Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
PsaLM CXXXIL] ONS THE PSALMS, 619
11. "The Lord hath made a faithful oath unto David, and He shall not repent " (ver. 11). What meaneth, "hath made an oath"? Hath confirmed a promise through Himself. What meaneth, " He shall not repent"? He will not change. For God suffereth not the pain of repentance, nor is He deceived in any matter, so} that He would wish to correct that wherein He hath erred. But as when a man repents of anything, he wisheth to change what he hath done ;. thus where thou hearest that God repenteth, look for an actual change. God doth it differently from thee, although He calleth it by the name of repentance; for thou dost it, because thou hadst erred ; while He doth it, because He avengeth, or freeth. He changed Saul's kingdom, when He repented, as it is said: and in) the very passage where the Scripture saith, " It | repented Him;"' it is said a little after, "for' keep My covenant, they also shall sit upon thy seat: but he saith, "If thy children keep My covenant, their children also shall sit upon thy seat for evermore ''— except because He here wished their fruit to be understood by their children? "If thy children," He saith, "will keep My covenant, and if thy children shall keep My testimonies that I shall learn them; their children also shall sit upon thy seat :."' that is, this will be their fruit, that they sit upon thy seat. For in this life, brethren, do all of us who labour in Christ, all of 'us who tremble at
His words, who in any way endeavour to execute His will, and groan while we pray His help that we may fulfil what He commandeth ; do we already sit in those seats of bliss which are promised us? No: but holding His commandments, we hope this will come to pass. 'This hope is spoken of under the figure of sons ; because sons are the hope of man living in this life, sons are his fruit. For this reason also men, when excusing their avarice, allege that they are reserving for their children what they hoard up ; and, unwilling to give to the destitute, excuse themselves under the name of piety, because their children are their hope. For all men who live according to this world, declare it to be their hope, to be fathers of children they may leave behind them. Thus then He describes hope generally under the name of children, and saith, "'If thy children will keep My covenant and My testimonies that I shall learn them, their children also shall sit upon thy seat for evermore: " that is, they shall have such fruits, that their hope shall not deceive them, that they may come there where they hope to come. At present therefore they are as fathers, men of hope for the future ; but when they have attained what they hope, they are children ; because they have brought forth and produced in their works that which they gain. And this is preserved unto them for the future, because futurity + itself commonly signifieth children.
He is not a man that He should repent." When | therefore He changeth His works through His immutable counsel, He is said to repent on account of this very change, not of His counsel, but of His work. But He promised this so as not to change it. Just as this passage also saith: "The Lord sware, and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec ;"'2 so also since this was promised so that it should not be changed, because it must needs happen and be permanent ; he saith, "The Lord hath made a faithful oath unto David, and He shall not repent; Of the fruit of thy body shall I set upon thy seat." He might have said, "of the fruit of thy loins," wherefore did He choose to say, "Of the fruit of thy body"? Had He said that also, it would have been true; but He chose to say with a further meaning, Ax fructu ventris, because Christ was born of a woman without the man.
12. What then? "The Lord hath made a faithful oath unto David, and He shall not shrink from it; Of the fruit of thy body shall I set upon thy seat. If thy children will keep My covenant and My testimonies that I shall learn them, their children also shall sit upon thy seat for evermore" (ver. 12). If thy children keep My covenant, their children also shall sit for evermore. The parents establish a desert on behalf of their children. What if his children should keep the covenant, and their chil- ; dren should not keep it? Why is the happiness of the children promised in relation to their parents' deservings? For what saith He, "If thy children will keep My covenant, their childr-n also shall sit for evermore'' — He saith not, if thy children keep My covenant, they shall sit upon thy seat; and if their children
13. Or if thou understand actual men to be meant by children, the words, "If thy children will keep My covenant and My testimonies that I shall teach them," may mean, "If thy children will keep My covenant and testimonies that I shall teach them, and their children also ;"' that is, if they too keep My covenant; so that here thou must make a slight pause, and then infer that "they shall sit upon thy seat for evermore ;'' that is, both thy children and their children, but all if they keep My covenant. What then, if they keep it not? Hath the promise of God failed? No: but it is said and promised for this reason, that God foresaw: what, save that
3 In posterutt, 4 Posteritas,
620 THE WORKSSOF ST-TAUGUSTIN. [PsaALM CXXXII.
Widows in the Church. He saith, "She that liveth in pleasure, is dead while she liveth ;" and he numbereth her not among the widows. But in describing true widows, what saith he? "She that is a widow indeed and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day." Here he addeth, "but she that liveth in pleasure, is dead while she liveth." What then makes a widow? That she hath no aid from any other source, save from God alone. They that have husbands, take pride in the protection of their husbands: widows seem desolate, and their aid is a stronger one. The whole Church therefore is one widow, whether in men or in women, in married men or married women, in young men or in old, or in virgins: the whole Church is one widow, desolate in this world, if she feel this, if she is aware of her widowhood: for then is help at hand for her. Do ye not recognise this widow in the Gospel, my brethren, when the Lord declared "that men ought always to pray and not to faint"'? "There was in a city a judge,"' He said, " which feared not God, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him day by day, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary." The widow, by daily importunity, prevailed with him: for the judge said within himself, "Though I fear not God, neither regard man, yet because this woman troubleth me, I will avenge her." 3 If the wicked judge heard the widow, that he might not be molested ; heareth not God His Church, whom He exhorteth to pray ?
they would believe? But that no man should as it were threaten God's. promises, and prefer to place in his own power the fulfilment of what God promised: for this reason he saith, " He made an oath:" whereby he showeth that. it will without doubt take place. How then hath He said here, "If they will keep My covenant"? ? Glory not in the promises, and leave out thy failing to keep the covenant. Then wilt thou be the son of David, if thou shalt keep the covenant; but if thou dost not keep it, thou wilt not be David's son. God promised to the sons of David. Say not, I am David's son if thou degenerate. If the Jews, who were burn of this very stock, say not this (nay, they say it, but they are under a delusion. For the Lord saith openly, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." ! He thereby denied them to be children, because they did not the works), how do we call ourselves David's children, who are not of his race according to the flesh? It follows then that we are not children, save by imitating his faith, save by worshipping God, as he worshipped. If therefore what thou hopest not through descent, thou wilt not endeavour to obtain by works ; how shall the sitting upon David's seat be fulfilled in thee? And if it shall not be ful-j filled in thee, thinkest thou that it shall not be fulfilled at all? the woodland tracts? and how did His feet stand ? house will stand.
And how hath He found it in|
Whatsoever then thou mayest be, that |
14. " For the Lord hath chosen Sion to be an| Sion is the | i what 'meaneth this, brethren ? habitation for Himself" (ver. 13). Church Herself; She is also that Jerusalem unto whose peace we are running, who is in pilgrimage not in the Angels, but in us, who in her better part waiteth for the part that will' return ; whence letters have come unto us, which are every day read. This city is that very Sion, whom the Lord hath chosen.
17. Also, 'I will satisfy her poor with bread ;" Let us be poor, and we shall then be satisfied. Many who trust in the world, and are proud, are Christians ; they worship Christ, but are not satisfied; for they have been satisfied, and abound in their pride. Of such it is said, 'Our soul is filled with the scornful reproof of the wealthy, and with the despitefulness of the proud:" 4 these have abundance, and therefore eat, but are not satisfied. And what is said of them in the Psalm? "All such as be fat upon the earth have eaten and worshipped." They worship Christ, they venerate Christ, they pray unto Christ; but they are not satisfied with His wisdom and righteousness. Wherefore? Because they are not poor. For the poor, that is the humble in heart, the more they hunger, the more they eat; and the more empty they are of the world, the more hungry they are. He who is full refuseth whatsoever thou wilt give him, because he is full. Give me one who hungereth ; give me one of whom it is said, '"' Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled: " ®
15. ** This shall be My rest for ever" (ver. 14). These are the words of God. "My rest:" I rest there. How greatly doth God love us, brethren, since, because we rest, He saith that He also resteth! For He ts not sometimes Himself disturbed, nor doth He rest as we do; but He saith that He resteth there, because we snall have rest in Him. '" Here will I dwell: for I have a delight therein."
16. "I will bless her widow with blessings, and will satisfy her poor with bread" (ver. 15).
Every soul that is aware that it is bereft of all help, save of God alone, is widowed. For how doth the Apostle describe a widow? "She that is awidow indeed and desolate, trusteth in God." 2 He was speaking of those whom we all call
3 Luke xviii. 1-8. 4 Ps, xxiii, 4 © Matt. v. 6.
5 Ps, xxii, 29.
1 John viii. 39. 21 Tim. v. 5,6