He
indeed had received a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet him.
indeed had received a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet him.
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v4
Ver.
5.
O magnify the Lord our God.
Magnify Him
Christ's Flesh the ' Footstool' before which we bow. 458
truly, magnify Him well. Let us praise Him, let us magnify Ver.
~ have; Who wrought it in us, Himself. For Who but He Who justified us, wrought righteousness in us? For of Christ it is
Him Who hath wrought the very righteousness which we
said, Who justifieth the ungodly. We then are the ungodly, Rom. 4, He the Justifier, since He Himself wrought in us that very6, righteousness by which we are to please Him, that He may
place us on the right hand, and not on the left: that He may
say unto those placed on the right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; and that He may not place us on the left, among those unto whom He will say, Depart into everlasting fire, that is prepared for the devil and his angels. He Who will crown in us not our own deserts, but His own gifts, how greatly ought He to be magnified ! O magnify the
Lord our God!
9. And fall down before"* His footstool : for He is holy. 1 Ado-
What are we to fall down before ? His footstool. What is
under the feet is called a footstool, in Greek, (ncottiltov, in424. Latin, Scabellum, or, Suppedaneum. But consider, brethren,
what he commandeth us to fall down before. In another passage of the Scriptures it is said, The heaven is My throne, Is. 66, and the earth is My footstool. Doth he then bid us worship *?
the earth, since in another passage it is said, that it is God's footstool ? How then shall we worship the earth, when the Scripture saith openly, Thou shall worship the Lord thy Dent. 6,
God? Yet here it saith, fall down before His footstool . -13- and, explaining to us what His footstool is, it saith, The earth is My footstool. I am in doubt; I fear to worship the earth, lest He who made the heaven and the earth con demn me ; again, I fear not to worship the footstool of my Lord, because the Psalm biddeth me, fall down before His
I ask, what is His footstool? and the Scripture telleth me, the earth is My footstool. In hesitation I turn unto Christ, since I am herein seeking Himself: and I dis cover how the earth may be worshipped without impiety>>, how His footstool may be worshipped without impiety. For He took upon Him earth from earth ; because flesh is from earth, and He received flesh from the flesh of Mary. And
? 2 Sent. Dint. 9. o. aiii>> autem.
footstool.
454 Adoration of Christ in receiving the Holy Eucharist.
Psalm because He walked here in very flesh, and gave that very XC1X- flesh to us to eat for our salvation ; and no one eateth that flesh, unless he hath first worshipped : we have found out in what sense such a footstool of our Lord's may be worshipped, and not only that we sin not in worshipping but that we sin in not worshipping. But doth the flesh give life Our
Lord Himself, when He was speaking in praise of this same earth, said, is the Spirit that quickeneth, theflesh prqfiteth nothing. Therefore when thou bowest thyself down prostrate before the 'earth,' look not as unto earth, but unto that Holy One Whose footstool that thou dost worship for thou dost worship on His account wherefore he hath added here also, fall down before His footstool, for He is holy. Who holy He in whose honour thou dost worship His footstool. And when thou worshippest Him, see that thou do not in thy thought remain in the flesh,
John and be not quickened by the Spirit for, He saith, is
63'
the Spirit that quickeneth: the flesh prqfiteth nothing.
But when our Lord praised He was speaking of His ib. 64. own flesh, and He had said, Except a man eat My flesh, he shall have no life in him. Some disciples of His, about seventy were offended, and said, This an hard saying, who can hear And they went back, and walked
no more with Him. It seemed unto them hard that He said, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, ye have no life in you they received foolishly, they thought of carnally, and imagined that the Lord would cut off parts from His body, and give unto them; and they said, This a hard saying. was they who were hard, not the saying; for unless they had been hard, and not meek, they would have said unto themselves, He saith not this without reason, but there must be some latent mystery herein. They would have remained with Him, softened, not hard and would have learnt that from Him which they who remained, when the others departed, learnt. For when twelve disciples had remained with Him, on their departure, these remaining followers suggested to Him, as in grief for the death
Septnaginta ferme. It difficult they can hardly be supposed identical to know whenie this number conns, with these. One might think it a gloas, unless that of the Seventy. But but fo! the mention of twelve. '
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Spiritual understanding. Moses; Aaron; Samuel. 455
of the former, that they were offended by His words, and v*r. turned back. But He instructed them, and sailh unto them, 8~8'
It is the Spirit that I but the
quickeneth, flesh profiteth
nothing ; the words that
spirit, and they are life. Understand spiritually what I have said ; ye are not to eat this body which ye see ; nor to drink that blood which they who will crucify Me shall pour forth. I have commended unto you a certain mystery ; spiritually understood, it will quicken. Although it is needful that this be visibly celebrated, yet it must be spiritually understood. O magnify the Lord our God, and fall down before His
footstool, for He is Iwly.
10. Ver. 6--8. Moses and Aaron among His priests, and
Samuel among such as call upon His Name : these called upon the Lord, and He heard them. He spake unto them out of the cloudy pillar. Those men of old, Moses and Aaron and Samuel, servants of God, were great among the men of old. Ye know that Moses led forth, in the strength of God, the people of Israel from Egypt, through the Red Sea, and guided them in the wilderness ; and all those who cheerfully listen to those Scriptures in the Church, or read them at home, or have learnt them in any way, know how great miracles God wrought at that season by the hand of Moses ; Aaron was his brother, whom he ordained
Aaron. For in those Scriptures Aaron is openly styled the Ex. 28,
etc'
have
spoken unto you, they are
John 6>>
priest also. And there indeed there seemeth to be no priest besides
priest of God : of Moses it is not there stated that he was a priest. But if he was not this, what was he ? Could he be
any thing greater than a priest ? This Psalm declareth that
he also was himself a priest : Moses and Aaron among His priests. They therefore were the Lord's priests. Samuel is
read of later in the Book of Kings: this Samuel is in David's times; for he anointed the holy David. Samuel from his infancy grew up in the temple. His mother was barren: anxious to have a son, she prayed with deep groaning unto
the Lord, and entreating that God might give her a son, she shewed that she did not wish to have one carnally, and that
son she gave unto Him, who willed that he should be. For
she vowed him to the Lord God, saying, " If there be born i sam. unto me a man child, then shall he serve in Thy Temple all 1, ll-
Psalm
456 Christ spoke of old from the ' cloud,' now more clearly.
the days of his life :" and thus she did. Holy Samuel after his birth, during his suckling, remained with his mother;
when she had weaned him, she gave him up to the Temple, that there he might grow, there be strengthened in spirit, there serve God : he became a great priest, a holy priest at that season. He mentioneth these : and by these desireth us to understand all the saints. Yet why hath he here named those ? Because we said that we ought here to understand Christ. Attend, holy brethren. He said above, O magnify the Lord our God : and fall down before His
footstool, for He is holy : praising some one, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ ; Whose footstool is to be worshipped, because He assumed flesh, in which He was to appear before the human race; and wishing to shew unto us that the ancient Fathers also had preached of Him, because our Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the True Priest, he mentioned these, because God spake unto them out of the cloudy pillar. What meaneth, out of the cloudy pillar ? He was speaking figuratively. For if He spoke in some cloud, those obscure words predicted some one unknown, yet to be manifest. This unknown one is no longer unknown ; for He is known by us, our Lord Jesus Christ. Moses and Aaron among His priests: and Samuel among such as call upon His Name : these called upon the Lord, and He heard them. He spake unto them out of the cloudy pillar. He Who first spoke out of the cloudy pillar, hath in Person spoken unto us in His footstool ; that
on earth, when He had assumed the flesh, for which reason we worship His footstool, for He holy. He Himself used to speak out of the cloud, which was not then understood: He hath spoken in His own footstool, and the words of His cloud have been understood. He spake unto them out the cloudy pillar.
Let us attend, therefore, brethren see whom and of what sort he hath termed holy. They kept His testimonies, and the law that He gave them. They kept certainly, attend ye. They kept His testimonies, and the law that He gave them. This he saith, and cannot be denied. Had they nothing of sin How so Since they kept His testimonies, and the law that He gave them. See of what sort He would have us to be formed, that we may not
presently,
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God most merciful when He chastens for sin. 457
presume in our righteousness as pertect. Behold, Moses and Ver. Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those that 6~~8' call upon His Name, unto whom He spake out of the cloudy
pillar, so openly did He hear them who kept His testi monies, and the law that He gave them. Thou heardest them, he saith, O Lord our God: Thou wast forgiving to them, O God. God is not said to be forgiving toward any thing but sins: when He pardoneth sins, then forgiveth. And what had He in them to punish, so that He was forgiving in pardoning them ? He was forgiving in pardoning their sins, He was also forgiving in punishing them. For what followeth ? Thou wast forgiving toward them, 0 God, and punishedst all their own
He
for not in remitting, but also in punishing their sins, hast Thou been forgiving. Consider, my brethren, what he hath taught us here: attend. God is angry with him, whom, when he sinneth, He scourgeth not: for unto him to whom He is truly forgiving, He not only remitteth sins, that they may not injure him in a future life; but also chasteneth him, that he delight not in continual sin.
12. Come, my brethren ; if we ask how these were punished, the Lord will aid me to tell you. Let us consider
these three persons, Moses, Aaron, and Samuel : and how
they were punished, since he said, Thou hast punished all
their own affections: meaning those affections of theirs,
which the Lord knew in their hearts, which men knew not.
For they were living in the midst of the people of God, without complaint from man. But what do we say ? That perhaps the early life of Moses was sinful ; for he fled from
Egypt, after slaying a man. The early life of Aaron also Ex. 2, was such as would displease God ; for he allowed a mad- 12 16, dened and infatuated people to make an idol to worship ; Id. 32, and an idol was made for God's people to worship. What 1--4' sin did Samuel, who was given up when an infant to the temple? He passed all his life amid the holy sacraments of
God: from childhood the servant of God. Nothing was ever said of Samuel, nothing by men. Perhaps God knew of somewhat there to chasten ; since even what seemeth perfect unto men, unto that Perfection is still imperfect.
affections. Even in punishing them Thou wast forgiving toward them :
458 Moses' chastisement not great, but typical.
Psalm Artists shew many of their works to the unskilful; and XCIX- when the unskilful have pronounced them perfect, the artists
polish them still further, as they know what is still wanting to them, so that men wonder at things they had imagined already perfect having received so much additional polish. This happeneth in buildings, and in paintings, and in
and almost in every species of art. At first they judge it to be already in a manner perfect, so that their
eyes desire nothing further: but the judgment of the in experienced eye is one, and that of the rule of art another. Thus also these Saints were living before the eyes of God, as if faultless, as if perfect, as if Angels: but He Who punished all their own affections, knew what was wanting in them. But He punished them not in anger, but in mercy : He punished them that He might perfect what He had begun, not to condemn what He had cast away. God therefore punished all their affections. How did He punish Samuel ? where is this punishment ? This I say, that Christians, who have already known Christ, to whom He came in His footstool, whom He loved so, for whom He shed His blood, may know how those are beaten, who bave made such progress. We seek punishment in Moses; he hath almost none : except that at the last God saith unto him, Get thee up into this mountain, and die. He said to
embroidery,
Deat.
32,49-- tne aged man, Die: he had already passed through the seasons
of life : was he never to die ? what sort of punishment was Ibid, that? Did He shew His punishment in the words, Thou shalt not go up into the land of promise, where the people
were about to go? Moses represented certain persons in a type. For was it a great punishment for one who entered into the kingdom of heaven, not to reach that land which was promised for a season, that it might display the shadow, and then pass away ? Did not many faithless men enter that land ? did they not when living in that land do many evil deeds, and offend God ? Did they not follow idolatry in that very land ? Was it a great thing not to have given that land to Moses? But He intended Moses to typify those who were under the Law, since the Law was given through Moses : and He sheweth that those who chose to be under the Law, and chose not to be under grace, could not enter
Servants of God really chastised by others' sins. 459
into the land of promise. Therefore, what was said unto Ver. Moses was a type, not a punishment. What punishment is ---- death to an old man ? What punishment was not to
enter into that land, into which unworthy men entered?
20 24 28'; 33,
Samuel also died holy old man, leaving his sons as
* 6 his? 8-
Sam.
successors. seek for the punishment inflicted upon them,
and according to men find not but according to what I26' ' know the servants of God suffer every day, they were day by
day punished. Read ye, and see the punishments, and ye
also who are advanced bear the punishments. Every day
they suffered from the obstinate people, every day they suffered from the ungodly livers and were compelled to livo
among those whose lives they daily censured. This was
their punishment. He unto whom small hath not advanced far for the ungodliness of others tormenteth thee
in proportion as thou hast departed far from thine own.
For when thou art become wheat, that is, good blade from
good seed, son of the kingdom, when thou hast begun to
yield fruit, then tares will appear unto thee for when the Mat. 13,
blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared26-^9' the tares also. When the tares have begun to appear, thou
wilt see thyself among the wicked. Thou mayest wish
to separate thyself from the wicked, and to separate all
the wicked from the Church; our Lord's injunction will answer thee, Let both grow together unto the harvest, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. According to our Lord's words, will be needful to spare the tares according to the condition of servant, will be needful to live among the tares thou canst not separate them, thou must endure them. See what wounds thou sufferest in heart, when with thy body whole thou livest among the wicked. Whoever of you shall advance far will prove this, whoever of you have already advanced far have proved it. These things
therefore must be endured and perhaps this pertaineth unto
it: That servant which knoweth His Lord's will, and doth Luke12,
? not worthily, shall be beaten with many stripes. In many47,48'
But what said of Aaron He also died an old man his
sons succeeded him in the priesthood his son afterwards Numb.
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460 How St. Paul was chastened for his perfection.
Psalm cases the more the will of God becometh known to us, the -more doth our guilt become known to us; and the more He
becometh known unto us, the more do we weep and groan. For we see how just what God demandeth of us is : and in what an imperfect state we lie; and what is said, happeneth
Eccles. in us; He that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.
' 18'
Lo, let love abound in thee, thou wilt grieve more for the sinner. The more love there be in thee, the more will he whom thou bearest with torment thee : he will not torment thee with anger against him, but with grief for him.
1 3. Consider what the Apostle Paul suffered : consider who he was, and what he suffered : Besides those things, he saith, which are without, (for he had spoken of many things which he suffered, and he now beginneth to speak of things within, besides those things which were without, which he suffered from the evil persecutors of Christ,) that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the Churches. Con sider how like a father's, how like a mother's care, was his ; see how he was beaten, that all his affections might be punished; we will mention those affections of his, which
2Cor. ll, God punished. Who isIweak, he saith, and Who is offended, and
I
am not weak
? burn not? The greater his love, the greater were his wounds from the sins of others.
He
indeed had received a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet him. Behold in what way God was for giving unto him, punishing all his affections. What are the affections, in which God thus punished him ? He
2Cor. l2,hath declared them himself: Lest, saith he, / should be
^~ 9'
exalted above measure through the abundance of the re velations, there was given lo me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet me. He was so far perfect, that even yet there was ground for fear, lest he should be exalted above measure: for God would not apply a cure where was no wound. And he prayed that it might be taken away ; in his sickness heIprayed that the cure might be removed: For this thing
the Lord thrice, he saith, that it might depart from me. That is, the thorn of the/flesh by which he was buffeted, perhaps some bodily
besought the Lord thrice, he saith : and He said unto me, My grace is sufficientfor thee : for My strength is made
pain :
besought
God is good in smiting. What is His Holy Hill ? 461
perfect in weakness. I know whom I heal : let not him that Ver. is sick give Me counsel. Like a biting plaister, it stingeth ------ thee, but it healeth thee. He asketh the physician to take
away the plaister, and he taketh it not away, unless when
that upon which he hath laid it shall be healed. Strength 2 Cor. is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, brethren, let not 12' 9. any of us who are advanced in Christ imagine that we shall
be without the scourge ; since, advance as far as we may,
He knoweth our sins ; oftentimes too He sheweth them unto us, and even we see our sins. And when we have begun to live among such men, so that men no longer see in us matter for blame ; yet He Who knoweth all things blameth us still, and punisheth all our affections, because He is forgiving unto us. For were He not to punish us, but to forsake us, we are lost. Thou wast forgiving to them, O God, and punishedst
all their own affections.
14. Ver. 9. O magnify the Lord our God! Again we
magnify Him. He Who is merciful even when He striketh,
how is He to be praised, how is He to be magnified ? Canst thou shew this unto thy son, and cannot God ? For
thou art not good when thou dost caress thy son, and evil when thou strikest him. Both when thou dost caress him
thou art a father, and when thou strikest him, thou art his father : thou dost caress him, that he may not faint ; thou 6trikest him, that he may not perish. O magnify the Lord
our God, and worship Him upon His holy hill: for the Lord our God is holy. As he said above, 0 magnify the ver. 6. Lord our God, and fall down before His footstool : now we
have understood what it is to worship His footstool : thus
also but now after he had magnified the Lord our God, that
no man might magnify Him apart from His hill, he hath
also praised His hill. kWhat is His hill? We read elsewhere concerning this hill, that a stone was cut from the hill without hands, and shattered all the kingdoms of the earth, and the
stone itself increased. This is the vision of Daniel which I
am relating. This stone which was cut from the hill without
hands increased, and became, he saith, a great mountain, and Dan. 2,
filled the whole face of the earth. Let us worship on that34. 36- great mountain, if we desire to be heard. Heretics do not Dona- worship on that mountain, because it hath filled the whole
462 The stone hewn without hands. Kingdoms of devils broken.
Psalm earth : they have stuck fast on part of and have lost the - whole. If they acknowledge the Catholic Church, they will worship on this hill with us. For we already see how that stone that was cut from the mountain without hands hath
increased, and how great tracts of earth hath prevailed over, and unto what nations hath extended. What the mountain whence the stone was hewn without hands The Jewish kingdom, in the first place since they worshipped one God. Thence was hewn the stone, our Lord Jesus
Ps. lis, Christ. He Himself styled, the stone which the builders Acts rejeciec[ . the same hath become the head of the corner. This stone hewn without hands from the hill, broke all the kingdoms of the earth we see all the kingdoms of the
world shattered by that stone. What were the kingdoms of the earth The kingdoms of idols, and kingdoms of devils, were broken. Saturn reigned among many men where
his kingdom Mercury reigned over many men where
his kingdom It broken those over whom he reigned, have been reduced into the kingdom of Christ. How great was the kingdom of Ccelestis' at Carthage! where now her kingdom? That stone, that was hewn without hands from the hill, hath broken all the kingdoms of the earth. What meaneth, hewn from the hill without hands? Born of the Jewish nation without work of man. For all who are born, are born of the work of marriage He Who was born
of a virgin, was born without hands for by hands signified the work of man where human hands never reached, where there was no conjugal embrace, yet there was conception. That stone then was born of the mountain without hands: increased, and by its increase broke all the kingdoms of the earth. It hath become great moun tain, and hath filled the whole face of the earth. This the Catholic Church, in whose communion rejoice that ye are. But they who are not in her communion, since they worship and praise God apart from this same mountain, are not heard unto eternal life; although they may be heard unto certain temporal things. Let them not flatter them selves, because God heareth them in some things for He heareth Pagans also in some things. Do not the Pagans
See on Psalm 63. vol. iii. p. 219. note s.
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Exposition a shower from God. Literal kelps spiritual. 463
cry unto God, and it raineth ? Wherefore ? Because He Ver. maketh His sun to rise over the good and the bad, and ------ sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust. Boast not Mat. 6, therefore, Pagan, that when thou criest unto God, God45- sendeth rain, for He sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust. He hath heard thee in temporal things: He heareth thee not in things eternal, unless thou hast wor shipped in His holy hill. Worship Him upon His holy
hill : for the Lord our God is holy.
15. Let this suffice you, beloved, concerning the Psalm;
as far as the Lord hath granted, we have spoken. And whatever we speak in the name of God, since it is God Who speaketh in us, is the shower of God : consider what sort of earth ye are. For when rain cometh upon the earth, if it be good soil, it produceth good fruit; if it be bad soil, it beareth thorns : yet the rain is sweet, both over the fruits, and over the thorns. He who when he hath heard these words hath become worse, and produced thorns from the rain, let him expect the fire, let him not accuse the rain : but he who hath become better, and hath produced fruits from a good soil, let him expect the barn, and praise the rain. But what are the clouds, or what is the rain, but the mercy of God, Who doth all things concerning those whom He loveth, and unto whom He hath granted that He may be loved by them.
PSALM C.
A Sermon to the People, in which he speaketh remarkably concerning enduring evil men in the Church, or in a Monastery.
1. Ye heard the Psalm, brethren, while it was being chaunted : it is short, and not obscure : as if I had given you an assurance, that ye should not fear fatigue. Let us however consider more attentively, and with as much care as freedom, what the literal expressions mean ; that, so far as the Lord deign to allow, they may be spiritually understood. The voice of God, from whatever instrument it sound, is yet the voice of God ; for nothing, save His voice, pleaseth His ears; for we also, when we speak, please Him when He is
Himself speaking from us.
464 Blessing of ' understanding jubilance' to be sought.
Psalm 2. The title of this Psalm is, a Psalm of confession. The ------ verses are few, but big with great subjects ; may the seed bring forth within your hearts, the barn be prepared for the Lord's harvest. This Psalm giveth this exhortation
Luke u' 47
to us, that we jubilate unto the Lord. Nor doth as were, exhort one particular corner of the earth, or one habitation or congregation of men but since aware that hath sown blessings on every side, on every side doth exact jubilance.
3. Ver. Jubilate, therefore, unto the Lord, all ye lands. Doth all the earth at this moment hear my voice And yet the whole earth hath heard this voice. All the earth already jubilant in the Lord and what not as yet jubilant, will be so. For blessing, extending on every side, when the Church was commencing to spread from Jerusalem through- out all nations, every where overturneth ungodliness, and every where buildeth up piety: the good are mingled with the wicked throughout all lands. Every land full of the discontented murmurs of the wicked, and of the jubilance of the good. What then to jubilate For the title of the present Psalm especially maketh us give good heed to
this word, for entitled, A Psalm of confession. What meaneth, to jubilate with confession the sentiment thus expressed in another Psalm Blessed is the people that understandeth jubilance. Surely that which being under stood maketh blessed something great. May therefore the Lord our God, Who maketh men blessed, grant me to under stand what to say, and grant you to understand what ye
Ps. 89, hear Blessed the people, that understandeth jubilance.
16'
Let us therefore run unto this blessing, let us understand
jubilance, let us not pour forth without understanding.
>>aV not Of what use to be jubilant and obey1 this Psalm, when
ohey.
saith, Jubilate unto the Lord, all ye lands, and not to understand what jubilance is, so that our voice only may be jubilant, our heart not so? For the understanding the
utterance of the heart? .
4. am about to say what ye know. One who jubilates,
uttereth not words, but certain sound of joy without words for the expression of mind poured forth in joy,
See S. Greg, on Joh Oxf. Tr. vol. ? 3.
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To 'jubilate is to rejoice beyond words. 465
expressing, as far as it is able, the affection, but not com- ver. passing the feeling. A man rejoicing in his own exultation, --'--- after certain words which cannot' be uttered or understood,1 many bursteth forth into sounds of exultation without words, so? ^-ich that it seemeth that he indeed doth rejoice with his voice can. ' itself, but as if filled with excessive joy cannot express in
words the subject of that joy. You observe this in those even who sing licentiously. For our jubilance will not be
such as theirs is; for we ought to be jubilant in justification, while they are jubilant in iniquity ; we therefore shall do it in confession, they in confusion. Yet that ye may under stand what I say, call to mind what ye well know; those who are engaged at work in the fields are most given to jubilate; reapers, or vintagers, or those who gather any of the fruits of the earth, delighted with the abundant produce, and rejoicing in the very richness and exuberance of the soil, sing in exultation ; and among the songs which they utter in words, they put in certain cries without words in the exultation of a rejoicing mind ; and this is what is meant by jubilating. If
perhaps any one fail to recognise this, because he hath not heeded let him heed in future. And hope he may not find any to remark in, lest God find some whom He will overthrow. But nevertheless, since thorns cease not to grow, let us observe in those, who wrongly rejoice, jubilating to be censured, and let us offer unto God jubilance that may be crowned.
5. When then are we jubilant? When we praise that which cannot be uttered. For we observe the whole creation, the earth and the sea, and all things that therein are we observe that each have their sources and causes, the power of pro duction, the order of birth, the limit of duration, the end
in decease, that successive ages run on without any con
fusion, that the stars roll, as seemeth, from the East to
the West, and complete the courses of the years: we see
how the months are measured, how the hours extend and
in all these things certain invisible element, know not
what, but some principle* of unity, which termed spirit ors'vesti- soul, present in all living things, urging them to the pursuit f'^e'e. ' of pleasure and the avoidance of pain, and the preservation
of their own safety that man also hath somewhat in common VOL. iv. H
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466 He that would speak of God must strive to see Him.
Psalm with the Angels of God ; not with cattle, such as life, hearing, - C' sight, and so forth ; but somewhat which can understand God, which peculiarly doth belong to the mind, which can distinguish justice and injustice, as the eye discerneth white from black. In all this consideration of creation, which
Matt. B'
I have run over as I could, let the soul ask itself : Who created all these things ? Who made them ? Who made among them thyself ? What are these things which thou art considering ? What art thou thyself who art considering them? Who is He Who made them to be considered, and thee to consider ? Who is He? Say Who He is ? That thou mayest say Who He is, think of Him. For thou canst imagine somewhat that thou canst not perhaps express ; but by no means canst thou express what thou canst not imagine. Imagine Him, then, before thou speakest of Him ; that thou mayest imagine Him, approach Him. For whatever thou dost wish to see clearly, in order that thou mayest be able to speak of thou dost approach in order to gaze upon that thou mayest not be deceived by seeing afar off. But as those bodies are seen by the eyes, so He by the mind, by the heart He recognised and seen. And where
the heart by which He may be seen Blessed, He saith, are the pure in heart for they shall see God. hear, believe, as far as can understand, that God seen by
the heart, and that He can only be seen by the pure heart; Prov. but hear another passage of Scripture Who shall boast
20' 9.
that he hath his heart clean, or who shall boast that he pure from sin have observed the whole creation, as far as could have observed the bodily creation in heaven
and on earth, and the spiritual in myself who am speaking, who animate my limbs, who exert voice, who move the tongue, who pronounce words, and distinguish seusations. And when can comprehend myself in myself? How then can comprehend what above myself? Yet the sight of God promised to the human heart, and certain operation of purifying the heart enjoined this the counsel of Scripture. Provide the means of seeing what thou lovest, before thou try to see it. For unto whom not sweet to hear of God and His Name, except to the ungodly, who far
P". 73, removed, separated from Him For lo, saith he, they that make
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Likeness to God is the way to draw near to Him. 4(57
themselves farfrom Thee shall perish : Thou hast destroyed Ver. every one that commilteth fornication against Thee. But what ---- --- is said unto us ? Because they are afar off, and therefore in darkness, with eyes so wounded in the darkness, that they not
only do not long for, but even dread, the light; what is said unto
us, when found afar off? Come unto Him, and be lightened? Ps. 34,6. But that thou mayest approach and be lightened, thy dark
ness must offend thee ; condemn what thou art, that thou mayest deserve to be what thou art not. Thou art ungodly,
thou oughtest to be righteous : thou will never understand righteousness, if iniquity still please thee. Crush it in thy heart, and purify that ; drive it from thy heart, wherein He Whom thou wishest to see wills to dwell. The human soul,
then, cometh near as it may, the inner man is regenerated to
the image of God, since he was created in the image of God ;
he had become far from God in proportion as he had become
unlike God. For we do not approach or recede from God
by intervals of space ; when thou hast become unlike, thou
hast receded far: when thou hast become like, thou hast approached very close. See in what manner the Lord wisheth us to approach, first by making us like, that we may
Be ye, He saith, like your Father Which is i/iMatt.
Magnify Him
Christ's Flesh the ' Footstool' before which we bow. 458
truly, magnify Him well. Let us praise Him, let us magnify Ver.
~ have; Who wrought it in us, Himself. For Who but He Who justified us, wrought righteousness in us? For of Christ it is
Him Who hath wrought the very righteousness which we
said, Who justifieth the ungodly. We then are the ungodly, Rom. 4, He the Justifier, since He Himself wrought in us that very6, righteousness by which we are to please Him, that He may
place us on the right hand, and not on the left: that He may
say unto those placed on the right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; and that He may not place us on the left, among those unto whom He will say, Depart into everlasting fire, that is prepared for the devil and his angels. He Who will crown in us not our own deserts, but His own gifts, how greatly ought He to be magnified ! O magnify the
Lord our God!
9. And fall down before"* His footstool : for He is holy. 1 Ado-
What are we to fall down before ? His footstool. What is
under the feet is called a footstool, in Greek, (ncottiltov, in424. Latin, Scabellum, or, Suppedaneum. But consider, brethren,
what he commandeth us to fall down before. In another passage of the Scriptures it is said, The heaven is My throne, Is. 66, and the earth is My footstool. Doth he then bid us worship *?
the earth, since in another passage it is said, that it is God's footstool ? How then shall we worship the earth, when the Scripture saith openly, Thou shall worship the Lord thy Dent. 6,
God? Yet here it saith, fall down before His footstool . -13- and, explaining to us what His footstool is, it saith, The earth is My footstool. I am in doubt; I fear to worship the earth, lest He who made the heaven and the earth con demn me ; again, I fear not to worship the footstool of my Lord, because the Psalm biddeth me, fall down before His
I ask, what is His footstool? and the Scripture telleth me, the earth is My footstool. In hesitation I turn unto Christ, since I am herein seeking Himself: and I dis cover how the earth may be worshipped without impiety>>, how His footstool may be worshipped without impiety. For He took upon Him earth from earth ; because flesh is from earth, and He received flesh from the flesh of Mary. And
? 2 Sent. Dint. 9. o. aiii>> autem.
footstool.
454 Adoration of Christ in receiving the Holy Eucharist.
Psalm because He walked here in very flesh, and gave that very XC1X- flesh to us to eat for our salvation ; and no one eateth that flesh, unless he hath first worshipped : we have found out in what sense such a footstool of our Lord's may be worshipped, and not only that we sin not in worshipping but that we sin in not worshipping. But doth the flesh give life Our
Lord Himself, when He was speaking in praise of this same earth, said, is the Spirit that quickeneth, theflesh prqfiteth nothing. Therefore when thou bowest thyself down prostrate before the 'earth,' look not as unto earth, but unto that Holy One Whose footstool that thou dost worship for thou dost worship on His account wherefore he hath added here also, fall down before His footstool, for He is holy. Who holy He in whose honour thou dost worship His footstool. And when thou worshippest Him, see that thou do not in thy thought remain in the flesh,
John and be not quickened by the Spirit for, He saith, is
63'
the Spirit that quickeneth: the flesh prqfiteth nothing.
But when our Lord praised He was speaking of His ib. 64. own flesh, and He had said, Except a man eat My flesh, he shall have no life in him. Some disciples of His, about seventy were offended, and said, This an hard saying, who can hear And they went back, and walked
no more with Him. It seemed unto them hard that He said, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, ye have no life in you they received foolishly, they thought of carnally, and imagined that the Lord would cut off parts from His body, and give unto them; and they said, This a hard saying. was they who were hard, not the saying; for unless they had been hard, and not meek, they would have said unto themselves, He saith not this without reason, but there must be some latent mystery herein. They would have remained with Him, softened, not hard and would have learnt that from Him which they who remained, when the others departed, learnt. For when twelve disciples had remained with Him, on their departure, these remaining followers suggested to Him, as in grief for the death
Septnaginta ferme. It difficult they can hardly be supposed identical to know whenie this number conns, with these. One might think it a gloas, unless that of the Seventy. But but fo! the mention of twelve. '
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Spiritual understanding. Moses; Aaron; Samuel. 455
of the former, that they were offended by His words, and v*r. turned back. But He instructed them, and sailh unto them, 8~8'
It is the Spirit that I but the
quickeneth, flesh profiteth
nothing ; the words that
spirit, and they are life. Understand spiritually what I have said ; ye are not to eat this body which ye see ; nor to drink that blood which they who will crucify Me shall pour forth. I have commended unto you a certain mystery ; spiritually understood, it will quicken. Although it is needful that this be visibly celebrated, yet it must be spiritually understood. O magnify the Lord our God, and fall down before His
footstool, for He is Iwly.
10. Ver. 6--8. Moses and Aaron among His priests, and
Samuel among such as call upon His Name : these called upon the Lord, and He heard them. He spake unto them out of the cloudy pillar. Those men of old, Moses and Aaron and Samuel, servants of God, were great among the men of old. Ye know that Moses led forth, in the strength of God, the people of Israel from Egypt, through the Red Sea, and guided them in the wilderness ; and all those who cheerfully listen to those Scriptures in the Church, or read them at home, or have learnt them in any way, know how great miracles God wrought at that season by the hand of Moses ; Aaron was his brother, whom he ordained
Aaron. For in those Scriptures Aaron is openly styled the Ex. 28,
etc'
have
spoken unto you, they are
John 6>>
priest also. And there indeed there seemeth to be no priest besides
priest of God : of Moses it is not there stated that he was a priest. But if he was not this, what was he ? Could he be
any thing greater than a priest ? This Psalm declareth that
he also was himself a priest : Moses and Aaron among His priests. They therefore were the Lord's priests. Samuel is
read of later in the Book of Kings: this Samuel is in David's times; for he anointed the holy David. Samuel from his infancy grew up in the temple. His mother was barren: anxious to have a son, she prayed with deep groaning unto
the Lord, and entreating that God might give her a son, she shewed that she did not wish to have one carnally, and that
son she gave unto Him, who willed that he should be. For
she vowed him to the Lord God, saying, " If there be born i sam. unto me a man child, then shall he serve in Thy Temple all 1, ll-
Psalm
456 Christ spoke of old from the ' cloud,' now more clearly.
the days of his life :" and thus she did. Holy Samuel after his birth, during his suckling, remained with his mother;
when she had weaned him, she gave him up to the Temple, that there he might grow, there be strengthened in spirit, there serve God : he became a great priest, a holy priest at that season. He mentioneth these : and by these desireth us to understand all the saints. Yet why hath he here named those ? Because we said that we ought here to understand Christ. Attend, holy brethren. He said above, O magnify the Lord our God : and fall down before His
footstool, for He is holy : praising some one, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ ; Whose footstool is to be worshipped, because He assumed flesh, in which He was to appear before the human race; and wishing to shew unto us that the ancient Fathers also had preached of Him, because our Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the True Priest, he mentioned these, because God spake unto them out of the cloudy pillar. What meaneth, out of the cloudy pillar ? He was speaking figuratively. For if He spoke in some cloud, those obscure words predicted some one unknown, yet to be manifest. This unknown one is no longer unknown ; for He is known by us, our Lord Jesus Christ. Moses and Aaron among His priests: and Samuel among such as call upon His Name : these called upon the Lord, and He heard them. He spake unto them out of the cloudy pillar. He Who first spoke out of the cloudy pillar, hath in Person spoken unto us in His footstool ; that
on earth, when He had assumed the flesh, for which reason we worship His footstool, for He holy. He Himself used to speak out of the cloud, which was not then understood: He hath spoken in His own footstool, and the words of His cloud have been understood. He spake unto them out the cloudy pillar.
Let us attend, therefore, brethren see whom and of what sort he hath termed holy. They kept His testimonies, and the law that He gave them. They kept certainly, attend ye. They kept His testimonies, and the law that He gave them. This he saith, and cannot be denied. Had they nothing of sin How so Since they kept His testimonies, and the law that He gave them. See of what sort He would have us to be formed, that we may not
presently,
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God most merciful when He chastens for sin. 457
presume in our righteousness as pertect. Behold, Moses and Ver. Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those that 6~~8' call upon His Name, unto whom He spake out of the cloudy
pillar, so openly did He hear them who kept His testi monies, and the law that He gave them. Thou heardest them, he saith, O Lord our God: Thou wast forgiving to them, O God. God is not said to be forgiving toward any thing but sins: when He pardoneth sins, then forgiveth. And what had He in them to punish, so that He was forgiving in pardoning them ? He was forgiving in pardoning their sins, He was also forgiving in punishing them. For what followeth ? Thou wast forgiving toward them, 0 God, and punishedst all their own
He
for not in remitting, but also in punishing their sins, hast Thou been forgiving. Consider, my brethren, what he hath taught us here: attend. God is angry with him, whom, when he sinneth, He scourgeth not: for unto him to whom He is truly forgiving, He not only remitteth sins, that they may not injure him in a future life; but also chasteneth him, that he delight not in continual sin.
12. Come, my brethren ; if we ask how these were punished, the Lord will aid me to tell you. Let us consider
these three persons, Moses, Aaron, and Samuel : and how
they were punished, since he said, Thou hast punished all
their own affections: meaning those affections of theirs,
which the Lord knew in their hearts, which men knew not.
For they were living in the midst of the people of God, without complaint from man. But what do we say ? That perhaps the early life of Moses was sinful ; for he fled from
Egypt, after slaying a man. The early life of Aaron also Ex. 2, was such as would displease God ; for he allowed a mad- 12 16, dened and infatuated people to make an idol to worship ; Id. 32, and an idol was made for God's people to worship. What 1--4' sin did Samuel, who was given up when an infant to the temple? He passed all his life amid the holy sacraments of
God: from childhood the servant of God. Nothing was ever said of Samuel, nothing by men. Perhaps God knew of somewhat there to chasten ; since even what seemeth perfect unto men, unto that Perfection is still imperfect.
affections. Even in punishing them Thou wast forgiving toward them :
458 Moses' chastisement not great, but typical.
Psalm Artists shew many of their works to the unskilful; and XCIX- when the unskilful have pronounced them perfect, the artists
polish them still further, as they know what is still wanting to them, so that men wonder at things they had imagined already perfect having received so much additional polish. This happeneth in buildings, and in paintings, and in
and almost in every species of art. At first they judge it to be already in a manner perfect, so that their
eyes desire nothing further: but the judgment of the in experienced eye is one, and that of the rule of art another. Thus also these Saints were living before the eyes of God, as if faultless, as if perfect, as if Angels: but He Who punished all their own affections, knew what was wanting in them. But He punished them not in anger, but in mercy : He punished them that He might perfect what He had begun, not to condemn what He had cast away. God therefore punished all their affections. How did He punish Samuel ? where is this punishment ? This I say, that Christians, who have already known Christ, to whom He came in His footstool, whom He loved so, for whom He shed His blood, may know how those are beaten, who bave made such progress. We seek punishment in Moses; he hath almost none : except that at the last God saith unto him, Get thee up into this mountain, and die. He said to
embroidery,
Deat.
32,49-- tne aged man, Die: he had already passed through the seasons
of life : was he never to die ? what sort of punishment was Ibid, that? Did He shew His punishment in the words, Thou shalt not go up into the land of promise, where the people
were about to go? Moses represented certain persons in a type. For was it a great punishment for one who entered into the kingdom of heaven, not to reach that land which was promised for a season, that it might display the shadow, and then pass away ? Did not many faithless men enter that land ? did they not when living in that land do many evil deeds, and offend God ? Did they not follow idolatry in that very land ? Was it a great thing not to have given that land to Moses? But He intended Moses to typify those who were under the Law, since the Law was given through Moses : and He sheweth that those who chose to be under the Law, and chose not to be under grace, could not enter
Servants of God really chastised by others' sins. 459
into the land of promise. Therefore, what was said unto Ver. Moses was a type, not a punishment. What punishment is ---- death to an old man ? What punishment was not to
enter into that land, into which unworthy men entered?
20 24 28'; 33,
Samuel also died holy old man, leaving his sons as
* 6 his? 8-
Sam.
successors. seek for the punishment inflicted upon them,
and according to men find not but according to what I26' ' know the servants of God suffer every day, they were day by
day punished. Read ye, and see the punishments, and ye
also who are advanced bear the punishments. Every day
they suffered from the obstinate people, every day they suffered from the ungodly livers and were compelled to livo
among those whose lives they daily censured. This was
their punishment. He unto whom small hath not advanced far for the ungodliness of others tormenteth thee
in proportion as thou hast departed far from thine own.
For when thou art become wheat, that is, good blade from
good seed, son of the kingdom, when thou hast begun to
yield fruit, then tares will appear unto thee for when the Mat. 13,
blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared26-^9' the tares also. When the tares have begun to appear, thou
wilt see thyself among the wicked. Thou mayest wish
to separate thyself from the wicked, and to separate all
the wicked from the Church; our Lord's injunction will answer thee, Let both grow together unto the harvest, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. According to our Lord's words, will be needful to spare the tares according to the condition of servant, will be needful to live among the tares thou canst not separate them, thou must endure them. See what wounds thou sufferest in heart, when with thy body whole thou livest among the wicked. Whoever of you shall advance far will prove this, whoever of you have already advanced far have proved it. These things
therefore must be endured and perhaps this pertaineth unto
it: That servant which knoweth His Lord's will, and doth Luke12,
? not worthily, shall be beaten with many stripes. In many47,48'
But what said of Aaron He also died an old man his
sons succeeded him in the priesthood his son afterwards Numb.
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460 How St. Paul was chastened for his perfection.
Psalm cases the more the will of God becometh known to us, the -more doth our guilt become known to us; and the more He
becometh known unto us, the more do we weep and groan. For we see how just what God demandeth of us is : and in what an imperfect state we lie; and what is said, happeneth
Eccles. in us; He that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.
' 18'
Lo, let love abound in thee, thou wilt grieve more for the sinner. The more love there be in thee, the more will he whom thou bearest with torment thee : he will not torment thee with anger against him, but with grief for him.
1 3. Consider what the Apostle Paul suffered : consider who he was, and what he suffered : Besides those things, he saith, which are without, (for he had spoken of many things which he suffered, and he now beginneth to speak of things within, besides those things which were without, which he suffered from the evil persecutors of Christ,) that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the Churches. Con sider how like a father's, how like a mother's care, was his ; see how he was beaten, that all his affections might be punished; we will mention those affections of his, which
2Cor. ll, God punished. Who isIweak, he saith, and Who is offended, and
I
am not weak
? burn not? The greater his love, the greater were his wounds from the sins of others.
He
indeed had received a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet him. Behold in what way God was for giving unto him, punishing all his affections. What are the affections, in which God thus punished him ? He
2Cor. l2,hath declared them himself: Lest, saith he, / should be
^~ 9'
exalted above measure through the abundance of the re velations, there was given lo me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet me. He was so far perfect, that even yet there was ground for fear, lest he should be exalted above measure: for God would not apply a cure where was no wound. And he prayed that it might be taken away ; in his sickness heIprayed that the cure might be removed: For this thing
the Lord thrice, he saith, that it might depart from me. That is, the thorn of the/flesh by which he was buffeted, perhaps some bodily
besought the Lord thrice, he saith : and He said unto me, My grace is sufficientfor thee : for My strength is made
pain :
besought
God is good in smiting. What is His Holy Hill ? 461
perfect in weakness. I know whom I heal : let not him that Ver. is sick give Me counsel. Like a biting plaister, it stingeth ------ thee, but it healeth thee. He asketh the physician to take
away the plaister, and he taketh it not away, unless when
that upon which he hath laid it shall be healed. Strength 2 Cor. is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, brethren, let not 12' 9. any of us who are advanced in Christ imagine that we shall
be without the scourge ; since, advance as far as we may,
He knoweth our sins ; oftentimes too He sheweth them unto us, and even we see our sins. And when we have begun to live among such men, so that men no longer see in us matter for blame ; yet He Who knoweth all things blameth us still, and punisheth all our affections, because He is forgiving unto us. For were He not to punish us, but to forsake us, we are lost. Thou wast forgiving to them, O God, and punishedst
all their own affections.
14. Ver. 9. O magnify the Lord our God! Again we
magnify Him. He Who is merciful even when He striketh,
how is He to be praised, how is He to be magnified ? Canst thou shew this unto thy son, and cannot God ? For
thou art not good when thou dost caress thy son, and evil when thou strikest him. Both when thou dost caress him
thou art a father, and when thou strikest him, thou art his father : thou dost caress him, that he may not faint ; thou 6trikest him, that he may not perish. O magnify the Lord
our God, and worship Him upon His holy hill: for the Lord our God is holy. As he said above, 0 magnify the ver. 6. Lord our God, and fall down before His footstool : now we
have understood what it is to worship His footstool : thus
also but now after he had magnified the Lord our God, that
no man might magnify Him apart from His hill, he hath
also praised His hill. kWhat is His hill? We read elsewhere concerning this hill, that a stone was cut from the hill without hands, and shattered all the kingdoms of the earth, and the
stone itself increased. This is the vision of Daniel which I
am relating. This stone which was cut from the hill without
hands increased, and became, he saith, a great mountain, and Dan. 2,
filled the whole face of the earth. Let us worship on that34. 36- great mountain, if we desire to be heard. Heretics do not Dona- worship on that mountain, because it hath filled the whole
462 The stone hewn without hands. Kingdoms of devils broken.
Psalm earth : they have stuck fast on part of and have lost the - whole. If they acknowledge the Catholic Church, they will worship on this hill with us. For we already see how that stone that was cut from the mountain without hands hath
increased, and how great tracts of earth hath prevailed over, and unto what nations hath extended. What the mountain whence the stone was hewn without hands The Jewish kingdom, in the first place since they worshipped one God. Thence was hewn the stone, our Lord Jesus
Ps. lis, Christ. He Himself styled, the stone which the builders Acts rejeciec[ . the same hath become the head of the corner. This stone hewn without hands from the hill, broke all the kingdoms of the earth we see all the kingdoms of the
world shattered by that stone. What were the kingdoms of the earth The kingdoms of idols, and kingdoms of devils, were broken. Saturn reigned among many men where
his kingdom Mercury reigned over many men where
his kingdom It broken those over whom he reigned, have been reduced into the kingdom of Christ. How great was the kingdom of Ccelestis' at Carthage! where now her kingdom? That stone, that was hewn without hands from the hill, hath broken all the kingdoms of the earth. What meaneth, hewn from the hill without hands? Born of the Jewish nation without work of man. For all who are born, are born of the work of marriage He Who was born
of a virgin, was born without hands for by hands signified the work of man where human hands never reached, where there was no conjugal embrace, yet there was conception. That stone then was born of the mountain without hands: increased, and by its increase broke all the kingdoms of the earth. It hath become great moun tain, and hath filled the whole face of the earth. This the Catholic Church, in whose communion rejoice that ye are. But they who are not in her communion, since they worship and praise God apart from this same mountain, are not heard unto eternal life; although they may be heard unto certain temporal things. Let them not flatter them selves, because God heareth them in some things for He heareth Pagans also in some things. Do not the Pagans
See on Psalm 63. vol. iii. p. 219. note s.
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Exposition a shower from God. Literal kelps spiritual. 463
cry unto God, and it raineth ? Wherefore ? Because He Ver. maketh His sun to rise over the good and the bad, and ------ sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust. Boast not Mat. 6, therefore, Pagan, that when thou criest unto God, God45- sendeth rain, for He sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust. He hath heard thee in temporal things: He heareth thee not in things eternal, unless thou hast wor shipped in His holy hill. Worship Him upon His holy
hill : for the Lord our God is holy.
15. Let this suffice you, beloved, concerning the Psalm;
as far as the Lord hath granted, we have spoken. And whatever we speak in the name of God, since it is God Who speaketh in us, is the shower of God : consider what sort of earth ye are. For when rain cometh upon the earth, if it be good soil, it produceth good fruit; if it be bad soil, it beareth thorns : yet the rain is sweet, both over the fruits, and over the thorns. He who when he hath heard these words hath become worse, and produced thorns from the rain, let him expect the fire, let him not accuse the rain : but he who hath become better, and hath produced fruits from a good soil, let him expect the barn, and praise the rain. But what are the clouds, or what is the rain, but the mercy of God, Who doth all things concerning those whom He loveth, and unto whom He hath granted that He may be loved by them.
PSALM C.
A Sermon to the People, in which he speaketh remarkably concerning enduring evil men in the Church, or in a Monastery.
1. Ye heard the Psalm, brethren, while it was being chaunted : it is short, and not obscure : as if I had given you an assurance, that ye should not fear fatigue. Let us however consider more attentively, and with as much care as freedom, what the literal expressions mean ; that, so far as the Lord deign to allow, they may be spiritually understood. The voice of God, from whatever instrument it sound, is yet the voice of God ; for nothing, save His voice, pleaseth His ears; for we also, when we speak, please Him when He is
Himself speaking from us.
464 Blessing of ' understanding jubilance' to be sought.
Psalm 2. The title of this Psalm is, a Psalm of confession. The ------ verses are few, but big with great subjects ; may the seed bring forth within your hearts, the barn be prepared for the Lord's harvest. This Psalm giveth this exhortation
Luke u' 47
to us, that we jubilate unto the Lord. Nor doth as were, exhort one particular corner of the earth, or one habitation or congregation of men but since aware that hath sown blessings on every side, on every side doth exact jubilance.
3. Ver. Jubilate, therefore, unto the Lord, all ye lands. Doth all the earth at this moment hear my voice And yet the whole earth hath heard this voice. All the earth already jubilant in the Lord and what not as yet jubilant, will be so. For blessing, extending on every side, when the Church was commencing to spread from Jerusalem through- out all nations, every where overturneth ungodliness, and every where buildeth up piety: the good are mingled with the wicked throughout all lands. Every land full of the discontented murmurs of the wicked, and of the jubilance of the good. What then to jubilate For the title of the present Psalm especially maketh us give good heed to
this word, for entitled, A Psalm of confession. What meaneth, to jubilate with confession the sentiment thus expressed in another Psalm Blessed is the people that understandeth jubilance. Surely that which being under stood maketh blessed something great. May therefore the Lord our God, Who maketh men blessed, grant me to under stand what to say, and grant you to understand what ye
Ps. 89, hear Blessed the people, that understandeth jubilance.
16'
Let us therefore run unto this blessing, let us understand
jubilance, let us not pour forth without understanding.
>>aV not Of what use to be jubilant and obey1 this Psalm, when
ohey.
saith, Jubilate unto the Lord, all ye lands, and not to understand what jubilance is, so that our voice only may be jubilant, our heart not so? For the understanding the
utterance of the heart? .
4. am about to say what ye know. One who jubilates,
uttereth not words, but certain sound of joy without words for the expression of mind poured forth in joy,
See S. Greg, on Joh Oxf. Tr. vol. ? 3.
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To 'jubilate is to rejoice beyond words. 465
expressing, as far as it is able, the affection, but not com- ver. passing the feeling. A man rejoicing in his own exultation, --'--- after certain words which cannot' be uttered or understood,1 many bursteth forth into sounds of exultation without words, so? ^-ich that it seemeth that he indeed doth rejoice with his voice can. ' itself, but as if filled with excessive joy cannot express in
words the subject of that joy. You observe this in those even who sing licentiously. For our jubilance will not be
such as theirs is; for we ought to be jubilant in justification, while they are jubilant in iniquity ; we therefore shall do it in confession, they in confusion. Yet that ye may under stand what I say, call to mind what ye well know; those who are engaged at work in the fields are most given to jubilate; reapers, or vintagers, or those who gather any of the fruits of the earth, delighted with the abundant produce, and rejoicing in the very richness and exuberance of the soil, sing in exultation ; and among the songs which they utter in words, they put in certain cries without words in the exultation of a rejoicing mind ; and this is what is meant by jubilating. If
perhaps any one fail to recognise this, because he hath not heeded let him heed in future. And hope he may not find any to remark in, lest God find some whom He will overthrow. But nevertheless, since thorns cease not to grow, let us observe in those, who wrongly rejoice, jubilating to be censured, and let us offer unto God jubilance that may be crowned.
5. When then are we jubilant? When we praise that which cannot be uttered. For we observe the whole creation, the earth and the sea, and all things that therein are we observe that each have their sources and causes, the power of pro duction, the order of birth, the limit of duration, the end
in decease, that successive ages run on without any con
fusion, that the stars roll, as seemeth, from the East to
the West, and complete the courses of the years: we see
how the months are measured, how the hours extend and
in all these things certain invisible element, know not
what, but some principle* of unity, which termed spirit ors'vesti- soul, present in all living things, urging them to the pursuit f'^e'e. ' of pleasure and the avoidance of pain, and the preservation
of their own safety that man also hath somewhat in common VOL. iv. H
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466 He that would speak of God must strive to see Him.
Psalm with the Angels of God ; not with cattle, such as life, hearing, - C' sight, and so forth ; but somewhat which can understand God, which peculiarly doth belong to the mind, which can distinguish justice and injustice, as the eye discerneth white from black. In all this consideration of creation, which
Matt. B'
I have run over as I could, let the soul ask itself : Who created all these things ? Who made them ? Who made among them thyself ? What are these things which thou art considering ? What art thou thyself who art considering them? Who is He Who made them to be considered, and thee to consider ? Who is He? Say Who He is ? That thou mayest say Who He is, think of Him. For thou canst imagine somewhat that thou canst not perhaps express ; but by no means canst thou express what thou canst not imagine. Imagine Him, then, before thou speakest of Him ; that thou mayest imagine Him, approach Him. For whatever thou dost wish to see clearly, in order that thou mayest be able to speak of thou dost approach in order to gaze upon that thou mayest not be deceived by seeing afar off. But as those bodies are seen by the eyes, so He by the mind, by the heart He recognised and seen. And where
the heart by which He may be seen Blessed, He saith, are the pure in heart for they shall see God. hear, believe, as far as can understand, that God seen by
the heart, and that He can only be seen by the pure heart; Prov. but hear another passage of Scripture Who shall boast
20' 9.
that he hath his heart clean, or who shall boast that he pure from sin have observed the whole creation, as far as could have observed the bodily creation in heaven
and on earth, and the spiritual in myself who am speaking, who animate my limbs, who exert voice, who move the tongue, who pronounce words, and distinguish seusations. And when can comprehend myself in myself? How then can comprehend what above myself? Yet the sight of God promised to the human heart, and certain operation of purifying the heart enjoined this the counsel of Scripture. Provide the means of seeing what thou lovest, before thou try to see it. For unto whom not sweet to hear of God and His Name, except to the ungodly, who far
P". 73, removed, separated from Him For lo, saith he, they that make
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Likeness to God is the way to draw near to Him. 4(57
themselves farfrom Thee shall perish : Thou hast destroyed Ver. every one that commilteth fornication against Thee. But what ---- --- is said unto us ? Because they are afar off, and therefore in darkness, with eyes so wounded in the darkness, that they not
only do not long for, but even dread, the light; what is said unto
us, when found afar off? Come unto Him, and be lightened? Ps. 34,6. But that thou mayest approach and be lightened, thy dark
ness must offend thee ; condemn what thou art, that thou mayest deserve to be what thou art not. Thou art ungodly,
thou oughtest to be righteous : thou will never understand righteousness, if iniquity still please thee. Crush it in thy heart, and purify that ; drive it from thy heart, wherein He Whom thou wishest to see wills to dwell. The human soul,
then, cometh near as it may, the inner man is regenerated to
the image of God, since he was created in the image of God ;
he had become far from God in proportion as he had become
unlike God. For we do not approach or recede from God
by intervals of space ; when thou hast become unlike, thou
hast receded far: when thou hast become like, thou hast approached very close. See in what manner the Lord wisheth us to approach, first by making us like, that we may
Be ye, He saith, like your Father Which is i/iMatt.
