we ought also with an undisturbed
heart to know and understand. For each one of us has
in this canticle prayed unto the Lord, and said unto God, Cleanse Thou me from my secret faults, and preserve Thy ver. i^
servant from those qf others. I If they shall not get the l3'
dominion over me, then shall K
be undefiled, and
cleansed
sung15-
130 Glory offree Grace declared by the spiritual Heavens.
Now that we may well understand what this is, and the nature of let us, as the Lord shall help us, shortly run over the contents of this
Psalm.
2. For the canticle of Christ, as evidently appears
from that passage where written, He as a Bridegroom coming forth out of His chamber. For who the Bride groom, but He to whom has been betrothed by the Apostle that virgin, for whom the chaste friend of the bridegroom
Psalm from the great offence.
^p^i ---
ver. 5.
Cor. chastely fears, lest as the serpent beguiled Eve through his
u,s.
John grace resides, of which the Apostle John saith, And ire u. beheld His glory, the glory as the only-begotten of the
Father,ful ofgrace and truth.
Ver. This glory the heavens declare. The heavens are
Saints, raised up from the earth, bearing the Lord. Although the visible heaven also, in some sort, hath declared the glory of Christ. When? When, at the same Lord's nativity, new
But,
nevertheless, these are truer and higher heavens, of which is ver. 3,4. said in the following verses of the Psalm, There is no speech,
subtilty, so this virgin's mind, the Bride of Christ, should be corrupted from the chastity that is in Christ In this our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, therefore, abundant and full
Kom. 23 U
Titus 5'
nor language, in which their voices are not heard. Their sound gone out into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. Whose words but the heavens'? Whose then but the Apostles' It they declare unto us
the glory of God, residing in Jesus Christ through grace for the remission of sins. For all have sinned, and want the glory of God, being justified gratuitously His Blood. Because gratuitously, therefore grace. For grace no grace be
star, which had never before been seen, appeared.
Because we had before done no good thing, whereby we might deserve such gifts, rather in that punish
ment was, not for nothing, to be inflicted, therefore was the boon for nothing accorded. Nothing had gone before in our deserts but what would entitle us to condemnation. But He, not for our righteousness, but His own mercy,
hath saved us by the later regeneration. This, say, is
God; this have the heavens declared. This, God's glory, not thine. For no good hast thou
not gratuitous.
the glory say,
I
is
of
is
1.
of
it is is
of I
it,
3,
3,
i 1,
by is
is
if it
a it
?
t
of
?
is
No glory due to us. All things the work of God's Hands. 131
done, and yet so great good hast thou received. If, therefore, Ver. i. thou attainest unto the glory which the heavens have de
clared, say unto the Lord thy God, My God, His mercy ps. 59, shall prevent me. For it hath prevented thee; of course it10. hath prevented thee, for that it found no good in thee.
Thou preventedst His punishment by thy pride; He pre
vented thy punishment by effacing thy sins. For as of a
sinner justified, of ungodly made godly, of one condemned received into the kingdom, say thou unto the Lord thy God,
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy Name ji'cePs. 115, the glory. Say we not unto us. For unto whom, if as unto
us? Say we, I repeat, not unto us; for if He were so to deal with us, He could only inflict punishment upon us. Not unto us, but unto His own Name let Him give the glory, because He hath not dealt with us according to our iniquities. Not therefore unto us, O Lord, not unto us. The repetition is confirmation ; Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy Name give the glory. This those heavens knew, which declared the glory of God.
3. And the firmament sheweth the works of His hands. What was before said, the glory of God, is here repeated, the works of His hands. What are the works of His hands? It is not, as some think, that God made all things by the Word, and man, as more excellent than all other things, He made by His Own Hands. We must not think this; this is a weak and inexact notion ; for He made all things by the
Word. For although diverse works of God are mentioned, among which He made man after His own image, yet all^oha 1, things were made by Him, and without Him was not any
thing made. But as respects the Hands of God, it is said
of the heavens too, And the heavens are the works ofThuP*. 102,
? 25 Hands. And that you might not suppose that saints arc in
that place called heavens, he added, They shall perish, but Thou abidest. Therefore not man only, but the heavens also, that shall perish, did God make with His Hands, to Whom
it is said, The heavens are the works of Thy Hands. And of
the earth is this self-same said, For the sea is His and He Ps. 95,5. made it, and His Hands laid the foundations of the dry land. Therefore, if He made the heavens with His Hands, and
the earth with His Hands, He made not man alone with
k2
132 Figures in speaking ofGod. Mart's unworthiness ; His Glory.
Psalm His hands ; and if by the Word He made the heavens, and
Exp. ii. hy the Word the earth, therefore by the Word man too.
What by the Word that by the hand, what by the hand that
by the Word. For the stature of God is not marked out by
human members, Who is wholly every where, and is no
where contained. What therefore He made by the Word,
He made by the Wisdom, and what He made by the Hand
l Cor. I, he did by the Power; now Christ is the Power of God, and
John l H'c Wisdom of God, and all things were made by Him, and
3.
without Him was not any thing made. The heavens have declared, do declare, will declare, the glory of God. The heavens, I say, that is, the Saints will declare the glory of God ; raised aloft from earth, bearing God, thundering with precepts, lightening with Wisdom, will declare that glory of God, as I said, whereby we that are saved are unworthy of it. This unworthiness, that is, wherein we were unworthy, the younger son acknowledges when straitened by want; this unworthiness, I say, the younger son acknow ledges, far from his father's home, a worshipper of demons, as it were a feeder of swine ; he acknowledges the glory of God, but when straitened by want. And since by that glory of God we have been made what we were not worthy of, he
Lukei5, says to his father, / am not worthy to be called thy son.
3.
4. Ver. 2. Day unto day uttereth a word, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. What is this? Perhaps it is plain
'
Unhappy, he obtains happiness by his lowliness, and shews himself worthy in the confession of his unworthiness. This glory of God the heavens declare, and the firmament sheweth the works of His hands. The heavens, the firmament, are a firm heart, a fearless heart. For these things are shewn among the ungodly, among the enemies of God, among the lovers of the world, and the persecutors of the righteous; iu the midst of a violent world are these things shewn. But what could the violence of the world effect, when the firma ment shewed these things? Thefirmament sheweth; what? the works of His hands. What are the works of His hands?
Eph. 2, That glory of God, whereby we are saved, whereby we are created in good works. For we are His work, created in Christ Jesus in good works. For He not only made us men,
Ps. 100, but righteous men too, if so we be, and not we ourselves.
Many senses in Holy Writ. How ' night declareth to night. '' 1 33
and evident what day unto day uttereth a word evident Ver.
2. 3'
and plain as by day. But what night unto night sheircth knowledge is, obscure as by night. Day unto day, saints unto saints, Apostles unto believers, Christ Himself unto Apostles, to whom He said, Ye are the light of the Matt. world. This seems plain, and easy of apprehension. But
how doth night unto night shew knowledge Some have understood these words simply, and perhaps may be so, considering the meaning of this sentence to be, that what the Apostles heard in our Lord Jesus Christ's time, during His converse on earth, this has been passed on to posterity as from time to time; day unto day, night unto night, the former day unto the latter day, the former night unto the latter night, for that this doctrine preached day and
night. Let this simple interpretation suffice him whom will suffice. But some words in Scripture have from their obscurity this advantage, that ihey give birth to many inter pretations. Accordingly had this been plain, you would have heard some one thing, but as obscurely spoken, you will hear many. There too another interpretation, day unto day, night unto night, that is, spirit unto spirit, flesh unto
flesh. There another, day unto day, spiritual unto spiri tual, night unto night, carnal unto carnal. For both hear, though both do not equally understand. For the one hear
as word uttered, the other as knowledge declared. For what uttered uttered to those present, but what declared declared to those that are far removed.
