Thy hand, that is, Thy eternal Power, hath taken (continued)
THE WORKS"OF 'Sm AUGUSTIN, [PsaLm XX.
they get not the dominion over me, then shall I be undefiled.'"' If neither my own secret sins, nor those of others, get the dominion over me, then shall I be undefiled. For there is no third source of sin, but one's own secret sin, by which the devil fell, and another's sin, by which man is seduced, so as by consenting to make it his own. 'And I shall be cleansed from the great offence." What but pride? for there is none greater than apostasy from God, which is "the beginning of the pride of man."* And he shall indeed be undefiled, who is free from this offence also ; for this is the last to them who are returning to God, which was the first as they departed from Him.
And turn the cross, whereon Thou wast wholly offered up to God, into the joy of the resurrection.
5. " Diapsalma. The Lord render to Thee according to Thine Heart"' (ver. 4). The Lord render to Thee, not according to their heart, who thought by persecution they could destroy Thee; but according to Thine Heart, wherein Thou knewest what profit Thy passion would have. "And fulfil all Thy counsel." "And fulfil all Thy counsel," not only that whereby 'Thou didst lay down Thy life for Thy friends,? that the corrupted grain might rise again to more abundance ;?° but that also whereby " blindness in part hath happened unto Israel, that the fulness of the Gentiles might enter in, and so all Israel might be saved." ™
15. "And the words of my mouth shall be pleasing, and the meditation of my heart is always in Thy sight" (ver. 14). The meditation of my heart is not after the vain glory of pleasing men, for now there is pride no more, but in Thy sight alway, who regardest a pure conscience. "Q Lord, my Helper, and my Redeemer'?
6. "We will exult in Thy salvation" (ver. 5). We will exult in that death will in no wise hurt Thee; for so Thou wilt also show that it cannot hurt us either. "And in the name of the Lord our God will we be magnified." And the confession of Thy name shall not only not destroy us, but shall even magnify us.
(ver. 15). O Lord, my Helper, in my approach to Thee; for Thou art my Redeemer, that I might set out unto Thee: lest any attributing to his own wisdom his conversion to Thee, or to his own strength his attaining to Thee, should be rather driven back by Thee, who resistest the proud; for he is not cleansed from the great offence, nor pleasing in Thy sight, who redeemest us that we may be converted, and helpest us that we may attain unto Thee.
7. " The Lord fulfil all Thy petitions." The Lord fulfil not only the petitions which Thou madest on earth, but those also whereby Thou intercedest for us in heaven. 'Now have I known that the Lord hath saved his Christ" (ver. 6). Now hath it been shown to me in prophecy, that the Lord will raise up His Christ again. "He will hear Him from His holy heaven." He will hear Him not from earth only, where He prayed to be glorified ;'? but from heaven also, where interceding for us at the Right Hand of the Father,'3 He hath from thence shed abroad the Holy Spirit on them that believe on Him. "In strength is the safety of His right hand." Our strength is in the safety of His favour, when even out of tribulation He giveth help, that '' when we are weak, then we may be strong." 4 "For vain is'' that "safety of man," '5 which comes not of His right hand but of His left: for thereby are they lifted up to great pride, whosoever in their sins have secured a temporal safety.
PSALM XX:3
TO THE END, A PSALM OF DAVID.
1. This is a well-known title; and it is not Christ who speaks; but the prophet speaks to Christ, under the form of wishing, foretelling things to come.
2. "The Lord hear Thee in the day of trouble" (ver. 1). The Lord hear Thee in the day in which Thou saidst, "' Father glorify Thy Son." 5 " The name of the God of Jacob protect Thee." For to Thee belongeth the younger people. Since "the elder shall serve the younger." ©
3. "Send Thee help from the Holy, and from Sion defend Thee" (ver. 2). Making for Thee a sanctified Body, the Church, from watching 7 safe, which waiteth when Thou shalt come from the wedding.
8. "Some in chariots, and some in horses" (ver. 7). Some are drawn away by the ever moving succession of temporal goods ; and some are preferred to proud honours, and in them exult: "But we will exult in the name of the Lord our God." But we, fixing our hope on things eternal, and not seeking our own glory, will exult in the name of the Lord our God.
4. " Be mindful of all Thy sacrifice" (ver. 3). Make us mindful of all Thy injuries and despiteful treatment, which Thou hast borne for us. "And be Thy whole burnt offering made fat."
g. "They have been bound, and fallen" (ver. 8). And therefore were they bound by the lust of temporal things, fearing to spare the
I Ecclus. x. r2. 2 [Here the word is rendered "' Redeemer" in the Septuagint, and is the same in the Hebrew as in Job xix. 25. —C.]
3 Lat. XIX. 4 [This and the next Psalm are a prelude to the great Psalm of the expiation which is to follow. — C. 5 John xvii. 5 and xii. 28. 6 Gen. xxv. 23; Rom. ix. 12, 7" Ston," "' beholding," p. 13, ver. 6.
8 John xii, 32. 9 John xv. 13. To John xii. 24. 11 Rom, xi} 25,/26., . 32 john XVil. I. 13 Heb. vii. 25. 14 2 Cor. xii, 10. 15 Ps, lx. 11.