Expositions on the Book of Psalms
PsaLmM LXXI.] ON THE PSALMS. 319 as an eagle's shall be Thy youth;''* He rose Himself the third day, promised a resurrection at the end of the world. Already there hath gone before the Head, the members are to follow. Why dost thou fear lest He should forsake thee, lest He cast thee away for the time of old age, when thy strength shall have failed? Yea at that time in thee will be the strength of Him, when thy strength shall have failed. as it were unto some quarrel. For they are said to be engaged that are challenged to quarrel. If then so it is, let us beware of men that engage our soul. What is, "That engage our soul"? First provoking us to withstand God, in order that in our evil things God may displease us. For when art thou right, so that to thee the God of Israel may be good, good to men right in heart? ?° When art thou right? Wilt thou hear? When in that good which thou doest, God is pleasing to thee ; but in that evil which thou sufferest, God is not displeasing to thee. See ye what I have said, brethren, and be ye on your guard against men that engage your souls. For all men that deal with you in order to make you be wearied in sorrows and tribulations, have this aim, namely, that God may be displeasing to you in that which ye suffer, and there may go forth from your mouth, "What is this? For what have I done?" Now then hast thou done nothing of evil, and art thou just, He unjust? A sinner I am, thou sayest, I confess, just I call not myself. But what, sinner, hast thou by any means done so much evil as he with whom it is well? As much as Gaiuseius?** I know the evil doings of him, I know the iniquities of him, from which I, though a sinner, am very far; and yet I see him abounding in all good things, and I am suffering so great evil things. I do not then say, O God, "what have I done" to Thee, because I have done nothing at all of evil; but because I have not done so much as to deserve to suffer these things. Again, art thou just, He. unjust? Wake up, wretched man, thy soul hath been engaged! I have not, he saith, called myself just. What then sayest thou? A sinner I am, but I did not commit so great sins, as to deserve to suffer these things. 'Thou sayest not then to God, just I am, and Thou art unjust: but thou sayest, unjust I am, but Thou art more unjust. Behold thy soul hath been engaged, behold now thy soul wageth war. What? Against whom? Thy soul, against God; that which hath been made against Him by whom it was made. Even because thou art in being to cry out against Him, thou art ungrateful. Return, then, to the confession of thy sickness, and beg the healing hand of the Physician. Think thou not they are happy who flourish for a time. Thou art being chastised, they are being spared: perchance for thee chastised and amended an inheritance is being kept in reserve. . . . Lastly, see what followeth, "' Let them put on confusion and shame, that think evil things to me." "Confusion and shame,'' confusion because of a bad conscience, shame because of modesty. Let this befall them, and they will be good... .
11. Why doI say this? " For mine enemies have spoken against me, and they that were keeping watch for My soul, have taken counsel together (ver. 10): saying, God hath forsaken Him, persecute Him, and seize Him, for there is no one to deliver Him" (ver. 11). This hath been said concerning Christ. For He that with the great power of Divinity, wherein He is equal to the Father, had raised to life dead persons, on a sudden in the hands of enemies became weak, and as if having no power, was seized. When would He have been seized, except they had first said in their heart, "God hath forsaken Him?" Whence there was that voice on the Cross, 'My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"'? So then did God forsake Christ, though "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself,'3 though Christ was also God, out of the Jews indeed according to the flesh, "Who is over all things, God blessed for ever," +— did God forsake Him? Far be it. But in our old man our voice it was, because our old man was crucified together with Him: 5 and of that same our old man He had taken a Body, because Mary was of Adam. Therefore the very thing which they thought, from the Cross He said, " Why hast Thou forsaken Me?"® Why do these men think Me left alone to their evil? What is, think Me forsaken in their evil? 'For if they had known, the Lord of glory they had never crucified.?7 Persecute and seize Him." More familiarly however, brethren, let us take this of the members of Christ, and acknowledge our own voice in these words: because even He used such words in our person, not in His own power and majesty ; but in that which He became for our sakes, not according to that which He was, who hath made us.
12. "O Lord, my God, be not far from me" (ver. 12). So it is, and the Lord is not far off at all. For, "The Lord is nigh unto them that have bruised the heart."*® "My God, unto my help look Thou." " Be they confounded and fail that engage? my soul" (ver. 13). What hath he desired? "Be they confounded and fail."" Why hath he desired it? "That engage my soul"? What is, " That engage my soul"? Engaging
3 2 Cor. v. 19. 6 Matt. xxvii. 46. 9 Committentes.
2 Ps. xxii. 1. 5 Rom. vi. 6. 8 Ps, xxxiv. 18.
© Psseniy Ss, 4 Rom. ix. 5. 7 1 Cor. ii. 8.
10 Ps, Ixxiii, 1. 11 Ad, Gaius.
320 THE WORKS "OF (ST. AUGUSTIN, [Psatm LXXI, sung to no purpose, "I will bless God at every time, alway the praise of Him is in my mouths cciate
13. " But I alway in Thee will hope, and will add to all Thy praise" (ver. 14). What is this? "T will add to all Thy praise," ought to move us. More perfect wilt thou make the praise of God? Is there anything to be superadded? If already that is all praise, wilt thou add anything? God was praised in all His good deeds, in every creature of His, in the whole establishment of all things, in the government and regulation of ages, in the order of seasons, in the height of Heaven, in the fruitfulness of the regions of earth, in the encircling of the sea, in every excellency of the creature everywhere brought forth, in the sons of men themselves, in the giving of the Law, in delivering His people from the captivity of the Egyptians, and all the rest of His wonderful works: not yet He had been praised for having raised up flesh unto life eternal. Be there then this praise added by the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ: in order that here we may perceive His voice above all past praise : thus it is that we rightly understand tiis:also.t. ° 5°. 14. "My mouth shall tell out Thy righteousness' (ver. 15) : not mine. From thence I will add to all Thy praise: because even that I am righteous, if righteous I am, is Thy righteousness in me, not mine own: for Thou dost justify the ungodly." "All the day long Thy salvation." What is, "Thy salvation'? Let no one assume to himself, that he saveth himself, "Of the Lord is Salvation." 2 Not any one by himself saveth himself, '' Vain is man's salvation.''3 "All the day long Thy Salvation :" at all times. Something of adversity cometh, preach the Salvation of the Lord: something of prosperity cometh, preach the Salvation of the Lord. Do not preach in prosperity, and hold thy peace in adversity: otherwise there will not be that which hath been said, "all the day long."' For all the day long is day together with its own night. Do we when we say, for example, thirty days have gone by, mention the nights also; do we not under the very term days include the nights also? In Genesis what was said? "The evening was made, and the morning was made, one day." 4 Therefore a whole day is the day together with its own night : for the night doth serve the day, not the day the night. Whatever thou doest in mortal flesh, ought to serve righteousness: whatever thou doest by the commandment of God, be it not done for the sake of the advantage of the flesh, lest day serve night. Therefore all the day long speak of the praise of God, to wit, in prosperity and in adversity ; in prosperity, as though in the day time; in adversity, as though in the night time: all the day long nevertheless speak of the praise of God, so that thou mayest not have
15. Therefore, he saith, "For Ihave not known tradings."° What are these tradings? Let traders hear and change their life; and if they have been such, be not such; let them not know what they have been, let them forget ; lastly, let them not approve, not praise ; let them disapprove, condemn, be changed, if trading is asin. For on this account, O thou trader, because of a certain eagerness for getting, whenever thou shalt have suffered loss, thou wilt blaspheme ; and there will not be in thee that which hath been spoken of, "all the day long Thy praise." But whenever for the price of the goods which thou art selling, thou not only liest, but even falsely swearest ; how in thy mouth all the day long is there the praise of God? While, if thou art a Christian, even out of thy mouth the name of God is being blasphemed, so that men say, see what sort of men are Christians ! Therefore if this man for this reason speaketh the praise of God all the day long, because he hath not known tradings ; let Christians amend themselves, let them not trade. But a trader saith to me, behold I bring indeed from a distant quarter merchandise unto these places, wherein there are not those things which I have brought, by which means I may gain a living: I ask but as reward for my labour, that I may sell dearer than I have bought: for whence can I live, when it hath been written, " the worker is worthy of his reward" ?7 But he is treating of lying, of false swearing. This is the fault of me, not of trading: for I should not, if I would, be unable to do without this fault. I then, the merchant, do not shift mine own fault to trading: but if I lie, itis I that lie, not the trade. For I might say, for so much I bought, but for so much I will sell; if thou pleasest, buy. For the buyer hearing this truth would not be offended, and not a whit less all men would resort to me: because they would love truth more than gain. Of this then, he saith, admonish me, that I lie not, that I forswear not; not to relinquish business whereby I maintain myself. For to what dost thou put me when thou puttest me away from this? Perchance to some craft? Iwill be a shoemaker, I will make shoes for men. Are not they too liars ? are not they too false-swearers ? Do they not, when they have contracted to make shoes for one man, when they have received money from another man, give up that which they were making, and undertake to make for another, and deceive him for whom they have promised to make speedily? Do they not often say, to-day I am about it, to-day I'll get
5 Ps. xxxiv.1. © E, V, " For I know not the number thereof," 7 Luke x. 7. t Rom. iv. 5, 2 Ps, iii, 8. 3 Ps, Ix. 11. 4 Gen. i. 5.