Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
Psatm CII.] ON THE PSALMS. 495 and the conformation of our limbs: for when these are safe, even the poor are rich. Through Him also are those greater riches, faith, piety,
It is the same poor one who elsewhere saith: "From the ends of the earth will I call upon Thee, when my heart is in heaviness."7 He is afflicted because He is also Christ ; who in the Prophet's words calleth Himself both Bridegroom and Bride: " He hath bound on me the diadem as on a bridegroom, and as a bride hath adorned me with an ornament.''® He called Himself Bridegroom, He called Himself Bride ; wherefore this, unless Bridegroom applieth to the Head, Bride to the body? They are one voice then, because they are one flesh. Let us hear, and recognise ourselves in these words ; and if we see that we are without, let us labour to be there.
justice, charity, chastity, good conduct: for no man hath these, except through Him who justifieth the ungodly. . . . Behold, how rich! In one so rich, how are we to recognise these words? "J have eaten ashes as it were bread : and mingled my drink with weeping."' Have these so great riches come to this? The former state is a very high one, this is a very lowly one. . .. Yet still examine whether this poor man be He; since, 'The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."? Reflect also upon these words: "I am Thy servant, and the Son of Thine handmaid.'3 Observe, this handmaid, chaste, a virgin, and a. mother: for there He received our poverty, when He was clothed in the form of a servant, emptying Himself; lest thou shouldest dread His riches, and in thy beggarly state shouldest not dare approach Him. There, I say, He put on the form of a servant, there He was clothed with our poverty; there He made Himself poor, and us rich. We are now drawing near to understand these things of Him: nevertheless we may not as yet rashly pronounce. ...
3. "Hear my prayer, O Lord: and let my crying come unto Thee" (ver. 1). '" Hear my prayer, O Lord," is the same as, " Let my crying come unto Thee:" the feeling of the suppliant is shown by the repetition. "Turn not Thy face away from me." When did God turn away His Face from His Son? when did the Father turn away His Face from Christ? But for the sake of the poverty of my members, "Turn not away Thy face from me: whatsoever day I am troubled, incline Thine ear unto me"
(ver. 2)... . Thou art in trouble this day, I am in trouble ; another is in trouble to-morrow, I am in trouble; after this generation other descendants, who succeed your descendants, are in trouble, I am in trouble ; down to the end of the world, whoever are in trouble in My body, I am introuble. . . . Peter prayed, Paul prayed, the rest of the Apostles prayed; the faithful prayed in those times, the faithful prayed in the following times, the faithful prayed in the times of the Martyrs, the faithful pray in our times, the faithful will pray in the times of our descendants. ' Right soon:" for I now ask that which Thou art willing to grant. I ask not earthly things, as an earthly man; but redeemed at last from my former captivity, I long for the kingdom of heaven; " Hear nie right soon: " for it is only to such a longing that Thou hast said, " Even while Thou art speaking, I will say, Here I am."9 Wherefore dost thou call? in what tribulation? in what want? O poor one, before the gate of God all-rich, in what longing dost thou beg? from what destitution dost thou ask relief? from what want dost thou knock, that it may be opened unto thee?
2. Let him add poverty then to poverty: let Him transfigure unto Himself our humble body: let Him be our Head, we His limbs, let there be two in one flesh.4 . .. For He hath deigned to hold even us as His limbs. The penitent also are among His limbs. For they are not shut out, nor separated from His Church: nor would He make the Church His spouse, unless by words like these: " Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."5
Let us then hear what the head and the body prayeth, the bridegroom and bride, Christ and the Church,° both one Person; but the Word and the flesh are not both one thing; the Father and the Word are both one thing ;. Christ and the Church are both one Person, one perfect man in the form of His own fulness. . . . Let us hear therefore Christ, poor within us and with us, and for our sakes. For the title itself indicates the poor one. Lastly, remember that I conjectured who that poor one was: let us hear His prayer, and recognise His Person; and mistake not, when thou shalt have heard anything that cannot apply to His Head; it was for this reason that I have prefaced as I have, that whatever thou shalt hear of this description, thou mayest understand as sounding from the weakness of the body, and recognise the voice of the members in the head. 'The title is, "A Prayer of the afflicted, when he was tormented, and poured out his prayer before the Lord."
4. "For my days are consumed away like smoke" (ver. 3). O days! if days: for where day is heard of, light is understood. ' My days," my times ; wherefore, "like smoke," unless from the puffing up of pride? . . . See smoke, like pride, ascending, swelling, vanishing : deservedly therefore failing, and not stedfast. "And my
3 Ps. cxvi. 16. 2 John i. 14. es 6 Eph. iv. 15; John iii, 29, 5 Matt, iii, 2. 1 Ps. cii. 9 4 Philip. iti, 21.
9 Isa. lviii 9. 7 Ps, Ixi. 2, 8 Isa. Ixi, 10,