For He
understandeth
what is within, and knoweth what is with in; their ends He seeth, their base intentions He seeth.
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v1
But it cannot be that any thing worse than thyself should make thee better.
Thou art a man; worse than thou is whatever thou covetest, whereby thou desirest
to be blessed. Gold, silver, any other bodies, which thou
gapest to acquire, to possess, to enjoy, are inferior to thee. Thou art better, thou art worthier: and surely thou wouldest be better than thou art, since thou wouldest be blessed, because thou art miserable. For it is surely better to be blessed than to be miserable. Thou wouldest be better than thyself; and thou seekest, thou searchest out,
332 Blessedness of Man's soul is in God, Who is above it.
Psalm wherewith thou mavcst become so, things worse than XXXIII. .
Exp. il Whatever thou hast desired on is
thyself. t earth, worse than
jjM. thou. This every man wisheth for his friend, thus he adjureth him, So mayest thou be better, So may we see thee better, So let us rejoice in thee being belter. What one wisheth for his friend, this he would also for himself. Accept then a faithful counsel. Thou wouldest be better than thyself; I know we all know it; we all wish it: seek then what better than thyself, that thereby thou mayest be rendered better than thyself.
16. Consider now the Heavens and the earth let not beautiful bodies so please thee, that by them thou wish to 'animo. be blessed. In the soul1 what thou seekest. For thou wouldest be blessed enquire thou what better than thy soul
itself. For since there are two things, that is, soul and body, because of these two that the better, which called the soul, therefore can thy body be made better by the better, because the body subject to the soul. Thy body then can be made better by thy soul, so that when thy soul shall be righteous, thy body also may hereafter be immortal. For through the illumination of the soul, the body merits incor- ruption, that through the better there may be a reparation of the worse. If then thy body's good be thy soul, because
better than thy body when thou seekest thine own good, seek that which better than thy soul. But what thy soul? Beware, lest haply, despising thy soul, and think ing that something vile and worthless, thou shouldest seek things more vile, wherewith thy soul may be made blessed. For thy soul the Image of God the mind of
caP! t man containetha it. It received and by inclining unto sin disfigured it. The Same came unto as the reformer, Who was before the former of it. For by the Word were all things made, and by the Word was this Image impressed. The Word Himself came, that we might hear from an
Rom. 12, Apostle, Be ye transformed the renewing of your mind.
Now then remaineth that thou seek what
better than thy soul. What shall that be, pray thee, but thy God
Thou findest no other better than thy soul; for when thy nature shall be perfected, will be equalled with the Angels. Now there nothing higher save the Creator. Lift up
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God the only satisfying possession. He is our God. 333
thyself unto Him, despair not, say not, It is too much for Ver. me. Rather it is too much for thee to have, it may be, --^-- gold, which thou seekest. Gold, though thou wouldest,
haply thou wilt not have; God, when thou wouldest,
thou shalt have : for even before thou wouldest, He came unto thee; and when thou wast in will averted, He called thee; and when thou wast converted, He frightened thee, and when frightened thou didst confess, He consoled thee. He, Who hath given thee all things, He, Who hath caused that thou shouldest be, Who to those also who are with thee, even the wicked, giveth the sun, giveth rain, giveth fruits, fountains, life, health, so many consolations; He keepeth for thee something which He giveth not save to thee. But what is that which He keepeth for thee, but Himself. Ask somewhat else, if thou hast found better. God keepeth Himself for thee. Thou covetous, why longest thou after Heaven and earth ? Better is He Who made Heaven and earth : Him shalt thou see : Him shalt thou have.
Why seekest thou, that such a villa should be thine, and passing by it sayest, Blessed is he whose is that possession ? How many say this, who pass by it; and yet when they have so said, and pass by though they can shake the head and sigh, can they also possess Every where soundeth
covetousness, soundeth iniquity, but Thou shalt not covet Exod.
any thing which thy neighbour's. Blessed whose thatt)e'ut. 5, villa, whose that house, whose that field! Restrain21- iniquity, hear the truth Blessed the nation whose --Whose
what? Thou knowest already what am about to say. Therefore desire that ye may have, then indeed shall ye be blessed. With this alone shall ye be blessed, by better
thing than yourselves ye shall be made better. It God that better than thou even He, say, Who made thee. Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord. This desire, this possess, this when thou wilt, thou shalt have: this thou shalt have for nothing.
17. Ver. 12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. The Lord our God! For of whom He not God? Not surely of all in the same manner. Ours He more ours, who live by Him as by our bread. Let Him be our inherit
ance, our possession.
Do we haply speak rashly in making
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334 We possess God, and He us, for our goods.
Psalm God our possession, when He is the Lord, when He is the Exp. ll. Creator ? This is not rashness : it is the affection of desire, Serh. it is tne SWeetness of hope. Let the soul say, all-secure
P7. 3(f3;let it say, Thou art my God, Who sayest to my soul, / am thy salvation. Let it so say, secure let it say, it will do no wrong when so it saith ; nay it will do wrong if it say not. Wouldest thou have trees, whereby thou mightest be
ProT. 3, blessed ? Hear the Scripture speaking of Wisdom; She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her. See, he hath said that Wisdom is our possession. But lest thou shouldest think that Wisdom, because Scripture hath called it thy possession, to be something inferior to thee, it goes on and adds, And to them that lean upon her, as on the Lord, she is
See thy Lord is made unto thee as a staff: securely man leaneth, because He faileth not. Say then securely, This is thy possession ; to them that lay hold upon her. Scripture hath said, hath filled up thy doubts with con fidence : speak securely, love securely, hope securely. Thine
Ps. 16,5. also De those words in the Psalm, The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance.
18. Therefore by this shall we be blessed, by possessing God. What then ? Shall we possess Him, and will not He Is. 26, possess us ? Whence then Esaias, Lord, possess us? There- LXX. fore He possesseth us, and is possessed, and all for our sakes. For not as He, that we may be blessed in Him, is possessed by us; not so doth He also, that He may be
safe'.
blessed, possess us. He both possesseth and is possessed, for nothing else than that we may be blessed. We possess Him, and He possesseth us ; because we attend on * Him, and He attendeth on us. We attend on Him as our Lord God ; He attendeth on us as His own possession. That we attend on Him, none doubteth; that He attendeth on us,
Johni5, who proveth to us ? He Who saith, /am the Vine: ye are
the branches : My Father is the Husbandman.
Psalm also both are declared to us, both are proved to us. He hath already said that we possess Him : Blessed is the nation, whose God is the Lord. Whose is this farm ? His. Whose is that? His. Whose is this?
' English Version, And happy is e ' colimus,' which has the double every one that retaineth her. meaning of ' worship,' <ind ' ciiltirate. '
See in this
Let us so speak of
Blessedness ofpossessing Him. His looking in mercy on man. 335
God ; let us say whose He is. And as answer is wont to be Vrr. made to us when we enquire concerning certain farms and 13. 14. estates that are fine and very pleasant; He is a senator, and
he is called so and so, whose is that property ; and we say, Blessed is that man. So if we should ask, Whose is this
God ? There is a blessed nation whose He is. For the Lord is their God. And not as that senator possesseth his farm, but is not possessed by his farm, so also the God of this nation. Wherefore, we ought to labour, that we may be His : but either of them possesseth the other. Ye have heard that a nation possesseth Him, Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: hear how He also possesseth it: and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inherit ance. Nation blessed in its possession ; inheritance blessed in its possessor: And the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.
19. Ver. 13. The Lord looketh from heaven, He beholdeth
all the sons of men. All in this place so receive as to understand all of that nation who possess that inheritance,
or who are that inheritance. For they themselves are God's inheritance. Even all of them hath the Lord looked upon
from Heaven : and He haIth seen them Who said, When thou John l,
saw thee. He saw him because
wast under the fig-tree,
Ho had mercy on him. Wherefore oftentimes praying
mercy we say to a man, Look upon me. And of him that despiseth thee, what sayest thou ? He seeth me not. There
is then a seeing of him that hath mercy, a not seeing of him
that punisheth. That looking upon sins is the punishment
of sins ; which sins he would not to be seen, who saith,
Hide Thy Facefrom my sins. What he would to be over- Ps. 5l,9. looked, that he would not to be looked upon. Hide, saith
he, Thy Face from my sins. When then He hath hidden
His Face from thy sins, will He not see thee ? And where
fore saith he in another place, Hide not Thy Face from me? Ps. 27,9. Let Him then hide from thy sins, let Him not hide from
thee : let Him see thee, let Him have mercy on thee, let
Him succour thee. The Lord looked from Heaven, He regarded all the sons of men : all that belong unto the Son
of Man.
20. Ver. 14. From His prepared habitation: from that
336 God looks on men by His Saints. He forms each one.
Psalm which He hath prepared for Himself. He looked upon us
Exp. II.
XXXIII. from the Apostles, He looketh upon us from the preachers of
Se,im' the Truth, He looked upon us from the Angels, whom He sent unto us. All these are His house, all these are His habitation, for all these are the Heavens which declare the Glory of God. He beheld all the sons of men : from His
prepared habitation He looked upon all the inhabitants of the earth. These are the same; they are His; it is that blessed nation, whose God is the Lord ; it is that people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance : for it is throughout all lands, and not only in one part. He looked upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
E. V,
21. Ver. 15. He hath fashioned their hearts singly. By the hand of His grace; by the hand of His mercy, He hath fashioned hearts, He formed our hearts, He fashioned them singly, giving to us as it were single hearts, which yet destroy not unity. As all our members are formed singly, have their operations singly, and yet live in the unity of the body ; the hand doth what the eye doth not, the ear hath a power which neither the eye nor the hand hath ; yet all work together in unity ; and the hand, and the eye, and the ear do different things, and yet are not opposed to one another; so also in the Body of Christ, single men, like single members,
each their own gifts, because He Who hath chosen the people for His own inheritance, hath fashioned their hearts
Are all Apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? and Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues?
do all interpret? To one given the Spirit the word
wisdom to another the word of knowledge to another faith the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing.
Wherefore Because He fashioned their hearts
But as in our members there are diverse operations, but one health so in all the members of Christ are diverse gifts, but one grace. He fashioneth their hearts singly.
22. He understandeth all their works. What under- standeth Seeth in secret and inwardly thou hast in a Ps. 5,2. certain Psalm, Understand my crying. For there no such
need as of words, that any thing may come to the Ears of God. Seeing in secret called understanding. He spoke more expressly than He should say, He seeth all their
29
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enjoy
singly.
if
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No safety in the strength of man or horse. 337
works : lest thou shouldest think that those works are then Vrr. seen, when thou seest the work of a man. A man seeth the 1G" act of a man by motion of the body, but God seeth in the heart. Because then He seeth within, it is said, He under standeth all their works. Two men give to the poor, one seeketh his reward in Heaven, the other the praise of men.
Thou in two seest one thing, God understaudeth two.
For He understandeth what is within, and knoweth what is with in; their ends He seeth, their base intentions He seeth. He
understandeth all their works.
23. Yrer. 16. A king shall not be saved by much strength.
Unto the Lord must we all, in God are we all. Be God thy one Ms. hope, be God thy strength, be God thy firmness; thytheLord
let Him be, thy praise let Him be, thy end in Jf all, in which thou rest, let Him be; thy succour when thou all thy labourest, let Him be. Hear the truth, A king shall not be^ff' sated by much strength: neither shall a giant be saved by
much strength. A giant is any proud man, lifting up him
self against God, as though he were something in himself
and by himself. Such an one is not saved by much strength.
24. But he hath a horse, large, spirited, strong, swift: can
he if any evil threaten, deliver him quickly out of danger?
Let him not be deceived, let him hear what followeth.
(Ver. 17. ) A horse is a deceitful thing fur safety. Under
stood ye what was said, A horse is a deceitful thing for safety ? Let not thy horse promise thee safety; if he promise
thee, he will lie. For if God will, thou wilt be freed; if
God will not, thy horse falling, thou wilt fall from a greater height. Therefore think it not said, A horse is a deceitful menda* thing for safety, as though a just man were deceitful for2T<<z*<<.
safety, because just men as it were tell lies for safety. For it'"". is not written asquus, which word is derived from equity ; but equus, a quadruped. This the G reek version sheweth. And evil beasts, men who seek to themselves occasions of lying,
are refuted, when the Scripture saith, The mouth that Ueth,VfM. \, slayeth the soul, and. Thou shall destroy all them that speak p,'. 5)a. leasing. What then is this, A horse is a deceitful thingfor safely? A horse lieth to thee when it promiseth safety.
Doth a horse speak to any one and promise safety? But when thou seest a horse well made, of great strength, and
z
supplication
838 Labour needful now that we may behold God.
Psalm possessed of great speed, all these things, as it were, promise Ex* II. thee safety from it : but they deceive, if God guard thee not ; Serm. a fang is a deceitful thing for safety. A horse also take -- figuratively, for any greatness of this world, any honour unto which thou ascendest proudly: the higher thou goest, not only so much the more lofty, but so much the more safe
thou thinkest thyself, but falsely ; for thou knowest not how he may cast thee down, dashed the more heavily, the
more loftily thou wast carried. A horse is a deceitful thing for safety: in the abundance of his strength shall he not be saved. And whereby shall he be saved ? Not by might, not by strength, not by power, not by glory, not by a horse. Whereby then ? Whither shall I go ? Where shall I find whence I may be saved. Seek not long, seek not far?
(Ver. 18. ) Behold, the Eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him. Ye see that these are the same whom He beholds from His habitation. Behold, the Eyes of the Lord
are upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His Mercy : not in their own merits, not in strength, not in forti tude, not in a horse, but in His Mercy.
25. Ver. 19. To deliver their souls from death. He promiseth eternal life. What in this our travel? doth He desert us? See what follows: And to keep them alive in
The time of famine is now, the time of plenty shall be hereafter. He who in the famine of this corruption deserteth us not, when made immortal, how shall He not satisfy us ! But while it is the time of famine, we must bear, we must endure, we must persevere even to the end. Now
? enrren-must all be run1, because both the way is plain, and we must
da sunt
consicler what we carry. The spectators in the amphitheatre are haply still in their madness, and sit in the sun : and we, even if we stand, are yet in the shade ; more useful and more beautiful is what we behold. Let us behold The Beautiful, and be beheld by The Beautiful. Let us behold in mind those things which are declared in the sense of the Divine Scriptures, and let us rejoice in such a spectacle. But who is our spectator? Behold, the Eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him ; upon them that hope in His Mercy. To deliver their souls from death, and to keep them alive in
famine.
famine.
Tlie weary encouraged. Present labour ofhearing. 389
26. But for endurance of travel, while there is famine, Ver. and while we wait by the way to be refreshed, lest we faint;. 0"--. what is imposed upon us ? or what ought we to profess ?
(Ver. 20. ) Our soul shall be patient for the Lord. Securely
shall it wait for Him mercifully promising, mercifully and
truly performing: and until He perform, what must we do ?
Our soul shall be patient for the Lord. But what if in that patience, we shall not endure? Nay, we shall surely endure,
For He is our Helper and Defender. He assisteth in battle,
He protecteth from the heat, He deserteth thee not, bear thou, endure thou. He that shall endure unto the end, the sameMnt. 24,
13"
rejoice ; here hunger and thirst, that there thou mayest feast.
28. He hath exhorted to all things, he hath filled us with the joy of hope, he hath proposed to us what we should love, in what only and by what only we should presume; after this cometh a prayer short and salutary. (Ver. 22. ) Let Thy Mercy, O Lord, be upon us. And upon what merit ? according as we have hoped in Thee. To some I have been burden
I perceive it : for some again I have finished my discourse even too soon, and this also I perceive. Let the weak pardon the stronger, and let the stronger pray for the weaker. Let us all be members in one body, from our Head let us grow. In Him is our hope, and in Him is our strength. Let us not hesitate to exact from our Lord God Mercy ; He willeth it to be exacted of Him. For He will not be troubled while it is exacted, or at all straitened, like one from whom thou seekest what he hath not, or of which he hath but little, and feareth to give lest he have too little. Wouldest thou know how God giveth thee Mercy ? Do thou give charity : let us see if it come to an end, while thou givest it. What richness then is there in the Most High Himself, if such can be in His Image !
z2
shall be saved.
27. And what when thou hast endured, when thou hast
been patient, when thou hast come even to the end, what shall be given thee ? for what reward dost thou endure ?
why dost thou so long suffer such hardships?
For our heart shall rejoice in Him, and we have trusted in His Holy Name. Here hope, that there thou mayest
some ;
(Ver. 21. )
340 Charity even to Schismatics, who are lost Brethren.
Psalm 29. Therefore, Brethren, above all things I exhort you to
Exp. U. this charity, not only towards yourselves, but also toward
s -those who are without, whether they be still Pagans, not yet
iim.
believing in Christ, or divided from us, with us confessing
'TheDo. The Head, though severed from The Body.
' them, Brethren, as though our brethren. Will they, nill
they, our brethren they are. Then will they cease to be our
brethren, when they shall cease to say, Our Father. Of ls. 6G,5. some said the Prophet, To them who say unto you, Ye are X' not our brethren, say ye, Ye are our brethren. Look around, of whom could he say this ? whether of Pagans ? No : for we call not them brethren according to the Scriptures, and
the ecclesiastical mode of speaking. Of the Jews, who believed not in Christ ? Read the Apostle, and see that when he saith, Brethren, without any addition, he willeth to be
1 Cor. 7, understood none but Christians. A brother or sister i? not under bondage in such cases. When he spoke of marriage, he called a Christian man or woman, a brother or sister.
Rom. H, Again he saith, But why dost thou judge thy brother, or
why dost thou set at nought thy brother?
l Cor. 6, place, Ye do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren.
They then, who say, ye are not our brethren, call us Pagans. And therefore do they wish to rebaptize us, saying that we
have not that which
error, to deny that we are their brethren.
Prophet unto us, Say ye, Ye are our brethren ; except be cause we acknowledge in them that which we repeat not. They then, by not acknowledging our Baptism, deny that we
are their Brethren ; we, by not repeating theirs, but acknow ledging it ours, say unto them, Ye are our brethren. Let them say, Why seek ye us ? what would ye with us ? Let us answer, Ye are our brethren. Let them say, Depart from us, we have no concern with you. We certainly have concern with you : we confess one Christ : in one body, under one Head, we ought to be. Why then seekest thou me, saith one, if I am lost ? A great absurdity ! a great madness ! Wherefore should I seek thee, unless because thou art lost ? If then I am lost, saith he, how am I thy brother? That it
Lukeio. may be said to me of thee, For this thy brother was dead, and is alive again ; and was lost, and is found. Therefore,
they give. Whence followeth
But why said the
Let us lament
And in another
their
Prayer for their conversion. Diligent knocking. 341
Brethren, we adjure you by the very bowels of that Love, by Ver. Whose milk we are nourished, by Whose bread we are. strengthened, even by Christ our Lord, by His Mercy
I adjure you, (for it is time that we should shew toward
them great charily, abundant mercy in praying God for them, that He would give them again sober sense, that they may repent, and see that they have nothing at all to say contrary to the truth ; there remaineth to them nought but only the weakness of animosity, which is so much the more weak, as it thinketh that it hath more strength,) for the weak, for the carnally wise, for the animal, and carnal, yet for our brethren, celebrating the same Sacraments, though not with us, yet the same ; responding the same Amen, though not with us, yet the same ; for them pour forth the marrow of your charity unto God. For somewhat have we done in council for their
. good, which that I should explain to you now, the time sufficeth not. Wherefore I exhort you, that with more alacrity, and in greater numbers, (for our brethren, not now
present, will hear from you,) ye come together to-morrow at the Church of the Tricuas'.
'al. Tri- cilice.
PSALM XXXIV. Lat. XXXIII.
DISCOURSE THE FIRST.
On the Title of the Psalm.
1. This Psalm seems indeed to have nothing obscure or
that needs an expounder in its text ; but its title makes us attentive, and requires that we should knock. But as it is
here written, that Blessed is the man who trusteth in Him.
let us all hope that He will open to us knocking. For He
would not exhort us to knock, if He would not open to us Matt. 7, knocking. For if it ever happens, that he who was purposing
to shut the door always, being compelled by weariness, at the
stroke of the knocker should rise and open, contrary to his
own purpose, lest he should suffer him long knocking ;Lukeil, how much more ought we to hope that He will quickly8.
342 David, envied by Saul, takes refuge with Achis.
Tsai. m open, Who saith, Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Serm. I knock then with earnestness of heart unto the Lord God, l: that He may deign to reveal unto us this mystery ; do ye 'also, my Beloved, knock with me with earnestness of hearing, and with humhle praying for me. For it is, it must be
confessed, a hidden and great mystery.
2. For so is the Title of the Psalm, A Psalm of David,
when he changed his countenance before Abimelech, and he sent him auay, and he departed. We seek in the Scriptures, according to the histories which we have written concerning
1 Oxf. David, when ihis was done; as when1 we find the title of , ca^, , another Psalm, A Psalm of David, when he fled from. Ps. 3. Absalom his son. For we read in the Book of Kings, and j. 1"? find when David fled from the face of his son Absalom ; and
it is most true that it so happened, and because it happened it was written ; and although the Title of that Psalm is so written mysteriously, yet was it drawn from an event which
<>>.
So also I believe that what is here written, When he changed his countenance before Abimelech, and he sent him away, and he departed, is written in the Books of Kings, where every thing is written which pertaineth to the
actions of David : but we find not this, and yet we do find l Sam. somewhat, whence this appears to be drawn. For it is written, -- that when David fled from his persecutor Saul, he betook
himself to Achis, the king of Gath, that is, to the king of certain nation near to the kingdom of the Jews there he lay hid, that he might avoid the persecution of Saul. But his glory was still recent, whereby he earned envy for his good service, when he slew Goliath, and in one battle gave glory and security of government both to king and people. For Saul, although Goliath challenging, he quaked, yet Goliath being overthrown, began to be an enemy to him by whose hand he had destroyed his enemy, and envied the glory of David, chiefly because the people in their rejoicings, and the women in their dances, sang the glory of David, saying, that Saul had slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. Hence being alarmed, because the youth through one battle had begun to have greater glory, and already in the praises
of all was preferred to the king, (as the nature of the plague of envy, and of worldly pride,) he began to envy and to per-
happened.
is
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Achis being called Abimelech indicates mystery. 348
secute him.
to be blessed. Gold, silver, any other bodies, which thou
gapest to acquire, to possess, to enjoy, are inferior to thee. Thou art better, thou art worthier: and surely thou wouldest be better than thou art, since thou wouldest be blessed, because thou art miserable. For it is surely better to be blessed than to be miserable. Thou wouldest be better than thyself; and thou seekest, thou searchest out,
332 Blessedness of Man's soul is in God, Who is above it.
Psalm wherewith thou mavcst become so, things worse than XXXIII. .
Exp. il Whatever thou hast desired on is
thyself. t earth, worse than
jjM. thou. This every man wisheth for his friend, thus he adjureth him, So mayest thou be better, So may we see thee better, So let us rejoice in thee being belter. What one wisheth for his friend, this he would also for himself. Accept then a faithful counsel. Thou wouldest be better than thyself; I know we all know it; we all wish it: seek then what better than thyself, that thereby thou mayest be rendered better than thyself.
16. Consider now the Heavens and the earth let not beautiful bodies so please thee, that by them thou wish to 'animo. be blessed. In the soul1 what thou seekest. For thou wouldest be blessed enquire thou what better than thy soul
itself. For since there are two things, that is, soul and body, because of these two that the better, which called the soul, therefore can thy body be made better by the better, because the body subject to the soul. Thy body then can be made better by thy soul, so that when thy soul shall be righteous, thy body also may hereafter be immortal. For through the illumination of the soul, the body merits incor- ruption, that through the better there may be a reparation of the worse. If then thy body's good be thy soul, because
better than thy body when thou seekest thine own good, seek that which better than thy soul. But what thy soul? Beware, lest haply, despising thy soul, and think ing that something vile and worthless, thou shouldest seek things more vile, wherewith thy soul may be made blessed. For thy soul the Image of God the mind of
caP! t man containetha it. It received and by inclining unto sin disfigured it. The Same came unto as the reformer, Who was before the former of it. For by the Word were all things made, and by the Word was this Image impressed. The Word Himself came, that we might hear from an
Rom. 12, Apostle, Be ye transformed the renewing of your mind.
Now then remaineth that thou seek what
better than thy soul. What shall that be, pray thee, but thy God
Thou findest no other better than thy soul; for when thy nature shall be perfected, will be equalled with the Angels. Now there nothing higher save the Creator. Lift up
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God the only satisfying possession. He is our God. 333
thyself unto Him, despair not, say not, It is too much for Ver. me. Rather it is too much for thee to have, it may be, --^-- gold, which thou seekest. Gold, though thou wouldest,
haply thou wilt not have; God, when thou wouldest,
thou shalt have : for even before thou wouldest, He came unto thee; and when thou wast in will averted, He called thee; and when thou wast converted, He frightened thee, and when frightened thou didst confess, He consoled thee. He, Who hath given thee all things, He, Who hath caused that thou shouldest be, Who to those also who are with thee, even the wicked, giveth the sun, giveth rain, giveth fruits, fountains, life, health, so many consolations; He keepeth for thee something which He giveth not save to thee. But what is that which He keepeth for thee, but Himself. Ask somewhat else, if thou hast found better. God keepeth Himself for thee. Thou covetous, why longest thou after Heaven and earth ? Better is He Who made Heaven and earth : Him shalt thou see : Him shalt thou have.
Why seekest thou, that such a villa should be thine, and passing by it sayest, Blessed is he whose is that possession ? How many say this, who pass by it; and yet when they have so said, and pass by though they can shake the head and sigh, can they also possess Every where soundeth
covetousness, soundeth iniquity, but Thou shalt not covet Exod.
any thing which thy neighbour's. Blessed whose thatt)e'ut. 5, villa, whose that house, whose that field! Restrain21- iniquity, hear the truth Blessed the nation whose --Whose
what? Thou knowest already what am about to say. Therefore desire that ye may have, then indeed shall ye be blessed. With this alone shall ye be blessed, by better
thing than yourselves ye shall be made better. It God that better than thou even He, say, Who made thee. Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord. This desire, this possess, this when thou wilt, thou shalt have: this thou shalt have for nothing.
17. Ver. 12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. The Lord our God! For of whom He not God? Not surely of all in the same manner. Ours He more ours, who live by Him as by our bread. Let Him be our inherit
ance, our possession.
Do we haply speak rashly in making
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it is ?
334 We possess God, and He us, for our goods.
Psalm God our possession, when He is the Lord, when He is the Exp. ll. Creator ? This is not rashness : it is the affection of desire, Serh. it is tne SWeetness of hope. Let the soul say, all-secure
P7. 3(f3;let it say, Thou art my God, Who sayest to my soul, / am thy salvation. Let it so say, secure let it say, it will do no wrong when so it saith ; nay it will do wrong if it say not. Wouldest thou have trees, whereby thou mightest be
ProT. 3, blessed ? Hear the Scripture speaking of Wisdom; She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her. See, he hath said that Wisdom is our possession. But lest thou shouldest think that Wisdom, because Scripture hath called it thy possession, to be something inferior to thee, it goes on and adds, And to them that lean upon her, as on the Lord, she is
See thy Lord is made unto thee as a staff: securely man leaneth, because He faileth not. Say then securely, This is thy possession ; to them that lay hold upon her. Scripture hath said, hath filled up thy doubts with con fidence : speak securely, love securely, hope securely. Thine
Ps. 16,5. also De those words in the Psalm, The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance.
18. Therefore by this shall we be blessed, by possessing God. What then ? Shall we possess Him, and will not He Is. 26, possess us ? Whence then Esaias, Lord, possess us? There- LXX. fore He possesseth us, and is possessed, and all for our sakes. For not as He, that we may be blessed in Him, is possessed by us; not so doth He also, that He may be
safe'.
blessed, possess us. He both possesseth and is possessed, for nothing else than that we may be blessed. We possess Him, and He possesseth us ; because we attend on * Him, and He attendeth on us. We attend on Him as our Lord God ; He attendeth on us as His own possession. That we attend on Him, none doubteth; that He attendeth on us,
Johni5, who proveth to us ? He Who saith, /am the Vine: ye are
the branches : My Father is the Husbandman.
Psalm also both are declared to us, both are proved to us. He hath already said that we possess Him : Blessed is the nation, whose God is the Lord. Whose is this farm ? His. Whose is that? His. Whose is this?
' English Version, And happy is e ' colimus,' which has the double every one that retaineth her. meaning of ' worship,' <ind ' ciiltirate. '
See in this
Let us so speak of
Blessedness ofpossessing Him. His looking in mercy on man. 335
God ; let us say whose He is. And as answer is wont to be Vrr. made to us when we enquire concerning certain farms and 13. 14. estates that are fine and very pleasant; He is a senator, and
he is called so and so, whose is that property ; and we say, Blessed is that man. So if we should ask, Whose is this
God ? There is a blessed nation whose He is. For the Lord is their God. And not as that senator possesseth his farm, but is not possessed by his farm, so also the God of this nation. Wherefore, we ought to labour, that we may be His : but either of them possesseth the other. Ye have heard that a nation possesseth Him, Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: hear how He also possesseth it: and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inherit ance. Nation blessed in its possession ; inheritance blessed in its possessor: And the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.
19. Ver. 13. The Lord looketh from heaven, He beholdeth
all the sons of men. All in this place so receive as to understand all of that nation who possess that inheritance,
or who are that inheritance. For they themselves are God's inheritance. Even all of them hath the Lord looked upon
from Heaven : and He haIth seen them Who said, When thou John l,
saw thee. He saw him because
wast under the fig-tree,
Ho had mercy on him. Wherefore oftentimes praying
mercy we say to a man, Look upon me. And of him that despiseth thee, what sayest thou ? He seeth me not. There
is then a seeing of him that hath mercy, a not seeing of him
that punisheth. That looking upon sins is the punishment
of sins ; which sins he would not to be seen, who saith,
Hide Thy Facefrom my sins. What he would to be over- Ps. 5l,9. looked, that he would not to be looked upon. Hide, saith
he, Thy Face from my sins. When then He hath hidden
His Face from thy sins, will He not see thee ? And where
fore saith he in another place, Hide not Thy Face from me? Ps. 27,9. Let Him then hide from thy sins, let Him not hide from
thee : let Him see thee, let Him have mercy on thee, let
Him succour thee. The Lord looked from Heaven, He regarded all the sons of men : all that belong unto the Son
of Man.
20. Ver. 14. From His prepared habitation: from that
336 God looks on men by His Saints. He forms each one.
Psalm which He hath prepared for Himself. He looked upon us
Exp. II.
XXXIII. from the Apostles, He looketh upon us from the preachers of
Se,im' the Truth, He looked upon us from the Angels, whom He sent unto us. All these are His house, all these are His habitation, for all these are the Heavens which declare the Glory of God. He beheld all the sons of men : from His
prepared habitation He looked upon all the inhabitants of the earth. These are the same; they are His; it is that blessed nation, whose God is the Lord ; it is that people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance : for it is throughout all lands, and not only in one part. He looked upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
E. V,
21. Ver. 15. He hath fashioned their hearts singly. By the hand of His grace; by the hand of His mercy, He hath fashioned hearts, He formed our hearts, He fashioned them singly, giving to us as it were single hearts, which yet destroy not unity. As all our members are formed singly, have their operations singly, and yet live in the unity of the body ; the hand doth what the eye doth not, the ear hath a power which neither the eye nor the hand hath ; yet all work together in unity ; and the hand, and the eye, and the ear do different things, and yet are not opposed to one another; so also in the Body of Christ, single men, like single members,
each their own gifts, because He Who hath chosen the people for His own inheritance, hath fashioned their hearts
Are all Apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? and Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues?
do all interpret? To one given the Spirit the word
wisdom to another the word of knowledge to another faith the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing.
Wherefore Because He fashioned their hearts
But as in our members there are diverse operations, but one health so in all the members of Christ are diverse gifts, but one grace. He fashioneth their hearts singly.
22. He understandeth all their works. What under- standeth Seeth in secret and inwardly thou hast in a Ps. 5,2. certain Psalm, Understand my crying. For there no such
need as of words, that any thing may come to the Ears of God. Seeing in secret called understanding. He spoke more expressly than He should say, He seeth all their
29
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enjoy
singly.
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No safety in the strength of man or horse. 337
works : lest thou shouldest think that those works are then Vrr. seen, when thou seest the work of a man. A man seeth the 1G" act of a man by motion of the body, but God seeth in the heart. Because then He seeth within, it is said, He under standeth all their works. Two men give to the poor, one seeketh his reward in Heaven, the other the praise of men.
Thou in two seest one thing, God understaudeth two.
For He understandeth what is within, and knoweth what is with in; their ends He seeth, their base intentions He seeth. He
understandeth all their works.
23. Yrer. 16. A king shall not be saved by much strength.
Unto the Lord must we all, in God are we all. Be God thy one Ms. hope, be God thy strength, be God thy firmness; thytheLord
let Him be, thy praise let Him be, thy end in Jf all, in which thou rest, let Him be; thy succour when thou all thy labourest, let Him be. Hear the truth, A king shall not be^ff' sated by much strength: neither shall a giant be saved by
much strength. A giant is any proud man, lifting up him
self against God, as though he were something in himself
and by himself. Such an one is not saved by much strength.
24. But he hath a horse, large, spirited, strong, swift: can
he if any evil threaten, deliver him quickly out of danger?
Let him not be deceived, let him hear what followeth.
(Ver. 17. ) A horse is a deceitful thing fur safety. Under
stood ye what was said, A horse is a deceitful thing for safety ? Let not thy horse promise thee safety; if he promise
thee, he will lie. For if God will, thou wilt be freed; if
God will not, thy horse falling, thou wilt fall from a greater height. Therefore think it not said, A horse is a deceitful menda* thing for safety, as though a just man were deceitful for2T<<z*<<.
safety, because just men as it were tell lies for safety. For it'"". is not written asquus, which word is derived from equity ; but equus, a quadruped. This the G reek version sheweth. And evil beasts, men who seek to themselves occasions of lying,
are refuted, when the Scripture saith, The mouth that Ueth,VfM. \, slayeth the soul, and. Thou shall destroy all them that speak p,'. 5)a. leasing. What then is this, A horse is a deceitful thingfor safely? A horse lieth to thee when it promiseth safety.
Doth a horse speak to any one and promise safety? But when thou seest a horse well made, of great strength, and
z
supplication
838 Labour needful now that we may behold God.
Psalm possessed of great speed, all these things, as it were, promise Ex* II. thee safety from it : but they deceive, if God guard thee not ; Serm. a fang is a deceitful thing for safety. A horse also take -- figuratively, for any greatness of this world, any honour unto which thou ascendest proudly: the higher thou goest, not only so much the more lofty, but so much the more safe
thou thinkest thyself, but falsely ; for thou knowest not how he may cast thee down, dashed the more heavily, the
more loftily thou wast carried. A horse is a deceitful thing for safety: in the abundance of his strength shall he not be saved. And whereby shall he be saved ? Not by might, not by strength, not by power, not by glory, not by a horse. Whereby then ? Whither shall I go ? Where shall I find whence I may be saved. Seek not long, seek not far?
(Ver. 18. ) Behold, the Eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him. Ye see that these are the same whom He beholds from His habitation. Behold, the Eyes of the Lord
are upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His Mercy : not in their own merits, not in strength, not in forti tude, not in a horse, but in His Mercy.
25. Ver. 19. To deliver their souls from death. He promiseth eternal life. What in this our travel? doth He desert us? See what follows: And to keep them alive in
The time of famine is now, the time of plenty shall be hereafter. He who in the famine of this corruption deserteth us not, when made immortal, how shall He not satisfy us ! But while it is the time of famine, we must bear, we must endure, we must persevere even to the end. Now
? enrren-must all be run1, because both the way is plain, and we must
da sunt
consicler what we carry. The spectators in the amphitheatre are haply still in their madness, and sit in the sun : and we, even if we stand, are yet in the shade ; more useful and more beautiful is what we behold. Let us behold The Beautiful, and be beheld by The Beautiful. Let us behold in mind those things which are declared in the sense of the Divine Scriptures, and let us rejoice in such a spectacle. But who is our spectator? Behold, the Eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him ; upon them that hope in His Mercy. To deliver their souls from death, and to keep them alive in
famine.
famine.
Tlie weary encouraged. Present labour ofhearing. 389
26. But for endurance of travel, while there is famine, Ver. and while we wait by the way to be refreshed, lest we faint;. 0"--. what is imposed upon us ? or what ought we to profess ?
(Ver. 20. ) Our soul shall be patient for the Lord. Securely
shall it wait for Him mercifully promising, mercifully and
truly performing: and until He perform, what must we do ?
Our soul shall be patient for the Lord. But what if in that patience, we shall not endure? Nay, we shall surely endure,
For He is our Helper and Defender. He assisteth in battle,
He protecteth from the heat, He deserteth thee not, bear thou, endure thou. He that shall endure unto the end, the sameMnt. 24,
13"
rejoice ; here hunger and thirst, that there thou mayest feast.
28. He hath exhorted to all things, he hath filled us with the joy of hope, he hath proposed to us what we should love, in what only and by what only we should presume; after this cometh a prayer short and salutary. (Ver. 22. ) Let Thy Mercy, O Lord, be upon us. And upon what merit ? according as we have hoped in Thee. To some I have been burden
I perceive it : for some again I have finished my discourse even too soon, and this also I perceive. Let the weak pardon the stronger, and let the stronger pray for the weaker. Let us all be members in one body, from our Head let us grow. In Him is our hope, and in Him is our strength. Let us not hesitate to exact from our Lord God Mercy ; He willeth it to be exacted of Him. For He will not be troubled while it is exacted, or at all straitened, like one from whom thou seekest what he hath not, or of which he hath but little, and feareth to give lest he have too little. Wouldest thou know how God giveth thee Mercy ? Do thou give charity : let us see if it come to an end, while thou givest it. What richness then is there in the Most High Himself, if such can be in His Image !
z2
shall be saved.
27. And what when thou hast endured, when thou hast
been patient, when thou hast come even to the end, what shall be given thee ? for what reward dost thou endure ?
why dost thou so long suffer such hardships?
For our heart shall rejoice in Him, and we have trusted in His Holy Name. Here hope, that there thou mayest
some ;
(Ver. 21. )
340 Charity even to Schismatics, who are lost Brethren.
Psalm 29. Therefore, Brethren, above all things I exhort you to
Exp. U. this charity, not only towards yourselves, but also toward
s -those who are without, whether they be still Pagans, not yet
iim.
believing in Christ, or divided from us, with us confessing
'TheDo. The Head, though severed from The Body.
' them, Brethren, as though our brethren. Will they, nill
they, our brethren they are. Then will they cease to be our
brethren, when they shall cease to say, Our Father. Of ls. 6G,5. some said the Prophet, To them who say unto you, Ye are X' not our brethren, say ye, Ye are our brethren. Look around, of whom could he say this ? whether of Pagans ? No : for we call not them brethren according to the Scriptures, and
the ecclesiastical mode of speaking. Of the Jews, who believed not in Christ ? Read the Apostle, and see that when he saith, Brethren, without any addition, he willeth to be
1 Cor. 7, understood none but Christians. A brother or sister i? not under bondage in such cases. When he spoke of marriage, he called a Christian man or woman, a brother or sister.
Rom. H, Again he saith, But why dost thou judge thy brother, or
why dost thou set at nought thy brother?
l Cor. 6, place, Ye do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren.
They then, who say, ye are not our brethren, call us Pagans. And therefore do they wish to rebaptize us, saying that we
have not that which
error, to deny that we are their brethren.
Prophet unto us, Say ye, Ye are our brethren ; except be cause we acknowledge in them that which we repeat not. They then, by not acknowledging our Baptism, deny that we
are their Brethren ; we, by not repeating theirs, but acknow ledging it ours, say unto them, Ye are our brethren. Let them say, Why seek ye us ? what would ye with us ? Let us answer, Ye are our brethren. Let them say, Depart from us, we have no concern with you. We certainly have concern with you : we confess one Christ : in one body, under one Head, we ought to be. Why then seekest thou me, saith one, if I am lost ? A great absurdity ! a great madness ! Wherefore should I seek thee, unless because thou art lost ? If then I am lost, saith he, how am I thy brother? That it
Lukeio. may be said to me of thee, For this thy brother was dead, and is alive again ; and was lost, and is found. Therefore,
they give. Whence followeth
But why said the
Let us lament
And in another
their
Prayer for their conversion. Diligent knocking. 341
Brethren, we adjure you by the very bowels of that Love, by Ver. Whose milk we are nourished, by Whose bread we are. strengthened, even by Christ our Lord, by His Mercy
I adjure you, (for it is time that we should shew toward
them great charily, abundant mercy in praying God for them, that He would give them again sober sense, that they may repent, and see that they have nothing at all to say contrary to the truth ; there remaineth to them nought but only the weakness of animosity, which is so much the more weak, as it thinketh that it hath more strength,) for the weak, for the carnally wise, for the animal, and carnal, yet for our brethren, celebrating the same Sacraments, though not with us, yet the same ; responding the same Amen, though not with us, yet the same ; for them pour forth the marrow of your charity unto God. For somewhat have we done in council for their
. good, which that I should explain to you now, the time sufficeth not. Wherefore I exhort you, that with more alacrity, and in greater numbers, (for our brethren, not now
present, will hear from you,) ye come together to-morrow at the Church of the Tricuas'.
'al. Tri- cilice.
PSALM XXXIV. Lat. XXXIII.
DISCOURSE THE FIRST.
On the Title of the Psalm.
1. This Psalm seems indeed to have nothing obscure or
that needs an expounder in its text ; but its title makes us attentive, and requires that we should knock. But as it is
here written, that Blessed is the man who trusteth in Him.
let us all hope that He will open to us knocking. For He
would not exhort us to knock, if He would not open to us Matt. 7, knocking. For if it ever happens, that he who was purposing
to shut the door always, being compelled by weariness, at the
stroke of the knocker should rise and open, contrary to his
own purpose, lest he should suffer him long knocking ;Lukeil, how much more ought we to hope that He will quickly8.
342 David, envied by Saul, takes refuge with Achis.
Tsai. m open, Who saith, Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Serm. I knock then with earnestness of heart unto the Lord God, l: that He may deign to reveal unto us this mystery ; do ye 'also, my Beloved, knock with me with earnestness of hearing, and with humhle praying for me. For it is, it must be
confessed, a hidden and great mystery.
2. For so is the Title of the Psalm, A Psalm of David,
when he changed his countenance before Abimelech, and he sent him auay, and he departed. We seek in the Scriptures, according to the histories which we have written concerning
1 Oxf. David, when ihis was done; as when1 we find the title of , ca^, , another Psalm, A Psalm of David, when he fled from. Ps. 3. Absalom his son. For we read in the Book of Kings, and j. 1"? find when David fled from the face of his son Absalom ; and
it is most true that it so happened, and because it happened it was written ; and although the Title of that Psalm is so written mysteriously, yet was it drawn from an event which
<>>.
So also I believe that what is here written, When he changed his countenance before Abimelech, and he sent him away, and he departed, is written in the Books of Kings, where every thing is written which pertaineth to the
actions of David : but we find not this, and yet we do find l Sam. somewhat, whence this appears to be drawn. For it is written, -- that when David fled from his persecutor Saul, he betook
himself to Achis, the king of Gath, that is, to the king of certain nation near to the kingdom of the Jews there he lay hid, that he might avoid the persecution of Saul. But his glory was still recent, whereby he earned envy for his good service, when he slew Goliath, and in one battle gave glory and security of government both to king and people. For Saul, although Goliath challenging, he quaked, yet Goliath being overthrown, began to be an enemy to him by whose hand he had destroyed his enemy, and envied the glory of David, chiefly because the people in their rejoicings, and the women in their dances, sang the glory of David, saying, that Saul had slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. Hence being alarmed, because the youth through one battle had begun to have greater glory, and already in the praises
of all was preferred to the king, (as the nature of the plague of envy, and of worldly pride,) he began to envy and to per-
happened.
is
:
a
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Achis being called Abimelech indicates mystery. 348
secute him.
