Expositions on the Book of Psalms
612 THE? WORKSYOF SE AUGUSTIN: [Psatm CXXIX.
(ver. 5). They who hate Sion, hate the Church : Sion is the Church. And they who hypocritically enter into the Church, hate the Church. They who refuse to keep the Word of God, hate the Church: "Upon my back have they built:" what will the Church do, save endure the burden even unto the end?
drag each other before courts of law. O if we could restrain our vices ! for all things are good, because a good God made all things: and His works praise Him, when their goodness is considered by him who hath the spirit of considering them, the spirit of piety and wisdom.' . 6. Lend not money at interest. "Thou accusest Scripture which saith, 'He that hath not given his money upon usury." ? I wrote not this: it went not forth first from my mouth: hear God.
g. But what saith he of them? The next words are, "' Let them be even as the grass of the house tops: that withereth before it be plucked up" (ver. 6). The grass of the house tops is that which groweth on house tops, on a tiled roof: it is seen on high, and hath not a root. How much better would it be if it grew lower, and how much more joyfully would it bloom? As it is, it riseth higher to a quicker withering. It hath not yet been plucked up, yet hath it withered: not yet have they received sentence from the judgment of God, and already they have not the sap of bloom. Observe their works, and see that they have withered... . The reapers will come, but they fill not their sheaves from these. For the reapers will come, and will gather the wheat into the barn, and will bind the tares together, and cast them into the fire. Thus also is the grass of the house tops cleared off, and whatever is plucked from it, is thrown into the fire; because it had withered even before it was plucked up. The reaper filleth not his hands thence. His next words are, "Whereof the reaper filleth not his hand; neither he that bindeth up the sheaves his bosom" (ver. 7). And, "the reapers are the angels," ® the Lord saith.
He replieth: let not the clergy lend upon usury. Perchance he who speaketh to thee, lendeth not at interest: but if he do so lend, suppose that he doth so lend ; doth He who speaketh through him lend at interest? If he doth what he enjoineth thee, and thou dost it not; thou wilt go into the flame, he into the kingdom. If he doth not what he enjoineth thee, and equally with thee doth evil deeds, and preaches duties which he doth not ; ye will both equally go into the flames. The hay will burn; but "the word of the Lord abideth for evermore.''3. . pa The Tighteous Lord shall hew the necks of the sinners" (ver. 4). . Which of us doth not fix his eyes upon the earth, like the Publican, and say, "' Lord, be merciful unto me a sinner''?4+ If therefore all are sinners, and none is found without sin; all must fear the sword that hangs above their neck, because 'the righteous Lord shall hew the necks of the sinners.'' I do not imagine, my brethren, of all sinners; but in the member which He striketh, He marks what sinners He striketh. For it is not said, The righteous Lord will hew the hands of the sinners ; or their feet; but because proud sinners were meant to be understood, and all proud men carry lofty necks, and not only do evil deeds, but even refuse to acktlowledge them to be such, and when they are rebuked, justify themselves : 5
10. 'So that they who go by say not so much as, The blessing of the Lord be upon you: we have blessed you in the name of the Lord"
(ver. 8). For ye know, brethren, when men pass by others at work, it is customary to address them, '' The blessing of the Lord be upon you." 9 And this was especially the custom in the Jewish nation. No one passed by and saw any one doing any work in the field, or in the vineyard, or in harvest, or anything of the sort ; it was not lawful to pass by without a blessing. . . . Who are the passers by? They who have already passed hence to their country through this road, that is, through this life: the Apostles were passers by in this life, the Prophets were passers by. Whom did the Prophets and Apostles bless? Those in whom they saw the root of charity? But those whom they found lifted on high on their house tops, and proud in the bosses of their bucklers, they declared against these what they were doomed to become, but they gave them no blessing. Ye therefore who read in the Scriptures, find all those wicked men whom the. as it is written in Job (he was speaking of an ungodly sinner), "he runneth against God, even upon his neck, upon the thick bosses of his | bucklers ;'' © so he here nameth the neck, because it is thus thou exaltest thyself, and dost not fix thine eyes upon the ground, and beat thy breast. Thou shouldest cry unto Him, as it is cried in another Psalm, "I said, Lord, be merciful unto me, for I have sinned against Thee." 7 Since thou dost not choose' to say this, but justifiest thy deeds against the Word of God ; what followeth in Scripture cometh upon thee: the righteous Lord shall hew the necks of sinners.
8. "Let them be confounded and _ turned backward, as many as have evil will at Sion"'
1 Song of Three Children, ver. 35, etc. 2 Ps. xv. 5. 3 Isa. xl. 8. [On this subject see p. 99, note 2, supra. But it is well to study this and other Fathers Zassz#z on this most perplexin matter. Comp. Acts xv. 28,29; Deut. xxiii. 20; Matt. xxv. 27,—C. 4 Luke xviii. 13 5 Oxf. Mss. bags "*T did not this, but the ares 6 Job xv. 26, s. xli. 4.
8 Matt. xiii. 3 9 [Note this Christan usage of the fifth century. —C.]
PSALMS. 613
PsatmM CXXX.] ON THE
Church beareth, who are declared cursed, pertain unto Antichrist, pertain unto the devil, pertain to the chaff, pertain to the tares.... But they who say, None save God sanctifieth, nor is any man good save by the gift of God; they bless in the name of the Lord, not in their own name: because they are the friends of the bridegroom,' they refuse to be adulterers of the bride.
followeth after these words: "If Thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is amiss, O Lord, who may abide it?" (ver. 3). So, he hath disclosed from what deep he cried out. For he crieth beneath the weights and billows of his iniquities. . . . He said not, I may not abide it: but, "who may abide it?" For he saw that nigh the whole of human life on every side. was ever bayed at by its sins, that all consciences were accused by their thoughts, that a clean heart trusting in its own righteousness could not be found.
PSALM CXXX.?
1. "Out of the deep have I called unto Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice" (ver. 1). Jonas cried from the deep; from the whale's belly.3 He was not only beneath the waves, but also in the entrails of the beast; nevertheless, those waves and that body prevented not his prayer from reaching God, and the beast's belly could not contain the voice of his prayer. It penetrated all things, it burst through all things, it reached the ears of God: if indeed we ought to say that, bursting through all things, | it reached the ears of God, since the ears of God were in the heart of him who prayed. For where hath not he God present, whose voice is faithful? Nevertheless, we also ought to understand from what deep we cry unto the Lord. For this mortal life is our deep. Whoever hath understood himself to be in the deep, crieth out, groaneth, sigheth, until he be delivered from the deep, and come unto Him who sitteth above all the deeps. . . . For they are very deep in the deep, who do not even cry from the deep. The Scripture saith, " When the wicked hath reached the depth of evils, he despiseth."4 Now consider, brethren, what sort of deep that is, where God is despised. When each man seeth himself overwhelmed with daily sins, pressed down by heaps and weights, so to speak, of iniquities : if it be said unto him, Pray unto God, he laughs. | In what manner? He first saith, If crimes were displeasing unto God, should I live? If God regarded human affairs, considering the great crimes which I have committed, should I not only live, but be prosperous? For this is wont to happen to those who are far in the deep, and are prosperous in their iniquities: and they are the more plunged in the deep, in proportion as they seem to be more happy; for a deceitful happiness is itself a greater unhappiness. . 2. "Lord, hear my voice. O let Thine ears consider well the voice of my complaint" (ver.
3. But wherefore is there hope? '" For there is propitiation with Thee" (ver. 4). And what is this propitiation, except sacrifice? And what is sacrifice, save that which hath been offered for us? The pouring forth of innocent blood blotted out all the sins of the guilty: so great a price paid down redeemed all captives from the hand of the enemy who captured them. " With Thee," then, "there is propitiation." For if there were not mercy with Thee, if 'Thou chosest to be Judge only, and didst refuse to be merciful, Thou wouldest mark all our iniquities, and search after them. Who could abide this? Who could stand before Thee, and say, I am innocent? Who could stand in Thy judgment? There is therefore one hope: "for the sake of Thy law have I borne Thee, O Lord." What law? That which made men guilty. For a "law, holy, just, and good,"'5 was given to the Jews; but its effect was to make them guilty. A law was not given that could give life,° but which might show his sins to the sinner. For the sinner had forgotten himself, and saw not himself; the law was given him, that he might see himself. The law made him guilty, the Lawgiver freed him: for the Lawgiver is the Supreme Power." . . . There is therefore a law of the mercy of God, a law of the propitiation of God.® The one was a law of fear, the other is a law of love. The law of love giveth forgiveness to sins, blotteth out the past, warneth concerning the future ; forsaketh not its companion by the way, becometh a companion to him whom it leadeth on the way. But it is needful to agree with the adversary, whilst thou art with him in the way.9 For the Word of God is thine adversary, as long as thou dost not agree with it. But thou agreest, when it has begun to be thy delight to do what God's Word commandeth. Then he who was thine adversary becometh thy friend: so, when the way is finished, there will be none to deliver thee to the Judge. Therefore, " For the sake of Thy law I have waited for Thee, O Lord," because thou hast condescended to bring in a law of mercy, to forgive me all my sins, to give me for the future warnings that I may not offend... . "For the
2). Whence doth he cry? From the deep. Who is it then who crieth? A sinner. And with what hope doth he cry? Because He who came to absolve from sins, gave hope even to the sinner down in the deep. What therefore
1 ion iii, SE 2 Lat. CXX{X. A song o! degrees. A sermon to the people. 3 Jonah ii. 2. 4 Prov. xviil. 3.
7 Imperator. 9 Matt. vy, 256 S Rom. vii. 12. 6 Gal. iii. 21. 8 [Note (Greek) Luke xviii. 13. —C.]