Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
Psat LIII.] ON THE PSALMS. 203 daring, and wicked men, of whom there is a great multitude; who foster day by day their sins, who, their acts having been changed into habit, have even lost sense of shame: this is so great a multitude of men, that the Body of Christ, set amid them, scarce dareth to censure that which it is not constrained to commit, and deemeth it a great matter for itself that the integrity of innocence be preserved in not doing that which now, by habit, either it doth not dare to blame, or if it * shall have dared, there breaketh out the censure and recrimination of them that live evil lives, more readily than the free voice of them that live good lives. And those men are such as say in their heart, " There is no God." Such men I am confuting. Whence confuting? That their doings please God, they judge. He doth not therefore affirm, "some say," but "The unwise man hath said in his heart, There is no God." Which men do so far believe there is a God, that the same God they judge with what they do to be pleased. But if thou being wise dost perceive, how " the unwise man hath said in his heart, There is no God," if thou give heed, if thou understand, if thou examine ; he that thinketh that evil doings please God, Him he doth not think to be God. For if God is, He is just ; if He is just, injustice displeaseth Him, iniquity displeaseth. But thou, when thou thinkest that iniquity pleaseth Him, dost deny God. For if God is one Whom iniquity displeaseth, but God seemeth not to thee to be one whom iniquity displeaseth, and there is no God but one whom iniquity displeaseth, then when thou sayest in thy heart, God doth countenance my iniquities, thou sayest nothing else than, "' There is no God." themselves said they, thinking not rightly? "A small thing and with tediousness is our life." 5 From this evil belief followeth that which also the Apostle hath spoken of, '' Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die.'"' © But in the former passage more diffusely luxury itself is described : " Let us crown us with roses, before they be withered ; in every place let us leave the tokens of our gladness." 7 After the more diffuse description of that luxury, what followeth? 'Let us slay the poor just man:''® this is therefore saying, " He is not God.'' Soft words they seemed but now to say : " Let us crown us with roses, before they be withered." What more delicate, what more soft? Wouldest thou expect, out of this softness, Crosses, swords? Wonder not, soft are even the roots of brambles; if any one handle them, he is not pricked : but that wherewith thou shalt be pricked from thence hath birth. "' Corrupted," therefore, are those men, "and abominable have become in their iniquities."" They say, "If Son of God He is, let Him come down from the Cross."9 Behold them openly saying, SoHevisinotGod.)' ane... 4. "The Lord from Heaven hath looked forth upon the sons of men, that He might see if there is one understanding and seeking after God" (ver. 3). What is this? 'Corrupted they are," all these that say, "There is no God" ? And what? Did it escape God, that they were become such? Or indeed to us would their inward thought be opened, except by Him it were told? If then He understood, if then He knew, what is this which hath been said, " that He might see"? For the words are of one inquiring, of one not knowing. 'God from Heaven hath looked forth," etc. And as though He had found what He sought by looking upon, and by looking down from Heaven, He giveth sentence: '" All men have gone aside, together useless they have become: there is not one that dogth good, not so muchas one" (ver. 4). Two questions arise somewhat difficult: for if God looketh out from Heaven, in order that He may see if there is one understanding or seeking after God ; there stealeth upon an unwise man the thought, that God knoweth not all things. 'This is one question: what is the other? If there is not one that doeth good, is not so much as one ; who is he that travaileth amid bad men? 'The former question then is solved as followeth: ofttimes the Scripture speaketh in such manner, that what by the gift of God a creature doth, God is said to do... . For hence has been said the following also, " For the Spirit searcheth all things, even the depth of God;"*° not because He that knoweth all things searcheth, but because to thee hath been given the Spirit,
3. Let us advert also to that sense, which concerning Christ our Lord Himself, our Head Himself, doth present itself. For when Himself in form of a servant? appeared on earth, they that crucified Him said, '' He is not God." Because Son of God He was, truly God He was. But they that are corrupted and have become abominable said what? "He is not God:" let us slay Him, " He is not God." Thou hast the voice of these very men in the book of Wisdom.3 For after there had gone before the verse, '" The unwise man hath said in his heart, There is no God ;'' as if reasons were required why the unwise man could say this, he hath subjoined, "Corrupted they are, and abominable have become in their iniquities" (ver. 2). Hear ye those corrupted men. " For they have said with themselves, not rightly thinking : " 4 corruption beginneth with evil belief, thence it proceedeth to depraved morals, thence to the most flagrant iniquities, these are the grades. But what with 2 Phil. ii. 7. 1 So Oxf. mss. (ausum); Ben. ausus, ' one." hil. it, 4 Wisd, ii. 1. 3 Wisd. ii. 18-20. |See p. 172, supra. —C.]
7 Wisd. ii. 8, 9. 6 x Cor. xv. 32. isd. 1 10 1 Cor. ii. 10, 5 Wisd. ii, 1. "4 ii 9 Matt, xxvil. 40. 8 Wisd. ii. 10.