This the subject of praise and of song in this Psalm, how Christian man in the Sabbath of his own heart, that is,
in the quiet, tranquillity, and serenity of his conscience, un disturbed hence he tells us here, whence men are wont to be disturbed, and he teaches thee to keep Sabbath in thine own heart.
in the quiet, tranquillity, and serenity of his conscience, un disturbed hence he tells us here, whence men are wont to be disturbed, and he teaches thee to keep Sabbath in thine own heart.
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v4
He said not, Fearest thou Me?
For if
he still feared, he would be hurting his feet against the
stone. Lovest I thou Me? He saith. Peter replies, Thou
I
9. The rest is clear, my brethren, for it has often been treated of. (Ver. 13. ) Thou 1 shall go upon the asp and the l on this basilisk ; the lion and the dragon shall thou tread under thy JgTM? n
love Thee. Once was enough. Perhaps it
knowest that
might satisfy me, who see not the heart ; how much more would it suffice / the Lord, Who saw how with his whole
love Thee. It is not enough for our Lord,
soul Peter said,
to answer once: He asketh a second time, and Peter answer-
eth : He asketh a third time ; and now Peter, wearied, as if
our Lord doubted of his love, Lord, he saith, Thou huowest John2l,
1'-
all things: Thou knowest that
so dealt with him, as if He said, thrice thou hast denied Me through fear: thrice confess Me through love. With that love and that charity He filled His disciples. Why ? Because He hath set His house of defence very high: because when glo rified He sent the Holy Ghost, He released the faithful from the guilt of the Law, that His feet might not dash against a stone.
Ye know who the serpent and how the Church PM0,1. treadeth upon him, as she not conquered, because she
feet.
love Thee. But our Lord16
is
is
is,
310 Satan the lion infierceness, the dragon in sleight.
Psalm on her guard against his cunning. And after what manner II. - he is a lion and a dragon, I believe you know also, beloved.
The lion openly rages, the dragon lies secretly in covert: the devil hath each of these forces and powers. When the Martyrs were being slain, it was the raging lion: when heretics are plotting, it is the dragon creeping beneath us. Thou hast conquered the lion ; conquer also the dragon :
1al. ' let the lion hath not' crushed thee, let not the dragon deceive Hon"16 thee. Let us prove that it was the lion, when he openly did
Peter exhorting the Martyrs saith, Know ye not that your adversary the devil goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour? The lion openly raging sought whom he might devour : how does the dragon plot against us ? By means of heretics. In fear of these, Paul, lest the Church should by them be corrupted from her virginity of faith, which she beareth in her heart, saith, /
TvKt ra? e- 6, 8.
2 Cor.
' ' ' have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you
as a chaste virgin to Christ; but
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his sublilty, so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in
Christ. A few women in the Church have bodily virginity: but the virginity of the heart all the faithful have. In the very matter of faith he feared that the heart's virginity would be corrupted by the devil : and those who have lost are uselessly virgins in their bodies. What does a woman who
corrupt in heart preserve in her body Thus Catholic married woman before virgin heretic. For the first not indeed virgin in her body, but the second has become married in her heart; and married not unto God as her husband, but unto the dragon. But what shall the Church do? Thou shalt go upon the asp and the basilisk. The basilisk the king of serpents, as the devil the king wicked spirits. The lion and the dragon thou shalt tread under thy feet.
10. These are the words of God to the Church.
Because he hath set his love in me, therefore will deliver him. Not only therefore the Head, which now sits in hearen, because He hath set His house of defence very high, to which no evil shall happen, neither shall any plague come
nigh His dwelling; but we also, who are toiling on earth,
Ifear, lest
by any means,
(Ver. 14. )
is I
a
it,
is
a
of
is
is
a
is
?
Faith to be roused in trouble. Length of days. 311
and are still living in temptations, whose steps ave feared Ver. for, lest they fall into snares, may hear the voice of the Lord lo' 16' our God consoling us, and saying to us, Because he hath
set his love upon me, therefore will I
11. (Ver. 15. ) He shall call upon me, and
deliver him: 1 will set him up, because he hath known my name. I will hear
I
art in trouble, as if the Lord were not with thee. Let faith
be with thee, and God is with thee in thy trouble. There
are waves on the sea, and thou art tossed in thy bark, because
Christ sleepeth. Christ slept in the ship, while the men Matt. 8,
him: yea,
am with him in trouble. Fear not when thou
were perishing. If thy faith sleep in thy heart, Christ is as24,26- it were sleeping in thy ship : because Christ dwelleth in
thee through faith, when thou beginnest to be tossed, awake Christ sleeping: rouse up thy faith, and thou shalt be assured that He deserts thee not. But thou thinkest thou
art forsaken, because He rescueth thee not when thou thyself
dost wish. He delivered the Three Children from the fire ? Dan. 3, Did He, Who did this, desert the Maccabees? God forbid ! ^Maco. He delivered both of these: the first bodily, that the faithless 7. might be confounded ; the last spiritually, that the faithful
am with him in trouble:
not that length of days is spoken of in the same sense as days are said to be long in summer, short in winter. Hath he such days to give us ? That length is one that hath no end, eternal life, that is promised us in long days. And truly, since this sufficeth, with reason he saith, will I satisfy him. What is long in time, if it hath an end, satisfieth us not : for that reason it should not be even called long. And if we are covetous, we ought to be covetous of eternal life : long for such a life, as hath no end. Lo, a line in which our covetousness may be extended. Dost thou wish money without limit? Long for eternal life without limit. Dost thou wish that thy possession may have no end ? Seek for eternal life. With length of days will I
/
deliver him, and bring him to honour.
I will
might imitate them.
12. (Ver. 16. ) With length of days will I satisfy
him. What is length of days ? Eternal life. Brethren, imagine
satisfy him.
/ will shew him my salvation. Nor is this,
13.
brethren, to be briefly passed over. / will shew him my
my
312 Joy of seeing Christ, ' the Salvation of God. '
Psai. m salvation: He means, I will shew him Christ Himself. Why?
Was He not seen on earth? What great thing hath He to shew us? But He did not appear such as we shall see Him. He appeared in that shape in which those who saw Him crucified Him: behold, those who saw Him, crucified Him: wc have not seen Him, yet we have believed. They had eyes, have not we? yea, we too have the eyes of the heart: but, as yet we see through faith, not by sight. When will it be sight? When shall we, as the Apostle saith, see Him
1 Cor. face to face? which God promiseth us as the high reward 13' 12' of all our toils. Whatever thou toilest in, thou toilest for this purpose, that thou mayest see Him. Some great thing it is we are to see, since all our reward is seeing; and our
Lord Jesus Christ is that very great sight. He Who appeared
humble, will Himself appear great, and will rejoice us, as He John l, is even now seen of His Angels. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
'
XrL
God. Listen to the Lord Himself, Who gave this promise, JohnU, saying in the Gospel, He that loveth Me shall be loved of
I will love him. And as if it were asked of Him, And what wilt Thou give to him who loveth Thee ? He answereth, / will manifest Myself to him. Let us long for,
My Father, and
and let us love Him : let us burn with love toward Him, if we are His betrothed. Our husband is absent, let us wait for Him : He Whom we are longing for will come. He hath given such a pledge, let not the spouse fear lest she be forsaken by her Husband. He doth not forfeit His pledge. What pledge hath He given ? He hath poured out His blood. What pledge hath He given ? He hath sent the Holy Ghost. Will the Husband forfeit such pledges ? If He loved us not, He would not give such pledges. He loveth us now. O that we could love Him as He doth ?
John 16, " No man hath greater love, that that he lay down his life for his friends :" and how can we lay down our lives for Him ? What doth it profit Him, since He hath set His house of defence very high, nor doth any scourge come nigh His dwelling? But what saith John ? Even as Christ laid down His life for us, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Each man who layeth down bis life for his
lJohn
'
brother, layeth it down for Him: just as in feeding his
The Christian's treasure in Heaven. 313
brother, he is feeding Christ. Inasmuch as ye have done it Ver. unto one ofthe least ofthese, ye have done it unto Me. Let^-1-"---
Mat. 26, us love and imitate Him: let us run after his ointments, as is40.
,. .
said in the Song of Solomon: Because of the savour of thyc. 1,3. good ointments, we will run after thee. For He came, and
gave forth a savour that filled the world. Whence, was that
fragrance ? From heaven. Follow then towards heaven, if thou do not answer falsely when it is said, Lift up your hearts, lift
up your thoughts, your love, your hope: that it may not rot
upon the earth. Thou darest not put wheat on the damp
earth, lest it rot; because thou hast toiled and reaped, thou
hast' threshed and winnowed it. Dost thou seek a spot for
thy wheat, and seekest thou not a place for thy heart ? seekest
thou not a place for thy treasure ? Do whatever thou canst
on earth ; spend, thou shalt not lose, but store up. And who keepeth thy treasure ? Christ, Who also keepeth thee.
He knoweth how to keep thee; knoweth He not how to
keep thy treasure ? But why doth He wish that thou change the place of thy treasure, except that thou mayest
change the place of thy heart ? For no man concerneth himself except about his treasure. How many are there
here who are now my listeners, and yet their heart is no
where but in their money bags ? Ye are on earth, because
what ye love is on earth : let that be sent to heaven, and
there will be thy heart. For wherever thy treasure is, there Matt. 6, will be thy heart also.
PSALM XCII.
A Sermon to the people, preached on Saturday.
:Lat. xcj.
1 . Listen to the Psalm : may the Lord grant to us to open the mysteries herein contained : whiles that, for remedy of weariness, they are diversely and variously explained. For God teacheth us no other hymn but that of faith, hope, and charity : that our faith may be firm in Himself, as long as we do not see Him, believing in Him Whom we do not see, that we may rejoice when we see Him, and the appearance of His light may succeed to our faith, when it will no longer
be said to us, Believe what thou seest not ; but, rejoice that
314 Hope in God a groundfor thankfulness.
Psalm thou scest. Let our hope also be immutable, and fixed in XCII 1 Him, let it not totter and fluctuate, let it not be tossed about;
as God Himself, in Whom it is fixed, cannot be tossed. For now it is called hope: but then it will not be hope, but reality. For as long as that which is hoped is not seen, is it
Rom. 8, cailed hope, in the Apostle's words, But hope that is seen is not hope : for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope
for? But ifwe hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Patience then only is needful, until what is promised shall come. But no one is patient in a good estate. When patience is required of a man, he is in
adversity : when it is said, Be patient, endure, sustain : it is trouble, under which God wills thee to be courageous, en during, of long suffering, patient. But does He Who has promised deceive in ought ? The physician draws his knife to cut the wound, and says to him whom he is about to cut, Be patient, sustain, endure: in pain he demands patience, but after it he promises health. And he who endures pain
under the physician's knife, unless he sets before his mind the health which he has not yet, fails under the pain which he suffers. There are therefore many evils in this world, within, and without : they never cease : stumbling-blocks abound : no one feels them, except he who treads the path of God. He is told in all the pages of divine Scripture to
endure the present, hope for the future, love Whom he seeth not, that he may embrace Him when he seeth Him. For charity, which is joined in the third place to faith and hope, is above faith and hope : because faith is of things which are not seen; but it will be sight, when they shall be seen: and hope is of what is not possessed : which, when the thing itself reaches us, will not be any longer hope, because we shall
not hope for but charity knoweth not but to increase more and more. For we love Whom we see not, how shall we love when we see Him Let then our longing increase. We are not Christians, except on account of future life let no one hope for present blessings, let no one promise himself the happiness of the world, because he
Christian but let him use the happiness he hath, as he may, in what manner he may, when he may, as far as he may. When present, let hinT give thanks for the consolation
possess
it is
:
:
it,
is aa
if ?
it :
The Jewish and the Christian Sabbath. 315
of God : when it is wanting, let him give thanks to the ---- Divine justice. Let him always be grateful, never ungrate-
ful : let him be grateful to his Father, Who soothes and caresses him: and grateful to his Father when He chasteneth
him with the scourge, and teacheth him: for He ever loveth, whether He caress or threaten : and let him say what ye
Tliou Most Highest.
2. This Psalm entitled, Psalm to be sung on the
Sabbath day. Lo, this day the Sabbath, which the Jews at this period observe by kind of bodily rest, languid and luxurious. They abstain from labours, and give themselves up to trifles and though God ordained the Sabbath, they
in actions which God forbids. Our rest from evil works, theirs from good; for better to plough than to dance. They abstain from good, but not from trifling, works. God proclaims to us Sabbath. What sort of Sabbath First consider, where is. in the heart, within us; for many are idle- with their limbs, while they are disturbed in conscience. Every bad man cannot have Sabbath for his conscience never at rest, he must needs live in turmoil; but he who has good conscience, tranquil; and that very tranquillity the Sabbath of the heart. For listeneth to the promises of the Lord and toils in the present time,
expands in the hope of the future, and every cloud of
sorrow calmed as the Apostle saith, Rejoicing in hope. R? m.
have heard in the Psalm : (ver.
thanks unto the Lord; and to sing praises unto Thy Name,
// a to good thing
give
spend
That very joy in the tranquillity of our hope, our Sabbath.
This the subject of praise and of song in this Psalm, how Christian man in the Sabbath of his own heart, that is,
in the quiet, tranquillity, and serenity of his conscience, un disturbed hence he tells us here, whence men are wont to be disturbed, and he teaches thee to keep Sabbath in thine own heart.
3. The first thing is, that thou thyself, thou hast made any advancement, praise God for that wherein thou hast advanced, because His gift, and not thy deserving. Hence begin the Sabbath, by not attributing these gifts to thyself, as thou hadst not received what thou hast re ceived: nor excusing thyself for the evil that thou doest,
12-
it is
:
if
a
it
is
;
a is
it a
is
is
is
it if is ;
;
is
a it
'
Itit is
if is is a
it
is
1. ) is
:
?
is
a
316 Godforces not to evil, nor does Satan.
>'salm because it is thy own. For perverse and agitated men, who . Xcl1' do not keep Sabbath, ascribe their evil deeds to God, their good one s to themselves. If he hath done ought of good,
he saith, I did it : if of evil, he seeketh whom he may accuse, that he may not confess to God. And what is this? He seeketh whom ho may accuse? If he is not very wicked, he hath Satan at hand to accuse : he saith, Satan did it, he persuaded me : as if Satan had the power of compelling him. He hath indeed cunning in persuading. But if Satan
were speaking, and God were silent, thou wouldest have an occasion for self-excuse : but thy ears are between God admonishing, and the serpent suggesting. Why are they turned in one direction, and turned away from the other? Satan ceaseth not to persuade evil : but neither doth God cease to admonish us to good d. But Satan doth not compel thee against thy will : it is in thy power to consent, or not to consent. If thou hast done any thing wrong by Satan's
persuasion, dismiss Satan, accuse thyself, that by thy self- accusation thou mayest deserve the mercy of God. Dost thou wish to accuse one who hath no pardon? Accuse thyself, and thou receivest indulgence. Besides, many do not accuse Satan, but their fate. My fate led me, saith one: when you ask him, why did you do it? why did you sin ? he replies, by my evil fate. Lest he should say, I did it ; he points to God as the source of his sin : with his tongue he blasphemes. He saith not this indeed openly as yet, but listen, and see that he saith this. You ask of him, what is fate : and he replies, evil stars. You ask, who made, who
the stars ; he can only answer, God. It follows, then, that whether he doth so directly or indirectly, still he accuseth God, and when God punisheth sins, he maketh God the author of his own sins. It cannot be that God punishes what He hath wrought : He punisheth what thou doest, that He may set free what He hath wrought. But sometimes, setting aside every thing else, they attack God directly: and when they sin, they say, God willed this; if God had not willed should not have sinned. Does He
One Ms. adds, " Thy Creator Sive per transennam sire per can not heard, what good things He grants, nam longam, sire per proximum.
and the rebel destroyer heard. "
appointed
is
is ?
d
it, I
God is to be acknowledged Author of our good works. 817
warn thee for this, that not only He may not be listened to, V<<r. to keep thee from sin, but even be accused because thou ---- (lost sin? What then doth this Psalm teach us? It is a good
tiling to con/ess1 unto the Lord. What is to confess unto the i confi- Lord ? In both cases: both in thy sins, because thou hastterl- done them; and in thy good works, confess unto the Lord, because He hath done them. Then shalt thou sing unto
the Name of God, the Mont Highest : seeking the glory of God, not thine own ; His Name, not thine. For if thou seekcst the Name of God, He also seekcth thy name; but if thou hast neglected the Name of God, He also doth blot out thine. But how did I say, He seeketh thy name ? As He said to His disciples when they came, after He sent them to preach the Gospel. After they had wrought many
miracles, and had cast out devils in the Name of Christ, they said on their return, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us in Thy Name. They said, indeed, in Thy Name; but He saw in them that they were rejoicing in their glori fication, and were puffing up themselves with pride, because they had power given them to drive out devils. He saw that they were seeking their own glory, and said to them,
seeking and indeed keeping in store their names in Himself,
In this rejoice not; but rather rejoice, because your names LnkelO, are written in heaven. Behold, where thou hast a name, if 17-- 20- thou neglect not the Name of God. Sing, therefore, on the
psaltery, unto the Name of God, that thy name may be stablished before God. But what is a psaltery, my brethren? It is a kind of instrument, which has strings. Our work is our song : whoever does good works, playeth with a psaltery unto God : whoever confesses with the mouth, singeth unto God. Sing therefore with thy mouth : play unto him with thy works. For what purpose ?
4. Ver. 2. To tell of Thy mercy early in the morning, and of Thy truth in the night season. What is the meaning of this; that the mercy of God is to be told us in the morning, and in the night the truth of God? The morning is, when it is well with us ; the night, the sadness of tribu lation. What then did he say in brief? When thou art prosperous, rejoice in God, for it is His mercy. Now,
perhaps
thou wouldest say, If I rejoice in God, when I
318 Songs in the day ofjoy and the night ofsorrow.
Psalm am prosperous, because it is His mercy ; what am I to do XCI1- when I am in sorrow, in tribulation ? It is His mercy, when 1 am prosperous; is it then His cruelty, when I am in adversity ? If I praise His mercy when it is well with me,
am I then to exclaim against His cruelty when it is ill ? No. But when it is well, praise His mercy: when ill, praise His truth: because He scourgeth sins, He is not
Daniel was in the night-season, when he was pray ing: for he was in the captivity of Jerusalem, he was in the power of enemies. Then the Saints suffered many evils:
then he himself was cast into the den of lions ; then the Dan. 3, Three Children were thrown into the fire. The people
21'
of Israel suffered these evils in the captivity: it was the
unjust.
night-season. During the night Daniel confessed the truth Dan. 9, of God: he said in his prayer, We have sinned, and com-
8'
mitted iniquity, and have done wickedly. O Lord, righ- ttousness belongeth unto Thee: but unto us confusion of
He told of the truth of God during the night-season. What is it to tell of the truth of God in the night-season ? Not to accuse God, because thou sufferest aught of evil : but to attribute it to thy sins, His correction : to tell of
His lovingkindness early in the morning, and of His truth in the night-season. When thou dost tell of His loving- kindness early in the morning, and of His truth in the night- season, thou dost always praise God, always confess to God,
and sing unto His Name.
5. Ver. 3. Upon a psaltery of ten strings, with a song,
and upon the harp. Ye have not heard of the psaltery of ten strings for the first time : it signifies the ten command ments of the Law. But we must sing upon that psaltery, and not cany it only. For even the Jews have the Law : but they carry it : they sing not. Who are they who sing? Those who work. This is but little : those who work in a sullen spirit, do not yet sing. Who are they who
sing ? Those who do well with cheerfulness : for there is 2 Cor. 9, cheerfulness in singing. And what saith the Apostle ? For God loveth a cheerful giver. Whatever thou doest, do with
cheerfulness : then thou dost a good work and well. But if thou doest it in sullenness, it is done with thee, thou dost it not : and thou rather carriest the instru
face.
Goodness in man is God's work. Sin is falsehood. 319
ment, thou dost not sing. Upon a psaltery of ten strings, Vrr. with a song, and upon the harp. This means, in word 4- and deed ; ' with a song,' in word ; ' upon the harp,' in
work. If thou speakest words alone, thou hast, as it were,
the song only, and not the harp : if thou workest, and speakest not, thou hast the harp only. On this account both speak well and do well, if thou wouldest have the song together with the harp.
Thy works ; and
operations of Thy hands. Ye see what he saith. Thou
hast made me living well, Thou hast formed me: if by chance I do aught of good, I will rejoice in the work of Thy
hands : as the Apostle saith, For we are His workmanship, Eph. 2, created unto good works. For unless He formed thee to 10- good works, thou wouldest not know any works but evil.
He who speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own : this the John 8, Gospel saith. Every sin is a lie; for every thing that is44, against the law, and against truth, is called a lie. What
then doth He say ? He that speaketh a lie, he speaketh of
his own; that is, he that sinneth, sinneth of his own. Observe the sentence in converse. For if he who speaketh
a lie, speaketh of his own : it follows that he who speaketh
the truth, speaketh from God. Therefore it is said in another
place, let God be true, but every man a liar. Thou art not Bom. 3, told in this passage, Go, lie without fear, as thou art a man : *'
nay, behold thyself a man, because thou liest ; and that thou mayest be true, drink in truth, that thou mayest break forth 1 1 metes of God, and that thou mayest be true. Because thou canst
not have truth from thy own self, it remains that thou drink it thence, whence it floweth : as if thou hast gone back from
the light, thou art in darkness : as a stone glows not with
its own heat, but either from the sun or fire, and if thou withdraw it from the heat, it cools : there it appears, that
the heat was not its own ; but it became heated either by
the sun or by fire : thus thou also, if thou withdraw from
God, wilt become cold ; if thou approach God, thou wilt warm: as the Apostle saith, fervent in spirit. Also what^? TM'|
6. (Ver. 4. ) For Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through
I will rejoice in
giving praise for
the
If thou approach Him, thou wilt be Ps. 34,6. in light; therefore saith the Psalm, Look upon Him, and ^y^seion
saith he of the light ?
320 Sin of murmuring at bad men's prosperity.
Psalm lightened; and your faces shall not be ashamed. Because xcl1- therefore thou canst do no good, unless lightened by the light of God, and warmed by the Spirit of God ; when thou shalt see thyself working well, confess unto God, and say
what the Apostle saith ; say unto thyself, that thou be not
I Cor. 4, puffed up, For what hast thou that thou didst not receive?
7'
Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it ? Here therefore he praiseth God, and teacheth us a good confession : Thou, Lord, hast made me
glad through Thy works; and for the operations of Thy hands.
7. What are we to say of those who live bad but pros perous lives ? For hence he who loveth the Sabbath halh a disturbed mind ; he seeth himself daily engaged in good works, and toiling in narrow circumstances, perhaps in family poverty, perhaps in hunger, thirst, and nakedness, perhaps doing good works in prison, and the man who sent him into prison living a wicked life, and glorying in it ; a most wicked thought against God entereth his heart, and he saith, God, wherefore do I serve Thee ? why do I obey Thy words ? I have not seized another's goods, I have not com mitted theft, I have not slain a man, I have not coveted any man's possession, 1 have not borne false witness against any one, I have not done disrespect to ray father or mother, I have not bowed down before idols, I have not taken the Lord's Name in vain :
enumerates the ten strings, that is, the ten precepts of the Law, and questioneth himself in each, and seeth that he hath not sinned, not in one : and he is sorrowful that he suffereth such evils. And those who, I do not say, touch some of the strings, but touch not even the psaltery itself, and work no good, consult idols, and perhaps then appear Christians, when their family suffereth no evil, hut when there is any tribulation there, they run to some soothsayer, diviner, or astrologer? Christ's name is repeated before him : he sneers, and screws his mouth. It is said to him, Believer, dost thou consult an astrologer ? He replieth, Begone from me: he discovered to me my goods, which I had otherwise lost, and remained in wailing. Good man, dost thou not sign thyself with the cross of Christ ? Even
I will rejoice in giving praise
I have kept myself from sin. He
God in deep counsel permits the bad to prosper. 321
the law prohibits all these things. Rejoicest thou that thou Ver. hast found thy goods : art thou not sad that thou art thyself----- lost? How much better would it be that thy coat should
perish than thy soul ? He sneers at all this : he is insulting
to his parents, he hateth his enemy, he pursueth him even unto death : he stealeth when he hath found opportunity, or ceaseth not to bear false witness ; he layeth wait against his neighbour's wife, he coveteth his neighbour's goods : he doeth all these things, and flourisheth in riches, in honours, in the good things of this world. That wretched man who doeth good, and suffereth evils, seeth him, becometh dis turbed, and saith, O God, the wicked, I imagine,
please Thee, and Thou hatest the good, and lovest those who work
iniquity. If he is excited, and consenteth to this thought,
he will lose the Sabbath from his heart : he now beginneth
not to listen to this psaltery ; he hath departed thence, he singeth without reason, // is a good thing to give thanks ver. 1. unto the Lord; find to sing praises unto Thy Name, O
Most Highest. The Sabbath being now lost in the inner man, and the tranquillity of his heart being shut out, and good thoughts repelled, he now beginneth to imitate him whom he seeth flourishing amid his evil deeds ; and turneth himself also to evil works. But God is long-suffering, because He is eternal, and He knoweth the day of His own
judgment, where He wcigheth all things.
8. Teaching us this, what saith he ? (ver. 5. ) O Lord, how
glorious are Thy works : Thy thoughts are made very deep. Verily, my brethren, there is no sea so deep as these thoughts of God, Who maketh the wicked flourish, and the good suffer : nothing so profound, nothing so deep : therein every unbelieving soul is wrecked, in that depth, in that
profundity. Dost thou wish to cross this depth ? Remove
not from the wood of Christ's Cross: thou shalt not sink: hold thyself fast to Christ. What do I mean by this, hold fast to Christ? It was for this reason that He chose to suffer on
earth Himself. Ye have heard, while the prophet was being
read, how He did not turn away His back from the smiters,U. 50,6. and His face from the spittings of men, how He turned not
His cheek from their hands; wherefore chose He to suffer all these things, but that He might console the suffering?
VOL. IV. v
322 Thought of eternity solves mysteries of Providence.
Psalm pie could have raised His flesh at the last day: but then XCII'- thou wouldest not have had thy ground of hope, since thou hadst not seen Him. He deferred not His resurrection, that thou mightest not still be in doubt. Suffer then tribulation
in the world with the same end as that which thou hast observed in Christ: and let not those who do evil, and flourish in this life, move thee. Thy thoughts are very deep. Where is the thought of God? Rejoice not as the fish who is exulting in his bait : the fisherman hath not drawn his hook : the fish hath as yet the hook in his jaws. And what seemeth to thee long, is short; all these things pass over
quickly. What is the long life of man to the eternity of God? Dost thou wish to be of long-suffering? Consider the eternity of God. For thou regardest thy few days, and in thy few days thou dost wish all things to be fulfilled. What things? The condemnation of all the wicked: and the crowning of all the good : dost thou wish these things to be fulfilled in thy days ? God fulfilleth them in His own time. Why dost thou suffer weariness ? He is eternal : Ho waiteth: He is of long-suffering: but thou sayest, 1 am not of long-suffering, because I am mortal. But thou hast it in thy power- to become so: join thy heart to the eternity of God, and with Him thou shall be eternal. For what is said
Is. 40, of temporal things? All flesh is grass: and all the goodli- ? ~8' ness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass uitheieth, and the flower fadeth. All things, then, wither and fade: but not that Word: for the Word of our God shall standfor
ever. The grass passeth away, the glory of the grass passeth away, but thou hast where to hold thyself fast: " The Word of the Lord abideth for ever. " Say iheu unto Him, Thy thoughts are very deep. Thou hast laid hold of the wood, thou art crossing that depth. Seest thou any thing there ? understandest thou any thing there ? I understand, thou sayest.
he still feared, he would be hurting his feet against the
stone. Lovest I thou Me? He saith. Peter replies, Thou
I
9. The rest is clear, my brethren, for it has often been treated of. (Ver. 13. ) Thou 1 shall go upon the asp and the l on this basilisk ; the lion and the dragon shall thou tread under thy JgTM? n
love Thee. Once was enough. Perhaps it
knowest that
might satisfy me, who see not the heart ; how much more would it suffice / the Lord, Who saw how with his whole
love Thee. It is not enough for our Lord,
soul Peter said,
to answer once: He asketh a second time, and Peter answer-
eth : He asketh a third time ; and now Peter, wearied, as if
our Lord doubted of his love, Lord, he saith, Thou huowest John2l,
1'-
all things: Thou knowest that
so dealt with him, as if He said, thrice thou hast denied Me through fear: thrice confess Me through love. With that love and that charity He filled His disciples. Why ? Because He hath set His house of defence very high: because when glo rified He sent the Holy Ghost, He released the faithful from the guilt of the Law, that His feet might not dash against a stone.
Ye know who the serpent and how the Church PM0,1. treadeth upon him, as she not conquered, because she
feet.
love Thee. But our Lord16
is
is
is,
310 Satan the lion infierceness, the dragon in sleight.
Psalm on her guard against his cunning. And after what manner II. - he is a lion and a dragon, I believe you know also, beloved.
The lion openly rages, the dragon lies secretly in covert: the devil hath each of these forces and powers. When the Martyrs were being slain, it was the raging lion: when heretics are plotting, it is the dragon creeping beneath us. Thou hast conquered the lion ; conquer also the dragon :
1al. ' let the lion hath not' crushed thee, let not the dragon deceive Hon"16 thee. Let us prove that it was the lion, when he openly did
Peter exhorting the Martyrs saith, Know ye not that your adversary the devil goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour? The lion openly raging sought whom he might devour : how does the dragon plot against us ? By means of heretics. In fear of these, Paul, lest the Church should by them be corrupted from her virginity of faith, which she beareth in her heart, saith, /
TvKt ra? e- 6, 8.
2 Cor.
' ' ' have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you
as a chaste virgin to Christ; but
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his sublilty, so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in
Christ. A few women in the Church have bodily virginity: but the virginity of the heart all the faithful have. In the very matter of faith he feared that the heart's virginity would be corrupted by the devil : and those who have lost are uselessly virgins in their bodies. What does a woman who
corrupt in heart preserve in her body Thus Catholic married woman before virgin heretic. For the first not indeed virgin in her body, but the second has become married in her heart; and married not unto God as her husband, but unto the dragon. But what shall the Church do? Thou shalt go upon the asp and the basilisk. The basilisk the king of serpents, as the devil the king wicked spirits. The lion and the dragon thou shalt tread under thy feet.
10. These are the words of God to the Church.
Because he hath set his love in me, therefore will deliver him. Not only therefore the Head, which now sits in hearen, because He hath set His house of defence very high, to which no evil shall happen, neither shall any plague come
nigh His dwelling; but we also, who are toiling on earth,
Ifear, lest
by any means,
(Ver. 14. )
is I
a
it,
is
a
of
is
is
a
is
?
Faith to be roused in trouble. Length of days. 311
and are still living in temptations, whose steps ave feared Ver. for, lest they fall into snares, may hear the voice of the Lord lo' 16' our God consoling us, and saying to us, Because he hath
set his love upon me, therefore will I
11. (Ver. 15. ) He shall call upon me, and
deliver him: 1 will set him up, because he hath known my name. I will hear
I
art in trouble, as if the Lord were not with thee. Let faith
be with thee, and God is with thee in thy trouble. There
are waves on the sea, and thou art tossed in thy bark, because
Christ sleepeth. Christ slept in the ship, while the men Matt. 8,
him: yea,
am with him in trouble. Fear not when thou
were perishing. If thy faith sleep in thy heart, Christ is as24,26- it were sleeping in thy ship : because Christ dwelleth in
thee through faith, when thou beginnest to be tossed, awake Christ sleeping: rouse up thy faith, and thou shalt be assured that He deserts thee not. But thou thinkest thou
art forsaken, because He rescueth thee not when thou thyself
dost wish. He delivered the Three Children from the fire ? Dan. 3, Did He, Who did this, desert the Maccabees? God forbid ! ^Maco. He delivered both of these: the first bodily, that the faithless 7. might be confounded ; the last spiritually, that the faithful
am with him in trouble:
not that length of days is spoken of in the same sense as days are said to be long in summer, short in winter. Hath he such days to give us ? That length is one that hath no end, eternal life, that is promised us in long days. And truly, since this sufficeth, with reason he saith, will I satisfy him. What is long in time, if it hath an end, satisfieth us not : for that reason it should not be even called long. And if we are covetous, we ought to be covetous of eternal life : long for such a life, as hath no end. Lo, a line in which our covetousness may be extended. Dost thou wish money without limit? Long for eternal life without limit. Dost thou wish that thy possession may have no end ? Seek for eternal life. With length of days will I
/
deliver him, and bring him to honour.
I will
might imitate them.
12. (Ver. 16. ) With length of days will I satisfy
him. What is length of days ? Eternal life. Brethren, imagine
satisfy him.
/ will shew him my salvation. Nor is this,
13.
brethren, to be briefly passed over. / will shew him my
my
312 Joy of seeing Christ, ' the Salvation of God. '
Psai. m salvation: He means, I will shew him Christ Himself. Why?
Was He not seen on earth? What great thing hath He to shew us? But He did not appear such as we shall see Him. He appeared in that shape in which those who saw Him crucified Him: behold, those who saw Him, crucified Him: wc have not seen Him, yet we have believed. They had eyes, have not we? yea, we too have the eyes of the heart: but, as yet we see through faith, not by sight. When will it be sight? When shall we, as the Apostle saith, see Him
1 Cor. face to face? which God promiseth us as the high reward 13' 12' of all our toils. Whatever thou toilest in, thou toilest for this purpose, that thou mayest see Him. Some great thing it is we are to see, since all our reward is seeing; and our
Lord Jesus Christ is that very great sight. He Who appeared
humble, will Himself appear great, and will rejoice us, as He John l, is even now seen of His Angels. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
'
XrL
God. Listen to the Lord Himself, Who gave this promise, JohnU, saying in the Gospel, He that loveth Me shall be loved of
I will love him. And as if it were asked of Him, And what wilt Thou give to him who loveth Thee ? He answereth, / will manifest Myself to him. Let us long for,
My Father, and
and let us love Him : let us burn with love toward Him, if we are His betrothed. Our husband is absent, let us wait for Him : He Whom we are longing for will come. He hath given such a pledge, let not the spouse fear lest she be forsaken by her Husband. He doth not forfeit His pledge. What pledge hath He given ? He hath poured out His blood. What pledge hath He given ? He hath sent the Holy Ghost. Will the Husband forfeit such pledges ? If He loved us not, He would not give such pledges. He loveth us now. O that we could love Him as He doth ?
John 16, " No man hath greater love, that that he lay down his life for his friends :" and how can we lay down our lives for Him ? What doth it profit Him, since He hath set His house of defence very high, nor doth any scourge come nigh His dwelling? But what saith John ? Even as Christ laid down His life for us, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Each man who layeth down bis life for his
lJohn
'
brother, layeth it down for Him: just as in feeding his
The Christian's treasure in Heaven. 313
brother, he is feeding Christ. Inasmuch as ye have done it Ver. unto one ofthe least ofthese, ye have done it unto Me. Let^-1-"---
Mat. 26, us love and imitate Him: let us run after his ointments, as is40.
,. .
said in the Song of Solomon: Because of the savour of thyc. 1,3. good ointments, we will run after thee. For He came, and
gave forth a savour that filled the world. Whence, was that
fragrance ? From heaven. Follow then towards heaven, if thou do not answer falsely when it is said, Lift up your hearts, lift
up your thoughts, your love, your hope: that it may not rot
upon the earth. Thou darest not put wheat on the damp
earth, lest it rot; because thou hast toiled and reaped, thou
hast' threshed and winnowed it. Dost thou seek a spot for
thy wheat, and seekest thou not a place for thy heart ? seekest
thou not a place for thy treasure ? Do whatever thou canst
on earth ; spend, thou shalt not lose, but store up. And who keepeth thy treasure ? Christ, Who also keepeth thee.
He knoweth how to keep thee; knoweth He not how to
keep thy treasure ? But why doth He wish that thou change the place of thy treasure, except that thou mayest
change the place of thy heart ? For no man concerneth himself except about his treasure. How many are there
here who are now my listeners, and yet their heart is no
where but in their money bags ? Ye are on earth, because
what ye love is on earth : let that be sent to heaven, and
there will be thy heart. For wherever thy treasure is, there Matt. 6, will be thy heart also.
PSALM XCII.
A Sermon to the people, preached on Saturday.
:Lat. xcj.
1 . Listen to the Psalm : may the Lord grant to us to open the mysteries herein contained : whiles that, for remedy of weariness, they are diversely and variously explained. For God teacheth us no other hymn but that of faith, hope, and charity : that our faith may be firm in Himself, as long as we do not see Him, believing in Him Whom we do not see, that we may rejoice when we see Him, and the appearance of His light may succeed to our faith, when it will no longer
be said to us, Believe what thou seest not ; but, rejoice that
314 Hope in God a groundfor thankfulness.
Psalm thou scest. Let our hope also be immutable, and fixed in XCII 1 Him, let it not totter and fluctuate, let it not be tossed about;
as God Himself, in Whom it is fixed, cannot be tossed. For now it is called hope: but then it will not be hope, but reality. For as long as that which is hoped is not seen, is it
Rom. 8, cailed hope, in the Apostle's words, But hope that is seen is not hope : for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope
for? But ifwe hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Patience then only is needful, until what is promised shall come. But no one is patient in a good estate. When patience is required of a man, he is in
adversity : when it is said, Be patient, endure, sustain : it is trouble, under which God wills thee to be courageous, en during, of long suffering, patient. But does He Who has promised deceive in ought ? The physician draws his knife to cut the wound, and says to him whom he is about to cut, Be patient, sustain, endure: in pain he demands patience, but after it he promises health. And he who endures pain
under the physician's knife, unless he sets before his mind the health which he has not yet, fails under the pain which he suffers. There are therefore many evils in this world, within, and without : they never cease : stumbling-blocks abound : no one feels them, except he who treads the path of God. He is told in all the pages of divine Scripture to
endure the present, hope for the future, love Whom he seeth not, that he may embrace Him when he seeth Him. For charity, which is joined in the third place to faith and hope, is above faith and hope : because faith is of things which are not seen; but it will be sight, when they shall be seen: and hope is of what is not possessed : which, when the thing itself reaches us, will not be any longer hope, because we shall
not hope for but charity knoweth not but to increase more and more. For we love Whom we see not, how shall we love when we see Him Let then our longing increase. We are not Christians, except on account of future life let no one hope for present blessings, let no one promise himself the happiness of the world, because he
Christian but let him use the happiness he hath, as he may, in what manner he may, when he may, as far as he may. When present, let hinT give thanks for the consolation
possess
it is
:
:
it,
is aa
if ?
it :
The Jewish and the Christian Sabbath. 315
of God : when it is wanting, let him give thanks to the ---- Divine justice. Let him always be grateful, never ungrate-
ful : let him be grateful to his Father, Who soothes and caresses him: and grateful to his Father when He chasteneth
him with the scourge, and teacheth him: for He ever loveth, whether He caress or threaten : and let him say what ye
Tliou Most Highest.
2. This Psalm entitled, Psalm to be sung on the
Sabbath day. Lo, this day the Sabbath, which the Jews at this period observe by kind of bodily rest, languid and luxurious. They abstain from labours, and give themselves up to trifles and though God ordained the Sabbath, they
in actions which God forbids. Our rest from evil works, theirs from good; for better to plough than to dance. They abstain from good, but not from trifling, works. God proclaims to us Sabbath. What sort of Sabbath First consider, where is. in the heart, within us; for many are idle- with their limbs, while they are disturbed in conscience. Every bad man cannot have Sabbath for his conscience never at rest, he must needs live in turmoil; but he who has good conscience, tranquil; and that very tranquillity the Sabbath of the heart. For listeneth to the promises of the Lord and toils in the present time,
expands in the hope of the future, and every cloud of
sorrow calmed as the Apostle saith, Rejoicing in hope. R? m.
have heard in the Psalm : (ver.
thanks unto the Lord; and to sing praises unto Thy Name,
// a to good thing
give
spend
That very joy in the tranquillity of our hope, our Sabbath.
This the subject of praise and of song in this Psalm, how Christian man in the Sabbath of his own heart, that is,
in the quiet, tranquillity, and serenity of his conscience, un disturbed hence he tells us here, whence men are wont to be disturbed, and he teaches thee to keep Sabbath in thine own heart.
3. The first thing is, that thou thyself, thou hast made any advancement, praise God for that wherein thou hast advanced, because His gift, and not thy deserving. Hence begin the Sabbath, by not attributing these gifts to thyself, as thou hadst not received what thou hast re ceived: nor excusing thyself for the evil that thou doest,
12-
it is
:
if
a
it
is
;
a is
it a
is
is
is
it if is ;
;
is
a it
'
Itit is
if is is a
it
is
1. ) is
:
?
is
a
316 Godforces not to evil, nor does Satan.
>'salm because it is thy own. For perverse and agitated men, who . Xcl1' do not keep Sabbath, ascribe their evil deeds to God, their good one s to themselves. If he hath done ought of good,
he saith, I did it : if of evil, he seeketh whom he may accuse, that he may not confess to God. And what is this? He seeketh whom ho may accuse? If he is not very wicked, he hath Satan at hand to accuse : he saith, Satan did it, he persuaded me : as if Satan had the power of compelling him. He hath indeed cunning in persuading. But if Satan
were speaking, and God were silent, thou wouldest have an occasion for self-excuse : but thy ears are between God admonishing, and the serpent suggesting. Why are they turned in one direction, and turned away from the other? Satan ceaseth not to persuade evil : but neither doth God cease to admonish us to good d. But Satan doth not compel thee against thy will : it is in thy power to consent, or not to consent. If thou hast done any thing wrong by Satan's
persuasion, dismiss Satan, accuse thyself, that by thy self- accusation thou mayest deserve the mercy of God. Dost thou wish to accuse one who hath no pardon? Accuse thyself, and thou receivest indulgence. Besides, many do not accuse Satan, but their fate. My fate led me, saith one: when you ask him, why did you do it? why did you sin ? he replies, by my evil fate. Lest he should say, I did it ; he points to God as the source of his sin : with his tongue he blasphemes. He saith not this indeed openly as yet, but listen, and see that he saith this. You ask of him, what is fate : and he replies, evil stars. You ask, who made, who
the stars ; he can only answer, God. It follows, then, that whether he doth so directly or indirectly, still he accuseth God, and when God punisheth sins, he maketh God the author of his own sins. It cannot be that God punishes what He hath wrought : He punisheth what thou doest, that He may set free what He hath wrought. But sometimes, setting aside every thing else, they attack God directly: and when they sin, they say, God willed this; if God had not willed should not have sinned. Does He
One Ms. adds, " Thy Creator Sive per transennam sire per can not heard, what good things He grants, nam longam, sire per proximum.
and the rebel destroyer heard. "
appointed
is
is ?
d
it, I
God is to be acknowledged Author of our good works. 817
warn thee for this, that not only He may not be listened to, V<<r. to keep thee from sin, but even be accused because thou ---- (lost sin? What then doth this Psalm teach us? It is a good
tiling to con/ess1 unto the Lord. What is to confess unto the i confi- Lord ? In both cases: both in thy sins, because thou hastterl- done them; and in thy good works, confess unto the Lord, because He hath done them. Then shalt thou sing unto
the Name of God, the Mont Highest : seeking the glory of God, not thine own ; His Name, not thine. For if thou seekcst the Name of God, He also seekcth thy name; but if thou hast neglected the Name of God, He also doth blot out thine. But how did I say, He seeketh thy name ? As He said to His disciples when they came, after He sent them to preach the Gospel. After they had wrought many
miracles, and had cast out devils in the Name of Christ, they said on their return, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us in Thy Name. They said, indeed, in Thy Name; but He saw in them that they were rejoicing in their glori fication, and were puffing up themselves with pride, because they had power given them to drive out devils. He saw that they were seeking their own glory, and said to them,
seeking and indeed keeping in store their names in Himself,
In this rejoice not; but rather rejoice, because your names LnkelO, are written in heaven. Behold, where thou hast a name, if 17-- 20- thou neglect not the Name of God. Sing, therefore, on the
psaltery, unto the Name of God, that thy name may be stablished before God. But what is a psaltery, my brethren? It is a kind of instrument, which has strings. Our work is our song : whoever does good works, playeth with a psaltery unto God : whoever confesses with the mouth, singeth unto God. Sing therefore with thy mouth : play unto him with thy works. For what purpose ?
4. Ver. 2. To tell of Thy mercy early in the morning, and of Thy truth in the night season. What is the meaning of this; that the mercy of God is to be told us in the morning, and in the night the truth of God? The morning is, when it is well with us ; the night, the sadness of tribu lation. What then did he say in brief? When thou art prosperous, rejoice in God, for it is His mercy. Now,
perhaps
thou wouldest say, If I rejoice in God, when I
318 Songs in the day ofjoy and the night ofsorrow.
Psalm am prosperous, because it is His mercy ; what am I to do XCI1- when I am in sorrow, in tribulation ? It is His mercy, when 1 am prosperous; is it then His cruelty, when I am in adversity ? If I praise His mercy when it is well with me,
am I then to exclaim against His cruelty when it is ill ? No. But when it is well, praise His mercy: when ill, praise His truth: because He scourgeth sins, He is not
Daniel was in the night-season, when he was pray ing: for he was in the captivity of Jerusalem, he was in the power of enemies. Then the Saints suffered many evils:
then he himself was cast into the den of lions ; then the Dan. 3, Three Children were thrown into the fire. The people
21'
of Israel suffered these evils in the captivity: it was the
unjust.
night-season. During the night Daniel confessed the truth Dan. 9, of God: he said in his prayer, We have sinned, and com-
8'
mitted iniquity, and have done wickedly. O Lord, righ- ttousness belongeth unto Thee: but unto us confusion of
He told of the truth of God during the night-season. What is it to tell of the truth of God in the night-season ? Not to accuse God, because thou sufferest aught of evil : but to attribute it to thy sins, His correction : to tell of
His lovingkindness early in the morning, and of His truth in the night-season. When thou dost tell of His loving- kindness early in the morning, and of His truth in the night- season, thou dost always praise God, always confess to God,
and sing unto His Name.
5. Ver. 3. Upon a psaltery of ten strings, with a song,
and upon the harp. Ye have not heard of the psaltery of ten strings for the first time : it signifies the ten command ments of the Law. But we must sing upon that psaltery, and not cany it only. For even the Jews have the Law : but they carry it : they sing not. Who are they who sing? Those who work. This is but little : those who work in a sullen spirit, do not yet sing. Who are they who
sing ? Those who do well with cheerfulness : for there is 2 Cor. 9, cheerfulness in singing. And what saith the Apostle ? For God loveth a cheerful giver. Whatever thou doest, do with
cheerfulness : then thou dost a good work and well. But if thou doest it in sullenness, it is done with thee, thou dost it not : and thou rather carriest the instru
face.
Goodness in man is God's work. Sin is falsehood. 319
ment, thou dost not sing. Upon a psaltery of ten strings, Vrr. with a song, and upon the harp. This means, in word 4- and deed ; ' with a song,' in word ; ' upon the harp,' in
work. If thou speakest words alone, thou hast, as it were,
the song only, and not the harp : if thou workest, and speakest not, thou hast the harp only. On this account both speak well and do well, if thou wouldest have the song together with the harp.
Thy works ; and
operations of Thy hands. Ye see what he saith. Thou
hast made me living well, Thou hast formed me: if by chance I do aught of good, I will rejoice in the work of Thy
hands : as the Apostle saith, For we are His workmanship, Eph. 2, created unto good works. For unless He formed thee to 10- good works, thou wouldest not know any works but evil.
He who speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own : this the John 8, Gospel saith. Every sin is a lie; for every thing that is44, against the law, and against truth, is called a lie. What
then doth He say ? He that speaketh a lie, he speaketh of
his own; that is, he that sinneth, sinneth of his own. Observe the sentence in converse. For if he who speaketh
a lie, speaketh of his own : it follows that he who speaketh
the truth, speaketh from God. Therefore it is said in another
place, let God be true, but every man a liar. Thou art not Bom. 3, told in this passage, Go, lie without fear, as thou art a man : *'
nay, behold thyself a man, because thou liest ; and that thou mayest be true, drink in truth, that thou mayest break forth 1 1 metes of God, and that thou mayest be true. Because thou canst
not have truth from thy own self, it remains that thou drink it thence, whence it floweth : as if thou hast gone back from
the light, thou art in darkness : as a stone glows not with
its own heat, but either from the sun or fire, and if thou withdraw it from the heat, it cools : there it appears, that
the heat was not its own ; but it became heated either by
the sun or by fire : thus thou also, if thou withdraw from
God, wilt become cold ; if thou approach God, thou wilt warm: as the Apostle saith, fervent in spirit. Also what^? TM'|
6. (Ver. 4. ) For Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through
I will rejoice in
giving praise for
the
If thou approach Him, thou wilt be Ps. 34,6. in light; therefore saith the Psalm, Look upon Him, and ^y^seion
saith he of the light ?
320 Sin of murmuring at bad men's prosperity.
Psalm lightened; and your faces shall not be ashamed. Because xcl1- therefore thou canst do no good, unless lightened by the light of God, and warmed by the Spirit of God ; when thou shalt see thyself working well, confess unto God, and say
what the Apostle saith ; say unto thyself, that thou be not
I Cor. 4, puffed up, For what hast thou that thou didst not receive?
7'
Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it ? Here therefore he praiseth God, and teacheth us a good confession : Thou, Lord, hast made me
glad through Thy works; and for the operations of Thy hands.
7. What are we to say of those who live bad but pros perous lives ? For hence he who loveth the Sabbath halh a disturbed mind ; he seeth himself daily engaged in good works, and toiling in narrow circumstances, perhaps in family poverty, perhaps in hunger, thirst, and nakedness, perhaps doing good works in prison, and the man who sent him into prison living a wicked life, and glorying in it ; a most wicked thought against God entereth his heart, and he saith, God, wherefore do I serve Thee ? why do I obey Thy words ? I have not seized another's goods, I have not com mitted theft, I have not slain a man, I have not coveted any man's possession, 1 have not borne false witness against any one, I have not done disrespect to ray father or mother, I have not bowed down before idols, I have not taken the Lord's Name in vain :
enumerates the ten strings, that is, the ten precepts of the Law, and questioneth himself in each, and seeth that he hath not sinned, not in one : and he is sorrowful that he suffereth such evils. And those who, I do not say, touch some of the strings, but touch not even the psaltery itself, and work no good, consult idols, and perhaps then appear Christians, when their family suffereth no evil, hut when there is any tribulation there, they run to some soothsayer, diviner, or astrologer? Christ's name is repeated before him : he sneers, and screws his mouth. It is said to him, Believer, dost thou consult an astrologer ? He replieth, Begone from me: he discovered to me my goods, which I had otherwise lost, and remained in wailing. Good man, dost thou not sign thyself with the cross of Christ ? Even
I will rejoice in giving praise
I have kept myself from sin. He
God in deep counsel permits the bad to prosper. 321
the law prohibits all these things. Rejoicest thou that thou Ver. hast found thy goods : art thou not sad that thou art thyself----- lost? How much better would it be that thy coat should
perish than thy soul ? He sneers at all this : he is insulting
to his parents, he hateth his enemy, he pursueth him even unto death : he stealeth when he hath found opportunity, or ceaseth not to bear false witness ; he layeth wait against his neighbour's wife, he coveteth his neighbour's goods : he doeth all these things, and flourisheth in riches, in honours, in the good things of this world. That wretched man who doeth good, and suffereth evils, seeth him, becometh dis turbed, and saith, O God, the wicked, I imagine,
please Thee, and Thou hatest the good, and lovest those who work
iniquity. If he is excited, and consenteth to this thought,
he will lose the Sabbath from his heart : he now beginneth
not to listen to this psaltery ; he hath departed thence, he singeth without reason, // is a good thing to give thanks ver. 1. unto the Lord; find to sing praises unto Thy Name, O
Most Highest. The Sabbath being now lost in the inner man, and the tranquillity of his heart being shut out, and good thoughts repelled, he now beginneth to imitate him whom he seeth flourishing amid his evil deeds ; and turneth himself also to evil works. But God is long-suffering, because He is eternal, and He knoweth the day of His own
judgment, where He wcigheth all things.
8. Teaching us this, what saith he ? (ver. 5. ) O Lord, how
glorious are Thy works : Thy thoughts are made very deep. Verily, my brethren, there is no sea so deep as these thoughts of God, Who maketh the wicked flourish, and the good suffer : nothing so profound, nothing so deep : therein every unbelieving soul is wrecked, in that depth, in that
profundity. Dost thou wish to cross this depth ? Remove
not from the wood of Christ's Cross: thou shalt not sink: hold thyself fast to Christ. What do I mean by this, hold fast to Christ? It was for this reason that He chose to suffer on
earth Himself. Ye have heard, while the prophet was being
read, how He did not turn away His back from the smiters,U. 50,6. and His face from the spittings of men, how He turned not
His cheek from their hands; wherefore chose He to suffer all these things, but that He might console the suffering?
VOL. IV. v
322 Thought of eternity solves mysteries of Providence.
Psalm pie could have raised His flesh at the last day: but then XCII'- thou wouldest not have had thy ground of hope, since thou hadst not seen Him. He deferred not His resurrection, that thou mightest not still be in doubt. Suffer then tribulation
in the world with the same end as that which thou hast observed in Christ: and let not those who do evil, and flourish in this life, move thee. Thy thoughts are very deep. Where is the thought of God? Rejoice not as the fish who is exulting in his bait : the fisherman hath not drawn his hook : the fish hath as yet the hook in his jaws. And what seemeth to thee long, is short; all these things pass over
quickly. What is the long life of man to the eternity of God? Dost thou wish to be of long-suffering? Consider the eternity of God. For thou regardest thy few days, and in thy few days thou dost wish all things to be fulfilled. What things? The condemnation of all the wicked: and the crowning of all the good : dost thou wish these things to be fulfilled in thy days ? God fulfilleth them in His own time. Why dost thou suffer weariness ? He is eternal : Ho waiteth: He is of long-suffering: but thou sayest, 1 am not of long-suffering, because I am mortal. But thou hast it in thy power- to become so: join thy heart to the eternity of God, and with Him thou shall be eternal. For what is said
Is. 40, of temporal things? All flesh is grass: and all the goodli- ? ~8' ness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass uitheieth, and the flower fadeth. All things, then, wither and fade: but not that Word: for the Word of our God shall standfor
ever. The grass passeth away, the glory of the grass passeth away, but thou hast where to hold thyself fast: " The Word of the Lord abideth for ever. " Say iheu unto Him, Thy thoughts are very deep. Thou hast laid hold of the wood, thou art crossing that depth. Seest thou any thing there ? understandest thou any thing there ? I understand, thou sayest.
