Expositions on the Book of Psalms
PsatmM LXXVI.] ON THE PSALMS. 358 defence: but if I have said, seize first upon confession, lest thou come unto damnation ; for then confession will be too late, and there will be no defence.
What this is, observe. One of the twelve sons of Jacob was Joseph... . This Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Manasse. Jacob, dying, as though by will, received those his grandsons into the number of sons, and said to his son Joseph, "The rest that are born shall be to thee ; but these to me, and they shall divide the land with their brethren." ° As yet there had not been given nor divided the land of promise, but he was speaking in the Spirit, prophesying. The two sons therefore of Joseph being added, there were made up nevertheless twelve tribes, since now there are thirteen. For instead of one tribe of Joseph, two were added, and there were made thirteen. There being taken out then the tribe of Levi, that tribe of priests which did serve the Temple, and lived by the tithes of all the rest unto whom the land was divided, there remain twelve. In these twelve was the tribe of Judah, whence the kings were. For at first from another tribe was given King Saul,7 and he was rejected as being an evil king; after there was given from the tribe of Judah King David, and out of him from the tribe of Judah were the Kings.® But Jacob had spoken of this, when he blessed his sons, " there shall not fail a prince out of Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until there come He to whom the promise hath been made."9 But from the tribe of Judah there came Our Lord Jesus Christ. For He is, as the Scripture saith, and as ye have but now heard, out of the seed of David born of Mary.'® But as regardeth the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, wherein He is equal with the Father, He is not only before the Jews, but also before Abraham himself ;'* nor only before Abraham, but also before Adam; nor only before Adam, but also before
PSALM LXXVI.'
1. The Jews are wont to glory in this Psalm which we have sung, saying, '' Known in Judxa is God, in Israel great is the name of Him:" and to revile the Gentiles to whom God is not known, and to say that to themselves alone God is known ; seeing that the Prophet saith, " Known in Judza is God." In other places therefore He is unknown. But God is known in very deed in Judzea, if they understand what is Judea. For indeed God is not known except in Judea. Behold even we say this, that except a person shall have been in Judzea, known to him God cannot be. But what saith the Apostle? He that in secret is a Jew, he that is so in circumcision of the heart, not in letter but in spirit.2 There are therefore Jews in circumcision of the flesh, and there are Jews in circumcision of the heart. Many of our holy fathers3 had both the circumcision of the flesh, for a seal of the faith, and circumcision of the heart, for the faith itself. From these fathers these men degenerating, who now in the name do glory, and have lost their deeds ; from these fathers, I say, degenerating, they have remained Jews in flesh, in heart Heathens. For these are Jews, who are out of Abraham, from whom Isaac was born, and out of him Jacob, and out of Jacob the twelve Patriarchs, and out of the twelve Patriarchs the whole people of the Jews.4 But they were generally called Jews for this reason, that Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, a Patriarch among the twelve, and from his stock the Royalty came among the Jews. For all this people after the number of the twelve sons of Jacob, had twelve tribes. What we call tribes are as it were distinct houses and congregations of people. That people, I say, had twelve tribes, out of which twelve tribes one tribe was Judah, out of which were the kings ; and there was another tribe, Levi, out of which were the priests. But because to the priests serving the temple no land was allotted,5 but it was necessary that among twelve tribes all the Land of promise should be shared: there having been therefore taken out one tribe of higher dignity, the tribe of Levi, which was of the priests, there would have remained eleven, unless by the adoption of the two sons of Joseph the number twelve were completed.
Heaven and earth and before ages: for all things by Himself were made, and without Him there was made nothing.'? Because therefore in prophecy hath been said, " there shall not fail a prince out of Judah," etc. :9 former times are examined, and we find that the Jews always had their kings of the tribe of Judah, and had no foreign king before that Herod who was king when the Lord was born. Thence began foreign kings, from Herod.'3 Before Herod all were of the tribe of Judah, but only until there should come He to whom the promise had been made. Therefore when the Lord Himself came, the kingdom of the Jews was overthrown, and removed from the Jews. Now they have no king; because they will not acknowledge the true King. See now whether they must be called Jews. Now ye do see that they must not be called Jews. They have themselves with their own voice resigned that name, so that they are not worthy to be t Lat. LXXV. Sermon to the Commonalty, wherein he disputeth against the Donatists, and treateth of vows.
2 Rom. ii. 29. I 3 [This habit of the primitive faithful, claiming the fatherhood of Abraham and the prophets, is conspicuous in our author. — C, 8 x Sam. xvi. 12. II John viii. 58. 7 x Sam. ix. 1. 10 2 Tim, i. 8. 13 Luke iii, 1.
6 Gen. xlviii. 5. 9 Gen. xlix. 10. 12 John i, 3.
4 Gen, xxi. 1, xxv. 26, xxix. 32, etc. umb, xviil. 20.
356 THE WORKS*OF 'ST.AUGUSTIN, [PsALM LXXVI. of the Jews ; the true Sion is the Church of Christians. But the intrepretation of the Hebrew names is thus handed down to us: Judea is interpreted confession, Israel, one seeing God. After Judzea is Israel. Wilt thou see God? First do thou confess, and then in thyself there is made a place for God; because "there hath been made in peace a place for Him." So long as then thou confessest not thy sins, in a manner thou art quarrelling with God. For how art thou not disputing with Him, who art praising that which displeaseth Him? He punisheth a thief, thou dost praise theft: He doth punish a drunken man, thou dost praise drunkenness. Thou art disputing with God, thou hast not made for Him a place in thy heart: because in peace is His place. And how dost thou begin to have peace with God? Thou beginnest with Him in confession. Thereis a voice of a Psalm, saying, " Begin ye to the Lord in confession." ® What is, " Begin ye to the Lord in confession"? Begin ye to be joined to the Lord. Inwhat manner? So that the same thing may displease you as displeaseth Him. There displeaseth Him thy evil life; if it please thyself, thou art disunited from Him ; if it displease thee, through confession to Him thou art united... . 4. "There He hath broken the strength of bows, and the shield, and the sword, and the battle" (ver. 3). Where hath He broken? In that eternal peace, in that perfect peace. And now, my brethren, they that have rightly believed see that they ought not to rely on themselves : and all the might of their own menaces, and whatsoever is in them whetted for mischief, this they break in pieces ; and whatsoever they deem of great virtue wherewith to protect themselves temporally, and the war which they were waging against God by defending their sins, all these things He hath broken there. called Jews, except only in the flesh. When did they sever themselves from the name? They said, '' We have no king but Ceesar."" O ye who are called Jews and are not, if ye have no king but Cesar, there hath failed a Prince of Judah: there hath come then He to whom the promise hath been made. They then are more truly Jews, who have been made Christians out of Jews: the rest of the Jews, who in Christ have not believed, have deserved to lose even the very name. 'The true Judea, then, is the Church of Christ, believing in that King, who hath come out of the tribe of Judah through the Virgin Mary ; believing in Him of whom the Apostle was just now speaking, in writing to Timothy, "Be thou mindful that Jesus Christ hath risen from the dead, of the seed of David, after my Gospel."? For of Judah is David, and out of David is the Lord Jesus Christ. We believing in Christ do belong to Judah: and we acknowledge Christ. We, that with eyes have not seen, in faith do keep Him. Let not therefore the Jews revile, who are no longer Jews. They said themselves, "We have no king but Cesar."! For better were it for them that their king should be Christ, of the seed of David, of the tribe of Judah. Nevertheless because Christ Himself is of the seed of David after the flesh, but God above all things blessed for ever,3 He is Himself our King and our God; our King, inasmuch as born of the tribe of Judah, after the flesh, was Christ the Lord, the Saviour ; but our God, who is before Judah, and before Heaven and earth, by whom were made all things,+ both spiritual and corporal. For if all things by Himself were made; even Mary herself, out of whom He was born, by Himself was made. .. . 2. " Known in Judzea is God, in Israel great is the Name of Him" (ver. 1). Israel also we ought so to take it as we have concerning Judza: as they were not the true Jews, so neither was that the true Israel. For what is Israel said to be? One seeing God. And how have they seen God, among whom He walked in the flesh; and while they supposed Him to be man, they slew Him? .. . "In Israel great is His Name." Wilt thou be Israel? Observe that man concerning whom the Lord saith, " Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom guile is not."'5 If a true Israelite is he in whom guile is not, the guileful.and lying are not true Israelites.
Concerning |
5. "Thou enlightening marvellously from the eternal mountains" (ver. 4). What are the eternal mountains? Those which He hath Himself made eternal; which are the great mountains, the preachers of truth. Thou dost enlighten, but from the eternal mountains: the great mountains are first to receive Thy light, and from Thy light which the mountains receive, the earth also is clothed. But those great mountains the Apostles have received, the Apostles have received as it were the first streaks of the rising light. . . . Wherefore also, in another place, a Psalm saith what? "I have lifted up mine eyes unto the mountains, whence there shall come help to me.'"'7_ What then, in the mountains is thy hope, and from thence to thee shall there come help? Hast thou stayed at the mountains? Take heed what thou doest. There
Let them not say then, that with them is God, and great is His name in Israel. Let them prove themselves Israelites, and I grant that " in Israel great is His Name."
3. "And there hath been made in peace a place for Him, and His habitation is in Sion" (ver. 2). Again, Sion is as it were the country
T John xix. 15. 2 2 Tim. ii. 8. 3 Rom. ix. 5. 4 John i. 3. 5 John i. 47.
6 Ps. cxlvii. 7. 7 Ps. cxxi. Ie
PsatmM LXXVI.] ON THE PSALMS. Sot is something above the mountains: above the mountains is He at whom the mountains tremble. "JT have lifted up," he saith, "mine eyes unto the mountains, whence there shall come help to me." But what followeth? "My help," he saith, "is from the Lord, who hath made Heaven and earth." ! Unto the mountains indeed I have lifted up eyes, because through the mountains to me the Scriptures were displayed: but I have my heart in Him that doth enlighten all mountaitis. 2/18 sit on horseback is no sin; but it is a sin to lift up the neck of power against God, and to deem one's self to be in some distinction. Because thou art rich, thou hast mounted; God doth chide, and thou sleepest. Great is the anger of Him chiding, great the anger. Let your Love observe the terrible thing. Chiding hath noise, the noise is wont to make men wake. So great is the force of God chiding, that he said, "' By Thy chiding, O God of Jacob, there have slept all men that have mounted horses." Behold what a sleep that Pharaoh slept who mounted horses. For he was not awake in heart, because against chiding he had his heart hardened. For hardness of heart is slumber. I ask you, my brethren, how they sleep, who, while the Gospel is sounding, and the Amen, and the Hallelujah, throughout the whole world, yet will not condemn their old life, and wake up unto a new life. There was the Scripture of God in Judza only, now throughout the whole world it is sung. In that one nation one God who made all things was spoken of, as to be adored and worshipped ; now where is He unsaid? Christ hath risen again, though derided on the Cross; that very Cross whereon He was derided, He hath now imprinted on the brows of kings: and men yet sleeps cme 8. "Thou art terrible, and who shall withstand Thee at that time by Thine anger?" (ver.
6. "There have been troubled all the unwise in heart"' (ver. 5). . . . How have they been troubled? When the Gospel is preached. And what is life eternal? And who is He that hath risen from the dead? The Athenians wondered, when the Apostle Paul spake of the resurrection of the dead, and thought that he spake but fables.? But because he said that there was another life which neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it gone up into the heart of man,3 therefore the unwise in heart were troubled. But what hath befallen them? 'They have slept their sleep, and all men of riches have found nothing in their hands." They have loved things present, and have gone to sleep in the midst of things present: and so these very present things have become to them delightful: just as he that seeth in a dream himself to have found treasure, is so long rich as he waketh not. The dream hath made him rich, waking hath made him poor. Sleep perchance hath held him slumbering on the earth, and lying on the hard ground, poor and perchance a beggar; in sleep he hath seen himself to lie on an ivory or golden bed, and on feathers heaped up; so long as he is sleeping, he is sleeping well, waking he hath found himself on the hard ground, whereon sleep had taken him. Such men also are these too: they have come into this life, and through temporal desires, they have as it were slumbered here ; and them riches, and vain pomps that fly away, have taken, and they have passed away: they have not understood how much of good might be done therewith. For if they had known of another life, there they would have laid up unto themselves the treasure which here was doomed to perish: like as Zaccheeus, the chief of the Publicans, saw that good+ when he received the Lord Jesus in his house, and he saith, "The half of my goods I give to the poor, and if to any man I have done any wrong, fourfold I restore.''5 This man was not in the emptiness of men dreaming, but in the faith of men awake. . . 7. "By Thy chiding, O God of Jacob, there have slept all men that have mounted horses"'
7). Now they sleep, and perceive not Thee angry ; but for cause that they should sleep, He was angry. Now that which sleeping they perceived not, at the end they shall perceive. For there shall appear the Judge of quick and dead. "And who shall withstand Thee at that time by Thine anger?" For now they speak that which they will, and they dispute against God and say, who are the Christians? or who is Christ? or what fools are they that believe that which they see not, and relinquish the pleasures which they see, and follow the faith of things which are not displayed to their eyes! Yesleep andsnore,' ye speak against God, as much as ye are able. " How long shall sinners, O Lord, how long shall sinners glory, they answer and will speak iniquity?''® But when doth no one answer and no one speak, except when he turneth himself? against himself? ... g. "From Heaven Thou hast hurled judgment: the earth hath trembled, and hath rested" (ver. 8). She which now doth trouble herself, she which now speaketh, hath to fear at the end and to rest. Better had she now rested, that at the end she might have rejoiced. Rested? When? "When God arose unto judgment, that He might save all the meek in heart" (ver. 9). Who are the meek in heart? They that on (ver.6). Who are they that have mounted horses? They that would not be numble. To
7 Balatis. 8 Ps. xciv. 3.
3 x Cor. ii. g. 2 Acts xvii. 18, 32. 5 Luke xix. 8. 1 Ps, cxxi. 2. 4 Many omit " good,"
"« themselves." 6 Exod. xiv. 9 Oxf. Mss, ' flee nM