Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
74 THE WORKS OF ST, AUGUSTIN. [PsaLm XXXIV. phan eg a eee a ln
Thou hast prayed, thou art heard, thou art blessed ; and he knoweth not who standeth by thee: it is all carried on in secret, as the Lord saith in the Gospel, "Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."5 When therefore thou enterest into thy chamber, thou enterest into thy heart. Blessed are they who rejoice when they enter into their heart, and find therein nought of evil... . 8. "I sought the Lord, and He heard me." Who then are not heard, seek not the Lord. Attend, Holy Brethren ;° he said not, I sought gold from the Lord, and He heard me ; I sought from the Lord long life, and He heard me; I sought from the Lord this or that, and He heard me. It is one thing to seek anything from the Lord, another to seek the Lord Himself. "I sought" (saith he) "the Lord, and He heard me." But thou, when thou prayest, saying, Kill that my enemy, seekest not the Lord, but, as it were, makest thyself a judge over thy enemy, and makest thy God an executioner.7 How knowest thou that he is not better than thou, whose death thou seekest? In that very thing haply he is, that he seeketh not thine. Therefore seek not from the Lord anything without, but seek the Lord Himself, and He will hear thee, and while thou yet speakest, He will say, "To, herent am.?* 733
For even He on an ass's colt came into the city ; and that beast was gentle. . . . "Be not yeas the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding.'* For horse and mule sometimes lift up their neck, and by their own fierceness throw off their rider. They are tamed with the bit, with bridle, with stripes, until they learn to submit, and to carry their master. But thou, before thy jaws are bruised with the bridle, be humble, and carry thy Lord: wish not praise for thyself, but praised be He who sitteth upon thee, and say thou, "In the Lord shall my soul be praised ; the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad." .. . 5. Now followeth, "O magnify the Lord with me" (ver. 3). Who is this that exhorteth us, that we should magnify the Lord with him? Whoever, Brethren, is in the body of Christ, ought for this to labour, that the Lord may be magnified with him. For he loveth the Lord, whoever he is. And how doth he love Him? So as not to envy his fellow-lover. ... Let them blush who so love God as to envy others. Abandoned men love a charioteer, and whoever loveth a charioteer or hunter, wisheth the whole people to love with him, and exhorteth, saying, Love with me this pantomime, love with me this or that shame. He calleth among the people that shame may be loved with him; and. doth not a Christian call in the Church, that the Truth of God may be loved with him? Stir up then love in yourselves, Brethren ; and call to every one of yours, and say, "O magnify the Lord with me." Let there be in you that fervour. Wherefore are these things recited and explained? If ye love God, bring quickly to the love of God all who are joined unto you, and all who are in your house; if the Body of Christ is loved by you, that is, if the unity of the Church, bring them quickly to enjoy, and say, ""O magnify the Lord with me." g. I have said who was the exhorter, namely, that lover who would not alone embrace what he loveth, and saith, "' Approach unto Him, and be ye lightened" (ver. 5). For he saith what he himself proved. For some spiritual person in the Body of Christ, or even our Lord Jesus Christ Himself according to the flesh, the Head exhorting His Own Members, saith; what? "Approach unto Him, and be ye lightened." Or rather some spiritual Christian inviteth us to approach to our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. But let us approach to Him and be lightened ; not as the Jews approached to Him, that they might be darkened ; for they approached to Him that they might crucify Him: let us approach to Him that we may receive His Body and Blood. They by Him crucified were darkened ; we by eating and drinking The Crucified are lightened. " Approach unto Him, and be ye lightened." Lo, this is said to the Gentiles. Christ was crucified amid the Jews raging and seeing; the Gentiles were absent ; lo, they have approached {who were in darkness, and they who saw not are
6. "And let us exalt His Name together.' ? What is, "let us exalt His Name together'? That is, in one. For many copies so have it, "O magnify the Lord with me; and let us exalt His Name in one."'3 Whether it be said, " together," or "in one,' it is the same thing. Therefore bring quickly whom ye can, by exhorting, by transporting,* by beseeching, by disputing, by rendering a reason, with meekness, with gentleness. Bring them quickly unto love ; that if they magnify the Lord, they may magnify Him inone....
7. "I sought the Lord, and He heard me" (ver. 4). Where heard the Lord? Within. Where giveth He? Within. There thou prayest, there thou art heard, there thou art blessed. lightened. Whereby approach the Gentiles? By following with faith, by longing with the 2 In tdipsum, I Ps, xxxii. 9. 2 Int 4 i [In the Septuagint éwi 7d avro, as in Acts ii. r.— 3 In unum. | (ee
5 Matt. vi. 6. 6 [He makes the same exhortation to a brother bishop who was sent: attendat, Sanctitas Vestra. —C.]
7 Questionarium. 8 Isa. Ixv. 24. pre
4 Al. 'by working."