Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
198 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN. [Psat LII.
are most easily done. "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord: "'" he that glorieth, let him glory in goodness. 'Thou gloriest, because thou art mighty in evil, What art thou about to do, O mighty man, what art thou about to do, boasting thyself much? 'Thou art about to kill aman: this thing also a scorpion, this also one fever, this also a poisonous fungus can do. To this is thy mightiness reduced, that it be made equal to a poisonous fungus? This therefore do the good citizens of Jerusalem, who not in malice but in goodness glory: firstly, that not in themselves, but in the Lord they glory. Secondly, that those things which make for edification they earnestly do, and do such things as are strong to abide: but things which make for de-. struction they may do, for the discipline of men advancing, not for the oppression of the innocent. To this mightiness then that earthly body being compared, why may it not hear out of these words, "' Why doth he glory in malice that is mighty?"
scrape their hair. What is it that I have said? If there be such citizens of Jerusalem, that hear the voice of their Lord, of their King, saying, " Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:" that hear the voice which but now from the Gospel hath been read, '' What doth it profit a man, if he shall gain. the whole world, and of himself make wreck :''2 they despise all present good things, and above all life itself. And what is Doeg's razor to do to a man on this earth meditating on the kingdom of heaven, and about to be in the kingdom of heaven, having with him God, and about to abide with God? What is that razor todo? Hair it is to scrape, it is to make a man bald. And this belongeth to Christ, who in the Place of a Skull was crucified.3 It maketh also the son of Core, which is interpreted baldness. For this hair signifieth a superfluity of things temporal. Which hairs indeed are not made by God superfluously on the body of men, but for a sort of ornament: yet because without feeling they are cut off, they that cleave to the Lord with their heart, so have these earthly things as they have hair. But sometimes even something of good with "hair" is wrought, when thou breakest bread to the hungry, the poor without roof thou bringest into thy house ; if thou shalt have seen one naked, thou coverest him:5 lastly, the Martyrs themselves also imitating the Lord, blood for the Church shedding, hearing that voice, "As Christ laid down His life for us, so also ought we also to lay down for the brethren," ® in a certain way with their hair did good to us, that is, with those things which that razor can lop off or scrape. But that therefore even with the very hair some good can be done, even that woman a sinner intimated, who, when she had wept over the feet of the Lord, with her hair wiped what with tears she wetted.? Signifying what? That when thou shalt have pitied any one, thou oughtest to relieve him also if thou canst. For when thou hast pity, thou sheddest as it were tears: when thcu relievest, thou wipest with hair. And if this to any one, how much more to the feet of the Lord. The feet of the Lord are what? The holy Evangelists, whereof is said, " How beautiful are the feet of them that tell of peace, that tell of good things!' Therefore like a razor let Doeg whet his tongue, let him whet deceit as much as he may: he will take away superfluous temporal things; will he necessary things everlasting ?
4. "In iniquity the whole day upon injustice hath thy tongue thought" (ver. 2): that is, in the whole of time, without weariness, without intermission, without cessation. And when thou doest not, thou thinkest ; so that when anything of evil is away from thy hands, from thy heart it is not away; either thou doest an evil thing, or while thou canst not do, thou sayest an evil thing, that is, thou evil-speakest: or when not even this thou canst do, thou willest and thinkest an evil thing. "The whole day," then, that is, without intermission. We expect punishment to this man. Is he to himself a small punishment? Thou threatenest him: thou, when thou threatenest him, wilt send him whither? Unto evil? Send him away unto himself. In order that thou mayest vent much rage, thou art going to give him into the power of beasts: unto himself he is worse than beasts. For a beast can mangle his body: of himself he cannot leave his heart whole. Within, against himself he doth rage of himself, and dost thou from without seek for stripes? Nay, pray God for him, that he may be set free from himself. Nevertheless in this Psalm, my brethren, there is not a prayer for evil men, or against evil men, but a prophecy of what is to result to evil men. Think not therefore that the Psalm of ill-will saith anything: for it is said in the spirit of prophecy.
5. There followeth then what? All thy might and all thy thought of iniquity all the day, and meditation of malignity in thy tongue without intermission, hath performed what, done what? " As with a sharp razor thou hast done deceit"
6. 'Thou hast loved malice above benignity"' (ver. 4). Before thee was benignity ; herself thou shouldest have loved. For thou wast not going to expend anything, nor wast thou going
(ver. 3). See what do evil men to Saints, they
4 1 Chron. vi. 22. 2 Matt. xvi. 26. 3 Matt. xxvii. 33. eps uke vii. 38. 5 Isa. lviii. 7. 6 x John iii, 16. 8 Isa. lit. 7; Rom. x. 15.
Ty Corsinats
Psaim LIL] ON THE
PSALMS. 199 to fetch something to love by a distant voyage.
necessary should go beneath, wilt not make them to be above good things, but thou with them wilt be sunk unto evil things.
Benignity is before thee, iniquity before thee: compare and choose. But perchance thou hast an eye wherewith thou seest malignity, and hast no eye wherewith thou seest benignity. Woe to the iniquitous heart. What is worse, it doth turn away itself, that it may not see what it is able to see. For what of such hath been said in another place? " He would not understand that he might do good." For it is not said, he could not: but 'he would not," he saith, " understand that he might do good," he closed his eyes from present light. And what followeth? "Of iniquity he hath meditated in his bed ;" that is, in the inner secrecy of his heart. Some reproach of this kind is heaped upon this Doeg the Edomite, a malignant body, a motion of earth, not abiding, not heavenly. "Thou hast loved malignity above benignity." For wilt thou know how an evil man doth see both, and the former he doth rather choose, from the other doth turn himself away? Wherefore doth he cry out when he suffereth anything unjustly? Wherefore doth he then exaggerate as much as he can the iniquity, and praise benignity, censuring him that hath wrought in him malignity above benignity? Be he then a rule to himself for seeing: out of himself he shall be judged. Moreover, if he do what is written, '' Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;''2 and, ' Whatsoever good things ye will that men should do unto you, these also do ye do unto them: '"'3 at home he hath means of knowing, because what on himself he will not have to be done, he ought not to do to another. 'Thou hast loved malice above benignity." Iniquitously, inordinately, perversely thou wouldest raise water above oil : 4 the water will be sunk, the oil will remain above. Thou wouldest under darkness place a light: the darkness will be put to flight, the light will remain. Above heaven thou wouldest place earth, by its weight the earth will fall into its place. Thou therefore wilt be sunk by loving malice above benignity. For never will malice overcome benignity. "Thou hast loved malice above benignity : iniquity more than to speak of equity." Before thee is equity, before thee is iniquity: one tongue thou hast, whither thou wilt thou turnest it: wherefore then rather to iniquity and not to equity? Food of bitterness dost thou not give to thy belly, and food of iniquity dost thou give to thy malignant tongue? As thou choosest whereon to live, so choose what thou mayest speak. Thou preferrest iniquity to equity, and preferrest malice to benignity; thou indeed preferrest, but above what can ever Be but benignity and equity? But thou, by placing thyself in a manner upon those things which it is
7. Because of this there followeth in the Psalm, "Thou hast loved al! words of sinking under" (ver. 5). Rescue therefore thyself, if thou canst, from sinking 'under. From shipwreck thou art fleeing, and dost embrace lead ! If thou wilt not sink, catch at a plank, be borne on wood, let the Cross carry thee through. But now because thou art a Doeg the Edomite, a "motion," and "of earth," thou doest what? "Thou hast loved all words of sinking-under, a tongue deceitful." This hath preceded, words of sinking-under have followed a tongue deceitful. What is a tongue deceitful? A minister of guile is a tongue deceitful, of men bearing one thing in heart, another thing from mouth bringing forth. But in these is overthrowing, in these sinking under.
8. " Wherefore God shall destroy thee at the end" (ver. 6): though now thou seemest to flourish like grass in the field before the heat of the sun. For, " All flesh is grass, and the brightness of man as the bloom of grass: the grass hath withered, and the bloom hath fallen down: but the word of the Lord abideth for everlasting."'5 Behold that to which thou mayest bind thyself, to what ° " abideth for everlasting." For if to grass, and to the bloom of grass, thou shalt have bound thyself, since the grass shall wither, 'and the bloom shall fall down, "God shall destroy thee at the end:"' and if not now, certainly at the end He shall destroy, when that winnowing shall have come, and the heap of chaff from the solid grain shall have been separated.7 Is not the solid grain for the barns, and the chaff for the fire? Shall not the whole of that Doeg stand at the left hand, when the Lord is to say, "Go ye into fire everlasting, which hath been prepared for the devil and his angels' ?& Therefore " God shall destroy at the end: shall pluck thee out, and shall remove thee from thy dwelling."" Now then this Doeg the Edomite is in a dwelling: " But a servant abideth not in the house for ever."9 Even he worketh something of good, even if not with his doings, at least with the words of God, so that in the Church, when he " seeketh his own," ?° he would say, at least, those things which are of Christ.
" But He shall remove thee from thy dwelling." "Verily, verily, I say unto you, they have received their reward." '* "And thyroot from the land of the living." Therefore in the land of the living we ought to have root. Be our root there. Out of sight is the root : fruits may be seen, root cannot be seen. Our root is our love, our
5 Isa. xl. 6-8. 6 AZ, "to the Word that." 7 Matt. iii, 12, xiii, 40. 8 Matt, xxv. 41. 9 John vili. 35. 30 Phil, ii. 21. II Matt. vi. 2.
1 Ps. xxxvi. 4. 2 Matt. xxii. 39. 3 Matt. vii. 12. 4 See S. Chrys. on 1 Thess, Hom. xi.
200 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN. [Psatm LII.
fruits are our works : it is needful that thy works proceed from love, then is thy root in the land of the living. Then shall be rooted up that Doeg, nor any wise shall he be able there to abide, because neither more deeply there hath he fixed a root:' but it shall be with him in like manner as it is with those seeds on the rock, which even if a root they throw out, yet, because moisture they have not, with the risen sun forthwith do wither. But, on the other hand, they that fix a root more deeply, hear from the Apostle what? "I bow my knees for you to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye may be in love rooted and grounded."' And because there now is root, "That ye may be able," he saith, "to comprehend what is the height, and breadth, and length, and depth: to know also the supereminent knowledge of the love of Christ, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God." ?
to flight the darkness of this world, wherein now we walk not but by the lamp of the Scriptures, and therefore fear as though in night. For we walk by prophecy; whereof saith the Apostle Peter, " We have a more sure prophetic word, to which giving heed ye do well, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day shine, and the day-star arise in your hearts."7 So long then as by a lamp we walk, it is needful that with fear we should live. But when shall have come our day, that is, the manifestation of Christ, whereof the same Apostle saith, " When Christ shall have appeared, your life, then ye also shall appear with Himself in glory," ® then the just shall laugh at that Doeg. ...
10. But what shall they then say that shall laugh? "And over him they shall laugh; and shall say, Behold a man that hath not set God for his helper" (ver. 8). See ye the body earthly!" As much as thou shalt have, so great shalt thou be," is a proverb of covetous men, of grasping men, of men oppressing the inno. cent, of men seizing upon other men's goods, of men denying things entrusted to their care. Of what sort is this proverb? "As much as thou shdlt have, so great shalt thou be;"' that is, as much as thou shalt have had of money, as much as thou shalt have gotten, by so much the more mighty shalt thou be. " Behold a man that hath not set God for his helper, but hath trusted in the multitude of his riches." Let not a poor man, one perchance that is evil, say, I am not of this body. For he hath heard the Prophet saying, '"' He hath trusted in the multitude of his riches: " forthwith if he is poor, he heedeth his rags, he hath observed near him perchance a rich man among the people of God more richly apparelled, and he saith in his heart, Of this man he speaketh; doth he speak of me? Do not thence except thyself, do not separate thyself, unless thou shalt have seen and feared, in order that thou mayest hereafter laugh. For what doth it profit thee, if thou dost want means, and thou burnest with cupidity? When our Lord Jesus Christ to that rich man that was grieved, and that was departing from Him, had said, "Go, sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come follow Me:''9 and great hopelessness for rich men foretold, so that He said, more easily could a camel pass through the eye of a needle, than a rich man enter into the kingdom of Heaven,'° were not forthwith the disciples grieved, saying with themselves, " Who shall be able to be saved?" Therefore when they were saying, "' Who shall be able to be saved?" did they think of the few rich men, did there escape them so great a multitude of
Of such fruits so great a root is worthy, being so single, so budding, for buddings so deeply grounded. But truly this man's root shall be rooted up from the land of the living.
g. "And the just shall see, and shall fear ; and over him they shall laugh" (ver. 7). Shall fear when? Shall laugh when? Let us therefore understand, and make a distinction between those two times of fearing and laughing, which have their several uses. For so long as we are in this world, not yet must we laugh, lest hereafter we mourn. We have read what is reserved at the end for this Doeg, we have read, and because we understand and believe, we see but fear. This, therefore, hath been said, "' The just shall see, and shall fear.' So long as we see what will result at the end to evil men, wherefore do we fear? Because the Apostle hath said, " In fear and trembling work out your own salvation: "'3 because it hath been said ina Psalm,* "Serve the Lord in fear, and exult unto Him with trembling."' Wherefore " with fear"? "Wherefore let him that thinketh himself to stand, see that he fall not."""5 Wherefore "with trembling ''? Because he saith in another place :
"' Brethren, if a man shall have been overtaken in any delinquency, ye that are spiritual instruct such sort in the spirit of gentleness; heeding thyself, lest thou also be tempted."® Therefore, the just that are now, that live of faith, so see this Doeg, what to him is to result, that nevertheless they fear also for themselves: for what they are to-day, they know; what to-morrow they are to be, they know not. Now, therefore, "The just shall see, and they shall fear." But when shall they laugh? When iniquity shall have passed over; when it shall have flown over ; as now to a great degree hath flown over the time uncertain ; when shall have been put
7 2 Pet. i. 19. 5 8 Col. iii. 4. 9 Matt. xix. 21. 10 Matt. xix. 24.
I Matt xiii. 5. 2 Eph. iii. 14, 17-19. 4 Ps. ii. 11. 3 Phil. ii. 12. 5 x Cor. x. 12. . Vi. I.