This it was, my brethren, which the Prophet had regard to : although he saw the mercy of God extending over all, yet he saw something especial and
peculiar
shewn toward the Jews, and he saith, Nevertheless, Iwill hearken what the Lord God shall say unto me : for He shall speak peace unto His people ; and His people shall be, not Judaea only, but it shall be gathered together out of all nations : For he shall speak peace unto His Saints, and to those who turn their hearts unto Him, and to all who shall turn their hearts unto Him from the whole world.
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v4
That frailty of the flesh, this torture of pains, this house of poverty, this chain of death, and snares of temptations ; all these things we carry about
in this flesh; and this is the anger of God, because it is the vengeance of God. But because it was so to be, that we should be regenerated, and by believing should be made
new, and all that mortality was to be removed in our resur rection, and the whole man was to be restored in newness; for 1 Cor. as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive; 16' 22- seeing this the Prophet saith, Be not angry with us for ever,
nor stretch out Thy wrath from one generation to another. The first generation was mortal by Thy wrath : the second generation shall be immortal by Thy mercy.
8. What then? Was this thy own work, O man, that thou deservedst the mercy of God, in that ihou wast con verted unto Him ; and have they who have not been con verted, not found mercy, but wrath ? And what then ? Couldest thou cause that thou shouldest be converted, if thou hadst not been called ? Was it not He Who called thee when turned away, Who caused that thou shouldest be turned unto Him? Seek not thou to claim even thy con version for thyself, for if He had not called thee when a fugitive, thou couldest not have turned unto Him. There fore the Prophet, ascribing to God the benefit of his con version, prays thus, and says :
Ver. 6. O God, Thou shall turn us again, and make us alice. Not as if we ourselves of our own accord, without Thy mercy, turn unto Thee, and then Thou shalt make us
172 Life and joy not in ourselves but in Christ.
Psalm alive : but, Tliou shall turn us again, and make us alive : lxx*v'so that not only our being made alive is from Thee, but our very conversion that we may be made alive. Thou, O God, shalt turn us again, and make us alive: and Thy people
shall rejoice in Thee. To their own evil they shall rejoice in themselves : to their own good they shall rejoice in Thee. For when they wished to have joy of themselves, they found in themselves woe: but now because God is all our joy, he that will rejoice securely let him rejoice in Him Who cannot perish. For why, my brethren, will ye rejoice in silver? Either thy silver perisheth, or thou : and no one knows which first: yet this is certain, that both shall perish ; which first, is un certain. For neither can man remain here always, nor can silver remain here always : so too gold, so garments, so houses, so money, so broad lands, so, lastly, this light itself. Be not thou willing then to rejoice in these : but rejoice in that light which hath no setting : rejoice in that dawn which
no yesterday precedes, which no to-morrow follows. What
9. Ver. 7. Shew us Thy mercy, O Lord. This is what we 1see ? . 1. have been singing beforehand we have already spoken of the
same. Shew us Thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us Thy salva tion : Thy salvation, that is, Thy Christ. Happy is he unto whom God sheweth His mercy. He it is who cannot in dulge in pride, unto whom God sheweth His mercy. For by shewing him His salvation He persuadeth him that what ever good man has, he hath not but from Him Who is all our good. And when a man has seen that whatever good he has he hath not from himself, but from his God ; he sees that every thing which is praised in him is of the mercy of God, not of his own deserving ; and seeing this, he is not proud j not being proud, he is not lifted up ; not lifting himself up, he falleth not; not falling, he standeth ; standing, he clingeth fast; clinging fast, he abideth; abiding, he enjoyeth, and rejoiceth in the Lord his God. He who made him shall be unto him
/, saith He, am the Light of the world. He
John 8, light is that ?
Who saith unto thee, 1 am the Light ofthe world, calls thee to Himself. When He calls thee, He converts thee : when he converts thee, He healeth thee : when He hath healed thee, thou shalt see thy Converter, unto Whom it is said, And Thy people shall rejoice in Thee.
He is given us now as Man, we hope to see Him as God. 173
a delight : and his delight no one spoileth, no one inter- Ve*. nipteth, no one takelh away. What powerful man will ------
threaten to take it aw ay ? what bad neighbour, what robber,
what plotter taketh
take from thee all what thou hast in the body, he taketh not
away Him Whom thou hast in thy heart. This is that mercy
which I pray may God shew unto us. Shew us Thy mercy,
O Lord, and grant us Thy salvation : grant unto us Thy Christ, for in Him is Thy mercy. Let us too say unto
Him, Grant unto us Thy Christ. Already indeed He hath
given unto us His Christ: yet still let us say unto Him, Grant unto us Thy Christ, for still we say unto Him, Give us Matt. 6, this day our daily bread. And who is our bread, but He11- Himself Who said, / am the living bread which came down John 6,
from heaven. Let us say unto Him, Give unto us Thy41- Christ. He hath indeed already given unto us Christ, but as Man ; Him Whom He hath given unto us as Man, He will give unto us as God. To men He gave Man: such He gave
to men as men could receive ; for as God no man could receive Christ. He became Man unto men, He reserved
Himself as God for gods '. Have I spoken arrogantly? Arro- 1 diis. gantly indeed, if He had not Himself said, / said, Ye areps. 82, gods, and ye are all the children of the Highest. We are Jonnl0 renewed even unto adoption, so as to be made sons of God. 34. Already indeed we are so, but by faith ; we are so in hope,
we are not yet such in reality. For by hope we are saved, Bom- 8, as saith the Apostle. But hope that is seen is not hope: for
what a man seeth, how doth he hope for? But if we hope
away God from thee ?
Though he can
for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. What do we with patience wait for, except to see what we believe ? For now we believe what we see not: by abiding in that which believing we see not, we shall deserve to see that which we believe.
Therefore, what saith John in his Epistle ? Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth i John
not yet appear what we shall be. Who would not rejoice, if ' suddenly while he was wandering abroad, ignorant of his descent, suffering want, and in a state of misery and toil, it were announced, Thou art the son of a senator:
thy father enjoys an ample patrimony on your family estate ; I bid thee return to thy father : how would he rejoice, if this were
174 The Beatific Vision is of the Son as well as the Father.
Psalm said to him by some one whose promise he could trust ? One lxxxV- whom we can trust, an Apostle of Christ, hath come and said to us, What is the reason that ye despair of yourselves ? why do ye afflict yourselves, and wear yourselves down with grief;
why do ye choose, following your own desires, to suffer grief in want of those other joys ? Ye have a father, ye have a country, ye have an inheritance. Who is that father ?
1 John Beloved, we are the sons of God. Wherefore then see we 3'2- not yet our Father? Because it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. We are that now, but in hope : for what we
shall be hath not yet appeared. And what shall we be?
We know, saith he, that when He shall appear, we shall be
like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. But hath he said this
of the Father, and not of the Son our Lord Jesus Christ ? and
shall we then be blessed in seeing the Father, not the Son ?
JohnU, Hear Christ Himself: He that hath seen Me hath seen the
H'
Father. For when the One God is seen, the Trinity is seen, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Hear more expressly that the vision of the Son Himself shall give unto us blessedness, and that there is no difference between the vision of Him and the vision of the Father. He Himself
John 14, saith in the Gospel: He that loeeth Me keepeth My com-
I will love him, and will him. He spoke unto them, and said,
2l-
Act>> 16, it was said of the Lord, Purifying their hearts by faith: Matt. 6, and the Lord said, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
*?
Mss.
mauds, and
manifest
Myself unlo
I will
unto him. Wherefore? was it not the same Person Who
was speaking ? but flesh could see flesh ; the heart did not yet the Deity. For this cause did flesh see flesh, that by faith the heart might be cleansed that it might see God. For
shall see God. Therefore He 1 promised us to shew Himself unto us. Think, my brethren, what His beauty is. All tnose beautiful things which ye sep, which ye love, He
fore"6
He has' made. If these are beautiful, what is He Himself? If these
are great, how great is He ? Therefore from these things which we love here, let us the more long for Him: and despising these things, let us love Him : that by that very love we may by faith purify our hearts, and His vision, when it cometh, may find our heart purified. The light which shall be shewn unto us ought to find us whole: this is the work
manifest
Myself
God's voice ofpeace. The conflict of this Life. 175
of faith now. This is what we have spoken here: And grant Ver- ms Thy salvation : grant us Thy Christ, that we may know ----'-- Thy Christ, see Thy Christ ; not as the Jews saw Him and crucified Him, but as the Angels see Him, and rejoice.
10. Ver. 8, 9. Iwillhearken what the Lord God shall speak
in me. The Prophet spoke : God spoke within in him, and
the world made a noise without. Therefore, retiring for a little
from the noise of the world, and turning himself back upon himself, and from himself upon Him Whose voice he heard within ; sealing up his ears, as it were, against the tumultuous disquietude of this life, and against the soul weighed down by
the corruptible body, and against the imagination, that through
the earthly tabernacle pressing down1, thinketh on many'Oxf. things, he saith,I will hearken what the Lord God speaketh}^^. in me; and he heard, what? For He shall speak peace ^. njje-g unto His people. The voice of Christ, then, the voice of 16. God, is peace: it calleth unto peace. Ho! it saith, who
soever are not yet in peace, love ye peace : for what can ye
find better from Me than peace ? What is peace ? Where
there is no war. What is this, where there is no war ? Where there is no contradiction, where there is no resistance, nothing to oppose. Consider if we are yet there: consider if
there is not now a conflict with the devil, if all the saints and
faithful ones wrestle not with the prince of daemons. And how do they wrestle with him whom they see not ? They wrestle with their own desires, by which he suggests unto them sins : and by not consenting to what he suggests, though they are not conquered, yet they fight. Therefore there is not yet peace where there is fighting. Or give me a man who suffers no temptation in his flesh, so that he can say to me, that he now has peace. Perhaps indeed he suffers no temptations to unlawful pleasures, yet he suffers the mere suggestions: either something is suggested to him which he refuses, or he is pleased with something which he must keep under. But, lo ! nothing unlawful now gives him pleasure ; yet he has to struggle daily against hunger and thirst; for what just man is not exposed to this? Hunger then and thirst fight against us, the weariness of the flesh fights against us, enjoyment of sleep fights against us, oppression fights. We would watch, and we fall asleep:
176 No perfect rest or peace, but in the City of God.
Psalm we would fast, and we hunger and thirst: we would stand, lxxxV. and we fail from fatigue : we wish to sit, yet if we do even this long, we become tired. Whatever we provide for our
refreshment, there again we find weariness. Art thou hungry ? one asks thee : thou answerest, I am. He places food before thee for thy refreshment ; continue thou to use it, for thou hadst need of it; yet in continuing that which thou needest for refreshment, therein findest thou weariness. By long sitting thou wast tired ; thou risest and refreshest thyself by walking ; continue that relief, and by much walk ing thou art wearied ; again thou wouldest sit down. Find me any thing by which thou art refreshed, wherein if thou continue thou dost not again become weary. What peace then is that which men hare here, opposed by so many troubles, desires, wants, wearinesses ? This is no true, no
iCor. 16, perfect peace. What will be perfect peace? This corruptible 53 55. must pUf on incorTUpH0ny and this mortal must put on im
mortality; then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 0 death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy struggle? For where there is as yet mortality, how can there be full peace ? It is from death that weariness cometh, which we find in all our pleasures. From death it is, since we carry a mortal body : which indeed the Apostle calls dead, even before its separation
Rom. 8, from the soul: The body, saith he, is dead because of tin. For if thou persevere in that by which thou art refreshed, thou wilt even die. Persevere in eating much ; this itself will kill thee : persevere in fasting much, by this thou wilt die : sit continually, being resolved not to rise up, by this thou wilt die : be always walking so as never to take rest, by this thou wilt die; watch continually, taking no sleep, by this thou wilt die; sleep continually, never watching, thus loo thou wilt die. When therefore death shall be swallowed up in victory, these things shall no longer be: there will be full and eternal peace. We shall be in a City, of which, brethren, when I speak I find it hard to leave off, especially when offences wax common. Who would not long for that City whence no friend goeth out, whither no enemy entereth, where is no tempter, no seditious person, no one dividing God's people, no one
The peace of God. None truly fear Him in vain. 177
wearying the Church in the service of the devil ; since the Ver. prince himself of all such is cast into eternal fire, and wilh
him those who consent unto him, and who have no will to
retire from him ? There shall be peace made pure in the
sons of God, all loving one another, seeing one another full
of God, since God shall be all in all. We shall have God 1 Cor.
as our common object of vision, God as our common
pos- 19, 28- session, God as our common peace. For whatever there is
which He now giveth unto us, He Himself shall be unto us
instead of His gifts; this will be full and perfect
This He speaketh unto His people : this it was which he
would hearken unto who said,
Lord God will say unto me : for He shall speak peace unto His people, and to His saints, and unto those who turn their hearts unto Him. Lo, my brethren, do ye wish that unto you should belong that peace which God uttereth ? Turn your heart unto Him: not unto me, or unto that one, or unto any man. For whatever man would turn unto himself the hearts of men, he falleth with them. Which is better, that thou fall with him unto whom thou turnest thyself, or that ihou stand with Him with Whom thou turnest thyself? Our
joy, our peace, our rest, the end of all troubles, is none but God : blessed are they that turn their hearts unto Him.
1 1. Ver. 9. Nevertheless, His salvation is nigh them that fear Him. There were some even then who feared Him in the Jewish people. Every where throughout the earth idols were worshipped: devils were feared, not God: in that nation God was feared. But why was He feared ? In the Old Testament He was feared, lest He should give them up to lest He should take away their land from them, lest He should destroy their vines with hail, lest He should make their wives barren, lest He should take away their
children from them. For these carnal promises of God captivated their minds, which as yet were of small growth, and for these things God was feared : but He was near unto them who even for these things feared Him. The Pagan prayed for land to the devil : the Jew prayed for land to God: it was the same thing which they prayed for, but not the same to whom they prayed. The latter, though seeking what the Pagan sought, yet was distinguished from the
VOL. IV. N
captivity,
/ will hearken what the
peace.
178 Nearness to God. Glory in the Land of Israel.
Psalm Pagan ; for He sought it of Him Who had made all *-"xv- things. And God, Who was far 1 from the Gentiles, was 'Oxf. near1 unto them : yet He had regard even to those who were
'near,' afar off, and to those who were near, as the Apostle said: eTT' ^n(* ^e came (ind preached peace to you who were afar off, 17. ' and to them that were near. Whom did He mean by those >>Oxf. near? The Jews, because they* worshipped one God.
Whom by those who were afar off? The Gentiles, because they had left Him by Whom they were made, and worshipped things which themselves had made. For it is not in space that any one is far from God, but in affections. Thou lovest God, thou art near unto Him. Thou hatest God, thou art far off. Thou art standing in the same place, both while thou art near and far off.
This it was, my brethren, which the Prophet had regard to : although he saw the mercy of God extending over all, yet he saw something especial and peculiar shewn toward the Jews, and he saith, Nevertheless, Iwill hearken what the Lord God shall say unto me : for He shall speak peace unto His people ; and His people shall be, not Judaea only, but it shall be gathered together out of all nations : For he shall speak peace unto His Saints, and to those who turn their hearts unto Him, and to all who shall turn their hearts unto Him from the whole world. Never theless, His salvation shall be nigh them that fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land: that is, in that land in which the Prophet was born, greater glory shall dwell, because
Christ began to be preached from thence. Thence were the Apostles, and thither first they were sent ; from thence were the Prophets, there first was the Temple, there sacrifice was made to God, there were the Patriarchs, there He Himself came of the seed of Abraham, there Christ was manifested, there Christ appeared ; for from thence was the Virgin Mary
who bore Christ. There He walked with His feet, there He worked miracles. Thirdly, He ascribed so great honour to that nation, that when a certain Canaanitish woman inter
Him, I for the He rupted praying healing of her daughter,
Mat. 16, said unto her, of am not sent but unto the lost sheep the
24, house of Israel. Seeing this, the Prophet saith, Neverthe less, His salvation is nigh them that fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land.
'who. '
Peace may not be had apart from Righteousness. 179
12. Ver. 10. Mercy and truth have met together. 'Truth Ver. in our land,' in a Jewish person, ' mercy' in the land of the 10-
down 1 also upon them ? Yea, as if he said, Call those who are 1 ' de- fugitives afar off, who have departed far from Me: call them,^exM'S. let them find Me Who seek them, since they themselves ' d<<- would not seek Me. Therefore, Mercy and truth have metv? Xli' together: righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Do righteousness, and thou shall have peace; that righteous ness and peace may kiss each other. For if thou love not righteousness, thou shalt not have peace ; for those two, righteousness and peace, love one another, and kiss one another : that he who hath done righteousness may find peace kissing righteousness. They two are friends: thou perhaps wiliest the one, and not the other : for there is no one who wills not peace : but all will not work righteous
ness. Ask all men, Wiliest thou peace ? With one mouth the whole race of man answers thee, I wish, 1 desire, I will, I love it. Love also righteousness : for these two, righteous ness and peace, are friends ; they kiss one another : if thou
love not the friend of peace, peace itself will not love thee, nor come unto thee. For what great thing is it to desire peace ? Every bad man longeth for peace. For peace is a good thing. But do righteousness, for righteousness and peace kiss one another, they quarrel not together. Where fore dost thou quarrel with righteousness ? Lo, righteous
ness saith unto thee, Thou shalt not steal, and thou bearestExod. not; Thou shalt not commit adultery, and thou wilt not hear, j^^1 ^ Do not to another what thou wouldest not suffer, say not to another what thou wouldest not have said to thyself. Thou
art an enemy to my friend, sailh peace unto thee; why
Gentiles. For where was truth ?
Where the utterances of God were. Where was mercy ? On those who had left their God, and turned themselves unto devils. Did He look
I am the friend of righteousness : when ever I find an enemy of my friend, him I go not near. Wilt thou then attain unto peace? Do righteousness. Therefore
seekest thou me ?
another Psalm saith unto thee: Eschew evil, and do good ;Ps. 34,
(this is to love righteousness:) and when thou hast eschewed evil and done good, seek peace, and ensue it. For now thou N2
4'
180 Truth out of earth, Christfrom woman, confession from man.
Psalm shalt not have to seek it long, for it shall itself meet thee,
lxxxv. t^at it kigg righteousness.
13. Ver. 11. Truth hath sprung out of the earth, and
hath looked down from heaven. Truth hath sprung out of the earth : Christ is born of a woman. Truth hath sprung out of the earth : the Son of God hath come forth of the flesh. What is truth ? The Son of God. What is the earth ? Flesh. Ask whence Christ was born, and
thou seest that Truth is sprung out of the earth. But the Truth Which sprang out of the earth was before the earth, and by It the heaven and the earth were made : but in order that righteousness might look down from heaven, that is, in order that men might be justified by Divine grace, Truth was born of the Virgin Mary ; that He might be able to offer a sacrifice to justify them, the sacrifice of suffering, the sacrifice of the Cross. And how could He offer a sacrifice for our sins, except He died ? How could He die, except He received from us that wherein He might die ; that is, unless He received from us mortal flesh, Christ could not have died : because the Word dieth not, Godhead dieth not, the
Virtue and Wisdom of God doth not die. How should He offer a sacrifice, a healing victim, if He died not ? How should He die, unless He clothed Himself with flesh ? How should He put on flesh, except truth sprang out of the earth ? Truth hath sprung out of the earth, and righteous ness hath looked down from heaven.
14. On the same passage we may mention another meaning. Truth is sprung out of the earth : confession from man. For thou, O man, wast a sinner. O earth, who
Gen. 3, when thou hadst sinned didst hear the sentence, Earth thou
art, and unto earth shalt thou return, from thee let truth
spring, that righteousness may look down from heaven. How doth truth spring from thee, whilst thou art a sinner,
whilst thou art unrighteous ? Confess thy sins, and truth shall spring out of thee. For if whilst thou art unrighteous, thou callest thyself just, how can truth spring out of thee ? But if being unrighteous thou dost confess thyself to be so, truth hath sprung out ofthe earth. Remark that Publican
praying in the Temple far off from the Pharisee, who did not
righteousness
Righteousness looks dourn from Heaven in answer. 181
even dare lo lift up his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon v<<r.
his breast, saying, Lord, be merciful to me a sinner: lo,
truth hath sprung out of the earth, because confession of
sins hath been made by man. What follows then ? Verily Lukeis, /say unto you, that that Publican went down to his house l3- 14,
justified rather than the Pharisee : for " every one that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be easalted. " Truth is sprung out of the earth, in confession of sins : and righteousness hath looked down
from heaven, so that this Publican went down justified rather than the Pharisee. For that ye may know that
truth belongeth to confession of sins, John the Evangelist
says, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and truth is not in us. Hear him now how he goes
on to say how truth springs out of the earth, that righteous
ness may look down from heaven : If we confess our sins, l John He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to1'9' cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Therefore, Truth is sprung out of the earth, and righteousness hath looked down
from heaven. What righteousness hath looked down from heaven? It is that of God, as though He said : Let us spare this man, for he spareth not himself : let us pardon him, for he himself confesseth. He is changed so as to punish
his sin: I too will change, so as to set him free. Truth is sprung out of the earth, and righteousness hath looked down from heaven.
15. Ver. 12. For the Lord shall give sweetness, and our land shall yield her fruit. There is one verse left : I hope you will not be tired with what I have to say. Listen, brethren, to a subject which is necessary to understand :
listen, comprehend, carry it away with you, and let not the seed of God be without effect in your hearts. Truth, he saith, is sprung out of the earth, confession of sins, that from men and righteousness hath looked down from heaven,
that is, justification has been given by the Lord God to him who confesses, that the wicked may acknowledge that he cannot become godly except He make him so unto Whom
he confesses, except he believe in Him Who justijwth theRom ungodly. Thy own sins therefore thou canst have good 6-
Oxf, Mss. That he wicked and cannot. '
12'
>>
'
is
:
4,
'
is,
:
182 God giveth a sweetness in working righteousness.
Psalm fruit thou canst have none of, except He give it thee, unto l,IxT' Whom thou makest confession. Therefore when he had said, Truth is sprung out of the earth, and righteousness hath
looked down from heaven, as if he were asked, What is it that thou saidst, Righteousness hath looked down from heaven; he continues, For the Lord shall give sweetness, and our land shall give her increase. Let us therefore look back upon ourselves: and if we find in ourselves nothing but sins, let us hate sins, and long for righteousness. For when we have begun to hate sins, that very hatred of sins straightway begins to make us like God, because we hate that which God also hateth. When therefore thou hast begun to hate sins and to confess to God, when unlawful delights hurry thee away, and draw thee to those things which profit not, make complaint to God : and confessing unto Him thy sins, thou shalt deserve from Him delight, and He will give uuto thee the sweetness of working righteousness, so that righ teousness shall begin to delight thee, whom before unrigh
teousness delighted: so that thou who at first didst delight m drunkenness, shalt rejoice in sobriety: and thou who didst at first rejoice in theft, so as to take from another man what thou hadst not, shalt seek to give to him that hath not that which thou hast: and thou who didst take delight in robbing, shalt delight now in giving : thou whom shows delighted, shalt delight in prayer; thou who didst delight in trifling and lascivious songs, shalt now delight in singing hymns to God ; in running to church, thou who at first didst run to the theatre. Whence is that sweetness bom to thee, except from this, that God giveth sweetness, and our land shall give her increase? For, behold, ye see what
I mean : behold, I have spoken unto you the word of God, I have sown seed in your devout hearts, finding your souls furrowed, as it were, with the plough of confession: with devout attention ye have received the seed ; think now upon the word which ye have heard, like those who break up the clods, lest the fowls should carry away the seed, that what is sown may be able to spring up there: and unless God rain upon what profits that sown? This what meant by the Lord shall give sweetness, and ovs land shall give her increase. May He with His visitations,
is
it,
it
it is
is
Just confession makes a way for God's steps. 183
in leisure, in business, in your house, in your bed, at meal- Ver. time, in conversation, in walks, visit your hearts, when we ------ are not by. May the rain of God come and make to sprout
what is sown there: and when we are not by, and are resting
quietly, or otherwise employed, may God give increase to the
seeds which we have sown, that remarking afterwards improved characters, we too may rejoice for your fruit. For the Lord shall give sweetness, and our land shall give her
increase.
16. Ver. 14. For righteousness shall go before him, and
he shall direct his steps in the way: that righteousness, namely, which consists in confession of sins: for this is truth itself. For thou oughtest to be righteous towards thyself, and to punish thyself: for this is the beginning of man's righteousness, that thou shouldest punish thyself, who art
Him a way, in confession of sins. Therefore J
ohn too, when he was baptizing in the water of repentance, and would have men come to him repenting of their former deeds, spoke
thus; Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Matt. 3, Thou didst please thyself in thy sins, O man : let that which
thou wast displease thee, that thou mayest be able to become
what thou wast not. Prepare the way of the Lord : let that righteousness go before, of confession of sins : He will come
and visit thee, for He shall place His steps in the way: for now He hath where to place His steps, He hath whereby He may come to thee. Before thou didst confess thy sins, thou hadst shut up the way of God : there was no way by which He might come unto thee. Confess thy past life, and thou openest a way ; and Christ shall come unto thee, and shall place His steps in the way, that He may guide thee with His own footsteps.
your
evil, and God should make thee good. Therefore since this is the beginning of man's righteousness, this becomes a way for God, that God may come unto thee : there make for
Lax. lxxxv.
PSALM LXXXVI.
184
A Sermon to the people on the vigil of a festival, perhaps of St. Cyprian, delivered at Carthage,
No greater gift could God have given to men than in making His Word, by Which He created all things, their Head, and joining them to Him as His members: that the Son of God might become also the Son of man, one God with the Father, one Man with men ; so that when we speak to God in prayer for mercy, we do not separate the Son from Him; and when the Body of the Son prays, it separates not its Head from itself : and it is one Saviour of His Body,
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who both prays for us, and prays in us, and is prayed to by us. He prays for us, as our Priest; He prays in us, as our Head ; He is prayed to by us, as our God. Let us therefore recognise in Him our words, and His words in us. Nor when any thing is said of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially in prophecy, implying a degree of humility below the dignity of God, let us hesitate to ascribe it to Him Who did not hesitate to join Himself unto us. For unto Him all creation is subject, since by Him all creation was made. And, therefore, when we behold His sublime and divine nature, when we hear,
John I, [n tlie beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. I7ie Same was in the begin
ning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made : gazing upon this divine nature of the Son of God, far surpassing and exceeding all the most sublime things of creation, we hear Him then in some part of Scripture groaning, praying, con fessing ; and we hesitate to ascribe unto Him these words, because our thoughts are reluctant to descend from that late contemplation of His divine nature, to this His humble condition, and seem almost to do Him injury, if they recog nise in a man His words, unto Whom as to God they were directing words of prayer, they often remain doubtful, and try to change the understanding, and yet they meet with nothing in the Scripture but what reverts ever to Him, and suffers them not to turn aside from Him. They ought, there
Words of our Lord as Man, and as One with His Body. 1 85
fore to rouse themselves, and thoroughly wake up in their Ver. faith; then they would see, that He Whom they were a little --- before contemplating in the form of God, look upon HimselfPMl- 3, the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of man ; ' 8' and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself,
and became obedient unto death ; and it was His will to
make the words of the Psalm His own words, as He hung
upon the Cross, and said, My God, My God, why hast Thou Ps- 22,
forsaken Me? He is prayed to in the form of God, in the'' form of a servant He prayeth ; there the Creator, here created ; assuming unchanged the creature, that it might be changed, and making us with Himself one Man, Head and Body. Therefore we pray to Him, through Him, in Him ; and we speak with Him, and He speaks with us ; we speak
in Him, He speaks in us the prayer of this Psalm, which is entitled, A Prayer ofDavid. For our Lord was, according to the flesh, the Son of David ; but according to His divine nature, the Lord of David, and his Maker; and not only before David, but also before Abraham, from whom David came ; and also before Adam, from whom were all men ; and also before heaven and earth, in which are all creatures. Let no one then, when he hears these words, say, Christ speaketh not ; nor again say, I speak not ; nay rather, if he
own himself to be in the Body of Christ, let him say both, Christ speaks, and I speak. Be thou unwilling to say any
thing without Him, and He saith nothing without thee.
Have w e not this in the Gospel ? There where it is certainly written, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word wasioha l, with God, and the Word was God. All things were made l?
by Him; there certainly we have, Jesus was sorrowful, Mat. 26,
Jesus was wearied, Jesus slept, Jesus was hungry and was V\ thirsty, Jesus prayed, and continued in prayer all night. 6.
He prayed, says the Gospel, and He continued in prayer ; 94^**- 8' and there ran down over His body great drops of blood. Matt. 4, What did that shew, when drops of blood ran down from Luke. 6, His body as He prayed, but that His body, which is the L2u'le22
Church, was already flowing with the blood of martyrs ? 44. 2. Ver. I . Bow down Thine ear, O Lord, and hear me. He speaks in the form of a servant : speak thou, O servant, in the form of thy Lord : Bow down Thine ear, O Lord. He
180 God bows His ear to the humble, rich or poor.
Psalm bows down His ear, if thou dost not lift up thy neck : for limm. unto ^e ilum|ile pje draweth near : from him that is exalted He removes afar off, except whom He Himself hath exalted from being humble. God then bows down His ear unto us.
For He is above, we below: He id a high place, we in a Bom. 6, lowly one, yet not deserted. For, God sheweth His love
8
ib. 7.
towards us: for while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. For scarcely for a just man will one die: yet for a good man peradventure one would even dare to die: but our Lord died for the wicked. For no merits of ours had gone before, for which the Son of God should die : but the more, because there were no merits, was His mercy great. How sure then, how firm is the promise, by which for the righteous He keepeth His life, Who for the wicked gave His owIn death !
Bow down Thine ear, 0 Lord, and hear me : for
and in misery. To the rich then He boweth not down His ear : unto the poor and him that is in misery He boweth down His ear, that is, unto the humble, and him that confesseth, uuto him that is in need of mercy : not unto him that is full, who lifteth up himself and boasteth,as if he wanted nothing,
I thank Thee that lam not as this Publican. For
Lukeis, and saith,
1--13' the rich Pharisee boasted of his merits : the poor Publican
confessed his sins.
3. Yet do not take what I have said, my brethren, in such
a way, as if God does not hear those who have gold and silver, and a household, and farms, if they happen to be born to this estate, or hold such a rank in the world : only let
l Tim. them remember the Apostle's words : Charge those who are ' ' rich in this world, that they be not highminded. For those that are not highminded are poor in God, and to the poor
and needy and those in want He inclines His ear. For they know that their hope is not in gold and silver, nor in those things in which for a time they seem to abound. It is enough that riches ruin them not ; it is enough that they do them no harm : for good they can do them none. What certainly profiteth is a work of mercy, done by a rich or by a poor man: by a rich man, with will and deed, by a poor man, with will alone. When therefore he is such an one as despiseth in himself every thing which is wont to swell men with pride, he is one of God's poor : He inclines unto him
am poor
Abraham, though rich, humble be/ore God. 1 87
His ear, for He knows that his heart is contrite. It is true, Vrr. my brethren, that that poor man, who lay full of sores before La^16 the rich man's door, was taken away by Angels into Abraham's 19--24. ' bosom : so we read, so we believe : but that rich man who
Was clothed in purple and fine linen, and who feasted in splendour every day, was taken away to hell to be tormented.
Was it really for the merit of his poverty that the poor man
was carried away by Angels, or was it for the sin of his
riches that the rich man was sent away to be tormented ? In
that poor man is signified the honour which is paid to humility, in that rich man the condemnation which awaits
pride. I will prove shortly that it was not riches but pride
which was tormented in that rich man. It is certain that the
poor man was carried into the bosom of Abraham : of Abraham himself Scripture saith that he had here very much Gen. 13,
gold and silver, and was rich on the earth. If every one2-
that is rich is hurried away to be tormented, how could Abraham have gone before that poor man, so as to be ready
to receive him when carried to his bosom ? But Abraham in
his riches was poor, humble, reverencing all commands, and obeying them. So true was it that he counted all those
riches for nothing, that on God's command he was ready
to sacrifice his son, for whom he was keeping his riches, aTM. 22, Learn therefore ye to be poor and needy, whether ye have ,0,
any thing in this world, or whether ye have not. For you
may find a poor man proud, and a rich man you may find confessing. God resisteth the proud, both those clothed all James in silk, and those in rags: to the humble He giveth grace,*'6' both those who have some of this world's goods, and those
who have not. God looketh within : there He weigheth,
there He trieth in the balance : thou seest not God's scales,
thy mind is raised to behold it. See, the desert of his being heard, that is, the cause why he was heard he places herein, saying, For I
lest thou be not poor and in misery, if so thou art not, thou shalt not be heard. Whatever there is around thee,
or in thee, for which thou mightest presume, cast it from
thee : presume not thou in aught but in God : be thou in need of Him, that thou mayest be filled with Him. For
am poor and in misery. Take care
188 Christ's Body holy by communication from Him.
in this flesh; and this is the anger of God, because it is the vengeance of God. But because it was so to be, that we should be regenerated, and by believing should be made
new, and all that mortality was to be removed in our resur rection, and the whole man was to be restored in newness; for 1 Cor. as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive; 16' 22- seeing this the Prophet saith, Be not angry with us for ever,
nor stretch out Thy wrath from one generation to another. The first generation was mortal by Thy wrath : the second generation shall be immortal by Thy mercy.
8. What then? Was this thy own work, O man, that thou deservedst the mercy of God, in that ihou wast con verted unto Him ; and have they who have not been con verted, not found mercy, but wrath ? And what then ? Couldest thou cause that thou shouldest be converted, if thou hadst not been called ? Was it not He Who called thee when turned away, Who caused that thou shouldest be turned unto Him? Seek not thou to claim even thy con version for thyself, for if He had not called thee when a fugitive, thou couldest not have turned unto Him. There fore the Prophet, ascribing to God the benefit of his con version, prays thus, and says :
Ver. 6. O God, Thou shall turn us again, and make us alice. Not as if we ourselves of our own accord, without Thy mercy, turn unto Thee, and then Thou shalt make us
172 Life and joy not in ourselves but in Christ.
Psalm alive : but, Tliou shall turn us again, and make us alive : lxx*v'so that not only our being made alive is from Thee, but our very conversion that we may be made alive. Thou, O God, shalt turn us again, and make us alive: and Thy people
shall rejoice in Thee. To their own evil they shall rejoice in themselves : to their own good they shall rejoice in Thee. For when they wished to have joy of themselves, they found in themselves woe: but now because God is all our joy, he that will rejoice securely let him rejoice in Him Who cannot perish. For why, my brethren, will ye rejoice in silver? Either thy silver perisheth, or thou : and no one knows which first: yet this is certain, that both shall perish ; which first, is un certain. For neither can man remain here always, nor can silver remain here always : so too gold, so garments, so houses, so money, so broad lands, so, lastly, this light itself. Be not thou willing then to rejoice in these : but rejoice in that light which hath no setting : rejoice in that dawn which
no yesterday precedes, which no to-morrow follows. What
9. Ver. 7. Shew us Thy mercy, O Lord. This is what we 1see ? . 1. have been singing beforehand we have already spoken of the
same. Shew us Thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us Thy salva tion : Thy salvation, that is, Thy Christ. Happy is he unto whom God sheweth His mercy. He it is who cannot in dulge in pride, unto whom God sheweth His mercy. For by shewing him His salvation He persuadeth him that what ever good man has, he hath not but from Him Who is all our good. And when a man has seen that whatever good he has he hath not from himself, but from his God ; he sees that every thing which is praised in him is of the mercy of God, not of his own deserving ; and seeing this, he is not proud j not being proud, he is not lifted up ; not lifting himself up, he falleth not; not falling, he standeth ; standing, he clingeth fast; clinging fast, he abideth; abiding, he enjoyeth, and rejoiceth in the Lord his God. He who made him shall be unto him
/, saith He, am the Light of the world. He
John 8, light is that ?
Who saith unto thee, 1 am the Light ofthe world, calls thee to Himself. When He calls thee, He converts thee : when he converts thee, He healeth thee : when He hath healed thee, thou shalt see thy Converter, unto Whom it is said, And Thy people shall rejoice in Thee.
He is given us now as Man, we hope to see Him as God. 173
a delight : and his delight no one spoileth, no one inter- Ve*. nipteth, no one takelh away. What powerful man will ------
threaten to take it aw ay ? what bad neighbour, what robber,
what plotter taketh
take from thee all what thou hast in the body, he taketh not
away Him Whom thou hast in thy heart. This is that mercy
which I pray may God shew unto us. Shew us Thy mercy,
O Lord, and grant us Thy salvation : grant unto us Thy Christ, for in Him is Thy mercy. Let us too say unto
Him, Grant unto us Thy Christ. Already indeed He hath
given unto us His Christ: yet still let us say unto Him, Grant unto us Thy Christ, for still we say unto Him, Give us Matt. 6, this day our daily bread. And who is our bread, but He11- Himself Who said, / am the living bread which came down John 6,
from heaven. Let us say unto Him, Give unto us Thy41- Christ. He hath indeed already given unto us Christ, but as Man ; Him Whom He hath given unto us as Man, He will give unto us as God. To men He gave Man: such He gave
to men as men could receive ; for as God no man could receive Christ. He became Man unto men, He reserved
Himself as God for gods '. Have I spoken arrogantly? Arro- 1 diis. gantly indeed, if He had not Himself said, / said, Ye areps. 82, gods, and ye are all the children of the Highest. We are Jonnl0 renewed even unto adoption, so as to be made sons of God. 34. Already indeed we are so, but by faith ; we are so in hope,
we are not yet such in reality. For by hope we are saved, Bom- 8, as saith the Apostle. But hope that is seen is not hope: for
what a man seeth, how doth he hope for? But if we hope
away God from thee ?
Though he can
for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. What do we with patience wait for, except to see what we believe ? For now we believe what we see not: by abiding in that which believing we see not, we shall deserve to see that which we believe.
Therefore, what saith John in his Epistle ? Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth i John
not yet appear what we shall be. Who would not rejoice, if ' suddenly while he was wandering abroad, ignorant of his descent, suffering want, and in a state of misery and toil, it were announced, Thou art the son of a senator:
thy father enjoys an ample patrimony on your family estate ; I bid thee return to thy father : how would he rejoice, if this were
174 The Beatific Vision is of the Son as well as the Father.
Psalm said to him by some one whose promise he could trust ? One lxxxV- whom we can trust, an Apostle of Christ, hath come and said to us, What is the reason that ye despair of yourselves ? why do ye afflict yourselves, and wear yourselves down with grief;
why do ye choose, following your own desires, to suffer grief in want of those other joys ? Ye have a father, ye have a country, ye have an inheritance. Who is that father ?
1 John Beloved, we are the sons of God. Wherefore then see we 3'2- not yet our Father? Because it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. We are that now, but in hope : for what we
shall be hath not yet appeared. And what shall we be?
We know, saith he, that when He shall appear, we shall be
like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. But hath he said this
of the Father, and not of the Son our Lord Jesus Christ ? and
shall we then be blessed in seeing the Father, not the Son ?
JohnU, Hear Christ Himself: He that hath seen Me hath seen the
H'
Father. For when the One God is seen, the Trinity is seen, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Hear more expressly that the vision of the Son Himself shall give unto us blessedness, and that there is no difference between the vision of Him and the vision of the Father. He Himself
John 14, saith in the Gospel: He that loeeth Me keepeth My com-
I will love him, and will him. He spoke unto them, and said,
2l-
Act>> 16, it was said of the Lord, Purifying their hearts by faith: Matt. 6, and the Lord said, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
*?
Mss.
mauds, and
manifest
Myself unlo
I will
unto him. Wherefore? was it not the same Person Who
was speaking ? but flesh could see flesh ; the heart did not yet the Deity. For this cause did flesh see flesh, that by faith the heart might be cleansed that it might see God. For
shall see God. Therefore He 1 promised us to shew Himself unto us. Think, my brethren, what His beauty is. All tnose beautiful things which ye sep, which ye love, He
fore"6
He has' made. If these are beautiful, what is He Himself? If these
are great, how great is He ? Therefore from these things which we love here, let us the more long for Him: and despising these things, let us love Him : that by that very love we may by faith purify our hearts, and His vision, when it cometh, may find our heart purified. The light which shall be shewn unto us ought to find us whole: this is the work
manifest
Myself
God's voice ofpeace. The conflict of this Life. 175
of faith now. This is what we have spoken here: And grant Ver- ms Thy salvation : grant us Thy Christ, that we may know ----'-- Thy Christ, see Thy Christ ; not as the Jews saw Him and crucified Him, but as the Angels see Him, and rejoice.
10. Ver. 8, 9. Iwillhearken what the Lord God shall speak
in me. The Prophet spoke : God spoke within in him, and
the world made a noise without. Therefore, retiring for a little
from the noise of the world, and turning himself back upon himself, and from himself upon Him Whose voice he heard within ; sealing up his ears, as it were, against the tumultuous disquietude of this life, and against the soul weighed down by
the corruptible body, and against the imagination, that through
the earthly tabernacle pressing down1, thinketh on many'Oxf. things, he saith,I will hearken what the Lord God speaketh}^^. in me; and he heard, what? For He shall speak peace ^. njje-g unto His people. The voice of Christ, then, the voice of 16. God, is peace: it calleth unto peace. Ho! it saith, who
soever are not yet in peace, love ye peace : for what can ye
find better from Me than peace ? What is peace ? Where
there is no war. What is this, where there is no war ? Where there is no contradiction, where there is no resistance, nothing to oppose. Consider if we are yet there: consider if
there is not now a conflict with the devil, if all the saints and
faithful ones wrestle not with the prince of daemons. And how do they wrestle with him whom they see not ? They wrestle with their own desires, by which he suggests unto them sins : and by not consenting to what he suggests, though they are not conquered, yet they fight. Therefore there is not yet peace where there is fighting. Or give me a man who suffers no temptation in his flesh, so that he can say to me, that he now has peace. Perhaps indeed he suffers no temptations to unlawful pleasures, yet he suffers the mere suggestions: either something is suggested to him which he refuses, or he is pleased with something which he must keep under. But, lo ! nothing unlawful now gives him pleasure ; yet he has to struggle daily against hunger and thirst; for what just man is not exposed to this? Hunger then and thirst fight against us, the weariness of the flesh fights against us, enjoyment of sleep fights against us, oppression fights. We would watch, and we fall asleep:
176 No perfect rest or peace, but in the City of God.
Psalm we would fast, and we hunger and thirst: we would stand, lxxxV. and we fail from fatigue : we wish to sit, yet if we do even this long, we become tired. Whatever we provide for our
refreshment, there again we find weariness. Art thou hungry ? one asks thee : thou answerest, I am. He places food before thee for thy refreshment ; continue thou to use it, for thou hadst need of it; yet in continuing that which thou needest for refreshment, therein findest thou weariness. By long sitting thou wast tired ; thou risest and refreshest thyself by walking ; continue that relief, and by much walk ing thou art wearied ; again thou wouldest sit down. Find me any thing by which thou art refreshed, wherein if thou continue thou dost not again become weary. What peace then is that which men hare here, opposed by so many troubles, desires, wants, wearinesses ? This is no true, no
iCor. 16, perfect peace. What will be perfect peace? This corruptible 53 55. must pUf on incorTUpH0ny and this mortal must put on im
mortality; then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 0 death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy struggle? For where there is as yet mortality, how can there be full peace ? It is from death that weariness cometh, which we find in all our pleasures. From death it is, since we carry a mortal body : which indeed the Apostle calls dead, even before its separation
Rom. 8, from the soul: The body, saith he, is dead because of tin. For if thou persevere in that by which thou art refreshed, thou wilt even die. Persevere in eating much ; this itself will kill thee : persevere in fasting much, by this thou wilt die : sit continually, being resolved not to rise up, by this thou wilt die : be always walking so as never to take rest, by this thou wilt die; watch continually, taking no sleep, by this thou wilt die; sleep continually, never watching, thus loo thou wilt die. When therefore death shall be swallowed up in victory, these things shall no longer be: there will be full and eternal peace. We shall be in a City, of which, brethren, when I speak I find it hard to leave off, especially when offences wax common. Who would not long for that City whence no friend goeth out, whither no enemy entereth, where is no tempter, no seditious person, no one dividing God's people, no one
The peace of God. None truly fear Him in vain. 177
wearying the Church in the service of the devil ; since the Ver. prince himself of all such is cast into eternal fire, and wilh
him those who consent unto him, and who have no will to
retire from him ? There shall be peace made pure in the
sons of God, all loving one another, seeing one another full
of God, since God shall be all in all. We shall have God 1 Cor.
as our common object of vision, God as our common
pos- 19, 28- session, God as our common peace. For whatever there is
which He now giveth unto us, He Himself shall be unto us
instead of His gifts; this will be full and perfect
This He speaketh unto His people : this it was which he
would hearken unto who said,
Lord God will say unto me : for He shall speak peace unto His people, and to His saints, and unto those who turn their hearts unto Him. Lo, my brethren, do ye wish that unto you should belong that peace which God uttereth ? Turn your heart unto Him: not unto me, or unto that one, or unto any man. For whatever man would turn unto himself the hearts of men, he falleth with them. Which is better, that thou fall with him unto whom thou turnest thyself, or that ihou stand with Him with Whom thou turnest thyself? Our
joy, our peace, our rest, the end of all troubles, is none but God : blessed are they that turn their hearts unto Him.
1 1. Ver. 9. Nevertheless, His salvation is nigh them that fear Him. There were some even then who feared Him in the Jewish people. Every where throughout the earth idols were worshipped: devils were feared, not God: in that nation God was feared. But why was He feared ? In the Old Testament He was feared, lest He should give them up to lest He should take away their land from them, lest He should destroy their vines with hail, lest He should make their wives barren, lest He should take away their
children from them. For these carnal promises of God captivated their minds, which as yet were of small growth, and for these things God was feared : but He was near unto them who even for these things feared Him. The Pagan prayed for land to the devil : the Jew prayed for land to God: it was the same thing which they prayed for, but not the same to whom they prayed. The latter, though seeking what the Pagan sought, yet was distinguished from the
VOL. IV. N
captivity,
/ will hearken what the
peace.
178 Nearness to God. Glory in the Land of Israel.
Psalm Pagan ; for He sought it of Him Who had made all *-"xv- things. And God, Who was far 1 from the Gentiles, was 'Oxf. near1 unto them : yet He had regard even to those who were
'near,' afar off, and to those who were near, as the Apostle said: eTT' ^n(* ^e came (ind preached peace to you who were afar off, 17. ' and to them that were near. Whom did He mean by those >>Oxf. near? The Jews, because they* worshipped one God.
Whom by those who were afar off? The Gentiles, because they had left Him by Whom they were made, and worshipped things which themselves had made. For it is not in space that any one is far from God, but in affections. Thou lovest God, thou art near unto Him. Thou hatest God, thou art far off. Thou art standing in the same place, both while thou art near and far off.
This it was, my brethren, which the Prophet had regard to : although he saw the mercy of God extending over all, yet he saw something especial and peculiar shewn toward the Jews, and he saith, Nevertheless, Iwill hearken what the Lord God shall say unto me : for He shall speak peace unto His people ; and His people shall be, not Judaea only, but it shall be gathered together out of all nations : For he shall speak peace unto His Saints, and to those who turn their hearts unto Him, and to all who shall turn their hearts unto Him from the whole world. Never theless, His salvation shall be nigh them that fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land: that is, in that land in which the Prophet was born, greater glory shall dwell, because
Christ began to be preached from thence. Thence were the Apostles, and thither first they were sent ; from thence were the Prophets, there first was the Temple, there sacrifice was made to God, there were the Patriarchs, there He Himself came of the seed of Abraham, there Christ was manifested, there Christ appeared ; for from thence was the Virgin Mary
who bore Christ. There He walked with His feet, there He worked miracles. Thirdly, He ascribed so great honour to that nation, that when a certain Canaanitish woman inter
Him, I for the He rupted praying healing of her daughter,
Mat. 16, said unto her, of am not sent but unto the lost sheep the
24, house of Israel. Seeing this, the Prophet saith, Neverthe less, His salvation is nigh them that fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land.
'who. '
Peace may not be had apart from Righteousness. 179
12. Ver. 10. Mercy and truth have met together. 'Truth Ver. in our land,' in a Jewish person, ' mercy' in the land of the 10-
down 1 also upon them ? Yea, as if he said, Call those who are 1 ' de- fugitives afar off, who have departed far from Me: call them,^exM'S. let them find Me Who seek them, since they themselves ' d<<- would not seek Me. Therefore, Mercy and truth have metv? Xli' together: righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Do righteousness, and thou shall have peace; that righteous ness and peace may kiss each other. For if thou love not righteousness, thou shalt not have peace ; for those two, righteousness and peace, love one another, and kiss one another : that he who hath done righteousness may find peace kissing righteousness. They two are friends: thou perhaps wiliest the one, and not the other : for there is no one who wills not peace : but all will not work righteous
ness. Ask all men, Wiliest thou peace ? With one mouth the whole race of man answers thee, I wish, 1 desire, I will, I love it. Love also righteousness : for these two, righteous ness and peace, are friends ; they kiss one another : if thou
love not the friend of peace, peace itself will not love thee, nor come unto thee. For what great thing is it to desire peace ? Every bad man longeth for peace. For peace is a good thing. But do righteousness, for righteousness and peace kiss one another, they quarrel not together. Where fore dost thou quarrel with righteousness ? Lo, righteous
ness saith unto thee, Thou shalt not steal, and thou bearestExod. not; Thou shalt not commit adultery, and thou wilt not hear, j^^1 ^ Do not to another what thou wouldest not suffer, say not to another what thou wouldest not have said to thyself. Thou
art an enemy to my friend, sailh peace unto thee; why
Gentiles. For where was truth ?
Where the utterances of God were. Where was mercy ? On those who had left their God, and turned themselves unto devils. Did He look
I am the friend of righteousness : when ever I find an enemy of my friend, him I go not near. Wilt thou then attain unto peace? Do righteousness. Therefore
seekest thou me ?
another Psalm saith unto thee: Eschew evil, and do good ;Ps. 34,
(this is to love righteousness:) and when thou hast eschewed evil and done good, seek peace, and ensue it. For now thou N2
4'
180 Truth out of earth, Christfrom woman, confession from man.
Psalm shalt not have to seek it long, for it shall itself meet thee,
lxxxv. t^at it kigg righteousness.
13. Ver. 11. Truth hath sprung out of the earth, and
hath looked down from heaven. Truth hath sprung out of the earth : Christ is born of a woman. Truth hath sprung out of the earth : the Son of God hath come forth of the flesh. What is truth ? The Son of God. What is the earth ? Flesh. Ask whence Christ was born, and
thou seest that Truth is sprung out of the earth. But the Truth Which sprang out of the earth was before the earth, and by It the heaven and the earth were made : but in order that righteousness might look down from heaven, that is, in order that men might be justified by Divine grace, Truth was born of the Virgin Mary ; that He might be able to offer a sacrifice to justify them, the sacrifice of suffering, the sacrifice of the Cross. And how could He offer a sacrifice for our sins, except He died ? How could He die, except He received from us that wherein He might die ; that is, unless He received from us mortal flesh, Christ could not have died : because the Word dieth not, Godhead dieth not, the
Virtue and Wisdom of God doth not die. How should He offer a sacrifice, a healing victim, if He died not ? How should He die, unless He clothed Himself with flesh ? How should He put on flesh, except truth sprang out of the earth ? Truth hath sprung out of the earth, and righteous ness hath looked down from heaven.
14. On the same passage we may mention another meaning. Truth is sprung out of the earth : confession from man. For thou, O man, wast a sinner. O earth, who
Gen. 3, when thou hadst sinned didst hear the sentence, Earth thou
art, and unto earth shalt thou return, from thee let truth
spring, that righteousness may look down from heaven. How doth truth spring from thee, whilst thou art a sinner,
whilst thou art unrighteous ? Confess thy sins, and truth shall spring out of thee. For if whilst thou art unrighteous, thou callest thyself just, how can truth spring out of thee ? But if being unrighteous thou dost confess thyself to be so, truth hath sprung out ofthe earth. Remark that Publican
praying in the Temple far off from the Pharisee, who did not
righteousness
Righteousness looks dourn from Heaven in answer. 181
even dare lo lift up his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon v<<r.
his breast, saying, Lord, be merciful to me a sinner: lo,
truth hath sprung out of the earth, because confession of
sins hath been made by man. What follows then ? Verily Lukeis, /say unto you, that that Publican went down to his house l3- 14,
justified rather than the Pharisee : for " every one that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be easalted. " Truth is sprung out of the earth, in confession of sins : and righteousness hath looked down
from heaven, so that this Publican went down justified rather than the Pharisee. For that ye may know that
truth belongeth to confession of sins, John the Evangelist
says, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and truth is not in us. Hear him now how he goes
on to say how truth springs out of the earth, that righteous
ness may look down from heaven : If we confess our sins, l John He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to1'9' cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Therefore, Truth is sprung out of the earth, and righteousness hath looked down
from heaven. What righteousness hath looked down from heaven? It is that of God, as though He said : Let us spare this man, for he spareth not himself : let us pardon him, for he himself confesseth. He is changed so as to punish
his sin: I too will change, so as to set him free. Truth is sprung out of the earth, and righteousness hath looked down from heaven.
15. Ver. 12. For the Lord shall give sweetness, and our land shall yield her fruit. There is one verse left : I hope you will not be tired with what I have to say. Listen, brethren, to a subject which is necessary to understand :
listen, comprehend, carry it away with you, and let not the seed of God be without effect in your hearts. Truth, he saith, is sprung out of the earth, confession of sins, that from men and righteousness hath looked down from heaven,
that is, justification has been given by the Lord God to him who confesses, that the wicked may acknowledge that he cannot become godly except He make him so unto Whom
he confesses, except he believe in Him Who justijwth theRom ungodly. Thy own sins therefore thou canst have good 6-
Oxf, Mss. That he wicked and cannot. '
12'
>>
'
is
:
4,
'
is,
:
182 God giveth a sweetness in working righteousness.
Psalm fruit thou canst have none of, except He give it thee, unto l,IxT' Whom thou makest confession. Therefore when he had said, Truth is sprung out of the earth, and righteousness hath
looked down from heaven, as if he were asked, What is it that thou saidst, Righteousness hath looked down from heaven; he continues, For the Lord shall give sweetness, and our land shall give her increase. Let us therefore look back upon ourselves: and if we find in ourselves nothing but sins, let us hate sins, and long for righteousness. For when we have begun to hate sins, that very hatred of sins straightway begins to make us like God, because we hate that which God also hateth. When therefore thou hast begun to hate sins and to confess to God, when unlawful delights hurry thee away, and draw thee to those things which profit not, make complaint to God : and confessing unto Him thy sins, thou shalt deserve from Him delight, and He will give uuto thee the sweetness of working righteousness, so that righ teousness shall begin to delight thee, whom before unrigh
teousness delighted: so that thou who at first didst delight m drunkenness, shalt rejoice in sobriety: and thou who didst at first rejoice in theft, so as to take from another man what thou hadst not, shalt seek to give to him that hath not that which thou hast: and thou who didst take delight in robbing, shalt delight now in giving : thou whom shows delighted, shalt delight in prayer; thou who didst delight in trifling and lascivious songs, shalt now delight in singing hymns to God ; in running to church, thou who at first didst run to the theatre. Whence is that sweetness bom to thee, except from this, that God giveth sweetness, and our land shall give her increase? For, behold, ye see what
I mean : behold, I have spoken unto you the word of God, I have sown seed in your devout hearts, finding your souls furrowed, as it were, with the plough of confession: with devout attention ye have received the seed ; think now upon the word which ye have heard, like those who break up the clods, lest the fowls should carry away the seed, that what is sown may be able to spring up there: and unless God rain upon what profits that sown? This what meant by the Lord shall give sweetness, and ovs land shall give her increase. May He with His visitations,
is
it,
it
it is
is
Just confession makes a way for God's steps. 183
in leisure, in business, in your house, in your bed, at meal- Ver. time, in conversation, in walks, visit your hearts, when we ------ are not by. May the rain of God come and make to sprout
what is sown there: and when we are not by, and are resting
quietly, or otherwise employed, may God give increase to the
seeds which we have sown, that remarking afterwards improved characters, we too may rejoice for your fruit. For the Lord shall give sweetness, and our land shall give her
increase.
16. Ver. 14. For righteousness shall go before him, and
he shall direct his steps in the way: that righteousness, namely, which consists in confession of sins: for this is truth itself. For thou oughtest to be righteous towards thyself, and to punish thyself: for this is the beginning of man's righteousness, that thou shouldest punish thyself, who art
Him a way, in confession of sins. Therefore J
ohn too, when he was baptizing in the water of repentance, and would have men come to him repenting of their former deeds, spoke
thus; Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Matt. 3, Thou didst please thyself in thy sins, O man : let that which
thou wast displease thee, that thou mayest be able to become
what thou wast not. Prepare the way of the Lord : let that righteousness go before, of confession of sins : He will come
and visit thee, for He shall place His steps in the way: for now He hath where to place His steps, He hath whereby He may come to thee. Before thou didst confess thy sins, thou hadst shut up the way of God : there was no way by which He might come unto thee. Confess thy past life, and thou openest a way ; and Christ shall come unto thee, and shall place His steps in the way, that He may guide thee with His own footsteps.
your
evil, and God should make thee good. Therefore since this is the beginning of man's righteousness, this becomes a way for God, that God may come unto thee : there make for
Lax. lxxxv.
PSALM LXXXVI.
184
A Sermon to the people on the vigil of a festival, perhaps of St. Cyprian, delivered at Carthage,
No greater gift could God have given to men than in making His Word, by Which He created all things, their Head, and joining them to Him as His members: that the Son of God might become also the Son of man, one God with the Father, one Man with men ; so that when we speak to God in prayer for mercy, we do not separate the Son from Him; and when the Body of the Son prays, it separates not its Head from itself : and it is one Saviour of His Body,
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who both prays for us, and prays in us, and is prayed to by us. He prays for us, as our Priest; He prays in us, as our Head ; He is prayed to by us, as our God. Let us therefore recognise in Him our words, and His words in us. Nor when any thing is said of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially in prophecy, implying a degree of humility below the dignity of God, let us hesitate to ascribe it to Him Who did not hesitate to join Himself unto us. For unto Him all creation is subject, since by Him all creation was made. And, therefore, when we behold His sublime and divine nature, when we hear,
John I, [n tlie beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. I7ie Same was in the begin
ning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made : gazing upon this divine nature of the Son of God, far surpassing and exceeding all the most sublime things of creation, we hear Him then in some part of Scripture groaning, praying, con fessing ; and we hesitate to ascribe unto Him these words, because our thoughts are reluctant to descend from that late contemplation of His divine nature, to this His humble condition, and seem almost to do Him injury, if they recog nise in a man His words, unto Whom as to God they were directing words of prayer, they often remain doubtful, and try to change the understanding, and yet they meet with nothing in the Scripture but what reverts ever to Him, and suffers them not to turn aside from Him. They ought, there
Words of our Lord as Man, and as One with His Body. 1 85
fore to rouse themselves, and thoroughly wake up in their Ver. faith; then they would see, that He Whom they were a little --- before contemplating in the form of God, look upon HimselfPMl- 3, the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of man ; ' 8' and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself,
and became obedient unto death ; and it was His will to
make the words of the Psalm His own words, as He hung
upon the Cross, and said, My God, My God, why hast Thou Ps- 22,
forsaken Me? He is prayed to in the form of God, in the'' form of a servant He prayeth ; there the Creator, here created ; assuming unchanged the creature, that it might be changed, and making us with Himself one Man, Head and Body. Therefore we pray to Him, through Him, in Him ; and we speak with Him, and He speaks with us ; we speak
in Him, He speaks in us the prayer of this Psalm, which is entitled, A Prayer ofDavid. For our Lord was, according to the flesh, the Son of David ; but according to His divine nature, the Lord of David, and his Maker; and not only before David, but also before Abraham, from whom David came ; and also before Adam, from whom were all men ; and also before heaven and earth, in which are all creatures. Let no one then, when he hears these words, say, Christ speaketh not ; nor again say, I speak not ; nay rather, if he
own himself to be in the Body of Christ, let him say both, Christ speaks, and I speak. Be thou unwilling to say any
thing without Him, and He saith nothing without thee.
Have w e not this in the Gospel ? There where it is certainly written, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word wasioha l, with God, and the Word was God. All things were made l?
by Him; there certainly we have, Jesus was sorrowful, Mat. 26,
Jesus was wearied, Jesus slept, Jesus was hungry and was V\ thirsty, Jesus prayed, and continued in prayer all night. 6.
He prayed, says the Gospel, and He continued in prayer ; 94^**- 8' and there ran down over His body great drops of blood. Matt. 4, What did that shew, when drops of blood ran down from Luke. 6, His body as He prayed, but that His body, which is the L2u'le22
Church, was already flowing with the blood of martyrs ? 44. 2. Ver. I . Bow down Thine ear, O Lord, and hear me. He speaks in the form of a servant : speak thou, O servant, in the form of thy Lord : Bow down Thine ear, O Lord. He
180 God bows His ear to the humble, rich or poor.
Psalm bows down His ear, if thou dost not lift up thy neck : for limm. unto ^e ilum|ile pje draweth near : from him that is exalted He removes afar off, except whom He Himself hath exalted from being humble. God then bows down His ear unto us.
For He is above, we below: He id a high place, we in a Bom. 6, lowly one, yet not deserted. For, God sheweth His love
8
ib. 7.
towards us: for while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. For scarcely for a just man will one die: yet for a good man peradventure one would even dare to die: but our Lord died for the wicked. For no merits of ours had gone before, for which the Son of God should die : but the more, because there were no merits, was His mercy great. How sure then, how firm is the promise, by which for the righteous He keepeth His life, Who for the wicked gave His owIn death !
Bow down Thine ear, 0 Lord, and hear me : for
and in misery. To the rich then He boweth not down His ear : unto the poor and him that is in misery He boweth down His ear, that is, unto the humble, and him that confesseth, uuto him that is in need of mercy : not unto him that is full, who lifteth up himself and boasteth,as if he wanted nothing,
I thank Thee that lam not as this Publican. For
Lukeis, and saith,
1--13' the rich Pharisee boasted of his merits : the poor Publican
confessed his sins.
3. Yet do not take what I have said, my brethren, in such
a way, as if God does not hear those who have gold and silver, and a household, and farms, if they happen to be born to this estate, or hold such a rank in the world : only let
l Tim. them remember the Apostle's words : Charge those who are ' ' rich in this world, that they be not highminded. For those that are not highminded are poor in God, and to the poor
and needy and those in want He inclines His ear. For they know that their hope is not in gold and silver, nor in those things in which for a time they seem to abound. It is enough that riches ruin them not ; it is enough that they do them no harm : for good they can do them none. What certainly profiteth is a work of mercy, done by a rich or by a poor man: by a rich man, with will and deed, by a poor man, with will alone. When therefore he is such an one as despiseth in himself every thing which is wont to swell men with pride, he is one of God's poor : He inclines unto him
am poor
Abraham, though rich, humble be/ore God. 1 87
His ear, for He knows that his heart is contrite. It is true, Vrr. my brethren, that that poor man, who lay full of sores before La^16 the rich man's door, was taken away by Angels into Abraham's 19--24. ' bosom : so we read, so we believe : but that rich man who
Was clothed in purple and fine linen, and who feasted in splendour every day, was taken away to hell to be tormented.
Was it really for the merit of his poverty that the poor man
was carried away by Angels, or was it for the sin of his
riches that the rich man was sent away to be tormented ? In
that poor man is signified the honour which is paid to humility, in that rich man the condemnation which awaits
pride. I will prove shortly that it was not riches but pride
which was tormented in that rich man. It is certain that the
poor man was carried into the bosom of Abraham : of Abraham himself Scripture saith that he had here very much Gen. 13,
gold and silver, and was rich on the earth. If every one2-
that is rich is hurried away to be tormented, how could Abraham have gone before that poor man, so as to be ready
to receive him when carried to his bosom ? But Abraham in
his riches was poor, humble, reverencing all commands, and obeying them. So true was it that he counted all those
riches for nothing, that on God's command he was ready
to sacrifice his son, for whom he was keeping his riches, aTM. 22, Learn therefore ye to be poor and needy, whether ye have ,0,
any thing in this world, or whether ye have not. For you
may find a poor man proud, and a rich man you may find confessing. God resisteth the proud, both those clothed all James in silk, and those in rags: to the humble He giveth grace,*'6' both those who have some of this world's goods, and those
who have not. God looketh within : there He weigheth,
there He trieth in the balance : thou seest not God's scales,
thy mind is raised to behold it. See, the desert of his being heard, that is, the cause why he was heard he places herein, saying, For I
lest thou be not poor and in misery, if so thou art not, thou shalt not be heard. Whatever there is around thee,
or in thee, for which thou mightest presume, cast it from
thee : presume not thou in aught but in God : be thou in need of Him, that thou mayest be filled with Him. For
am poor and in misery. Take care
188 Christ's Body holy by communication from Him.
