Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
THE WORKS: OF ST: AUGUSTIN. [PsaLm CXXXIII. pleasant i is it, that brethren should dwell together in unity" (ver. 1). So sweet is that sound, that even they who know not the Psalter, sing that Verseny.te uw 2. For these same words of the Psalter, this sweet sound, that honeyed melody, as well of the mind as of the hymn, did even beget the Monasteries. By this sound were stirred up the brethren who longed to dwell together. This verse was their trumpet. It sounded through the whole earth, and they who had been divided, were gathered together. The summons of God, the summons of the Holy Spirit, the summons of the Prophets, were not heard in Judah, yet were heard through the whole world. They were deaf to that sound, amid whom it was sung ; they were found with their ears open, of whom it was said, "They shall see him, who were not told of him; they shall understand who heard not.'5 Yet, most beloved, if we reflect, the very blessing hath sprung from that wall® of circumcision. For have all the Jews perished? and whence were the Apostles, the sons of the Prophets, the sons of the exiles?7 He speaks as to them who know. Whence those five hundred, who saw the Lord after His Not carnal. Therefore, while all the bones are wrapped up in flesh, the horn goeth beyond the flesh. Spiritual altitude is a horn. But what is spiritual loftiness, save to trust in Christ? not to say, It is my work, I baptize ;' but, 'He it is who baptizeth."? There is the horn of David: and that ye may know that there is the horn of David, heed what followeth: "I have ordained a lantern for mine Anointed." What is a lantern? Ye already know the Lord's words concerning John: " He was a burning and a shining light."3 And what saith John? " He it is who baptizeth." Herein therefore shall the saints rejoice, herein the priests shall rejoice : because all that is good in themselves, is not of themselves, but of Him who hath the power of baptizing. Fearlessly therefore doth every one who hath received baptism come unto His temple ; because it is not man's, but His who made the horn of David to flourish.
21. "Upon Him shall My sanctification flourish" (ver. 18). Upon whom? Upon Mine Anointed. For when He saith, " Mine anointed," it is the voice of the Father, who saith, "I will bless her widow with blessings, and will satisfy her | " resurrection, whom the Apostle Paul commempoor with bread. salvation, and her saints shall rejoice and sing. He who saith, " There will I raise up the horn | of David," is God. He Himself saith, "I have ordained a lantern for Mine Anointed," because Christ is both ours and the Father's: He is our Christ, when. He saveth us and ruleth us, as | He is also our Lord: He is the Son of the Father, but both our Christ and the Father's. For if He were not the Father's Christ, it would not be said above, " For Thy servant David's sake, turn not Thou away the presence of Thine Anointed." 'Upon Him shall My sanctification flourish." It flourisheth upon Christ.
I will clothe her priests with | orates?® Whence those hundred and twenty,? who were together in one place after the resurrection of the Lord, and His ascension into heaven, on whom when gathered into one place the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost, sent down from heaven, sent, even as He was promised ? '° All were from thence, and they first dwelt together in unity ; who sold all they had, and laid the price of their goods at the Apostles' feet, as is read in the Acts of the Apostles."' And distribution was made to each one as he had need,' and none called anything his:own, but they had all things common. And what is "together in unity"? They had, he says, one mind and one heart God-wards.'3 So they were the first who heard, Behold how good and how pleasant i$ it, that brethren dwell together. They were the first to hear, but heard it not alone. : 3. From the words of this Psalm was taken the name of Monks, that no one may reproach you who are Catholics by reason of the name. When you with justice reproach heretics by reason of the Circelliones,'* that they may be Let none | of men assume this to himself, that he himself, sanctifieth : otherwise it will not be true, " Upon |
Him shall My sanctification flourish." The glory of sanctification shall flourish. The sanctification of Christ therefore in Christ Himself, is the power of the sanctification of God in Christ. In that he saith, "shall flourish,' he refers to His glory: for when trees flourish, then are they beautiful. Sanctification therefore is in Baptism: thence it flourisheth, and is brightened. Why hath the world yielded to this beauty? Because it flourisheth in Christ; for, put it in man's power, and how doth it then flourish? since "all flesh in grass, and all the goodliness thereof as the flower of the grass."
5 Isa. Ixv. 1. 6 Alluding to the two walls, Jewish and Gentile, rasa in the corner. See on Ps, lix. § 5, p. 243, andon Ps. xcv. § 6, 7 Ps, cxxvii. 4. Haxcuss?, a literal translation of the "Gikek LXX. éextetivayuevor. This translation of the ambiguous Hebrew root Wd which means to shake out, or expel, and VJ] a young man, is PSALM CXXXIII.4 preferred by the LXX. to the "young men" of our version. St. Augustin's interpretation see on Ps. cxxvii. § 7, p. 608.
1. This is a short Psalm, but one well known and quoted. "Behold, how good and how
8 1 Cor. xv. 6. 9 Acts i. 15. 10 Acts ii. 1-4. 11 Acts iv. 34, 35. 13 Acts iv. 32. 14 The Circumcelliones were a wandering kind of Anchorites, who lived under no rule, and were guilty of various irregularities, and who 22 Acts il. 45.
1 Donatists. 2 John i. 33. 3 John 4 Lat. CXXXII. A public discourse, in wate ee defends the Monks against the Donatists.