Expositions on the Book of Psalms
444 THE WORKS' OF ST... AUGUSTIN, [PsaLm XC, that they despised all things for the Faith which power both to punish here, and after the death of the body to send into Hell, and by the few who are thus taught, the vain and seductive prosperity of the wicked is judged to be greater wrath of God.!'. ... the impiety of Jews and Gentiles abhorred ; and allowed themselves to be deprived of those things which in the Old Testament are thought high promises by those who judge after the flesh.
14. And as when they became so well known, as to despise these things, and by setting their affections on things eternal, gave a testimony through their sufferings (whence they are called witnesses or martyrs in the Greek), they endured for a long while many bitter temporal afflictions. This man of God giveth heed to this, and the prophetic spirit under the name of Moses continues thus, " Return, O Lord, how long? and be softened concerning Thy servants" (ver. 13). These are the words of those, who, enduring many evils in that persecuting age, become known because their hearts are bound in the chain of wisdom so firmly, that not even such hardships can induce them to fly from their Lord to the good things of this world. " How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me, O Lord?" '° occurs in another Psalm, in unison with this sentence, " Return, O Lord, how long?" And that they who, in a most carnal spirit, ascribe to God the form of a human body, may know that the "turning away" and "turning again" of His countenance is not like those motions of our own frame, let them recollect these words from above in the same Psalm, " Thou hast set our misdeeds before Thee, and our secret sins in the light of Thy countenance." How then does he say in this passage, '"' Return," that God may be favourable, as if He had turned away His face in anger ; when as in the former he speaks of God's anger in such a manner, as to insinuate that He had not turned away His countenance from the misdeeds and the course of life of those He was angry with, but rather had set them before Him, and in the light of His countenance? The word, " How long," belongs to righteousness beseeching, not indignant impatience. " Be softened," some have rendered by a verb, "soften." But "be softened" avoids an ambiguity ; since to soften is a common verb: for he may be said to soften who pours out prayers, and he to whom they are poured out: for we say, I soften thee, and I soften toward thee."
12. "Make Thy right hand so well known" (ver. 12). This is the reading of most of the Greek copies: not of some in Latin, which is thus, " Make Thy right hand well known to me." What is, "Thy right hand," but Thy Christ, of whom it is said, And to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed?2 Make Him so well known, that Thy faithful may learn in Him to ask and to hope for those things rather of Thee as rewards of their faith, which do not appear in the Old Testament, but are revealed in the New: that they may not imagine that the happiness derived from earthly and temporal blessings is to be highly esteemed, desired, or loved, and thus their feet slip,3 when they see it in men who honour Thee not: that their steps may not give way, while they know not how to number Thine anger. Finally, in accordance with this prayer of the Man that is His,t He has made His Christ so well known as to show by His sufferings that not these rewards which seem so highly prized in the Old Testament, where they are shadows of things to come, but things eternal, are to be desired. The right hand of God may also be understood in this sense, as that by which He will separate His saints from the wicked: because that hand becomes well known, when it scourgeth every son whom He receiveth, and suffers him not, in greater anger, to prosper in his sins, but in His mercy scourgeth him with the left,5 that He may place him purified on His right hand.® The reading of most copies, "make Thy right hand well known to me," may be referred either to Christ, or to eternal happiness: for God has not a right hand in bodily shape, as He has not that anger which is aroused into violent passion.
13. But what he addeth," " and those fettered in heart in wisdom ;" other copies read, " instructed," not " fettered: " the Greek verb, expressing both senses, only differing by a single syllable.8 But since these also, as it is said, put their " feet in the fetters" of wisdom, are taught wisdom (he means the feet of the heart, not of the body), and bound by its golden chains 9 depart not from the path of God, and become not runaways from him ; whichever reading we adopt, the truth in the meaning is safe. Them thus fettered, or instructed in heart in wisdom, God makes so well known in the New Testament,
15. Next, in anticipation of future blessings, of which he speaks as already vouchsafed, he says, "We are satisfied with Thy mercy in the morning" (ver. 14). Prophecy has thus been kindled for us, in the midst of these toils and sorrows of the night, like a lamp in the darkness, until day dawn, and the Day-star arise in our hearts.'? For blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God: then shall the righteous be filled with that blessing for which they hunger
I Matt. x. 28; Ps. Ixxiii. 2, 3, 17. 2 Isa. hii. 1. s. Ixxiil. 2. 5 Ad. "on the left." 6 Matt xxv. 33. 7 Et compeditos corde tn sapientia.
4 Hominis sut.
10 Ps. xiii. 1. Il Deprecor te, et deprecor a te. 12 2 Pet. i. 19.
9 Ecclus. vi. 24.
8 re Taidcumevous, TeTEdNMEVOUS.