Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
670 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN. [PsaLm CXLVII.
Let none, go out, let none come in. Let none go out, we rejoice: let none come in, we fear. Nay, fear not this: when thou hast entered it will be said: only be thou in the number of virgins, who carried their oil with them. ...
"visions of peace ; " Sion meaneth " watching." See whether these words do not sound like sights ;? that the Gentiles may not think that they have sights and we have none. Sometimes after the theatre or amphitheatre breaks up, when the crowd of lost ones begins to be vomited forth from that den, sometimes, retaining in their minds images of their vain amusements, and feeding their memory with things not only useless but even hurtful, rejoicing in them as if they were sweet, while they are really deadly; they see often, it may be, the servants of God pass by, they recognise them by their garb or headdress, or they know them by sight,3 and they say to one another, or inwardly, "' Wretched people, how much they lose!'' Brethren, let us return their good will (for they do mean it well) with prayers to the Lord. They wish us well; but "he that loveth iniquity, hateth his own soul.' 4 If he hateth his own soul, how shall he love my soul? Yet with a perverse, and empty, and vain good will, if indeed it may be called good will, they grieve that we lose what they love: let us pray that they lose not what we love. Behold of what character that Jerusalem is to be which he exhorteth to praise, or rather foreseeth will praise. For the praises of that city, when we shall see and love and praise, will not need to be urged on and stirred up by the voice of prophecy ; but the Prophets now say this, to drink in as far as while they remain in this flesh they can, the future joys of the blessed, and then giving them forth into our ears, to arouse in us love of that city. Let us burn with longing, let us not be slothful in spirit. ' Praise thy God, O Sion." 20. He saith, " He hath made strong the bars of thy gates" (ver. 13). The making bars strong is not for open gates, but shut ones, wherefore most manuscripts read, " He hath made strong the bolts 5 of thy gates.' Observe, beloved. He biddeth Jerusalem when closed in to praise the Lord. We praise in unison now, we praise now ; but it is amid offences. Many where we wish not, enter in: many though we wish it not, go out: therefore offences are frequent. "And because iniquity hath abounded," saith the Truth," the love of many waxeth cold :"'® because men come in whom we cannot discern, because men go out whom we cannot retain. Wherefore is this? Because not yet is there perfection, not yet is there the bliss that shall be. Wherefore is this? Because as yet it is the threshing-floor, not yet the garner. What therefore will be then, save no fear that aught of this kind will happen? He said not only, He hath set, but, " He hath made strong the bars of thy gates."
21. "He hath blessed thy children within thee." Who? He "who hath set peace as thy borders." How ye all exult!7 Love peace, my brethren. Greatly are we delighted, when the love of peace crieth from your hearts. How greatly doth it delight you! I had said nothing: I had explained nothing: I but read the verse, and yeshouted. What was it that shouted in you? The love of peace. ...O children of the kingdom, O citizens of Jerusalem, in Jerusalem is the vision of peace: and all who love peace are blest in her, and they enter in, when the doors are being shut, and the bars made strong. This, which when but named ye so love and esteem, this follow after, this long for: this love in your home, in your business, in your wives,,in your sons, in your slaves, in your friends, in your enemies.
22. What ye cried out a while ago at the very mention of peace, ye cried from longing: your cry was from thirst, not from fulness; for there will be perfect righteousness where will be perfect peace. Now we hunger and thirst after righteousness. 'They shall be filled."® How shall they be filled? When we have arrived at peace. 'Therefore when he had said, "Who hath set peace for thy borders," because there is fulness and no want, he added at once, " and filleth thee with the fat of wheat " (ver. 14).
23. "Who sendeth forth His Word to the earth"? (ver. 15). Behold, on earth we toil, weary, fainting, sluggish, cold: when should we be raised up to the fat of wheat that satisfieth, did not He send His Word to the earth, whereby we were weighed down, to the earth, whereby we were hindered from returning? He sent. His Word, He deserted us not even in the wilderness, He rained manna from heaven. " Who sendeth forth His Word to the earth ;"' and to earth His Word came. How? or what is His Word? " Even unto swiftness His Word runneth." He said not, "His Word is swift," but, " His Word runneth even unto swiftness." Let us understand, my brethren: He could not have chosen a better word. He who is hot grows hot by heat, he who is cold grows cold by cold, he who is swift becometh swift by swiftness. . To what degree then doth it run? "Even to swiftness."" Increase as much as you will the swiftness of the Word, and say, It is as swift as this or that, as birds, as the winds, as the Angels; is any of these as great as swiftness itself, 'even unto swiftness''? What is swiftness itself, breth-
1 Speculatio. 2 Spectacula. 3 There is better reading in some MSS,; they happen to know them."
Jorté for fronte, "or
The Donatists were warlike. —C.] 7 [Here were applauses. 8 Matt. v. 6.
4 Ps. xi. 5: 5 Seras.
6 Matt. xxiv. 12,