Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
PsatmM LXVI] ON THE PSALMS. 279 heat thereof."* What saith also the Apostle? "In spirit fervent." ? Therefore, "we have gone over through fire and water: and Thou hast led us forth into a cool place."
cometh not better furnished: whatsoever He maketh of thee for thy sake, is the better for thee, not for Him that maketh. If thou distinguishest these things, thou renderest the vows to thy God which thy lips have distinguished.
16. Observe how not only concerning a cool place, but neither of that very fire to be desired he hath been silent: "I will enter into Thy
18. "And my mouth hath spoken in my tribulation."' How sweet ofttimes is tribulation, how necessary! In that case what hath the mouth of the same spoken in his tribulation? " Holocausts marrowed I will offer to Thee" (ver. 15). What is ' marrowed"? Within may I keep Thy love, it shall not be on the surface, in my marrow it shall be that I love Thee. For there is nothing more inward than our marrow: the bones are more inward than the flesh, the marrow is more inward than those same bones. Whosoever therefore on the surface loveth God, desireth rather to please men, but having some other affection within, he offereth not holocausts of marrow: but into whosesoever marrow He looketh, him He receiveth whole. "With incense and rams." The rams are the rulers of the Church: the whole Body of Christ is speaking: this is the thing which he offereth to God. Incense'? iswhat? Prayer. ' With incense and rams." For especially the rams do pray for the flocks. 'I will offer to Thee oxen with he-goats."' Oxen we find treading out corn, and the same are offered to God. The Apostle hath said, that of the preachers of the Gospel must be understood that which hath been written, "Of the ox treading out corn the mouth thou shalt not muzzle. Doth God care for oxen?' 8 Therefore great are those rams, great the oxen. What of the rest, that perchance are conscious of certain sins, that perchance in the very road have slipped, and, having been wounded, by penitence are being healed? Shall they too continue, and to the holocausts shall they not belong? Let them not fear, he hath added hegoats also. "I will offer to Thee oxen with he-goats."" By the very yoking are saved the he-goats ; of thernselves they have no strength, being yoked to bulls they are accepted. For they have made friends of the mammon of iniquity, that the same may receive them into everlasting tabernacles.2 Therefore those hegoats shall not be on the left, because they have made to themselves friends of the mammon of iniquity. But what he-goats shall be on the left? They to whom shall be said, "I hungred, and ye gave me not toeat:" '° not they that have redeemed their sins by almsdeeds.
. House in holocausts" (ver. 13). What is a holocaust? A whole sacrifice burned up, but with fire divine. Fora sacrifice is called a holocaust, when the whole is burned. One thing are the parts of sacrifices, another thing a holocaust: when the whole is burned and the whole consumed by fire divine, it is called a holocaust : when a part, a sacrifice. Every holocaust indeed is a sacrifice; but not every sacrifice a holocaust. Holocausts therefore he is promising, the Body of Christ is speaking, the Unity of Christ is speaking, "I will enter into Thy House in holocausts."' All that is mine let Thy fire consume, let nothing of mine remain to me, let all be Thine. But this shall be in the Resurrection of just men, "when both this corruptible shall be clad in incorruption, and this mortal shall be clad in immortality: then shall come to pass that which hath been written, ' Death is swallowed up in victory.'''3 Victory is, as it were, fire divine : when it swalloweth up our death also, it is a holocaust. There remaineth not anything mortal in the flesh, there remaineth not anything culpable in the spirit: the whole of mortal life shall be consumed, in order that in life everlasting it may be consummated, that from death we may be preserved in life.' These therefore will be the holocausts. And what shall there be "in the holocausts " ?
17. "I will render to Thee my vows, which my lips have distinguished" (ver. 14). What is the distinction in vows? This is the distinction, that thyself thou censure, Him thou praise: perceive thyself to be a creature, Him the Creator: thyself darkness, Him the Enlightener, to whom thou shouldest say, " Thou shalt light my lamp, O Lord my God, Thou shalt enlighten my darkness.''5 For whenever thou shalt have said, O soul, that from thyself thou hast light, thou wilt not distinguish. If thou wilt not dis-, tinguish, thou wilt not render distinct vows. Render distinct vows, confess thyself changeable, Him unchangeable: confess thyself without Him to be nothing, but Himself without thee to be perfect ; thyself to need Him, but Him not to need thee. Cry to Him, "I have said to the Lord, My God art Thou, for my good things Thou needest not." ® Now though God taketh thee to Him for a holocaust, He groweth not, He is not increased, He is not richer, He be-
19. "Come ye, hear, and I will tell, all ye that fear God" (ver. 16). Let us come, let us hear, what he is going to tell, " Come ye, hear, and I will tell."' But to whom, " Come ye, and hear"'?
7 [See (A. N. F. vol. vi. p. 528) Arnobius on incense. —C.] 8 x Cor. ix. 9; Deut. xxv. 4. 9 Luke xvi. 9. To Matt. xxv.42.
1 Ps, xix. 6 3 x Cor. xv. 54. 5 Ps, xviii. 28.
2 Rom. xii. 11, 4 Oxf. mss. add, "that from," etc. © Ps, xvi. 2,
280 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN. [Psatm LXVI.
"All ye that fear God." If God ye fear not, I} will not tell. It is not possible that it be told to any where the fear of God is not. Let the fear of God open the ears, that there may be something to enter in, and a way whereby may enter in that which I am going to tell. But what is he going to tell? ' How great things He hath done to my soul." Behold, he would tell: but what is he going to tell? Is it perchance how widely the earth is spread, how much the sky is where thou and He that seeth are alone, there let iniquity be displeasing to thee, inorder that thou mayest be pleasing to God. Do not regard it, that is, do not love it, but rather despise it, that is, contemn it, and turn away from it. Whatever pleasing thing it hath promised to allure thee to sin; whatever grievous thing it hath threatened, to drive thee on to evil doing ; all is nought, all passeth away: it is worthy to be despised, in order that it may be trampled upon ; not to be eyed lest it be accepted5 ...
extended, and how many are the stars, and what are the changes of sun and of moon? This creation fulfilleth its course: but they have very curiously sought it out, the Creator thereof have not known." This thing hear, this thing receive, "O ye that fear God, how great things He hath done to my soul:" if ye will, to yours also. " How great things He hath done to my soul." "To Him with my mouth I have cried" (ver.
21. " Therefore God hath hearkened to me" (ver. 19). Because I have not beheld iniquity in my heart. " And He hath listened to the voice of my prayer." " Blessed be my God, that hath not thrust away my supplication and His mercy from me'' (ver. 20). Gather the sense from that place, where he saith, "Come ye, hear, and I will tell you, all ye that fear God, how great things He hath done to my soul:"'® he hath both said the words which ye have heard, and at the end thus he hath concluded: " Blessed be my God, that hath not: thrust away my supplication and His mercy from me.'' For thus there arriveth at the Resurrection he that speaketh, where already we also are by hope: yea both it is we ourselves, and this voice isours. So long therefore as here we are, this let us ask of God, that He thrust not from us: our supplication, and His mercy, that is, that we pray continually, and He continually pity. For many become feeble in praying, and in the newness of their own conversion pray fervently, afterwards feebly, afterwards coldly, afterwards negligently: as if they have become secure. The foe watcheth: thou sleepest. The Lord Himself hath given commandment in the Gospel, how "it behoveth men always to pray and not to faint."'7_ And he giveth a comparison from that unjust judge, who neither feared God, nor regarded man, whom that widow daily importuned to hear her; and he yielded for weariness, that was not influenced by pity: and the naughty judge saith to himself, " Though neither God I fear, nor men I regard, even because of the weariness which this widow daily putteth upon me, I will hear her cause, and will avenge her." And the Lord saith, "If a naughty judge hath done this, shall not your Father avenge His chosen, that to Him do cry day and night? Yea, I say unto you, He shall make judgment of them speedily." Therefore let us not faint in prayer. Though He putteth off what He is going to grant, He putteth it not away: being secure of His promise, let us not faint in praying, and this is by His goodness. Therefore he hath said, '' Blessed is my God, that hath not thrust away my supplication and His mercy from me."
17). "And this very thing, he saith, hath been done to his soul; that to Him with his mouth he should cry, hath been done, he saith, to his soul. Behold, brethren, Gentiles we were, even if not in ourselves, in our parents. And what saith the Apostle? "Ye know, when Gentiles ye were, to idols without speech how ye went up, being led.'"'?._ Let the Church now say, "how great things He hath done to my soul." "To Him with my mouth I have cried." Ia man to a stone was crying, to a deaf stock I was crying, to idols deaf and dumb I was speak-. ing: now the image of God hath been turned to the Creator thereof. I that was "saying to a stock, My father thou art; and to a stone, Thou hast begotten me:"3 now say, "Our Father, which art in Heaven." 4 . . . "fo Him with my mouth I have cried, and I have exalted Him under my tongue.'' See how in secret He would be uncorrupt that offereth marrowed holocausts. This do ye, brethren, this imitate, so that ye may say, "Come ye, see how great things He hath done to my soul." For all those things of which he telleth, by His Grace are done in our soul. See the other things of which he speaketh.
20. "If I have beheld iniquity in my heart, may not the Lord hearken" (ver. 18). Consider now, brethren, how easily, how daily men blushing for fear of men do censure iniquities ; He hath done ill, He hath done basely, a villain the fellow is: this perchance for man's sake he saith. See whether thou beholdest no iniquity in thy heart, whether perchance that which thou censurest in another, thou art meditating to do, and therefore against him dost exclaim, not because he hath done it, but because he hath been found out. Return to thyself, within be to thyself a judge. Behold in thy hid chamber, in the very inmost recess of the heart,
5 Here followeth in the Oxf. ed. a part in brackets, '' which is omitted in some good mss, — Ben." ie Ps, Ixvi. 16. 7 Luke xviii. 1, etc.
1 Wisd, xiii. 1. 3 Jer. ii. 27. 2 x Cor, xii. 2, 4 Matt, vi. 9.