Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
296 THE WORKS7OF STFAUGUSTIN, [PsaLm LXVIII.
Churches are the players on the timbrels, with they would have been praiseworthy dogs: just as they are praised, of whom is said, "The tongue of Thy dogs." . 30. "There have been seen Thy steps, O God" (ver. 24). The steps are those wherewith Thou hast come through the world, as though in that chariot Thou wast going to traverse the round world; which chariot of clouds He intimateth to be His holy and faithful ones in the Gospel, where He saith, " From this time' ye shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds." ? Leaving out that coming wherein 'chastened flesh being spiritually tuneful.
66 In the Churches," then, 'bless ye the Lord God from the wells of Israel.'"' For from thence He first chose those whom He made wells. For from thence were chosen the Apostles; and they first heard, "He that shall have drunk of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst, but there shall be made in him a well of water springing unto life everlasting." §
33. "There is Benjamin the younger in a trance' (ver. 27). There is Paul the last of the Apostles, who saith, " For even I am an Israelite, out of the seed of Abraham, out of the tribe of Benjamin."9 But evidently "in a trance," all men being amazed at a miracle so great as that of his calling. For a trance is the mind's going out: which thing sometimes chanceth through fear; but sometimes through some revelation, the mind suffering separation from the corporal senses, in order that that which is to be represented may be represented to the spirit. Whence even thus may be understood that which here hath been written, namely, "in a trance;" for when to that persecutor there had been said ' from Heaven, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me:''?! there being taken from him the light of the eyes of flesh, he made answer to the Lord, whom in spirit he saw, but they that were with him heard the voice of him replying, though seeing no one to whom he was speaking. Here also the trance may be understood to be that one of his, whereof he himself speaking, saith, that he knew a man caught up even unto the third Heaven; but whether in the body, or whether out of the body, he knew not : ? but that he being caught up into Paradise, heard ineffable words, which it was not lawful for a man to speak. "Princes of Juda the leaders of them, princes of Zabulon, princes of Nephthalim."" Since he is indicating the Apostles as princes, wherein is even " Benjamin the younger in a trance," in which words that Paul is indicated no one doubteth; or when under the name of princes there are indicated in the Churches all men excelling and most worthy of imitation: what mean these names of the tribes of Israel? ... For the names are Hebrew: whereof Juda is said to be interpreted confession, Zabulon habitation of strength, Nephthalim my enlargement. All which words do intimate to us the most proper princes of the Church, worthy of their leadership, worthy of imitation, worthy of honours. For the Martyrs in the Churches hold the highest place, and by the crown of holy worth they do excel. But however in martyrdom the first thing is confession, He shall be Judge of quick and dead, 3 " From this time," He saith, "ye shall see the Son of Man coming in clouds." These "Thy steps have been séen," that is, have been manifested, by the revealing the grace of the New Testament. Whence hath been said, " How beautiful are the feet of them that proclaim peace, that proclaim good things!"4 For this grace and those steps were lying hid in the Old Testament : but when there came the fulness of time, and it pleased God to reveal His Son,5 that He might be proclaimed among the Gentiles, "there were seen Thy steps, O God: the steps of my God, of the® King who is in the holy place." In what holy place, save in His Temple? " For the Temple of God is holy," he saith, " which ye are."'7
31. But in order that those steps might be seen, "there went before princes conjoined with men psalming, in the midst of damsels players on timbrels" (ver. 25). The princes are the Apostles: for they went before, that the peoples might come in multitudes. "They went before"' proclaiming the New Testament: "conjoined with men psalming," by whose good works that were even visible, as it were with instruments of praise, God was glorified. But those same princes are "in the midst of damsels players on timbrels,"' to wit, in an honourable ministry: for thus in the midst are ministers set over new Churches; for this is ''damsels:" with flesh subdued praising God; for this is "players on timbrels," because timbrels are made of skin dried and stretched.
32. Therefore, that no one should take these words in a carnal sense, and by these words should conceive in his mind certain choral bands of wantonness, he continueth and saith, "In the Churches bless ye the Lord" (ver. 26) : as though he were saying, wherefore, when ye hear of damsels, players on timbrels, do ye think of wanton pleasures? 'In the Churches bless ye the Lord." For the Churches are pointed out to you by this mystic intimation: the Churches are the damsels, with new grace decked: the 9 Philip. iii. 5, 8 John iv. 14. Rae
3 2 Tim. iv. 1. 6 Oxf. mss. '' my." 2 Mark xiii. 26. 5 Gal. iv. 4. tA modo. 4 Rom. x, 15. 7 x Cor, iii, 17. cts ix. 4. 10 Oxf. mss. '' He was about to say." 12 2 Cor. xii. 2.