Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
Psatm LXVII] ON THE PSALMS. 283 way"? We are going to enquire this ourselves, not of ourselves to learn it. We can learn of it from the Gospel: "I am the Way,''! the Lord saith: Christ hath said, "I am the Way.'"' But dost thou fear lest thou stray? He hath added, "And the Truth." Who strayeth in the Truth? He strayeth that hath departed from the Truth. The Truth is Christ, the Way is Christ: walk therein. Dost thou fear lest thou die before thou attain unto Him? "Iam the Life: Iam," He saith, "' the Way and the Truth and the Life." As if He were saying, " What fearest thou? Through Me thou walkest, to Me thou walkest, in Me thou restest."" What therefore meaneth, " We may know on earth Thy Way," but 'we may know on earth Thy Christ"? But let the Psalm itself reply: lest ye think that out of other Scriptures there must be adduced testimony, which perchance is here wanting: by repetition he hath shown what signified, "' That we may know on earth Thy Way:" and as if thou wast inquiring, " In what earth, what way?" " Tn all nations Thy Salvation." In what earth, thou art inquiring? Hear: "In all nations." What way art thou seeking? Hear: "Thy Salvation." Is not perchance Christ his Salvation ? And what is that which the old Symeon hath said, that old man, I say, in the Gospel, preserved full of years even unto the infancy of the Word?? For that old man took in his hands the Infant Word of God. Would He that in the womb deigned to be, disdain to be in the hands of an old man? The Same was in the womb of the virgin, as was in the hands of the old man, a weak infant both within the bowels, and in the old man's hand, to give us strength, by whom were made all things; and if all things, even His very mother. He came humble, He came weak, but clothed with a weakness to be changed into strength,3 because "though He was crucified of weakness, yet He liveth of the virtue of God," 4 the Apostle saith. He was then in the hands of an old man. And what saith that old man? Rejoicing that now he must be loosed from this world, seeing how in his own hand was held He by whom and in whom his Salvation was upheld ; he saith what? " Now Thou lettest go," he saith, " O Lord, Thy servant in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation." 5 Therefore, '"' May God bless us, and have pity on us; may He lighten His countenance upon us, that we may know on earth Thy Way!" Inwhat earth? "In all nations?" What Way? "Thy Salvation." 6. What followeth because the Salvation of God is known in all nations? " Let the peoples confess to Thee, O God" (ver. 3) ; "confess to Thee," he saith, "all peoples." There standeth forth a heretic, and he saith, In Africa I® have peoples : and another from another quarter, And I in Galatia have peoples. Thou in Africa, he in Galatia: therefore I require one that hath them everywhere. Ye have indeed dared to exult at that voice, when ye heard, " Let the peoples confess to Thee, O God." Hear the following verse, how he speaketh not of a part: " Let there confess to Thee all peoples." Walk ye in the Way together with all nations ; walk ye in the Way together with all peoples, O sons of peace, sons of the One Catholic Church," walk ye in the Way, seeing as ye walk. Wayfarers do this to beguile their toil. Sing ye in this Way ; I implore you by that Same Way, sing ye in this Way: a new song sing ye, let no one there sing old ones: sing ye the love-songs of your fatherland, let no one sing old ones. New Way, new wayfarer, new song. Hear thou the Apostle exhorting thee to a new song: " Whatever therefore is in Christ is a new creature; old things have passed away, behold they have been made new." A new song sing ye in the way, which ye have learned "on the earth." In what earth? "Tn all nations." Therefore even the new song doth not belong to a part. He that in a part singeth, singeth an old song: whatever he please to sing, he singeth an old song, the old man singeth: divided he is, carnal he is. 'Truly in so far as carnal he is, so far-he is old; and in so far as he is spiritual, so far new. See what saith the Apostle: 'I could not speak to you as if to spiritual, but as if to carnal.'"'"® Whence proveth he them carnal? '" For while one saith, I am of Paul; but another, I of Apollos: are ye not," he saith, "carnal? ''9 Therefore in the Spirit a new song sing thou in the safe way. Just as wayfarers sing, and ofttimes in the night sing. Awful round about all things do sound, or rather they sound not around, but are still around; and the more still the more awful; nevertheless, even they that fear robbers do sing.'° How much more safely thou singest in Christ ! That way hath no robber, unless thou by forsaking the way fallest in the hands of a robber. . Why fear ye to confess, and in your confession to sing a new song together with all the earth ; in all the earth, in Catholic peace, dost thou fear to confess to God, lest He condemn thee that hast confessed? If having not confessed thou liest concealed, having confessed thou wilt be condemned. Thou fearest to confess, that by not confessing canst not be concealed: thou
6 Oxf. mss. ''I too." 7 [z.e., the Nicene communion, in which Rome and Constantinople had co-equal dignities, — primacies of honour only, based Ss synodical concession to imperial capitals. On which see A. N. vol. vili. pp. 601-605, and pp. 641-644. ct
I John xiv. 6. 2' Luke ii. 30, 3 Oxf. mss. add "into strength." S Luke ii. 29, 30. , 8 x Cor. iii. 1. 1 Cor. iii. 4. 10 [Coram latrone viator. Juv. Sat. x. 22, —C,