Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN. [PsaLmM CXVII.
in my haste, All men are liars." In consternation he hath had regard to his infirmity, and hath seen that he ought not to presume on himself ; for as far as pertaineth to the man himself, he is a liar, but by the grace of God he is made true ; lest yielding to the pressure of his enemies he might not speak what he had believed, but might deny it; even as it happened to Peter, since he had trusted in himself, and was to be taught that we ought not to trust in man. And if every one ought not to trust in man, surely not in himself; because he is a man. Rightly therefore in his fear did he perceive that every man was a liar ; since they also whom no fear robs of their presence of mind, so that they never lie by yielding to the persecutors, are such by the gifts of God, not by their own strength. .
the free mother of us all.3 And free indeed from sin she is, but the handmaid of righteousness; to whose sons still pilgrims it is said, "Ve have been called unto liberty; '4 and again he maketh them servants, when he saith, "but by love serve one another." fet therefore that servant say unto God, Many call themselves martyrs, many Thy servants, because they hold Thy Name in various heresies and errors; but since they are beside Thy Church, they are not the children of Thy handmaid. But "I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid." "Thou hast broken my bonds asunder."
12. "I wili offer to Thee the sacrifice of praise' (ver. 17). For I have not found any deserts of mine, since Thou hast broken my bonds asunder ; I therefore owe Thee the sacrifice of praise; because, although I will boast that I am Thy servant, and the son of Thy handmaid, I will glory not in myself, but in Thee, my Lord, who hast broken asunder my bonds, that when I return from my desertion, I may again be bound unto Thee.
g. " What," he asketh, "what reward shall I give unto the Lord, for all the benefits that He hath returned unto me?" (ver. 12). He saith not, for all the benefits that He hath done unto me; but, "for all the benefits that He hath returned unto me.'' What deeds then on the man's part had preceded, that all the benefits of God were not said to be given, but returned? What had preceded, on the man's part, save sins? God therefore repayeth good for evil, whilst unto Him men repay evil for good; for such was the return of those who said, " This is the heir: come, let us kill him.''?
13. "I will pay my vows unto the Lord " (ver. 18). What vows wilt thou pay? What victims hast thou vowed? what burnt-offerings, what holocausts? Dost thou refer to what thou hast said a little before, "I will receive the cup of salvation, and will call upon the Name of the Lord ;" and, "I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving"? and indeed whosoever well considereth what he is vowing to the Lord, and what vows he is paying, let him vow himself, let him pay himself as a vow: this is exacted, this is due. On looking at the coin, the Lord saith, "Render unto Czesar the things which are Cesar's, and unto God the things which are God's:"5 his own image is rendered unto Cesar: let His image be rendered unto God.
10. But this man seeketh what he may return unto the Lord, and findeth not, save out of those things which the Lord Himself returneth. "I will receive," he saith, the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord " (ver. 13). ""My vows will I render to the Lord, before all His people"' (ver. 14). Who hath given thee the cup of salvation, which when thou takest, and callest upon the Name of the Lord, thou shalt return unto Him a reward for all that He hath returned unto thee? Who, save He who saith, " Are ye able to drink the cup that I shall drink of ?""?, Who hath given unto thee to imitate His sufferings, save He who hath suffered before for thee? And therefore, " Right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints"' (ver. 15). He purchased it by His Blood, which He first shed for the salvation of slaves, that they might not hesitate to shed their blood. for the Lord's Name; which, nevertheless, would be profitable for their own interests, not for those of the Lord.
14... In the "courts,"" she 4saith,, "of sthe Lord's house" (ver. 19). What is the Lord's house, the same is the Lord's handmaid: and what is God's house, save all His people? It therefore followeth, "In the sight of all His people." And now he more openly nameth his mother herself. For what else is His people, but what followeth, "In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem"? For than that which is returned grateful, if it be returned from peace, and in peace. But they who are not sons of this handmaid, have loved war rather than peace... .
11. Let therefore the slave purchased at so great a price confess his condition, and say,
PSALM CXVII.°
" Behold, O Lord, how that I am Thy servant : "Tam Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid " »(ver.(ur6)<>. 2-. This,. therefore,sis the son of the heavenly Jerusalem, which is above,
1. "O praise the Lord, all ye heathen : praise Him, all ye nations" (ver. 1). These are the courts of the Lord's house, this all His people,
3 Gal. iv. 26. 6 Lat. CXVI. 4 Gal. v. 13. A sermon to the people.
5 Matt. xxii. 21.
T Matt. xxi. 38. 2 Matt. xx. 22. [He omits ver. 14.—C.]
PSALMS. 597
Psatm CXVIIL] ONS: ERE this the true Jerusalem. Let those rather listen who have refused to be the children of this city, since they have cut themselves off from the communion of all nations.' " For His merciful kindness is ever more and more towards us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever" (ver. 2). These are those two things, loving-kindness and truth, which in the CXVth Psalm I admonished you should be committed to memory. But " the merciful kindness of the Lord is ever more and more towards us," since the furious tongues of hostile nations have yielded to His Name, through which we have been freed: 'and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever," whether in those things which He promised to the righteous, or in those which He hath threatened to the ungodly.
Lord increase you more and more, you and your children ;'' > that the host of the Gentiles might be added to the Israelites who believed in Christ, of the number of whom are the Apostles our fathers, for the exaltation of the perfect and the obedience of the little children; that all of us when made one in Christ, made one flock under one Shepherd, and the body of that Head, like one man, may say, "I called upon the Lord in trouble, and the Lord heard me at large"' (ver. 5). The narrow straits of our tribulation are limited : but the large way whereby we pass along hath no end. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" ®
3. "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear what man doeth unto me" (ver. 6). But are men, then, the only enemies that the Church hath? What is a man devoted to flesh and blood, save flesh and blood? But the Apostle saith, ''We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against," . he saith, "spiritual wickedness in high places ;"'7 that is, the devil and his angels ; that devil whom elsewhere he calleth "the prince of the power of the air."® Hear therefore what followeth: "The Lord is my helper : therefore shall I despise mine enemies"
PSALM CXVIII.
I. . We are taught in this Psalm, when we chaunt "Allelujah, which meaneth, Praise the Lord, that we should, when we hear the words, "Confess unto the Lord" (ver. 1), praise the Lord. The praise of God could not be expressed in fewer words than these, " For He is good." I see not what can be more solemn than this brevity, since goodness is so peculiarly the quality of God, that the Son of God Himself when addressed by some one as "Good Master," by one, namely, who beholding His flesh, and comprehending not the fulness of His divine nature, considered Him as man only, replied, " Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God." 3 And what is this but to say, If thou wishest to call Me good, recognise Me as God? But since it is addressed, in revelation of things to come, to a people freed from all toil and wandering in pilgrimage, and from all admixture with the wicked, which freedom was given it through the grace of God, who not only doth not evil for evil, but even returneth good for evil; it is most appropriately added, " Because His mercy endureth for ever."
(ver. 7). From what class soever my enemies may arise, whether from the number of evil men, or from the number of evil angels ; in the Lord's help, unto whom we chant the confession of praise, unto whom we sing Allelujah, they shall be despised.
4. But, when my enemies have been brought to contempt, let not my friend present himself unto me as a good man, so as to bid me repose my hope in himself: for "It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put any confidence in man"
(ver. 8). Nor let any one, who may in a certain sense be styled a good angel, be regarded by myself as one in whom I ought to put my trust: for "'no one is good, save God alone;''9 and when a man or an angel appear to aid us, when they do this of sincere affection, He doth it through them, who made them good after their measure. "It is" therefore 'better to trust in the Lord, than to put any confidence in princes"
2. "Let Israel now confess that He is good, and that His mercy endureth for ever" (ver. 2). " Let the house of Aaron now confess that His mercy endureth for ever" (ver. 3). '' Yea, let all now that fear the Lord confess that His mercy endureth for ever" (ver. 4). Ye remember, I suppose, most beloved, what is the house of Israel, what is the house of Aaron, and that both are those that fear the Lord. For they are "the little and the great," 4 who have already in another Psalm been happily introduced into your hearts : in the number of whom all of us should rejoice that we are joined together, in His grace who is good, and whose mercy endureth for ever ; since they were listened to who said, " May the
(ver. 9). For angels also are called princes, even as we read in Daniel, "Michael, your princest '2
5. "All nations compassed me round about, but in the Name of the Lord have I taken vengeance on them" (ver. 10). "They kept me in on every side, they kept me in, I say, on every side; but in the Name of the Lord have I taken vengeance on them" (ver. 11). He signifieth the toils and the victory of the Church ; but, as if the question were asked how she could have overcome so great evils, he look-
7 Eph. vi. 12. 6 Rom, viii. 33. eS i. an. Xii. Ie 5 Ps. cxv. 14, Se . ark x. 18. 8 Eph. ii. 2.
1 Donatists, 2 Lat. CXVII. 3 Mark x. 17, 18. 4 Ps, cxv. 12, 13.
THE WORKS: OF 'ST AUGUSTIN, [PsaALm CXVIII.
eth back to the example, and declareth what she had first suffered in her Head, by adding what followeth, 'They kept me in on every side:" and the words, "All nations," are with reason not repeated here, because this was the act of the Jews alone. There that very religious nation (which is the body of Christ, and in behalf of which was done all that was done in mortal form with immortal power, by that inward divinity, through the outward flesh), suffered from persecutors, of whose race that flesh was assumed and hung upon the cross.
then fall, when they are pushed, save they who choose to be their own strength and their own praise? For no man falleth in the contest, except he whose strength and praise faileth. He therefore whose strength and praise is the Lord, falleth no more than the Lord falleth. And for this reason He hath become their salvation ; not that He hath become anything which He was not before, but because they, when they believed on Him, became what they were not before, and then He began to be salvation unto them when turned towards Him, which He was not to them when turned away from Himself.
6. "They came about me as bees do. a hive, and burned up even as the fire among the thorns: and in the Name of the Lord have I taken vengeance on them" (ver. 12). Here then the order of the words corresponds with the order of events. For we rightly understand that our Lord Himself, the Head of the Church, was surrounded by persecutors, even as bees surround a hive. For the Holy Spirit is speaking with mystic subtlety of what was done by those who knew not what they did. For bees make honey in the hives: while our Lord's persecutors, unconscious as they were, rendered Him sweeter unto us even by His very Passion ; so that we may taste and see how sweet is the Lord,' ' Who died for our sins, and arose for our justification." 2 But what followeth, "' and burned up even as the fire among the thorns," is better understood of His Body, that is, of a people spread abroad, whom all nations compassed about, since it was gathered together from all nations. They consumed this sinful flesh, and the grievous piercings of this mortal life, in the flame of persecution. "Taken vengeance on them:" either because they themselves, that wickedness, which in them persecuted the righteous, having been extinguished, were joined with the people of Christ; or because the rest g. "The voice of joy and health is in the dwellings of the righteous" (ver. 15) ; where they who raged against their bodies thought there was the voice of sorrow and destruction. For they did not know the inward joy of the saints in their future hope. Whence the Apostle also saith, "As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing ;""4 and again, "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also." 5
10. " The right hand of the Lord hath brought mighty things to pass" (ver. 16). What mighty things? saith he. "The right hand of the Lord," he saith, 'hath exalted me." It is a mighty thing to exalt the humble, to deify the mortal, to bring perfection out of infirmity, glory from subjection, victory from suffering, to give help, to raise from trouble ; that the true salvation of God might be laid open to the afflicted, and the salvation of men might remain of no avail to the persecutors. These are great things: but what art thou surprised at? hear what he repeateth: "The right hand of the Lord hath brought mighty things to pass."
11. "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord" (ver. 17). But they, while they were dealing havoc and death on every side, thought that the Church of Christ was dying. Behold, he now declareth the works of the Lord. Everywhere Christ is the glory of the blessed Martyrs. By being beaten He conquered those who struck Him; by being patient of torments, the tormentors ;° by loving, those who raged against Him.
of them, who have at this time scorned the mercy of Him who calleth them, will at the end feel the truth of Him who judgeth them.
7. "I have been driven on like a heap of sand, so that I was falling, but the Lord upheld me"
(ver. 13). For though there were a great multitude of believers, that might be compared to the countless sand, and brought into one communion as into one heap; yet "what is man, save Thou be mindful of Him?"'3 He said not, the multitude of the Gentiles could not surpass the abundance of my host, but, "'the Lord," he saith, "hath upheld me." the Gentiles succeeded not in pushing forward, to its overthrow, the host of the faithful dwelling together in the unity of the faith.
12. Nevertheless, let him point out to us, why the body of Christ, the holy Church, the people of adoption, suffered such indignities. 'The Lord," he saith, " hast chastened and corrected me, but He hath not given me over unto death"
(ver. 18). Let not then the boastful wicked imagine that aught hath been permitted to their power: they would not have that power, were it not given them from above. Oft doth the father of a family command his sons to be corrected by the most worthless slaves ; though he designeth the heritage for the former, fetters for the latter.
The persecution of |
8. "The Lord is my strength and my praise, and is become my salvation" (ver. 14). Who
5 Rom. v. 3. Edd. zmpatientes. 4 2 Cor. vi. ro. © mss. facientes.
1 Ps, xxxiv. 8. 2 Rom. iv. 25. 3 Ps. viii. 4.