For the Lord
is great, and cannot worthily be praised : He is more to be feared than all gods.
is great, and cannot worthily be praised : He is more to be feared than all gods.
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v4
If whosoever is baptized in Christ,27' putteth on Christ, who placeth stone upon stone, except heRebap-
who layeth baptism upon Baptism ? But be not terrified :
there shall not be left one that shall not be thrown down. Ps. 40. For the stones are gathered together in such a manner for
the new fabric, which is built after the captivity, and love
so bindeth together in unity, that it is not stoue upon stone, but all the stones are one stone. Wonder not : the
new song, that is, the altered law of love, hath done this.
The Apostle bindeth us together into this very structure,
and fasteneth us when bound together in that unity, saying, Forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep ///eEphes. unity of the Spirit in the bond ofpeace. Where there is this ' unity of Spirit, there is one stone ; but one stone formed out
of many. How one formed out of many? By forbearing one another in love. Therefore the house of the Lord our God
is in building ; it is this that is being wrought, for tins are these words, for this these readings, for this the preaching of
the Gospel over the whole world ; as yet it is in building. This house hath increased greatly, and filled many nations :
say unto you, He saith,
400 Christ conquers by the Cross. Place of His House.
Psalm neverlheless, it hath not yet prevailed through all nations: by 'its increase it hath held many, and will prevail over all: and it is gainsaid by those who boast of their being of its
household, and who say, it hath already lost ground. It still increaseth, still all those nations which have not yet believed are destined to believe; that no man may say, will that tongue believe ? will the barbarians believe ? what is the
Act>> 2, meaning of the Holy Spirit having appeared in the fiery
3'
tongues, except that there is no tongue so hard that it cannot be softened by that fire ? For we know that many barbarous nations have already believed in Christ : Christ already possesseth regions where the Roman empire hath never yet reached ; what is as yet closed to those who fight with the sword, is not closed to Him Who fighteth with wood. For
11. the Lord hath reigned from the wood? . Who is it who fighteth with wood ? Christ. With His cross He hath vanquished kings, and fixed upon their forehead, when vanquished, that very cross; and they glory in it, for in it is their salvation. This is the work which is being wrought, thus the house increaseth, thus it is building : and that ye may know, hear the following verses of the Psalm : see them
labouring upon, and constructing the house. O sing unto the Lord a new song, sing unto the Lord all the earth.
3. Ver. 2, 3. Sing unto the Lord, bless His Name : be telling good tidings ofHis salvation from day to day. How doth the building increase? Be telling, he saith, good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Let it be preached from day to day ; from day to day, he saith, let it be built; let My house, saith God, increase. And as if it were said by the workmen, Where dost Thou command it to
be built ? Where dost Thou will Thy house to increase ? Choose for us some level, spacious spot, if Thou wish an ample house built Thee. Where dost Thou bid us be telling good tidings from day to day? He sheweth the place: Declare His honour unto the heathen : His honour, not yours. O ye builders, Declare His honour unto the heathen. Should ye choose to declare your own honour, ye shall fall : if His, ye shall be built up, while ye are building. There-
? Quoted as from thia Psalm by cum Tryph. ? . 73. he accuses the Jews Justin Martyr, Apol. i. 41. ia Dial, of expungiog the words dvb toC {? aov.
They who separate, build a ' whited wall. ' 401
fore they who choose to declare their own honour, have Ver.
refused to dwell in that house ; and therefore they sing not. : 2"! ' Dona-
a new song with all the earth. For they do not share ittists. with the whole round world ; and hence they are not building in the house, but have erected a whited wall. HowEzek. sternly doth God threaten the whited wall ? There are in- 10-
&<. ', numerable testimonies of the Prophets, whence He curseth
the whited wall. What is the whited wall, save hypocrisy, that pretence Without bright, within dirt. What am about to say, hath already been said but since
hath been said through that Spirit, Which the Lord hath deigned to confer even upon us, we have declared and whatever we now say by the same Spirit, those who were before
us have said. It not therefore to be passed by
declared, since by God's gift hath been spoken.
person speaking of this whited wall, said thus
wall which standeth alone, and not connected with any m(uIv? ! other walls, you make door, whoever enters, out of doors ;? n pon. so in that part which hath refused to sing the new songb. us. together with the house, but hath chosen to build wall,0-
and that whited one, and not solid, what availeth that
hath door If thou enterest, thou art found to be without. g"a*"^ For because they themselves did not enter by the door, their
door also doth not admit them within. For the Lord saith,
am the door: Me they enter in. Who are they who Johnio, enter by the door They who seek the Lord's glory, not
their own. Who enter by the door They who do as
said, Declare His honour unto the heathen. He that entereth ib. 2. in by the door, the shepherd of the sheep, saith the Lord
but he who cUmbeth up some other way, the same is a thiefib. I. and a robber. He who entereth by the door, humble: he
who climbeth up another way, proud for that reason He spoke of one as entering in, of the other as climbing up. But the one by entering received, the other by climbing
thrown down. Declare His honour unto the heathen. What unto the heathen Perhaps by nations but few are meant and that part which hath raised the whited wall hath still somewhat to say: why are not Getulia, Numidia, Mauritania, By zacinm, nations Provinces are nations. Let the word of God take the word from hypocrisy, from the
VOL. iv.
but to be
A certain
as, if in a1 s. Op-
(quoted
D d
? it is
it is
?
is
is /
it
aI
is, ', is,
:a ? '
:
is
is
:
is
?
? by is? a
it a
a ;is
it ; is
it
jo.
'
is
'::
it it
402 The Lord, Christ, great beyond all praise.
Psai m whited wall, building up the house over the whole world. "X C V I : It is not enough to say, Declare His honour unto the heathen ; that thou mayest not think any nations excepted,
he addeth, and His wonders unto all people.
4. Ver. 4. For the Lord is great, and cannot worthily be
praised. What Lord, except Jesus Christ, is great, and cannot worthily be praised ? Ye know surely that He ap peared as a Man : ye know surely that He was conceived in a woman's womb, ye know that He was born from the womb, that He was suckled, that He was carried in arms, circumcised, that a victim was offered for Him, that He grew ; lastly, ye know that He was buffeted, spit upon, crowned with thorns, was crucified, died, was pierced with a spear; ye know that He suffered all these things: He is great, and cannot worthily be praised. Despise not what is
little, understand what is great. He became little, because ye were such : let Him be acknowledged great, and in Him ye shall be great. For thus the house is built, thus in the house itself are the constructions raised : the stones which are brought to the building increase. Increase, therefore; acknowledge Christ to be great : and He Who was little, is great, great beyond praise. He hath finished his words : he wished to say how great ; even though throughout the
whole day he should say, Great, Great, yet what would he say ? Saying all the day, Great, he would at length stop ; because day ceascth : His greatness is before days, beyond days, without day. What then should he say ? For God is great, and cannot worthily be praised. For what can a small tongue say towards the praise of the Great One ? By
'Lauda- saying, Beyond praise1, he hath spoken, and hath given to m' imagination what it may conceive : as if saying, What I cannot utter, do thou reflect on ; and when thou shalt have reflected, it will not be enough. What no man's thought uttereth, doth any man's tongue utter? The Lord is great,
and cannot worthily be praised. Let Him be praised, and preached : His honour declared, and His house built.
5. He is more to be feared than all gods. Are there then gods, than whom He is more to be feared ? Let us see whom he is speaking of, and we shall see why he speaketh. Meanwhile before we speak, most beloved, attend. He
Chrkt redeemed all from heathen captivity. 403
Who appeared as it were frightened among men, is more to Ver.
--
22'
Crucify, crucify Him ! as if He could be frightened by thatMat. 27, roar, Who is more to be feared not than all men, but than all 23' gods ? For the spot where he wished to build the house, is
itself woody, where it was said yesterday, we found it in the P*. 132, woodb. For he was seeking that very house, when he said,
' in the wood. ' And why is that spot woody ? Men used to worship images : it is not wonderful that they fed hogs.
For that son who left his father, and spent his all on harlots,
living as a prodigal, use to feed hogs, that is, to worship Luke16, devils ; and by this very superstition of the heathen, all the 12-- 16, earth became a wood. But he who buildeth a house, rooteth up the wood ; and for this reason it was said, While Title of the house was being built, after the captivity. For men Ps' were held captive under the devil, and served devils; but
be feared than all gods. Did not the heathen rage? Have
not the people imagined vain things against the Lord, and against His Anointed ? Did not those fat bulls close Him in Ps. 2, 1.
on every side ? Did not that roaring lion gape upon Him, and entering into the hearts of the raging crowd exclaim,
they were redeemed from captivity. They could sell, but they could not redeem themselves. The Redeemer came, and gave a price ; He poured forth His Blood, and bought the whole world. Ye ask what He bought? Ye see what He hath given ; find out then what He bought. The Blood of Christ was the price. What is equal to this? What, but the whole world ? What, but all nations ?
They are very ungrateful for their price, or very proud, who say that the price is so small that it bought the Africans only;
or that they are so great, as that it was given for them alone. Let them not then exult, let them not be proud : He gave what He gave for the whole world. He knew what He bought, because He knew at what price He bought it. Thus because we are redeemed, the house is built after the captivity. And who are they who held us in cap tivity? Because they to whom it is said, Declare His honour, are the clearers of the wood : that they may root out the wood, free the earth from captivity, and build, and raise up, by declaring the greatness of the b Hence it appears that Ps. 132. was expounded the day before.
dd2
404 Christ above Heavens as well as above heathen gods.
Psaim Lord's house. How is the wood of devils cleared away, xcvr- .
unless He Who is above them all be preached ? All nations
then had devils for their gods : those whom they called loC20' ? o(^s' were devils, as ihe Apostle more openly saith, Tlie
'
things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice unto devils, and not to God. Since therefore they were in captivity, because they sacrificed to devils, and on that account the whole earth had remained woody ; He is declared to be great, and above all worldly praise.
6. Ver. 5. And how is His greatness shewn, that He may root out all superstitions, captive beneath which the people was held, whom He Who is more to be feared than all gods came to redeem ? As if the Psalmist were asked, Why hast thou said, above all gods ? Are these then gods ? He addeth, As for all the gods of the heathen, they are devils. Attend, beloved. He was speaking of something great but just before : Hie Lord is great ; and as if he failed in His praises, he addeth, and cannot worthily be praised. Did I not say this, that He left it to thee to imagine what he could not express in words ? But when he was expressing it in words, what great praise did he utter concerning our Lord
Jesus Christ ? That He is above all devils ? For when he had said, He is more to be feared than all gods : he added, Asfor all the gods ofthe heathen, they are devils. It is not a great thing to be above devils: even thou, if thou wiliest, shalt be so : if thou believest in Him. This then is that exalted praise, The Lord is great, and cannot worthily be praised. For wishing to express as far as the human tongue capable, and although the Holy Spirit powerful player of that organ, yet in the straitness of human breath, He uttereth syllables, He giveth birth to thoughts wishing therefore to express by this tongue, what saith he The Lord great, and cannot worthily be praised. Say, say, how far He may be praised! He more to be feared, he saith, than all gods. Why didst thou say, more than all
gods? Because all the gods of the heathen are devils. And this all the praise of Him Who cannot worthily be praised, that He above all the gods of the heathen, which are devils Wait, and hear what followeth // is the Lord that made the heavens. Not above all gods only therefore,
is ?
is
:
is a
is
is
it
it,
; ?
is
' Confession? the way to ' Beauty. ' 405
but above all the heavens which He made, is the Lord. Ver. If he were to say, above all gods, for the gods of the heathen -- -- -- are devils, and if the praise of our Lord stopped here, he
had said less than we are accustomed to think of Christ;
but when he said, But it is the Lord that made the heavens ;
see what difference there is between the heavens and devils :
and what between the heavens and Him Who made the heavens ; behold how exalted is the Lord. He said not,
But the Lord sitteth above the heavens ; for perhaps some
one else might be imagined to have made them, upon which
He was enthroned : but, It is the Lord that made the heavens. If He made the heavens, He made the Angels
also : Himself made the Angels, Himself made the Apostles.
The devils yielded to the Apostles : but the Apostles them
selves were heavens, who bore the Lord. And what Lord
did they bear ? Him by Whom they were made. Hear that
they are heavens: The heavens declare the glory of God. P*-l9,i. To these very heavens, it is said, Declare His honour among
the heathen: and His wonders in all people.
For the Lord
is great, and cannot worthily be praised : He is more to be feared than all gods. What gods ? As for the gods of the heathen, they are devils. And He is more to be feared than all these gods. But it is Ihe Lord that made the heavens. O heavens, which He made, declare His honour unto the heathen ! Let His house be built throughout the earth, let
all the earth sing a new song.
7. Ver. 6. Confession and beauty are before Him. Dost
thou love beauty ? Wishest thou to be beautiful ? Confess ! He said not, beauty and confession, but confession and beauty. Thou wast foul ; confess, that thou mayest be fair :
thou wast a sinner; confess, that thou mayest be righteous. Thou couldest deform thyself : thou canst not make thyself beautiful. But of what sort is our Betrothed, who hath loved one deformed, that he might mak/e her fair ? How, saith some one, loved He one deformed ?
the righteous, but sinners. Whom callest Thou?
that they may remain sinners ? No, saith He. And by what means will they cease to be sinners ? Confession and beauty are before Him. They honour Him by confession of their
sins, they vomit the evils which they had greedily devoured ;
came not, said He, to call
9, J*att.
sinners,
406 Heal greatness found in submission to God.
Psalm they return not to their vomit, like the unclean dog ; and 2 Peter' there will then be confession and beauty : we love beauty ;
2, 22.
let us first choose confession, that beauty may follow. Again, there is one who loveth power and greatness : he wisheth to be great as the Angels are. There is a certain greatness in the Angels; and such power, that if the Angels exert it to the full, it cannot be withstood. And every man desireth the power of the Angels, but their righteousness every man loveth not. First love righteousness, and power shall follow thee. For what followeth here ? Holiness and greatness are in His
Thou wast before seeking for greatness : first love righteousness : when thou art righteous, thou shalt also be great. For if thou preposterously dost wish first to be great, thou fallest before thou canst rise : for thou dost
not rise, thou art raised up. Thou risest better, if He raise thee Who falleth not. For He who falleth not descendeth unto thee: thou hadst fallen: He descendeth, He hath stretched forth His hand unto thee ; thou canst not rise by thy own strength, embrace the hand of Him who descendeth, that thou mayest be raised up by the Strong One.
sanctification.
Ps. li6, His honour. Do ye then ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour; and say, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us: but unto Thy Name give the praise. Put not your trust in man. If each of you is baptized, let him say : He baptizeth me, of
33-3 29 wnom f"end of the Bridegroom said, He baptizeth with the Holy Ghost? . For when ye say this, ye ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour: Ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour.
9. Ver. 8. Ascribe unto the Lord glory unto His Name. ' See his commentary on the passsge, and on John 1, 31.
If and beauty are confession
8. What then ?
before Him. Holiness and greatness in His sanctification. (This we declare, when we are building the house ; behold, it is already declared unto the heathen ;) what ought the heathen to do, to whom those who have cleared away the wood have declared the Lord's honour? He now saith to the heathen themselves, Ascribe unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people: ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour. Ascribe them not unto yourselves : because they also who have declared it unto you, have not declared their own, but
(Ver. 7. )
Confession an offering. Where is God's Court. 407
Not unto the name of man, not unto your own name, but unto Ver. His ascribe worship. Bring sacrifices, and come into His^~-
'
courts. Bring sacrifices! What are ye to bring, that ye may 17. enter into His courts? For already the house hath increased, and the courts are made : those who bring sacrifices, let them enter the courts. Are we to bring bulls, goats, or sIheep? God forbid. Thou desirest no sacrifice, else would
give it thee. He
ought to offer. See whether that be not the present of which
he hath before spoken, confession and beauty are before
Him. Confession is a present unto God. O heathen, if ye
will enter into His courts, enter not empty. Bring presents.
What presents shall we bring with us ? The sacrifice of God Ps. 61, is a troubled spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, ,'- slmlt not Thou despise. Enter with an humble heart into
the house of God, and thou hast entered with a present.
But if thou art proud, thou enterest empty. For whence wouldest thou be proud, if thou wert not empty ? For if thou
wast full, thou wouldest not be puffed up. How couldest
joice, because ye are being built into the temple of God. For those who enter are themselves built up, they themselves are the house of God : He is the inhabitor, for whom the house is built over the whole world, and this ' after the captivity. ' Bring presents, and come into His courts.
commended unto us a present which we
If thou wert to bring a
thou be full ?
shouldest carry to the courts of the Lord. Let us not retain you much longer: let us run over what remaineth. Behold the house increasing : behold the edifice pervade the whole world. Rejoice, because ye have entered into the courts ; re
10. Ver. 9, 10. O worship the Lord in His holy court:
in the Catholic Church ; this is His holy court. Let no
man say, Lo, here is Christ, or there. For there shall aWseMat. 24,
false prophets. Say this unto them, There shall not be left jy^i. here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. t>si*.
Ye are calling me to the whited wall ; His holy court.
Iadore
my
God in
11. Let the whole earth be moved before His face. Tell
it out among the nations, that the Lord reigneth from the wood1: and that it is He Who hath made the round world so ' see p.
fast that it cannot be moved. What testimonies of the build- notJ
present,
which thou
408 Donatists summoned to worship with 'the whole earth. '
Psalm ing of the house of God ! The clouds of heaven thunder out -throughout the world that God's house is being built; and the frogs cry from the marsh, We alone are Christians. What
' Cir- Hodm"?
testimonies do I bring forward ? That of the Psalter. I bring forward what thou singest as one deaf: open thine ears ; thou singest this; thou singest with me, and thou agreest not with me ; thy tongue soundeth what mine doth, and yet thine heart disagreeth with mine. Dost thou not sing this ? Behold the testimonies of the whole world : Let the whole earth be moved before His face: and dost thou say, that thou art not moved? Tell it out among the heathen, that the Lord hath reigned from the wood. Shall men perchance prevail here, and say they reign by wood, because they reign by means of the clubs of their bandits 1 ? Reign ? 7 tne Cross of Christ, if thou art to reign by wood. For this wood of thine maketh thee wooden : the wood of Christ passeth thee across the sea. Thou hearest the Psalm saying, He hath set aright the round world, that it cannot be moved; and thou sayest it hath not only been moved since it was made fast, but hath also decreased. Dost thou speak the truth, and the Psalmist falsehood ? Do the false
Mat. 24, prophets, when they cry out, Lo, here is Christ, and there,
23-
speak truth ; and doth this Prophet lie ? Brethren, against these most open words ye hear in the corners rumours like these ; " such an one was a traditor," and, " such an one was a traditor \" What dost thou say ? Are thy words, or the words of God, to be heard? For, it is He Who hath set aright the round world, that it cannot be moved. I shew unto thee the round world built: bring thy present, and come into the courts of the Lord. Thou hast no presents : and on that account thou art not willing to enter. What is this? If God were to appoint unto thee a bull, goat, or ram, for a present, thou wouldest find one to bring:
He hath appointed a humble heart, and thou wilt not enter; for thou findest not this in thyself, because thou art swollen
with pride. He hath set aright the round world, that it cannot be moved: and He shall judge the people righteously. Then shall they mourn, who now refuse to love righteousness.
b Cieoilianus, and others, by com- the universal Church to have fallen, municating with whom they alleged
Joy of the ' Trees. ' Christ's coming in Spiritual ' clouds. ' 409
12. Ver. 11. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be Ver.
glad. Let the heavens, which declare the glory of God, rejoice ; let the heavens rejoice, which the Lord made ; let the earth be glad, which the heavens rain upon. For the heavens are the preachers, the earth the listeners. Let the sea be stirred up, and the fulness thereof. What sea ? The w orld. The sea hath been stirred up, and the fulness thereof: the whole world was roused up against the Church, -while it was being extended and built over all the earth. Concerning this stirring up, ye have heard in the Gospel,
They shall deliver you up to councils. The sea was stirred Ma*
'
13. Ver. 12, 13. The plains shall be joyful, and all things
that are in them. All the meek, all the gentle, all the righteous, are the ' plains' of God. Then shall all the trees
of the woods rejoice. The trees of the woods are the heathen.
Why do they rejoice ? Because they were cut off from the
wild olive, and engraffed into the good olive. Then skallRom. all the trees of the woods rejoice: because huge cedars and11' ,7' cypresses have been cut down, and undecaying timbers have
been bought for the building of the house. They were trees
of the woods ; but before they were sent to the building :
they were trees of the woods, but before they produced the
olive.
14. Then shall all the trees of the woods rejoice before the face of the Lord. For He cometh, for He cometh to judge the world. He came at first, and will come again. He
first came in His Church in clouds. What are the clouds which bore Him ? The Apostles who preached, respecting whom ye have heard, when the Epistle was being read :
We are ambassadors, he saith, for Christ: we pray you in2Cox. 5, Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. These are the20, clouds in whom He cometh, excepting His last Advent,
when He will come to judge the quick and the dead. He
came first in the clouds. This was His first voice which sounded forth in the Gospel : From this time shall they see Mark the Son of Man coming in the clouds. What is, from this13'^S' time? Will not the Lord come in later times, when all the tribes of the earth shall mourn ? He first came in His own
up : but how should the sea ever conquer Him Who made it?
~
410 They who conceive and bear to this world, unprepared.
Psalm preachers, and filled the whole round world. Let us not
XCVI . ?
'-resist His first coming, that we may not tremble at His
Mark second. But woe to them that are with child, and that
13' 17 ib. 33.
? -
give suck " in those days! Ye have heard but now in the
Gospel : Take ye heed, for ye know not at what hour He cometh. " This is said figuratively. Who arc those with child, and who give suck ? Those who are with child, are the souls whose hope is in the world: but those who have gained what they hoped for, are meant by ' they who give suck. ' For example : one wisheth to buy a country seat ; he is with child, for his object is not gained as yet, the womb swelleth in hope : he buyeth it ; he hath brought forth, he now giveth suck to what he hath bought. Woe to them that are with child, and that give suck in those days! Woe to those who put their hope in the world; woe to them that cling to those things which they brought forth through hope in the world. What then should the Christian do? He
should use, not serve, the world. What is this ? Those that have as those that have not. Thus he saith, thus he exhorteth those whom he wisheth not to be found by that dayIas it
1 Cor. 7, were with child, and as they that give suck: But this
29--32. ftreinren, the lime is short: it remaineth,that both they that have wives be as though they had none ; and they that weep,
as though they wept not ; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they pos sessed not ; and they that use this world, as not abusing it :
for the fashion of this world passeth away. But I
would have you without carefulness. He who is without careful
ness, waiteth without fear for his Lord's coming. For what sort of love is it of Christ, to fear lest He come ? Brethren, are we not ashamed ? We love Him, and yet we fear lest He come. Are we sure that we love Him ?
who layeth baptism upon Baptism ? But be not terrified :
there shall not be left one that shall not be thrown down. Ps. 40. For the stones are gathered together in such a manner for
the new fabric, which is built after the captivity, and love
so bindeth together in unity, that it is not stoue upon stone, but all the stones are one stone. Wonder not : the
new song, that is, the altered law of love, hath done this.
The Apostle bindeth us together into this very structure,
and fasteneth us when bound together in that unity, saying, Forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep ///eEphes. unity of the Spirit in the bond ofpeace. Where there is this ' unity of Spirit, there is one stone ; but one stone formed out
of many. How one formed out of many? By forbearing one another in love. Therefore the house of the Lord our God
is in building ; it is this that is being wrought, for tins are these words, for this these readings, for this the preaching of
the Gospel over the whole world ; as yet it is in building. This house hath increased greatly, and filled many nations :
say unto you, He saith,
400 Christ conquers by the Cross. Place of His House.
Psalm neverlheless, it hath not yet prevailed through all nations: by 'its increase it hath held many, and will prevail over all: and it is gainsaid by those who boast of their being of its
household, and who say, it hath already lost ground. It still increaseth, still all those nations which have not yet believed are destined to believe; that no man may say, will that tongue believe ? will the barbarians believe ? what is the
Act>> 2, meaning of the Holy Spirit having appeared in the fiery
3'
tongues, except that there is no tongue so hard that it cannot be softened by that fire ? For we know that many barbarous nations have already believed in Christ : Christ already possesseth regions where the Roman empire hath never yet reached ; what is as yet closed to those who fight with the sword, is not closed to Him Who fighteth with wood. For
11. the Lord hath reigned from the wood? . Who is it who fighteth with wood ? Christ. With His cross He hath vanquished kings, and fixed upon their forehead, when vanquished, that very cross; and they glory in it, for in it is their salvation. This is the work which is being wrought, thus the house increaseth, thus it is building : and that ye may know, hear the following verses of the Psalm : see them
labouring upon, and constructing the house. O sing unto the Lord a new song, sing unto the Lord all the earth.
3. Ver. 2, 3. Sing unto the Lord, bless His Name : be telling good tidings ofHis salvation from day to day. How doth the building increase? Be telling, he saith, good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Let it be preached from day to day ; from day to day, he saith, let it be built; let My house, saith God, increase. And as if it were said by the workmen, Where dost Thou command it to
be built ? Where dost Thou will Thy house to increase ? Choose for us some level, spacious spot, if Thou wish an ample house built Thee. Where dost Thou bid us be telling good tidings from day to day? He sheweth the place: Declare His honour unto the heathen : His honour, not yours. O ye builders, Declare His honour unto the heathen. Should ye choose to declare your own honour, ye shall fall : if His, ye shall be built up, while ye are building. There-
? Quoted as from thia Psalm by cum Tryph. ? . 73. he accuses the Jews Justin Martyr, Apol. i. 41. ia Dial, of expungiog the words dvb toC {? aov.
They who separate, build a ' whited wall. ' 401
fore they who choose to declare their own honour, have Ver.
refused to dwell in that house ; and therefore they sing not. : 2"! ' Dona-
a new song with all the earth. For they do not share ittists. with the whole round world ; and hence they are not building in the house, but have erected a whited wall. HowEzek. sternly doth God threaten the whited wall ? There are in- 10-
&<. ', numerable testimonies of the Prophets, whence He curseth
the whited wall. What is the whited wall, save hypocrisy, that pretence Without bright, within dirt. What am about to say, hath already been said but since
hath been said through that Spirit, Which the Lord hath deigned to confer even upon us, we have declared and whatever we now say by the same Spirit, those who were before
us have said. It not therefore to be passed by
declared, since by God's gift hath been spoken.
person speaking of this whited wall, said thus
wall which standeth alone, and not connected with any m(uIv? ! other walls, you make door, whoever enters, out of doors ;? n pon. so in that part which hath refused to sing the new songb. us. together with the house, but hath chosen to build wall,0-
and that whited one, and not solid, what availeth that
hath door If thou enterest, thou art found to be without. g"a*"^ For because they themselves did not enter by the door, their
door also doth not admit them within. For the Lord saith,
am the door: Me they enter in. Who are they who Johnio, enter by the door They who seek the Lord's glory, not
their own. Who enter by the door They who do as
said, Declare His honour unto the heathen. He that entereth ib. 2. in by the door, the shepherd of the sheep, saith the Lord
but he who cUmbeth up some other way, the same is a thiefib. I. and a robber. He who entereth by the door, humble: he
who climbeth up another way, proud for that reason He spoke of one as entering in, of the other as climbing up. But the one by entering received, the other by climbing
thrown down. Declare His honour unto the heathen. What unto the heathen Perhaps by nations but few are meant and that part which hath raised the whited wall hath still somewhat to say: why are not Getulia, Numidia, Mauritania, By zacinm, nations Provinces are nations. Let the word of God take the word from hypocrisy, from the
VOL. iv.
but to be
A certain
as, if in a1 s. Op-
(quoted
D d
? it is
it is
?
is
is /
it
aI
is, ', is,
:a ? '
:
is
is
:
is
?
? by is? a
it a
a ;is
it ; is
it
jo.
'
is
'::
it it
402 The Lord, Christ, great beyond all praise.
Psai m whited wall, building up the house over the whole world. "X C V I : It is not enough to say, Declare His honour unto the heathen ; that thou mayest not think any nations excepted,
he addeth, and His wonders unto all people.
4. Ver. 4. For the Lord is great, and cannot worthily be
praised. What Lord, except Jesus Christ, is great, and cannot worthily be praised ? Ye know surely that He ap peared as a Man : ye know surely that He was conceived in a woman's womb, ye know that He was born from the womb, that He was suckled, that He was carried in arms, circumcised, that a victim was offered for Him, that He grew ; lastly, ye know that He was buffeted, spit upon, crowned with thorns, was crucified, died, was pierced with a spear; ye know that He suffered all these things: He is great, and cannot worthily be praised. Despise not what is
little, understand what is great. He became little, because ye were such : let Him be acknowledged great, and in Him ye shall be great. For thus the house is built, thus in the house itself are the constructions raised : the stones which are brought to the building increase. Increase, therefore; acknowledge Christ to be great : and He Who was little, is great, great beyond praise. He hath finished his words : he wished to say how great ; even though throughout the
whole day he should say, Great, Great, yet what would he say ? Saying all the day, Great, he would at length stop ; because day ceascth : His greatness is before days, beyond days, without day. What then should he say ? For God is great, and cannot worthily be praised. For what can a small tongue say towards the praise of the Great One ? By
'Lauda- saying, Beyond praise1, he hath spoken, and hath given to m' imagination what it may conceive : as if saying, What I cannot utter, do thou reflect on ; and when thou shalt have reflected, it will not be enough. What no man's thought uttereth, doth any man's tongue utter? The Lord is great,
and cannot worthily be praised. Let Him be praised, and preached : His honour declared, and His house built.
5. He is more to be feared than all gods. Are there then gods, than whom He is more to be feared ? Let us see whom he is speaking of, and we shall see why he speaketh. Meanwhile before we speak, most beloved, attend. He
Chrkt redeemed all from heathen captivity. 403
Who appeared as it were frightened among men, is more to Ver.
--
22'
Crucify, crucify Him ! as if He could be frightened by thatMat. 27, roar, Who is more to be feared not than all men, but than all 23' gods ? For the spot where he wished to build the house, is
itself woody, where it was said yesterday, we found it in the P*. 132, woodb. For he was seeking that very house, when he said,
' in the wood. ' And why is that spot woody ? Men used to worship images : it is not wonderful that they fed hogs.
For that son who left his father, and spent his all on harlots,
living as a prodigal, use to feed hogs, that is, to worship Luke16, devils ; and by this very superstition of the heathen, all the 12-- 16, earth became a wood. But he who buildeth a house, rooteth up the wood ; and for this reason it was said, While Title of the house was being built, after the captivity. For men Ps' were held captive under the devil, and served devils; but
be feared than all gods. Did not the heathen rage? Have
not the people imagined vain things against the Lord, and against His Anointed ? Did not those fat bulls close Him in Ps. 2, 1.
on every side ? Did not that roaring lion gape upon Him, and entering into the hearts of the raging crowd exclaim,
they were redeemed from captivity. They could sell, but they could not redeem themselves. The Redeemer came, and gave a price ; He poured forth His Blood, and bought the whole world. Ye ask what He bought? Ye see what He hath given ; find out then what He bought. The Blood of Christ was the price. What is equal to this? What, but the whole world ? What, but all nations ?
They are very ungrateful for their price, or very proud, who say that the price is so small that it bought the Africans only;
or that they are so great, as that it was given for them alone. Let them not then exult, let them not be proud : He gave what He gave for the whole world. He knew what He bought, because He knew at what price He bought it. Thus because we are redeemed, the house is built after the captivity. And who are they who held us in cap tivity? Because they to whom it is said, Declare His honour, are the clearers of the wood : that they may root out the wood, free the earth from captivity, and build, and raise up, by declaring the greatness of the b Hence it appears that Ps. 132. was expounded the day before.
dd2
404 Christ above Heavens as well as above heathen gods.
Psaim Lord's house. How is the wood of devils cleared away, xcvr- .
unless He Who is above them all be preached ? All nations
then had devils for their gods : those whom they called loC20' ? o(^s' were devils, as ihe Apostle more openly saith, Tlie
'
things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice unto devils, and not to God. Since therefore they were in captivity, because they sacrificed to devils, and on that account the whole earth had remained woody ; He is declared to be great, and above all worldly praise.
6. Ver. 5. And how is His greatness shewn, that He may root out all superstitions, captive beneath which the people was held, whom He Who is more to be feared than all gods came to redeem ? As if the Psalmist were asked, Why hast thou said, above all gods ? Are these then gods ? He addeth, As for all the gods of the heathen, they are devils. Attend, beloved. He was speaking of something great but just before : Hie Lord is great ; and as if he failed in His praises, he addeth, and cannot worthily be praised. Did I not say this, that He left it to thee to imagine what he could not express in words ? But when he was expressing it in words, what great praise did he utter concerning our Lord
Jesus Christ ? That He is above all devils ? For when he had said, He is more to be feared than all gods : he added, Asfor all the gods ofthe heathen, they are devils. It is not a great thing to be above devils: even thou, if thou wiliest, shalt be so : if thou believest in Him. This then is that exalted praise, The Lord is great, and cannot worthily be praised. For wishing to express as far as the human tongue capable, and although the Holy Spirit powerful player of that organ, yet in the straitness of human breath, He uttereth syllables, He giveth birth to thoughts wishing therefore to express by this tongue, what saith he The Lord great, and cannot worthily be praised. Say, say, how far He may be praised! He more to be feared, he saith, than all gods. Why didst thou say, more than all
gods? Because all the gods of the heathen are devils. And this all the praise of Him Who cannot worthily be praised, that He above all the gods of the heathen, which are devils Wait, and hear what followeth // is the Lord that made the heavens. Not above all gods only therefore,
is ?
is
:
is a
is
is
it
it,
; ?
is
' Confession? the way to ' Beauty. ' 405
but above all the heavens which He made, is the Lord. Ver. If he were to say, above all gods, for the gods of the heathen -- -- -- are devils, and if the praise of our Lord stopped here, he
had said less than we are accustomed to think of Christ;
but when he said, But it is the Lord that made the heavens ;
see what difference there is between the heavens and devils :
and what between the heavens and Him Who made the heavens ; behold how exalted is the Lord. He said not,
But the Lord sitteth above the heavens ; for perhaps some
one else might be imagined to have made them, upon which
He was enthroned : but, It is the Lord that made the heavens. If He made the heavens, He made the Angels
also : Himself made the Angels, Himself made the Apostles.
The devils yielded to the Apostles : but the Apostles them
selves were heavens, who bore the Lord. And what Lord
did they bear ? Him by Whom they were made. Hear that
they are heavens: The heavens declare the glory of God. P*-l9,i. To these very heavens, it is said, Declare His honour among
the heathen: and His wonders in all people.
For the Lord
is great, and cannot worthily be praised : He is more to be feared than all gods. What gods ? As for the gods of the heathen, they are devils. And He is more to be feared than all these gods. But it is Ihe Lord that made the heavens. O heavens, which He made, declare His honour unto the heathen ! Let His house be built throughout the earth, let
all the earth sing a new song.
7. Ver. 6. Confession and beauty are before Him. Dost
thou love beauty ? Wishest thou to be beautiful ? Confess ! He said not, beauty and confession, but confession and beauty. Thou wast foul ; confess, that thou mayest be fair :
thou wast a sinner; confess, that thou mayest be righteous. Thou couldest deform thyself : thou canst not make thyself beautiful. But of what sort is our Betrothed, who hath loved one deformed, that he might mak/e her fair ? How, saith some one, loved He one deformed ?
the righteous, but sinners. Whom callest Thou?
that they may remain sinners ? No, saith He. And by what means will they cease to be sinners ? Confession and beauty are before Him. They honour Him by confession of their
sins, they vomit the evils which they had greedily devoured ;
came not, said He, to call
9, J*att.
sinners,
406 Heal greatness found in submission to God.
Psalm they return not to their vomit, like the unclean dog ; and 2 Peter' there will then be confession and beauty : we love beauty ;
2, 22.
let us first choose confession, that beauty may follow. Again, there is one who loveth power and greatness : he wisheth to be great as the Angels are. There is a certain greatness in the Angels; and such power, that if the Angels exert it to the full, it cannot be withstood. And every man desireth the power of the Angels, but their righteousness every man loveth not. First love righteousness, and power shall follow thee. For what followeth here ? Holiness and greatness are in His
Thou wast before seeking for greatness : first love righteousness : when thou art righteous, thou shalt also be great. For if thou preposterously dost wish first to be great, thou fallest before thou canst rise : for thou dost
not rise, thou art raised up. Thou risest better, if He raise thee Who falleth not. For He who falleth not descendeth unto thee: thou hadst fallen: He descendeth, He hath stretched forth His hand unto thee ; thou canst not rise by thy own strength, embrace the hand of Him who descendeth, that thou mayest be raised up by the Strong One.
sanctification.
Ps. li6, His honour. Do ye then ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour; and say, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us: but unto Thy Name give the praise. Put not your trust in man. If each of you is baptized, let him say : He baptizeth me, of
33-3 29 wnom f"end of the Bridegroom said, He baptizeth with the Holy Ghost? . For when ye say this, ye ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour: Ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour.
9. Ver. 8. Ascribe unto the Lord glory unto His Name. ' See his commentary on the passsge, and on John 1, 31.
If and beauty are confession
8. What then ?
before Him. Holiness and greatness in His sanctification. (This we declare, when we are building the house ; behold, it is already declared unto the heathen ;) what ought the heathen to do, to whom those who have cleared away the wood have declared the Lord's honour? He now saith to the heathen themselves, Ascribe unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people: ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour. Ascribe them not unto yourselves : because they also who have declared it unto you, have not declared their own, but
(Ver. 7. )
Confession an offering. Where is God's Court. 407
Not unto the name of man, not unto your own name, but unto Ver. His ascribe worship. Bring sacrifices, and come into His^~-
'
courts. Bring sacrifices! What are ye to bring, that ye may 17. enter into His courts? For already the house hath increased, and the courts are made : those who bring sacrifices, let them enter the courts. Are we to bring bulls, goats, or sIheep? God forbid. Thou desirest no sacrifice, else would
give it thee. He
ought to offer. See whether that be not the present of which
he hath before spoken, confession and beauty are before
Him. Confession is a present unto God. O heathen, if ye
will enter into His courts, enter not empty. Bring presents.
What presents shall we bring with us ? The sacrifice of God Ps. 61, is a troubled spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, ,'- slmlt not Thou despise. Enter with an humble heart into
the house of God, and thou hast entered with a present.
But if thou art proud, thou enterest empty. For whence wouldest thou be proud, if thou wert not empty ? For if thou
wast full, thou wouldest not be puffed up. How couldest
joice, because ye are being built into the temple of God. For those who enter are themselves built up, they themselves are the house of God : He is the inhabitor, for whom the house is built over the whole world, and this ' after the captivity. ' Bring presents, and come into His courts.
commended unto us a present which we
If thou wert to bring a
thou be full ?
shouldest carry to the courts of the Lord. Let us not retain you much longer: let us run over what remaineth. Behold the house increasing : behold the edifice pervade the whole world. Rejoice, because ye have entered into the courts ; re
10. Ver. 9, 10. O worship the Lord in His holy court:
in the Catholic Church ; this is His holy court. Let no
man say, Lo, here is Christ, or there. For there shall aWseMat. 24,
false prophets. Say this unto them, There shall not be left jy^i. here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. t>si*.
Ye are calling me to the whited wall ; His holy court.
Iadore
my
God in
11. Let the whole earth be moved before His face. Tell
it out among the nations, that the Lord reigneth from the wood1: and that it is He Who hath made the round world so ' see p.
fast that it cannot be moved. What testimonies of the build- notJ
present,
which thou
408 Donatists summoned to worship with 'the whole earth. '
Psalm ing of the house of God ! The clouds of heaven thunder out -throughout the world that God's house is being built; and the frogs cry from the marsh, We alone are Christians. What
' Cir- Hodm"?
testimonies do I bring forward ? That of the Psalter. I bring forward what thou singest as one deaf: open thine ears ; thou singest this; thou singest with me, and thou agreest not with me ; thy tongue soundeth what mine doth, and yet thine heart disagreeth with mine. Dost thou not sing this ? Behold the testimonies of the whole world : Let the whole earth be moved before His face: and dost thou say, that thou art not moved? Tell it out among the heathen, that the Lord hath reigned from the wood. Shall men perchance prevail here, and say they reign by wood, because they reign by means of the clubs of their bandits 1 ? Reign ? 7 tne Cross of Christ, if thou art to reign by wood. For this wood of thine maketh thee wooden : the wood of Christ passeth thee across the sea. Thou hearest the Psalm saying, He hath set aright the round world, that it cannot be moved; and thou sayest it hath not only been moved since it was made fast, but hath also decreased. Dost thou speak the truth, and the Psalmist falsehood ? Do the false
Mat. 24, prophets, when they cry out, Lo, here is Christ, and there,
23-
speak truth ; and doth this Prophet lie ? Brethren, against these most open words ye hear in the corners rumours like these ; " such an one was a traditor," and, " such an one was a traditor \" What dost thou say ? Are thy words, or the words of God, to be heard? For, it is He Who hath set aright the round world, that it cannot be moved. I shew unto thee the round world built: bring thy present, and come into the courts of the Lord. Thou hast no presents : and on that account thou art not willing to enter. What is this? If God were to appoint unto thee a bull, goat, or ram, for a present, thou wouldest find one to bring:
He hath appointed a humble heart, and thou wilt not enter; for thou findest not this in thyself, because thou art swollen
with pride. He hath set aright the round world, that it cannot be moved: and He shall judge the people righteously. Then shall they mourn, who now refuse to love righteousness.
b Cieoilianus, and others, by com- the universal Church to have fallen, municating with whom they alleged
Joy of the ' Trees. ' Christ's coming in Spiritual ' clouds. ' 409
12. Ver. 11. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be Ver.
glad. Let the heavens, which declare the glory of God, rejoice ; let the heavens rejoice, which the Lord made ; let the earth be glad, which the heavens rain upon. For the heavens are the preachers, the earth the listeners. Let the sea be stirred up, and the fulness thereof. What sea ? The w orld. The sea hath been stirred up, and the fulness thereof: the whole world was roused up against the Church, -while it was being extended and built over all the earth. Concerning this stirring up, ye have heard in the Gospel,
They shall deliver you up to councils. The sea was stirred Ma*
'
13. Ver. 12, 13. The plains shall be joyful, and all things
that are in them. All the meek, all the gentle, all the righteous, are the ' plains' of God. Then shall all the trees
of the woods rejoice. The trees of the woods are the heathen.
Why do they rejoice ? Because they were cut off from the
wild olive, and engraffed into the good olive. Then skallRom. all the trees of the woods rejoice: because huge cedars and11' ,7' cypresses have been cut down, and undecaying timbers have
been bought for the building of the house. They were trees
of the woods ; but before they were sent to the building :
they were trees of the woods, but before they produced the
olive.
14. Then shall all the trees of the woods rejoice before the face of the Lord. For He cometh, for He cometh to judge the world. He came at first, and will come again. He
first came in His Church in clouds. What are the clouds which bore Him ? The Apostles who preached, respecting whom ye have heard, when the Epistle was being read :
We are ambassadors, he saith, for Christ: we pray you in2Cox. 5, Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. These are the20, clouds in whom He cometh, excepting His last Advent,
when He will come to judge the quick and the dead. He
came first in the clouds. This was His first voice which sounded forth in the Gospel : From this time shall they see Mark the Son of Man coming in the clouds. What is, from this13'^S' time? Will not the Lord come in later times, when all the tribes of the earth shall mourn ? He first came in His own
up : but how should the sea ever conquer Him Who made it?
~
410 They who conceive and bear to this world, unprepared.
Psalm preachers, and filled the whole round world. Let us not
XCVI . ?
'-resist His first coming, that we may not tremble at His
Mark second. But woe to them that are with child, and that
13' 17 ib. 33.
? -
give suck " in those days! Ye have heard but now in the
Gospel : Take ye heed, for ye know not at what hour He cometh. " This is said figuratively. Who arc those with child, and who give suck ? Those who are with child, are the souls whose hope is in the world: but those who have gained what they hoped for, are meant by ' they who give suck. ' For example : one wisheth to buy a country seat ; he is with child, for his object is not gained as yet, the womb swelleth in hope : he buyeth it ; he hath brought forth, he now giveth suck to what he hath bought. Woe to them that are with child, and that give suck in those days! Woe to those who put their hope in the world; woe to them that cling to those things which they brought forth through hope in the world. What then should the Christian do? He
should use, not serve, the world. What is this ? Those that have as those that have not. Thus he saith, thus he exhorteth those whom he wisheth not to be found by that dayIas it
1 Cor. 7, were with child, and as they that give suck: But this
29--32. ftreinren, the lime is short: it remaineth,that both they that have wives be as though they had none ; and they that weep,
as though they wept not ; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they pos sessed not ; and they that use this world, as not abusing it :
for the fashion of this world passeth away. But I
would have you without carefulness. He who is without careful
ness, waiteth without fear for his Lord's coming. For what sort of love is it of Christ, to fear lest He come ? Brethren, are we not ashamed ? We love Him, and yet we fear lest He come. Are we sure that we love Him ?
