Expositions on the Book of Psalms
PsALM XXXVIL] ON THE PSALMS. 99 thee." For it was so that He made the inner man whole of his palsy, by loosing his sins, by binding fast his faith. . . . 4. But who is "the righteous" man, who "hath never been seen forsaken, nor his seed begging bread''? If you understand what is meant by " bread," you understand who is meant by him. For the " bread"' is the Word of God, which never departs from the righteous man's mouth. . . . See now if "holy meditation doth 'keep thee'"' in the rumination of this bread, then "hast thou never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."
"things temporal,' receive "things eternal: " give earth, receive heaven! And perhaps thou wouldest say, "To whom shall I give them?" The self-same Lord, who bade thee not lend on usury, comes forward as the Person to whom thou shouldest lend on usury! Hear from Scripture in what way thou mayest "lend unto the Lord." 'He that hath pity on the poor, lendeth unto the Lord." 3 For the Lord wanteth not aught of thee. But thou hast one who needs somewhat of thee: thou extendest it to him; he receives it. For the poor hath nothing to return to thee, and yet he would himself fain requite thee, and finds nothing wherewith to do it: all that remains in his power is the good-will that desires to pray for thee. Now when the poor man prays for thee, he, as it were, says unto God, "Lord, I have borrowed this; be Thou surety for me." Then, though you have no bond on the poor man to compel his repayment, yet you have on a sponsible security. See, God from His own Scriptures saith unto thee ; " Give it, and fear not; I repay it. It is to Me thou givest it." In what way do those who make themselves sureties for others, express themselves? What is it that they say? 'TI repay it: I take it upon myself. It is to me you are giving it." Do we then suppose that God also says this, "I take it on Myself. It is unto me thou givest it''?? Assuredly, if Christ be God, of which there is no doubt, He hath Himself said, "T was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat." 4 And when they said unto Him, " When saw we Thee hungry?"'5 that He might show Himself to be the Surety for the poor, that He answers for all His members, that He is the Head, they the members, and that when the members receive, the Head receiveth also; He says, " Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these that belong to Me, ye have done it unto Me."® Come, thou covetous usurer, consider what thou hast given; consider what thou art to receive. Hadst thou given a small sum of money, and he to whom thou hadst given it were to give thee for that small sum a great villa, worth incomparably more money than thou hadst given, how great thanks wouldest thou render, with how great joy wouldest thou be transported! Hear what possession He to whom thou hast been lending bestows. "Come, ye blessed of My Father, receive" 7— What? The same that they have given? God forbid! What you gave were earthly things, which, if you had not given them, would have become corrupted on earth. For what could you have made of them, if you had not given them? That which on earth would have been lost, has been preserved in heaven. Therefore what we
5. "He is always merciful, and lendeth" (ver. 26). '' Foeneratur" is used in Latin indeed, both for him who lendeth, and for him who borroweth. But in this passage the meaning is more plain, if we express it by " foenerat." What matters it to us, what the grammarians please to rule? It were better for us to be guilty of a barbarism, so that ye understand, than that in our propriety of speech ye be left unprovided. Therefore, that "righteous man is all day merciful, and (foenerat) lendeth."" Let not the lenders of money on usury, however, rejoice. For we find it is a particular kind of lender that is spoken of, as it was a particular kind of bread; that we may, in all passages, ''remove the roof," and find our way to Christ. I would not have you be lenders of money on usury; and I would not have you be such for this reason, because God would not have you. . . . Whence does it appear that God would not have it so? It is said in another place, '' He that putteth not out his money to usury."? And how detestable, odious, and execrable a thing it is, I believe that even usurers themselves know. Again, on the other hand, I myself, nay rather our God Himself, bids thee be an usurer, and says to thee, " Lend unto God." If thou lendest to man, hast thou hope? and shalt thou not have hope, if thou lendest to God? If thou hast lent thy money on usury to man, that is, if thou hast given the loan of thy money to one, from whom thou dost expect to receive something more than thou hast given, not in money only, but anything, whether it be wheat, or wine, or oil, or whatever else you please, if you expect to receive more than you have given, you are an usurer, and in this particular are not deserving of praise, but of censure. "What then," you say, "am I to do, that I may 'lend' profitably?"' Consider what the usurer does. He undoubtedly desires to give a less sum, and to receive a larger ; do thou this also ; give thou a little, receive much. See how thy principal grows, and increases! Give t Luke v. 20. 2 Ps, xv. 5. [This' intricate subject is nowhere more ably handled than by M. Huet in his Régne Social du Christiantsme, cap. ix. p. 317, Paris, 1853. —C.]
4 Matt. xxv. 35. 5 Matt. xxv. 37. 3 Prov. x. 17. 7 Matt. xxv. 34. 6 Matt. xxv. 40,