Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
PsaLm CXXVI.] ON THE PSALMS. 603 heaven. If he called upon them at any time to worship idols, to offer incense; they preferred God to him: but whenever he commanded them to deploy into line, to march against this or that nation, they at once obeyed. They distinguished their everlasting from their temporal master ; and yet they were, for the sake of their everlasting Master, submissive to their temporal master.
What shall we possess? What is our heritage? what is our country: what is it called? Peace. In this we salute you, this we announce to you, this the mountains receive, and the little hills receive as righteousness. Peace is Christ : " for He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.' 4 Since we are sons, we shall have an inheritance. And what shall this inheritance be called, but peace? And consider that they who love not peace are disinherited. Now they who divide unity, love not peace. Peace is the possession of the pious, the possession of heirs, And who are heirs? Sons. ... Since then Christ the Son of God is peace, He therefore came to gather together His own, and to separate them from the wicked. From what wicked men? From those who hate Jerusalem, who hate peace, who wish to tear unity asunder, who believe not peace, who preach a false peace to the people, and have it not. To whom answer is made, when they say, " Peace be with you," " And with thy spirit:"' but they speak falsely, and they hear-falsely. Unto whom do they say, Peace be with you? To those whom they separate from the peace of the whole earth. And unto whom is it said, "And with thy spirit"? To those who embrace dissensions, and who hate peace. For if peace were in their spirit, would they not love unity, and leave dissensions? Speaking then false words, they hear false words. Let us speak true words, and hear true words. Let us be Israel, and let us embrace peace ; for Jerusalem is a vision of peace, and we are Israel, "and peace is upon Israel."
8. But will it be thus always, that the ungodly have power over the righteous? It will not be so. The rod of the ungodly is felt for a season upon the lot of the righteous ; but it is not left there, it will not be there for ever. A time will come, when Christ, appearing in his glory, shall gather all nations before Him.?' And thou wilt see there many slaves among the sheep, and many masters among the goats ; and again many masters among the sheep, many slaves among the goats. For all slaves are not good — do not infer this from the consolation we have given to servants —nor are all masters evil, because we have thus repressed the pride of masters. There are good masters who believe, and there are evil : there are good servants who believe, and there are evil. But as long as good servants serve evil masters, let them endure for a _ season. " For God will not leave the rod of the ungodly upon the lot of the righteous." Why will He not? " Lest the righteous put forth their hand unto wickedness: " that the righteous may endure for a season the domination of the ungodly, and may understand that this is not for ever, but may prepare themselves to possess their everlasting heritage. . . . g. And he therefore addeth, " Dowell, O Lord, unto those that are good and true of heart" (ver. 4). They who are right in heart, of whom I was speaking a little before, — they who follow the will of God, not their own will, — reflect upon this. But they who wish to follow God, allow Him to go before, and themselves to follow ; not themselves to go before, and Him to follow ; and in all things they find Him good, whether chastening, or consoling, or exercising, or crowning, or cleansing, or enlightening; as the Apostle saith, "' We know that all things work together for good to them that love God." ?
PSALM CXXVI.°
1. . . . How man had come into captivity, let us ask the Apostle Paul. ... For he saith: ' For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.""»7 Behold whence we became captives ; because we were sold under sin. Who sold us? We ourselves, who consented to the seducer. We could sell ourselves ; we could not redeem ourselves. We sold ourselves by consent of sin, we are redeemed in the faith of righteousness. For innocent blood was given for us, that we might be redeemed. Whatsoever blood he shed in persecuting the righteous, what kind of blood did he shed? Righteous men's blood, indeed, he shed; they were Prophets, righteous men, our fathers, and Martyrs. Whose blood he shed, yet all coming of the offspring of sin. One blood he shed of: Him who was not justified,® but born righteous: by shedding that blood, he lost those whom he held. For they
10. Whence the Psalmist at once addeth : " As for such as turn aside, the Lord shall lead them forth unto strangling with the workers of unrighteousness" (ver. 5): that is, those whose deeds they have imitated; because they took delight in their present pleasures, and did not believe in their punishments to come. What then shall they have, who are righteous in heart, and who turn not back? Let us now come to the heritage itself, brethren, for we are sons.
3 Ps. Ixxii. 3. 4 Eph. ii. 314. 5 [In the Liturgy. — C.] 6 Lat. CXXV. A song of degrees. A sermon to the people. 7 Rom, vii. 14. 8 Or, " made righteous."
1 Matt. xxv. 32, 33. 2 Rom. viii. 28,