Apply a remedial purgation, as it were fire, to my
pleasures
and thoughts.
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v1
Take away your gates, ye princes.
Let us go
hence straightway into heaven. Again, let the Prophet's trumpet cry aloud, " Take away too, ye princes of the air,
the gates, which ye have in the minds of men who worship 2 Kings
'
10. Ver. 10. Who is this King ofglory? What! dost thou
too, prince of the power of this air, marvel and ask, Who is Eph. 2,2. this King ofglory? The Lord ofpowers, He is the King of
glory. Yea, His Body now quickened, He Who was tempted marches above thee ; He Who was tempted by the angel,
the deceiver, goes above all angels. Let none of yon put himself before us and stop our way, that he may be wor shipped as a god by us: neither principality, nor angel, Rom. 8, nor power, separateth us from the love of Christ. It is good
the host of heaven. " And be ye lift up, ye everlasting gates. And be ye lift up, ye doors of everlasting righteousness, of love, and chastity, through which the soul loveth the One True God, and goeth not a whoring with the many, that are called gods. And the King of glory shall come in. And the King of glory shall come in, that He may at the right hand of the Father intercede for us.
'
118 to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in prince that he9.
? who glorieth, should glory in the Lord. These indeed are 31. powers in the administration of this world, but the Lord of
powers, He is the King of glory.
have overcome the Johnie,
' '
a
;
Ps'
Lat. XXIV.
170 All trust vain but that in God's mercy.
PSALM XXV.
To the end, a Psalm ofDavid himseij.
1 . Christ speaks, but in the person of the Church : for what is said has reference rather to the Christian People turned unto God. I up my soul:
2. Ver. 1. Unto Thee, O Lord, have lift
with spiritual longing have I lift up the soul, that was trodden down on the earth wIith carnal longings. (Ver. 2. )
0 my God, in Thee I trust, shall not be ashamed. O my God, from trusting in myself I was brought even to this weakness of the flesh; and I who on abandoning God wished to be as God, fearing death from the smallest insect, was in derision Iashamed for my pride; now, therefore, in Thee
shall not be ashamed.
3. And let not my enemies mock me. And let them not
mock me, who by ensnaring me with " serpent-like and secret suggestions, and prompting me with, Well done, well done," have brought me down to this. (Ver. 3. ) For all that wait upon Thee shall not be confounded.
4. Let them be confounded who do vain things unrighte
ously. Let them be confounded who act unrighteously for
the acquiring things that pass away. (Ver. 4. ) Make Thy Mat. 7, ways, O Lord, known to me, and teach me Thy paths : not
those which are broad, and lead the many to destruction; but Thy paths, narrow, and known to few, teach Thou me.
1 trust,
5. Ver. 5. In Thy truth guide me: avoiding error. And teach me : for by myself I know nothing, but falsehood. For Thou art the God of my salvation ; and for Thee have
Lukei5, /waited all the day. For dismissed by Thee from Paradise, and having taken my journey into a far country, I cannot by myself return, unless Thou meetest the wanderer : for my return hath throughout the whole tract of this world's time waited for Thy mercy.
6. Ver. 6. Remember Thy compassions, O Lord. Re member the works of Thy mercy, O Lord ; for men deem of Thee as though Thou hadst forgotten. And that Thy mercies are from eternity. And remember this, that Thy mercies
God's mercy and judgment. His ways in Christ. 171
Ver,
are from eternity. For Thou never wast without them,
Who hast subjected even sinful man to vanity indeed, but in i~10' hope; and hast not deprived him of so many and great 20. consolations of Thy creation.
7. Ver. 7. Remember not the offences of my youth, and of my ignorance. The offences of my presumptuous boldness and of my ignorance reserve not for vengeance, but let them be as if forgotten by Thee. According to Thy mercy, be mindful ofme, O God. Be mindful indeed of me, not according to the anger of which I am worthy, but according to Thy mercy which is worthy of Thee. For Thy goodness, O Lord. Not for my deservings, but for Thy goodness, O Lord.
8. Ver. 8. Gracious and upright is the Lord. The Lord is gracious, since even sinners and the ungodly He so pitied, as to forgive all that is past ; but the Lord is upright too, Who after the mercy of vocation and pardon, which is of grace without merit, will require merits meet for the last judgment. Wherefore He will establish a law for them thatfail in the way. For He hath first bestowed mercy to bring them into the way.
9. Ver. 9. He will guide the meek in judgment. He will
guide the meek, and will not confound in the judgment those,
that follow His will, and do not, in withstanding It, prefer
their own. The gentle He will teach His ways. He will teach His ways, not to those that desire to run before, as if
they were better able to rule themselves ; but to those who
do not exalt the neck, nor lift the heel, when the easy yokeMat. 11,
30,
and the light burden is laid upon them.
10. Ver. 10. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and
truth. And what ways will He teach them, but mercy wherein He is placable, and truth wherein He is incorrupt ?
Whereof He hath exhibited the one in forgiving sins, the other in judging deserts. And therefore ' all the ways of the Lord' are the two advents of the Son of God, the one in mercy, the other in judgment. He then attaineth unto Him holding on His ways, who seeing himself freed by no deserts of his own, lays pride aside, and henceforward bewares of the severity of His trial, having experienced the clemency
of His help. testimonies.
To them that seek His testament and His For they understand the Lord as merciful at
172 Pardon of manifold sin. Wholesome fear. Safety in God.
Psalm His first advent, and as the Judge at His second, who in meek- XXVl ness and gentleness seek His testament, when with His Own Blood He redeemed us to a new life; and in the
Prophets and Evangelists, His testimonies.
11. Ver. 11. For Thy Name's sake, O Lord, Thou wilt
be favourable to my sin ; for it is manifold. Thou hast not only forgiven my sins, which 1 committed before I believed ; but also to my sin, which is manifold, since even in the way there is no lack of stumbling, Thou wilt be made favourable by the sacrifice of a troubled spirit.
12. Ver. 12. Who is the man, that feareth the Lord? from which fear he begins to come to wisdom. He shall establish a law for him in the way, which he hath chosen. He shall establish a law for him in the way, which in his free dom he has taken, that he may not sin now with impunity.
13. Ver. 13. 1 lis soul shall dwell in good, and his seed shall, by inheritance, possess the earth. And his work shall possess the stable inheritance of a renewed body.
14. Ver. 14. The Lord is the stay of them that fear Him. Fear seems to belong to the weak, but the Lord is the stay of them that fear Him. And the Name of the Lord, which hath been glorified throughout the whole world, is a stay to them that fear Him. And His testament, that it may be manifested unto them. And He maketh His testament to be manifested unto them, for the Gentiles and the bounds of the earth are-Christ's inheritance. .
15. Ver. 15. Mine eyes are ever unto the Lord; for He shall pluck my feet out of the snare. Nor would I fear the dangers of earth, while I look not upon the earth : for He, upon Whom I look, will pluck my feet out of the snare.
16I. Ver. 16. Look upon me, and have mercy upon me ;
am single and For I a
for poor. am single people,
keeping the lowliness of Thy single Church, which no schisms or heresies possess.
17. Ver. 17. The tribulations of my heart have been
multiplied. The tribulations of my heart have been multi-
Mat. 34, plied by the abounding of iniquity and the waxing cold of love.
12,
O bring Thou me out of my necessities. Since I must needs bear this, that by enduring unto the end I may be saved, bring Thou me out of my necessities.
The Church prays to be freed from enemies, and mixture of evil. 173
18. Ver. 18. See my humility and my travail. See iny Vek. humility, whereby I never, in the boast of righteousness, ~ break off from unity ; and my travail, wherein 1 bear with
the unruly ones that are mingled with me. And forgive all
my sins. And, propitiated by these sacrifices, forgive all my sins, not those only of youth and my ignorance before
1 believed, but those also which, living now
I commit through infirmity, or the darkness of this life.
19. Ver. 19. Consider mine enemies, how they are multi plied. For not only without, but even within, in the Church's very communion, they are not wanting. And with an unrighteous hate they hate me. And they hate me who love them.
they
have put my trust in Thee.
me not be confounded, for
Let me not be confounded, if haply they rise up against me : for not in myself, but in Thee have I put my trust.
same innocence and uprightness cleave to me : for
not fallen away to imitate the evil ; but I have waited for Thee, expecting the winnowing of Thy last harvest.
by faith,
20. Ver. 20. Keep my soul, and deliver me.
soul, that I turn not aside to imitate them ; and draw me out from the confusion wherein I are mingled with me. Let
21. Ver. I21. The innocent and the upright have cleaved
have waited Thee, O Lord. The innocent to me, for for
and the upright, not in bodily presence only, as the evil, are mingled with me, but in the agreement of the heart in the
22. Ver. 22. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Redeem Thy people, O God, whom Thou hast prepared to see Thee, out of his troubles, not those only which he bears without, but those also which he bears within.
PSALM XXVI. Lat. XXV.
FIRST EXPOSITION.
Of David himself .
1 . It may be attributed to David himself, not the Mediator,
the Man Christ Jesus, but the whole Church now perfectly established in Christ.
Keep my
I have
pracro- gas"'
Thou first shewedst me, I have some desert of my innocence, the way whereof 1 have kept. And trusting in the Lord Ishall not be moved. And yet not even so trusting in my self, but in the Lord, I shall abide in Him.
3. Ver. 2. Prove me, O Lord, and try me. Lest, however, any of my secret sins should be hid from me, prove me, 0 Lord, and try me, making me known, not to Thee from Whom nothing is hid, but to myself, and to men. Burn my reins and my heart.
Apply a remedial purgation, as it were fire, to my pleasures and thoughts. (Ver. 3. ) For Thy mercy is before mine eyes. For, that I be not consumed by that fire, not my merits, but Thy mercy, whereby Thou hast brought me on to such a life, is before my eyes. And 1 have been pleasing in Thy truth. And since my own falsehood hath been displeasing to me, but Thy truth pleasing, I have myself been pleasing also with it and in it.
174 Cleansing desired, wickedness renounced, to be with God.
I
'innocence. Judge me, O Lord, for, after the mercy which
2. Ver. 1. Judge me, O Lord, for
have walked in my
/
have not sat with the council
vanity.
4. Ver. 4.
1 have not chosen to give my heart to them who endeavour to provide, what is impossible, how they may be blessed in
Iwill not enter in with them that work wickedly. And since this is the very
the enjoyment of things transitory. And
cause of all wickedness, therefore I will not have my con science hid, with them that work wickedly.
/
evil doers. But to arrive at this council of vanity, congregIations of evil
5. Ver. 5.
have hated the congregation
of
doers are formed, which I have hated. And
with the ungodly. And, therefore, with such a council, with the ungodly, I will not sit, that is, I will not place my consent. And * wiU not sit with the ungodly.
placi-
coUo-n? n cabo.
mia tus. q ? orrf I 7. Ver. 7. That
/ will wash mine hands
I will make clean my works among the innocent : among the innocent will I wash mine hands
6. Ver. 6.
amid the innocent.
will
nubli- brace Thy glorious gifts. And compass Thy altar,
I
all Thy wondrous works. And after I have learnt, I may set
I may learn how to praise Thee. And that forth all Thy wondrous works.
may
declare
I, with which I shall em-
hear the voice That may of Thy praise.
of
will not sit
Holiness, innocencies, and love, in the House of God. 175
8. Ver. 8. O Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house : Ver. of Thy Church. And the place of the habitation of Thy -- ' '
glory : where Thou dwellest, and art glorified.
9. Ver. 9. Destroy not my soul with the ungodly. De
stroy not then, together with them that hate Thee, my soul, which hath loved the beauty of Thy house. And my life with the men of blood. And with them that hate their neighbour. For Thy house is beautified with the two com mandments.
10. Ver. 10. In whose hands is wickedness. Destroy me
not then with the ungodly and the men of blood, whose
works are wicked. Their right hand is full of gifts. And
that which was given them to obtain eternal salvation, they
have converted into the receiving this world's gifts, supposing iTim. 6, that godliness is a trade.
11. Ver. 11. But I
deliver me, and have mercy on me. Let so great a price of my Lord's Blood avail for my complete deliverance : and in the dangers of this life let not Thy mercy leave me.
have walked in mine innocence:
12. Ver. 12. My foot hath stood in uprightness. My love hIath not withdrawn from Thy righteousness. In the Churches will bless Thee, O Lord. I will not hide Thy blessing, O Lord, from those whom Thou hast called ; for next to the
love of Thee 1 join the love of my neighbour.
PSALM XXVI. SECOND EXPOSITION.
x^
1. When the Apostle Paul was being read, ye heard, as
we did, holy Brethren: As, saith he, the truth is in Jesus,Eph. 4, that ye lay aside after the former conversation the old man,21-24' who is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; but be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put ye on the neio
man, which after \God hath been created in righteousness
and holiness of truth. And lest any one should suppose that
any thing material is to be laid aside, as one takes off a coat;
1 76 The Old and New Man. Even Heathens our Neighbours.
Psalm or any thing to be taken from without, as one takes up a Exp. it. garment ; as if putting aside one coat and assuming another;
and this carnal understanding of it should not allow men to carry into action within themselves spiritually what the Apostle enjoined, he went on and explained what it was to put the old man off one, and put on the new. For the rest of this lesson relates to the idea. He speaks as if to one asking, And how am I to put off the old man, or how put on the new ? Am I myself a third person to lay aside the old man, which I have had, and to take a new man, which 1 have not had ? so that three men should be conceived, and he that lays aside the old man and takes the new, should be
between the other two. Lest any one then, hindered by such a carnal thought, should fail to do what is commanded, and excuse himself for not doing it by the obscurity of the lesson,
Ephes. the Apostle says in the following words: Wherefore laying
'
4'
aside lying, speak ye the truth. And, lo, this is the laying
aside the old man, and the putting on the new.
laying aside lying, speak ye the truth, every one with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
2. But let not any one of you, Brethren, imagine that truth must be spoken with a Christian, and falsehood with a pagan. Speak with thy neighbour. He is thy neighbour, who is with thee a child of Adam and Eve. We are all neighbours by the lot of our earthly birth: but brethren after another manner by the hope of an heavenly inheritance. Thou oughtest to deem every man thy neighbour, even
before he be a Christian. For thou knowest not what he is, with God; thou knowest not how God may have foreknown him. Sometimes he, at whom thou scoffest as worshipping stones, is converted, and worshippeth God, perchance more devoutly than thyself, who wast but just now scoffing at him. There are then neighbours of ours lying hid among those, who are not as yet in the Church ; and there are those lying hid in the Church, who are far from us. And therefore let us, who know not things future, regard every one as our neighbour, not only by the lot of human mortality, whereby we came into this world under the same condition ; but also by the hope of that inheritance, since we know not what he is to be, who now is nothing.
Wherefore
Ch risl, our Sun, sets to us when we cherish evil. 177
3. Attend then to what follows in the putting on the new Ver.
26'
with reference to time: because although from the very con
dition of our humanity, and weakness of our mortal nature, which we bear, wrath doth steal upon the Christian, yet it
must not be long retained, nor last to the second day. Cast
it out of the heart, before this visible light go down, lest that
light invisible abandon thee. But, it is also well understood
in another sense, for that Christ, the Truth, is our Sun of Righteousness; not this sun, which is worshipped by Pagans
and Manichaeans, and is seen by sinners even ; but that other
Sun, by Whose truth human nature is enlightened, at Which
the Angels rejoice: but the weakened vision of the heart of
man, although it quails beneath His rays, is purified never
theless to contemplate Him by His commands. When this Sun
hath begun to dwell in a man by faith, let not the wrath, which
is born within thee, so far prevail against thee, that it should
go down upon thy wrath, that is, that Christ should abandon
thy soul ; for Christ will not dwell with thy wrath. For He seemeth as it were to go down from thee, when thou dost
go down from Him : for anger, when it hath become inveterate, becomes hatred; when it hath become hatred, thou art at
once a murderer. For as the Apostle John saith, Whosoever u0hn3, hateth his brother is a murderer. Again he saith, that everyone
that hateth his brother abideth in darkness. And no wonder he abide in darkness, from whom the Sun hath gone down.
4. To this too, perhaps, refers what ye have heard in the Gospel. The ship was in jeopardy in the lake, and Jesuszu\e6, was asleep. We too are sailing through lake, so to say, 3.
and there no want of wind and tempest: our ship almost filled through the daily temptations of this life. And whence comes but because Jesus asleep If Jesus were not asleep within thee, thou wouldest not be exposed to these storms; but wouldest have calm " within, through Jesus watching with thee. But what Jesus sleepeth Thy
N
man, and putting off the old man. Laying aside, saith he, lying, speak ye the truth, every one with his neighbour: for
we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not.
If thou art angry with thy servant, because he hath sinned ;
be angry with thyself, lest thou sin also. Let not the sun go ih,26. doion upon thy wrath. It is understood, Brethren, it is true,
is is
? "
is
it,
is
?
a
if
9. j8.
178 Storms trouble us when our faith in Christ sleeps.
Psalm faith which is of Jesus, hath fallen asleep. The tempests of ExpJL tnis lake arlse, tl1ou seest evu men flourishing lhe good in trouble; it is a temptation, it is a wave. And thy soul saith, O God, is this Thy justice, that the evil should flourish, the good be in trouble? thousayest to God," Is this Thy justice? "
and God to thee, " Is this thy faith? " For have I promised thee this? wertthou made a Christian for this, that thou shouldest flourish in this life ? Art thou tormented, because the evil flourish here, who shall, hereafter, be tormented with the devil ? But why speakest thou thus ? why art thou dis turbed by the waves of the sea, and the storm ? Because Jesus is asleep, that is, because thy faith, which is of Jesus, hath been laid asleep in thine heart. What doest thou that thou mayest be delivered ? Awake Jesus, and say, Master, we perish. For the doubtful dangers of the deep alarm us, we perish. He will awake, that thy faith will return to thee; and with His help, thou wilt consider in thy soul, that what for a time, given to the evil, will not abide with them. For either will leave them, while they live, or left by them when they die. But what promised to thee, will abide for ever. What granted them for time, soon taken away. For hath flourished as the flower of the
is. 40, grass. For all flesh grass: the grass wither eth, and tfie flower falleth, but the word of the Lord abideth for ever. Turn therefore the back upon that which falleth, and the face to that which abideth. Now that Christ awake, the storm
shall no more shake thy heart, the waves shall not fill thy bark for thy faith commands the winds and the waves, and the danger shall pass away. For to this, Brethren, all that belongs, which the Apostle saith of putting off the old man.
^Ph. 4' Be ye angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon 28. your wrath neither give place to the devil. The old man then did give place, let not the new. He that stole, let him steal no more. The old man then did steal, let not the new.
It the same man, one man was Adam, let Christ: was the old man, let be the new; and so on with what follows there.
5. But let us examine the Psalm somewhat more carefully, because when anyone hath made progress in the Church, he must needs endure evil men in the Church. But the man
ib. 24.
be
it
is
:
it
;
is, it
it is
it
: it
is
is,
it
is is
is
is
is
a
The corn hard to see, while mixed with the chaff. 179
who is such does not recognise them, although many evil men Intro. murmur against the evil, just as one man in health bears more
easily with two sick men, than two sick men with one another. Therefore, Brethren, we give this charge,The Church of the time present is a threshing-floor: we have often said we often re
peat it. It contains both chaff and corn. Let no man look for all the chaff to go out thence, save in the time of winnowing. Let no man leave the floor before the time of winnowing, as if in his unwillingness to endure sinners; lest being found without the floor, he be picked up by the birds, before he enter into the barn. Now, Brethren, mark how we would enforce this. When the corn has begun to be threshed, the grains, amidst the chaff, do not touch each other as though they did not know each other, because of the intervention of the chaff. And any one who looks at floor at some little distance, thinks there nothing but chaff; except he look more narrowly, except he put forth his hand, except he make separation by the breath of his mouth, that
by a purifying wind, he hardly attains to distinguish the grains. Therefore sometimes even the very grains are so separated as were from each other, and not touching one another, that any one, when he has made progress, may think
that he alone. This thought, Brethren, tempted Elias, so great man and he said to God, as the Apostle also records, They have killed Thy prophets, and digged down Thine altars; Rom. and am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith
Kings the answer God to him hate reserved to Myself seven 19, 10.
thousand men, who have not bowed the knee before Baal. He said not to him, Thou hast two or three others like thyself. Do not deem thyself alone. There are, saith He, seven thousand others and dost thou deem thyself alone Accordingly this briefly we enjoin, as had begun to say. Do ye, holy Brethren, give heed with me, and may God's mercy be with us in our hearts, that may be so understood by you, as to bear fruit, and work in you. Hear briefly: Whosoever still evil, let him not deem that no one good whosoever good, let him not deem that he only good. Do ye apprehend this Lo, repeat mark ye how say: Whosoever evil, let him not in questioning his own con science, and receiving bad report of himself, imagine that
B
is is is of
a? ; is
I 2
? I it
it,
I
a
:
I is is it
: ? i is,
I
is
a
a it
;
it is
it,
180 Desire of the righteous to be separated by judgment.
Psalm no one is good : whosoever is good, let him not imagine that ? XpUhe only is good; and let not the good man fear in the mixture with the evil, for the time will come that he shall be separated from them. For to this end we have sung to-day,
ver. 9, Destroy not my soul with the ungodly, and my life with the men of blood. For what is, Destroy not with the ungodly ? Destroy not together. Why doth he fear, lest God should destroy him together? For I see that it is said to God, Because Thou sufferest us now together, destroy not together those whom Thou sufferest together.
hence straightway into heaven. Again, let the Prophet's trumpet cry aloud, " Take away too, ye princes of the air,
the gates, which ye have in the minds of men who worship 2 Kings
'
10. Ver. 10. Who is this King ofglory? What! dost thou
too, prince of the power of this air, marvel and ask, Who is Eph. 2,2. this King ofglory? The Lord ofpowers, He is the King of
glory. Yea, His Body now quickened, He Who was tempted marches above thee ; He Who was tempted by the angel,
the deceiver, goes above all angels. Let none of yon put himself before us and stop our way, that he may be wor shipped as a god by us: neither principality, nor angel, Rom. 8, nor power, separateth us from the love of Christ. It is good
the host of heaven. " And be ye lift up, ye everlasting gates. And be ye lift up, ye doors of everlasting righteousness, of love, and chastity, through which the soul loveth the One True God, and goeth not a whoring with the many, that are called gods. And the King of glory shall come in. And the King of glory shall come in, that He may at the right hand of the Father intercede for us.
'
118 to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in prince that he9.
? who glorieth, should glory in the Lord. These indeed are 31. powers in the administration of this world, but the Lord of
powers, He is the King of glory.
have overcome the Johnie,
' '
a
;
Ps'
Lat. XXIV.
170 All trust vain but that in God's mercy.
PSALM XXV.
To the end, a Psalm ofDavid himseij.
1 . Christ speaks, but in the person of the Church : for what is said has reference rather to the Christian People turned unto God. I up my soul:
2. Ver. 1. Unto Thee, O Lord, have lift
with spiritual longing have I lift up the soul, that was trodden down on the earth wIith carnal longings. (Ver. 2. )
0 my God, in Thee I trust, shall not be ashamed. O my God, from trusting in myself I was brought even to this weakness of the flesh; and I who on abandoning God wished to be as God, fearing death from the smallest insect, was in derision Iashamed for my pride; now, therefore, in Thee
shall not be ashamed.
3. And let not my enemies mock me. And let them not
mock me, who by ensnaring me with " serpent-like and secret suggestions, and prompting me with, Well done, well done," have brought me down to this. (Ver. 3. ) For all that wait upon Thee shall not be confounded.
4. Let them be confounded who do vain things unrighte
ously. Let them be confounded who act unrighteously for
the acquiring things that pass away. (Ver. 4. ) Make Thy Mat. 7, ways, O Lord, known to me, and teach me Thy paths : not
those which are broad, and lead the many to destruction; but Thy paths, narrow, and known to few, teach Thou me.
1 trust,
5. Ver. 5. In Thy truth guide me: avoiding error. And teach me : for by myself I know nothing, but falsehood. For Thou art the God of my salvation ; and for Thee have
Lukei5, /waited all the day. For dismissed by Thee from Paradise, and having taken my journey into a far country, I cannot by myself return, unless Thou meetest the wanderer : for my return hath throughout the whole tract of this world's time waited for Thy mercy.
6. Ver. 6. Remember Thy compassions, O Lord. Re member the works of Thy mercy, O Lord ; for men deem of Thee as though Thou hadst forgotten. And that Thy mercies are from eternity. And remember this, that Thy mercies
God's mercy and judgment. His ways in Christ. 171
Ver,
are from eternity. For Thou never wast without them,
Who hast subjected even sinful man to vanity indeed, but in i~10' hope; and hast not deprived him of so many and great 20. consolations of Thy creation.
7. Ver. 7. Remember not the offences of my youth, and of my ignorance. The offences of my presumptuous boldness and of my ignorance reserve not for vengeance, but let them be as if forgotten by Thee. According to Thy mercy, be mindful ofme, O God. Be mindful indeed of me, not according to the anger of which I am worthy, but according to Thy mercy which is worthy of Thee. For Thy goodness, O Lord. Not for my deservings, but for Thy goodness, O Lord.
8. Ver. 8. Gracious and upright is the Lord. The Lord is gracious, since even sinners and the ungodly He so pitied, as to forgive all that is past ; but the Lord is upright too, Who after the mercy of vocation and pardon, which is of grace without merit, will require merits meet for the last judgment. Wherefore He will establish a law for them thatfail in the way. For He hath first bestowed mercy to bring them into the way.
9. Ver. 9. He will guide the meek in judgment. He will
guide the meek, and will not confound in the judgment those,
that follow His will, and do not, in withstanding It, prefer
their own. The gentle He will teach His ways. He will teach His ways, not to those that desire to run before, as if
they were better able to rule themselves ; but to those who
do not exalt the neck, nor lift the heel, when the easy yokeMat. 11,
30,
and the light burden is laid upon them.
10. Ver. 10. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and
truth. And what ways will He teach them, but mercy wherein He is placable, and truth wherein He is incorrupt ?
Whereof He hath exhibited the one in forgiving sins, the other in judging deserts. And therefore ' all the ways of the Lord' are the two advents of the Son of God, the one in mercy, the other in judgment. He then attaineth unto Him holding on His ways, who seeing himself freed by no deserts of his own, lays pride aside, and henceforward bewares of the severity of His trial, having experienced the clemency
of His help. testimonies.
To them that seek His testament and His For they understand the Lord as merciful at
172 Pardon of manifold sin. Wholesome fear. Safety in God.
Psalm His first advent, and as the Judge at His second, who in meek- XXVl ness and gentleness seek His testament, when with His Own Blood He redeemed us to a new life; and in the
Prophets and Evangelists, His testimonies.
11. Ver. 11. For Thy Name's sake, O Lord, Thou wilt
be favourable to my sin ; for it is manifold. Thou hast not only forgiven my sins, which 1 committed before I believed ; but also to my sin, which is manifold, since even in the way there is no lack of stumbling, Thou wilt be made favourable by the sacrifice of a troubled spirit.
12. Ver. 12. Who is the man, that feareth the Lord? from which fear he begins to come to wisdom. He shall establish a law for him in the way, which he hath chosen. He shall establish a law for him in the way, which in his free dom he has taken, that he may not sin now with impunity.
13. Ver. 13. 1 lis soul shall dwell in good, and his seed shall, by inheritance, possess the earth. And his work shall possess the stable inheritance of a renewed body.
14. Ver. 14. The Lord is the stay of them that fear Him. Fear seems to belong to the weak, but the Lord is the stay of them that fear Him. And the Name of the Lord, which hath been glorified throughout the whole world, is a stay to them that fear Him. And His testament, that it may be manifested unto them. And He maketh His testament to be manifested unto them, for the Gentiles and the bounds of the earth are-Christ's inheritance. .
15. Ver. 15. Mine eyes are ever unto the Lord; for He shall pluck my feet out of the snare. Nor would I fear the dangers of earth, while I look not upon the earth : for He, upon Whom I look, will pluck my feet out of the snare.
16I. Ver. 16. Look upon me, and have mercy upon me ;
am single and For I a
for poor. am single people,
keeping the lowliness of Thy single Church, which no schisms or heresies possess.
17. Ver. 17. The tribulations of my heart have been
multiplied. The tribulations of my heart have been multi-
Mat. 34, plied by the abounding of iniquity and the waxing cold of love.
12,
O bring Thou me out of my necessities. Since I must needs bear this, that by enduring unto the end I may be saved, bring Thou me out of my necessities.
The Church prays to be freed from enemies, and mixture of evil. 173
18. Ver. 18. See my humility and my travail. See iny Vek. humility, whereby I never, in the boast of righteousness, ~ break off from unity ; and my travail, wherein 1 bear with
the unruly ones that are mingled with me. And forgive all
my sins. And, propitiated by these sacrifices, forgive all my sins, not those only of youth and my ignorance before
1 believed, but those also which, living now
I commit through infirmity, or the darkness of this life.
19. Ver. 19. Consider mine enemies, how they are multi plied. For not only without, but even within, in the Church's very communion, they are not wanting. And with an unrighteous hate they hate me. And they hate me who love them.
they
have put my trust in Thee.
me not be confounded, for
Let me not be confounded, if haply they rise up against me : for not in myself, but in Thee have I put my trust.
same innocence and uprightness cleave to me : for
not fallen away to imitate the evil ; but I have waited for Thee, expecting the winnowing of Thy last harvest.
by faith,
20. Ver. 20. Keep my soul, and deliver me.
soul, that I turn not aside to imitate them ; and draw me out from the confusion wherein I are mingled with me. Let
21. Ver. I21. The innocent and the upright have cleaved
have waited Thee, O Lord. The innocent to me, for for
and the upright, not in bodily presence only, as the evil, are mingled with me, but in the agreement of the heart in the
22. Ver. 22. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Redeem Thy people, O God, whom Thou hast prepared to see Thee, out of his troubles, not those only which he bears without, but those also which he bears within.
PSALM XXVI. Lat. XXV.
FIRST EXPOSITION.
Of David himself .
1 . It may be attributed to David himself, not the Mediator,
the Man Christ Jesus, but the whole Church now perfectly established in Christ.
Keep my
I have
pracro- gas"'
Thou first shewedst me, I have some desert of my innocence, the way whereof 1 have kept. And trusting in the Lord Ishall not be moved. And yet not even so trusting in my self, but in the Lord, I shall abide in Him.
3. Ver. 2. Prove me, O Lord, and try me. Lest, however, any of my secret sins should be hid from me, prove me, 0 Lord, and try me, making me known, not to Thee from Whom nothing is hid, but to myself, and to men. Burn my reins and my heart.
Apply a remedial purgation, as it were fire, to my pleasures and thoughts. (Ver. 3. ) For Thy mercy is before mine eyes. For, that I be not consumed by that fire, not my merits, but Thy mercy, whereby Thou hast brought me on to such a life, is before my eyes. And 1 have been pleasing in Thy truth. And since my own falsehood hath been displeasing to me, but Thy truth pleasing, I have myself been pleasing also with it and in it.
174 Cleansing desired, wickedness renounced, to be with God.
I
'innocence. Judge me, O Lord, for, after the mercy which
2. Ver. 1. Judge me, O Lord, for
have walked in my
/
have not sat with the council
vanity.
4. Ver. 4.
1 have not chosen to give my heart to them who endeavour to provide, what is impossible, how they may be blessed in
Iwill not enter in with them that work wickedly. And since this is the very
the enjoyment of things transitory. And
cause of all wickedness, therefore I will not have my con science hid, with them that work wickedly.
/
evil doers. But to arrive at this council of vanity, congregIations of evil
5. Ver. 5.
have hated the congregation
of
doers are formed, which I have hated. And
with the ungodly. And, therefore, with such a council, with the ungodly, I will not sit, that is, I will not place my consent. And * wiU not sit with the ungodly.
placi-
coUo-n? n cabo.
mia tus. q ? orrf I 7. Ver. 7. That
/ will wash mine hands
I will make clean my works among the innocent : among the innocent will I wash mine hands
6. Ver. 6.
amid the innocent.
will
nubli- brace Thy glorious gifts. And compass Thy altar,
I
all Thy wondrous works. And after I have learnt, I may set
I may learn how to praise Thee. And that forth all Thy wondrous works.
may
declare
I, with which I shall em-
hear the voice That may of Thy praise.
of
will not sit
Holiness, innocencies, and love, in the House of God. 175
8. Ver. 8. O Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house : Ver. of Thy Church. And the place of the habitation of Thy -- ' '
glory : where Thou dwellest, and art glorified.
9. Ver. 9. Destroy not my soul with the ungodly. De
stroy not then, together with them that hate Thee, my soul, which hath loved the beauty of Thy house. And my life with the men of blood. And with them that hate their neighbour. For Thy house is beautified with the two com mandments.
10. Ver. 10. In whose hands is wickedness. Destroy me
not then with the ungodly and the men of blood, whose
works are wicked. Their right hand is full of gifts. And
that which was given them to obtain eternal salvation, they
have converted into the receiving this world's gifts, supposing iTim. 6, that godliness is a trade.
11. Ver. 11. But I
deliver me, and have mercy on me. Let so great a price of my Lord's Blood avail for my complete deliverance : and in the dangers of this life let not Thy mercy leave me.
have walked in mine innocence:
12. Ver. 12. My foot hath stood in uprightness. My love hIath not withdrawn from Thy righteousness. In the Churches will bless Thee, O Lord. I will not hide Thy blessing, O Lord, from those whom Thou hast called ; for next to the
love of Thee 1 join the love of my neighbour.
PSALM XXVI. SECOND EXPOSITION.
x^
1. When the Apostle Paul was being read, ye heard, as
we did, holy Brethren: As, saith he, the truth is in Jesus,Eph. 4, that ye lay aside after the former conversation the old man,21-24' who is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; but be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put ye on the neio
man, which after \God hath been created in righteousness
and holiness of truth. And lest any one should suppose that
any thing material is to be laid aside, as one takes off a coat;
1 76 The Old and New Man. Even Heathens our Neighbours.
Psalm or any thing to be taken from without, as one takes up a Exp. it. garment ; as if putting aside one coat and assuming another;
and this carnal understanding of it should not allow men to carry into action within themselves spiritually what the Apostle enjoined, he went on and explained what it was to put the old man off one, and put on the new. For the rest of this lesson relates to the idea. He speaks as if to one asking, And how am I to put off the old man, or how put on the new ? Am I myself a third person to lay aside the old man, which I have had, and to take a new man, which 1 have not had ? so that three men should be conceived, and he that lays aside the old man and takes the new, should be
between the other two. Lest any one then, hindered by such a carnal thought, should fail to do what is commanded, and excuse himself for not doing it by the obscurity of the lesson,
Ephes. the Apostle says in the following words: Wherefore laying
'
4'
aside lying, speak ye the truth. And, lo, this is the laying
aside the old man, and the putting on the new.
laying aside lying, speak ye the truth, every one with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
2. But let not any one of you, Brethren, imagine that truth must be spoken with a Christian, and falsehood with a pagan. Speak with thy neighbour. He is thy neighbour, who is with thee a child of Adam and Eve. We are all neighbours by the lot of our earthly birth: but brethren after another manner by the hope of an heavenly inheritance. Thou oughtest to deem every man thy neighbour, even
before he be a Christian. For thou knowest not what he is, with God; thou knowest not how God may have foreknown him. Sometimes he, at whom thou scoffest as worshipping stones, is converted, and worshippeth God, perchance more devoutly than thyself, who wast but just now scoffing at him. There are then neighbours of ours lying hid among those, who are not as yet in the Church ; and there are those lying hid in the Church, who are far from us. And therefore let us, who know not things future, regard every one as our neighbour, not only by the lot of human mortality, whereby we came into this world under the same condition ; but also by the hope of that inheritance, since we know not what he is to be, who now is nothing.
Wherefore
Ch risl, our Sun, sets to us when we cherish evil. 177
3. Attend then to what follows in the putting on the new Ver.
26'
with reference to time: because although from the very con
dition of our humanity, and weakness of our mortal nature, which we bear, wrath doth steal upon the Christian, yet it
must not be long retained, nor last to the second day. Cast
it out of the heart, before this visible light go down, lest that
light invisible abandon thee. But, it is also well understood
in another sense, for that Christ, the Truth, is our Sun of Righteousness; not this sun, which is worshipped by Pagans
and Manichaeans, and is seen by sinners even ; but that other
Sun, by Whose truth human nature is enlightened, at Which
the Angels rejoice: but the weakened vision of the heart of
man, although it quails beneath His rays, is purified never
theless to contemplate Him by His commands. When this Sun
hath begun to dwell in a man by faith, let not the wrath, which
is born within thee, so far prevail against thee, that it should
go down upon thy wrath, that is, that Christ should abandon
thy soul ; for Christ will not dwell with thy wrath. For He seemeth as it were to go down from thee, when thou dost
go down from Him : for anger, when it hath become inveterate, becomes hatred; when it hath become hatred, thou art at
once a murderer. For as the Apostle John saith, Whosoever u0hn3, hateth his brother is a murderer. Again he saith, that everyone
that hateth his brother abideth in darkness. And no wonder he abide in darkness, from whom the Sun hath gone down.
4. To this too, perhaps, refers what ye have heard in the Gospel. The ship was in jeopardy in the lake, and Jesuszu\e6, was asleep. We too are sailing through lake, so to say, 3.
and there no want of wind and tempest: our ship almost filled through the daily temptations of this life. And whence comes but because Jesus asleep If Jesus were not asleep within thee, thou wouldest not be exposed to these storms; but wouldest have calm " within, through Jesus watching with thee. But what Jesus sleepeth Thy
N
man, and putting off the old man. Laying aside, saith he, lying, speak ye the truth, every one with his neighbour: for
we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not.
If thou art angry with thy servant, because he hath sinned ;
be angry with thyself, lest thou sin also. Let not the sun go ih,26. doion upon thy wrath. It is understood, Brethren, it is true,
is is
? "
is
it,
is
?
a
if
9. j8.
178 Storms trouble us when our faith in Christ sleeps.
Psalm faith which is of Jesus, hath fallen asleep. The tempests of ExpJL tnis lake arlse, tl1ou seest evu men flourishing lhe good in trouble; it is a temptation, it is a wave. And thy soul saith, O God, is this Thy justice, that the evil should flourish, the good be in trouble? thousayest to God," Is this Thy justice? "
and God to thee, " Is this thy faith? " For have I promised thee this? wertthou made a Christian for this, that thou shouldest flourish in this life ? Art thou tormented, because the evil flourish here, who shall, hereafter, be tormented with the devil ? But why speakest thou thus ? why art thou dis turbed by the waves of the sea, and the storm ? Because Jesus is asleep, that is, because thy faith, which is of Jesus, hath been laid asleep in thine heart. What doest thou that thou mayest be delivered ? Awake Jesus, and say, Master, we perish. For the doubtful dangers of the deep alarm us, we perish. He will awake, that thy faith will return to thee; and with His help, thou wilt consider in thy soul, that what for a time, given to the evil, will not abide with them. For either will leave them, while they live, or left by them when they die. But what promised to thee, will abide for ever. What granted them for time, soon taken away. For hath flourished as the flower of the
is. 40, grass. For all flesh grass: the grass wither eth, and tfie flower falleth, but the word of the Lord abideth for ever. Turn therefore the back upon that which falleth, and the face to that which abideth. Now that Christ awake, the storm
shall no more shake thy heart, the waves shall not fill thy bark for thy faith commands the winds and the waves, and the danger shall pass away. For to this, Brethren, all that belongs, which the Apostle saith of putting off the old man.
^Ph. 4' Be ye angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon 28. your wrath neither give place to the devil. The old man then did give place, let not the new. He that stole, let him steal no more. The old man then did steal, let not the new.
It the same man, one man was Adam, let Christ: was the old man, let be the new; and so on with what follows there.
5. But let us examine the Psalm somewhat more carefully, because when anyone hath made progress in the Church, he must needs endure evil men in the Church. But the man
ib. 24.
be
it
is
:
it
;
is, it
it is
it
: it
is
is,
it
is is
is
is
is
a
The corn hard to see, while mixed with the chaff. 179
who is such does not recognise them, although many evil men Intro. murmur against the evil, just as one man in health bears more
easily with two sick men, than two sick men with one another. Therefore, Brethren, we give this charge,The Church of the time present is a threshing-floor: we have often said we often re
peat it. It contains both chaff and corn. Let no man look for all the chaff to go out thence, save in the time of winnowing. Let no man leave the floor before the time of winnowing, as if in his unwillingness to endure sinners; lest being found without the floor, he be picked up by the birds, before he enter into the barn. Now, Brethren, mark how we would enforce this. When the corn has begun to be threshed, the grains, amidst the chaff, do not touch each other as though they did not know each other, because of the intervention of the chaff. And any one who looks at floor at some little distance, thinks there nothing but chaff; except he look more narrowly, except he put forth his hand, except he make separation by the breath of his mouth, that
by a purifying wind, he hardly attains to distinguish the grains. Therefore sometimes even the very grains are so separated as were from each other, and not touching one another, that any one, when he has made progress, may think
that he alone. This thought, Brethren, tempted Elias, so great man and he said to God, as the Apostle also records, They have killed Thy prophets, and digged down Thine altars; Rom. and am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith
Kings the answer God to him hate reserved to Myself seven 19, 10.
thousand men, who have not bowed the knee before Baal. He said not to him, Thou hast two or three others like thyself. Do not deem thyself alone. There are, saith He, seven thousand others and dost thou deem thyself alone Accordingly this briefly we enjoin, as had begun to say. Do ye, holy Brethren, give heed with me, and may God's mercy be with us in our hearts, that may be so understood by you, as to bear fruit, and work in you. Hear briefly: Whosoever still evil, let him not deem that no one good whosoever good, let him not deem that he only good. Do ye apprehend this Lo, repeat mark ye how say: Whosoever evil, let him not in questioning his own con science, and receiving bad report of himself, imagine that
B
is is is of
a? ; is
I 2
? I it
it,
I
a
:
I is is it
: ? i is,
I
is
a
a it
;
it is
it,
180 Desire of the righteous to be separated by judgment.
Psalm no one is good : whosoever is good, let him not imagine that ? XpUhe only is good; and let not the good man fear in the mixture with the evil, for the time will come that he shall be separated from them. For to this end we have sung to-day,
ver. 9, Destroy not my soul with the ungodly, and my life with the men of blood. For what is, Destroy not with the ungodly ? Destroy not together. Why doth he fear, lest God should destroy him together? For I see that it is said to God, Because Thou sufferest us now together, destroy not together those whom Thou sufferest together.
