Wherefore
also in another Psalm said, Ps.
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v1
All help from God.
Psalm evil, and to persecute him, and he, fulfilling what is written,
Iwill command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it, Acts 13, said, Unto you were we sent, but since ye reject the Word of God, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. Therefore was this
'
fulfilled, / will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. Truth reached even to the clouds : therefore unto us could be declared the Mercy of God, which is in Heaven and not in earth. And truly, Brethren, the clouds are the Preachers of the Word of Truth. When God threateneth through His Preachers, He thunders through the clouds. When God worketh miracles through His Preachers, He lightneth through the clouds, He terrifieth through the clouds, and watereth by the rain. Those Preachers then, by whom is preached the Gospel of God, are the clouds of God. Let us then hope for Mercy, but for that which is in the Heavens.
9. Ver. 6. Thy Righteousness is like the mountains God: Thy Judgments are a great deep. Who are the mountains of God. Those who are called clouds, the same are also the mountains of God. The great Preachers are the mountains of God. And as when the sun riseth, he first
clothes the mountains with light, and thence the light descends to the lowest parts of the earth : so our Lord Jesus Christ, when He came, first irradiated the height of the Apostles, first enlightened the mountains, and so His Light descended to the valley of the world. And therefore sailh
Pa. 121, He in a certain Psalm, / lifted
mountains, from whence cometh my help. But think not that the mountains themselves will give thee help : for they receive what they may give, give not of their own. And if thou remain in the mountains, thy hope will not be strong : but in Him, Who enlighteneth the mountains, ought to be thy hope and presumption. Thy help indeed will come to thee through the mountains, because the Scriptures are administered to thee through the mountains, through the great Preachers of the Truth : but fix not thy hope in them. Hear what He saith next following :
unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help. What then? Do the mountains give thee help? No; hear what
ib. 2.
/
follows, My help cometh from the Lord, Which made
up mine eyes unto the
lifted up
mine
eyes
of
Trust in men misleads, saints declare it. 411
Heaven and earth. Through the mountains cometh help, Ver. but not from the mountains. From whom then i From the ----- Lord, Which made Heaven and earth . There have been other mountains, by whom whosoever would guide his ship has made shipwreck. For there have risen up leaders of heresies, who
have been mountains. Arius was a mountain, Donatus was a mountain, Maximianus1 even now was like a mountain. 1 see on
Many looking to those mountains and desiring land, when they would be freed from the waves, were driven on the rocks, and made shipwreck on the land. By such mountains was not
he seduced, who said, In the Lord put I
ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain. I would
not my hope should be in Arius, I would not in Donalus.
My help cometh from the Lord, Which made Heaven and earth. Learn ye how far ye may presume upon God, and
how much ye may attribute to men, for Cursed is the man Jer. n, that trusteth in man. Most meekly and humbly, the holy Apostle Paul, being truly jealous of the Church, but for the
BridegIroom, not for himsIelf, and fearing those who would
am Paul, and
say, of of Apollos,
my trust. How Ps. 11,1. say
am chose rather hislCor. 3, own person to tread upon and despise, that he might glorify
Christ. Was Paul crucified for you, or were ye baptized in 1 Cor. 1, the name of Paul ? He repels them from himself; but that
he may send them to Christ. Even the friend of the Bride
groom would not to be loved by the Bride for the Bride
groom. For the Apostles are the friends of the Bridegroom. For the same Bridegroom, the humble John also, whoIwas
am John I,
thought the Christ, was jealous. Wherefore he saidI
, IOne mightier than
not the Christ : but there cometh
me, the latchet rf Whose shoes
down and unloose. And so humbling himself, he truly shewed that he was not the Bridegroom, but the Bridegroom's
friend ; and therefore he said, He that hath the Bride John s, is the Bridegroom : but the friend of the Bridegroom, which standelh and heareth Him, rejoiceth greatly because ofthe
Bridegroom's voice. And if the friend of the Bridegroom is
a mountain, yet hath not the mountain light from itself: but
he heareth and rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom's
voice. rr'e,saith ho, have all received of Hisfulness. Ofwhose John 1, fulness? Of His, Who was the True Light Which Ugh tenet h ' ' every man that cometh into the world. For Him then the
am not worthy to stoop7.
yfm? after j
412 Some sinners justly left to their own ways.
Psalm Apostle also was jealous of the Church, saying, Let a man 1 Cor. 4 so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards
! ?
of the mysteries of God. That is, / lifted up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help. Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards ofthe mysteries of God. But lest thy hope Ibe again fixed
lCor. 3,on the mountains and not on God, hear this, have planted, Apollos watered; and God gave the increase ; and this, So then, neither is he that planteth any thing, nor he that watereth, hut God that giveth the increase. Now then thou hast said, /lifted up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help : but because neither is he that
planteth any thing, nor he that watereth ; say, My help cometh from the Lord, Which made Heaven and earth ; and, Thy Righteousness is like the mountains of God: that is, the mountains are filled with Thy Righteousness.
10. Thy Judgments are like the great abyss. The abyss he calleth the depth of sin, whither every one cometh by Rom. 1, despising God; as in a certain place it is said, God gave
them over to their own hearts' lusts, to do the things which are not convenient. Attend, my Beloved. This is a great matter ; a great matter is before us. What meaneth this,
God gave them over to their own hearts' lusts, to do the things that are not convenient i If then God has given them over to their own hearts' lusts, to do those things which are not convenient, is it therefore they do such wickednesses? Suppose one should propose this question ; if God maketh them to do the things which are not convenient, what have they done ? The secret is that which thou heardest, God gave them over to their own hearts' lusts. Therefore it was lust which they would not overcome, to which they were delivered by the Judgment of God. But that they should be held worthy to be delivered, see what of them he said
ib. 21. before, Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
ib. 22. Whereby ? By their pride ; for, Professing themselves wise, they became fools. And thereupon followeth, God gave them over to their own hearts' lusts. Because then they were proud and ungrateful, they were held worthy to be delivered up to the lusts of their own hearts, and became a great
Mountains by grace, Depths left in Judgment. 413
abyss, so that they not only sinned, but also worked craftily, Ver. lest they should understand their iniquity, and hate it. That ----- is the depth of wickedness, to be unwilling to find it out and
to hate it. But how one cometh to that depth, see ; Thy Judgments are the great abyss. As the mountains are by
the Righteousness of God', who through His Grace become great: so also through His Judgments come they unto the depth, who sink lowest. By this then let the mountains delight thee, by this turn away from the abyss, and turn thyself unto that, of which iIt is said, My help cometh from
the Lord. But whereby?
the mountains. What meaneth this ?
In the Church of God thou findest an abyss, thou findest also mountains; thou findest there but few good, because the mountains are few, the abyss broad ; that is, thou findest many living ill after the wrath of God, because they have so worked that they are delivered up to the lusts of their own heart; so now they defend their sins and confess them not; but say, Why? What have I done? Such an one did this, and such an one did that. Now will they even defend what the Divine Word reproves. This is the abyss. There fore in a certain place saith the Scripture, (hear this abyss,)
have up mine eyes unto lifted
I will
speak
plainly '?
'
Latine"
The sinner when he cometh unto the depth of sin despiseth. Proy.
See, Thy Judgments are like the great abyss. But yet not art thou a mountain ; not yet art thou in the abyss ; fly from the abyss, tend towards the mountains ; but yet remain not on the mountains. For thy help cometh from the Lord,
Which made Heaven and earth.
11. O Lord, Thou shalt save man and beast, (ver. 7. )
as Thy Mercy is multiplied, O God. Because he said, Thy Mercy is in the Heavens, that it may be known to be also on earth, he said, O Lord, Thou savest man and beast, as Thy Mercy is multiplied, O God. Great is Thy Mercy, and manifold is Thy Mercy, O God; and that shewest Thou both to man and beast. For from whom is the saving of men ? From God. Is not the saving of beasts also from God ? For He Who made man, made also beasts; He Who made both, saveth both ; but the saving of beasts is temporal. But there are who as a great thing ask this of God, which ? al. ' The Righteousness of God is like the mountains. '
'
414 ' Sons of >><e<<,' in good tense, opposed to ' men. '
Psalm He hath given to beasts. Thy Mercy, O God, is multiplied, "so that not only unto men, but unto beasts also is given the same saving which is given to men, a carnal and temporal saving.
Paai. 8,
12. Have not men then somewhat reserved with God, which beasts deserve not, and whereunto beasts arrive not? They have evidently. And where is that which they have.
The children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. Attend, my Beloved, to this most pleasant
sentence: Thou savesl man and beast. First, he spake of man and beast, then of the children of men; as though men were one, the children ofmen other. Sometimes in Scripture children of men is said generally of all men, sometimes in some proper manner, with some proper signification, so that not all men are understood ; chiefly when there is a dis tinction. For not without reason is it here put; O Lord,
Thou savest man and beast: but the children of men; as
though setting aside the first, he keepeth separate the children of men. Separate from whom ? Not only from beasts, but also from men, who seek from God the saving of beasts, and desire this as a great thing. Who then are the children of men ? Those who put their trust under the shadow of His wings. For those men together with beasts rejoice in possession, but the children of men rejoice in hope : those follow after present goods with beasts, these hope for future goods with Angels. Why then are those with a distinction called men, and these called the children of men ? For in a certain place also saith the Scripture, What is man, thai
Thou art mindful of him ? and the Son of Man, that Thou visitest him ? What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? Thou art mindful of him, as of one absent ; but the Son of Man Thou visitest as present. What is, Thou art mindful of man ? O Lord, Thou savest man and beast. For even to the evil Thou givest saving, and to them who desire not the kingdom of Heaven. For He regardeth them, and deserteth them not after their manner, as they their cattle : He deserteth them not, but as of the absent, is mindful of them. But He Whom he visiteth is the Son of Man; and of Him it is said, The children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. And if ye would discern these two kinds of men, first consider the two men, Adam and Christ. Hear
' Men' seek temporal good, ' sous of men,' eternal. 415
the Apostle, For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall Ver. all be made alive. We are born of Adam, that we may die : ------ we rise again through Christ, that we may live for ever, i5, 22.
When we bear the image of the earthly man, we are men :
when we bear the image of the Heavenly Man, we are children
of men ; for Christ was called the Son of Man. For AdamMatt 8,
was a man, but not a son of man : therefore to Adam belong 20. those who desire carnal goods and that temporal saving. We exhort them to become the children of men, to put their trust under the shadow of His wings, and to desire that Mercy which is in the Heavens, and which was declared by the clouds. But if as yet they cannot, in the mean while
even temporal goods let them not desire, but from God alone. So even let them serve after the Old Testament, that
at the New they may arrive.
13. For that people also desired earthly goods; the king
dom of Jerusalem, the subjection of their enemies, abundance of fruits, their own health, their childrens' health. Such things they desired, and such things they received ; under the Law were they kept. They desired from God goods
which He gives even to beasts, because not yet had the Son of Man come to them, that they might be the children of men: yet they had already ' clouds' declaring the Son of Man. Unto them came Prophets, and declared Christ ; and there were of them some who understood, and had hope of the future, to receive the Mercy which is in the Heavens. There were also of them some who desired but carnal things, and earthly and temporal felicity. The same men's feet slipped away to make and to worship idols. For when He warned them, and scourged them in those things in which they delighted, and took them away, they suffered famine, wars, pestilences, diseases, and so they turned themselves to idols. Those goods which as a great thing they ought to have desired of God, they desired from idols, and abandoned
God. For they observed that those goods, which they
abounded to the ungodly and wicked, and they thought that they worshipped God in vain, because He gave them not their hire on earth. O man, thou art God's workman ; hereafter is the time of receiving thy hire : why askest thou now thy hire, before thou hast wrought ?
sought,
If thy
416 God must be trusted. He gives ineffable joy.
Psalm workman come up to thy house, wilt thou give him his hire, XXXVI : before that he has finished his work ? Thou wilt think him perverse, if he say ; First, let me receive my hire, and then
I will work. Thou wilt be angry. But why wilt thou be angry ? Because he trusted not a deceitful man. How will not God be angry, when thou trustest not Truth Itself? What He promised thee, He will give thee : He deceiveth not, because He is Truth, Who promised. But fearest thou, lest haply He have nothing to give ? He is Omnipotent : fear not, lest He be not, to give thee; He is Immortal: fear not, lest He be succeeded. He is everlasting: be secure. If thou wouldest thy workman to rely on thee the whole day, trust thou also in God, thy whole life ; for thy life is a moment of time with God. And thou shalt be, what ? But the children of men put their trust under the shadow of
Thy wings.
14. Ver. 8. They shall be drunken with the fulness of Thy
House. He promiseth us some great thing. He would speak and He speaketh not. Can He not, or do not we receive dare, my Brethren, to say, even of holy tongues and hearts, by which Truth declared to us, that can neither be spoken, which they declared, nor even thought of For great thing, and ineffable; and even they saw
Cor. through glass darkly, as saith the Apostle, For now we see 13, 12. through a glass darkly; but then face to face. Lo, they who saw through glass darkly, thus burst forth. What
then shall we be, when we shall see face to face That with which they travailed in heart, and could not with their tongue bring forth, that men might receive it. For what necessity was there that he should say, They shall be drunken with the fulness of Thy House? He sought word whereby to express from human things what he would say; and be cause he saw that men drowning themselves in drunkenness
receive indeed wine without measure, but lose their senses, he saw what to say for when shall have been received that ineffable joy, then shall be lost in manner the human soul,
shall become Divine, and be drunken with the fulness of God's House.
Wherefore also in another Psalm said, Ps. 23,5. Thy cup inebriating, how excellent it! With this cup ? were the Martyrs drunken when going to their passion, they
a is
it is
it
it
;
a
a
?
1
a
is it it, a I?
it
it is
Fulness of pleasure from God hereafter . 417
knew not their own. What so drunken as not to know a Ver.
9----
wife weeping, not children, not parents ? They knew them not, they thought not that they were before their eyes. Wonder not: they were drunken. Wherewith were they drunken ? Lo, they had received a cup wherewith they were
towards me?
upon the Name of the Lord, Therefore, Brethren, let us be ' children of men,' and let us trust under the shadow of His wings, and be drunken with the fulness of His House. As Icould, Ihave spoken ; and as far as Ican, Isee ; and how far I see, I cannot speak. They shall be drunken with the
fulness of Thy House ; and of the torrent of Thy Pleasure shall Thou give them to drink. A torrent we call water coming with a flood. There will be a flood of God's Mercy to overflow and inebriate those, who now put their trust
under the shadow of His wings. What is that Pleasure ?
As it were a torrent inebriating the thirsty. Let him then
who thirsts now, lay up hope : whoso thirsts now, let him have hope; when inebriated, he shall have possession: before
he hav e possession, let him thirst in hope. Blessed are they Matt.
which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall 5, 6'
be filled.
15. With what fountain then wilt thou be overflowed,
and whence runneth such a torrent of His Pleasure ? ( Ver. 9. ) For with Thee, saith he, is the fountain of Life. What is the fountain of Life, but Christ ? He came to thee in the flesh, that He might bedew thy thirsty lips : He will satisfy thee trusting, Who bedewed thee thirsting. For with Thee is the fountain of Life; in Thy Light shall we see light.
Here a fountain is one thing, light another : there not so. For that which is the Fountain, the same is also Light : and whatever thou wilt thou callest It, for It is not what thou callest It: for thou canst not find a fit name: for It re mainetb not in one name. If thou shouldest say, that It is Light only, it would be said to thee, Then without cause am I told to hunger and thirst, for who is there that eateth
light? It is said to me plainly, directly, Blessed are /AeMait. 5, pure in heart; for they shall see God. If It is Light, my
ec
drunken. Wherefore he also gives thanks to God, saying, What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits y<<.
I will take the cup
of
Salvation, and call
116, 12. 13.
418 God both Light and Fountain. His Will always good.
Psalm eyes must I prepare. Prepare also lips ; for That Which is , Light is also a Fountain : a Fountain, because It satisfieth
i al.
the thirsty : Light, because It enlighteneth the blind. Here sometimes, light is in one place, a fountain in another. For sometimes fountains run even in darkness ; and sometimes
in the desert thou sufferest the sun, findest no fountain: here then can these two be separated : there thou shalt not be wearied, for there is a Fountain ; there thou shalt not be darkened, for there is Light.
16. Ver. 10. Shew forth Thy Mercy unto them that know Thee; Thy Righteousness to them that are of a right heart. As I have said, Those are of a right heart, who follow in this life the Will of God. The Will of God is sometimes that thou shouldest be whole, sometimes that thou shouldest be sick. If when thou art whole God's Will be sweet, and when thou art sick God's Will be bitter ; thou art not of a right heart. Wherefore ? Because thou wilt not make right thy will according to God's Will, but wilt bend God's Will to thine. That is right, but thou art crooked: thy will must be made right to That, not That made crooked to thee ; and thou wilt have a right heart. It is well with thee in this
world; be God blessed, Who comforteth thee: it goeth hardly with thee in this world; be God blessed, because He* chasteneth and proveth thee ; and so wilt thou be of a right
Ps. 34,1. heart, saying, / will bless the Lord at all times: His Praise shall be ever in my mouth.
I,_ 14 13.
I will
B.
so fallen as to arrive at this mortality. And because pride had wounded us, humility maketh us whole. God came humbly, that from such great wound of pride He might heal
1 7. Ver. 1 1 . Let not the foot of pride come against me. But now he said, The children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings : they shall be drunken with the fulness of Thy House. When one hath begun to be plentifully overflowed with that Fountain, let him take heed
lest he grow proud. For the same was not wanting to Adam, the first man : but the foot of pride came against him, and the hand of the sinner removed him, that is, the proud hand of the devil. As he who seduced him, said of himself,
sit in the sides of the north; so he persuaded him, by say-
Gen. 3, ing. Taste, and ye shall be as Gods. By pride then have we
Christ humbled to cure our pride. 419
man. He came, for, The Word was made Flesh, and dwelt Ver. among us. He was taken by the Jews ; He was reviled of "? 12.
'
them. Ye heard when the Gospel was read, what they said, 34. and to Whom they said, Thou hast a devil : and He said John 8 not, Ye have a devil, for ye are still in your sins, and the devil 48- possesseth your hearts. He said not this, which if He had
said, He had said truly: but it was not meet that He should
say lest He should seem not to preach Truth, but to retort
evil speaking. He let go what He heard as though He heard not. For Physician was He, and to cure the madman had He come. As Physician careth not what he
may hear from the madman but how the madman may recover and become sane nor even he receive blow
from the madman, careth he but while he to him giveth new wounds, he cureth his old fever: so also the Lord came to the sick man, to the madman came He, that whatever He might hear, whatever He might suffer, He should despise; by this very thing teaching us humility, that being taught by humility, we might be healed from pride from which he here prayeth to be delivered, saying, Let not the foot of
pride come against me neither let the hand of the sinner remove me. For the foot of pride come, the hand of the sinner removeth. What the hand of the sinner? The working of him that adviseth ill. Hast thou become proud Quickly he corrupteth thee who adviseth ill. Humbly fix thyself in God, and care not much what said to thee. Hence that which elsewhere spoken, From my secret ps, 19 sins cleanse Thou me; and from others' sins also keep Thyi2. 13. servant. What is, From my secret sins Let not the foot ofpride come against me. What From other men's sins
also keep Thy servant? Let not the hand of the wicked remove me. Keep that which within, and thou shalt not fear from without.
18. But wherefore so greatly fearest thou this Because said, (ver. 12. ) Thereby have fallen all that work iniquity; so that they have come into that abyss, of which said, Thyjudgments are like the great abyss: so that they have come even to that deep wherein sinners who despise have fallen. Have fallen. Whereby did they first
fall By the foot of pride. Hear the foot of pride. When
it it ? isis
it, it
?
is
is,
?
is
if
is
is
if
;
a
?
is ; ;;
a
:
a
420 Pride the serpent's head.
Psalm they knew God, they glorified Him not as God. Therefore Hom. 1 came against them the foot of pride, whereby they came into 21--24. the depth. God gave them over to their own hearts' lusts, to
do those things which are not convenient. The root of sin, and the head of sin feared he who said, Let not the foot of
pride come against me. Wherefore said he, the foot? Be cause by walking proudly man deserted God, and departed from Him. His foot, called he his affection, ljet not the foot of pride come against me : let not the hand of the wicked remove me : that is, let not the works of the wicked remove me from Thee, that I should wish to imitate them. But wherefore said he this against pride, Thereby have fallen all that work iniquity? Because those who now are ungodly, have fallen by pride. Therefore when the Lord would
fien. 3, caution His Church, He said, It shall watch thy head, and
1 Lat.
',? *. /r. Ecclus.
thou shall watch1 his heel. The serpent watcheth when the roo* of pride may come against thee, when thou mayest fall, that he may cast thee down. But watch thou his head: the
" beginning of all sin is pride. Thereby have fallen all that work iniquity: they are driven out, and are not able to stand. He first, who in the Truth stood not, then, through him, they whom God sent out of Paradise. Whence he, the humble, who said that he was not worthy to unloose His
John 1, shoe's latchet, is not driven out, but standeth and heareth
'
29' '
Him, and rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice ; not because of his own, lest the foot of pride come against him, and he be driven out, and be not able to stand.
And now if with all my pains I have been tedious to any of you, I have finished the Psalm, the tediousness has passed away, and I will congratulate you that the whole Psalm is expounded. In the very middle of fearing lest should burden you, was about to let you go but thought that our attention would be broken off, and that we should not so return to the half remaining, as we should now run through the whole and was willing rather to be burdensome to you, than, leaving the subject unfinished, to keep the rest. For there due to you also to-morrow's sermon
for me, that may be able to render and do ye bring hungry mouths and devout hearts.
595,8
042
pray ye
Iis; I I
it ;
it, :
:
I
I
if
?
Iwill command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it, Acts 13, said, Unto you were we sent, but since ye reject the Word of God, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. Therefore was this
'
fulfilled, / will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. Truth reached even to the clouds : therefore unto us could be declared the Mercy of God, which is in Heaven and not in earth. And truly, Brethren, the clouds are the Preachers of the Word of Truth. When God threateneth through His Preachers, He thunders through the clouds. When God worketh miracles through His Preachers, He lightneth through the clouds, He terrifieth through the clouds, and watereth by the rain. Those Preachers then, by whom is preached the Gospel of God, are the clouds of God. Let us then hope for Mercy, but for that which is in the Heavens.
9. Ver. 6. Thy Righteousness is like the mountains God: Thy Judgments are a great deep. Who are the mountains of God. Those who are called clouds, the same are also the mountains of God. The great Preachers are the mountains of God. And as when the sun riseth, he first
clothes the mountains with light, and thence the light descends to the lowest parts of the earth : so our Lord Jesus Christ, when He came, first irradiated the height of the Apostles, first enlightened the mountains, and so His Light descended to the valley of the world. And therefore sailh
Pa. 121, He in a certain Psalm, / lifted
mountains, from whence cometh my help. But think not that the mountains themselves will give thee help : for they receive what they may give, give not of their own. And if thou remain in the mountains, thy hope will not be strong : but in Him, Who enlighteneth the mountains, ought to be thy hope and presumption. Thy help indeed will come to thee through the mountains, because the Scriptures are administered to thee through the mountains, through the great Preachers of the Truth : but fix not thy hope in them. Hear what He saith next following :
unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help. What then? Do the mountains give thee help? No; hear what
ib. 2.
/
follows, My help cometh from the Lord, Which made
up mine eyes unto the
lifted up
mine
eyes
of
Trust in men misleads, saints declare it. 411
Heaven and earth. Through the mountains cometh help, Ver. but not from the mountains. From whom then i From the ----- Lord, Which made Heaven and earth . There have been other mountains, by whom whosoever would guide his ship has made shipwreck. For there have risen up leaders of heresies, who
have been mountains. Arius was a mountain, Donatus was a mountain, Maximianus1 even now was like a mountain. 1 see on
Many looking to those mountains and desiring land, when they would be freed from the waves, were driven on the rocks, and made shipwreck on the land. By such mountains was not
he seduced, who said, In the Lord put I
ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain. I would
not my hope should be in Arius, I would not in Donalus.
My help cometh from the Lord, Which made Heaven and earth. Learn ye how far ye may presume upon God, and
how much ye may attribute to men, for Cursed is the man Jer. n, that trusteth in man. Most meekly and humbly, the holy Apostle Paul, being truly jealous of the Church, but for the
BridegIroom, not for himsIelf, and fearing those who would
am Paul, and
say, of of Apollos,
my trust. How Ps. 11,1. say
am chose rather hislCor. 3, own person to tread upon and despise, that he might glorify
Christ. Was Paul crucified for you, or were ye baptized in 1 Cor. 1, the name of Paul ? He repels them from himself; but that
he may send them to Christ. Even the friend of the Bride
groom would not to be loved by the Bride for the Bride
groom. For the Apostles are the friends of the Bridegroom. For the same Bridegroom, the humble John also, whoIwas
am John I,
thought the Christ, was jealous. Wherefore he saidI
, IOne mightier than
not the Christ : but there cometh
me, the latchet rf Whose shoes
down and unloose. And so humbling himself, he truly shewed that he was not the Bridegroom, but the Bridegroom's
friend ; and therefore he said, He that hath the Bride John s, is the Bridegroom : but the friend of the Bridegroom, which standelh and heareth Him, rejoiceth greatly because ofthe
Bridegroom's voice. And if the friend of the Bridegroom is
a mountain, yet hath not the mountain light from itself: but
he heareth and rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom's
voice. rr'e,saith ho, have all received of Hisfulness. Ofwhose John 1, fulness? Of His, Who was the True Light Which Ugh tenet h ' ' every man that cometh into the world. For Him then the
am not worthy to stoop7.
yfm? after j
412 Some sinners justly left to their own ways.
Psalm Apostle also was jealous of the Church, saying, Let a man 1 Cor. 4 so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards
! ?
of the mysteries of God. That is, / lifted up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help. Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards ofthe mysteries of God. But lest thy hope Ibe again fixed
lCor. 3,on the mountains and not on God, hear this, have planted, Apollos watered; and God gave the increase ; and this, So then, neither is he that planteth any thing, nor he that watereth, hut God that giveth the increase. Now then thou hast said, /lifted up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help : but because neither is he that
planteth any thing, nor he that watereth ; say, My help cometh from the Lord, Which made Heaven and earth ; and, Thy Righteousness is like the mountains of God: that is, the mountains are filled with Thy Righteousness.
10. Thy Judgments are like the great abyss. The abyss he calleth the depth of sin, whither every one cometh by Rom. 1, despising God; as in a certain place it is said, God gave
them over to their own hearts' lusts, to do the things which are not convenient. Attend, my Beloved. This is a great matter ; a great matter is before us. What meaneth this,
God gave them over to their own hearts' lusts, to do the things that are not convenient i If then God has given them over to their own hearts' lusts, to do those things which are not convenient, is it therefore they do such wickednesses? Suppose one should propose this question ; if God maketh them to do the things which are not convenient, what have they done ? The secret is that which thou heardest, God gave them over to their own hearts' lusts. Therefore it was lust which they would not overcome, to which they were delivered by the Judgment of God. But that they should be held worthy to be delivered, see what of them he said
ib. 21. before, Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
ib. 22. Whereby ? By their pride ; for, Professing themselves wise, they became fools. And thereupon followeth, God gave them over to their own hearts' lusts. Because then they were proud and ungrateful, they were held worthy to be delivered up to the lusts of their own hearts, and became a great
Mountains by grace, Depths left in Judgment. 413
abyss, so that they not only sinned, but also worked craftily, Ver. lest they should understand their iniquity, and hate it. That ----- is the depth of wickedness, to be unwilling to find it out and
to hate it. But how one cometh to that depth, see ; Thy Judgments are the great abyss. As the mountains are by
the Righteousness of God', who through His Grace become great: so also through His Judgments come they unto the depth, who sink lowest. By this then let the mountains delight thee, by this turn away from the abyss, and turn thyself unto that, of which iIt is said, My help cometh from
the Lord. But whereby?
the mountains. What meaneth this ?
In the Church of God thou findest an abyss, thou findest also mountains; thou findest there but few good, because the mountains are few, the abyss broad ; that is, thou findest many living ill after the wrath of God, because they have so worked that they are delivered up to the lusts of their own heart; so now they defend their sins and confess them not; but say, Why? What have I done? Such an one did this, and such an one did that. Now will they even defend what the Divine Word reproves. This is the abyss. There fore in a certain place saith the Scripture, (hear this abyss,)
have up mine eyes unto lifted
I will
speak
plainly '?
'
Latine"
The sinner when he cometh unto the depth of sin despiseth. Proy.
See, Thy Judgments are like the great abyss. But yet not art thou a mountain ; not yet art thou in the abyss ; fly from the abyss, tend towards the mountains ; but yet remain not on the mountains. For thy help cometh from the Lord,
Which made Heaven and earth.
11. O Lord, Thou shalt save man and beast, (ver. 7. )
as Thy Mercy is multiplied, O God. Because he said, Thy Mercy is in the Heavens, that it may be known to be also on earth, he said, O Lord, Thou savest man and beast, as Thy Mercy is multiplied, O God. Great is Thy Mercy, and manifold is Thy Mercy, O God; and that shewest Thou both to man and beast. For from whom is the saving of men ? From God. Is not the saving of beasts also from God ? For He Who made man, made also beasts; He Who made both, saveth both ; but the saving of beasts is temporal. But there are who as a great thing ask this of God, which ? al. ' The Righteousness of God is like the mountains. '
'
414 ' Sons of >><e<<,' in good tense, opposed to ' men. '
Psalm He hath given to beasts. Thy Mercy, O God, is multiplied, "so that not only unto men, but unto beasts also is given the same saving which is given to men, a carnal and temporal saving.
Paai. 8,
12. Have not men then somewhat reserved with God, which beasts deserve not, and whereunto beasts arrive not? They have evidently. And where is that which they have.
The children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. Attend, my Beloved, to this most pleasant
sentence: Thou savesl man and beast. First, he spake of man and beast, then of the children of men; as though men were one, the children ofmen other. Sometimes in Scripture children of men is said generally of all men, sometimes in some proper manner, with some proper signification, so that not all men are understood ; chiefly when there is a dis tinction. For not without reason is it here put; O Lord,
Thou savest man and beast: but the children of men; as
though setting aside the first, he keepeth separate the children of men. Separate from whom ? Not only from beasts, but also from men, who seek from God the saving of beasts, and desire this as a great thing. Who then are the children of men ? Those who put their trust under the shadow of His wings. For those men together with beasts rejoice in possession, but the children of men rejoice in hope : those follow after present goods with beasts, these hope for future goods with Angels. Why then are those with a distinction called men, and these called the children of men ? For in a certain place also saith the Scripture, What is man, thai
Thou art mindful of him ? and the Son of Man, that Thou visitest him ? What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? Thou art mindful of him, as of one absent ; but the Son of Man Thou visitest as present. What is, Thou art mindful of man ? O Lord, Thou savest man and beast. For even to the evil Thou givest saving, and to them who desire not the kingdom of Heaven. For He regardeth them, and deserteth them not after their manner, as they their cattle : He deserteth them not, but as of the absent, is mindful of them. But He Whom he visiteth is the Son of Man; and of Him it is said, The children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. And if ye would discern these two kinds of men, first consider the two men, Adam and Christ. Hear
' Men' seek temporal good, ' sous of men,' eternal. 415
the Apostle, For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall Ver. all be made alive. We are born of Adam, that we may die : ------ we rise again through Christ, that we may live for ever, i5, 22.
When we bear the image of the earthly man, we are men :
when we bear the image of the Heavenly Man, we are children
of men ; for Christ was called the Son of Man. For AdamMatt 8,
was a man, but not a son of man : therefore to Adam belong 20. those who desire carnal goods and that temporal saving. We exhort them to become the children of men, to put their trust under the shadow of His wings, and to desire that Mercy which is in the Heavens, and which was declared by the clouds. But if as yet they cannot, in the mean while
even temporal goods let them not desire, but from God alone. So even let them serve after the Old Testament, that
at the New they may arrive.
13. For that people also desired earthly goods; the king
dom of Jerusalem, the subjection of their enemies, abundance of fruits, their own health, their childrens' health. Such things they desired, and such things they received ; under the Law were they kept. They desired from God goods
which He gives even to beasts, because not yet had the Son of Man come to them, that they might be the children of men: yet they had already ' clouds' declaring the Son of Man. Unto them came Prophets, and declared Christ ; and there were of them some who understood, and had hope of the future, to receive the Mercy which is in the Heavens. There were also of them some who desired but carnal things, and earthly and temporal felicity. The same men's feet slipped away to make and to worship idols. For when He warned them, and scourged them in those things in which they delighted, and took them away, they suffered famine, wars, pestilences, diseases, and so they turned themselves to idols. Those goods which as a great thing they ought to have desired of God, they desired from idols, and abandoned
God. For they observed that those goods, which they
abounded to the ungodly and wicked, and they thought that they worshipped God in vain, because He gave them not their hire on earth. O man, thou art God's workman ; hereafter is the time of receiving thy hire : why askest thou now thy hire, before thou hast wrought ?
sought,
If thy
416 God must be trusted. He gives ineffable joy.
Psalm workman come up to thy house, wilt thou give him his hire, XXXVI : before that he has finished his work ? Thou wilt think him perverse, if he say ; First, let me receive my hire, and then
I will work. Thou wilt be angry. But why wilt thou be angry ? Because he trusted not a deceitful man. How will not God be angry, when thou trustest not Truth Itself? What He promised thee, He will give thee : He deceiveth not, because He is Truth, Who promised. But fearest thou, lest haply He have nothing to give ? He is Omnipotent : fear not, lest He be not, to give thee; He is Immortal: fear not, lest He be succeeded. He is everlasting: be secure. If thou wouldest thy workman to rely on thee the whole day, trust thou also in God, thy whole life ; for thy life is a moment of time with God. And thou shalt be, what ? But the children of men put their trust under the shadow of
Thy wings.
14. Ver. 8. They shall be drunken with the fulness of Thy
House. He promiseth us some great thing. He would speak and He speaketh not. Can He not, or do not we receive dare, my Brethren, to say, even of holy tongues and hearts, by which Truth declared to us, that can neither be spoken, which they declared, nor even thought of For great thing, and ineffable; and even they saw
Cor. through glass darkly, as saith the Apostle, For now we see 13, 12. through a glass darkly; but then face to face. Lo, they who saw through glass darkly, thus burst forth. What
then shall we be, when we shall see face to face That with which they travailed in heart, and could not with their tongue bring forth, that men might receive it. For what necessity was there that he should say, They shall be drunken with the fulness of Thy House? He sought word whereby to express from human things what he would say; and be cause he saw that men drowning themselves in drunkenness
receive indeed wine without measure, but lose their senses, he saw what to say for when shall have been received that ineffable joy, then shall be lost in manner the human soul,
shall become Divine, and be drunken with the fulness of God's House.
Wherefore also in another Psalm said, Ps. 23,5. Thy cup inebriating, how excellent it! With this cup ? were the Martyrs drunken when going to their passion, they
a is
it is
it
it
;
a
a
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is it it, a I?
it
it is
Fulness of pleasure from God hereafter . 417
knew not their own. What so drunken as not to know a Ver.
9----
wife weeping, not children, not parents ? They knew them not, they thought not that they were before their eyes. Wonder not: they were drunken. Wherewith were they drunken ? Lo, they had received a cup wherewith they were
towards me?
upon the Name of the Lord, Therefore, Brethren, let us be ' children of men,' and let us trust under the shadow of His wings, and be drunken with the fulness of His House. As Icould, Ihave spoken ; and as far as Ican, Isee ; and how far I see, I cannot speak. They shall be drunken with the
fulness of Thy House ; and of the torrent of Thy Pleasure shall Thou give them to drink. A torrent we call water coming with a flood. There will be a flood of God's Mercy to overflow and inebriate those, who now put their trust
under the shadow of His wings. What is that Pleasure ?
As it were a torrent inebriating the thirsty. Let him then
who thirsts now, lay up hope : whoso thirsts now, let him have hope; when inebriated, he shall have possession: before
he hav e possession, let him thirst in hope. Blessed are they Matt.
which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall 5, 6'
be filled.
15. With what fountain then wilt thou be overflowed,
and whence runneth such a torrent of His Pleasure ? ( Ver. 9. ) For with Thee, saith he, is the fountain of Life. What is the fountain of Life, but Christ ? He came to thee in the flesh, that He might bedew thy thirsty lips : He will satisfy thee trusting, Who bedewed thee thirsting. For with Thee is the fountain of Life; in Thy Light shall we see light.
Here a fountain is one thing, light another : there not so. For that which is the Fountain, the same is also Light : and whatever thou wilt thou callest It, for It is not what thou callest It: for thou canst not find a fit name: for It re mainetb not in one name. If thou shouldest say, that It is Light only, it would be said to thee, Then without cause am I told to hunger and thirst, for who is there that eateth
light? It is said to me plainly, directly, Blessed are /AeMait. 5, pure in heart; for they shall see God. If It is Light, my
ec
drunken. Wherefore he also gives thanks to God, saying, What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits y<<.
I will take the cup
of
Salvation, and call
116, 12. 13.
418 God both Light and Fountain. His Will always good.
Psalm eyes must I prepare. Prepare also lips ; for That Which is , Light is also a Fountain : a Fountain, because It satisfieth
i al.
the thirsty : Light, because It enlighteneth the blind. Here sometimes, light is in one place, a fountain in another. For sometimes fountains run even in darkness ; and sometimes
in the desert thou sufferest the sun, findest no fountain: here then can these two be separated : there thou shalt not be wearied, for there is a Fountain ; there thou shalt not be darkened, for there is Light.
16. Ver. 10. Shew forth Thy Mercy unto them that know Thee; Thy Righteousness to them that are of a right heart. As I have said, Those are of a right heart, who follow in this life the Will of God. The Will of God is sometimes that thou shouldest be whole, sometimes that thou shouldest be sick. If when thou art whole God's Will be sweet, and when thou art sick God's Will be bitter ; thou art not of a right heart. Wherefore ? Because thou wilt not make right thy will according to God's Will, but wilt bend God's Will to thine. That is right, but thou art crooked: thy will must be made right to That, not That made crooked to thee ; and thou wilt have a right heart. It is well with thee in this
world; be God blessed, Who comforteth thee: it goeth hardly with thee in this world; be God blessed, because He* chasteneth and proveth thee ; and so wilt thou be of a right
Ps. 34,1. heart, saying, / will bless the Lord at all times: His Praise shall be ever in my mouth.
I,_ 14 13.
I will
B.
so fallen as to arrive at this mortality. And because pride had wounded us, humility maketh us whole. God came humbly, that from such great wound of pride He might heal
1 7. Ver. 1 1 . Let not the foot of pride come against me. But now he said, The children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings : they shall be drunken with the fulness of Thy House. When one hath begun to be plentifully overflowed with that Fountain, let him take heed
lest he grow proud. For the same was not wanting to Adam, the first man : but the foot of pride came against him, and the hand of the sinner removed him, that is, the proud hand of the devil. As he who seduced him, said of himself,
sit in the sides of the north; so he persuaded him, by say-
Gen. 3, ing. Taste, and ye shall be as Gods. By pride then have we
Christ humbled to cure our pride. 419
man. He came, for, The Word was made Flesh, and dwelt Ver. among us. He was taken by the Jews ; He was reviled of "? 12.
'
them. Ye heard when the Gospel was read, what they said, 34. and to Whom they said, Thou hast a devil : and He said John 8 not, Ye have a devil, for ye are still in your sins, and the devil 48- possesseth your hearts. He said not this, which if He had
said, He had said truly: but it was not meet that He should
say lest He should seem not to preach Truth, but to retort
evil speaking. He let go what He heard as though He heard not. For Physician was He, and to cure the madman had He come. As Physician careth not what he
may hear from the madman but how the madman may recover and become sane nor even he receive blow
from the madman, careth he but while he to him giveth new wounds, he cureth his old fever: so also the Lord came to the sick man, to the madman came He, that whatever He might hear, whatever He might suffer, He should despise; by this very thing teaching us humility, that being taught by humility, we might be healed from pride from which he here prayeth to be delivered, saying, Let not the foot of
pride come against me neither let the hand of the sinner remove me. For the foot of pride come, the hand of the sinner removeth. What the hand of the sinner? The working of him that adviseth ill. Hast thou become proud Quickly he corrupteth thee who adviseth ill. Humbly fix thyself in God, and care not much what said to thee. Hence that which elsewhere spoken, From my secret ps, 19 sins cleanse Thou me; and from others' sins also keep Thyi2. 13. servant. What is, From my secret sins Let not the foot ofpride come against me. What From other men's sins
also keep Thy servant? Let not the hand of the wicked remove me. Keep that which within, and thou shalt not fear from without.
18. But wherefore so greatly fearest thou this Because said, (ver. 12. ) Thereby have fallen all that work iniquity; so that they have come into that abyss, of which said, Thyjudgments are like the great abyss: so that they have come even to that deep wherein sinners who despise have fallen. Have fallen. Whereby did they first
fall By the foot of pride. Hear the foot of pride. When
it it ? isis
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?
is
is,
?
is
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if
;
a
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a
:
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420 Pride the serpent's head.
Psalm they knew God, they glorified Him not as God. Therefore Hom. 1 came against them the foot of pride, whereby they came into 21--24. the depth. God gave them over to their own hearts' lusts, to
do those things which are not convenient. The root of sin, and the head of sin feared he who said, Let not the foot of
pride come against me. Wherefore said he, the foot? Be cause by walking proudly man deserted God, and departed from Him. His foot, called he his affection, ljet not the foot of pride come against me : let not the hand of the wicked remove me : that is, let not the works of the wicked remove me from Thee, that I should wish to imitate them. But wherefore said he this against pride, Thereby have fallen all that work iniquity? Because those who now are ungodly, have fallen by pride. Therefore when the Lord would
fien. 3, caution His Church, He said, It shall watch thy head, and
1 Lat.
',? *. /r. Ecclus.
thou shall watch1 his heel. The serpent watcheth when the roo* of pride may come against thee, when thou mayest fall, that he may cast thee down. But watch thou his head: the
" beginning of all sin is pride. Thereby have fallen all that work iniquity: they are driven out, and are not able to stand. He first, who in the Truth stood not, then, through him, they whom God sent out of Paradise. Whence he, the humble, who said that he was not worthy to unloose His
John 1, shoe's latchet, is not driven out, but standeth and heareth
'
29' '
Him, and rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice ; not because of his own, lest the foot of pride come against him, and he be driven out, and be not able to stand.
And now if with all my pains I have been tedious to any of you, I have finished the Psalm, the tediousness has passed away, and I will congratulate you that the whole Psalm is expounded. In the very middle of fearing lest should burden you, was about to let you go but thought that our attention would be broken off, and that we should not so return to the half remaining, as we should now run through the whole and was willing rather to be burdensome to you, than, leaving the subject unfinished, to keep the rest. For there due to you also to-morrow's sermon
for me, that may be able to render and do ye bring hungry mouths and devout hearts.
595,8
042
pray ye
Iis; I I
it ;
it, :
:
I
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if
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