Psalm 109 (Vulgate 108)

1. Every one who faithfully readeth the Acts of the Apostles, acknowledged that this Psalm containeth a prophecy of Christ; for it evidently appeareth that what is here.written, let his days be few, and let another take his office, is prophesied of Judas, the betrayer of Christ, alluding to the time when Matthias, being ordained into the place of Judas, was added a twelfth to the number of the Apostles. gut we ^tempt to understand of this one man all that is here said of a wicked man, our exposition will hardly be consistent; whereas if we take it in reference to all wicked men of this kind, by which 1 mean enemies of Christ and ungrateful Jews, every thing seemeth to me to be capable of a clearer explanation. For as some things are said which seem peculiarly to apply to the Apostle Peter, and yet are not clear in their meaning, unless when referred to the Church, whom he is acknowledged to have figuratively represented, on account of the primacy.which he bore among the Disciples; as it is written, / will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and other passages of the like purport: so Judas doth represent those Jews who were enemies of Christ, who both then hated Christ, and now, in their line of succession, this species of wickedness continuing, hate Him. Of these men, and of this people, not only may what we read more openly discovered in this Psalm be conveniently understood, but also those things which are more expressly stated concerning Judas himself; The Son of God, unknown, exposed to evil tongues. 209 as the passage I have just mentioned, Let his days be few, and let another take his office: and this will appear, with the Lord's help, when, in the course of exposition, we reach those verses.

2. Ver. 1, 2. The Psalm, then, begin neth thus: O God, be not silent as to my praise; for the mouth of the ungodly, yea, the mguth of the deceitful is opened upon me. Whence it appeareth, both that the blame, which the ungodly and the deceitful is not silent of, is false, and that the praise, which God is not silent of, is true. For God is true, but^om'^>- every man a liar; for no man is true, except him in whom God speaketh. But the highest praise is that of the only-begotten Son of God, in which He is proclaimed even That which He is, the only-begotten Son of God. But this did not appear, but, when His weakness appeared, lay hid, when the mouth of the ungodly and deceitful was opened upon Him; and for this reason his mouth was opened, because His virtue was concealed: and he saith, the mouth of the deceitful was opened, because the hatred which was covered by deceit burst out into language. This also is more plainly stated in thei following verses.

3. Ver. 3. They have spoken against me uMlh false tongues: then chiefly when they praised him as a good Master with insidious adulation. Whence it is elsewhere said; and they?** that praisedme,are sworn together against me. Next, because they burst into cries, Crucify Him, crucify Him; he hathj[ohnl9> added, They compassed me about also with words of hatred. They who with a treachero&s tongue spoke words seemingly of love, and not of hatred, against me, since they did this insidiously; afterwards compassed me about with words not of false and deceitful love, but of open hatred, and fought against me without a cause. For as the pious love Christ for nought, so do the wicked hate Him for nought; for as truth is earnestly sought by the best men on its own account, without any advantage, external to itself, in view, so is wickedness sought by the worst men. Whence among secular authors it is said of a very bad man, * he was wicked and cruel for no object1.' 1

4. Ver. 4. In place* saith he, of loving me, they detracted from me. There are six different acts of this class, which may, when mentioned, very easily be borne in mind; to return good for evil, not to return evil for evil; to return good for good, to return evil for evil; not to return good for good, to return evil for good. The two first of these belong to the good, and the first of these two is the better; the two last belong to the wicked, and the latter of the two is the worse; the two middle to a sort of middle class of persons, but the first of these borders upon the good, the latter on the bad. We should remark these things in the holy Scriptures. Our Lord Himself returneth good for evil, Who justifeth the ungodly; and Who, when hanging upon the Cross, said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Whose steps the holy Stephen followed, when with bended knees he prayed for those who were stoning him, saying, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And unto this the commandment doth pertain, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which persecute you. The Apostle Paul saith, that evil is not to be returned for evil: Recompensing to no man evil for evil: an(^ tne Apostle Peter; not rendering evil for evil9 or railing for railing; whence also it is read in the Psalms; If I have rewarded evil unto them that dealt evil unto me. The less wicked of the two last pertaineth to the nine lepers, who, they had been cleansed by the Lord, gave no thanks; tnat jast act^ wnjCh nothing is worse, belongeth to those of whom it is read in the Psalm, In place of loving me, they detracted from me.

5. For they owed love in return for such blessings of the Lord, but they not only did not pay it, but even returned evil for those blessings. But those two middle qualities, which we stated to belong to a sort of middle class of men, are such, that the first of them, I mean the returning good for good, is possessed by the good, and the moderately good and the moderately bad. For this reason the Lord doth not blame this, but yet doth not wish His disciples to abide in this alone, for He doth wish to elevate them to a higher state when He saith to them, For if ye love them which love you, that is, if you return good for good, what reward have ye? that is, what great deed will ye have done? Do not even the Publicans the same? But He wisheth them to do both this and much more, that is, to love not only their friends, but even their enemies. But the last quality, I mean the returning evil for evil, both the wicked, and the moderately wicked, and the moderately good, may possess. So much so, that the law hath given them a measure of retaliation, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; which, if 1 may so speak, is t?e justice of the unjust. Not that it is iniquitous that each man should receive what he hath done, (otherwise the law would never enact thus,) but because the lust of revenge is vicious, and it rather belongeth to the judge to fix this between others, than to the good man to demand it for hitnself. Into how great a depth of malignity, therefore, have the wicked plunged, falling from that high state of goodness in which good deeds are returned for evil, when they have returned evil for good! With how terrible a fall have they passed over so many steps between! Nor ought it to be thought a slight thing that he doth not say, in place of loving me, they slew me; but, they detracted from me: since they slew Him in that they detracted from Him by denying Him to be the Son of God, and saying that He cast out devils by the chief of the devils; and that, He hath a devil and is mad; why hear ye Him? and other sayings joimio of the same sort For by this detraction they turned away from Him those whose conversion He was seeking; and indeed, he preferred this expression in order to shew that those do more harm who detract from Christ, and by this means slay souls, than they who in their fury destroyed His mortal flesh, especially as it was so soon to rise.

6. But after he had said, in place of loving me, they detracted from me; what doth he add? But I gave myself unto prayer. He said not indeed what he prayed, but what can we better understand than for them themselves. For they were detracting greatly from Him Whom they crucified, when they ridiculed Him as if He were a man, whom in their opinion they had conquered; from which Cross He said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do; so that while they in the depth of their malignity were rendering evil for good, He in the height of His goodness rendering good for evil. Although He may also be well understood to have prayed for His disciples, as He said before His Passion, lest their faith should fail, while He, hanging on the tree, that He might recommend endurance unto them, did not display His power amid the calumnies of those who were detracting from Him, whom He might have destroyed by His divine power. But for us it was more profitable that He shewed an example of endurance, than if by destroying His enemies without dela^, He had trained us up to hasten impatiently to be revenged of those wicked men from whom we suffer; since it is written, He ffaf siQW (Q anger^ is fetter than the mighty. The divine words then teach us by our Lord's example, when we hear, In place of loving me, they detracted from me; but I gave myself unto prayer; that when we feel others ungrateful to us, not only in that they do not repay us with good, but even return evil for good, we should pray; He indeed for others who were raging against Him, or in sorrow, or endangered in faith; but we for ourselves in the first place, that we may by the mercy and aid of God conquer our own mind, by which we are borne on to the desire of revenge, when any detraction is made from us, either in our presence or our absence. Next, when we call to mind the patience of Christ, as if He Himself were aroused from sleep, (as actually happened, when He was sleeping in the ship,) Who doth tranquillize the perturbation and tempest of our heart, with a spirit serene and pacified, let us pray for our very calumniators, that we may without fear pray, Forgive us, as we also forgive. But He forgave them, Who indeed had no trespass that should be forgiven Him.

7. Ver. 5. He addeth, Thus have they rewarded me evil for good. And as if we asked, what evil? for what good? And hatred, he saith, for my good will. This is the sum total of their great guilt. For how could the persecutors injure Him, Who died of His own free-will, and not by compulsion? But this very hatred is the greatest crime of the persecutor, although it be the willing atonement of the sufferer. And he hath sufficiently explained the sense of the above words, In place of loving me, since they owed love not as a general duty only, but in return for His love: in that he hath here added, for my good will. This love He Just punishment is not evil-doing, 213 mentioneth in the Gospel, when He saith, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem^ how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her^L2S wings, and thou wouldest not!

8. He then beginneth to prophesy what they should receive for this very impiety; detailing their lot in such a manner, if he wished its realization from a desire of revenge; while He declareth what was to happen with the most absolute certainty, and what of God's justice would come upon such worthily. Some not understanding this mode of predicting the future, under the appearance of wishing evil, suppose hatred to be returned for hatred, and an evil will for an evil will: since in truth it belongeth to few to distinguish, in what way the punishment of the wicked pleaseth the accuser, who longeth to satiate his enmity; and in how widely different a way it pleaseth the judge, who with a righteous mind punisheth sins. For the former returneth evil for evil: but the judge when he punisheth doth not return evil for evil, since he returneth justice to the unjust; and what is just, is surely good. He therefore punisheth not from delight in another's misery, which is evil for evil; but from love of justice, which is good for evil. Let not then the blind pervert the light of the Scriptures, imagining that God doth not punish sins 3 nor let the wicked flatter themselves, as if He rendered evil for evil. Let us therefore hear the sequel of this divine composition; and in the words of one who seemeth to wish ill, let us recognise the predictions of a prophet; and let us see God making a just retribution, raising our mind up to His eternal laws.

9. Ver. 6. Set thou an ungodly man to be ruler over him; and let Satan stand at his right hand. Though the complaint had been before concerning many, the Psalm is now speaking of one. For he had said before; they have spoken against me with false tongues; they compassed me about with words of hatred, and fought against me without a. cause; in place of loving me they detracted from me, but I gave myself unto prayer: thus have they rewarded ine evil for good, and hatred for my good wilL All this is concerning many persons. But now, declaring what they deserved for their iniquities, and what was in store for them by the Divine judgment, he saith, Set thou an ungodly man to be ruler over him, as if threatening singly that man who gave himself over to such enemies of his as he was before describing. Since therefore he is here speaking of the traitor Judas, who, according to the Scripture in the Acts of the Apostles, was to be punished with the penalty due to him, what meaneth, set thou an ungodly man over him, save him whom in the next verse he mentioneth by name, when he saith, and let Satan stand at his right hand? He therefore who refused to be subject unto Christ, deserved this, that he should have the devil set over him, that is, that he should be subject unto the devil. The expression, stand at his right hand, is used because he preferred the works of the devil to the works of God: for that which he doth prefer is justly said to be at the right of any man, even as the right hand is preferred to the left. For this reason also it is said of those, who preferring the pleasures of this world to God, styled the people blessed who have such and such things, ^°*r hand 15 a right hand of iniquity. For because they called the people who had such and such things blessed, their mouth hath spoken vanity; as is said of them above. But he whose mouth speaketh truth, contrary to what they said of the people who have such things, ought himself to say, what followeth in the same Psalm: Blessed are the people that have the Lord for their Qod; for this man hath not the devil at his right hand, but the Lord; even as he elsewhere saith, / have set Qod always before me, for He is on my right hand, therefore I shall not be moved. The devil therefore stood at his right hand, when he preferred avarice to wisdom, and money to his salvation, so that he betrayed Him, by Whom he ought to have been possessed, that he might not be possessed by him, whose works Christ Himself, by Whom he refused to be possessed, destroyed.

10. Ver. 7. When sentence is given upon him, let him be condemned. For he refused to be one of those to whom it should be said, enter into the joy of thy Lord; and preferred to be such an one of whom it is said, cast him into outer darkness. And let his prayer be turned into sin. For prayer is not righteous except through Christ, Whom he His prayer turned into sin, as not through Christ. 215 sold in his atrocious sin: but the prayer which is not made through Christ, not only cannot blot out sin, but is itself turned into sin. But it may be inquired, on what occasion Judas could have so prayed, that his prayer was turned into sin. I suppose that before he betrayed the Lord, while he was thinking of betraying Him; for he could no longer pray through Christ. For after he betrayed Him, and repented of it, if he prayed through Christ, he would ask for pardon; if he asked for pardon, he would have hope; if he had hope, he would hope for mercy; if he hoped for mercy, he would not have hung himself in despair: therefore after he had said, when sentence is given upon him, let him be condemned; that he might not be supposed to have, been able to liberate himself by prayer from the condemnation which hung over him; that prayer which he had learnt together with his fellow-disciples, where it is said, Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us; let his prayer, he saith, be turned into sin9 because it is not made through Christ, Whom he chose not to follow, but to persecute.

11. Ver. 8. Let his days be few. By his days, he meant the days of his apostleship, which were few; since before the Passion of our Lord, they were ended by his crime and death. And as if it were asked, What then shall become of that most sacred number twelve, within which our Lord willed, not without a meaning, to limit His twelve first Apostles? he at once addeth, and let another take his office. As much as to say, let both himself be punished according to his desert, and let his number be filled up. And if any one desire to know how this was done, let him read the Acts of the Apostles.

12. Ver. 9. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. After his death, both his children were fatherless* and his wife a widow.

13. Ver. 10. Let his children be vagabonds, and be carried away, and beg their bread. By vagabonds he meaneth, uncertain whither to go, destitute of all help. Let them be driven from their habitations. He here explaineth what he had said above, Let them be carried away. How all this happened to his wife and children, the following verses explain.

14. Ver. 11, 12. Let the extortioner search out all his substance, and let the strangers spoil his labour. Let there be no man to help him: that is, to guard his posterity; wherefore followeth, nor to have compassion on his fatherless children.

15. Ver. 13. But as even orphans may, without one to help them, and without a guardian, nevertheless increase amid trouble and want, and preserve their race by descent; he next saith, IM his posterity be destroyed; and in the next generation let his name be clean put out: that is, let what hath been generated by him, generate no more, and quickly pass away.

16. Ver. 14. But what is it that he next addeth? Let the wickedness of his fathers be had in remembrance in the sight of the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be done away. Is it to be understood, that even the sins of his fathers shall be visited upon him? For upon him they are not visited, who hath been changed in Christ, and hath ceased to be the child of the wicked, by not having imitated their conduct: for this is most truly written, I will visit the sins of their fathers upon the children; and this, which is declared through the Prophet, both the soul of the father is Mjn^ and fne soui 0f the son is Mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Now this is said of those who turn unto God, and do not imitate the evil deeds of their parents; and this the Prophet evidently declareth, when he saith, that the iniquities of their fathers injure not the children, who, by working righteousness, are unlike them. And to these words, J will visit the sins of the fathers upon the children, is added, who hate Me; that is, hate Me as their fathers hated Me: so that as the effect of imitating the good is that even their own sins are blotted out, so the imitation of the wicked causeth men to suffer not their own deservings only, but those also of those whom they have imitated. If therefore Judas had held unto that to which he had been called, by no means would either his past wickedness, or that of his parents, have affected him; but since he held not his adoption in the household of God, but preferred the iniquity of his ancient race; the iniquity of his fathers was had in remembrance in the sight of the Lord, that it also might Children of the wicked puhished after their death. 2X7 in him be punished; and the sin of his mother was not done away in him.

17. Ver. 15. Let them alway be against (contra) the Lord; that is, let his father and his mother be alway against the Lord; not that they may be opposed to the Lord, but that the Lord may not forget in this man their very ill deserts, when He shall avenge them upon him. Against the Lord, meaneth in the Lord's sight: for other translators have rendered this line, let them be always in the sight of the Lord; while others have rendered it, let them be before the Lord alway; as it is elsewhere said, Thou hast set our misdeeds in Thy sight. By alway, he meaneth that this great crime should be without pardon, both here, and in a future life. Let the memorial of them perish from off the earth: that is, of his father and of his mother. By memorial of them, he meaneth, that which is preserved by successive generations: this he prophesied should perish from the earth, because both Judas himself, and his sons, who were the memorial of his father and mother, without any succeed* ing offspring, as it is said above, were consumed in the short space of one generation.

18. Suppose some one saith; Is it to be believed, that even this belongeth to the punishment of Judas, that after his death his wife and children came to beggary, and were made vagabonds and outcasts from their homes, the extortioner searching out all his substance, and strangers spoiling his labour, no man aiding or pitying his orphans, and that they died speedily without posterity? Doth any pain reach the dead, resulting from what happeneth among a man's relations after his death? or are they, whose powers of perception are in different places, according to their deservings, whether good or evil, to be supposed to be conscious of these things? To this I answer, that it is indeed a great question, and not one to be discussed at present, because it belongeth to a labour of greater extent, whether, or to what degree, or in what manner, the spirits of the dead are aware of what is passing around us. Nevertheless, as may briefly be alleged, if they had no concern for us, our Lord would not represent that rich man who was suffering torment in hell to have said, I hate Jive brethren, ***** lest they also come into this place of torment But let those who attempt to understand this otherwise, understand it in whatever sense they please; and since it must be confessed, that it doth not follow, that if the dead know that their relations are living, because they see them neither in the regions of punishment, where that rich man was, nor in repose of the blessed, where he recognised Lazarus and Abraham, at however great a distance, that they must needs for that reason know all ihe joyful and sorrowful events that affect those dear unto them: this I assert, that there are few men of such a disposition as to neglect, or altogether scorn during their own life, what of good or evil may happen to their kindred after their death; but that many, as is shewn by their great care in expressing their last will and testament, such as it may be, exert themselves sufficiently to secure prosperity to their friends, when they die themselves. But the continuance of their posterity through successive generations is despised in a praiseworthy spirit by those alone, who cut off themselves on account of the kingdom of heaven, and desire their sons to do this, or long to be crowned with martyrdom, so that none of them remain on earth: but all, or nearly all, the rest, wish their kindred to be happy in this life after their own death, and are unwilling that their race should perish. Wherefore in that, after Judas had so miserably perished, his widowed wife and fatherless children survived iu such a state, that, the extortioner searching out all his substance, and strangers spoiling all his labours, they became outcasts from their houses, and his orphans found none to pity them, and that they perished in one generation without posterity; if the dead feel these things, it is an aggravation of their evils: if they do not feel them, they are a fear for the living. But if the question occur, how he could have substance which the extortioner might search out, and strangers spoil, since he had before this been following the Lord with the other eleven: we may believe that he had given up all that he had to his wife and children in such a manner as not sincerely and perseveringly to have torn from him the chain of avarice: since although he seemed to be selling his property for distribution among tne poor, he was in reality doing what Ananias did after the ascension of our Lord. For he would not fear lest the Lord by His Divinity should be aware of this, since he imagined that he had escaped His notice, when he was stealing from out of the bags what was dropped in.

19. Ver. 6 — 15. But let us now consider, if we can, as far as the Lord aideth us, how these words suit the Jewish people, wjose enmities against the Lord continued with a persevering hatred: which people, we have said, Judas figuratively represented, as Peter did the Church. Set thou an ungodly man to be ruler over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand. As in the case of Judas, so it must be understood of this people; who, when Christ was rejected by them, became subject to the devil, whose persuasions in all depraved and earthly lusts it preferred to everlasting salvation. When sentence is given upon him, let him be condemned; because by persisting in wickedness and unbelief, they treasure up for themselves wrath on the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,6,6, Who will render unto every man according to his works. And let his prayer be turned into sin. Because it is not offered through the Mediator between God and men, the Man Jesus Christ, and Priest for ever according to the2'5, order of Melchisedec. Let his days be few. This must be understood of the kingdom: since the Jewish kingdom did4, not long continue afterwards. And let another lake his office1. I think that our Lord Christ Himself may without inconsistency be understood by the Episcopate of thePatuaK Jewish people, since He was born of the tribe of Judab, according to the flesh: and the Apostle saith, Now 1 say Rom. that Jesus Christ was a Minister of circumcision for the15'8' truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the And He Himself saith, 1 am not sent but unto Mat. the lost sheep of the house of Israel; because He shewed24, unto them His presence in the flesh. And the Magi who came from the East said this, Where is He that is born Matt. King of the Jews? And this was written on the title above when crucified: whence Pilate replied, not without meaning, to those who desired to alter it, What I have Johuiy, I have written. Another then, that is, the Gentiles, I9~~22, this Episcopate of the Jewish people, that is, Christ. Let his sons be fatherless: they of whom it is ^he children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer They became fatherless by the loss of this very kingdom, as if they had thereby lost their father, although they may be well understood to have lost God their Father; for Truth, " Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father" And his wife a widow. The people may be understood as the wife of a kingdom, over which kings rule; but she became widowed by the loss of this very kingdom. Let his sons be bowed down, and carried away% and beg their bread. They bowed down before their dangers; the conquered sons of the kingdom of the Jews were carried away by overwhelming enemies. But what is the meaning of begging their bread, save living on the mercy of men, as they live beneath the kings of those nations into which they have been carried away? Let them be outcasts from their homes. Thus it hath happened. Let the extortioner search out all their substance, that is, all the substance of that people. This cannot be better understood, than that their trespasses are not pardoned, because they are pardoned in Christ alone, Whom they rejected, Who also taught them to say, Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. By all substance, is meant all its life, so that no debts, that is no sins, be remitted to it. And let the stranger spoil his labours; the devil and his angels, because they who have not Christ do not lay up store in Heaven. Let there be no man to help him; Who can help him whom Christ helpeth not? Nor to have compassion upon his fatherless children. Who, having lost their father, that is, their kingdom, remained in this state, as having lost their God, Whose Son they persecuted and hated, cannot find any one to pity them, not to support their life in this world, but their true, that is their eternal, life. Let his posterity be destroyed, be destroyed indeed for evermore. And in the next generation let his name be clean put out. Because they were generated and not regenerated, therefore are they blotted out in one generation; for in the other, that is, in regeneration, if they understood and held it, they would not be blotted out. Let the wickedness of his fathers be had in remembrance in the sight of the Lord, that the Lord may visit upon the same people, when persisting in their wickedness, even their fathers' iniquity. For this He saith unto them, Ye are witnesses unto yourselves, that ye™*^?3' are the children of them which killed the Prophets: and a little after he saith, That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous jlbel unto the blood of Zacharias. — And let not the sin of his mother be done away. The sin of Jerusalem, who is a slave together with her children, who slayeth the Prophets, and stoneth those that are sent unto her. Let them alway be before the Lord; their sin and iniquity; that is, that they may not be blotted out from the sight of the Lord, God punishing them for evermore. And let the memorial of them perish from off the earth. The earth of the Lord is the Lord's field: the Lord's field is the Church: from which earth the memorial of them hath been rooted out, for though they were the natural branches, through their unbelief were they broken off.

20. Ver. 16, 17. And that, because he remembered not to act mercifully; either Judas, or the people itself. But remembered not is better understood of the people: for if they slew Christ, they might well remember the deed in penitence, and act mercifully towards His members, whom they most perseveringly persecuted. For this reason he saith, but persecuted the poor man and the beggar. It may indeed be understood of Judas; for the Lord did not disdain to become poor, when He was rich, that we might be^Cor«8» enriched by His poverty. But how shall I understand the word beggar, save perhaps because He said to the Samaritan woman, Give me to drink, and on the Cross He said, / thirst. But as to what followeth, I do not see how it can be understood of our Head Himself, that is, the Saviour of His own body, Whom Judas persecuted. For after saying, He persecuted the poor man and the beggar: he addeth, and to slay, thdX i$,that he might slay Him, for some have so rendered it, Him that was pricked at the heart. This expression is not commonly used except of the stings of past sins in the sorrows of penitence; as it is said of those, who, when they had heard the Apostles after our Lord's ascension, were pricked in heart, even they who had slain the Lord. The most blessed Peter addressed them, using these words among others, Repent, and be baptized each man of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins* But since those very same men became His members. Whose limbs they had nailed upon the Cross, the Jewish people remembered not to act mercifully; they persecuted the poor man and the beggar, but in His members; of whom He will speak what pertaineth to these very works of mercy, Inasmuch as ye have not done it unto one of the least of these, ye have not done it unto Me. And, that he might slay him that was pricked at the heart: certainly pricked at the heart, but in His members. Now among those who persecuted that they might slay him that was pricked at the heart, there was Saul also, consenting unto the death of Stephen, that was pricked at the heart; for Stephen himself also was one of those who were pricked at the heart. But Saul remembered to act mercifully; and he who in the morning devoured the prey, at night divided the spoil; he himself also pricked at the heart, so that this very people in him persecuted a poor man, wishing to slay him that was pricked at the heart. For they hated the Apostle Paul for this reason, that when pricked at the heart, he began to preach Him Wnom he had persecuted before. For when persecuting, that he might himself slay the poor and helpless man in his members, he heard from heaven the words, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? and when pricked at the heart, he began to suffer such things as he had inflicted before upon those who were pricked at heart.

21. Ver. 18. The Psalm then continueth: His delight was in cursing, and it shall happen to him. Although Judas loved cursing, both in stealing from the money bag, and selling and betraying the Lord: nevertheless, that people more openly loved cursing, when they said, His blood be on us, and on our children. He loved not blessing, therefore it shall be far from him. Such was Judas indeed, since he loved not Christ, in Whom is everlasting blessing; but the Jewish people still more decidedly refused blessing, unto w^om ne wno nac* keen enlightened by the Lord said, Will ye also be His disciples? They refused this blessing, and held it as a curse; and replied, Thou art His disciple: and blessing was made far from them, for it passed -over to the Gentiles. He clothed himself with cursing, like as with a raiment: either Judas, or that pebple. And it came into his bowels like water. Both without, then, and within; without, like a garment; within, like water: since he hath come before the judgment-seat of Him Who hath power <o destroy both body and soul in hell; the body without, the soul within*. And like oil into his bones. He sheweth that he worketh evil with delight, and storeth up cursing for himself, that is, everlasting punishment; for blessing is eternal life. For at present evil deeds are his delight, flowing like water into his bowels, like oil into his bones; but it is styled cursing, because God hath appointed torments for such men. But cursing is like oil in their bones, when men think themselves strong, because they are allowed to commit evil deeds with impunity.

22. Ver. 19. Let it be unto him as the cloak which covereth him. Since be hath before spoken of the cloak, why doth he repeat it? When he said, He clothed himself with cursing as with a raiment; doth the raiment with which he is covered differ from that with which he is clothed? For every man is clothed with his tunic, covered with his cloak; and what is this, save boasting in. iniquity, even in the sight of men? and as the girdle, he saith, that he is alway girded withal. Men are girded chiefly that they may be better fit for toil, that they may not be hindered by the folds of their dress. He therefore girdeth himself with curses, who designeth an evil which he hath carefully contrived, not on a sudden impulse, and who learneth in such a manner to do evil, that he is always ready to commit it: whence he here saith, and as the girdle that he is alway girded withal.

23. Ver. 20. This is the work qf them that slander me before the Lord. He said not, their reward, but, their work: for it is clear that by the clothing, covering, water, oil, and girdle, he was describing the very works by which eternal curses are procured. It is not then one Judas, but many, of whom it is said, This is the work of them that slander me before the Lord. Although indeed the plural number might have been put for the singular; even as, when Herod died, it was said by the Angel, T7tey are dead which sought the young Child's life. But who slander Christ more 'before the Lord, than they who slander the very words of the Lord, by declaring that it is not He whom the Law of the Lord and His Prophets announced beforehand? And of those that speak evil against my soul: by denying that He, when He had willed, could have arisen: though He saith, I have power to lay down My life, and 1 ftave power to take it again.

24. Ver. 21. But work Thou with me, O Lord God. Some have thought mercifully should be understood, some have actually added it; but the best copies have the words thus: But work Thou with me, O Lord God, for Thy Name's sake. Whence a higher sense should not be passed over, supposing the Son to have thus addressed the Father, Deal Thou with Me, since the works of the Father and of the Son are the same. Where although we understand mercy, (for these words follow,/or sweet is TJty mercy,) because he said not, In me, or, over me; or any thing of this sort: but, work Thou with Me; we rightly understand that the Father and Son together work mercifully towards the vessels of mercy. Work with me1, may also be understood to mean, help me. We use this expression in our daily language, when we are speaking of any thing which is in our favour; It works with us. For the Father aideth the Son, as far as the Deity aideth Man, on account of His having assumed the form of a servant, to which Man, God, and to which Form of a servant, the Lord too is Father. For in the Form of God, the Son needeth not aid, for He is equally all-powerful with the Father, on which account He also is the helper of men; for, as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will; nor doth the Father quicken any other persons than the Son, nor the Father in one manner, the Son in another; because He doeth both the same things and in the same way. Whence, in so far as the Son of God is Man, God raised Him from the dead, that is, the Father to Whom He saith in the Psalms, Raise Thou Me up again, and I shall reward them: but in so far as He is God, He raised Himself, on which account He said, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days. And this He signified even here, if any one carefully reflect, for He ordered us to search the Scriptures, which bear witness of Him, and not to pass them over superficially. For He doth not only say, Work Thou with me, Lord, Lord; but he saith, Thou also. What meaneth, Thou also, save I also? And that He saith not only once, O Lord, but repeateth it; 0 Lord, O Lord, implieth the feeling of one praying: as it is said, God, myPs.2*,i. Ood. And because when he had said, Work Thou with me, he added, for Thy Name's sake, he hath commended grace. For without previous deserving works, human nature was raised to such a height, that the whole in one, the Word and Flesh, that is, God and Man, was styled the Only-begotten Son of God. And this was done that that which had been lost might be sought by Him Who had created it, through that which had not been lost; whence the following words. For Thy mercy is sweet

25. Ver. 22. O deliver me, for I am needy and poor. Need and poverty is that weakness, through which He was crucified. And my heart is disturbed within me. This13'4, alludeth to those wotds which He spoke when His Passion was drawing near, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.

26. Ver. 28. / go hence like a shadow that declinelh. By this he signified death itself. For as night comes of the shadow's declining, so death comes of mortal flesh. And am driven away as the locusts. This I think would be more suitably understood of His members, that is, of His faithful disciples. That he might make it much plainer, he preferred writing locusts in the plural number: although many may be understood where the singular number is used, as in that passage, He spake, and the locust came; but itP*. would have been more obscure. His disciples, then, were34* driven away, that is, were put to flight by persecutors, either the multitude of whom He wished to be signified by the word locusts, or their passing from one place to another.

27. Ver. 24. My knees are weak through fasting. We read, that our Lord Christ underwent a fast of forty days: but had fasting so great power over Him, that His knees3* were weakened? Or is this more suitably understood of His members, that is, of His saints? And my Jlesh is changed because of the oil; because of spiritual grace. Whence Christ was so called from the Greek word, chrisma, which signifies unction. But the flesh was changed through the oil, not for the worse, but for the better, that is, rising from the dishonour of death to the glory of immortality. After he had said, therefore, My knees are weak through fasting, whereby I suppose those to be meant among His members who seemed strong, yet as if the presence of that bread which supported them had been taken away, fell away even unto denial, at His Passion, as appeared in Peter; he added, as if to strengthen them, that when they drooped they might not utterly fall, And my flesh is changed for the oil, so that I should strengthen these by My resurrection, who were fainting because of My death, and anoint them with the Holy Ghost, Who could not have come unto them, had 1 not left them. For He had said this; // 1 go not away, He cannot come unto you: and the Evangelist saith, The Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. His flesh was not yet changed. But whether the Holy Spirit be represented by water through the notion of ablution or irrigation, or by oil through that of exultation and the inflaming of charity; It doth not differ from Itself, because Its types are different. For there is a great difference between the lion and the lamb, and yet Christ is represented by both. He is termed a lion on account of one attribute, a lamb on account of another; yet He is not different Himself: for a lamb is not courageous, nor a lion innocent; yet Christ is both innocent like a lamb, and courageous as a lion. In Isaiah Jesus Christ Himself saith, The Spirit qf the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord hath anointed Me.

28. Ver. 25. / became also a reproach unto them: through the death of the Cross. For Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. They looked upon Me, and shaked their heads. Because they beheld His crucifixion, without beholding His resurrection: they saw when His knees were weakened, they saw not when His flesh was changed.

29. Ver. 26. Help me, O Lord my Qod: O save me according to Thy mercy. This may be referred to the whole, both to the Head and to the body: to the Head, owing to His having taken the form of a servant; to the body, on account of the servants themselves. For He might even in them have said unto God, Help Me: and, O save Me: as in them He said unto Paul, Why per sec ut est thou Met The following words, according to Thy mercy, describe grace given gra-4, tuitously, not according to the merit of works.

30. Ver. 27. And let them know how that this is Thy Hand, and that Thou, Lord, hast made it. He said, Let them know, of those for whom He even prayed while they were raging; for even those who afterwards believed in Him were among the crowd who shook their heads in mockery of Him. But let those who ascribe unto God the shape of the human body, learn in what sense God hath a hand. For if He doth what He doth with His Hand, doth He create this very Hand with itself? In what sense then is it said, They shall know how that this is 77iy Hand, and that Thou* Lord, hast made it f Let us therefore understand, that the Hand of God meaneth Christ: whence it is elsewhere said, Unto whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? This Handl*.M,i. both was, and He made it; for, In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was made flesh; and was without time, according to the Godhead; and was made for Him o/'Rom. the seed of David according to the flesh.

31. Ver. 28. Tliough they curse, yet bless Thou. Vain therefore and false is the cursing of the sons of men, that have pleasure in vanity, and seek a lie; but when GodPs.4, blesseth, He doth what He saith. Let them be confounded that rise up against me. For their imagining that they have some power against Me, is the reason that they rise up against Me; but when I shall have been exalted above the heavens, and My glory shall have commenced spreading over the whole earth, they shall be confounded; But Thy servant shall rejoice: either on the right hand of the Father, or in His members when they rejoice, both in hope among temptations, and after temptations for evermore.

32. Ver. 29. Let my slanderers be clothed with shame: that is, let it shame them to have slandered me. But this may also be understood as a blessing, in that they are amended. And let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a double cloak; for diplois is a double cloak; that is, let them be confounded both' within and without: both before God and before men.

33. Ver. 30. As for me, I will confess greatly unto the Lord with my mouth. The word nimis is used in Latin to express excess, the contrary to parum, whicl^ meaneth deficiency. The Greek word for nimis is ayav: but this verse hath o-fodgot, not ayav; which our translators have some times rendered by nimis, sometimes by valde1. Now if nimis be taken as equivalent to valde, it may be understood of praise: for this confession signifieth praise. For the next words are, And / will praise Him among the multitude. He saith in another Psalm, In the midst of the congregation will 1 sing of Thee. But since the Church, which is the body of Christ, herself doth praise Him, how doth the Church praise Him in the midst of the Church? So here also, while many who are members of Christ praise Him, He praiseth also, for they are His members; how doth He praise among the multitude, when He is said to praise in the praises of the multitude? Is He said to praise among the multitude because He is with His Church here* even unto the end of the world; so that we may understand by among the multitude, that He is honoured by this very multitude? For he is said to be in the midst, unto whom the chief honour is paid. But if the heart is, as it were, that which is midmost of a man, no better construction can be put on this passage than this, I will praise Him in the hearts of many. For Christ dvvelleth through faith in our hearts; and therefore he saith, with my mouth, that is, with the mouth of my body, which is the Church. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

34. Ver. 31. For he stood at the right hand of the poor.

It was said of Judas, Let Satan stand at his right hand; since he chose to increase his riches by selling Christ; but here the Lord stood at the right hand of the poor, that the

Lord Himself might be the poor man's riches. He stood at the right hand of the poor, not to multiply the years of a life that one day must end, nor to increase his stores, nor to render him strong in the strength of the body, or secure for a time; but, he saith, to save my soul from the persecutors. Now the soul is rendered safe from the persecutors, if we do not consent to them unto evil; but there is no such consent to them when the Lord standeth at the right hand of the poor, that he may not give way through his very poverty, that is, weakness. This aid was given to the Body of Christ in the case of all the holy Martyrs.