Expositions on the Book of Psalms
Psatm L.] ON THE PSALMS. 185 with Him are all things by-gone: things to come in such sort, that there be not withdrawn from Him all things by-gone. With Him are all things by a certain cognition of the ineffable wisdom of God residing in the Word, and the! Word Himself is all things. Is not the beauty of the field in a manner with Him, inasmuch as He is everywhere, and Himself hath said, " Heaven and earth I fill" 2? What with Him is not, of whom it is said, "If I shall have ascenaed into heaven, Thou art there; and if I shall have descended into hell, Thou art present" ?3 With Him is the whole: but it is not so with Him as that He doth suffer any contamination from those things which He hath created, or any want of them. For with thee, perchance, is a pillar near which thou art standing, and when thou art weary, thou leanest against it. Thou needest that which is with thee, God needeth not the field which is with Him. With Him is field, with Him beauty of earth, with Him beauty of heaven, with Him all winged creatures, because He is Himself everywhere. And wherefore are all things near Him? Because even before that all things were, or were created, to Him were known all things. heard what of us He requireth not, who willeth to enjoin us somewhat. If of such things ye were thinking, now withdraw your thoughts from such things: think not to offer God any such thing. If thou hast a fat bull, kill for the poor: let them eat the flesh of bulls, though they shall not drink the blood of he-goats. Which, when thou shalt have done, He will account it to thee, that hath said, "If I shall be hungry, I will not tell thee:" and He shall say to thee, "I was hungry, and thou gavest Me to eat."7 "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or shall I drink the blood of he-goats?"
21. Say then, Lord our God, what dost Thou enjoin thy people, Thy Israel? " Immolate to God the sacrifice of praise" (ver. 14). Let us also say to Him, "In me, O God, are thy vows, which I will render of praise to Thee." I had feared lest Thou mightest enjoin something which would be out of my power, which I was counting to be in my pen, and but now perchance it had been taken away by a thief. What dost Thou enjoin me? 'Immolate to God the sacrifice of praise."" Let me revert to myself, wherein I may find what I may immolate: let me revert to myself; in myself may I find immolation of praise: be Thy altar my conscience. We are without anxiety, we go not into Arabia in quest of frankincense :* not any bags of covetous dealer do we sift: God requireth of us the sacrifice of praise. Zacchzeus had this sacrifice of praise in his patrimony ;? the widow had it in her bag ; '° some poor host or other hath had it in his jar: another neither in patrimony, nor in bag, nor in jar, hath had anything, had it wholly in his heart: salvation was to the house of Zaccheus ; and more this poor widow cast in than those rich men: this man, that doth offer a cup of cold water, shall not lose his reward : but there is even "peace on earth to men of good will." ' "JImmolate to God the sacrifice of praise." O sacrifice gratuitous, by grace given! I have not indeed bought this to offer, but Thou hast given: for not even this should I have had. And this is the immolation of the sacrifice of praise, to render thanks to Him from whom thou hast whatever of good thou hast, and by whose mercy is forgiven thee whatsoever of evil of thine thou hast. '"Immolate to God the sacrifice of praise: and render to the Highest thy prayers." With this odour the Lord is well pleased.'3
19. Who can explain, who expound that which is said to Him in another Psalm, " For my goods Thou needest not" ?4 He hath said that He needeth not from us any necessary thing. "If I shall be hungry, I will not tell thee" (ver.
12). He that keepeth Israel shall neither hunger nor thirst, nor be weary, nor fall asleep.s But, lo! according to thy carnality I speak: because thou wilt suffer hunger when thou hast not eaten, perhaps thou thinkest even God doth hunger that He may eat. Even though He shall be hungry, He telleth not thee: all things are before Him, whence He will He taketh what is needful for Him. 'These words are said to convince little understanding ; not that God hath declared His hunger. Though for our sake this God of gods deigned even to hunger. He came to hunger, and to fill; He came to thirst, and give drink; He came to be clothed with mortality, and to clothe with immortality ; He came poor, to make rich. For He lost not His riches by taking to Him our poverty, for, "In him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden." °® "If I shall be hungry, I will not tell thee: For Mine is the whole world, and the fulness thereof." Do not then labour to find what to give Me, without whom I have what I will.
22. "And call thou upon Me in the day of thy tribulation: and I will draw thee forth, and thou shalt glorify Me" (ver. 15). For thou
20. Why then dost still think of thy flocks? "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or shall I drink the blood of he-goats?" (ver. 13). Ye have 7 Matt. xxv 8 (A. N. F. (iedullian) vol ili. p, 67, and (Irenzus) vol. i. p. 484, note 9. —C.
9 Luke xix. 8, TO Mark xii. 42. 1 Matt. x. 42. 12 Luke ii. 14. 13 [A.N, F. vol. vii. p. 553, note 6. —C.]
1 Or, "In (or with) the Word Himself are all things," 2 Mee xxiii, 24. 3 Ps. cxxxix. 8, 'S. XVi. 2. 5 Ps. cxxi. 4. 6 Col. ii. 3.