Expositions on the Book of Psalms
PsaLM LIL] ON THE PSALMS. 201 poor men? Could they not say to themselves, If it is hard, aye an impossible thing, that rich men should enter into the kingdom of heaven, as it is impossible that a camel should enter through the eye of a needle, let all poor men enter into the kingdom of heaven, be the rich alone shut out? For how few are the rich men? But of poor men are thousands innumerable. For not the coats are we to look upon in the kingdom of heaven; but for every one's garment shall be reckoned the effulgence of righteousness: there shall be therefore poor men equal to Angels of God, clothed with the stoles of immortality, they shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father: what reason is there for us about a few rich men to be concerned, or distressed? This thought not the Apostles ; but when the Lord had spoken this, " It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven:" they saying to themselves, "Who shall be able to be saved," meant what? Not means, but desires ; for they saw even poor men themselves, even if not having money, yet to have covetousness. And that ye may know, that not money in a rich man, but covetousness is condemned, attend to what I say; Thou observest that rich man standing near thee, and perchance in him is money, and is not covetousness ; in thee is not money, and is covetousness. A poor man full of sores, full of woe, licked by dogs, having no help, having no morsel, not having perchance a mere garment, was borne by the Angels unto Abraham's bosom.' Ho! being a poor man, art thou glad now; for are even sores by thee to be desired? Is not thy patrimony soundness? 'There is not in this Lazarus the merit of poverty, but that of godliness. For thou seest who was borne up, thou seest not whither he was borne up. Who was borne up by Angels? A poor man, full of woe, full of sores. Whither was he borne up? Unto Abraham's bosom. Read the Scriptures, and thou shalt find Abraham to have been a rich man.? In order that thou mayest know, that not riches are blamed; Abraham had much gold, silver, cattle, household, was a rich man, and unto his bosom Lazarus, a poor man, was borne up. Unto bosom of rich man, poor man: are not rather both unto God rich men, both in cupidity poormen?...
" Blessed the people of whom is the Lord their own God," dost think of thyself what? dost hope for thyself what? '" ButI;" now at length hear that body : " But I am like an olive, fruit-bearing in the house of God" (ver. 9). Not one man speaketh, but that olive fruit-bearing, whence have been pruned the proud branches, and the humble wild olive graffed in.3 'Like an olive, fruit-bearing in the house of God, I have trusted in the mercy of God." He did what? "In the multitude of his riches:" therefore his root shall be plucked out from the land of the living. " But I," because "like an olive, fruit-bearing in the house of God," the root whereof is nourished, is not rooted out, " have trusted in the mercy of God." But perchance now? For even herein men err sometimes. God indeed they worship, and are not now like to that Doeg: but though on God they rely, it is for temporal things nevertheless ; so that they say to themselves, I worship my God, who will make me rich upon earth, who to me will give sens, who to me will give a wife. Such things indeed giveth none but God, but God would not have Himself for the sake of such things to be loved. For to this end oftentimes those things He giveth even to evil men, in order that some other thing good men of Him may learn to seek. In what manner then sayest thou, "I have trusted in the mercy of God"? Perchance for obtaining temporal things? Nay but, " For everlasting and world without end." 'The expression, " For everlasting," he willed to repeat by adding, " world without end," in order that by there repeating he might affirm how rooted he was in the love of the kingdom of heaven, and in the hope of everlasting felicity.
12. 'I will confess to Thee for ever, because Thou hast done" (ver. 10). "Hast done what?"? Doeg Thou hast condemned, David Thou hast crowned. 'Iwill confess to Thee for ever, because Thou hast done." Great confession, "' Because thou hast done'?! " Hast done" what? except these very things which above have been spoken of, that like an olive fruit-bearing in the house of God, I should trust in the mercy of God for everlasting and world without end? Thou hast done: an ungodly man cannot justify himself. But who is He that justifieth? ' Believing," he saith, "on Him" that justifieth "the ungodly.''4 ' For what hast thou which thou hast not received? But if thou hast received, why dost thou glory as if thou hast not received, as if of thyself thou hast?"'5 Be it far from me that I should so glory, saith he, that is opposed against Doeg, that beareth with Doeg upon earth, until he remove from his dwelling, and be rooted up from the land of the living. I glory not as if I have not received, but in God I glory. "And
11. Therefore that man having been condemned that "hath trusted in the multitude of his riches, and hath prevailed in his vanity :" for what more vain, than he that thinketh coin more to avail than God? Therefore that man having been condemned that said, blessed of the people to whom these things are: thou that sayest, 5 x Cor. iv. 7. 3 Rom. xi. 17, 4 Rom. iv. 5.
1 Luke xvi. 22. 2 Gen. xiii. 2,
202 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN. [PsaLm LIIT.
I will confess to Thee because Thou hast done," that is, because Thou hast done not according to my merits, but according to Thy mercy. But I have done what? If thou recollectest, " Before, I was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious." But thou, what hast thou done? " But mercy I have obtained, because ignorant I did it.'* TJ will confess to Thee for ever, because Thou hast done." sight of the ungodly. I know how sweet a thing itis, but it is to them that have tasted.
PSALM LIII.5
1. Of this Psalm we undertake to treat with you, as far as the Lord supplieth us. A brother biddeth us® that we may have the will, and prayeth that we may have the power. If anything in haste perchance I shall have passed over, He that even to us deigneth to give what we shall be enabled to say, will supply it in you. The title of it is: "At the end, for Maeleth, understanding to David himself." " For Maeleth," as we find in interpretations of Hebrew names, seemeth to say, For one travailing, or in pain. But who there is in this world that travaileth and is in pain, the faithful acknowledge, because thereof they are. Christ here travaileth, Christ here is in pain: the Head is above, the members below. For one not travailing nor in pain would not say, " Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" 7 Him, with whom when persecuting He was travailing, being converted, He made to travail. For he also was himself afterwards enlightened, and grafted on those members which he used to persecute; being pregnant with the same love, he said, " My little children, of whom again I travail, until Christ be formed in you." § For the members therefore of Christ, for His Body which is the Church,? for that same One Man, that is, for that very unity, whereof the Head is above, this Psalm is sung. . . . Who are they, then, amid whom we travail and groan, if in the Body of Christ we are, if under Him, the Head, we live, if amongst His members we are counted? Who they are, hear ye. 2. "The unwise man hath said in his heart, There is no God" (ver. 1). Such sort is it of men amid whom is pained and groaneth the Body of Christ. If such is this sort of men, of not many do we travail; as far as seemeth to occur to our thoughts, very few there are ; and a difficult thing it is to meet with a man that saith in his heart, " There is no God ;"' '° nevertheless, so few there are, that, fearing amid the many to say this, in their heart they say it, for that with mouth to say it they dare not. Not much then is that which we are bid to endure, hardly is it found : uncommon is that sort of men that say in their heart, " There is no God." But, if it be examined in another sense, is not that found to be in more men, which we supposed to be in men few and uncommon, and almost in none? Let them come forth into the midst that live evil lives, let us look into the doings of profligate,
13. " And I will look for Thy name, for it is pleasant." Bitter is the world, but Thy name is pleasant. Even if certain sweet things are in the world, yet with bitterness they are digested. Thy name is preferred, not only for greatness but also for pleasantness. '" For unjust men have told to me their delights, but it is not as Thy law, O Lord."? For if there were nothing sweet to the Martyrs, they would not have suffered with equanimity so great bitterness of tribulations. Their bitterness by any one was experienced, their sweetness easily could no one taste. The name of God therefore is pleasant to men loving God above all pleasantnesses. " I will look for Thy name, for it is pleasant." And to what dost Thou prove that it is pleasant? Give me a palate to which it is pleasant. Praise honey as muchas thou art able, exaggerate the sweetness thereof with what words thou shalt have the power: a man knowing not what honey is, unless he shall have tasted, what thou sayest knoweth not. Therefore the rather to the proof the Psalm inviting thee saith what? "Taste and see that sweet is the Lord."3 'Taste thou wilt not, and thou sayest, Is it pleasant? What is pleasant? If thou hast tasted, in thy fruit be it found, not in words alone, as it were only in leaves, lest by the curse of the Lord, to wither like that fig-tree 4 thou shouldest deserve. '"' Taste,'' he saith, " and see, that sweet is the Lord." Taste and see: then ye shall see, if ye shall have tasted. But to a man not tasting, how provest thou? By praising the pleasantness of the name of God, whatsoever things thou shalt have said are words: something else is taste. 'The words of His praise there hear even the ungodly, but none taste how sweet it is, but the Saints. Further, a man discerning the sweetness of the name of God, and wishing to unfold and wishing to show the same, and not finding persons to whom he may unfold it; for to the Saints there is no need that he show it, because they even of themselves taste and know, but the ungodly cannot discern what they will not taste: doth, I say, what, because of the sweetness' of the name of God? He hath borne him forthwith away from the crowds of the ungodly. " And I will look," he saith, " for Thy name, for it is pleasant, in the sight of Thy Saints." Pleasant is Thy name, but not in the 5 Lat. LII. Froma sermon preached to the people at the request of some one, perhaps of a bishop. — Ben.
6 AZ. '* Bid us, brethren, . . . pray for us." 7 Acts ix. 4. 8 Gal. iv. 19. 10 Ps, xiv. 1» 9 Col. i. 24.
1 x Tim. i. 13. 2 Ps, cxix. 85. 3 Ps, xxxiv. 8. 4 Matt. xxi. 19.