Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
Psalm CXVIIL] ON THE PSALMS. 559
What is that heritage? Is it of gold, or silver, or jewels, or farms, or pleasant estates? Consider how we enter into it: and learn what it is.
Him as long as I live ;"® making mention of his old days ; whence he now saith, "' This is the day which the Lord hath made;" that is, wherein He hath given me Salvation. This is the day whereof He said, "In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of Salvation have I helped thee ;"7 that is, a day wherein He, the Mediator, hath become the head Stone of the corner. ' Let us rejoice," therefore, "and be glad in Him."
13. "Open me," he saith, "the gates of righteousness"' (ver. 19). Behold, we have heard of the gates. What is within? 'That I may," he saith, " go into them, and give thanks unto the Lord." This is the confession of praise full of wonder, "even unto the house of God, in the voice of joy and confession of praise, among such as keep holiday: "' ' this is the everlasting bliss of the righteous, whereby they are blessed who dwell in the Lord's house, praising Him for evermore."
1g. "Save me now, O Lord: prosper Thou well my way, O Lord" (ver. 25). Because it is the day of Salvation, "save me:'' because we, returning from a long pilgrimage, are separated from those who hated peace, with whom we were peaceful, and who, when we spoke to them, made war upon us without a cause;
14. But consider how the gates of righteousness are entered into. 'These are the gates of the Lord'' he saith, "the righteous shall enter into them" (ver. 20). At least let no wicked man enter there, that Jerusalem which receiveth not one uncircumcised, where it is said, '' Without are dogs." 3 Be it enough, that in my long pilgrimage "I have had my habitation among the tents of Kedar: 4 I endured even unto the end the intercourse of the wicked, but " these are the gates of the Lord: the mghteous shall
" prosper well our way" as we return, since Thou hast become our Way.
20. " Blessed be He that cometh in the Name of the Lord" (ver. 26). Cursed, therefore, is he that cometh in his own name; as He saith in the Gospel: "if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." *® "We have blessed you out of the house of God." I believe that these are the words of the great to the little, of those great ones, to wit, who in spirit commune with God the Word, who is with God, as they may in this life; and yet temper their discourse for the sake of the little ones, so that they may sincerely say what the Apostle saith: '' For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us.'"'9 They bless the little children from the inner house of the Lord,.where that praise faileth not age after age: consider therefore what they proclaim from thence.'° enter into them."
15. I will confess unto Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation"? (ver. 21). How often is that confession proved to be one of praise, that doth not point out wounds to the physician, but giveth thanks for the health it hath received. But the Physician Himself is the Salvation.
16. But who is this whom we speak of? _" The Stone which the builders rejected" (ver. 22) ; for, "It hath become the head Stone of the corner ;" to " make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace ; and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body ;"'5 circumcision, to wit, and uncircumcision.
21. "God is the Lord, who hath showed us light" (ver. 27). That Lord, who came in the Lord's Name, whom the builders refused, and who became the head Stone of the corner," that
17. "By the Lord was it made unto it" (ver. 23) : that is, it is made into the head stone of the corner by the Lord. For although He would not have become this, had He not suffered : yet He became not this through those from whom He suffered. For they who were building, refused Him: but in the edifice which the Lord was secretly raising, that was made the head stone of the corner which they rejected. "And it is marvellous in our eyes:'' in the eyes of the inner man, in the eyes of those that believe, those that hope, those that love ; not in the carnal eyes of those who, through scorning Him as if He were a man, rejected Him.
" Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ," ' is God, He is equal with the Father, He hath showed us light, that we might understand what we believed, and declare it to you who understand it not as yet, but already believe it. But that ye also may understand, " Declare a holy day in full assemblies, even unto the horns of the altar ;"' that is, even unto the inner house of God, from which we have blessed you, where are the high places of the altar. 'Declare a holy day," not in a slothful manner, but " in full assemblies' (ver. 28). For this is the voice of joyfulness among those that keep holy day, who
18. "This is the day which the Lord hath made" (ver. 24). This man.remembereth that he had said in former Psalms, '' Since He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon
6 Ps. cxiv. 2. 7 Isa. xlix. 8. 8 John v. 43. 9 2 Cor. v. 13, 14. 10 [Contrary to all his habitual usage, our author fails to note just here what is written in St. Matt. xxi. 15, 16, concerning this Paschal Psalm, and the hosannas of children in the temple. — C. ] 11 Matt. xxi. 9, 42. 12 ; Tim. ii. 5.
»2 Ps, Ixxxiv. 4. 3 Rey. xxii. 15. I Ps, xlii. 4.
5 Eph. ii. 15, 16. 4 Ps. cxx. 5.