Expositions on the Book of Psalms
Psatm LXXXII] ON THE PSALMS. 395 sake commit violence, dost not for its ai oe false witness, dost not for its sake commit manslaughter, dost not for its sake swear falsely, dost not for its sake deny Christ: in that thou wilt not for its sake do these things, thou hast Christ for a foundation. But yet because thou lovest it, and art saddened if thou losest it, upon the foundation thou hast placed, not gold, or silver, Or precious stones, but wood, hay, stubble. Saved therefore thou wilt be, when that begins to burn which thou hast built, yet so as by fire. For let no one on this foundation building adulteries, blasphemies, sacrileges, idolatries, perjuries, think he shall be " saved through fire," as though they were the "wood, hay, stubble:" but he that buildeth the love of earthly things on the foundation of the kingdom of Heaven, that is upon Christ, his love of temporal things shall be burned, and himself shall be saved through the right ' foundation.
wrote it, or from the explanation of that same name, so as to refer in meaning to the Synagogue, which Asaph signifies ; especially as this is intimated in the first verse. For it begins, " God stood in the synagogue of gods"' (ver. 1). Far however be it from us to understand by these Gods the gods of the Gentiles, or idols, or any creature in heaven or earth except men ; for a little after this verse the same Psalm relates and explains what Gods it means in whose synagogue God stood, where it says, "I have said, Ye are gods, and ye are all the children of the Most High: but ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes." In the synagogue of these children of the Most High, of whom the same Most High said by the mouth of Isaiah, "I have begotten sons and brought them up, but they despised Me," °® stood God. By the synagogue we understand the people of Israel, because synagogue is the word properly used of them, although they were also called the Church. Our congregation, on the contrary, the Apostles never called synagogue, but always Ecclesia ; whether for the sake of the distinction, or because there is some difference between a congregation whence the synagogue has its name, and a cenvocation whence the Church is called Ecclesia :7 for the word congregation (or flocking together) is used of cattle, and particularly of that kind properly called " flocks," ® whereas convocation
21. . " And He fed them of the fat of wheat, and from the rock with honey He satisfied them "
(ver. 16). In the wilderness from the rock He brought forth water,? not honey. "Honey" is wisdom, holding the first place for sweetness among the viands of the heart. How many enemies of the Lord, then, that lie unto the Lord, are fed not only of the fat of wheat, but also from the rock with honey, from the wisdom of Christ? How many are delighted with His word, and with the knowledge of His sacraments, with the unfolding of His parables, how many are delighted, how many applaud with clamour ! And this honey is not from any chance person, but "from the rock.' But "the Rock was Christ.''3 How many, then, are satisfied with that honey, cry out, and say, It is sweet ; say, Nothing better, nothing sweeter could be thought or said ! and yet the enemies of the Lord have lied unto Him. I like not to dwell any more on matters of grief; although the Psalm endeth in terror to this purpose, yet from the end of it, I pray you, let us return to the heading: " Exult unto God our Helper." Turned unto God.4
(or calling together) is more of reasonable creatures, such as men are. ... I think then that it is clear in what synagogue of gods God stood.
2. The next question is, whether we should understand the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit, or the Trinity, "'to have stood among the congregation of gods, and in the midst to distinguish the gods;" because Each One is God, and the Trinity itself is One God. It is not indeed easy to make this clear, because it cannot be denied that not a bodily but a spiritual presence of God, agreeable to His nature, exists with created things in a wonderful manner, and one which but a few do understand, and that imperfectly : as to God it is said, "If I shall ascend into heaven, Thou art there ; if I shall go down into hell, Thou art there also."9 Hence it is rightly said, that God stands in the congregation of men invisibly, as He fills heaven and earth, which He asserts of Himself by the Prophet's mouth ;'° and He is not only said, but is, in a way, known to stand in those things which He hath created, as far as the human mind can conceive, if man also stands and hears Him, and rejoices greatly on account of His voice within, But I think that the Psalm intimates something that took place at a particular time, by God's
PSALM LXXXII.5
1. This Psalm, like others similarly named, was so entitled either from the name of the man who
1 /doneum. 2 Exod. xvii. 6. 3 x Cor. x. 4. 4 Possibly alluding to the last verse of Ps. Ixxx. Or it may direct them to turn to God and repeat the Psalm. A similar incidental addition occurs at the end of the exposition of Ps. Ixii. [After this ceremony (after the word) he adds: '' Not lightly have your minds in the name of Christ been occupied with the Divine exhibitions, and raised to earnestness, not only for desiring some things, but also for shunning some things. These are the exhibitions that are useful, healthful, building up, not destroying: yea both destroying and building up, destroying ' new gods,' building up faith in the true and eternal God. Also for to-morrow we invite your love. 'To-morrow, they have, as we have heard, a sea in the theatre; let us have a harbour in Christ. But since the day after to-morrow, that is, the fourth of the week, we cannot meet at the ' Table of Cyprian,' because it is the festival of the holy Martyrs, to-morrow let us meet at that Table." See p. 391, supra.— C. 5 Lat. LXXXI. A Psalm for Asaph himself,
7 éxx Anota from Kade, ia 8 Greges. 10 Jer, xxiii. 24. 6 Isa, i. 2. 9 Ps. cxxxix, 8,
THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN. [Psatm LXXXII.
standing in the congregation of gods. For that standing by which He fills heaven and earth, neither belongs peculiarly to the synagogue, nor varies from time to time. "God," therefore, 'stood in the congregation of gods ;"' that is, He who said of Himself, "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."* The cause too is mentioned ; " but in the midst, to how could He perish by dying, who in that way rather was seeking again what had perished? If then they are justly blamed and deservedly rebuked, who by their dissembling suffered such a wicked deed to be committed ; how must they be blamed, or rather not only blamed, but how severely must they be condemned, who did this of design and malice?
judge of the gods." .. . 3. "How long will ye judge unrighteously, and accept the persons of the ungodly" (ver.
4. To all of them, verily, what follows is most fitly suited: "They did not know nor understand, they walk on in darkness"' (ver.5). " For if even they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory :''® and those others, if they had known, would never have consented to ask that Barabbas should be freed, and Christ should be crucified. But as the above-mentioned blindness happened in part unto Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles should come in, this blindness of that People having caused the crucifixion of Christ, "all the foundations of the earth shall be moved." So have they been moved, and shall they be moved, until the predestined fulness of the Gentiles shall come in. For at the actual death of the Lord the earth was moved, and the rocks rent.9 And if we understand by the foundations of the earth those who are rich in the abundance of earthly possessions, it was truly foretold that they should be moved, either by wondering that lowliness, poverty, death, should be so loved and honoured in Christ, when it is to their mind great misery ; or even in that themselves shouid love and follow it, and set at nought the vain happiness of this world. So are all the foundations of the earth moved, while they partly admire, and partly are even altered. For as without absurdity we call foundations of heaven those on whom the kingdom of heaven is built up in the persons of saints and faithful ; whose first foundation is Christ Himself, born of the Virgin, of whom the Apostle says, ' Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus ;"'?° next the Apostles and Prophets themselves, by whose authority the heavenly place is chosen," that by obeying them we may be builded together with them ; whence he says to the Ephesians, "Ye are built upon the foundation of Apostles and Prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the chief corner stone." ... But the kingdom of earthly happiness is pride, to oppose which came the lowliness of Christ, rebuking those whom He wished by lowliness to make the children of the Most High, and blaming them: "I said, Ye are gods, ye are all the children of the Most High" (ver. 6). " But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes" (ver. 7). Whether to those He said this, "I said, Ye are gods," and to those
2) ; as in another place, '' How long are ye heavy in heart?"'2 Until He shall come who is the light of the heart? I have given a law, ye have resisted stubbornly : I sent Prophets, ye treated them unjustly, or slew them, or connived at those who did so. But if they are not worthy to be even spoken to, who slew the servants of God that were sent to them, ye who were silent when these things were doing, that is, ye who would imitate as if they were innocent those who then were silent, "how long will ye judge unrighteously, and accept the persons of the ungodly?" If the Heir comes even now, is He to be slain? Was He not willing for your sake to become as it were a child under guardians? Did not He for your sake hunger and thirst like one in need ? Did He not cry to you, '' Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart''??3 Did He not " become poor, when He was rich, that by His poverty we might be made rich"?4 'Give sentence," therefore, " for the fatherless 5 and the poor man, justify the humble and needy" (ver. 3). Not them who for their own sake are rich and proud, but Him who for your sake was humble and poor, believe ye to be righteous: proclaim Him righteous. But they will envy Him, and will not at all spare Him, saying, '' This is the Heir, come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance shall be ours." " Deliver," then, 'the poor man, and save the needy from the hands of the ungodly"
(ver. 4). This is said that it might be known, that in that nation where Christ was born and put to death, those persons were not guiltless of so great a crime, who being so numerous, that, as the Gospel says, the Jews feared them, and therefore dared not lay hands on Christ, afterwards consented, and permitted Him to be slain by the malicious and envious Jewish rulers: yet if they had so willed, they would still have been feared, so that the hands of the wicked would never have prevailed against Him. For of these it is said elsewhere, '"' Dumb dogs, they know not how to'bark.'"" Of them too is that said, "Lo, how the righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart.''® He perished? as far as lay in them who would have Him to perish; for
3 Matt. xi. 29. © Isa. lvi, 10, lvii. 1.
T Matt. xv. 24. 2 Ps. iv. 2, Vulg. 4 2Cor. viii. 9. S Puptlo. 7 Oxf. mss. '* perisheth," '* lieth."
8 x Cor. ii. 8. to x Cor. iii. 1. 9 Matt. xxvii. 51. i Eligitur. i 12 Eph. ii. 20.