Expositions on the Book of Psalms
Psatm XCV.] ON THE.
PSALMS. 467
He scourge us? Confessedly for the kingdom of heaven. " For He scourgeth every son whom He receiveth; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" ' and when God doth this, He is teaching us in order to an eternal heritage: and this learning He often giveth us by means of wicked men, through whom He trieth and perfecteth our love, which He doth will to be extended even to our enemies." . . Thus also they who persecuted the Martyrs, by persecuting them on earth, sent them into heaven: knowingly they caused them the loss of the present life, while unconsciously they were bestowing uppn them the gain of a future life: but, nevertheless, unto all who persevered in their wicked hatred of the righteous, will God recompense after their own iniquities, and in their own malice will He destroy them. For as the goodness of the righteous is hurtful unto the wicked, so is the iniquity of the wicked beneficial unto the righteous... . 24. Let therefore the righteous bear with the ungodly ; let the temporal suffering of the righteous bear with the temporal impunity of the wicked ; for 'the just shall live by faith." 3 For there is no righteousness of man in this life except to live by faith, " which worketh by love."'4 But if he liveth by faith, let him beheve both that he will himself inherit rest after his present toil, and that they will suffer eternal torments after their present exultation. And if faith worketh by love, let him love his enemies also, and, as far as in him lies, have the will to profit them; for thus he will prevent their injuring him when they have the will. And whenever perchance they have received power to hurt and tyrannize ; let him lift his heart above, where no man hurteth him, well taught and chastened in the law of God, that he may " have patience given him in the days of adversity, until the pit be digged up for the ungodly." .. . 25. This I say, brethren, that ye may profit from what ye have heard, and ruminate within yourselves: permit not yourselves to forget, not only by thinking over again upon these subjects, and discoursing upon them, but also by so living. For a good life which is led after God's commands, is like a pen, because it is heard writing in our hearts. If it were written on wax, it would easily be blotted out: write it in your hearts, in your character, and it shall never be blotted out. thing, to obey our father.
Since therefore he who deigneth to pray for us, hath ordered us, I will speak unto you, beloved, what from the present Psalm Jesus Christ our common Lord shall deign to give us. Now the title of the Psalm is " David's Song of praise." The "Song of praise'' signifieth both cheerfulness, in that it is a song; and devotion, for it is praise. For .|what ought a man to praise more than that which pleaseth him so, that it is impossible that it can displease him? In the praising of God therefore we praise with security. There he who praiseth is safe, where he feareth not lest he be ashamed for the object of his praise. Let us therefore both praise and sing; that is, let us praise with cheerfulness and joy. But what we are about to praise, this Psalm in the following verses showeth us.
2. "OQ come, let us sing unto the Lord" (ver. 1). He calleth us to a great banquet of joy, not one of this world, but in the Lord.
For if there were not in this life a wicked joy which is to be distinguished from a righteous joy, it would be enough to say, "Come, let us rejoice ;" but he has briefly distinguished it. What is it to rejoice aright? To rejoice in the Lord. Thou shouldest piously joy in the Lord, if thou dost wish safely to trample upon the world. But what is the word, '"' Come ''? Whence doth He call them to come, with whom he wisheth to rejoice in the Lord; except that, while they are afar, they may by coming draw nearer, by drawing nearer they may approach, and by approaching rejoice? But whence are they afar? Can a man be locally distant from Him who is everywhere? ... It is not by place, but by being unlike Him, that a man is afar from God. What is to be unlike Him? it meaneth, a bad life, bad habits; for if by good habits we approach God, by bad habits we recede from God. ... If therefore by unlikeness we recede from God, by likeness we approach unto God. What likeness? That after which we were created, which by sinning we had corrupted in ourselves, which we have received again through the remission of sins, which is renewed in us in the mind within, that it may be engraved a second time as if on coin, that is, the image of our God upon our soul, and that we may return to His treasures. . 3. "Let us make a joyful ° noise unto God, our salvation."', Consider, beloved, those who make a joyful noise in any ordinary songs, as in a sort of competition of worldly joy ; and ye see them while reciting the written lines bursting forth with a joy, that the tongue sufficeth not to express the measure of ; how they shout, indicating by that utterance the feeling of the mind, PSALM XCV.5
1. I could wish, brethren, that we were rather listening to our father: but even this is a good
1 Heb, xii. 7. 2 Matt. v. 44. [See p. 455, § 12, supra. —C.] 3 Rom, i. 17. 4 Gal v. 6. 5 Lat. XCIV. A discourse delivered at the bidding of Aurelius bishop of Carthage, or perhaps of Valerius bishop of Hippo, and consequently either before or shortly after St. Augustin was consecrated bishop.
© Fubilemus.