Expositions on the Book of Psalms
ON THE PSALMS. 225
PsaLm LVII.]
rior beauty she had known, and had beheld the place where he was beautiful before the eyes of God: because in Him were vows which he might render of praise to God. How entirely the enemy had forborne to invade that patrimony ! How whole was that which he was possessing, and that because of which yet more to be possessed he hoped for, being to go on " from virtues unto virtue."* Therefore, brethren, to this end let all these things serve us, that God grat#s we love, in Him hope always, neither man nor devil fear. Neither the one nor the other doeth anything, except when it is permitted : permitted for no other reason can it be, except because it doth profit us. Let us endure evil men, let us be good men: because even we have been evil. Evenas nothing? God shail save men, of whom we dare to despair. Therefore of no one let us despair, for all men whom we suffer let us pray, from God let us never depart. Our patrimony let Him be, our hope let Him be, our safety let Him be. He is Himself here a comforter, there a remunerator, everywhere Maker-alive, and of life the Giver, not of another life, but of that whereof hath been said, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life: ''3 in order that both here in the light of faith, and there in the light of sight, as it were in the light of the living, in the sight of the Lord we may be pleasing. him with so much mildness, that when he had gotten him into his hands, him he touched not, hurt not.7. . . What reference hath this to Christ ? If all things which then were being done, were figures of things future, we find there Christ, and by far in the greatest degree. For this, "corrupt not for the inscription of the title," I see not how it belongeth to that David. For not any "title'"' was inscribed over David himself which Saul would "corrupt." But we see in the Passion of the Lord that there had been written a title, " King of the Jews:" ® in order that this title might put to the blush these very men, seeing that from their King they withheld not their hands. For in them Saul was, in Christ David was. For Christ, as saith the Apostolic Gospel, is, as we know, as we confess, of the seed of David after the flesh ;9 for after the Godhead He is above David, above all men, above heaven and earth, above angels, above all things visible and invisible. . . . And because already it had been sung through the Holy Spirit, " Unto the end, corrupt not, for the inscription of the title: "' Pilate answered them, "' What I have written, I have written :"' !° why do ye suggest to me falsehood? I corrupt not truth.
4. What therefore is, "' When he fled from the face of Saul into a cavern"? Which thing indeed the former David also did: but because in him we find not the inscription of the title, in the latter let us find the flight into the cavern. ™ For that cavern wherein David hid himself did figure somewhat. But wherefore hid he himself? It was in order that he might be concealed and not be found. What is to be hidden in a cavern? To be hidden in earth. For he that fleeth into a cavern, with earth is covered so that he may not be seen. But Jesus did carry earth, flesh which He had received from earth: and in it He concealed Himself, in order that by Jews He might not be discovered as God. " For if they had known, never the Lord of glory would they have crucified." ** Why therefore the Lord of glory found they not? Because in a cavern He had hidden Himself, that is, the flesh's weakness to their eyes He presented, but the Majesty of the Godhead in the body's clothing, as though in a hiding-place of the earth, He hid.
PSALM LVII.4
1. We have heard in the Gospel just now, brethren, how loveth us our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God with the Father, Man with us, out of our own selves, now at5 the right hand of the Father ; ye have heard how much He loveth Use a 2. Because then this Psalm is singing of the Passion of the Lord, see what is the title that it hath: "at the end." 'The end is Christ.6 Why hath He been called end? Not as one that consumeth, but one that consummateth. ...
3. "At the end, corrupt not, for David himself, for the inscription of the title; when he fled from the face of Saul into a cavern." We referring to holy Scripture, do find indeed how holy David, that king of Israel, from whom too the Psalter of David hath received the name thereof, had suffered for persecutor Saul the king of his own people, as many of you know that have either read or have heard the Scriptures. King David had then for persecutor Saul: and whereas the one was most gentle, the other most ferocious: the one mild, the other envious; the one patient, the other cruel; the one beneficent, the other ungrateful: he endured. . . But wherefore even unto death willed He to be patient? It was in order that He might flee from the face of Saul into a cavern. Tor a cavern may be understood as a lower part of the earth. And certainly, as is manifest and certain to all, His Body ina Tomb was laid, which was cut in a Rock. This Tomb therefore was the Cavern; thither He fled from the face of Saul.
8 Matt. xxvil. 37; John xix. 1g. 10 John xix 22. 12 3 Cor. i. 8.
1 Ps. Ixxxiv. 7. 3 John xiv. 6. 5 Circa. Sermon to the Commonalty.
7 1 Sam. xxiv. 4, 7., 9 Rom. i. 3; Matt. 1. 1. 11 y Sam. xxiv. 3.
2 Pro nihtlo. '4 Lat. LVI.
6 Rom. x. 4.