Psalm 125 (Vulgate 124)

knowledge in the Most High? Lo, these are the ungodly, 'these prosper in the world, and these have riches in possession. It proceeds thus: And I said, Then have I cleansed my heart in vain, and washed mine hands in innocency. Was I a fool, who wished to live righteously, and to converse innocently among men, since I perceive those who refuse to preserve innocence, enjoy^so much prosperity, and insult the righteous, prospering through their iniquity?

2. But who said those words in the Psalm? One whose heart was not as yet straight. For thus beginneth the Psalm which we have just quoted: not that which we have just taken in hand to consider and to treat of, but that in which it is said, How should God perceive it? Is there knowledge in the Most High? Lo, these are the ungodly, these prosper in the world, and have riches in possession: and I said, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and have washed mine hands in innocency. This Psalm, wherein ye see that the soul is in peril, wherein ye see that the feet waver, beginneth thus: How good is God unto Israel: even unto such as are of a clean heart. Nevertheless, he saitb, my feet were almost gone: my t readings had well-nigh slipped. And why? I was envious at the wicked, I do also see the ungodly in such prosperity. He saith therefore that his feet were almost gone, and his treadingshad well-nigh slipped, by a slip towards a fall from God, because he gazed upon and beheld the prosperity of the ungodly, and saw that they had peace, while he had toil. Now he hath narrated this after he had escaped, when with a heart made straight he had clung unto God, he hath narrated his past dangers. Therefore, God is good unto Israel: but unto whom? even unto such as are of a clean heart. Who are of a clean heart? They who do not censure God. Who are of a clean heart? They who direct their own will by the will of God; and do not endeavour to bend the will of God into conformity with their own will. It is a short commandment, that man make straight his heart. Dost thou wish to have thy heart straight? Do thou do what God willeth; do not wish God to do that which thou dost wish. They therefore are crooked -hearted, that is, such as have not a straight heart, who sit and discuss how God ought to have acted; not praising what He halh done, but blaming it. They wish to amend Him: it is not enough that they refuse to be amended by Him; and say, God ought not to hare made men poor, they ought all to be rich; and they alone who are rich ought to live. Why is a poor man created i why doth he ^ve! A man blames the God of the poor. How much better would he be one of the poor of God, and become rich of God! that is, follow the will of God, and sec that his poverty was temporary, and transient, but that81' spiritual riches would come unto him in such a way that they could by no means pass away. How much better were it thus to have faith in the riches of the heart, if it was not his lot to have gold in his coffers? For if he had gold in his coffers, he would fear thieves, and still though unwilling lose gold from his coffers; but he would never lose faith from his heart, if he did not himself drive it from thence. However, wc can quickly answer the question, dearest brethren. God made a man poor, that He might prove him; and God made a man rich, that He might prove him by means of the poor man. And God did all things which He did, well. And if we cannot see His counsel, why He made this thing so and that so; it is good for us to be subject unto His wisdom, and to believe that He made well, although we know not why He made it: and we shall have a straight heart so that we may trust and confide in the Lord, and our feet shall not be moved, and that taketh place in us as we ascend, whence this Psalm beginnelh, (ver. 1.) They that put their trust in the Lord shall be even as the mount Si on: they shot I not be removed for ever.

3. Who are these? (ver. 2.) They who dwell in Jerusalem. They shall stand fast for ever, who dwell in Jerusalem. If we understand this (earthly) Jerusalem, all who dwelt therein have been excluded by wars and by the destruction of the city: thou now seekest a Jew in the city of Jerusalem, anil findest him not. Why then will they that duell in Jerusalem not be moved for ever, save because there is another Jerusalem, of which ye arc wont to hear much? She is our mother, for whom we sigh and groan in this pilgrimage, that we may return unto her. We had 'and became a way unto us, that we may return unto her. It is she, in whose courts, the courts of Jerusalem, our feet stood, as ye heard in a preceding Psalm of the Songs of Degrees, already treated of and expounded to those among you who were present; for whom he who sung, Jerusalem which is being built as a city: whose partakina is in the same, sighed. They then who dwell therein mall never be moved. But they who dwelt in that earthly Jerusalem, have been moved; first in heart, afterwards by exile. When they were moved in heart aud fell, then they crucified the King of the heavenly Jerusalem herself; they were already spiritually without, and shut out of doors their very King. For they cast Him out without their city, and cruc-£e(j jj^m without. He too cast them out of His city, that is, of the everlasting Jerusalem, the Mother of us all, who is in Heaven.

4. What is this Jerusalem? He briefly describes it. The mountains stand around Jerusalem. Is it any thing great, that we are in a city surrounded by mountains? Is this the whole of our happiness, that we shall have a city which mountains surround? Do we not know what mountains are? or what are mountains save swellings of the earth? Different then from these are those mountains that we love, lofty mountains, preachers of truth, whether Angels, or Apostles, or Prophets. They stand around Jerusalem; they surround her, and, as it were, form a wall for her. Of these lovely and delightful mountains Scripture constantly speaketh. Heed when ye hear or read: in more passages ye find delightful mountains, than I can enumerate. Nevertheless, as far as the Lord doth suggest, it delighteth us to say many things of these mountains; and divine testimonies have occurred to us from the sacred Scriptures. They are the mountains who are enlightened by God: and they are enlightened in the first place, that light may descend from them into the valleys, or the hills; because they are not of so great height as are the mountains. They are the mountains through whom Scripture is first declared unto us, whether in Prophecy, or in the Apostles, or in the Gospel. They are the mountains of whom we sing: / lifted up mine eyes unto the mountain*, from whence my help shall come: because in ibis life we have help from- the holy Scriptures. But because the mountains themselves are not protected by themselves, and it is not of themselves that they provide for us, and our hope ought not to be in the mountains, lest we should be accursed for putting our trust in m^i; after saying, / lifted up mine eyes unto the6' mountains, from whence my help shall come: he added, My help shall come from the Lord, Who hath made heaven and earth. They are the mountains of whom he again saith, Let the mountains receive peace for Thy people, <mcf the little hills righteousness* The mountains are great, and the hills are less. The mountains therefore see, the hills believe: they who see, have received peace, and brought it unto those who believe. For they who believe, receive righteousness: for the righteous liveth by faith. The^pm. Angels see, they announce what they see, and we believe. John saith, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God: he saw, he preached unto us that we might believe. And through the mountains that receive peace, the little hills received righteousness: for what saith be of the mountains themselves? He said not, they have peace from themselves, or they make peace, or generate peace; but, they receive peace. The Lord is the source, whence they receive peace. So therefore lift up thine eyes to the mountains for the sake of peace, that thy help may come from the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth. Again, the Holy Spirit mentioning these mountains saith this: Thou dost light them wonderfully from Thy everlasting mountains. He said not, the mountains light them: but, Thou lightest them from Thy everlasting mountains: through those mountains whom Thou hast willed to be everlasting, preaching the Gospel, Thou lighting them, not the mountains. Such then are the mountains that stand around Jerusalem.

5. And that ye may know what sort of mountains these be that stand around Jerusalem; where Scripture bath mentioned good mountains, very rarely, and hardly, and perhaps never, doth it fail instantly to mention the Lord also, or allude to Him at the same moment, that our hopes rest not in the mountains. So, behold how many instances ' I have mentioned. / lift up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence my help shall come; and that thou mayest not stay there, he addeth, My help is from the Lord* Who hath made heaven and earth. Again, let the mountains receive peace for Thy people: in the word, receive, he sheweth that there is another source whence they receive. Ag^n, lighting from the mountains: but, he saith, Thou lighting them from Tliy everlasting mountains. Again, in this passage, after saying, The mountains stand around Jerusalem: lest thou again shouldest tarry in the mountains, he at once addeth, Even so the Lord standeth round about His people: that thy hope might not lie in the mountains, but in Him Who lighteth the mountains. For when He dwell eth in the mountains, that is, in the Saints, He Himself is round about His people; and He hath Himself walled His people with a spiritual fortification, that it may not be moved for evermore. But when Scripture speaketh of evil mountains, it addeth not the Lord unto them. Such mountains, we have already told you often, signify certain mighty, but evil, souls. For ye are not to suppose, brethren, that heresies could be produced through any little souls. None save great men have been the authors of heresies; but in proportion as they were mighty, so were they evil, mountains. For they were not such mountains as would receive peace, that the hills might receive righteousness; but they received dissension from their father the devil. There were therefore mountains: beware thou fly not to such mountains. For men will come, and say unto thee, There is a great hero, there is a great man! How great was that Donatus! How great is Maximian! and a certain Photinus, what a great nian ne was* ^n(* Arius too, how illustrious he was! All these I have mentioned are mountains, but mountains that cause shipwreck. Ye see that a certain flame of eloquence shineth from them, and that a certain flame is kindled from them. If ye navigate on the Wood, and suffer night, that is, the darkness of this life; let them not deceive you, and guide not your ship thither: there there are rocks, there terrific shipwrecks take place. When therefore these mountains shall be praised before thee, and some one attempteth to persuade thee to go to those mountains, as if for help, and to repose there; answer, In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye then to my soul, thai she should flee as a bird unto the mountains/ For it is good for thee to lift up thine eyes unto those mountains, whence help may come uuto thee from the Lord, that thou mayest flee as a bird from the snare of the fowlers, and not fly unto the mountains. For a bird is Sk unstable thing; quickly is it moved, quickly doth it fly hither and thither. But do thou trust in the Lord, and thou wilt be as the mountain of Sion; thou shalt not be moved for ever, and thou shalt not flee into the mountains like a bird. Hath he there so mentioned the mountains, as to speak of the Lord?

6. But love such mountains, in whom the Lord is. Then do those very mountains love thee, if thou hast not placed hope in them. Sec, brethren, what the mountains of God arc. Thence they are so called in another passage: Thy^Mfi. righteousness is like the mountains of God. Not their righteousness, but Thy righteousness. Hear that great mountain the Apostle. That I may be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. But they who have chosen to be mountains through their own righteousness, as certain Jews or Pharisees their rulers, are thus blamed: Being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, they have not3' submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. But they who have submitted themselves are exalted in such a manner as to be humble. In that they are great, they are mountains; in that they submit themselves unto God, they are valleys: and in that they have the capacity of piety, they receive the plenteousness of peace, and transmit the copious irrigation to the hills, only beware, at present, what mountains thou lovest. If thou wish to be loved by good mountains, place not thy trust even in good mountains. For how great a mountain was Paul? where is one like him found? (We speak of the greatness of men.) Can any one readily be found of so great grace? Nevertheless, he feared lest that bird should place trust in him: and what doth he say: Was Paul crucified for you? But lift up your eyes unto the mountains, whence help may come unto you: ^or' ^ have ptonted* Apollos hath watered: but, your help cometh from the Lord, Who hath made heaven and earth; for, God gave the increase. The mountains, therefore, stand around Jerusalem. But as the mountains stand around Jerusalem, even so standeth the Lord round about His people, from this time forth for evermore. If therefore the mountains stand around Jerusalem, and the L^d standeth round about His people, the Lord bindeth His people into one bond of love and peace, so that they who trust in the Lord, like the mount Sion, may not be moved for evermore: and this is, from this time forth for evermore.

7. Ver. 3. For the Lord will not leave the rod of the ungodly upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands unto wickedness. At present indeed the righteous suffer in some measure, and at present the unrighteous sometimes tyrannize over the righteous. In what ways? Sometimes the unrighteous arrive at worldly honours: when they have arrived at them, and have been made either judges or kings; for God doth this for the discipline of His folk, for the discipline of His people; the honour due to their power must needs be shewn them. For thus hath God ordained His Church, that every power ordained in the world may have honour, and sometimes from those who are better than those in power. For the sake of illustration I take one instance; hence calculate the grades of all powers. The primary and every day relation of authority between man and man is that between master and slave. Almost all houses have a power of this sort. There are masters, there are also slaves; these are different names, but men and men are equal names. And what saith the Apostle, teaching that slaves are subject to their masters? Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the Jlesh: for there is a Master according to the Spirit. He is the true and everlasting Master; but those temporal masters are for a time only. When thou walkest in the way, when thou livest iu this life, Christ doth not wish to make thee proud. It hath been thy lot to become a Christian, and to have a man for thy master: thou wast not made a Christian, that thou mightest disdain to be a servant For when by Christ's command thou servest a man, thou servest not the man, but Him who commanded thee. He saith this also: Servants, be obedient to ///eitt that are your masters according to the fleshy with fear and5' trembling, in singleness of heart, as unto Christ; not with eye- service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will. Behold, he hath tfft made men free from being servants, but good servants from bad servants. How much do the rich owe to Christ, who orders their house for them! so that if thou hast had an unbelieving servant, suppose Christ convert him, and say not to him, Leave thy master, thou hast now known Him Who is thy true Master: he perhaps is ungodly and unjust, thou art now faithful and righteous: it is nn worthy that a righteous and faithful man should serve an unjust and unbelieving master. He spoke not thus unto him, but rather, Serve him: and to confirm the servant, added, Serve as I served; I before thee served the unjust. From whom but His servants did the Lord suffer so much in His Passion? from whom, but evil servants? For if they had been good servants, tbey would honour their Master. But since they were evil servants, they wronged Him. What did He, on the other hand? He recompensed love for hatred: for He said, Father, forgive them: for they know not what they d*>. If the Lord of heaven and earth,34, through Whom all things were created, served the unworthy, asked mercy for His furious persecutors, and, as it were, shewed Himself as their Physician at His Advent: (for physicians also, better both in art and health, serve the sick:) how much more ought not a man to disdain, with his whole mind, and his whole good will, with his whole love to serve even a bad master! Behold, a better serveth an inferior, but for a season. Understand what 1 have said of the master and slave, to be true also of powers and kings, of all the exalted stations of this world. For sometimes they are good powers, and fear God; sometimes they^fear not God. Julian was an infidel Emperor, an apostate, a wicked man, an idolater; Christian soldiers served an infidel Emperor; when they came to the cause of Christ, they acknowledged Him only Who was in heaven. If he called upon them at any time to worship idols, to offer incense t^ey preferre(j q0(j t0 him: but whenever he commanded them to deploy into line, to march against this or that nation, they at once obeyed. They distinguished their everlasting from their temporal master; and yet they were, for the sake of their everlasting Master, submissive to their temporal master.

8. But will it be thus always, that the un^dly have power over the righteous? It will not be so. See what this Psalm saith: For God will not leave the rod of the ungodly upon the lot of the Hghteous. The rod of the ungodly is felt for a season upon the lot of the righteous; but it is not left there, it will not be there for ever. A time come, when Christ, appearing in his glory, shall gather all nations before Him; and shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. And thou wilt see there many slaves among the sheep, and many masters among the goats; and again many masters among the sheep, many slaves among the goats. For all slaves are not good — do not infer this from the consolation we have given to servants — nor are all masters evil, because we have thus repressed the pride of roasters. There are good masters who believe, and there are evil: there are good servants who believe, and there are evil. But as long as good servants serve evil masters, let them endure for a season. For God will not leave the rod of the ungodly upon the lot of the righteous. Why will He not? Lest the righteous put forth their hand unto wickedness: that the righteous may endure for a season the domination of the ungodly, and may understand that this is not for ever, but may prepare themselves to possess their everlasting heritage. What heritage? When all principalities and powers shall be subdued, that God may be all in all. Reserving themselves for this, and contemplating this in heart, and still retaining it in faith, and, that they may see, patiently enduring, they put not forth their hand unto wickedness. For, should they see that the rod of the ungodly is for ever upon the lot of the righteous, they reflect with themselves, and say, What doth it profit me that I am righteous? Will ihe ungodly for ever have power over roe, and shall I evermore be a servant? I also then will do wickedness; for it profiteth nothing to bold unto righteousness. But that he may not say this, faith is given him, that the rod of the ungodly may for a season be upon the lot of the righteous, but the Lord will not leave it upon the lot of the righteous, lent the righteous put forth their hand unto wickedneM; but let them withdraw their hands from wickedness, and endure, not work, iniquity. For it is better to endure than to work iniquity. How doth it appear that it will not last for ever? For God will fiot leave the rod of the ungodly upon the lot of the righteous.

9. Ver. 4. They who are right in heart, of whom I was speaking a little before, — they who follow the will of God, not their own will, — reflect upon this. But they who wish to follow God, allow Him to go before, and themselves to follow; not themselves to go before, and Him to follow; and in all things they find Him good, whether chastening, or consoling, or exercising, or crowning, or cleansing, or enlightening; as the Apostle saith, We know Hunt all things work together for good to them that love God. And he therefore addelh, (ver. A.) Do well, O Lord, unto those that are good and true oj heart.

10. But as be who is righteous in heart tumeth away from evil, and doeth good, because he is not envious at thep*-37, wicked, seeing the ungodly in such prosperity; so he of ap,' crooked heart, who is offended in the paths of the Lord,3* tumeth away from God, and doeth evil, and is enticed by the sweetness of the world, and ensnared and taken by means of it, be payeth a bitter penalty. But as he tumeth aside from God, Whose chastening he was unwilling to bear, the deceitful prosperity of the wicked becometh unto him a real snare. Whence the Psalmist at once addeth: (ver. 5.) As for such as turn aside, the Lord shall lead them forth unto strangling with the workers of unrighteousness: that is, those whose deeds they have imitated; beoause they took delight in their present pleasures, and did not believe in their punishments to come. What then shall they have, who are righteous in heart, and who turn not back? US n0W come *° ^e ^er^aSe itself, brethren, for we are sons. What shall we possess? What is our heritage? what is our country: what is it called? Peace. In this we salute you, this we announce to you, this the mountains receive, and the little hills receive as righteousness. Peace is Christ: for He is our peace, Who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between vs. Since we are sons, we shall have an inheritance. And what shall this inheritance be called, but peace? And consider that they who love not peace are disinherited. Now they who divide unity, love not peace. Peace is the possession of the pious, the possession of heirs. And who are heirs? Sons. Hear the Gospel: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Hear also the conclusion of this Psalm: but peace shall be upon Israel. Israel is interpreted, 6 Seeing God Jerusalem, ' a Vision of Peace.' Understand, my beloved, Israel is interpreted, * Seeing God,' Jerusalem, a * Vision of Peace.' Who are they who shall never be moved? The dwellers in Jerusalem.. They then who dwell in the Vision of Peace, shall not be moved for evermore. But peace shall be upon Israel. Israel therefore, which meaneth seeing God, meaneth, seeing Peace: and Israel is the same as Jerusalem: for the people of God is the city of God. If therefore seeing peace be the same as seeing God, justly also is God Himself peace. Since then Christ the Son of God is peace, He therefore came to gather together His own, and to separate them from the wicked. From what wicked men? From those who hate Jerusalem, who hate peace, who wish to tear unity asunder, who believe not peace, who preach a false peace to the people, and have it not. To whom answer is made, when they say, " Peace be with you," "And with thy spirit:" but they speak falsely, and they hear falsely. Unto whom do they say, Peace be with you? To those whom they separate from the peace of the whole earth. And unto whom is it said, " And with thy spirit?" To those who embrace dissensions, and who hate peace. For if peace were in their spirit, would they not love unity, and leave dissensions? Speaking then false words, they hear false words. Let us speak true words, and hear true words. Let us be Israel, and let us embrace peace; for Jerusalem is a vision of peace, and we are Israel) and peace it upon Jerael.