Psalm 40 (Vulgate 39)

above all things, my brethren, remember this short text, and hold fast this which we all of us have lust heard from the Gospel. He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Our fathers have already been delivered up to councils, have pleaded their causes before the enemies whom they loved; they gave to them as much of reproof as they could; and shewed them as much love as they could; and the seed of the righteous blood hath been sown, and from that blood, as from seed sown throughout the world, the harvest of the Church has risen. The age that follows is that of scandals, and of hypocrisy, and of trials, from those who say, Lo! here is Christ; or Lot there. That enemy ofib. ours was at that time a Lion, while he was raging with open violence; now that he is in secret, conspiring against us, he is a Dragon. But may He to Whom it was said, Thou sliall trample under thy feet the Lion and the Dragon, inasmuch as we are His body and His limbs, just as He then trampled under the feet of our Fathers the Lion, while raging against us openly, and dragging on the Martyrs to their sufferings, even so now in like manner trample the Dragon under our feet likewise, that he may not lie in wait for us. Against which dragon the Apostle, wishing to put us on our guard, says, /2 have espoused you to one husband to present you a chaste virgin unto Christ. But I fear lest as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the purity that is in Christ Jesus. That old adulterer then, the serpent, seeks to corrupt the purity of the mind, not that of the flesh. But even as the human tempter rejoices in his wickedness, when he corrupts the flesh, even so does that devil triumph, when he corrupts the mind. But just as our fathers had need of patience in their conflict with the Lion, so have we of vigilance in ours with the serpent But the persecution of the Church, whether it come from the Dragon, or from the Lion, never ceases; and the enemy is more to be feared when he is deceiving, than whilst he is raging. At that time he used to constrain Christians lo deny Christ, at the present time he persuades them to deny Christ His manner then was to constrain by force, now he persuades. At that time then he brought violeuce to bear upon us; at this time treachery; at that time he was seen, when roaring against us; now, while he is wandering about with slippery stealth, he is seen with difficulty. In what way however he used at that time to force Christians to deny Christ, is well kuown. For they were dragged before judgment-seats, that they might deny Christ; and by confessing Him, they earned the crown. Now however he persuades men into denying Christ; and the reason that he succeeds in deceiving is, that he who is being persuaded to deny Christ, appears to himself to be (as it were) not departing from Christ. For what is said in these days by the Heretics1 to the Catholic? * Come, and be a Christian.' It is for this reason that they say, ' Be a Christian,' that he may say, " Am I not one?" It is a very different thing to say, " Come, be a Christian," and to say, " Come, deny Christ" The manifest danger, the roar of the lion, is heard long beforehand: is guarded against long beforehand. The slippery serpent makes his approaches, creeping along with stealthy gliding; stealing on with noiseless trail, insinuating into your ears his artful whisper, and he does not say, deny Christ; (for since the time that the Martyrs were crowned, who would listen to his voice?) but he says, c Be a Christian.' And the other, (the extraordinary speech having made an impression upon him,) if the poison hath not yet penetrated him, replies, ' Assuredly, I am a Christian already.' But if he is moved, and bitten by the serpent's fangs, answers, "Why do you say to me, Be a Christian? What? am I not a Christian already?" The other answers, " No." " Am I then really not a Christian?" " No." " Do you then make me one now, if I am not one already." Come, then, but when you begin to be questioned by the Bishop, as to who you are, do not say, "I am a Christian," or "lama believer;" but say that you are not one, in order that you may be made one. For when he has heard confession of a Christian believer, he dares9 not baptize thee over again; but when he hears that he is not one, he gives it to him as that which he had not before; that he himself may have the appearance of being free from blame, in that he acts according to the other's words. On which point, I demand of you, Heretic, why you think yourself to be free from blame? What is it that I hear in this your answer? " That it is not you that deny Christ, but the other." If he who denies is in fault, what is he who teaches the person, who denies, to make that denial? Are you, however, in deed so perfectly free from blame, who, being a Christian, effect the same object by persuasion, that the Pagan used to effect by threats? And what do you effect by it? Do you remove what he had, because he denies what he really has? You do not make him not have it, but you make him have it to his own punishment! For what he has, he has. That Baptism is a kind of ' character9 stamped upon him; it decorated the soldier; it convicts the deserter! For what is it you would do? You are building Christ upon Christ! If you yourself were single minded, you would not seek to double Christ. Then I would ask you, have you forgotten that Christ is a stone, and the stone which the builders rejected, has become the head-stone of the corner? If Christ21'42, then be a stone, and you would lay Christ upon Christ, you have let slip what you heard in the Gospel, there shall not be one stone upon another. Yet so great is the force of the connecting bond of charity, that although many living stones meet together in the building of God's Temple, yet they*'6, altogether make but one stone. You however have split yourself off; you call men away from the " being built up;" you call them to a downfall! And these insidious designs are too common, and they never cease; and we see it, and we endure it with patience, and endeavour to check them to the best of our power by disputing with them, by refuting them, by meeting them, by threatening them, yet in all things loving them. And when, in spite of our so doing, they persevere in their evil way, and our heart consumes away with grief for our brother's death, while it grieves over those who are without and fears for those within, in the midst of the manifold distresses and unceasing trials with which this life abounds, what shall we do? For from iniquity abounding thus, a kind of lethargy "J falls upon our charity. Because iniquity aboundeth, the love of many waxeth cold. And what else should we do, but what follows, if at least by His help we may be able to do it. He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be™*'24' saved.

2. Let us say then what this Psalm says. (Ver. 1.) / waited patiently for the Lord. I waited patiently for the promise of no mere mortal, who can both deceive and be himself deceived: I waited for the consolation of no mere mortal, who may be consumed by sorrow of his own, before he gives me comfort. Should a brother mortal attempt to comfort me, when he himself is in sorrow likewise? Let us mourn in company; let us weep together, let us wait patiently together, let us join our prayers together also. Whom did I wait for but for the Lord? The Lord, Who though He puts off the fulfilment of His promises, yet never recals them? He will make it good; assuredly He will make it good, because He has made many of His promises good already: and of God's truth we ought to have no fears, even if as yet He had made none of them good. Lo! let us henceforth think thus, ( He has promised us every thing; He has not as yet given us possession of any thing; He is a sponsible Promiser; a faithful Pay-master: do you but shew yourself a dutiful exactor of what is promised; and if you be weak, if you be one of the little ones, claim the promise of His mercy. Do you not see tender 1 lambs striking their dams' teats wtn tner Deads> in order that they may get their fill of milk? / waited patiently for the Lord, says he. And what does He in return? Has He turned away His face from thee? Hath He despised thee when waiting patiently upon Him? Or has He perhaps not seen thee? Not so, by any means. But what has He done to thee?

And He took heed unto me, and heard my cry. He took heed to it, and He heard it. See thou hast not waited in vain. His eyes are over thee. His ears turned towards thee. For, the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry. What then? Did He not see thee, when thou usedst to do evil and to blaspheme Him? What then becomes of what is said in that very Psalm, The face of the Lord is upon them that do evil*? But for what end? That He may cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. Therefore, even when thou wert wicked, He took heed of thee; but He took no heed to theeh. Vulg. super. tibi. So then to him who wailed patiently for the Lord, it was not enough to say, He took heed of me, He says, He took heed to me; that is, He took heed by comforting me, that He might do me good. What was it that He took heed to? and He heard my cry.

8. And what hath He accomplished for thee? What hath He done for thee. (Ver. 2.) He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. (Ver. 3.) And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our Ood. He hath given us great blessings already: and still He is our debtor; but let him who hath this part of the debt repaid already, believe that the rest will be also, seeing that he ought to have believed even before he received any thing. Our Lord has employed facts themselves to persuade us, that He is a faithful promiser, a liberal giver. What then has He already done? He has brought me out of a horrible pit. What horrible pit is that? It is the depth of iniquity, from the lusts of the flesh, for this is meant by the miry clay. Whence hath He brought thee out? Out of a certain deep, out of which thou criedst out in another Psalm, Out o/P*. the deep have I called unto Thee, O Lord. And those who are already " crying out of the deep," are not absolutely in the lowest deep: the very act of crying is already lifting them up. There are some deeper in the deep, who do not even perceive themselves to be in the deep. Such are those who are proud despisers, not pious entreaters for pardon; not tearful criers for mercy: but such as Scripture thus describes. The sinner d when he comes into the depth of evil despiseth. For he is deeper in the deep, who is not satisfied with being a sinner, unless instead of confessing he even defends his sins. But he who has already cried out of the deep, hath already lifted up his head in order that he might 4 cry out of the deep,' has been heard already, and has been brought out of the horrible pit, and out of the mire and clay. He already has faith, which he had not before; he has hope, which he was before without; he now walks in Christ, who c Or thus, i what horrible pit is that? the miry clay.* before used to go astray in the devil. For on that account it is that he says, /lie AaM wiy feet upon a rocky and established my goings. Now that Rock was Christ. Supposing that we are upon the rock, and that our goings are orderedy still it is necessary that we continue to walk; that we advance to something farther. For what did the Apostle Paul say when now upon the Rock, when his goings had now been established? Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended. What then has been done for thee, if thou hast not apprehended? On what account dost thou return thanks, saying, But I have obtained mercy? Because his goings are now established, because he now walks on the Rock? For what does He say, But this one thing I do, forgetting what is behind. What is behind? The horrible pit. What is behind? It is the mire and clay, the lusts of the flesh, the darkness of iniquities. Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those which are before. Now he would not speak of himself as reaching forth unto those things which are before9 if he had already reached them. For the mind reacheth forwards from longing for an object desired; not from delight hi one obtained. Beaching forth9 he says, to those which are beforey I press toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He was then on his course, he was hastening on to the victory. And in another place, when now close to the prize, he cries, / have finished my course. Therefore, when he was saying, / press forward toward the prize of my high calling y because his feet were now set on the Rocky and his goings were orderedy because he was now walking on the right way, he had something to return thanks for; something to ask for still; returning thanks for what he had received already, while he was claiming that which still remained due. For what things already received was he giving thanks? For the remission of sins, for the illumination of faith; for the strong support of hope, for the fire of charity. But in what respects had he still a claim of debt on the Lord? Hence-for thy he says, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. There is therefore something due to me still. What is it that is due? A crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day. He was at first a loving Father to bring him forth from the horrible pit; to forgive his sins, to rescue hiin from t/ie mire and clay; hereafter he will be a righteous Judge, requiting to him walking rightly, what He promised; to him, (I say,) unto whom He had at the first granted that power to walk rightly. He then as a righteous Judge will repay; but whom will he repay? He that endureth unto the end, the same shall be saved.

9. Ver. 3. He hath put a new song in my mouth. What new song is this? Even a hymn unto our God. Perhaps you used to sing hymns to strange gods; old hymns, because they were uttered by the old man, not by the new man; let the new man be formed, and let him sing a new song; being himself made new, let him love those new things by which he is himself made new. For what is more Ancient than God, Who is before all things, and is without end and without beginning. He becomes new to thee, when thou returned to Him; because it was by departing from Him, that thou hadst become old; and hadst said, I have waxed old867 because of all mine enemies. We therefore utter a hymn unloour God; and the hymn itself sets us free. For I will call upon the Lord to praise Him, and I will be safe from all mine enemies. For a hymn is a song of praise. Call on God to praise Him, not to find fault with Him. For when you call on God to destroy your enemy, when you would lain rejoice in another's ill, and call on God to bring this ill about, you are trying to make Him a partaker of your own malice. Now if you make Him a partaker of your own malice, you call upon Him, not to praise, but to reflect upon Him. For you think God to be such an one as yourself. Whence in another place it is said unto you, These things?* hast thou done, and I kept silence: and thou thoughtest wickedly that I was altogether such an one as thyself. Call on the Lord then to praise Him. Think Him not to be like unto thee, that thou mayest thyself become like unto Him. For, Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father is perfect; He, Who makes His sun to rise on the evil, and onf the good; and sendeth rain on the jnst and the unjust. Praise thou, therefore, the Lord, so as not to wish ill unto thine enemies. * And how much good,' (sayest thou,) * am 1 to wish him.' As much as to thine own self. For it will not be out of what is thine that they will receive the gift of becoming good; nor will what is to be given to them, be a diminution of what thou possessest. Thine enemy is thine enemy, because he is wicked; as soon as he becomes good, he becomes thy friend and thy partner; so that thou mayest be willing to possess in conjunction with him, what thou before desiredst; He will henceforth be thy brother. Call then on God to praise Him: sing an hymn unto thy God. jyfe sacrifice 0f pra(se9 (He says,) glorifieth Me. What? Will God's glory be greater because thou glorifiest Him? Or do we add any thing to God's glory, when we say to Him, * I glorify Thee, O my God;' or make Him more holy, when we say to Him, ' I bless Thee, O my God?' When He Himself blesseth us, He maketh us more holy: He maketh us more happy: when He glorifieth us, He maketh us more glorious, more honourable: when we glorify Him, it profiteth ourselves, not Him. For how do we glorify Him? It is by calling Him, not by making Him, glorious. What then does He go on to say, after saying, The sacrifice of praise glorifieth Me. Lest thou shouldest think that thou doest any thing for God, by offering Him the sacrifice of praise He says, And there is the way, where I will shew unto him my salvation*. Thou seest that it is thyself, not God, that it will profit, if thou praisest God. Dost thou praise God? Thou art walking in the right way. Dost thou reflect upon Him? Then hast thou lost the way.

10. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even a hymn unto our God. If haply any one asks, what person is speaking in this Psalm? I would say briefly, " It is Christ." But as ye know, brethren, and as we must say frequently, Christ sometimes speaks in His own Person, in the Person of our Head. For He Himself is the Saviour of the Body. He is our Head; [even He,] the Son of God, Who was born of the Virgin, suffered for us, rose again for our justification, sitteth at the right hand of God, to make intercession for us: Who is also to recompense to the evil and to the good, in the judgment, all the evil and the good that they have done. He deigned to become our Head; to become the Head of the Body, by taking of us that flesh, in which He should die for us; that flesh which He also raised up again for our sakes, that in that flesh He might place before us an instance of the resurrection; that we might learn to hope for that, of which we heretofore despaired, and might henceforth have our feet upon the rock, and might walk in Christ. He then sometimes speaks in the name of our Head; sometimes also He speaks of us who are His members. For both when He said, 1 was an hungred, and gape Me meat, He spoke on behalf of His members, not of Himself: and when He said, Saul, Saul, why per sec utesl Ihou Me? The Head was crying on behalf of its members: and yet He did not say, Why dost thou persecute My members? but, Why per secu test thou Me? If He suffers in us, then shall we also be crowned in Him. Such is the love of Christ. What is there can be compared to this? This is the thing on account of which He hath put a hymn in our mouthy and this He speaks on behalf of His members.

11. The just shall see andshali fear ', and shall trust in the Lord. The just shall see. Who are the just? The faithful; because it is by faith that the just shall live. For there is in the Church this order, some go before, others follow; and those who go before make themselves an example to those who follow; and those who follow imitate those who go before. But do those then follow no one, who exhibit themselves as an ensample to them that come after? If they follow no one, at all, they will fall into error. These persons then must themselves also follow some one, that is, Christ Himself. For all the better sort of persons in the Church, for whom there now remained no longer any man worthy to be a model for their imitation; because, by the proficiency they have made, they had left all others behind; for them Christ Himself remains, as One Whom they may follow even unto the end. And that there are degrees of precedence you see by the Apostle Paul, saying, Be ye followers of Me, even as I also am of\f™' Christ. Let those then who have already had their goings established on the Rock, let them be an example to the believers. But be thou, sailh he, an example of the be- - eyes on those who precede them in goodness, follow them in the way of imitation. In what way do they follow? The just shall see, and fear. " Shall see, and shall fear" to follow the evil way; when they see that all the better sort of persons have already chosen the good way; and they say in their hearts, just as travellers are wont to do, when being themselves in uncertainty about the road, and wavering, as it were, as to which they should travel by, they observe others walking on a certain road with confidence, and say to themselves, It is not without reason that these men go this road, while they are intending to arrive at the same point with ourselves; and wherefore is it that they go this way with great confidence, except that it is fatal to go the other. The just therefore, shall see, and shall fear. They see a narrow way on the one hand; on the other side, a broad road: on this side they see few, on the other many. But thou art a just man; count them not, but weigh them; bring " a just balance," not a deceitful one: because thou art called just. The just shall see, and fear, applies to thee. Count not therefore the multitudes of men that are filling the "broad ways," that are to fill the circus to-morrow; celebrating with shouts the City's Anniversary, while they defile the City itself by evil living. Look not at them; they are many in number; and who can count them? But there are a few travelling along the narrow road. Bring forth the balance, I say. Weigh them; see what a quantity of chaff you lift up on the one side, against a few grains of corn on the other. Let this be done, by the just, the believers, who are to follow. And what shall they who precede, do? Let them not be proud, let them not exalt themselves; let them not deceive those who follow them. How may they deceive those who follow them? By promising them salvation in themselves. What then ought those who follow to do? The just shall see, and fear: and *hall trust in the Lord; not in those who go before them. But indeed they fix their eyes on those who go before them, and follow and imitate them; but they do so, because they consider from Whom they have received the grace to go before them; and because they trust in Him. Although therefore they make these their models, they place their trust in Him from Whom the others have received the grace, whereby they are such as they are. 77te jusl shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Just as in another Psalm, / lift up mine eyes unto the hills, we understand by hills, all distinguished and great spiritual persons in the1' Church; great in solidity, not by swollen inflation. By these it is that all Scripture hath been dispensed unto us; they are the Prophets, they are the Evangelists; they are sound Doctors: to these / lift up mine eyes, from whence shall come my help. And lest you should think of mere human help, he goes on to say, My help cometh from the Lord, Which made heaven and earth. The just shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

12. Come then, all those who would fain trust in the Lord, who see and fear. Let them fear to walk the evil way; the broad road. Let them choose the narrow road, there where there are some persons' goings established on the Rock. Let them now hear what they ought to do.

Ver. 4. Blessed is that man, that maketh the name of the Lord his trust, and hath not respected vanities or lying madnesses. Behold the way by which thou wouldest fain have gone. Behold the multitude that fill the i broad way V It is not without reason that road leads to the amphitheatre. It is not without reason it leads to Death. The broad way leads unto death, its breadth delights for time: its end is straitness to all eternity. Aye; but the multitudes murmur; the multitudes are rejoicing together; the multitudes are hastening along; the multitudes are flocking together! Do not thou imitate them; do not turn aside after them: they are vanities, and lying madnesses. Let the Lord thy God be thy hope. Hope for nothing else from the Lord thy God; but let the Lord thy God Himself be thine hope. For many persons hope to obtain from God's hands riches, and many perishable and transitory honours; and, in short, any thing else they hope to obtain at Gods hands, except only God Himself. But do thou seek after thy God Himself: nay, indeed, despising all things else, make thy way unto Him! Forget other things, remember Him. Leave other things behind, and press forward unto Him. Surely it is He Him- 8e'^ set *ee "K^t, when turned away from the right path; Who, now that thou art set in the right path, guides thee aright, Who guides thee to thy destination. Let Him then be thy hope, Who both guides thee, and guides thee to thy destination. Whither does worldly covetousness lead thee? And to what point does it conduct thee at the last? Thou didst at first desire a farm; then thou wouldest possess an estate; thou wouldest shut out thy neighbours; having shut them out, thou didst set thy heart on the possessions of other neighbours; and didst extend thy covetous desires till thou hadst reached the shore: arriving at the shore, thou covetest the islands: having made the earth thine own, thou wouldest haply seize upon heaven. Leave thou all thy loves. He Who made heaven and earth is more beautiful than all.

8. Blessed is the man that maketh the name of the Lord his hope, and who hath not regarded vanities and lying madnesses. For whence is it that madness is called " lying?" Insanity is a lying thing, even as it is sanity that sees the Truth. For what thou seest as good things f, thou art deceived; thou art not in thy sound senses: a violent fever has driven thee to frenzy: that which thou art in love with is not a reality. Thou applaudest the charioteer; thou cheerest the charioteer; thou art madly in love with the charioteer. It is vanity; it is a lying madness. ' It is not? (he cries.) " Nothing can be better; nothing more delightful. What can I do for one in a state of high fever? Pray ye for such persons, if you have any feelings of compassion in you. For the physician himself also in a desperate case generally turns to those in the house, who stand around weeping; who are hanging on his lips to hear his opinion of the patient who is sick and in danger. The physician stands in a state of doubt: he sees not any good to promise; he fears to pronounce evil, lest he should excite alarm. He devises a thoroughly modest sentence; " The good God can do all things. Pray ye for him." Which then of these madmen shall I check? Which of them will listen to me? Which of them would not call us miserable? Because they suppose good things.' us to have lost great and various pleasures, of which they are madly fond, in that we are not as madly in love with them as they are: and they do not see that they are lying pleasures. When I offer him an egg, or hold forth the cup that is to restore health to him, I hurt him. And when shall I find a way, whereby to restore him to health? Should I exhort him to take refreshment, lest he should sink from exhaustion, and not attain to sound health, he presents his fists; he wishes to vent his fury upon his physician. And though he strike one, still let him be loved; though he do one an injury, let him not be given over; he will return to a sound mind, he will thank us by and bye. How many are there here, who examine themselves, who consider each other, and speak of each other in the Church of God: who in the Holy Church's bosom observe that their now rightly-directed desires after the word of God, after the offices and duties of charity, after the frequenting of Christ's flock, do not stray from the Church, they look at each other, and talk of each other in turns. " Who is this passionate lover of the Circus? Who is this lover and admirer of such an actor, and such a gladiator?" He applies it to another; and the other to him. Assuredly these things are true; assuredly we rejoice in persons of this description. If we rejoice in such persons as these, let us not despair of such persons as these. Let us pray for ihem; dearly beloved: it is out of these, out of the number of those who once composed the number of the ungodly, that the number of the Saints is increased. And hath not respected vanities, and lying madnesses. " Such a one has won," he cries; " he harnessed such and such a horse," he proclaims aloud. He would fain be a kind of diviner; he aspires to the honours of divination by abandoning the fountain of Divinity; and he frequently pronounces an opinion, and is frequently mistaken. Why is this? Even because they are lying madnesses. But why is it that what they say sometimes comes true? That they may lead astray the foolish ones; that by loving the semblance of truth there, they may fall into the snare of falsehood: let them be left behind, let them be given over, let them be cut off. If they were members of us, they must be mortified. Mortify, he says, your members which uPon Me earth. Let our God be our hope. He Who made all things, is better than all! He Who made what is beautiful, is more beautiful than all that is such. He Who made whatever is mighty, is Himself mightier. He Who made whatever is great, is Himself greater. He will be unto you every thing that you love. Learn in the creature to love the Creator; and in the work Him Who made it. Let not that which has been made by Him detain thine affections, so that thou shouldest lose Him by Whom thou thyself wert made also. Blessed, then, is the man, that maketh the Name of the Lord his trust; and hath not respected vanities and lying madnesses.

9. Perhaps he, who being impressed by that verse, desires to amend his ways, and being seized by fear for the righteousness of faith, shall desire to walk the narrow road; perhaps he (I say) will say unto us, I shall not be able to persevere in walking, if 1 have nothing to behold. What are we to do then, brethren? Are we to leave him altogether without a spectacle? He will die; he will not persevere; He will not follow us. What shall we do then? We will give him other sights in exchange for sights [like these]. And what sights shall we present to the Christian, whom we would fain divert from those sights? I thank the Lord our God; He in the following verse of the Psalm hath shewn us, what sights we ought to present and offer to spectators who would fain have sights to see? Let us now suppose him to be weaned from the circus, the theatre, the amphitheatre; let him be looking after, let him by all means be looking after, some sight to see; we do not leave him without a spectacle. What then shall we give in exchange for those? Hear what follows.

Ver. 5. Many, O Lard my God, are the wonderful works which Thou hast made. He used to gaze at the wonderful works of man; let him now contemplate the wonderful works of God. Many are tfte wonderful works that God has made. Why are they become vile in his eyes? He praises the charioteer guiding four horses; running all of them without fault and without stumbling. Perhaps the Lord has not made such wonderful works in things spiritual. Let him control lust1, let him control cowardice*, let him control injustice, let him control imprudence, I mean, the passions which falling into excess produce those vices; let him control these and bring them into subjection, and let him hold the reins, and not suffer himself to be carried away; let him guide them the way he himself would have them go; let him not be forced away whither he would not. He used to applaud the charioteer, he himself shall be applauded for his own charioteering; he used to call out that the charioteer should be invested with a dress of honour; he shall himself be clothed with immortality. These are the spectacles, these the sights that God exhibits to us. He cries out of heaven, " My eyes are upon you. Strive, and I will assist you; triumph, and I will crown yon." Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which Thou hast made.

And in Thy thought there is none that is like unto Thee. Now then look at the actor! For the man hath by dint of great pains learnt to walk upon a rope; and hanging there he holds thee hanging in suspense. Turn to Him who exhibits spectacles far more wonderful. This man hath learned to walk upon the rope; but hath he caused another to walk on the sea? Forget now thy theatre; behold our Peter; not a walker on the rope, but, so to speak, a walker on the sea3. And do thou also walk on other waters, (though not on those on which Peter walked,^"" to symbolize a certain truth,) for this world is a sea. It hath a deleterious bitterness; it hath the waves of tribulations, the tempests of temptations; it hath men in it who, like fish, delight in their own ruin, and prey upon each other; walk thou here, set thou thy foot on this. Thou wouldest see sights; be thyself a spectacle. That thy spirit may not sink, look on Him Who goes before thee, and says, We havei been made a spectacle unto this world, and unto angels, and4* unto men. Tread thou on the waters; suffer not thyself to be drowned in the sea. Thou wilt not go there, thou wilt not " tread it under foot," unless it be His bidding, Who was Himself the first to walk upon the sea. For it was thus that Peter spoke. If Thou art, bid me come unto Thee on the waters. And because He was, He heard him when14'28 praying; He granted his wish to him when expressing his desire; He raised him up when sinking. These are the wonderful works that the Lord hath made. Look on them; let faith be the eye of him who would behold them. And do thou also likewise; for although the winds alarm thee, though the waves rage against thee, and though human frailty may have inspired thee with some doubt of thy salvation, thou hast it in thy power to cry out, thou mayest say, Lord, I perish. He Who bids thee walk there, suffers thee not to perish. For in that thou now walkest on the Rock, thou fearest not even on the sea! If thou art without the Rock j thou must sink in the sea; for the Rock, on which thou must walk, is such an one, as is not sunk in the sea.

10. Observe then the wonderful works of God.

/ have declared, and have spoken; they are multiplied beyond number. There is a number, there are some over and above the number. There is a fixed number that belongs to that heavenly Jerusalem. For the Lord knoweth them that are His; the Christians that fear Him, the Christians that believe, the Christians that keep the commandments, that walk in God's ways, that keep themselves from sins; that if they fall confess: they belong to the number. But are they the only ones? There are also some beyond the number. For even if they be but a few, (a few in comparison of the numbers of the larger majority,) with how great numbers are our Churches filled, crowded up to the very walls; to what a degree do they aunoy each other by the pressure, and almost choke each other by their overflowing numbers. Again, out of these very same persons, when there is a public spectacle1, there are numbers flocking to the amphitheatre; these are over and above the number. But it is for this reason that we say this, that they may be in the number. Not being present, they do not hear this from us; but when ye have gone from hence, let them hear it from you. J have declared, he says, and have spoken. It is Christ Who speaks. He hath declared it, in His own Person, as our Head. He hath Himself declared it by His members. He Himself hath sent those who should declare it; He Himself hath sent the Apostles. Their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the world. How great the number of believers that are gathered together; how great the multitudes that flock together; many of them truly converted, many but in appearance: and those who are truly converted are the minority; those who are so but in appearance are the majority: because they are multiplied beyond the number.

11. I have declared, and have spoken: they are multiplied beyond number. (Ver. 6.) Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire. These are the wonderful works of God; these are the thoughts of God, to which no man's thoughts are like; that the lover of sight-seeing may be weaned from curiosity 1: and with us may seek after those more excellent, those more profitable things, in which, when he shall have^™1^ attained unto them, he will rejoice; and will rejoice in suchc™™- a manner as not to fear lest the person, on whom he sets hismty heart, should be conquered; for he sets his heart on the charioteer, who being beaten in the race, he is himself subjected to insults. When the charioteer wins, it is he himself who is invested with the dress of honour. And is the poor man who cheers him clothed also? The winner himself is clothed with the dress of honour; but instead of the man who is beaten, the other [who cheers him] is insulted. Why do you subject yourself to censure for him, with whom you do not divide the dress of honour. On our side, in our spectacles, this is ordered differently. In that racecourse, in that spectacle, all indeed run, said the Apostle Paul, but one receiveth the prize; the rest retire defeated* And they endured unto the end in the course; but since one has received the prize, the rest who have undergone the like toil remain where they were. On our side it is not so. As many as run, run, that is, perseveringly, even unto the end, all receive the crown: and he who comes in first has to wait, that he may be crowned together with him who comes after him. Inasmuch as it is not covetousness, but charity, that sets that contest on foot; all those who run love each other; and love itself is the race which they run.

12. Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire, saith the Psalm to God. For the men of old time, when as yet the true Sacrifice, which is known to the faithful, was foreshewn in figures, used to celebrate rites that were figures of the reality that was to be hereafter; many of them understanding their meaning; but more of them in ignorance of it. For the Prophets and the holy Patriarchs understood what they were celebrating; but the rest of the " stiff-necked people" were so carnal, that what was done by them was but to symbolize the things that were to come afterwards; and it came to pass1, when that first sacrifice was abolished; when the burnt-offerings of rams, of goats, and of calves, and of other victims, had been abolished, God did not desire them. Why did God not desire them? And why did He at the first desire them? Because all those things were, as it were, the words of a person making a promise; and the expressions conveying a promise, when the thing that they promise is come, are no longer uttered. It is only until he gives [what he promised], that a person is a promiser; after he has bestowed it, he alters the expression. Of the thing, which he used to say that * he was going to give it,' he now does not say, 1 1 will give it,' but, * I have already given it,' changing his words. Why was this word at first approved by him, and afterwards changed? Because it was a word applicable to its own proper occasion; and for that its own proper occasion was approved. It was, then, when the gift was being promised, that it was pronounced; but when the thing promised had been bestowed, the expression of a promise was given up; that of a fulfilment of a promise was substituted. Those sacrifices then, as being but expressions of a promise, have been abrogated. What is that which has been given as its fulfilment? That Body; which ye know; which ye do not all of you know; which, of you who do know it, I pray God all may not know it unto condemnation. Observe the time when it was said; for the person is Christ our Lord, speaking at one time for His members, at another in His own person. Sacrifice and offering, said He, Thou didst not desire. What then? Are we left at this present time without a sacrifice? God forbid!

But a Body hast TJiou perfected for tneh. It was for this reason that Thou didst not desire the others; that Thou Veritas,' 1 Lo, the Truth came/ which fecisti\ Vulg, corpus aptasti, Heb. x. 6. Vulg. mightest perfect this; before Thou perfectedst this, Thou didst desire the others. The fulfilment of the promise has done away with the words that express the promise. For if they still hold out a promise, that which was promised is not yet fulfilled. This was promised by certain signs; the signs that convey the promise are done away; because the Substance that was promised is come. We are in this Body. We are partakers of this Body. We know that which we ourselves receive; and ye who know it not yet, will know it bye and bye; and when ye come to know it, I pray ye may not receive it unto condemnation1. For he that eateth and1 drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation unto^y^ himself. i A Body' hath been c perfected' for us; let us be made perfect in the Body.

13. Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire; but a Body hast Tliou perfected for vie. Burnt-offerings also for sin hast Tliou not required.

Ver. 7. Then said /, Lo9 I come! Must we expound, Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire; but a Body hast Thou perfected for me? Burnt-offerings also for sin hast Thou not required; (which things He before did require;) Then said /, Loy I come! It is time that what was promised should come; because the signs, by means of which they were promised, have been put away. And indeed, Brethren, observe these put away; those fulfilled. Let the Jewish nation at this time shew me their priest, if they can! Where are their sacrifices? They are brought to an end8; they are put away now. Should we^peri-at that time have rejected them3? We do reject themj™11' now; because, if you chose to celebrate them now, it were unseasonable4; unfitting to the time; incongruous. You are still making promises; I have already received! There has remained to them a certain thing for them to celebrate; that they might not remain altogether without a sign. For Cain, the elder brother who slew his younger brother, received a sign, that no man should kill him: as it is written in Genesis, And the Lord set a mark upon Cainylest any one should kill**1' him. So too does the Jewish nation remain also. All nations that are subject to the Roman law have merged in the Roman rule; they have incorporated their superstitions; and have afterwards begun to detach themselves from them, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. But that nation has remained the same as ever with her sign of circumcision, and with her sign of unleavened bread; Cain hath not been slain. He has not been slain; he bears his mark about him. He is cursed from the earthy which hath opened her mouth to receive his brother's blood from his hand. For he indeed shed the blood; he did not receive it; he shed it; another earth received it; and from that earth, which opened her mouth, and received it, he has been cursed; and that earth, whose mouth received the blood, is the Church. It is from this, then, that he is cursed. And that is the blood which crieth unto Me from the earth. For it was of this earth that the Lord said, Tfte voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the earth. Cries, he saith, unto Me from the earth. Cries unto the Lord! But he who shed the Blood is dumb; because he hath not drunk of It In such a case then are they; like Cain with his mark. The sacrifices, however, which used to be performed there, have been put away; and that which remained unto them for a sign like that of Cain, hath by this time been fulfilled; and they know it not. They slay the Lamb; they eat the unleavened bread. Christ has been sacrificed for us, as our Passover. Lo, in the sacrifice of Christ, I recognise the Lamb that was slain! What of the unleavened bread? Therefore, says he, let us keep the feast; not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of wickedness, (he shews what is meant by old; it is stale flour; it is sour,) but in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. They have continued in the shade; they cannot abide the Sun of Glory. We are already in the light of day. We have the Body of Christ, we have the Blood of Christ. If we have a new life, let us a new song, even a hymn unto our God. Burnt offerings for sin Thou didst not desire. Then said I, Lo, I come!

14. In the head1 of the Book it is written of me, that (ver. 8.) / should fulfil Thy will: O my Cod, I am willing, and Tliy Law is within my heart. Behold! He turns His regards to His members. Behold! He hath Himself fulfilled the will of the Father. But in what beginning9 of a Book is it written of Him? Perhaps in the beginning of this Book of Psalms. For why should we seek far for it, or examine into other books for it? Behold! it is written in the beginning of this Book of Psalms! Blessed is the man who liath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly; nor stood in the way of sinners; nor sat in the seat of scorners. But His will is in the Law of the Lord; that is, ' O my God, I am trilling? ' and Thy Law is within my heart that is the same as, And in His Law doth he meditate day and night.

15. Ver. 9. / have well declared Thy righteousness in the great congregation. He now addresses His members. He is exhorting them to do what He has already done. He has declared; let us declare also. He has suffered; let us u suffer with Him." He has been glorified; we shall be " glorified with Him." / have declared Thy righteousness in the great congregation. How great an one is that? In all the world. How great is it? Even among all nations. Why among all nations? Because He is the Seed of Abraham, in Whom all nations shall be blessed. Why18, among all nations? Because their sound hath gone forth into all lands.

In the great congregation. Lot I will not refrain my lips, O Lord, and that Thou knowest. My lips speak; I will not refrain them from speaking. My lips indeed sound audibly in the ears of men; but Thou knowest mine heart. / will not refrain my lips, O Lord; that Thou knowest. It is one thing that man heareth; another that God knoweth. That the ' declaring' of it should not be confined to the lips alone, and that it might not be said of us, Whatsoever things they say unto you, do; but do notM*tJ23y <fter their works; or lest it should be said to the people,3, " praising God with their lips, but not with their heart," This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; do thou make audible confession with thy31, lips; draw nigh with thine heart also. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. In case like unto which that thief was found, who, hanging on the Cross with the Lord, « fooa labiis, propinqua oorde. did on the Cross acknowledge the Lord. Others had refused to acknowledge Him while working miracles; this man acknowledged Him when hanging on the Cross. That thief had every other member pierced through; his hands were fastened by the nails; his feet were pierced also; his whole body was fastened to the tree; the body was not disengaged in its other members; the heart and the tongue were disengagedd; with the heart he believed; with the tongue be made confession. Remember me, O Lord, he said, when comcst into Thy kingdom. He hoped for the coming of his salvation at a time far remote; he was content to receive it after a long delay; his hope rested on an object far remote. The day, however, was not postponed! His words were, Remember me, when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. The answer was, This day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise. Paradise hath happy trees! This day hast thou been with Me on the Tree of the Cross. This day shalt thou be with Me on the Tree of Salvation.

16. Lo! I will not refrain my lips, 0 Lord, Thou knowest. In order that he may not believe in heart indeed, and through fear refrain his lips from professing what he has believed. For there are Christians, there are some hare faith in their heart, and yet among the Pagans, malicious, treacherously flattering, mean, faithless, foolish insulters, if they are attacked on the score of being Christians, still have faith in their heart, and fear to confess it by their lips; they refrain their lips from uttering what they hare within, what they know to be true. But the Lord reproves these persons; Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me before men^ °f him wM 1 be ashamed before My Father; that is, < I will not acknowledge him; because he was ashamed to confess Me before men, I will not confess him before My Father.' Let then the lips utter what the heart holds; this is prescribed against fear. Let the heart really hold what the lips utter; this is prescribed against hypocrisy. For sometimes there is fear, and you dare not say what you know to be true, what you believe. Sometimes hypocrisy; you say, and do not in reality believe in your heart. Let your lips agree with your heart. While you are seeking peace from God, be at peace with yourself; let there be no disagreement between your lips and your heart. Lo! I will not refrain my lips, O Lord, Thou knoivest. How saith he? What doth the Lord know? Inwardly in the heart, where man seelh not. Therefore he said also, / have believed. Lo! the heart holds, it already holds that which God may see. Let him not refrain his lips. He doth not refrain them. For what saith he? Therefore have I spoken. And because he spoke that which he believed, inquiring what he should render unto the Is>rd for all HisP*.ii6} benefits toward him; he adds, / will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. He shrunk not back through fear of the Lord's words, Can ye drink of the cup that I shall drink of? For he confesses by the lips what he22' held in his heart; he attained even unto grace to suffer. And because he attained unto the grace to suffer, what harm did the enemy do? For in sooth right dear in¥*. the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints. By those16, very deaths, for which the heathen madly raged, we are this day refreshed. We are celebrating the Martyrs' anniversary; we are setting before us the Martyrs' examples; we are " considering their faith;" the manner in which they were discovered; dragged forth, and stood before their judges. Knit together in the bond of unity in the Catholic Church, without aught of hypocrisy they confessed Christ: they, as being the members, desired to follow the Head, Which had gone before them! But who were they that desired this? Those who were patient in tortures; faithful in confession; truthful in their words. For they launched against the faces of those who were questioning them, the arrows of God; and they wounded them unto resentment; many they wounded too unto salvation. All these things we set before ourselves, and we are gazing upon them, and praying that we may imitate them. These are our Christian spectacles; on these God looks down from on high; to these He encourages us; for these He aids us; for these contests He sets prizes before us, and bestows them. Lo! I have not refrained my lips. See thou fear not, and so refrain thy lips. O Lord, Thou knowest; that that is really in the heart, which is uttered by the lips.

17. Ver. 10. / have not hid my9 righteousness within my heart. What is meant by my righteousness? My faith. For, the just shall live by faith. As suppose the persecutor under threat of punishment, as they were once allowed to do, puts you to the question, 4 What art thou? Pagan or Christian?' * A Christian.9 That is his righteousness. He believeth; he lives by faith. He doth not hick his righteousness within his heart. He has not said in his heart, ' I do indeed believe in Christ; but I will not tell what I believe to this persecutor, who is raging against me, and threatening me. My God knoweth that inwardly, within my heart, I do believe. He knoweth that I renounce Him not.9 Lo! you say that you have this inwardly within your heart! What have you upon your lips? 6 I am not a Christian.9 Your lips bear witness against your heart. I have not hid my righteousness within my heart.

18. I have declared Thy Truth and Thy Salvation. I have declared Thy Christ. This is the meaning of, / have declared Thy Truth and Thy Salvation. How is Thy Truth Christ? I am the Truth. How is Christ His Salvation t Simeon recognised the infant in His Mother's hands in the Temple, and said, For mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation. The old man recognised the little child; the old man having himself become a little child1 in that infant} having been renewed by faith. For he had received an oracle from God; and it said this, ' The Lord had said unto him, that he was not to depart out of this life, until he had seen the Salvation of God. This Salvation of Ood it is a good thing to have shewn unto men; but let them cry, Shew us Thy mercy 9 O Lord, and grant us Thy Salvation. But the Salvation of God is among all nations. For after he had said in a certain place, Ood be merciful unto us, and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us. That Thy way may be known upon earth, he adds, Thy saving health [is] among all nations. First he says, That Thy way be known upon earth; and he goes on to say, Thy Salvation is among all nations. As if it were said unto him, " What way is that which thou e E. V. " Thy." So Vulg. also, lades to Matt. 18, 3. 4 Except ye be woulde8t fain know? Men come themselves to the way. For does the way ever come to men? Our Way did come unto men; found them wandering from the Way; called them to Itself when walking without It. Walk in Me, It saith, and ye shall not go astray. / am the Way, and the Truth ^ and the Life. Lest you should say, Where is God's6, Way? To what country shall I go? What mountain shall I ascend? What plain shall I enquire after? ( Enquirest thou after God's Way?' is the answer. The Salvation of of Ood is God's Way; and it is in every place, because, Thy Salvation is among all nations. I have declared Thy Truth, and Thy Salvation.

19. / have not concealed Thy mercy and Thy Truth front the great congregation. Let us be there; let us also be numbered among the members of this Body: let us not keep back the mercy of the Lord, and the Truth of the Lord. Wouldest thou hear what the mercy of the Lord is? Depart from thy sins; He will forgive thy sins; Wouldest thou hear what the truth of the Lord is? Hold fast righteousness. Thy righteousness shall receive a crown? For mercy is announced to you now; Truth is to be shewn unto thee hereafter. For God is not merciful in such a way as not to be just, nor just in such a way as not to be merciful. Does that mercy seem to thee an inconsiderable one? He will not impute unto thee all thy former sins: thou hast lived ill up to this present day; thou art still living; this day live well; then thou wilt not conceal this mercy. If this is meant by mercy, what is meant by truth? Before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them one92' from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; He shall set the sheep on His right hand, the goats on His left. What awaits the sheep? Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you. What is the doom of the goats? Go into everlasting fire. There there is no place for repentance. Because thou didst despise the mercy of God, thou shalt feel His Truth. If however thou hast not despised His mercy, tbou shalt rejoice in His Truth.

20. Ver. 11. Remove not Thou Thy mercies far from me, O Lord. He is turning his attention to the wounded members. Because I have not concealed Thy mercy and Thy Truth from the great congregation^ from the Unity of the Universal Church, look Thou on Thy afflicted members, look on those who are guilty of sins of omission, and on those who are guilty of sins of commission: and withhold not Thou Thy mercies. Thy mercy and Thy Truth have continually preserved me. I should not dare to turn from my evil way, were I not assured of remission; I could not endure so as to persevere, if I were not assured of the fulfilment of Thy promise. Thy mercy and Thy Truth have continually preserved me. I perceive that Thou art good; I perceive that Thou art just I love Thee in that Thou art good; I fear Thee in that Thou art just. Love and fear effectually induce me; because Thy mercy and Thy Truth have alway preserved me. Why is it they that preserve one? and why is the eye not to be turned away from them? Even because,

Ver. 12. Innumerable evils have compassed me about. Who can number sins? Who can count his own sins, and those of others? A burden under which he was groaning, who said, Cleanse Thou me from my secret faults; and from the faults of others, spare Tliou Thy servant, O Lord. Our own are too little; those of others are added to the burden. I fear for myself; I fear for a virtuous brother, I have to bear with a wicked brother; and under such burthen what shall we be, if God's mercy were to fail? But Tliou, Lord, remove not afar off. Be Thou near unto us! To whom is the Lord near? Even unto them that are of a broken heart. He is far from the proud: He is near to the humble. For though the Lord is highf yet hath He respect unto the lowly. But let not those that are proud think themselves to be unobserved: for the things are high, He beholdeth afar off. He beheld afar off the Pharisee, who boasted himself; He was near at hand to succour the Publican, who made confession. The one extolled his own merits; and concealed his wounds; the other boasted not of his merits, but laid bare his wounds. He came to the Physician; he knew that he was sick; and that he required to be made whole; he dared not lift up his eyes to Heaven: he smote upon his breast. He spared not himself, that God might spare him; he acknowledged himself guilty, that God might ignore the charge against him. He punished himself, that God might free him from punishment. Such expressions are there here; let us religiously hear, let us religiously love them: let us say these things with our hearts, with our tongues, with our very inmost marrow. Let no one think himself to be righteous: he who thus speaks, " lives f and, O that he may live! He lives up to this time in this world; he lives up to this time, still, with death, he lives: and even if 1he Spirit is life because of righteousness, yet is the body nevertheless dead10' because of sin. And the corruptible body weigheth down the soul, and the earthly tabernacle weigheth down the mind that museth upon many things. It belongs to thee then to cry, it belongs to thee to groan: it belongs to thee to confess thy sin: not to exalt thyself, not to boast thyself, nor to glory in thine own deserts. For even if thou hast any thing that thou mayest rejoice in, what is there that thou hastiQ™. not received? (Ver. 12.) For innumerable evils have com-9' passed me about.

21. Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I could not see. There is a something for us to see; what prevents us so that we see it not? Is it not iniquity? From beholding this [natural] light your eye is prevented perhaps by some humour penetrating into it; perhaps by smoke, or dust, or by something else that has been thrown into it: and you have not been able to raise your wounded eye to contemplate this light of day. What then? Will you be able to lift up your wounded heart unto God? Must it not be first healed, in order that thou mayest see? Do you not shew your pride, when you say, " First let me see, and then I will believe? Who is there who says this? For who that would fain see, says, * Let me see, and then I will believe?' I am about to manifest the Light unto thee; or rather the Light Itself would fain manifest Itself to thee! To whom? It cannot manifest Itself to the blind. He does not see. Whence is it that he seeth not? It is that the eye is clogged by the multitude of sins. For what does he say? Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I could not see. Let his iniquities then be put away; let his sins be loosed; let the weight be removed from off the eye; let that which is wounded be healed; let the stinging ointment (as it were) of the Commandment be applied. First accomplish what is prescribed to thee: heal thine heart; make thine heart clean.

Love thine enemy." " And who loves his enemy?"" This is the prescription of your physician; it is bitter, but it is for your health. " What would you have me do to you?" (he says.) " You are so distressed in order to be healed." And he says more than this: " once healed, it will not be difficult for you; once healed, you will experience delight in loving your enemy; do but endeavour in order that you may be healed. In tribulations, in distresses, in trials be strong; endure to the end; it is the hand of a physician, not of an assassin." " See," (says he,) " having embraced the commandments, and held fast the faith, I will, as you bid me, first heal my heart; when healed, what shall I see? Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see Qod? " This" (says he) " I cannot do now; mine iniquities have taken hold of me, so that I could not see"

22. They are more than the hairs of my head. He subjects the number of the hairs of his head to calculation. Who is there can calculate the number of the hairs of his head? Much less can he tell the number of his sins, which exceed the number of the hairs of his head. They seem to be minute; but they are many in number. You have guarded against great ones; you do not now commit adultery, or murder; you do not plunder the property of others; you do not blaspheme; and do not bear false witness; those are the weightier kind of sins. You have guarded against great sins, what are you doing about your smaller ones? You have cast off the weight; beware lest the sand overwhelm you. They are more in number than the hairs of my head.

23. And my heart hath forsaken me. What wonder if thine heart is forsaken by thy God, when it is even forsaken by itself? What is meant by " faileth me," " forsaketh me?" Is not capable of knowing itself. He means this; My heart hath forsaken me. I would fain see God with mine heart; and cannot from the multitude of my sins: that is not enough; mine heart does not even know itself. For no one thoroughly knows himself: let no one presume upon his own state. Was Peter able to comprehend with his own heart the state of his own heart, who said, J trill be with Thee even unto death f There was a false presumption in the heart; there was lurking in that heart at the same time a real fear: and the heart was not able to comprehend the state of the heart. Its state was unknown to the sick heart itself: it was manifest to the physician. That which was foretold of him was fulfilled. God knew that in him which he knew not in himself: because his heart had forsaken him, his heart was unknown to his heart. And mine heart hath forsaken tne. What then? What do we say? Wnat do we cry? *

Ver. 13. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me* As if he were saying, ' If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean? Be pleased to deliver me. O Lord, look upon me to help me. Look1, that is, on the penitent members, members that lie in pain, members that are writhing under the instruments of the surgeon; but still in hope. O Lord, look upon me to help me.

24. Ver. 14. Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it. For in a certain passage he makes an accusation, and says, / looked upon myV%. right hand, and beheld; and there was no man who sought after my soul; that is, there was no man to imitate Mine example. Christ in His Passion is the Speaker. I looked on my right hand, (that is, not on the ungodly J^ws, but on Mine own right hand, the Apostles,) and there was no man who sought after My soul. So thoroughly was there no man to seek after My soul, that be who had presumed on his own strength, denied My soul. But because a man's soul is sought after in two ways, either in order that you may enjoy his society; or that you may persecute him; therefore he here speaks of others, whom he would have confounded and ashamed, who are seeking after his soul. But lest you should understand it in the same way as when he complains of some who did not seek after his soul, He adds, to destroy it; that is, they seek after my soul in order to my death. Let them be ashamed and confounded* And, in truth, many " sought after His soul," and were ashamed and confounded: they sought after His soul; and (as it seemed to them) they " took it away." But it was He Who had power to toy it down, and power to take it again. Therefore they triumphed when He laid it down; they were confounded when He took it again* Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek after my soul to take it away.

25. Let them be turned backward* and put to shame that wish me evil. T urned backwards. Let us not take this in a bad sense. He wishes them well; and it is His voice, Who said from the Cross, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Wherefore then doth he say to them, that they should return backwards? Because they who before were proud, so that they fell, are now become humble, so that they may rise again. For when they are before, they are wishing to take precedence of their Lord; to be better than He; but if they go behind Him, they acknowledge Him to be better than they; they acknowledge that He ought to go before; that He should precede1, they follow. Thence He thus rebukes Peter giving Him evil counsel. For the Lord, when about to suffer for our salvation, also foretold what was to happen concerning that Passion itself; and Peter says, Be it far from Thee, " God forbid it!" "This shall not be!" He would fain have gone before his Lord; would have given counsel to his Master! But the Lord, that He might make him not go before Him, but follow after Him, says, Get thee behind, Satan! It is for this reason He said Satan, because thou art seeking to go before Him, Whom thou oughtest to follow; but if thou art behind, if thou follow Him, thou wilt henceforth not be Satan. What then? Upon this Rock I will build My C hurch.

26. Let them be turned backward, and put to shame, that wish me evil. They are evil-wishers, who even when they " give good words," do nevertheless, as far as depends on their hearts, curse. You say to some one, " Be a Christian h;" [he says,] " Aye, do you be a Christian! You!" He spoke of a good thing; but it is not what he said, but with what mind he said it, that is taken into the account; even as it was accounted to the Jews, when that man who was " born blind" was made to see. When they were assailing hira with insults, and pressing him hard, he said to them, Will ye also be His disciples} Then they cursed him. This is what the Evangelist says; they cursed him, and said, " Be thou His disciple!" Though they cursed, the Lord blessed! He fulfilled what they said; still He recompensed to them the evil which they had spoken. Let them be turned backwards, and put to shame, who wish me eviL But there are others also who are not good either, who wish us good things, who are also to be guarded against. For just as the others speak evil, while they speak of what is good in us, but with a malicious disposition, so are there those who speak of what is evil in us, but with a good intention. I mean this. He who says to thee, " Be you a Christian 1!" speaks of your good qualities, but with a bad intention; but he who says to you, " There is no man better than yourself," if he says that in speaking of bad actions, (seeing that The wicked is praised in his own hearCs desires, and he who doeth unrighteously is blessed*!) he is speaking of your evil in terras of praise; just as the other spoke of your good qualities, and spoke evil of them; so he speaks of your bad qualities, and speaks well of them. But beware of both the one and the other description ofenemy; and shun them. The one is raging against you, th<j other fawning upon you: the one employs reviling, the other praise; but the one is an enemy in his reviling, the other is insidious and designing in his praise. Beware of both of them; pray for protection against both. For he who prayed, Let them be turned backward, and put to shame, who wish me evil, thought of another class, who are treacherously wishing one evil, and u giving us good words" falsely.

Ver. 15. 1 Let them speedily bear away their own confusion, that sty unto me, Well done! Well done! They praise you without reason. ' A great man! A good man! A man of education and of learning; but why a Christian? They praise those things in you which you should wish not to be praised; they find fault with that at which you rejoice. But if perhaps you say, H What is it you praise in me, O man?" That I am a virtuous man? A just man? If you think this, Christ made me this; praise Him. But the other says, " Be it far from you. Do yourself no wrong! You yourself made yourself such;*' Let them be confounded who say unto me, Well done! Well done! And what follows?

Ver. 16. Let all those that seek Thee, 0 Lord, rejoice and be glad. Those who seek not me, but Thee; who say not to me, Well done! Well done! but see me glory in Thee, if I have any thing whereof to glory; for he who glories, let him glory in the Lord. Let all those who seek Thee, Lord, rejoice and be glad.

And say continually, The Lord be magnified. For even if the sinner becometh righteous, thou shouldest give the glory to Him, Who justifieth the ungodly. Whether therefore it be a sinner, let Him be praised, Who calls him to forgiveness; or one already walking in the way of righteousness, let Him be praised, Who calls him to receive the crown! Let the Name of the Lord be magnified continually by such as love Thy salvation.

Ver. 17. But I. I for whom they were seeking evil, I whose life they were seeking, that they might take it away. But turn thee to another description of persons. But I to whom they said, " Well done! Well done!" / am poor and needy. There is nothing in me that may be praised as mine own. Let Him rend my sackcloth in sunder, and cover me with His robe. For, Now I live, not I myself; but Christ liveth in me. If it is Christ that liveth in thee, and all that thou hast is Christ's, and all that thou art to have hereafter is Christ's also; what art thou in thyself? Iam poor and needy. Now I am not rich, because I am not proud. He was rich who said, Lord, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are; but the publican was poor, who said, Lord, be merciful to me a sinner! The one was belching from his fulness; the other from waut was crying piteously, J am poor and needy! And what wouldest thou do, O poor and needy man? Beg at God's door; Knock, and it shall be opened unto thee. — As for me, I am poor and needy.

Yet the Lord careth for me. — Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He sliall bring it to pass. What canst thou effect for thyself by taking care? what canst thou provide for thyself? Let Him Who made thee care for thee. He Who cared for thee before thou wert, how shall He fail to have a care of thee, now that thou art what He would have thee be? For now thou art a believer, now thou art walking in the " way of righteousness.'* Shall not He have a care for thee, Who makelh His sun rise on the good and on the evil, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust? Shall He neglect, desert, forsake thee, now that thou art sl just man, and alive by faith? Nay even here He cherishes thee, even here He assists thee, even here furnishes thee with what is necessary for thee, and taketh away whatever is injurious. By " giving" He comforteth thee, that thou mayest be able to endure unto the end; by " taking away" He chastens thee, that thou mayest not be cast away. The Lord careth for thee. Be not thou careful about thyself. He bears thee Who created thee! Do not thou choose to fall out of the hands of thy Maker; thou wilt be broken, if thou fallest out of thy Maker's hand. But it is a virtuous will that enables thee to continue in the band of thy Maker. Say, " My God hath willed it so! He will sustain me; He will hold me fast I" Cast thyself upon Him; think not that He is a void so that thou wouldest fall headlong. Think not so in thyself. He hath said, / fill heaven and earth also. In no place is He wanting to thee. Be not thou wanting to Him; to thyself. The Lord careth for me.

Ver. 17. Thou art my Help, and my Deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God. He is calling upon God, imploring Him, fearing lest he should fall away: Make no tarrying. What is meant by " make no tarrying." We lately read concerning the days of tribulation; Unless those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved. The members of Christ — the Body of Christ extended every where — are asking of God, as one single person, one single poor man, and beggar! For He too was poor, Who though He was rich, yet became poor, that ye through His poverty might be made rich. It8' is He that maketh rich those who are the true poor; and maketh poor those who are falsely rich. He crieth unto Him; From the end of the earth I cried unto Thee, when my heart was in heaviness. There will come days of tribulations, and of greater tribulations; they will come even as the Scripture speaks: and as days advance, so are tribulations increased also. Let no one promise himself what the Gospel doth not promise. My brethreu, consider, I pray you, whether our Scriptures have failed in any point; if they have said any thing, and the event has proved other than they said: it needs must be thateven unto the end all things must in like manner come to pass, even as they have said. In this world Scripture doth not promise us ought but tribulations, distresses, difficulties, increase of sorrow, abundance of temptations. Let us prepare ourselves earnestly against these things, that we may not faint through want of preparation. You heard it said just now, Woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck. They are with child, who are big with hope; they are giving suck, (i. e. feeding their babes at their breast,) who have already obtained what they desired. For the woman with child is big with a son, in hope; she doth not yet see her son. She who is now giving suck, is embracing what she hoped for. Let us then suppose a case in point, by way of illustration. That villa of my neighbour's is a handsome one! O that it were mine! O that I could join it to my own; and that 1 could make this estate and that but one! Avarice too has a love of unity. The quality it loves is good; but it knows not in what object that quality should rightly be loved. See he covets his neighbour's villa; but that neighbour is a rich, not a needy man; a man of consideration also, and of influence too; a man perhaps the effects of whose power you would have reason to fear, rather than to have any hopes of his property. The heart having no hope doth not conceive any wish. The soul doth not become pregnant. But if there be near a poor neighbour, who is either in necessity, so that he may possibly sell it, or against whom means of pressure may be employed, so that he may be compelled to sell, you fix your eye upon it; you hope for the villa; the soul conceives, is impregnated with the hope; the hope that you will be able to obtain the little villa, and the property of your poor neighbour. And when that poor man is reduced to difAcuities, he comes to his richer neighbour, the man to whom he is perhaps in the habit of paying court, to whom he usually gives place, and rises up at his approach, and salutes him by bowing the head. ' Give me money,' he says, ' I am in difficulties, I am pressed by my creditor.' And the other answers, * I have not now the money by me.' If he would sell the land, he would have it We recognise this picture; such (persons) once were among us, may they be so no longer! It is not the case with us that we were alive yesterday, and to-day are not; (here is yet room for amendment. Not as yet has that separation of the one class to the right hand, the other to the left, taken place. We are not yet in hell, where that rich man was, thirsting and^'fa, longing for a ' drop of water." Let us hear, let us amend ourselves, while we are yet alive! Let us not set our hopes on others' possessions, and conceiving the hope, become pregnant with it: let us not attain to them either, and coming to possess them embrace them, as mothers their children. For woe to them that are with child, and that give suck in those days. We must change the heart, we must " lift up our hearts:" we must not in heart dwell here; it is an unwholesome region; let it suffice us, that in the flesh we must dwell here. Let not that come to pass which need not. Let " the evil of the day" be sufficient for it. In heart let us dwell above. If ye he risen again with Christ, (saith he to the faithful, to them that are now receiving the Lord's Body and Blood,) If ye are risen with Christ, set your affections on things above, where Christ silteth at the right hand of God: seek those things which are above, not those on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. For that which is promised you doth not yet appear; and yet it is already "prepared" for you, but you see it not. You would fain conceive a hope; conceive it from this quarter. Be that thy hope. Then will the birth be certain, not abortive, nor thy offspring short-lived: what thou bringest forth thou shalt embrace for eternity. For thus it is said by Isaiah, We have been with child, we have brought forth the Spirit of sal va**on ° l 1S ^eref°re ye m reserve; it is not yet given, but it is as yet to be given. How great gifts, brethren, have been given already! As the Scriptures say; Who can number them f There it is written concerning the existence of the Church; and we see that the Church does exist. There it is written concerning idols, that they shall cease; and we see that they are not. There it is written that the Jews were to lose the kingdom; and we see that the fact is so. There it is written concerning the heretics, that they should exist; and we see that it is so. There it is written also concerning the Day of Judgment; there it is written concerning the rewards of the good, and the punishment of the bad. In all things we have found God faithful. Will He fail and deceive us in the last? The Lord will care for me, Thou art my help and my Deliverer! Make no tarrying, o my God. ' Unless those days should be shortened, no flesh could endure unto the end. But for the elect's sake they shall be shortened.' Those days will be days of tribulation; but they will not be so long as they are expected to be. They will soon pass away. The rest that is to come will not pass away. Although even a long duration of evil would be worth enduring, for a blessing of infinite duration.

The solemn day of the Martyrs hath dawned; therefore to the glory of the Passion of Christ, the Captain of Martyrs, Who spared not Himself, ordering His soldiers to the fight; but first fought, first conquered, that their fighting He might encourage by His example, and aid with His majesty, and crown with His promise: let us hear somewhat from this Psalm pertaining to His Passion. I commend unto you oftentimes, nor grieve I to repeat, what for you is useful to retain, that our Lord Jesus Christ speaketh often of Himself,