Hear*al-
therefore
the Psalm : Who will rise up for me against the wicked ?
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v4
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364 Earthly -prosperity a pitfall to the wicked.
Psalm of ihe ungodly ; and because ye see that the wicked are XCIV- many, and say unto yourselves carnally: Truly what pit can
contain so great a multitude of the wicked, such a crowd of sinners? where is a pit of such dimensions, as to contain all, dug ? when finished ? therefore God spareth them. This is not so : their very prosperity is the pit of the wicked : for into that shall they fall, as it were into a pitfall. Attend, brethren, for it is a great thing to know that prosperity is called a pitfall : until the pit be digged up for the ungodly. For God spareth him whom He knoweth to be ungodly and impious, in His own hidden justice : and this very sparing of God, causeth him to be puffed up through his impunity. He thinketh himself exalted, and he falleth : in this very thing he falleth, in that he thinketh himself exalted. In this he thinketh that he is treading on high, and God calleth this a pit. A pit tendeth downwards, not heavenwards : but the proud ungodly appear to be ascending towards heaven, while actually they are being sunk beneath the earth. On the contrary, the humble seem to bow themselves down to the ground, but really are ascending into heaven. Have patience then, every believer, if thou hast been taught from the law of God, that thy heart may be in the firmament of heaven : for God made the lights, on the fourth day, which is termed the fourth of the week ; whence this Psalm hath taken its title. As thou seest the constellations in per fect patience pursue their own courses, without regarding what men say concerning them ; so also do thou not regard whatever flesh may have done towards thee. For every man is flesh and blood. For thou art not vile in com parison with another's flesh, by which thou seemest to be oppressed : because He assumed the flesh for thee, and for thee He poured forth His blood, Who will bring both thee and that man before His own judgment; and if He gave thee such blessings when thou wast in thy sins, what doth He reserve for thee, if thou art faithful? Hence take patience. How art thou to take patience? When thou sayest, Because it is the will of God, therefore the wicked flourish: He wisheth to spare the wicked, He leadeth to repentance those whom He spareth ; but they do not reform: He knoweth how to judge them. But a man is
Pride falls by departing from God. Chastisement a mercy. 365 impatient, when he chooseth to gainsay either the goodness Ver.
--
Psalm he thus saith, Thou hast cast them down, while they Ps. 72, were being exalted. He said not, Thou hast cast them 18 down, because they were exalted ; or, Thou hast cast them down, after they were exalted ; so that the period of their exaltation be one, of their casting down another : but in the
very act of their exaltation were they cast down. For in proportion as the heart of man is proud, so doth it recede from God; and if it recede from God, it sinketh down into the deep. On the other hand, the humble heart bringeth God unto it from heaven, so that He becometh very near unto it. Surely God is lofty, God is above all the heavens, He surpasseth all the Angels : how high must these be raised, to reach that exalted One ? Do not burst thyself by enlarging thyself; I give thee other advice, lest perchance in enlarging thyself thou burst, through pride : surely God is lofty : do thou humble thyself, and He will descend unto thee.
17. Ver. 14. We have heard why He spareth the wicked: this very thing is their pitfall. God saith to thee, How the pit is dug for them, and why it is dug, it is not thine to know ; but from My law learn that patience is thy duty, until the pit be digged up for the ungodly. And what, thou sayest, of one who suffers, and that among the ungodly themselves ? The next verse answereth thee : For the Lord will not cast off His people. He trieth them, He doth not cast them off. For how speaketh Scripture in another
For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, anrfHeb. 12, scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. He receiveth thee 6'
after thou art scourged ; and dost thou say, that He casteth
thee off? We see men do this in the case of their own
sons : sometimes they allow their sons when despaired of
to go and live at their own pleasure ; those whom they hope
for, they scourge ; those whom they see to be utterly hope
less and intractable, they leave to live as they choose.
The one whom he thus abandons to do as he pleases, he
of the Lord, or His long-suffering, or His power, or the justice of his Judge. The proud man raiseth himself up against God : God sinketh him: and he sinketh by the very act of raising himself up against God. For in another
passage?
366 The disinherited escape correction at present.
Psalm meaps not to admit to his inheritance : while he scourgeth XCI V ' that son for whom he keepeth the inheritance. But when God scourgeth a son, let him run beneath the hand of his
Father while He scourgeth him ; because He who scourgeth him, is chastening him in preparation for his heritage. He dolh not cast off from the inheritance His son whom He scourgeth : but He scourgeth him, in order that he may receive it. Let him not be so foolish and childish in bis thoughts as to say, My father loveth my brother more, whom he alloweth to do whatever he will : I, if I move against my father's orders, find the scourge. Do thou rejoice beneath the scourge : because the heritage is kept for thee,
for the Lord will not cast off His people. He chasteneth for a season, He condemneth not for ever: the others He spareth for a season, and will condemn them for evermore. Make thy choice : dost thou wish temporary suffering, or eternal punishment? temporal happiness, or eternal life? What doth God threaten ? Eternal punishment. What doth He promise? Eternal rest. His scourging the good, is temporary : His sparing the wicked, is also temporary. For the Lord will not cast off His people, neither will He
forsake His inheritance.
18. Ver. 15. Until righteousness, he saith, turn again
unto judgment, and all they that have it are right in heart. Listen now, and gain righteousness: for judgment thou canst not yet have. Thou shouldest gain righteousness first; but that very righteousness of thine shall turn unlo
judgment. The Apostles had righteousness here on earth, and bore with the wicked. But what is said unto them?
Mat. 19, Ye shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Their righteousness therefore shall turn unto judg ment. For whoever is righteous in this life, is so for this reason, that he may endure evils with patience : let him suffer patiently the period of suffering, and the day of
judging cometh. But why do I speak of the servants of God? The Lord Himself, Who is the Judge of all living and dead, first chose to be judged, and then to judge.
Until righteousness turn again unto judgment ; and all such as have it are right in heart. Those who have righteous ness at present, are not yet judges. For the first thing is
Righteousness now, leads to judging with Christ. 367
to have righteousness, and afterwards to judge : He first Ver.
16'
endureth the wicked, and afterwards jiulgeth them. Let there be righteousness now : afterwards it shall turn again unto judgment. And so long He endureth wicked men, as God doth will, as long as God's Church shall endure them, that she may be taught through their wickedness. Nevertheless, God will not cast off His people, until righte ousness be turned again unto judgment : all such as have it i are right in heart. Who are those who are right in heart ? Those whose will is the will of God. He spareth sinners : \ thou dost wish Him at once to destroy sinners. Thy heart \ is crooked and thy will perverted, when thy will is one way and the will of God another. God wisheth to spare sinners : thou dost not wish sinners spared. God is of long-suffering
to sinners : thou dost not wish to endure sinners. But as I had begun saying, thou wishest one thing, God willeth another: turn thy heart, and direct it unto God: because the Lord also hath had compassion on the weak. He saw in His body, that is, in His Church, the weak, who first tried to follow their own will, but when they saw that the will of God was different, directed themselves and their heart to undertake and follow the will of God. Wish not to bend the will of God to thy will, but rather correct thy will to His. The will of God is like a rule: behold,
thou hast twisted the rule : whence canst thou be set straight? But the rule itself continueth straight: for it is immutable. As long as the rule is straight, thou hast whither to turn thyself, and straighten thy perversity ; thou hast a means of correcting what is crooked in thee. But what do men will ? It is not enough that their own will is crooked; they even wish to make the will of God crooked according to their own heart, that God may do what they themselves will, when they ought to do that which God willeth.
19. But how did our Lord unite two wills in one, in the Man which He carried with Him? Prefiguring that in His body, that in His Church, there would be some who would wish to do their own will, but would afterwards follow the will of God because He hath shewn that some weak ones belong unto Himself, and hath prefigured them in Himself.
suppose,
;
is,
Joh 1,
Gen. 3, '''
And who are right in heart ? Those who are found as Job was found, who saith, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as the Lord willed, so is it done: blessed be the name ofthe Lord. Behold a righteous heart : a second time under a heavy stroke, what said he to his wife, whom the devil had left and had not slain, that he might have an assistant, and not her husband a consoler ? For he remem- bered that Adam was deceived by that Eve, and he thought this Eve was necessary to him. She came to Job, like Eve : but this Adam was happier when he conquered on the dunghill, than the Adam who was conquered in Paradise; for what did he answer unto that woman ? Behold a heart prepared, a righteous heart. Did he not suffer persecutions, and those heavy ones ? And all Christians suffer them ; and if men rage not, yet the devil rageth : and if emperors have become Christians ; hath the devil also become a Christian ? Attend therefore, holy brethren, to what maketh a righteous
368 Christ's Human Will prefigured the weak in His Body.
Psalm For it was for this reason that He sweated blood from His
XC1V whole body, because in His body, that is, in His Church, ? ulie21'
44. He shewed the blood of Martyrs. From His whole body blood flowed : thus His Church hath her Martyrs, through her whole body is poured forth blood. Prefiguring there fore in Himself, or in His body, some weak persons, in the
Mat. 26, person of the weak, sympathising with them, He saith, O
39'
My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me! He sheweth the will of a man: if He remained in this will, He would then seem to be shewing a heart not right. But if He hath shewn compassion on thee, and in Himself also He freeth thee ; imitate what follows, and say, Nevertheless, not as
I will, but as Thou, Father, wilt. If thy human will hath begun to creep on thee, O that God would slay that mine enemy, so that he could not persecute me! O if it could fall out that I might not suffer so much from him ! But if thou hast persevered, and hast set thy mind on something, though thou seest that it is not the will of God, thou art wicked in heart, thou hast not righteousness that shall turn again unto judgment : for all who have it, are right in heart.
Joh 2, 9. heart. She came and said unto him, Say somewhat against God, and die. She counted all his or her own miseries: Say somewhat against God, she said, and die. And he now
Our Lord truly sorrowed ; but for His Body. 369
recognising Eve, wishing to return
with his heart fixed in God, as a luminary in the firmament, dwelling in his heart in the book of God, saith, Thou speakest3ah 2,
as one ofthefoolish women speaketh. What! Shall we receive 10- good at the hand of God, and shall we not endure evil ? Because his heart was fixed in God, therefore was it right : for because God is right, when thou dost fix thine heart in Him, He becometh thy standard, that thine heart may be
right. Fix therefore thine heart in Him, and it will be right. But the human will was beginning to seduce thee. Some thing of the weakness of the flesh was deceiving thy mind : do not yet despair. The Lord in His weakness prefigured thee, not Himself: for the Lord, Who was to rise again on the third day, feared not to suffer. If He suffered altogether
as a man, and was not about to suffer as God, and if He knew that He would rise again in three days, He could not in any way feel dread when about to die, as Paul feared not, knowing that hIe should rise again at the end of time. For he saith; For
am in a strait
desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which isfar better; 1,2J-24.
nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. For it was a weariness to him to remain in the flesh, he felt an ardent longing in two ways ; to be released and to be with Christ, he said, was far best. Thus when his martyrdomIl was close at hand, how did he exult! how did he I
have fought a good fight, I
kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righleoui Judge, shall
whence he had fallen, Ver.
bettvixl the two, having a Philip.
have course, finished my
have
give me at that day. He rejoiceth when about to be crowned,
and yet He who will crown him is sorrowful : the Apostle
thus rejoiceth, and our Lord Christ saith, O My Father, if il Mat. 26, be possible, let this cup pass from Me. But He took upon Himself sorrow, as He did the flesh. For ye must not think,
that I assert that our Lord was not sorrowful. For if T asserted that He was not sorrowful, when the Gospel saith,
My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; it might Mat. 2o, follow that when the Gospel saith, Jesus slept, He did not rs. 8,24. sleep : when the Gospel saith, Jesus ate, that He did not f^6]4' eat: the worm of corruption hath thus crept in, and left*c. nothing whole. So that it may be said, that He had not a
VOL. iv. B b
glory!
Tim. , '''
370 God's long-suffering is for a good end.
Psalm true body, and had not a true flesh. Whatever therefore is XCIV 'written of Him, brethren, really happened, and is true. Was He therefore sorrowful ? Assuredly sorrowful, but with sorrow
taken of His own free will, even as He assumed the flesh of His own will; as He of His own will took upon Him true flesh, so did He of His own will take upon Him true sorrow. Thus also of His own will hath He shewn in Himself, that if
some weakness hath come over thee, and thou hast begun to wish otherwise than God dolh will, thou mayest see how thine own heart hath turned itself aside from the straight rule, thou mayest fix thy heart after the rule, and thy heart which in the man had begun to be crooked, may
be directed after God. Thus then the Lord, as a guide to Mat. 26,thee, saith: My soul is sorrowful even unto death: and, O
38'
ib. 42.
perchance
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. But say then at once what He said, that He might teach thee:
I will, but as Nevertheless, not as Thou,
Father, wilt. For
if ye follow righ teousness, your heart is right ; if your heart be right, that
if ye do this, ye will have righteousness :
which now endureth, will turn again unto judgment, and afterwards, when thy Lord judgeth, thou shalt not only not dread evils, but shalt also glory in thy crown.
Then shalt thou see how the longsuffering of God hath pro fited, either for their punishment or for thy crown : at present thou seest not : believe what thou seest not as yet, lest thou be ashamed when thou shalt see. Until righteousness turn again unto judgment: all such as have it are right in heart.
20. Ver. 16. Who will rise up for me against the wicked? or who will take my part against the evil doers? Many
us to divers evils : the serpent ceaseth not to whisper to thee to work iniquity : whichever way thou shalt turn, if perchance thou hast done well, thou seekest to live well with some one, and thou hardly findest any one ; many wicked men surround thee, for there are few grains of wheat, and much chaff. This floor hath its grains of corn, but as yet they suffer. Therefore the whole mass of the wheat, when separated from the chaff, will be great : the grains are few, but when compared with the chaff, still many in them selves. When therefore the wicked cry out on every side, and say, Why livest thou thus? Art thou the only Christian?
righteousness,
persuade
Temptation through evil Christians. 371
Why dost thou not do, what others also do ? Why dost thou Ver. not frequent the theatres, as others do ? Why dost thou -17'
not use charms and amulets?
astrologers and soothsayers, even as others do ? And thou
Why dost thou not consult
crossest1 thyself, and sayest, I am a Christian, that
mayest repel them, whosoever they are; but the enemy s,gnast' presses on, urges his attacks ; what is worse, by the example
of Christians he choketh Christians.
midst of heat : the Christian soul suffereth tribulation : yet
it hath power to conquer: hath it such power of itself?
For this reason remark what he saith. For he answereth,
What doth it profit me that I now find charms for myself,
I
repair unto my Lord, Who shall send me into the flames ;
because I have preferred a few days to life eternal, He shall send me into hell. What hell? That of the eternal judg
and gain a few days ?
depart
hence from
this life, and
thou'. Ett? They toil on, in the
ment of God. Is it really so,
unless indeed thou really believest that God carelh how men live ? And perhaps it is not an acquaintance who speaketh thus to thee in the street, but thy wife at home, or possibly the husband to the faithful and holy wife, her deceiver. If it be the woman to her husband, she is as Eve unto him ; if as the husband unto the wife, he is as the devil unto her: either she is herself as Eve unto thee, or thou art a serpent unto her. Sometimes the father would incline his thoughts to his son, and findeth him wicked, utterly depraved : he is in a fever of misery, he wavers, he seeketh how to subdue him, he is almost drawn
in, and consenteth: but may God be *near him.
Hear*al- therefore the Psalm : Who will rise up for me against the wicked ? So many are there; wherever I look round, they meet my eyes. Who shall withstand the devil, the prince of iniquity, and bis angels, and the men that have been seduced
by him?
21. Ver. 17. 1/ the Lord, he saith, had not helped me :
within a little my soul had dwelt in hell. I had almost plunged into that pit which is preparing for sinners : that is, my soul had dwelt in hell. Because he already began to waver, and nearly to consent, he looked back unto the Lord. Suppose, for example's sake, he was insulted to
Bb2
(the enemy answereth,)
372 Insults of the proud. The feet near slippiug.
PsAt. M tempt him to iniquity. For sometimes the wicked flock
28'
come imto Thee on the water. He in His own power, Peter by His order; bid me, he saith, come unto Thee. He answered, Come. For the Church also trampleth on the
if they are more in number, and if they have taken him alone, as there is often much chaff about one grain of wheat; (though there
will not be when the heap hath been fanned ;) he is then taken among many wicked ones, is insulted, and surrounded; they wish to place themselves over him, they torment him
-C1V- together, and insult the good ; especially
A great Apostle! say they ; Thou hast flown into heaven, as Elias did ! Men do these things, so that sometime, when he listeneth to the tongue of men, he is ashamed to be good among the wicked. Let him therefore resist the evil; but not of his
own strength, lest he become proud, and when he wishes to escape the proud, himself increase their number. But what should he say ? Who will rise up for me against the wicked: or who will take my part against the evil-doers?
If the Lord had not helped me, within a little my soul had
dwelt in hell. // / said, My fool hath dipt; Thy -2-2. Ver. 18, 19.
O Lord, held me up. See how God loveth con fession. Thy foot hath slipt, and thou sayest not, my foot hath slipt ; but thou sayest thou art firm, when thou art slipping. The moment thou beginnest to slip or waver, confess thou that slip, that thou mayest not bewail thy total fall ; that He may help, so that thy soul be not in bell.
God loveth confession, loveth humility. Thou hast slipped, as a man ; God helpeth thee, nevertheless : yet say, Myfoot hath slipt. Why dost thou slip, and yet sayest, I am firm ?
and insult him for his very righteousness.
mercy,
When
foot
I said, My
hath slipt, Thy mercy, O Lord, hath held me up. Just as Peter presumed, but not in strength
of his own. The Lord was seen to walk upon the sea, trampling on the heads of all the proud in this life. In walking upon the foaming waves, He figured His own course when He trampleth on the heads of the proud. The Church too doth trample upon them : for Peter is the Church Her
self. Nevertheless, Peter dared not by himself walk upon
Mat. M, the waters; but what said he? Lord, if it be Thou, bid me
cI
Trial drives us to God, and teaches Wisdom.
373
heads of the proud; but since it is the Church, and hath Vrr.
human weakness, that these words might be fulfilled, //. .
0 ' J 20'
/ said, My foot hath slipt, Peter tottered on the sea, and lb. 30.
put, If perish. And what is here, Thy mercy, O Lord, hath held me up,
ried out, Lord, save me! and so what is here
said, My hath slipt, is foot
put
there, Lord,
I
is there put, And immediately Jesus stretched forth His ib. 31. hand, saying, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? It is wonderful how God proveth men: our very ^ ,
dangers render Him Who rescueth us sweeteI
^
For see what followeth : because he said, If
foot hath slipt, Thy mercy, O Lord, hath , held me up. The Lord hath become especially sweet unto him, in rescuing
him from danger ; and thus speaking of this very sweetness of the Lord, he exclaimeth I and saith, O Lord, in the multi
he addeth this testimony : For if the righteous scarcely be i peter
How4'1^-18, then shall the wicked be with Thee, if Thou dost not even pr0v.
saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?
spare Thy faithful, in order that Thou mayest exercise and 11>>31- teach them ? But as He spareth them not, for this reason,
that He may teach them : he saith, For Tliou makest sorrow
r unto us.
\ said,
comforts
My
had in my heart, Thy
tude of the sorrows that
have refreshed my soul. Many sorrows, but many con solations : bitter wounds, and sweet remedies.
23. Ver. 20. Wilt Thou have any thing to do with the stool of iniquity, Who makest sorrow in learning? He hath said this, No wicked man sitteth with Thee, nor shalt Thou have any thing to do with the stool of iniquity. And he giveth an account whereof he understandeth this, For
Thou makest sorrow in learning. For from this, because Thou hast not spared us, do I understand that Thou hast nothing to do with the stool of iniquity. Thou hast this in the Epistle of the Apostle Peter, and for this reason he hath adduced a testimony from the Scripture : for the time is come, he saith, that judgment must begin at the house of God; that is, the time is come for the judgment of those who belong to the house of God. If sons are scourged, what must the most wicked slaves expect ? For which reason he added : And if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Goopel of God? To which
374 Gods ' making' is like the 'potter's. '
Psalm in learning. Makest, that formest from whence comes XCIV' the word figulus (from fingo), and a potter's vessel called
fictile not in the meaning offiction, as a falsehood, but of
forming so as to give any thing being and some sort of form ? er. 9. as before he said, He that fabricated (finxit) the eye, shall He not see Is that, fabricated the eye' a falsehood? Nay, understood He fashioned the eye, made the eye. And
He not a potter when He makes men frail, weak, earthly Hear the Apostle We have this treasure in earthen vessels. But perhaps some one else made these vessels for us Hear him speaking: What art thou, man, who answerest against God Can the vessel say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me so Hath not the potter power over the clay, to make one vessel to honour, another to dishonour Behold our Lord Himself, how He sheweth Himself a potter. Because He had made man of clay, He anointed him with
clay, for whom He had not made eyes in the womb. And so when he sailh, Hast Thou any thing to do with the stool of wickedness, Who makest grief in learning? let us say in this sense Hast Thou any thing to do with the stool of wickedness, Who makest grief in learning Makest, he saith, grief in learning, that is, out of grief makest learning for us, so that grief itself becomes our instruction. How sorrow our learning? When He scourgeth thee Who died for thee, and Who doth not promise bliss in this life, and Who cannot deceive, and when He giveth not here what thou seekest. What will He give when will He give how much will He give, Who giveth not here, Who here teacheth, Who maketh sorrow in learning? Thy labour here, and rest promised thee. Thou takest thought that thou hast toil here: but take thought what sort of rest He promiseth. Canst thou conceive it? If thou couldest, thou
wouldest see that thy toil here nothing toward an equivalent.
Hear one who had seen in part, who said, Now know in
which for the present, and temporal, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, after an in credible measure, and to an incredible measure. What the, worketh for us afar more exceeding and eternal weight ofglory? For when doth work? while we look not at the
Cor. '
Bom.
Cor.
13 12' part. What saith this Apostle? For our light affliction,
Cor.
it
it
is
is,
2'1 '2
4,
4, ?
is it is
is
is
? :
?
?
I
isis? is I;
;
?
it
?
O
?
is
'
:
:
God gives rest at the price of toil. 375 things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen : Ver.
- 20'
for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. Be not slothful in thy toil for a short space : and thou shalt rejoice without ceasing. God will give thee eternal life : consider with how much toil it should be purchased.
24. Attend, brethren ; it is for sale. What I have is for sale, saith God unto thee, buy it. What hath He for sale ? I have rest for sale; buy it by thy toil. Attend, that we may be in Christ's name brave Christians : the remainder of the Psalm is but a little, let us not be weary. For how can he be strong in doing, who faileth in hearing? The Lord will help us to expound unto you the remainder. Attend
then: God hath, as it were, proclaimed the kingdom of heaven for sale. Thou sayest unto Him, What is its value? The price is toil : if He were to say, its price is gold, it would not suffice to say this only, but thou wouldest seek to know how much gold ; for there is a mass of gold, and half an ounce, and a pound, and the like. He said price, that thou mightest not be at pains to enquire, how long thou shouldest find it. The price of the commodity is toil: how much
toil is it ? Now seek how much thou shouldest toil for it.
Thou art not as yet told how great that toil is doomed to be,
or how much toil is required of thee : God saith this unto
thee, I shew thee how great that rest will be ; do thou judge
with what measure of toil it should be bought. Let God therefore say how great that rest is destined to be : Blessed Ps. 84,4. are they that dwell in thy house: they will be for ever praising thee. This is eternal rest : this rest will be without
end ; this joy will be without end, this pleasure will be without end, this incorruptibility will be without end ; thou shalt have eternal life ; a rest which is without end. What toil is that rest worth which hath no end? If thou wish- est to make a true judgment, surely eternal rest is rightly purchased by eternal toil. This is true : but do not fear : God is merciful. For if thou hadst eternal toil, thou wouldest never reach eternal rest. Always toiling, when wouldest thou reach that which worthily indeed would be the price of eternal toil, because the rest is eter nal ? Make the price an equivalent : surely eternal rest
is worthy of comparison with eternal toil ! But if thou
376 God's reward incomparably exceeds our toils.
Psalm didst always toil, thou wouldest never reach eternal rest. - That thou mayest therefore at some time gain what thou buyest, thou must not toil for ever: not that it is not of so much value, but that what is bought may be possessed. It is indeed worthy of being bought by perpetual toil ; but it
is necessary that it be bought by temporary toil. Certainly it ought to be so much, that is, eternal labour for eternal rest. What is the value of a million of years in toil? A million of years have an end : what I will give thee, saith God, shall not have an end. What then is the mercy of God? He saith not, toil for a million of years: he saith not, toil even for a thousand years: not, toil for five hundred years: toil while thou dost live, for a few years ; thence shall thy rest commence, and be without end. HeIar what followeth: Lord, in the multitude of sorrows that
comforts have refreshed my soul. Thou toilest not only a few years, but in those very years, consolation is not wanting, daily joys are not wanting. But rejoice not in the world : rejoice in Christ, rejoice in His word, rejoice in His law. What I am speaking of, what ye are listening to, belongeth to these very joys. How great then are those consolations amid so great toils ? True, there is what the Apostle saith,
2 Cor. For our light affliction, which is but for a time, after an
*' 17'
incredible measure and to an incredible measure, worketh for us an eternal weight of glory. See how small a price do we give ; as it were, a single grain of pulse to receive eternal treasures ; a single mite of toil, for a rest which is beyond
our conception, according to what is said, it worketh for us,after an incredible measure and to an incredible measure, an eternal weight of glory. Thou rejoicest for a season: trust not therein ; thou art sorrowful for a season : do not despair. Let not prosperity corrupt thee, nor adversity break thee down : lest perchance thou mayest say in thy mind, it cannot be that God, Who chasteneth even the righteous that He may save them, that He may teach them,
ProT. can admit unto Himself the wicked. For if the righteous 11,3 ' scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear? I Pet. 4, Hast Tltou any thing to do with the stool of iniquity ? that
is, Dost Thou share the seat of the wicked? Thou Who makest sorrow in learning ; Who hast chosen thus to try these Thy children, and to teach them thus, to give them
had in heart, Thy my
What it is that we learn by trials and dangers. 377
such lessons, as to leave them still in fear, lest they should Ver. love something else, and forget Thee their true good
God is good : but if He were to cease, and not to mingle bitternesses with our temporal bliss, we should forget
Him.
25. But where the anguish of trouble raiseth waves in the
soul, then that faith, which was sleeping there, is aroused.
For it was calm, when Christ was asleep on the sea : while
He was sleeping, a storm arose, and they began to be in danger. Both tranquillity then and peace will be in the Christian's heart : but as long as our faith is on the watch :
but if our faith sleepeth, we are in danger. For Christ sleeping signifietl), that some forget their faith, and are in , danger. But as when that ship was tossing on the waves,
Christ was aroused by the tossed crew, who cried, Lord, we Matt. 8,
perish ! He arose, and commanded the winds, commanded 26
the waves, and it became calm ; thus when evil lusts, evil persuasions, disturb thee, they are waves, they will be calmed.
Thou dost now despair, and believest that thou dost not belong unto the Lord : let thy faith awake : awake Christ in
thy heart ; when faith riseth, thou recognisest where thou
art : and if perchance the waves of lust tempt thee, thou beholdest what God hath promised ; and the sweetness of
His promises will make thee a despiser of the sweetnesses of
the world ; and if perchance many threats of the powerful wicked oppress thee, and drive thee from righteousness,
thou listenest to the threat of God, Go into everlasting Mat. 25,
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, and thou dost not41- leave thy righteousness : in fear therefore of eternal fire thou despisest temporal pain : and for the promises of God, thou scornest temporal happiness. He promised rest : 'suffer trouble. He threateneth etemal fire ; despise temporal pains : and while Christ doth watch, let thy heart be calmed, that thou also mayest reach the harbour. For He would not fail to prepare a harbour, Who provided a vessel. Hast Thou any thing to do with the stool of iniquity, Tfwu Who makest sorrow in learning ? He trieth us with the wicked, and by their persecution He teacheth us. By means of the malice
of the wicked the good is scourged, through the slave the son is chastened : thus is learning taught by sorrow. What
\
378 It is good to learn to have Godfor our refuge.
Psalm God alloweth them power to do, that do wicked men, whom XCIV- He spareth for a season, do.
26. Ver. 21. For what followeth ? They will be captious against the soul of the righteous. Why will they be captious? Because they can find no true ground of accusation. For how were they captious against our Lord ? They made up
Mat. 26, false accusations, because they could not find true ones.
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And will condemn the innocent blood. Why all this taketh place, he will shew in the sequel.
27. Ver. 22. And the Lord is become my refuge, he saith. Thou wouldest not seek such a refuge, if thou wert not in danger: but thou hast therefore been in danger, that thou mightest seek for it: for He teacheth us by sorrow. He causeth me tribulation from the malice of the wicked: pricked with that tribulation, I begin to seek a refuge which I had ceased to seek for in that worldly prosperity. For who, that is always prosperous, and rejoiceth in present hopes, findeth it easy to remember God ? Let the hope of this life give
way, and the hope of God advance ; that thou mayest say, And the Lord is become my refuge: may I sorrow for this end that the Lord may become my refuge ! And my God
the help of my hope.
is is
;
if a
is
:I is
/
it :
it
: I
it
A
:
it,
if it
a
?
is ?
;
"\
_j.
:
:
364 Earthly -prosperity a pitfall to the wicked.
Psalm of ihe ungodly ; and because ye see that the wicked are XCIV- many, and say unto yourselves carnally: Truly what pit can
contain so great a multitude of the wicked, such a crowd of sinners? where is a pit of such dimensions, as to contain all, dug ? when finished ? therefore God spareth them. This is not so : their very prosperity is the pit of the wicked : for into that shall they fall, as it were into a pitfall. Attend, brethren, for it is a great thing to know that prosperity is called a pitfall : until the pit be digged up for the ungodly. For God spareth him whom He knoweth to be ungodly and impious, in His own hidden justice : and this very sparing of God, causeth him to be puffed up through his impunity. He thinketh himself exalted, and he falleth : in this very thing he falleth, in that he thinketh himself exalted. In this he thinketh that he is treading on high, and God calleth this a pit. A pit tendeth downwards, not heavenwards : but the proud ungodly appear to be ascending towards heaven, while actually they are being sunk beneath the earth. On the contrary, the humble seem to bow themselves down to the ground, but really are ascending into heaven. Have patience then, every believer, if thou hast been taught from the law of God, that thy heart may be in the firmament of heaven : for God made the lights, on the fourth day, which is termed the fourth of the week ; whence this Psalm hath taken its title. As thou seest the constellations in per fect patience pursue their own courses, without regarding what men say concerning them ; so also do thou not regard whatever flesh may have done towards thee. For every man is flesh and blood. For thou art not vile in com parison with another's flesh, by which thou seemest to be oppressed : because He assumed the flesh for thee, and for thee He poured forth His blood, Who will bring both thee and that man before His own judgment; and if He gave thee such blessings when thou wast in thy sins, what doth He reserve for thee, if thou art faithful? Hence take patience. How art thou to take patience? When thou sayest, Because it is the will of God, therefore the wicked flourish: He wisheth to spare the wicked, He leadeth to repentance those whom He spareth ; but they do not reform: He knoweth how to judge them. But a man is
Pride falls by departing from God. Chastisement a mercy. 365 impatient, when he chooseth to gainsay either the goodness Ver.
--
Psalm he thus saith, Thou hast cast them down, while they Ps. 72, were being exalted. He said not, Thou hast cast them 18 down, because they were exalted ; or, Thou hast cast them down, after they were exalted ; so that the period of their exaltation be one, of their casting down another : but in the
very act of their exaltation were they cast down. For in proportion as the heart of man is proud, so doth it recede from God; and if it recede from God, it sinketh down into the deep. On the other hand, the humble heart bringeth God unto it from heaven, so that He becometh very near unto it. Surely God is lofty, God is above all the heavens, He surpasseth all the Angels : how high must these be raised, to reach that exalted One ? Do not burst thyself by enlarging thyself; I give thee other advice, lest perchance in enlarging thyself thou burst, through pride : surely God is lofty : do thou humble thyself, and He will descend unto thee.
17. Ver. 14. We have heard why He spareth the wicked: this very thing is their pitfall. God saith to thee, How the pit is dug for them, and why it is dug, it is not thine to know ; but from My law learn that patience is thy duty, until the pit be digged up for the ungodly. And what, thou sayest, of one who suffers, and that among the ungodly themselves ? The next verse answereth thee : For the Lord will not cast off His people. He trieth them, He doth not cast them off. For how speaketh Scripture in another
For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, anrfHeb. 12, scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. He receiveth thee 6'
after thou art scourged ; and dost thou say, that He casteth
thee off? We see men do this in the case of their own
sons : sometimes they allow their sons when despaired of
to go and live at their own pleasure ; those whom they hope
for, they scourge ; those whom they see to be utterly hope
less and intractable, they leave to live as they choose.
The one whom he thus abandons to do as he pleases, he
of the Lord, or His long-suffering, or His power, or the justice of his Judge. The proud man raiseth himself up against God : God sinketh him: and he sinketh by the very act of raising himself up against God. For in another
passage?
366 The disinherited escape correction at present.
Psalm meaps not to admit to his inheritance : while he scourgeth XCI V ' that son for whom he keepeth the inheritance. But when God scourgeth a son, let him run beneath the hand of his
Father while He scourgeth him ; because He who scourgeth him, is chastening him in preparation for his heritage. He dolh not cast off from the inheritance His son whom He scourgeth : but He scourgeth him, in order that he may receive it. Let him not be so foolish and childish in bis thoughts as to say, My father loveth my brother more, whom he alloweth to do whatever he will : I, if I move against my father's orders, find the scourge. Do thou rejoice beneath the scourge : because the heritage is kept for thee,
for the Lord will not cast off His people. He chasteneth for a season, He condemneth not for ever: the others He spareth for a season, and will condemn them for evermore. Make thy choice : dost thou wish temporary suffering, or eternal punishment? temporal happiness, or eternal life? What doth God threaten ? Eternal punishment. What doth He promise? Eternal rest. His scourging the good, is temporary : His sparing the wicked, is also temporary. For the Lord will not cast off His people, neither will He
forsake His inheritance.
18. Ver. 15. Until righteousness, he saith, turn again
unto judgment, and all they that have it are right in heart. Listen now, and gain righteousness: for judgment thou canst not yet have. Thou shouldest gain righteousness first; but that very righteousness of thine shall turn unlo
judgment. The Apostles had righteousness here on earth, and bore with the wicked. But what is said unto them?
Mat. 19, Ye shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Their righteousness therefore shall turn unto judg ment. For whoever is righteous in this life, is so for this reason, that he may endure evils with patience : let him suffer patiently the period of suffering, and the day of
judging cometh. But why do I speak of the servants of God? The Lord Himself, Who is the Judge of all living and dead, first chose to be judged, and then to judge.
Until righteousness turn again unto judgment ; and all such as have it are right in heart. Those who have righteous ness at present, are not yet judges. For the first thing is
Righteousness now, leads to judging with Christ. 367
to have righteousness, and afterwards to judge : He first Ver.
16'
endureth the wicked, and afterwards jiulgeth them. Let there be righteousness now : afterwards it shall turn again unto judgment. And so long He endureth wicked men, as God doth will, as long as God's Church shall endure them, that she may be taught through their wickedness. Nevertheless, God will not cast off His people, until righte ousness be turned again unto judgment : all such as have it i are right in heart. Who are those who are right in heart ? Those whose will is the will of God. He spareth sinners : \ thou dost wish Him at once to destroy sinners. Thy heart \ is crooked and thy will perverted, when thy will is one way and the will of God another. God wisheth to spare sinners : thou dost not wish sinners spared. God is of long-suffering
to sinners : thou dost not wish to endure sinners. But as I had begun saying, thou wishest one thing, God willeth another: turn thy heart, and direct it unto God: because the Lord also hath had compassion on the weak. He saw in His body, that is, in His Church, the weak, who first tried to follow their own will, but when they saw that the will of God was different, directed themselves and their heart to undertake and follow the will of God. Wish not to bend the will of God to thy will, but rather correct thy will to His. The will of God is like a rule: behold,
thou hast twisted the rule : whence canst thou be set straight? But the rule itself continueth straight: for it is immutable. As long as the rule is straight, thou hast whither to turn thyself, and straighten thy perversity ; thou hast a means of correcting what is crooked in thee. But what do men will ? It is not enough that their own will is crooked; they even wish to make the will of God crooked according to their own heart, that God may do what they themselves will, when they ought to do that which God willeth.
19. But how did our Lord unite two wills in one, in the Man which He carried with Him? Prefiguring that in His body, that in His Church, there would be some who would wish to do their own will, but would afterwards follow the will of God because He hath shewn that some weak ones belong unto Himself, and hath prefigured them in Himself.
suppose,
;
is,
Joh 1,
Gen. 3, '''
And who are right in heart ? Those who are found as Job was found, who saith, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as the Lord willed, so is it done: blessed be the name ofthe Lord. Behold a righteous heart : a second time under a heavy stroke, what said he to his wife, whom the devil had left and had not slain, that he might have an assistant, and not her husband a consoler ? For he remem- bered that Adam was deceived by that Eve, and he thought this Eve was necessary to him. She came to Job, like Eve : but this Adam was happier when he conquered on the dunghill, than the Adam who was conquered in Paradise; for what did he answer unto that woman ? Behold a heart prepared, a righteous heart. Did he not suffer persecutions, and those heavy ones ? And all Christians suffer them ; and if men rage not, yet the devil rageth : and if emperors have become Christians ; hath the devil also become a Christian ? Attend therefore, holy brethren, to what maketh a righteous
368 Christ's Human Will prefigured the weak in His Body.
Psalm For it was for this reason that He sweated blood from His
XC1V whole body, because in His body, that is, in His Church, ? ulie21'
44. He shewed the blood of Martyrs. From His whole body blood flowed : thus His Church hath her Martyrs, through her whole body is poured forth blood. Prefiguring there fore in Himself, or in His body, some weak persons, in the
Mat. 26, person of the weak, sympathising with them, He saith, O
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My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me! He sheweth the will of a man: if He remained in this will, He would then seem to be shewing a heart not right. But if He hath shewn compassion on thee, and in Himself also He freeth thee ; imitate what follows, and say, Nevertheless, not as
I will, but as Thou, Father, wilt. If thy human will hath begun to creep on thee, O that God would slay that mine enemy, so that he could not persecute me! O if it could fall out that I might not suffer so much from him ! But if thou hast persevered, and hast set thy mind on something, though thou seest that it is not the will of God, thou art wicked in heart, thou hast not righteousness that shall turn again unto judgment : for all who have it, are right in heart.
Joh 2, 9. heart. She came and said unto him, Say somewhat against God, and die. She counted all his or her own miseries: Say somewhat against God, she said, and die. And he now
Our Lord truly sorrowed ; but for His Body. 369
recognising Eve, wishing to return
with his heart fixed in God, as a luminary in the firmament, dwelling in his heart in the book of God, saith, Thou speakest3ah 2,
as one ofthefoolish women speaketh. What! Shall we receive 10- good at the hand of God, and shall we not endure evil ? Because his heart was fixed in God, therefore was it right : for because God is right, when thou dost fix thine heart in Him, He becometh thy standard, that thine heart may be
right. Fix therefore thine heart in Him, and it will be right. But the human will was beginning to seduce thee. Some thing of the weakness of the flesh was deceiving thy mind : do not yet despair. The Lord in His weakness prefigured thee, not Himself: for the Lord, Who was to rise again on the third day, feared not to suffer. If He suffered altogether
as a man, and was not about to suffer as God, and if He knew that He would rise again in three days, He could not in any way feel dread when about to die, as Paul feared not, knowing that hIe should rise again at the end of time. For he saith; For
am in a strait
desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which isfar better; 1,2J-24.
nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. For it was a weariness to him to remain in the flesh, he felt an ardent longing in two ways ; to be released and to be with Christ, he said, was far best. Thus when his martyrdomIl was close at hand, how did he exult! how did he I
have fought a good fight, I
kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righleoui Judge, shall
whence he had fallen, Ver.
bettvixl the two, having a Philip.
have course, finished my
have
give me at that day. He rejoiceth when about to be crowned,
and yet He who will crown him is sorrowful : the Apostle
thus rejoiceth, and our Lord Christ saith, O My Father, if il Mat. 26, be possible, let this cup pass from Me. But He took upon Himself sorrow, as He did the flesh. For ye must not think,
that I assert that our Lord was not sorrowful. For if T asserted that He was not sorrowful, when the Gospel saith,
My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; it might Mat. 2o, follow that when the Gospel saith, Jesus slept, He did not rs. 8,24. sleep : when the Gospel saith, Jesus ate, that He did not f^6]4' eat: the worm of corruption hath thus crept in, and left*c. nothing whole. So that it may be said, that He had not a
VOL. iv. B b
glory!
Tim. , '''
370 God's long-suffering is for a good end.
Psalm true body, and had not a true flesh. Whatever therefore is XCIV 'written of Him, brethren, really happened, and is true. Was He therefore sorrowful ? Assuredly sorrowful, but with sorrow
taken of His own free will, even as He assumed the flesh of His own will; as He of His own will took upon Him true flesh, so did He of His own will take upon Him true sorrow. Thus also of His own will hath He shewn in Himself, that if
some weakness hath come over thee, and thou hast begun to wish otherwise than God dolh will, thou mayest see how thine own heart hath turned itself aside from the straight rule, thou mayest fix thy heart after the rule, and thy heart which in the man had begun to be crooked, may
be directed after God. Thus then the Lord, as a guide to Mat. 26,thee, saith: My soul is sorrowful even unto death: and, O
38'
ib. 42.
perchance
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. But say then at once what He said, that He might teach thee:
I will, but as Nevertheless, not as Thou,
Father, wilt. For
if ye follow righ teousness, your heart is right ; if your heart be right, that
if ye do this, ye will have righteousness :
which now endureth, will turn again unto judgment, and afterwards, when thy Lord judgeth, thou shalt not only not dread evils, but shalt also glory in thy crown.
Then shalt thou see how the longsuffering of God hath pro fited, either for their punishment or for thy crown : at present thou seest not : believe what thou seest not as yet, lest thou be ashamed when thou shalt see. Until righteousness turn again unto judgment: all such as have it are right in heart.
20. Ver. 16. Who will rise up for me against the wicked? or who will take my part against the evil doers? Many
us to divers evils : the serpent ceaseth not to whisper to thee to work iniquity : whichever way thou shalt turn, if perchance thou hast done well, thou seekest to live well with some one, and thou hardly findest any one ; many wicked men surround thee, for there are few grains of wheat, and much chaff. This floor hath its grains of corn, but as yet they suffer. Therefore the whole mass of the wheat, when separated from the chaff, will be great : the grains are few, but when compared with the chaff, still many in them selves. When therefore the wicked cry out on every side, and say, Why livest thou thus? Art thou the only Christian?
righteousness,
persuade
Temptation through evil Christians. 371
Why dost thou not do, what others also do ? Why dost thou Ver. not frequent the theatres, as others do ? Why dost thou -17'
not use charms and amulets?
astrologers and soothsayers, even as others do ? And thou
Why dost thou not consult
crossest1 thyself, and sayest, I am a Christian, that
mayest repel them, whosoever they are; but the enemy s,gnast' presses on, urges his attacks ; what is worse, by the example
of Christians he choketh Christians.
midst of heat : the Christian soul suffereth tribulation : yet
it hath power to conquer: hath it such power of itself?
For this reason remark what he saith. For he answereth,
What doth it profit me that I now find charms for myself,
I
repair unto my Lord, Who shall send me into the flames ;
because I have preferred a few days to life eternal, He shall send me into hell. What hell? That of the eternal judg
and gain a few days ?
depart
hence from
this life, and
thou'. Ett? They toil on, in the
ment of God. Is it really so,
unless indeed thou really believest that God carelh how men live ? And perhaps it is not an acquaintance who speaketh thus to thee in the street, but thy wife at home, or possibly the husband to the faithful and holy wife, her deceiver. If it be the woman to her husband, she is as Eve unto him ; if as the husband unto the wife, he is as the devil unto her: either she is herself as Eve unto thee, or thou art a serpent unto her. Sometimes the father would incline his thoughts to his son, and findeth him wicked, utterly depraved : he is in a fever of misery, he wavers, he seeketh how to subdue him, he is almost drawn
in, and consenteth: but may God be *near him.
Hear*al- therefore the Psalm : Who will rise up for me against the wicked ? So many are there; wherever I look round, they meet my eyes. Who shall withstand the devil, the prince of iniquity, and bis angels, and the men that have been seduced
by him?
21. Ver. 17. 1/ the Lord, he saith, had not helped me :
within a little my soul had dwelt in hell. I had almost plunged into that pit which is preparing for sinners : that is, my soul had dwelt in hell. Because he already began to waver, and nearly to consent, he looked back unto the Lord. Suppose, for example's sake, he was insulted to
Bb2
(the enemy answereth,)
372 Insults of the proud. The feet near slippiug.
PsAt. M tempt him to iniquity. For sometimes the wicked flock
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come imto Thee on the water. He in His own power, Peter by His order; bid me, he saith, come unto Thee. He answered, Come. For the Church also trampleth on the
if they are more in number, and if they have taken him alone, as there is often much chaff about one grain of wheat; (though there
will not be when the heap hath been fanned ;) he is then taken among many wicked ones, is insulted, and surrounded; they wish to place themselves over him, they torment him
-C1V- together, and insult the good ; especially
A great Apostle! say they ; Thou hast flown into heaven, as Elias did ! Men do these things, so that sometime, when he listeneth to the tongue of men, he is ashamed to be good among the wicked. Let him therefore resist the evil; but not of his
own strength, lest he become proud, and when he wishes to escape the proud, himself increase their number. But what should he say ? Who will rise up for me against the wicked: or who will take my part against the evil-doers?
If the Lord had not helped me, within a little my soul had
dwelt in hell. // / said, My fool hath dipt; Thy -2-2. Ver. 18, 19.
O Lord, held me up. See how God loveth con fession. Thy foot hath slipt, and thou sayest not, my foot hath slipt ; but thou sayest thou art firm, when thou art slipping. The moment thou beginnest to slip or waver, confess thou that slip, that thou mayest not bewail thy total fall ; that He may help, so that thy soul be not in bell.
God loveth confession, loveth humility. Thou hast slipped, as a man ; God helpeth thee, nevertheless : yet say, Myfoot hath slipt. Why dost thou slip, and yet sayest, I am firm ?
and insult him for his very righteousness.
mercy,
When
foot
I said, My
hath slipt, Thy mercy, O Lord, hath held me up. Just as Peter presumed, but not in strength
of his own. The Lord was seen to walk upon the sea, trampling on the heads of all the proud in this life. In walking upon the foaming waves, He figured His own course when He trampleth on the heads of the proud. The Church too doth trample upon them : for Peter is the Church Her
self. Nevertheless, Peter dared not by himself walk upon
Mat. M, the waters; but what said he? Lord, if it be Thou, bid me
cI
Trial drives us to God, and teaches Wisdom.
373
heads of the proud; but since it is the Church, and hath Vrr.
human weakness, that these words might be fulfilled, //. .
0 ' J 20'
/ said, My foot hath slipt, Peter tottered on the sea, and lb. 30.
put, If perish. And what is here, Thy mercy, O Lord, hath held me up,
ried out, Lord, save me! and so what is here
said, My hath slipt, is foot
put
there, Lord,
I
is there put, And immediately Jesus stretched forth His ib. 31. hand, saying, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? It is wonderful how God proveth men: our very ^ ,
dangers render Him Who rescueth us sweeteI
^
For see what followeth : because he said, If
foot hath slipt, Thy mercy, O Lord, hath , held me up. The Lord hath become especially sweet unto him, in rescuing
him from danger ; and thus speaking of this very sweetness of the Lord, he exclaimeth I and saith, O Lord, in the multi
he addeth this testimony : For if the righteous scarcely be i peter
How4'1^-18, then shall the wicked be with Thee, if Thou dost not even pr0v.
saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?
spare Thy faithful, in order that Thou mayest exercise and 11>>31- teach them ? But as He spareth them not, for this reason,
that He may teach them : he saith, For Tliou makest sorrow
r unto us.
\ said,
comforts
My
had in my heart, Thy
tude of the sorrows that
have refreshed my soul. Many sorrows, but many con solations : bitter wounds, and sweet remedies.
23. Ver. 20. Wilt Thou have any thing to do with the stool of iniquity, Who makest sorrow in learning? He hath said this, No wicked man sitteth with Thee, nor shalt Thou have any thing to do with the stool of iniquity. And he giveth an account whereof he understandeth this, For
Thou makest sorrow in learning. For from this, because Thou hast not spared us, do I understand that Thou hast nothing to do with the stool of iniquity. Thou hast this in the Epistle of the Apostle Peter, and for this reason he hath adduced a testimony from the Scripture : for the time is come, he saith, that judgment must begin at the house of God; that is, the time is come for the judgment of those who belong to the house of God. If sons are scourged, what must the most wicked slaves expect ? For which reason he added : And if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Goopel of God? To which
374 Gods ' making' is like the 'potter's. '
Psalm in learning. Makest, that formest from whence comes XCIV' the word figulus (from fingo), and a potter's vessel called
fictile not in the meaning offiction, as a falsehood, but of
forming so as to give any thing being and some sort of form ? er. 9. as before he said, He that fabricated (finxit) the eye, shall He not see Is that, fabricated the eye' a falsehood? Nay, understood He fashioned the eye, made the eye. And
He not a potter when He makes men frail, weak, earthly Hear the Apostle We have this treasure in earthen vessels. But perhaps some one else made these vessels for us Hear him speaking: What art thou, man, who answerest against God Can the vessel say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me so Hath not the potter power over the clay, to make one vessel to honour, another to dishonour Behold our Lord Himself, how He sheweth Himself a potter. Because He had made man of clay, He anointed him with
clay, for whom He had not made eyes in the womb. And so when he sailh, Hast Thou any thing to do with the stool of wickedness, Who makest grief in learning? let us say in this sense Hast Thou any thing to do with the stool of wickedness, Who makest grief in learning Makest, he saith, grief in learning, that is, out of grief makest learning for us, so that grief itself becomes our instruction. How sorrow our learning? When He scourgeth thee Who died for thee, and Who doth not promise bliss in this life, and Who cannot deceive, and when He giveth not here what thou seekest. What will He give when will He give how much will He give, Who giveth not here, Who here teacheth, Who maketh sorrow in learning? Thy labour here, and rest promised thee. Thou takest thought that thou hast toil here: but take thought what sort of rest He promiseth. Canst thou conceive it? If thou couldest, thou
wouldest see that thy toil here nothing toward an equivalent.
Hear one who had seen in part, who said, Now know in
which for the present, and temporal, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, after an in credible measure, and to an incredible measure. What the, worketh for us afar more exceeding and eternal weight ofglory? For when doth work? while we look not at the
Cor. '
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Cor.
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Cor.
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God gives rest at the price of toil. 375 things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen : Ver.
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for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. Be not slothful in thy toil for a short space : and thou shalt rejoice without ceasing. God will give thee eternal life : consider with how much toil it should be purchased.
24. Attend, brethren ; it is for sale. What I have is for sale, saith God unto thee, buy it. What hath He for sale ? I have rest for sale; buy it by thy toil. Attend, that we may be in Christ's name brave Christians : the remainder of the Psalm is but a little, let us not be weary. For how can he be strong in doing, who faileth in hearing? The Lord will help us to expound unto you the remainder. Attend
then: God hath, as it were, proclaimed the kingdom of heaven for sale. Thou sayest unto Him, What is its value? The price is toil : if He were to say, its price is gold, it would not suffice to say this only, but thou wouldest seek to know how much gold ; for there is a mass of gold, and half an ounce, and a pound, and the like. He said price, that thou mightest not be at pains to enquire, how long thou shouldest find it. The price of the commodity is toil: how much
toil is it ? Now seek how much thou shouldest toil for it.
Thou art not as yet told how great that toil is doomed to be,
or how much toil is required of thee : God saith this unto
thee, I shew thee how great that rest will be ; do thou judge
with what measure of toil it should be bought. Let God therefore say how great that rest is destined to be : Blessed Ps. 84,4. are they that dwell in thy house: they will be for ever praising thee. This is eternal rest : this rest will be without
end ; this joy will be without end, this pleasure will be without end, this incorruptibility will be without end ; thou shalt have eternal life ; a rest which is without end. What toil is that rest worth which hath no end? If thou wish- est to make a true judgment, surely eternal rest is rightly purchased by eternal toil. This is true : but do not fear : God is merciful. For if thou hadst eternal toil, thou wouldest never reach eternal rest. Always toiling, when wouldest thou reach that which worthily indeed would be the price of eternal toil, because the rest is eter nal ? Make the price an equivalent : surely eternal rest
is worthy of comparison with eternal toil ! But if thou
376 God's reward incomparably exceeds our toils.
Psalm didst always toil, thou wouldest never reach eternal rest. - That thou mayest therefore at some time gain what thou buyest, thou must not toil for ever: not that it is not of so much value, but that what is bought may be possessed. It is indeed worthy of being bought by perpetual toil ; but it
is necessary that it be bought by temporary toil. Certainly it ought to be so much, that is, eternal labour for eternal rest. What is the value of a million of years in toil? A million of years have an end : what I will give thee, saith God, shall not have an end. What then is the mercy of God? He saith not, toil for a million of years: he saith not, toil even for a thousand years: not, toil for five hundred years: toil while thou dost live, for a few years ; thence shall thy rest commence, and be without end. HeIar what followeth: Lord, in the multitude of sorrows that
comforts have refreshed my soul. Thou toilest not only a few years, but in those very years, consolation is not wanting, daily joys are not wanting. But rejoice not in the world : rejoice in Christ, rejoice in His word, rejoice in His law. What I am speaking of, what ye are listening to, belongeth to these very joys. How great then are those consolations amid so great toils ? True, there is what the Apostle saith,
2 Cor. For our light affliction, which is but for a time, after an
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incredible measure and to an incredible measure, worketh for us an eternal weight of glory. See how small a price do we give ; as it were, a single grain of pulse to receive eternal treasures ; a single mite of toil, for a rest which is beyond
our conception, according to what is said, it worketh for us,after an incredible measure and to an incredible measure, an eternal weight of glory. Thou rejoicest for a season: trust not therein ; thou art sorrowful for a season : do not despair. Let not prosperity corrupt thee, nor adversity break thee down : lest perchance thou mayest say in thy mind, it cannot be that God, Who chasteneth even the righteous that He may save them, that He may teach them,
ProT. can admit unto Himself the wicked. For if the righteous 11,3 ' scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear? I Pet. 4, Hast Tltou any thing to do with the stool of iniquity ? that
is, Dost Thou share the seat of the wicked? Thou Who makest sorrow in learning ; Who hast chosen thus to try these Thy children, and to teach them thus, to give them
had in heart, Thy my
What it is that we learn by trials and dangers. 377
such lessons, as to leave them still in fear, lest they should Ver. love something else, and forget Thee their true good
God is good : but if He were to cease, and not to mingle bitternesses with our temporal bliss, we should forget
Him.
25. But where the anguish of trouble raiseth waves in the
soul, then that faith, which was sleeping there, is aroused.
For it was calm, when Christ was asleep on the sea : while
He was sleeping, a storm arose, and they began to be in danger. Both tranquillity then and peace will be in the Christian's heart : but as long as our faith is on the watch :
but if our faith sleepeth, we are in danger. For Christ sleeping signifietl), that some forget their faith, and are in , danger. But as when that ship was tossing on the waves,
Christ was aroused by the tossed crew, who cried, Lord, we Matt. 8,
perish ! He arose, and commanded the winds, commanded 26
the waves, and it became calm ; thus when evil lusts, evil persuasions, disturb thee, they are waves, they will be calmed.
Thou dost now despair, and believest that thou dost not belong unto the Lord : let thy faith awake : awake Christ in
thy heart ; when faith riseth, thou recognisest where thou
art : and if perchance the waves of lust tempt thee, thou beholdest what God hath promised ; and the sweetness of
His promises will make thee a despiser of the sweetnesses of
the world ; and if perchance many threats of the powerful wicked oppress thee, and drive thee from righteousness,
thou listenest to the threat of God, Go into everlasting Mat. 25,
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, and thou dost not41- leave thy righteousness : in fear therefore of eternal fire thou despisest temporal pain : and for the promises of God, thou scornest temporal happiness. He promised rest : 'suffer trouble. He threateneth etemal fire ; despise temporal pains : and while Christ doth watch, let thy heart be calmed, that thou also mayest reach the harbour. For He would not fail to prepare a harbour, Who provided a vessel. Hast Thou any thing to do with the stool of iniquity, Tfwu Who makest sorrow in learning ? He trieth us with the wicked, and by their persecution He teacheth us. By means of the malice
of the wicked the good is scourged, through the slave the son is chastened : thus is learning taught by sorrow. What
\
378 It is good to learn to have Godfor our refuge.
Psalm God alloweth them power to do, that do wicked men, whom XCIV- He spareth for a season, do.
26. Ver. 21. For what followeth ? They will be captious against the soul of the righteous. Why will they be captious? Because they can find no true ground of accusation. For how were they captious against our Lord ? They made up
Mat. 26, false accusations, because they could not find true ones.
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And will condemn the innocent blood. Why all this taketh place, he will shew in the sequel.
27. Ver. 22. And the Lord is become my refuge, he saith. Thou wouldest not seek such a refuge, if thou wert not in danger: but thou hast therefore been in danger, that thou mightest seek for it: for He teacheth us by sorrow. He causeth me tribulation from the malice of the wicked: pricked with that tribulation, I begin to seek a refuge which I had ceased to seek for in that worldly prosperity. For who, that is always prosperous, and rejoiceth in present hopes, findeth it easy to remember God ? Let the hope of this life give
way, and the hope of God advance ; that thou mayest say, And the Lord is become my refuge: may I sorrow for this end that the Lord may become my refuge ! And my God
the help of my hope.
