Expositions on the Book of Psalms
PsaLm CXXIL] ON THE PSALMS. 593 thy right hand," is realized in him. He goeth on to say, "So that the sun shall not burn thee by day, nor the moon by night' (ver. 6). Thy defence, therefore, is upon the hand of thy right hand for this reason, that the sun may not burn thee by day, nor the moon by night. Understand hence, brethren, that it is spoken figuratively. For, in truth, if we think of the visible sun, it burneth by day: doth the moon burn by night? But what is burning? Offence. Hear the Apostle's words: 'Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?''?
of the lover be idle; it must needs draw it on. But dost thou wish to know of what sort love is? See whither it leadeth. .. . 2. This Psalm is a "Song of degrees; ''5 as we have often said to you, for these degrees ® are not of descent, but of ascent. He therefore longeth to ascend. And whither doth he wish to ascend, save into heaven? What meaneth, into heaven? Doth he wish to ascend that he may be with the sun, moon, and stars? Far be it! But there is in heaven the eternal Jerusalem, where are our fellow-citizens, the Angels : we are wanderers on earth from these our fellowcitizens. We sigh in our pilgrimage; we shall rejoice in the city. But we find companions in this pilgrimage, who have already seen this city herself; who summon us to run towards her. At these he also rejoiceth, who saith, " I rejoiced in them who said unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord" (ver. 1).
8. "For the Lord shall preserve thee from all evil" (ver. 7). From offences in the sun, from offences in the moon, from all evil shall He preserve thee, who is thy defence upon the hand of thy right hand, who will not sleep nor slumber. And for what reason? Because we are amid temptations: "The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil. The Lord preserve thy soul:" even thy very soul. "The Lord preserve thy going out and thy coming in, from this time forth for evermore" (ver. 8). Not thy body; for the Martyrs were consumed in the body: but "the Lord preserve thy soul ;"' for the Martyrs yielded not up their souls. The persecutors raged against Crispina,? whose birthday we are to-day celebrating ; they were raging against a rich and delicate woman: but she was strong, for the Lord was her defence upon the hand of her right hand. He was her Keeper. Is there any one in Africa, my brethren, who knoweth her not? For she was most illustrious, noble in birth, abounding in wealth: but all these things were in her left hand, beneath her head. An enemy advanced to strike her head, and the left hand was presented to him, which was under her head. Her head was above, the right hand embraced her from above3 .. .
3. "Our feet were standing in the courts of Jerusalem " (ver. 2). . Consider what thou wilt be there ; and although thou art as yet on the road, place this before thine eyes, as if thou wert already standing, as if thou wert already rejoicing without ceasing among the Angels; as if that which is written were realized in thee: " Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house ; they will be alway praising Thee."7 'Our feet stood in the courts of Jerusalem." What Jerusalem? This earthly Jerusalem also is wont to be called by the name: though this Jerusalem is but the shadow of that. And what great thing is it to stand in this Jerusalem, since this Jerusalem hath not been able to stand, but hath been turned into aruin? Doth then the Holy Spirit pronounce this, out of the kindled heart of, the loving Psalmist, as a great thing? Is not it that Jerusalem, unto whom the Lord said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the Prophets," etc. What great thing then did he desire; to stand among those who slew the Prophets, and stoned them that were sent unto them? God forbid that he should think of that Jerusalem, 'who so loveth, who so burneth, who so longeth
PSALM CXXII.4
1. As impure love inflames the mind, and summons the soul destined to perish to lust for earthly things, and to follow what is perishable, and precipitates it into lowest places, and sinks it into the abyss; so holy love raiseth us to heavenly things, and inflames us to what is eternal, and excites the soul to those things which do not pass away nor die, and from the abyss of hell raiseth it to heaven. Yet all love hath a power of its own, nor can love in the soul to reach that Jerusalem, " our Mother," 9 of which the Apostle saith, that She is "eternal in the
Heavens." '°
4. "Jerusalem that is being built as a city" (ver. 3). Brethren, when David was uttering these words, that city had been finished, it was not being built. It is some city he speaketh of, therefore, which is now being built, unto which living stones run in faith, of whom Peter saith, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house ;"' '! that is, the holy temple of God. What meaneth, ye are built up as lively stones? Thou
1 2 Cor. xi. 29 2 St. Crispina. 3 Song of Sol. ti. 6. [He thus concludes: '' Although the Psalm is short, yet our exposition and discourse on it hath been long. Imagine, my brethren, that owing to the birthday of the blessed Crispina I have invited you, and have been immoderate in_protracting the banquet. Might not this have happened to you, if any military officer had invited you, and compel you to drink at his table without measure? May it be lawful for us to do this in a sacred eben ot that ye may be inebriated and satisfied to the full.'
5 See on Ps. Xxxix. P, 112, and on Ps, cxx. p. 589. © Or, "' steps." 7 Ps. Ixxxiv. 4. 8 Matt. xxiii, 37. 9 Gal. iv. 26. 10.9 Cor. v. I. It'y Pet. i125.
XXI. 4 ae A discourse to the common people.