Psalm 77 (Vulgate 76)

J. This Psalm's lintel is thus inscribed: Unto the end* for Idithun, a Psalm to Asaph himself. What, Unto the is, ye know. For the end of the law is Christ, for righteousness to every man that believeth. Idithun is interpreted leaping over those men, Asaph is interpreted a congregation. Here therefore there is speaking a congregation, that leapeth over, in order that it may reach the End, which is Christ Jesus. What things therefore must be leaped over, in order that we may be able to reach that End, where no longer we shall have any thing to leap over, the very text of the Psalm doth point out. For it is our duty to be alway leaping over whatever doth impede us, whatsoever doth entangle us, whatsoever doth bind us as it were with birdlime, and weigh us down with a load, until we reach unto that which is sufficient, beyond which there is nothing, beneath which are all things, and out of which are all things. For Philip was desiring to behold the Father Himself, and said to the Lord Jesus Christ, Shew to us the Father, and it sufficeth us: as though he must leap over every other thing, until he should have reached the Father, where at length he would securely stand, and would have nothing else to desire. For this is the meaning of, it sufficeth. But He that had most trulv said, / and the Father are One. admonished and taught Philip, how every man that did discern Christ, even in Him had an end: for that He and Father are one. 80 long a time, He saith, am I with you, and have ye not seen Me? Philip, he that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father also. Whosoever therefore would perceive, imitate, hold the mind of this Psalm, let him leap over all carnal desires, and let him trample on this world's pomp and seduction, and propose to himself no other thing whereat to stay, but Him, out of Whom are all things. In True i crying to GooV is seeking Him for Himself. 25 all which things he doth himself toil until he attain unto the End. What then doth this man that leapeth over intimate

2. Ver. 1. With my voice, he saith, to the Lord I have cried. But many men cry unto the Lord for the sake of getting riches and avoiding losses, for the safety of their friends, for the security of their house, for temporal felicity, for secular dignity, lastly, even for mere soundness of body, which is the inheritance1 of the poor man. For such and!patrisuch like things many men do cry unto the Lord; scarce one for the sake of the Lord Himself. For an easy thing it is for a man to desire any thing of the Lord, and not to desire the Lord Himself; as if forsooth that which He giveth could be sweeter than Himself that giveth. Whosoever therefore doth cry unto the Lord for the sake of any other thing, is not yet one that leapeth over. But here the leaper over saith what? With my voice unto the Lord I have cried. And in order that thou mayest not determine that the voice of the same wherewith he hath cried unto the Lord hath been sent forth for the sake of any thing else but the Lord Himself, he continued and saith, And my voice is unto God. For there is being sent forth a voice wherewith we may cry unto God, and that same voice is unto another thing, not unto God. For the voice is unto that thing for the sake of which it is uttered. But this man that did love God gratis, who did sacrifice to God voluntarily, who had leaped over whatever is below, and had seen no other thing above him, whereunto he might pour forth his soul, save Him out of Whom and through Whom and in Whom he had been created, had made that same voice of his to be unto Him unto Whom he had cried with his voice: My voice, he saith, is unto God. And is it without cause? See what followeth: and He doth hearken to me. He doth indeed hearken to thee at the time when thou dost seek Himself, not when through Himself thou dost seek any other thing. It hath been said of some men, They cried, and there was no one to save them; to the-ps. Lord, and He hearkened not unto them. For why? Be-41, cause the voice of them was not unto the Lord. This the Scripture doth express in another place, where it saith ofPs.U,4. such men, On the Lord they have not called. Unto Him they have not ceased to cry, and yet upon the Lord they:have not called. What is, upon the Lord they have not called? They have not called the Lord unto themselves1: *key kftve not invited the Lord to their heart, they would not have themselves inhabited by the Lord. And therefore what hath befallen them? They have trembled with fear where fear was not. They have trembled about the loss of things present, for the reason that they were not full of Him, upon Whom they have not called. They have not loved gratis, so that after the loss of temporal things they could say, As it hath pleased the Lord, so hath been done, be the name of the Lord blessed. Therefore this man saith, My voice is unto the Lord, and He doth hearken unto me. Let him shew us how this cometh to pass.

3. Ver. 2. In the day of tribulation I have sought out God. Who art thou that doest this thing? In the day of thy tribulation take heed what thou seekest out. If a jail be the cause of tribulation, thou seekest to get forth from jail: if fever be the cause of tribulation, thou seekest health: if hunger be the cause of tribulation, thou seekest fulness: if losses be the cause of tribulation, thou seekest gain: if expatriation be the cause of tribulation, thou seekest the home of thy flesh. And why should I name all things, or when could I name all things? Dost thou wish to be one leaping over? In the Hay of thy tribulation seek out God: not through God some other thing, but out of tribulation God, that to this end God may take away tribulation, that thou mayest without anxiety cleave unto God. In the day of my tribulation I have sought out God: not any other thing, but God I have sought out. And how hast thou sought out? With my hands in the night before Him. Declare this thing again: let us see, perceive, imitate, if we can. In the day of thy tribulation thou hast sought out what? God. How hast thou sought out? With my hands. When hast thou sought out? By night. Where hast thou sought out? Before Him. And with what profit hast thou sought out? And I have not been deceived. Let us therefore view all, my brethren, examine all, question all: both what is the tribulation wherein this man hath sought out God, and what is it i with hands' to seek God, and what is Our whole life here is tribulation, because temptation. 27 'by night,' and what is * before Him:' and then there followeth that which all men do understand, and I have not been deceived. For what is, and I have not been deceived? I have found that which I was seeking.

4. Tribulation must not be thought to be this or that in particular. For every individual that doth not yet leap over, thinketh that as yet to be no tribulation, unless it be a thing which may have befallen this life of some sad occasion: but this man, that leapeth over, doth count this whole life to be his tribulation. For so much he doth love his supernal country, that the earthly pilgrimage is of itself the greatest tribulation. For how can this life be otherwise than a tribulation, I pray you? how can that not be a tribulation, the whole whereof hath been called a temptation1? Thou* hast it written in the book of Job, is not human life a temptation upon earth? Hath he said, human life is tempted upon earth? Nay, but life itself is a temptation. If therefore temptation, it must surely be a tribulation. In this tribulation therefore, that is to say in this life, this man that leapeth over hath sought out God. How? With my hands, he saith. What is, with my hands? With my works. For he was not seeking any thing corporeal, so that he might find and handle something which he had lost, so that he might seek with hands coin, gold, silver, vesture, in short every thing which can be held in the hands. Howbeit, even our Lord Jesus Christ Himself willed Himself to be sought after with hands, when to His doubting disciple He shewed the scars. But when He had cried out touching the scars of27. His wounds, My Lord and my God: did he not hear, Because thou hast seen2, thou hast believed; blessed are they that* have not seen, and have believed? If then he seeking Christ^' with hands, earned to hear, that it was a reproach to him so to have sought Him; we that have been called blessed, that have not seen and have believed, shall we seek with hands3? What then, to us belongeth not the seeking with3 hands? It belongeth to us, as I have said, to seek with^8, works. When so? In the night. What is, in the night?' In this age. For it is night until there shine forth day in the glorified advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. For would ye see how it is night? Unless we had here had a lantern, we 28 77m life is a ' nighty and needs a i lanterri to light it. should have remained in darkness. For Peter saith, We too nave more sure the prophetic discourse, whereunto ye do well to give heed, as to a lantern shining in a dark place, until day shine, and the day-star arise in your hearts. There is therefore to come day after this night, meanwhile in this night a lantern is not wanting. And this is perchance what we are now doing: by explaining these passages, we are bringing in a lantern, in order that we may rejoice in this night. Which indeed ought alway to be burning in your houses. For to such men is said, The Spirit quench ye not. And as though explaining what he was saying, he continueth and saith, Prophecy despise ye not: that is, let the lantern alway shine in you. And even this light by comparison with a sort of ineffable day is called night. For the very life of believers by comparison with the life of unbelievers is day. But how it is night we have already said, and have shewn it by the testimony of Peter the Apostle: who indeed hath also called it night, and concerning that same light hath admonished us to give heed thereto, that is, to the Prophetic discourse, until day shine, and the day-star arise in our hearts. But how now the life of the faithful is day in comparison to the life of the ungodly, Paul sheweth: Let us cast away, he saith, the works of darkness, and put on armour of light; as in the day let us walk honestly. Therefore living honestly, in comparison of the life of ungodly men, we are in day. But this day of the life of the faithful doth not suffice for this Idithun: he would leap over even this day; until he come to that day, where he may fear no more temptation of night. For here although the life of believers be day, yet human life is a temptation upon earth. Night and day — day in comparison with unbelievers, night in comparison with the Angels. For the Angels have a day, which we have not yet. Already we have one that unbelievers have not: but not yet have believers that which Angels have: but they will have, at the time when they will be equal to the Angels of God, that which hath been promised to them in the Resurrection. In this then which is now day and yet night; night in comparison with the future day for which we yearn, day in comparison with the past night which we have renounced: in this night then, I say, let us seek God with out hands. Let not works cease, let us seek God, be there no idle yearning. If we are in the way, let us expend our means in order that we may be able to reach the end. With hands let us seek God. Even though in night we are seeking Him Whom with hands we are seeking, we are not being deceived, because before Himself we are seeking. What is, before Himself? Do not your righteousness before men, that ye may be seen of them: otherwise ye will have no reward in your Father's House. When then thou doest an almsdeed, He saith, (these are the hands seeking God,) sound not trumpet before thee, as hypocrites do: but let thy almsdeed be in Secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee. Therefore, with my hands in the night before Him, and I have not been deceived

5. How great things, however, this Idithun hath endured in this earth and in this night, and how he hath need, in a manner, to leap over from tribulations assailing and stinging him from below — how needful it was to leap over, let us hear most earnestly. (Ver. 2.) My soul hath refused to be comforted. So great weariness did here possess me, that my soul did close the door against all comfort. Whence such weariness to him? It may be that his vineyard hath been hailed on, or his olive hath yielded no fruit, or the vintage hath been interrupted by rain. Whence the weariness to him? Hear this out of another Psalm.. For therein is the voice of the same: weariness hath bowed me down, because of sinners forsaking Thy law. He saith then that he was63, overcome with so great weariness because of this sort of evil thing; so as that his soul refused to be comforted. Weariness had well nigh swallowed him up, and sorrow had ingulfed him altogether beyond remedy, he refuseth to be comforted. What then remained?

6. In the first place, see whence he is comforted. Had he not waited for one who might condole with him, and had not found? For whither should he turn him for comfort, whom weariness had possessed because of sinners forsaking the law of God? Whither should he turn him? To any man of God? Already perchance he had found in many men great tribulation, the more he had relied on any delight from them. For sometimes men seem to be just, and we rejoice because of ^em: an(* we must needs rejoice: inasmuch as love cannot be without joy at such an one: but in these things wherein man hath rejoiced, if perchance any thing perverse shall have fallen out, as is often the case, in proportion as the joy was great therein before, so the sorrow which ariseth is great, so that henceforth man feareth to give rein to his joys, feareth to trust himself to gladness, lest it may be that the more he hath joyed, the more he may pine, if any mischance shall have arisen. Smitten therefore with abundant scandals, like as it were with many wounds, he hath closed his door against human comfort, and his soul hath refused to be comforted. And whence life? Whence respite? / have been mindful of God, and I have been delighted. My hands had not wrought in vain, they had found a great comforter. While not being idle, / have been mindful of God, and I have been delighted. God must therefore be praised, of Whom this man being mindful, hath been delighted, and hath been comforted in sorrowful case, and refreshed when safety was in a manner despaired of: God must therefore be praised. In fine, because he hath been comforted, in continuation he saith, J have babbled. In that same comfort being made mindful of God, I have been delighted, and have babbled. What is, / have babbled? I have rejoiced, I have exulted in speaking. For babblers they are properly called, that by the common people are named talkative, who at the approach of joy are neither able nor willing to be silent. This man hath become such an one. And again he saith what? And my spirit hath fainted.

7. With weariness he had pined away; by calling to mind God, he had been delighted, again in babbling he had fainted: what followeth? (Ver. 4.) All mine enemies have anticipated watches. All mine enemies have kept watch over me; they have exceeded in keeping watch over me; in watching they have been beforehand with me. Where do they not lay traps? Have not mine enemies anticipated all watches? For who are these enemies, but they of whom the Apostle saith, Ye have not wrestling against flesh and bloody but against principalities, and powers, and rulers of the world of this darkness, against spiritual things of naughtiness in heavenly places? Therefore against the devil and his angels we are waging hostilities. Rulers of the world he hath called them, because they do themselves rule the lovers of the world. For they do not rule the world, as if they were rulers of heaven and earth: but he is calling sinners the world. And the world knew Him not Such a world do they rule that know not Christ. Against such men we have perpetual hostilities. In a word, whatsoever enmities thou hast against man, thou thinkest to bring them to an end, either by his giving thee satisfaction, if he hath injured thee; or by thy giving it to him, if thou hast injured him; or by both, if ye have mutually injured one another; thou strivest to give satisfaction and to be at one: but with the devil and his angels there is no concord. They do themselves begrudge us the kingdom of Heaven. They cannot at all be appeased towards us: because all mine enemies have anticipated watches. They have watched more to deceive than I to guard myself. For how can they have done otherwise than anticipate watches, that have set every where scandals, every where traps? Weariness doth invest the heart, we have to fear lest sorrow swallow us up: in joy to fear lest the spirit faint in babbling: all mine enemies have anticipated watches. In fine, in the midst of that same babbling, whiles thou are speaking, and art speaking without fear, how much is ofttimes found which enemies would lay hold of and censure, whereon they would even found accusation and slander — "he said so, he thought so, he spake so!" What should man do, save that which followeth? I have been troubled, and I spake not. Therefore when he was troubled, lest in his babbling enemies anticipating watches should seek and find slanders, he spake not. Never however would this leaper over be still in himself: and if perchance he left off babbling, wherein there had stolen over him the desire of pleasing men with his very talking, yet he hath not desisted, hath not ceased to endeavour to transcend even this very feeling. And he saith what?

8. Ver. 5. / have thought on ancient days. Now he, as if he were one who had been beaten out of doors, hath taken refuge within: he is conversing in the secret place of his own heart. And let him declare to us what he is doing there: I have thought on ancient days. It is well with him. Observe what things he is thinking of, I pray you. He is within, in own house he is thinking of ancient days. No one saith to him, thou hast spoken ill: no one saith to him, thou hast spoken much: no one saith to him, thou hast thought perversely. Thus may it be well with him, may God aid him: let him think of the ancient days, and let him tell us what he hath done in his very inner chamber, whereunto he hath arrived, over what he hath leaped, where he hath abode. / have thought on ancient days; and of eternal years I have -been mindful. What are eternal years? It is a mighty thought. See whether this thought requireth any thing but great silence. Apart from all noise without, from all tumult of things human let him remain quiet within, that would think of those eternal years. Are the years wherein we are eternal, or those wherein our ancestors have been, or those wherein our posterity are to be? Far be it that they should be esteemed eternal. For what part of these years doth remain? Behold we speak and say, in this year: and what have we got of this year, save the one day wherein we are. For the former days of this year have already gone by, and are not to be had; but the future days have not yet come. In one day we are, and we say, in this year: nay rather say thou, to-day, if thou desirest to speak of any thing present. For of the whole year what hast thou got that is present? Whatsoever thereof is past, is no longer; whatsoever thereof is future, is not yet: how then, " this year?" Amend the expression: say, to-day. Thou speakest truth, henceforth I will say, " to-day." Again observe this too, how to-day the morning hours have already past, the future hours have not yet come. This too therefore amend: say, in this hour. And of this hour what hast thou got? Some moments thereof have already gone by, those that are future have not yet come. Say, in this moment. In what moment? While I am uttering syllables, if I shall speak two syllables, the latter doth not sound until the former hath gone by: in a word, in that same one syllable, if it chance to have two letters, the latter letter doth not sound, until the former hath gone by. What then have we got of these years? These years are changeable: the eternal years must be thought on, years that stand, that are not made up of days that come and Safety of speaking to God within the heart. 33 depart; years whereof in another place the Scripture saith to God, But Thou art the Self-same, and Thy years shall not^^ fail. On these years this man that leapeth over, not in babbling without, but in silence1 hath thought. And Qftte^Zs' eternal years I have been mindful.

9. Ver. 6. And I have meditated in the night with my8llence' heart. No slanderous person seeketh for snares iu his words, in his heart he hath meditated. / babbled. Behold there is the former babbling. Watch again, that thy spirit faint not. I did not, he saith, I did not so babble as if it were abroad: in another way now. How now? / did babble, and did search out my spirit. If he were searching the earth to find veins of gold, no one would say that he was foolish; nay, many men would call him wise, for desiring to come at gold: how great treasures hath a man within, and he diggeth not! This man was examining his spirit, and was speaking with that same his spirit, and in the very speaking he was babbling. He was questioning himself, was examining himself, was judge over hiniself. And he continueth; / did search my spirit. He had to fear lest he should stay within his own spirit: for he had babbled without; and because all his enemies had anticipated watches, he found there sorrow, and his spirit fainted* He that did babble without, lo, now doth begin to babble within in safety, where being alone in secret, he is thinking on eternal years. And I did search out, he saith, my spirit. And here he has to fear lest he should stay within his own spirit, and so should not be one leaping over. Now however he is doing better than he did without. He is overpassing somewhat: and hence let us see whereunto. This leaper over doth not cease until he cometh unto the end, wherefrom the Psalm hath the title, / did babble, he saith, and did search my spirit.

10- And thou hast found what? (Ver. 7.) God will not repel for everlasting. Weariness he had found in this life; in no place a trustworthy, in no place a fearless comfort. Unto whatsoever men he betook himself, in them he found scandal, or feared it. In no place therefore was he free from care. An. evil thing it was for him to hold his peace, lest perchance he should keep silence from good words; to speak and babble without was painful to him, lest all his enemies, anticipating watches, should seek slanders in his words. Being exceedingly straitened in this life, he thought much of another life, where there is not this trial. And when is he to arrive thither? For it cannot but be evident that our suffering here is the anger of God. This thing is spoken of in Isaiah, I will not be an avenger unto you for everlasting, nor will I be angry with you at all times. And He saith why: for the spirit shall go forth from Me, and I have made every breath. Because of sin for a little space I have made him sorrowful and have smitten him, and I have turned away My face from him, and he went away sorrouful, and walked in his own ways. What then? Will this anger of God alway abide? This man hath not found this in silence. For he saith what? God will not repel for everlasting, and He will not add any more that it should be well-pleasing to Him still. That is, that it should be well-pleasing to Him still to repel, and He will not add the repelling for everlasting. He must needs recal to Himself His servants, He must needs receive fugitives returning to the Lord, He must needs hearken to the voice of them that are in fetters. God will not repel for everlasting; and He will not add any more that it should be well-pleasing to Him.

11. Ver. 8. Or unto the end will He cut off mercy from generation to generation? (Ver. 9.) Or will God forget to be merciful? In thee, from thee unto another there is no mercy unless God bestow it on thee: and shall God Himself forget mercy? The stream runneth: shall the spring itself be dried up? Or shall God forget to be merciful: or shall He keep back in anger His mercies? That is, shall He be so angry, as that He will not have mercy? He will more easily keep back anger than mercy. Of this also by Isaiah He hath spoken: / will not be an avenger unto you for everlasting, nor will I at all times be angry with you. After He had said this and, he went away sorrouful, and walked in his own ways: then He saith, his ways I have seen, and have made him whole. When he perceived this he did overpass evn himself, delighting in God, in order that he might be there, and might babble rather in His works; not in his spirit, not in that which he was, but in Him by Whom he had been made. And hence therefore leaping over he doth We must c leap over earth to apprehend God's works. 36 transcend. See ye him leaping over, see if he stayeth in any place until he reacheth unto God.

12. Ver. 10. And I said. Now leaping over himself he hath said what? Now I have begun: when I had gone out even from myself. Now I have begun. Here henceforth there is no danger: for even to remain in myself, was danger. And I said, Now I have began: this is the changing of the right hand of the Lofty One. Now the Lofty One hath begun to change me: now I have begun something wherein I am secure: now I have entered a certain palace1 of joys, wherein no enemy is to be feared: now I have begun to be in that region, where all mine enemies do not anticipate watches. Now I have begun: this is the changing of the right hand of the Lofty One.

13. Ver. 11. I have been mindful of the works of the Lord. Now behold him roaming among the works of the Lord. For he was babbling without, and being made sorrowful thereby his spirit fainted: he babbled within with his own heart, and with his spirit, and having searched out that same spirit he was mindful of the eternal years, was mindful of the mercy of the Lord, how God will not repel him for everlasting; and he began now fearlessly to rejoice in His works, fearlessly to exult in the same. Let us hear now those very works, and let us too exult. But let even us leap over in our affections, and not rejoice in things temporal. For we too have our bed. Why do we not enter therein? Why do we not abide in silence? Why do we not search out our spirit? Why do we not think on the eternal years? Why do we not rejoice in the works of God? In such sort now let us hear, and let us take delight in Himself speaking, in order that when we shall have departed hence, we may do that which we used to do while He spake; if only we are making the beginning of Him whereof he spake in, Now I have begun. To rejoice in the works of God, is to forget even thyself, if thou canst delight in Him alone. For what is a better thing than He? Dost thou not see that, when thou returnest to thyself, thou returnest to a worse thing? I have been mindful of the works of the Lord: for I shall be mindful from the beginning of Thy wonderful works.

14. Ver. 12. And I will meditate on all Thy works, and on affecti°ns I WM babble. Behold the third babbling! He babbled without, when he fainted; he babbled in his spirit within, when he advanced; he babbled on the works of when he arrived at the place toward which he advanced. And on Thy affections I will babble: not on my affections. What man doth live without affections? And do ye suppose, brethren, that they who fear God, worship God, love God, have not any affections? Wilt thou indeed suppose and dare to suppose, that painting, the theatre, hunting, hawking, fishing, engage the affections, and the meditation on God doth not engage certain interior affections of its own, while we contemplate the universe, and place before our eyes the spectacle of the natural world, and therein labour to discover the Maker, and find Him no where unpleasing, but pleasing above1 all things?

^ y^^^ 13. O God, Thy way is in the Holy One. He is contemplating now the works of the mercy of God around us, out of these he is babbling, and in these affections he is exulting. At first he is beginning from thence, Thy way is in the Holy One? What is that way of Thine which is in Holy One? I am, He saith, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Return therefore, ye men, from your affections. Whither are ye going, whither running? Whither not only from God but from yourselves are ye fleeing? Return ye transgressors to the heart: search ye your spirit, recollect the eternal years, find out the mercy of God around you, give heed to the works of His mercy: in the Holy One is His Way. " Sons of men, how long are ye heavy in heart?" What are ye seeking in your affections? Why do ye love emptiness. and seek lying? And know ye that the Lord hath magnified His Holy One?

Thy Way is in the Holy One: let us observe, let us observe Christ, there is His Way; O God, Thy way is in the Holy One. Who is a great God, like our God? Gentiles have their affections regarding their gods, they adore idols, they have eyes aud they see not; ears they have and they hear not; feet they have and they walk not. Why dost thou walk to a God that walketh not? I do not, he saith, worship such things, and what dost thou worship? The divinity which is there. Thou dost then worship that whereof hath been said elsewhere,yor the Gods of the nations are demons. Thou dost either worship idols, or devils. Neither idols, nor devils, he saith. And what dost thou worship? The stars, sun, moon, those things celestial. How much better Him that hath made both things earthly and things celestial. Who is a great Qod like our Ood?

16. Ver. 14. Thou art the Qod that doest wonderful things alone. Thou art indeed a great God, doing wonderful things in body, in soul; alone doing them. The deaf have heard, the blind have seen, the feeble have recovered, the dead have risen, the paralytic have been strengthened. But these miracles were at that time performed on bodies, let us see those wrought on the soul. Sober are those that were a little before drunken, believers are those that were a little before worshippers of idols: their goods they bestow on the poor that did rob before those of others. Who is a great Ood like our Ood? Thou art the Qod that doest wonderful things alone. Moses too did them, but not alone: Elias too did them, even Eliseus did them, the Apostles too did them, but no one of them alone. That they might have power to do them, Thou wast with them: when Thou didst them they were not with Thee. For they were not with Thee when Thou didst them, inasmuch as Thou didst make even these very men. Thou art the Qod that doest wonderful things alone. How alone? Is it perchance the Father, and not the Son? Or the Son, and not the Father? Nay, but Father and Son and Holy Ghost. Thou art the Qod that doest wonderful things alone. For it is not three Gods but one God that doeth wonderful things alone, and even in this very leaper-over. For even his leaping over and arriving at these things was a miracle of God: when he was babbling within with his own spirit, in order that he might leap over even that same spirit of his, and might delight in the works of God, he then did wonderful things himself. But God hath done what? Thou hast made known unto the people Tfiy virtue. Thence this congregation of Asaph leaping over; because He hath made known in the peoples His virtue. What virtue of His hath He made known in the peoples? But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews indeed a scandal, but to the Gentiles folly: but to them that are called. Jews and Greeks. Christ the virtue of God and the wisdom of God. If then the virtue of God is Christ, He hath made known Christ in the peoples. Do we not yet perceive so much as this; and are we so unwise, are we lying so much below, do we so leap over nothing, as that we see not this? Thou hast made known in the peoples TJty virtue.

17. Ver. 15. Thou hast redeemed in Thine arm Thy people. With Tftine arm, that is, with Thy virtue. And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed f Thou hast redeemed in Tliine arm Thy people, the sons of Israel and of Joseph. How as if two peoples, the sons of Israel and of Joseph f Are not the sons of Joseph among the sons of Israel? They are evidently. We know it, we read it, the Scripture declareth it, the truth sheweth it, for Israel is the same as Jacob: he had twelve sons, among whom Joseph was one, aud out of the twelve sons of Israel all that were born do belong to the people Israel. How then saith he, sons of Israel and of Joseph? He hath admonished us of some distinction to be made. Let us search out our spirit, perchance God hath placed there something — God Whom we ought even by night to seek with our hands, in order that we may not be deceived— perchance we shall discover even ourselves in this distinction of sons of Israel and of Joseph. By Joseph He hath willed another people to be understood, hath willed that the people of the Gentiles be understood. Why the people of the Gentiles by Joseph? Because Joseph was sold into Egypt by his brethren. That Joseph whom the brethren envied, and sold him into Egypt, when sold into Egypt, toiled, was humbled; when made known and exalted, flourished, reigned. And by all these things he hath signified what? What but Christ sold by His brethren, banished from His own land, as it were into the Egypt of the Gentiles? There at first humbled, when the Martyrs were suffering persecutions: now exalted, as we see; inasmuch as there hath been fulfilled in Him, Tltere shall adore Him all kinds of the earth, all nations shall serve Him. Therefore Joseph is the people of the Gentiles, but Israel the people of the Hebrew nation. God hath redeemed His people, the sons of Israel and of Joseph. By means of what? By means of the corner stone, wherein the two walls have been joined together.

18. And he continuethhow? (Ver. 16.) The water shave seen Thee, O God. What are the waters? The peoples. What are these waters hath been asked in the Apocalypse, the answer Rev. was, the peoples. There we find most clearly waters put16, by a figure for peoples. But above he had said, TJiou hasty* made known in the peoples Thy virtue. With reason therefore, the waters have seen Thee, O God: the waters have seen Thee, and they have feared. They have been changed because they have feared, The waters have seen Thee, O God, and they have feared: and the abysses have been troubled. What are the abysses? The depths of waters. What man among the peoples is not troubled, when the conscience is smitten? Thou seekest the depth of the sea, what is deeper than human conscience? That is the depth which was troubled, when God redeemed with His arm His people. In what manner were the abysses troubled? When all men poured forth their consciences in confession. And the abysses were troubled.

1 9. Ver. 1 7. There is a multitude of the sound of waters. In praises of God, in confessions of sins, in hymns and in songs, in prayers, there is a multitude of the sound of waters. The clouds have uttered a voice. Thence that sound of waters, thence the troubling of the abysses, because the clouds have uttered a voice. What clouds? The preachers of the word of truth. What clouds? Those concerning which God doth menace a certain vineyard, which instead of grape had brought forth thorns, and He saith, I will command My clouds, thatlan.5,6 they rain no ram upon it. In a word, the Apostles forsaking the Jews, went to the Gentiles: among all nations, the clouds have uttered a voice: in preaching Christ, the clouds have uttered a voice.

20. For Thine arrows have gone through. Those same voices of the clouds He hath again called arrows. For the words of the Evangelists were arrows. For these things are allegories. For properly neither an arrow is rain, nor rain is an arrow: but yet the word of God is both an arrow because it doth smite; and rain because it doth water. Let no one therefore any longer wonder at the troubling of the abysses, when Thine arrows have gone through. What is, have gone through? They have not stopped in the ears, but they have pierced the heart. (Ver. 18.) The voice of Thy thunder is in the wheel. What is this? How are we to understand it? May the Lord give aid. The voice of Thy thunder is in the wheel. When boys we were wont to imagine, whenever we heard thunderings from Heaven, that carriages were going forth as it were from the stables. For thunder doth make a sort of rolling like carriages. Must we return to these boyish thoughts, in order to understand, the voice of Thy thunder is in the wheel, as though God hath certain carriages in the clouds, and the passing along of the carriages doth raise that sound? Far be it. This is boyish, vain, trifling. What is then, The voice of Thy thunder is in the wheel? Thy voice rolleth. Not even this do I understand. What shall we do? Let us question Idithun himself, to see whether perchance he may himself explain what he hath said: The voice y he saith, of Thy thunder is in the wheel. I do not understand. I will hear what thou say est: Thy lightnings have appeared to the round world. Say then, I had no understanding. The round world is a wheel. For the circuit of the round world is with reason called also an 6 orb:' whence also a small wheel is called an 'orbiculus.' The voice of Thy thunder is in the wheel: Thy lightnings have appeared to the round world. Those clouds in a wheel have gone about the round world, have gone about with thundering and with lightning, they have shaken the abyss, with commandments they have thundered, with miracles they have lightened. Unto every land hath gone forth the sound of them, and unto the ends of the globe the words of them. The land hath been moved and made to tremble: that is, all men that dwell in the land. But by a figure the land itself is sea. Why? Because all nations are called by the name of sea, inasmuch as human life is bitter, and exposed to storms and tempests. Moreover if thou observe this, how men devour one another like fishes, how the stronger doth swallow up the weaker — it is then a sea, unto it the Evangelists went.

21. (Ver. 19.) Thy way is in the sea. But now Thy way was in the Holy One, now Thy way is in the sea: because the Holy One Himself is in the sea, and with reason even did walk upon waters of the sea. Thy way is in the sea9 that is, Thy Christ is preached among the Gentiles. For in another Psalm it is thus said: God have mercy upon us, and bless us, enlighten His countenance upon us1, in order that we may know Thy way on the earth. Where on the earth? In all^Oxt.9 nations Thy saving health: this is, Thy way is in the sea, and Thy paths in many waters, that is, in many peoples, And Thy footsteps will not be known. He hath touched certain, and wonder were it if it be not those same Jews. Behold now the mercy of Christ hath been so published to the Gentiles, that Thy way is in the sea, and Thy paths in many waters, and Thy footsteps will not be known. How so, by whom will they not be known, save by those who still say, Christ hath not yet come? Why do they say, Christ hath not yet come? Because they do not yet recognise Him walking on the sea.

22. (Ver.20.) Thou hast led home Thy people like sheep in the hand of Moses and of Aaron. Why He hath added this is somewhat difficult to discover. Aid ye therefore us with your attention: for after the above two verses there will be an end both of the Psalm and of the Sermon: lest perchance while ye think that a good part remaineth, for fear of the labour ye pay less attention to the present. When he had said, Thy way is in the sea, which we understand of the Gentiles; and Thy paths are in many waters, which we understand of many peoples: he added, and Thy footsteps will not be known. And we were enquiring by whom they were not known, and he added immediately, Thou hast led home Thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron: that is, by that people of Thine which was led home by the band of Moses and Aaron, Thy footsteps will not be known. Why then hath there been written, save for the sake of rebuking and reproaching, Thy way is in the sea? Why is Thy way in the sea, except because it was thrust out from Thy land? They banished Christ, sick as they were, they would not have Him for their Saviour; but He began to be among the Gentiles, and among all nations, among many peoples. Nevertheless, a remnant of that people hath been saved. The ungrateful multitude hath remained without, even the halting breadth of Jacob's thigh. For the breadth of the thigh is understood of the multitude of lineage, and among the greater part of the32, Israelites a certain multitude became vain and foolish, so as not to know the steps of Christ on the waters. Thou hast led home Thy people like sheep, and they have not known Thee. Though Thou hast done such great benefits unto them, hast divided sea, hast made them pass over dry land between waters, hast drowned in the waves pursuing enemies, in the desert hast rained manna for their hunger, leading them home by the hand of Moses and Aaron: still they thrust Thee from them, so that in the sea was Thy Way, and Thy steps they knew not.