Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
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.
THE WORKS:OF ST.) AUGUSTIN. [PsaALm LVII.
For so long the Jews did persecute Him, even. until He was laid in a cavern. Whence prove we that so long they persecuted Him, until therein He was laid? Even when dead, and, on the Cross hanging, with lance they wounded Him.' But when shrouded, the funeral celebrated, He was laid in a cavern, no longer had they anything which to the Flesh they might do. Rose therefore the Lord again out of that cavern unhurt, uncorrupt, from that place whither He had fled from the face of Saul: concealing Himself from ungodly men, whom Saul prefigured, but showing Himself to His members. For the members of Him rising again by His members were handled: for the members of Him, the Apostles, touched Him rising again and believed ; ? and behold nothing profited the persecution of Saul. Hear we therefore now the Psalm; because concerning the title thereof enough we have spoken, as far as the Lord hath deigned to give. iquity pass over? He that shall have been in the Body of Christ, he that shall have been in the members of Christ, and from the Head shall have learned the patience of persevering. Thou passest away, and behold passed are thy temptations ; and thou goest into another life whither have gone holy men, if holy thou hast been. Into another life have gone Martyrs; if Martyr thou shalt have been, thou also goest into another life. Because "thou" hast passed away hence, hath by any means iniquity therefore passed away? There are born other unrighteous men, as there die some unrighteous men. In like manner therefore as some unrighteous men die and others are born: so some just men go, and others are born. Even unto the end of the world neither iniquity will be wanting to oppress, nor righteousness to suffer. . 6. "I will cry to God most. high" (ver. 2). If most high He is, how heareth He thee crying ? Confidence hath been engendered by experience: "to God," he saith, '"'who had done good to me." If before that I was seeking Him, He did good to me, when I cry shall He not hearken to me? For good to us the Lord God hath done in sending to us our Saviour Jesus Christ, that He might die for our offences, and rise again for our justification.© For what sort of men hath He willed His Son to die? For ungodly men. But ungodly men were not seeking God, and have been sought of God. For He is Most High in such sort, as that not far from Him is our misery and our groaning: because " near is the Lord to them that have bruised the heart."7 'God that hath done good to me." 7. "He hath sent from heaven and hath saved me' (ver. 3). Now the Man Himself, now the Flesh Itself, now the Son of God after His partaking of ourselves, of Him it is manifest, how He was saved, and hath sent from heaven the Father and hath saved Him, hath sent from heaven, and hath raised Him again: but in order that ye may know, that also the Lord Himself hath raised again Himself; both truths are written in Scripture, both that the Father hath raised Him again, and that Himself Himself hath raised again. Hear ye how the Father hath raised Him again: the Apostle saith, ' He hath been made," he saith, "obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross: wherefore God also hath exalted Him, and hath given Him aname which is above every name.''® Ye have heard of the Father raising again and exalting the Son; hear ye how that He too Himself His flesh hath raised again. Under the figure of a temple He saith to the Jews, "Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 9 But the Evangelist hath explained to us what it
5. 'Have pity on me, O God, have pity on me, for in Thee hath trusted my Soul" (ver. 1). Christ in the Passion saith, "' Have pity on Me, O God." To God, God saith, " Have pity on Me!" He that with the Father hath pity on thee, in thee crieth, "Have pity on Me." For that part of Him which is crying, '' Have pity on Me," is thine : from thee this He received, for the sake of thee, that thou shouldest be delivered, with Flesh He was clothed. The flesh itself crieth: " Have pity on Me, O God, have pity on me:" Man himself, soul and flesh. For whole Man did the Word take upon Him, and whole Man the Word became. Let it not therefore be thought that there Soul was not, because the Evangelist thus saith: "The Word was made flesh, and dwelled in us."3 For man is called flesh, as in another place saith the Scripture, "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' 4 Shall anywise flesh alone see, and shall Soul not be there? .. . Thou hearest the Master praying, learn thou to pray. For to this end He prayed, in order that He might teach how to pray: because to this end He suffered, in order that He might teach how to suffer; to this end He rose again, in order that He might teach how to hope for rising again. "And in the shadow of Thy wings I will hope, until iniquity pass over." This now evidently whole Christ doth say: here is also our voice. For not yet hath passed over, still rife is iniquity. And in the end our Lord Himself said there should be an abounding of iniquity: " And since iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold; but he that shall have persevered unto the end, the same shall be saved."5 But who shall persevere even unto the end, even until in- 3 John i. 14. ohn xix. 34. 2 Luke xxiv. 39. 5 Matt. xxiv. 12. 4 Fe hy xl. 5, li. 10; Luke iii, 6, 6 Rom. iv. 25. 7 Ps, xxxiv. 18. § Phil, ii. 8, 9. 9 John ii. 19,