Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
Psaim LVI] ON THE PSALMS. 219 though by three witnesses the Title was confirmed: because "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall stand every word."* ...
"Have pity on me, O Lord, for man hath trodden me down" (ver. 1). Fear not because man hath trodden thee down: have thou wine, a grape thou hast become in order that thou shouldest be trodden. "All day long warring he hath troubled me," every one that hath been put afar off from the saints. But why should not here be understood even the devil himself ? Is it because mention is made of "man ''?® doth therefore the Gospel err, because it hath said, "A man that is an enemy hath done this" ?? But by a kind of figure may he also be called a man,® and yet not be a man. Whether therefore it was him whom he that said these words was beholding, or whether it was the people and each one that was put afar off from holy men, through which kind the devil troubleth the people of God, who cleave to holy men, who cleave to the Holy One, who cleave to the King, at the title of which King being indignant they were as though beaten back, and put afar off: let him say, ' Have pity on me, O Lord, for man hath trodden me down:" and let him faint not in this treading down, knowing Him on whom he is calling, and by whose example he hath been made strong. 'The first cluster in the winefat pressed is Christ. When that cluster by passion was pressed out,? there flowed that whence " the cup inebriating is how passing beautiful!" "° Let His Body likewise say, looking upon its Head, " Have pity on me, O Lord, for man hath trodden me down: all day long warring he hath troubled me." "All day long," at all times. Let no one say to himself, There have been troubles in our fathers' time, in our time there are not. If thou supposest thyself not to have troubles, not yet hast thou begun to be a Christian. And where is the voice of the Apostle, "But even all that will live godly in Christ, persecutions shall suffer." '' If therefore thou sufferest not any persecution for Christ, take heed lest not yet thou hast begun godly to live in Christ. But when thou hast begun godly to live in Christ, thou hast entered into the winepress; make ready thyself for pressings: but be not thou dry, lest from the pressing nothing go forth.
3. What therefore meaneth that which to the title itself still belongeth, namely, that "the Allophyli held him in Geth"? Geth was a certain city of the Aophyli,2 that is, of strangers, to wit, of people afar from holy men. All they that refuse Christ for King become strangers. Wherefore strangers are they made? Because even that vine, though by Him planted, when it had become sour what heard it? '" Wherefore hast thou been turned into sourness, O alien vine?" 3 It hath not been said, My vine: because if Mine, sweet; if sour, not Mine; if not Mine, surely alien. "There held him," then,
" Allophyli in Geth."" We find indeed, brethren, David himself, son of Jesse, king of Israel, to have been in a strange land among the Allophyli, when he was sought by Saul, and was in that city and with the king of that city,+ but that there he was detained we read _ not. Therefore our David, the Lord Jesus Christ out of the seed of that David, not alone they held, but there hold Him still Allophyli in Geth. Of Geth we have said that it is a city. But the interpretation of this name, if asked for, signifieth "press." . . . How therefore here is He held in Geth? Held in a winepress is His Body, that is, His Church. What is, in a winepress? In pressings. But in a winepress fruitful is the pressing. A grape on the vine sustaineth no pressing, whole it seemeth, but nothing thence floweth: it is thrown into a winepress, is trodden, is pressed ; harm seemeth to be done to the grape, but this harm is not barren; nay, if no harm had been applied, barren it would have remained.
4. Let whatsoever holy men therefore that are suffering pressing from those that have been put afar off from the saints, give heed to this Psalm, let them perceive here themselves, let them speak what here is spoken, that suffer what here is spoken of. . . . Private enmities therefore let no one think of, when about to hear the words of this Psalm: ' Know ye that for us the wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against princes and powers, and spiritual things of wickedness," 5 that is, against the devil and his angels; because even when we suffer men that annoy us, he is instigating, he is inflaming, as it were his vessels he is moving. Let us give heed therefore to two enemies, him whom we see, and him whom we see not; man we see, the devil we see not; man let us love, of the devil beware ; for man pray, against the devil pray, and let us say to God,
5. " Mine enemies have trodden me down all day long" (ver. 2). They that have been put afar off from holy men, these are mine enemies. All day long: already it hath been said, " From the height * of the day.'' What meaneth, " from the height of the day"? Perchance it is a high thing to understand. And no wonder, because
6 So ss. edd. ' because he is not called man." 7 Matt. xiii, 28. 8 [Angels are so called. Dan. ix. 21, Acts x. 26. Compare Mark xvi. 5; Rev. xix. 10; also this vol. p. 117, note 7, supra. —C.
I Matt. xviii. 16; Deut. xix. 15. 2 The usual name of the Philistines in LXX. and Vulgate. 3 Jers user: 4 x Sam. xxi, 10, 5 Eph. vi. 12.
9 Isa. Ixiii. 3. 10 Ps, xxill. 5. It 2 Tim. iil. 12, 12 Or, " depth."