Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
646 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN. [Psaum CXLI.
Christ. Therefore lest a crumb be given to the}them." Wait awhile: now they revile Me, saith hungry, and in the crumb a member of Christ| Christ. In the early times of the Christians, the suffer, is the hungry to die of hunger? False mercy to a crumb causeth true murder of a man. But who are their elect? 'Turn not thou aside, my heart, to wicked words, and I will not unite with their elect."
Christians were blamed on all sides. Wait as yet; and ' My word shall be well-pleasing to them." The time shall come when they shall conquer thousands of men, who shall beat their breasts, and say, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."' Even now, how many remain who blush to beat their breasts? Let them then blame us: let us bear it. Let them blame ; let them hate, accuse, detract; "still shall My word be well-pleasing to them ;"' the time shall come when My word shall please them... . O wordy defence of iniquity! Verily now whole nations say this, and the thunder of nations beating their breasts ceaseth not. Rightly do the clouds thunder, wherein now God dvwelleth. Where is now that wordiness, where that boasting, " Iam righteous ; nought of ill have I done"'? Verily, when thou hast contemplated in Holy Scripture the law of righteousness, how far soever thou hast advanced, thou shalt find thyself a sinner... . What sort of man am I now speaking of, brethren? I speak of him who worshippeth God alone, who confesseth Christ, who knoweth the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost to be one God; who committeth not fornication against Him; who worshippeth not devils ; who seeketh him not aid from the devil ; who holdeth the Catholic Church ; whom no one complaineth of as cheating ; under whose oppression no weak neighbour groaneth ; who assaileth not another's wife ; who is content with his own, or even without his own, in such wise as is lawful, and as Apostolical discipline permitteth, with consent of both, or when she is not yet married. Even he who is such as this, is yet overtaken in such things as I have mentioned. For all these daily sins then what is our hope, save to say with humble heart in the Lord's Prayer, while we defend not our sins, but confess them, " Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors ;"5 and to "have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous," that He may be " the propitiation for our sins" ?® See what followeth : 'their judges have been swallowed up beside the Rock"'
7. "The righteous One shall amend me in mercy, and convict me" (ver. 5). Behold the sinner confessing. He desireth to be amended in mercy, rather than praised deceitfully. ... "Shall convict me," but "in mercy: " shall convict, yet hateth not: yea, shall all the more convict, because He hateth not. And why doth he therefore give thanks? Because, " rebuke a wise man, and hewilllovethee.'"'? "The righteous One shall amend me." Because He persecuteth thee? God forbid. He requireth rather amending himself, who amendeth in hate. Wherefore then doth He amend? "In mercy. And shall convict me." Wherein? "In mercy. For the oil of a sinner shall not enrich my head." My head shall not grow by flattery. Undue praise is flattery: undue praise of a flatterer is "the oil of a sinner.' 'Therefore men too, when they have mocked any one with false praise, say, "I have anointed his head." Love then to be "convicted by the righteous One in mercy ;"' love not to be praised by a sinner in mockery. Have oil in yourselves, and ye shall not seek the STolleoiea sinner?' 2 ss
8. Thou sayest to me, What am I doing? I am beset with flatterers; they cease not to besiege me; they praise in me what I would not, that praise in me what I hold in little esteem ; what I hold dear they blame in me; flatterers, treacherous, deceivers. For instance, ' Gaiuseius3 is a great man, great, learned, wise; but why is he a Christian? For great is his learning, great his reading, great his wisdom." If great is his wisdom, approve of his being a Christian ; if great his learning, learnedly hath he chosen. In fine, what thou revilest, that pleaseth him whom thou praisest. But what? That praise sweeteneth not: it is "the oil of a sinner." he not to speak so. Let him not therewith "fatten thy head ;"' that is, rejoice not in such things ; agree not to such things ; consent not to such things; rejoice not in such things; and then, if he have applied to thee the oil of flattery, yet hath thy head remained as it was, it has not been puffed up, it hath not swollen... . "For still shall My word be well-pleasing to
Yet ceaseth !
(ver. 6). What is, "swallowed up beside the Rock? That Rock was Christ.?- They have been swallowed up beside the Rock." "Beside," that is, compared, as judges, as mighty, powerful, learned: they are called "their judges," as judging about morals, and laying down their opinions. This Aristotle said. Set him beside the Rock, and he is swallowed up. Who is Aristotle ? let him hear, " Christ hath said," and he trembleth among the dead. This Pythagoras said, that Plato said. Set them beside the Rock, compare their authority to the authority
I Prov. ix. 8. 2 Matt. xxv. 4, etc. 3 This is probably taken from Tertullian, Afo/. c. 3: '' What when the generality run upon an hatred of this name with eyes so closed, that, in bearing favourable testimony to any one, they mingle with it the reproach of the name. 'A oe man Cais Seius, only he is a Christian.' So another, 'I marvel that that wise man Lucius Titius hath suddenly become a Christian.' No one reflected whether Caius be not therefore good and Lucius wise, because a Christian, or therefore a Christian because wise and good." [See A. N. F. vol. iii. p. 20. —C.]
4 x Cor. vii. 5. vi 5 Matt. vi, 12. 6 x Johnii. 1, 2. 7 x Cor. x. 4,
Psatm CXLI]. ON THE PSALMS. 647 of the Gospel, compare the proud to the Crucified. Say we to them, "Ye have written your words in the hearts of the proud; He hath planted His Cross in the hearts! of kings : finally,
10. What then have all those deaths of the martyrs accomplished? Listen: 'As the fatness of the earth is spread over the earth, our bones have been scattered beside the pit'' (ver.
7). "The bones" of the martyrs, that is, the bodies of the witnesses of Christ. The martyrs were slain, and they who slew them seemed to prevail. They prevailed by persecution, that the words of Christ might prevail by preaching. And what was the result of the deaths of the saints? What meaneth, "the fatness of the earth is spread over the earth"? We know that everything that is refuse is the fatness of the earth. The things which are, as it were, contemptible to men, enrich the earth. " Precious in the sight 'of the Lord is the death of His saints."3 As it is contemptible to the world, so is it precious to the husbandman. For he knoweth the use thereof, and its rich juice; he knoweth what he desireth, what he
He died, and rose again; ye are dead, and I will not ask how ye rise again." So "their judges have been swallowed up beside" that "Rock." So long do their words seem somewhat, till they are compared with the Rock. Therefore if any of them be found to have said what Christ too hath said, we congratulate him, but we follow him not. But he came before Christ. If any man speak what is true, is he therefore before the Truth itself? Regard Christ, O man, not when He came to thee, but when He made thee. The sick man too might say, "But I took to my bed before the physician came to me." Why, for that very reason has He come last, because thou first has sickened.
g. "They shall hear My Words, for they have prevailed.'"" My Words have prevailed over their words. 'They have spoken clever things, I true things. To praise one who talketh well is one thing, to praise One who speaketh truth is another. 'They shall hear My Words, for they have prevailed." How have they prevailed? Who of them has been taken offering sacrifice, when such things were forbidden by the law, and has not denied it? Who of them has been taken worshipping an idol, and has not exclaimed, "I did it not," and feared lest he should be convicted? Such servants hath the devil. But how have the Words of the Lord prevailed? " Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Fear not those who kill the body," etc.2, He gave them fear, He suggested hope, He kindled love. "Fear not death," He saith. Do ye fear death? I die first. Fear ye, lest a hair of your head perish? I first rise again in the flesh uninjured. Rightly have ye heard His Words, for they have prevailed. They spake, and were slain; they fell, and yet stood. And what was the result of so many deaths of martyrs, save that those words prevailed, and the earth being, so to speak, watered by the blood of Christ's witnesses, the cross of the Church shot up everywhere? How have they " prevailed'? We have said already, when they were preached by men who feared not. Feared not what? Neither banishment, nor losses, nor death, nor crucifixion: for it was not death alone that they did not fear; but even crucifixion, a death than which none was thought more accursed. It the Lord endured, that His disciples might not only not fear death, but not even that kind of death. When then these things are said by men that fear not, they have prevailed.
seeketh, whence the fertile crop ariseth; but this world despiseth it. Know ye not that "God hath chosen the contemptible things of the world, and those which are not, like as those which are, that the things which are may be brought to nought"?4 From the dunghill was Peter lifted up, and Paul; when they were put to death, they were despised: now, the earth having been enriched by them, and the cross of the Church springing up, behold, all that is noble and chief in the world, even the emperor himself, cometh to Rome, and whither does he hasten? to the temple of the emperor, or the memorial of the fisherman?
11. "For unto Thee, Lord, are mine eyes; in Thee have I hoped, take not Thou away my life'' (ver. 8). For they were tortured in persecutions, and many' failed. It occurreth to him that many have failed, many have been in hazard, and as it were in the midst of the tribulation of persecution is sent forth the voice of one praying; " For unto Thee, Lord, are mine eyes:"' I care not what they threaten who stand around, "unto Thee, Lord, are mine eyes." More do I fix mine eye on Thy promises than on their threats. I know what Thou hast suffered for me, what Thou hast promised me.
12. "Keep me from the trap which they have laid for me" (ver. 9). What was the trap? "Tf thou consentest, I spare thee." In the trap was set the bait of the present life; if the bird love this bait, it falleth into the trap: but if the bird be able to say, ''The day of man have I not desired : Thou knowest :'' 5 "' He shall pluck his feet out of the net," etc. Two things he hath mentioned to be distinguished the one from the other: the trap he said was set by persecutors ; the stumbling-blocks came from
4x Cor. i. 27, 28 3 Ps. cxvi. 15. 6p Sh XRVAt Se 5 Jer. xvii. 16.
1 "On the foreheads," mss. 2 Matt. x. 16, 28.