Psalm 135 (Vulgate 134)

Very pleasant ought it to be to us, and we should rejoice because it is pleasant, to which this Psalm exhorteth us. For it says, Praise the name of the Lord. And it forthwith appends the reason, why it is just to praise the name of the Lord. Praise the Lord, ye servants. What more just f what more worthy? what more thankful? Yea, if His servants praised not the Lord, they would be proud, unthankful, impious. And what will they get by not praising the Lord, except to feel the Lord's wrath. For even the thankless servant, if he will not praise his Lord, does not thereby cause himself not to be a servant. Praise Him or not, thou art still His servant; but if thou praise, thou wilt appease Him, if thou praise Him not, thon wilt displease Him. It is a good and useful exhortation, then, and hence we should occupy ourselves with the thought, how the Lord should be praised, rather than doubt whether He is to be praised. Therefore, praise the name of the Lord. The Psalm exhorts us, the Prophet exhorts us, the Spirit of God exhorts us, lastly, God Himself even exhorts us, to praise the Lord. For He increaseth not by our praises, but we do. God is neither the better, if you praise Him, nor the worse, if you reproach Him; but thou, by praising Him that is good, art the better, by l^proaching, the worse; for He remaineth good, as He is. For if He teaches His own servants who have deserved well of Him, the preachers of His Word, the rulers of His Church, the worshippers of His name, the obeyers of His command, that in their own conscience they should possess the sweetness of their life, lest they be corrupted by the praise or disheartened by the reproach of men; bow much the more is He above all, the unchangeable One, Who teach eth these things, neither the greater if thou praisest, or the less if thou reproachest. Yet as it is our gain to praise the Lord, in mercy He bids us praise Him, not for His own gain. Let us hear then what he says. Praise the Name of the Lord, praise the Lord, ye servants. For ye will do nothing out of place, by praising your Lord, as servants. And if ye were to be for ever only servants, ye ought to praise the Lord; how much more ought ye servants to praise the Lord, that ye may hereafter gain the privilege of sons?

2. But since it is written in another Psalm, Praise befit leth the just; and also in another place, Praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner; and moreover in another15'9' place it is said, The sacrifice of praise shall glorify Me, and there is the way in which I will shew him the sal-23' nation of God; and after, But to the sinner, saith God Why dost thou talk of My judgments, and takest My covenant in thy mouth? Whereas thou hatest instruction, and hast cast My precepts behind thee, therefore lest any should think, since it is said, Praise the Lord, ye servants, that though he be a bad servant in that great house, the praise of the Lord shall profit him, he forthwith goes on to explain who they are who should praise the Lord. Ye who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Ye who stand, not, ye who fall. They are said to stand, who persevere in His commands, who Praise due for God's Mercies. serve God with unfeigned faith, with firm hope, and sincere c]jarjty. wjj0 honour His Church, and give no offence, by an evil life, to them who would come in, but find stones of offence in the way. Therefore, Ye who stand in the house of the Lord, praise ye the name of the Lord. Be thankful; ye were without, and ye stand within. Since then ye stand, is it a small thing for you to think where He should be praised, Who raised you when you were cast down^and caused you to stand in His house, to know Him, and to praise Him? Is it a small boon, that we stand in the house of the Lord? Here meanwhile, in this our sojourning, in this house, which is also called the tabernacle of our sojourning: since we stand here, ought we at all to fail of thankfulness? Must we not think of it, that we stand here? Must we not remember what we have been made? Must we not remember where we were cast down, and whither we have been gathered? Must we not remember that all the wicked sought not the Lord; that them who sought Him not, He sought; whom He found, He aroused; whom He aroused, He called; whom He called, He led in, and caused to stand in His house? If one thinks of this, and is not unthankful, he will utterly despise himself in comparison with the love of his Lord, Who hath done so great things for him. And since he hath nothing wherewith to repay God for so great benefits, what remains for him but to give Him thanks, not to repay Him? It belongs to the very act of thanksgiving, to receive the cup of the Lord, and to call upon His name. For what can the servant repay the Lord for all that He hath given him? Therefore, Ye who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, praise the Lord.

3. What reason shall I give why you should praise Him? Because the Lord is good. Briefly in one word is here explaiued the praise of the Lord our God. The Lord is good; good, not in the same manner as the things which He here made are good. For God made all things very good; not only good, but also very good. He made the sky and earth, and all things which are in them good, and He made them very good. If He made all these things good, of what sort is He Who made them? And yet And for His intrinsic Goodness. since He made them good, and He who made is much better than the things which He made, you can find nothing better to speak of Him than that the Lord is goody if, however, you understand Him to be in a peculiar sense good, from whom other good things proceed. For He made all things good, He Himself is good, Whom no one made. He is good by His own goodness, not by any good derived from elsewhere. He by His own good, that is Himself, is good, not by attachment to some other good. But for me to attach myself to God is good; Him Who never needed one by whom He might be made good, but all other things28, needed Him, that they might be made good. Would you hear how He is good alone? The Lord when asked said, No one is good, save God alone. I would not briefly pass over this singularity of His goodness, and yet I am not able fitly to recommend it to you; I fear lest I should be found unthankful, if 1 pass over it rapidly; and withal I fear lest when I undertake to expound it, I may be oppressed by the vast burden of the Lord's praises. Yet so, my brethren, accept me, who praise, and yet am incompetent, that the worship of my praise, may be accepted, though the exposition of His praise be not fulfilled. And may He approve of my will, and pardon my failure.

4. I am filled with ineffable delight, when I hear that The Lord is good, and after examining and surveying all things which I see without, since they are all from Him, although these things please me, yet I return to Him from Whom they arise, to understand that the Lord is good. And when I penetrate toward Him as near as I can, I find Him deeper within, and higher than my reach, because the Lord is in such sort good, as to need in no wise these things to make Him good. Lastly, I do not praise these things apart from Him. Him however I find to be perfect without them, needing nothing, unchangeable, seeking no good of another whereby He may be increased; fearing no evil, whereby He may be diminished. And what more shall I say? I find in creation that the sky is good, the sun is good, the moon is good, the stars are good, the earth is good, the things which grow in the earth, and are fixed on roots, are good, those which walk and move are good, those which fly in the air and swim in the waters are good. I say that man is %oo&, for the 9ooa* man ou* °f 9°°d treasure of his heart bringeth 1 forth good. I say that an angel is good, who hath not fallen by pride and become a devil, but remains in obedience to Him by whom he was made. I say all these things are good, but I do so in connexion with their names, as the good sky, a good angel, a good man; but when I betake myself to God, I think I can say nothing better than jyod. For truly the Lord Jesus, who Himself said, A good man; moreover, No one is good but God alone. Did He not urge us to seek and distinguish what is that good which is made good by another good, and that Good which is by itself good? How Good must that be, from which all good things proceed? You can find no good at all, which is not good from Him. As He is properly the Good which makes things good, so is He properly the Good. For neither is it true, that these things which He hath made are not, nor yet is any wrong done to Him when we say that the things which He made are notf. Why then did He make them, if they are not when He has made them? Or what did He make, if that which He made is not? But since these things which He made have being, we come still to the comparison of Him with them; and as though He alone bad being, He says, / Am That I Am, an(*> Thou shall sag to the children of Israel, He Who Is hath sent me unto you. He did not say, The Almighty 'Lord God, the merciful, the just, though He would have said what was quite true, had he so spoken. Every thing being taken away, by which God might be named and called, He answered that He is called Very Being, and as though this were His name. This thou shalt say to them, he says, He Who Is hath sent me. For He Is in such wise, that in comparison with Him, things which are, are not. If He be not compared with them, they are, because they are from Him, but compared with Him they are not, because to Be truly is to Be unchangeably, and this He Is alone. For what is, is; just as the good of goods, is good. Reflect aud see that whatever else ye praise, ye do praise, because it is good. He is mad, who praises what is not good. If thou God made sweet to Man by the Incarnation. 129 praisest him who is unjust because he is unjust, wilt not thou too be unjust? If thou praisest a thief because he is a thief, wilt not thou too be a partaker? If thou praisest a just man because he is just, dost not thou too have thy part therein by praising him? For thou wouldest not praise the just, didst thou not love him; thou wouldest not love him, if thou hadst no part with him. If then whatever else we praise, we praise because it is good; thou couldest have no better or stronger or greater reason for praising God, than that He is good. Therefore, Praise the Lord, because He is good.

5. How far can we speak of His goodness? Who can conceive in his heart, or apprehend how good the Lord is? Let us however return to ourselves, and in us recognise Him, and praise the Maker in His works, because we are not fit to contemplate Him Himself. And in hope that we may be able to contemplate Him, when our heart hath been purified by faith, that hereafter it may rejoice in the Truth; now as He cannot be seen by us, let us look at His works, that we may not live without praising Him. So I1 have said, Praise the Lord, for He is good; sing praises unto His Name, for He is sweet. Perchance He would be good and not sweet, if He had notOxf. given thee the power of taste. But such did He shew Himself to men, that He even sent bread from heaven; and the Son Who is equal to Him, Who is what He is, He41"""60' gave to be made man, and to be slain for man, that by that which thou art, thou mightest taste what thou art not. It was meet for thee to taste the sweetness of God, because it is too remote and lofty, thou art too abject, and grovelling below. In this so great severance was sent a Mediator. Being man thou couldest not come to God; and God was made Man, that as, being man, thou mayest come to Man, but canst not come to God; by Man thou mightest come to God; and there was made a Mediator between God and Man, the man Christ Jesus. But if He were man alone, by following what thou art, thou wouldest never reach Him; if He were God alone, for lack of comprehending what thou art not, thou wouldest never reach Him. So God was made man, that by following man which thou canst, thou mayest reach God which thou couldest not. He is Mediator, and thereupon is sweet. What is sweeter than angels' food? How can God not be sweet, since man ate angels' food? For men and angels live n°t on different meat. That is truth, that is wisdom, that is the goodness of God, but thou canst not enjoy it in like wise with the angels. For how do they enjoy it? As it is written, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, by Whom all things were made. But how dost thou reach it? Because the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us. That man might eat angels' food, the Creator of the angels ^as made man. Therefore, Sing praises unto His Name, for He is sweet. If ye taste, sing praises; if ye have tasted how sweet the Lord is, sing praises; if that which ye have tasted has a good savour, praise it; who is so unthankful to cook or purveyor, as not to return thanks by praising what be tastes, if be be pleased by any food. If we are not silent on such occasions, shall we be silent concerning Him, Who has given us all things? Sing praises unto His Name, for He is sweet.

6. Now hear of His works. Ye have striven perchance to see the Good of all good, the Good from which all good things come, the Good without which nothing else is good, and the Good which is good without other things; ye have striven to use it; and perchance in straining the sight of your minds, you have found yourselves wanting. For thus I gather from myself, such are my feelings. But if there be any one, as may be, and well may be, stronger in this mental sight than I, who fixes the gaze of his heart for long on that which is, let him praise as he can, let him praise as we are not able. Still, thanks be to Him, who hath tempered His own praise in this Psalm, so that both strong and weak may assay it. For in the mission of His servant Moses, when He said, I Am that I Am, and thou shalt say to the sons of Israel, He who Is hath sent me to you; since it is difficult for the human mind to conceive the fact of His special Being, and a man was sent to men, though not by man; forthwith God tempered His praise, and said this of Himself, which could sweetly be apprehended; He would not abide in that praise which the worshipper could not attain to. Go, said he, tell the sons of Israel, The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me to you. This is My Name for ever. Seeing, O Lord, Thou hast that former Name, because Thou hast also said, 1 Am: He Who Is, halh sent me to you; why didst Thou forthwith change Thy Name so as to say, The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? Does not the force of it seem to you to answer and say, That I said, I Am that I Am, is true, but thou dost not comprehend it; that I said, / am the Gb\ of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, is true, and thou dost understand it? That I Am that I Am, belongs to Me; but that 1 am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, belongs to thee. And if thou art unable to see what I am to Myself, understand what I am to thee. And that no one may think that what God said, I Am that I Am, and, He Who Is, hath sent me unto you, is His only Eternal Name, but that what He said, / am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, is His temporal Name, God took not care when He said, I Am that I Am, and He Who Is hath sent me to you, to say that this His Name is eternal; for though He said not this, it would be so understood. For He is, and truly is, and for the very reason that He truly Is, He Is without beginning or end. But as for man He is, / am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; lest men should feel anxiety, because this is not eternal but temporal, He hath assured us, that He leads us to eternal life out of temporal things. This, He says, is My Name for ever, not because Abraham or Isaac or Jacob are eternal, but because God makes them eternal afterwards for ever. They had indeed a beginning, but shall have no end.

7. In Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, understand His whole church, understand the whole seed of Israel; but all the seed of Israel is not alone that of the flesh, but that also which is of faith. For the Apostle spake to the Gentiles, to whom he said, If then ye be ChrisVs, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise. We then are all blessed in the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. He blessed indeed a certain tree, and created it an olive, as the Apostle has said, even the holy Patriarchs, from whence the people of God grew; but this olive was pruned, down, and from thence the proud branches were broken off, that is, the blasphemous and impious people of the Jews. Yet good and useful branches remained, for from thence were the Apostles. And as some useful branches had been left, by God's mercy the wild olive of the Gentiles was grafted in, to whom the Apostle said, But thou when thou wast a wild olive wert grafted among them, and wert made a partaker of the fatness of the olive-tree. Boast fwt thyself against the branches. But if thou boastest, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. This is the one tree which belongeth to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and, which is more, the grafted wild-olive belongeth more to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, than the branches which were broken off. They by reason of the breaking off are not there now; but the wild-olive was not once, and is now. They deserved to be broken off by reason of their pride; that gained grace to be grafted in by its humility. They lost the root, that retains it. Since then ye are called the Israel of God, the Israel who belongeth to God, do not thereafter make yourselves strange to Him. Ye were a wild-olive, but now ye are an olive, partakers of the fatness of the olive. For would ye know how the wild-olive has been grafted into Abraham and Isaac and Jacob; lest ye think yourselves not to belong to this olive, because ye belong not to the seed of Abraham according to the flesh? When the Lord wondered at the faith of that Centurion, who was not of the people of Israel, but of the people of Gentiles; Wherefore, saith He, / tell you, that many shall come from the east and west. Behold now the wild-olive in the band of the grafter. Many shall come from the east and the west. We see what bears that which is to be grafted in, let us see where He grafteth it. And they shall sit down. He says, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. We see both what He grafted, and where He grafted it. What saith He of the proud natural branches. But the children of the kingdom shall go into outer darkness, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teelh. The fact was foretold, the fact was accomplished.

8. Therefore, Sing praises to the Lord, for He is sweet. And note what He hath done for us. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob to Himself, Israel for His own possession. Praise Him, sing praises to Him, because He hath done these things. I say such words as ye can comprehend. The other nations He put under the Angels; the Lord chose Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own possession. He made His own people the field which He cultivated, which He sowed Himself; although He made all nations, He committed the others to the Angels; this He designed to be possessed and preserved by Himself, this people, this Jacob. By its merits, or of His own grace? He says of them who are not yet born, The elder shall serve the younger: so says the Apostle. What merit could they who are not yet born possess, before either of them had done either good or evil? Let not Jacob therefore extol himself, let him not boast himself, or ascribe it to his own merits. He was known before, predestinated before, elected before, not elected for his own merits, but found out, and gifted with life by the grace of God. So with all the Gentiles; for how did the wild-olive deserve, that it should be grafted in, from the bitterness of its berries, the barrenness of its wilduess? It was the wood of the wilderness, not of the Lord's field, and yet He of His mercy grafted the wild-olive into the (true) olive. But up to this time the wild-olive was not grafted in, since the Lord chose Jacob to Himself and Israel far His own possession.

9. And what says the Prophet? Because I have known that the Lord is great. With mind flying upward, raised above the flesh, passing beyond the creature, he knew that the Lord is great. Not all can know by seeing; let them praise what He hath done. (The Lord) is sweet, the Lord hath chosen Jacob to Himself Israel for His own possession. Hence too praise Him. For further, / have known that the Lord is great. The Prophet spoke who entered into the sanctuary of God, who heard by chance unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for man to utter; who said what could be said to man, who reserved to himself what could not be said. Let him then be heard as far as we can, and believed where we cannot. Let him be heard as far as we can, Because the Lord hath chosen Jacob to Himself Israel far his own possession; let him be believed as far as we cannot, because he himself knew that the Lord is great. If we should say to him, we ask thee, explain to us His greatness; would he not perchance answer us, He whom I see is not so very great, if He be able to be expounded by me. Let him then return to His works, and tell us. Let him hold in his conscience the greatness of God, which he has seen, which he has committed to our faith, whither he could not lead our eyes, and enumerate some of the things which the Lord hath done here; that unto us, who cannot see His greatness as be can, He may become sweet through the works of His which we can comprehend. Because, says he, / know that the Lord is great, and our God is above all gods. What gods? As the Apostle says, Though there be who are called gods in heaven and in earth, as there are gods many, and lords many; but to us there is one God, the Father, from Whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we by Him. Men may be called gods. For it said, God stood in the congregation of gods. It is said, / have said, Ye are gods, and all the sons of the Highest; is not God above men? But what is there great in this, if God is above men? God is also above Angels, because the Angels did not make God, but God made the Angels; and He Who made all things must needs be above all which He has made. He therefore knowing the greatness of the Lord, and seeing Him to be above every creature, not merely corporeal but spiritual, says, He is a great King above all gods, He is the highest God, Who has no god above Him. Let him tell us His works. They are understood.

10. All whatsoever the Lord willed, He made in the heaven, and in the earth, in the sea, and in all its deep places. Who can comprehend these things? Who can enumerate the works of the Lord in the heaven and earth, in the sea, and in all deep places? Yet if we cannot comprehend them all, we should believe and hold them without question, because whatever creature is iu heaven, whatever is in earth, whatever is in the sea and in all deep places, has been made by the Lord, because all that He His Works all done of His own Free-will. 135 willed, that He made, in heaven and earth, in the sea, and in all deep places, as we ^ave just now said. He was not forced to make all that He made, but all that He willed He made. His will was the cause of all things which He made. Thou raakest a house, because if thou didst not make it, thou wouldest be left without habitation: necessity compels thee to make a home, not free-will. Thou makest a garment, because thou wouldest go about naked if thou dioit not make it; thou art therefore led to making a garment by necessity, not by free-will. Thou plantest a mountain with vines, thou sowest seed, because if thou didst not do so, thou wouldest not have food; all such things thou doest of necessity. God has made things of His goodness. He needed nothing that He made; and therefore He hath made all things that He willed.

11. Dost thou think, 'we too have what we do of freewill?' The things we have spoken of, we do of necessity, because if we did not do them, we should be needy and helpless. Do we find any thing which we do of free-will? We do indeed, when we praise God, through loving Him. This indeed thou doest of free-will, when thou lovest that which thou praisest; for this is not of necessity, but because it pleaseth thee. Therefore God pleaseth the just and His saints even when He scourgeth them. When He displeaseth all the unjust, He pleaseth them; and though they are subject to his rod, though in toils, in labours, in wounds, in want, they praise God; He displeaseth them not, though He even torment them. This is free love, not for the receipt of specified pay, because God Himself will be thy highest reward, Whom thou lovest freely, and so oughtest to love, as not to cease to desire Him for thy reward, as* Him Who alone can satisfy thee; as Philip desired Him, when He said, Shew us the Father, and it satisjieth us. Rightly, j0hni4, because we do this of free-will, and we ought to do this of8* free-will, because we do so of our pleasure; we do so of our love, because though we be chastened by Him, He never ought to displease us, for He is always just. Thus spoke His worshipper, Upon me, O God, are Thy rows, which I Ps. will pay, of praise to Tftee. And in another place, / wMj>*.54 offer Thee free-will offerings. What means, / will offer Thee free-offerings? I will freely praise Thee. For He saith, The sacrifice of praise shall glorify Me. If thou wert compelled to offer thy Lord a sacrifice, pleasing and acceptable to Him, as formerly sacrifices were vowed for a shadow of things to come, perchance thou wouldest not find a fitting bull in thy herds, or a he-goat in thy goats worthy of the altar of the Lord, or a ram in thy sheepfolds a worthy victim for thy Lord; and not finding them, thou wouldest be troubled what to do, and wouldest perchance say to God, 1 would and had not. Canst thou say of praise, I would and had not? The very wish is praise. God seeketh not words from thee, but the heart. Lastly, thou mayest say, I had no tongue. If any one by sickness be dumb, he has no tongue, but he has praise. For if God had ears of flesh, and needed the sound of thy body, as long as thou remaiuest without a tongue, thou wouldest remain without praise. But now, as He seeketh for the heart, looketh into the heart, is the witness, the judge, the approver, the helper, the giver of the crown within, it is enough that thou open will. When thou canst, thou confessest with thy mouth to salvation; when thou canst not, thou believest with the heart to justification. Thou praisest with the heart, blessest with the heart; with the heart thou placest sacred victims on the altar of conscience, and the auswer to thee is, Peace on earth to men of good will.

12. That God then, Who is omnipotent, did whatsoever He willed in the heaven and earth, thou doest not all thou wiliest in thine own house. He did whatsoever He willed in the heaven and earth: do thou do all that thou wiliest even in thy field. Thou wiliest many things, but canst not do all thou wishest in thy own house. Thy wife perchance gaiusays thee, thy children gainsay thee, sometimes even thy slave contumaciously gainsays thee, and thou doest not what thou wiliest. But thou sayest, I do what I will, because I punish the disobedient and gainsayer. Even this thou doest not when thou wiliest. Sometimes thou wouldest punish, and canst not; sometimes thou threatenest, and diest before thou doest what thou threatenest. Do we thiuk thou doest in thyself what thou wiliest? Dost thou bridle all thy lusts? Perchance thou dost; dost thou even bring about, Man cannot even in himself. that the lusts thou bridlest do not rise up? Verily thou wishest this, not to be vexed with the importunity of thy lusts, and yet, the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and <A«Gal. spirit against the flesh, so that ye cannot do the things ye1?' would. Thou doest uot in thyself the things thou wouldest. But our God did whatsoever He would, in the heaven and earth. May He give thee grace, that thou mayest do in thyself what thou wiliest, for except by His help, thou does? not in thyself what thou wiliest. Moreover, when he could not do in himself what he would, who said, The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, so that ye cannot do the things ye would; when he bewailed himself, saying, / delight in the law of God, after the inner man, but I see another law in my mem-22'*3, bers warring against the law of my mind, and making me captive to the law of sin, which is in my members; because, not only in his house, not only in his field, but in his flesh, and even in his spirit, he fulfilled not what he would; he cried to God, Who did whatsoever He would in heaven and earth; and said, Wretched man that / am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death! And as if He Who is good, He Who is sweet, had answered him, straightway he adds, Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Love therefore this Sweetness, praise this Sweetness. Understand hereby God, Who did whatsoever He would in the heaven and earth; He will do in you also what ye will; by His help ye shall fulfil your will. But while ye cannot, confess to Him; when ye shall be able, give Him thanks; when ye fall, cry to Him; when ye are raised up, be not high-minded. He therefore did whatsoever He would in heaven and earth, in the sea, and in all deep places.

13. Raising the clouds from the ends of the earth. We see these works of God in His creation. For the clouds come from the ends of the earth to the midst thereof, and rain; thou scaunest not whence they arise. Hence the prophet signifies this, from the ends of the earth, whether it be from the bottom, or from the circumference of the ends of the earth, whencesoever He wills He raises, the clouds, only from the earth. He hath made lightnings into rain. For lightnings without rain would frighten thee, and bestow Dotfoing on tj]ee. j£e maketh lightnings unto rain. It lightens, and thou tremblest; it rains, thou rejoicest. He hath made lightnings unto rain. He Who terrified thee, Himself causest that thou shouldest rejoice. Who bringeth the winds out of His treasures, their causes are hidden, thou knowest not whence they come. When the wind blows, thou feelest it; why it blows, or from what treasure of His wisdom it is brought forth, thou knowest not; yet thou o%est to God the worship of faith, for it would not blow unless He had bidden Who made it, unless He had brought it forth Who created it.

14. We see therefore these things in that work of His; we praise, we marvel at, we bless God; let us see what He has done among men for His people. Who smote the first-born of Egypt. But withal those divine doings are told which thou mightest love, those are not told which thou mightest fear. Attend, and see that also when He is angry, He doeth what He willeth. He smote the first-born of Egypt, from man even unto beast. He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt! Ye know, ye have read what the hand of the Lord did by Moses in Egypt, to crush and cast down the proud Egyptians, on Pharaoh and on all his servants. Little did He in Egypt: what did He after His people was led out thence? Who smote many nations, who possessed that land, which God willed to give His people. And slew mighty kings, Sehon king of the Amorites, and Og the king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan. All these things which the Psalm records simply, do we read likewise in others of the Lord's books, and there the hand of the Lord is great. When thou seest what has been done to the wicked, take heed lest it be done to thee. For such things were done to them, that thou mightest pass by and not follow them, and not suffer such things. Yet see that the rod of the Lord is over all flesh. Do not think that thou art not seen when thou sinnest; do not think thou art despised; do pot think that the Lord sleepeth; take note of the examples of God's benefits; when thou thinkestof these things, and when thou thinkest on God's vengeance, fear. He is Almighty, both to comfort and to The Mystical meaning thereof. 139 chastise. Therefore are these things useful when they are read. But when the good man sees what the wicked has suffered, let him cleanse himself from all iniquity, lest he fall into a like punishment, a like chastisement. Then ye have thoroughly understood these things. What did God then? He drove out the wicked, And he gave their land™. for an inheritance, even an inheritance to Israel His Then follows the loud cry of His praise. Thy Name, O Lord, is for ever and ever, after all these things which Thou hast done. For what do I see that Thou hast done? I behold Thy creation which Thou hast made in heaven, I behold this lower part, where we dwell, and here I see Thy gifts of clouds, and winds, and rain. I regard Thy people; Thou leddest them from the house of bondage, and didst signs and wonders upon their enemies. Thou punishedst those who caused them trouble, Thou dravest the wicked from their land, Thou killedst their kings, Thou gavest their land to Thy people: I have seen all these things, and filled with joy have said, Lord, Thy Name is for ever and ever.

15. We see these things according to the literal meaning of what is written, we know and praise them. But if they have a further meaning, let me not be burdensome while I^nr°f expound them according to my ability. For behold among men can I discern, that He did whatsoever He willed in thever8es' heaven and earth. By the sky of heaven, I understand spiritual men; by the earth, carnal; for of these two, heaven and earth, consists the Church of God, and preaching belongeth to spiritual men, obedience to carnal ones. For the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handy-work. For were not the people of God the earth of God, the Apostle would not have said, F<?iCor.3, are God's building, God's husbandry; as a wise architect, I9' lay the foundation, another buildeth upon it. Therefore we are the building of God, and the field of God. Who, saysiCor.9, he,planteth a vineyard, and receiveth not of the fruit thereof? I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So in His Church, among His preachers, among His people,6, just as in earth and heaven, He did whatsoever He willed. Not alone in them. He did whatsoever He willed in the sea, and in all deep places. The sea is all unbelievers, all who do not yet believe; and He hath done whatsoever He would among them; for unbelievers rage not, unless they be permitted, nor are they punished, when they are obstinate, unless He command Who has made all nations. Suppose it is sea, and not land, is it the less subject to the power of God Almighty? He did whatsoever He would on the sea, and in all deep places. What are the deep places r The hidden hearts of mortals, the deep thoughts of men. And how does God do there what He willeth? Because the Lord trieth the just and the wicked; for he who loveth iniquity, hateth his own life. And where doth He try him? It is written elsewhere, For inquisition shall be made into the thoughts of the ungodly. Therefore He hath done whatsoever He would in all deep places. The good heart lies hid, the evil heart lies hid; there is a deep place in the good heart, and in the bad; but these things are naked before God, from Whom nothing is hid. He cheers the good heart, He torments the evil. Therefore He hath done all that He would in the sky and earth, in the sea, and in all deep places,

16. Raising the clouds from the ends of the earth. What clouds? The preachers of the word of His Truth. Of which clouds in another place, when angry with His vineyard, He says, / will order My clouds that they rain no rain upon it. And it is a small thing that He raised the clouds from Jerusalem and Israel, which He sent to preach His Gospel in the whole world; of which clouds it is said, Their sound is gone out into every land, and their words into the ends of the world. This is a small thing; but since the Lord Himself saith, This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall be the end, He raiseth the clouds from the ends of the earth. For as the Gospel groweth, whence will be there preachers of the Gospel in the ends of the earth, unless He raise up clouds from the ends of the earth. But what doeth He with the clouds? He turned lightnings to rain. He changed threats into pity. After their terror, He watered them. How did He water them after their terror? When God threateneth thee by a Prophet or Apostle, and thou fearest, doth not the Faith is our First-born. flashing frighten you? But when thou turnest in penitence, and adinittest that this is done by mercy, the terror of His_JL_ lightning changes to rain. Who bringeth the winds out of His treasures. I understand the same preachers both by clouds and winds, the former by reason of the flesh, the latter of the spirit. For clouds are seen, winds are felt and not seen. Lastly, since we see that flesh is of the earth, He bringeth, says He, the clouds from the ends of the world. He lad declared, whence He brings the clouds. He cometh to the winds, and because we know not the spirit of man, whence it cometh, Bringing, He says, the winds out of His treasures* Attend awhile, and ye shall see the rest.

17. Who smote the first-born of Egypt, from man even unto beast. Our first-born is safe by the Lord, because He has given it to us. For that punishment is harmful, thatExod. blow is too terrible, even the death of the first-born. What is our first-born? These moral powers of ours, by which we now serve God, are our first-born. We have faith as the first-fruits, whence we begin. For He saith to the Church, Tfiou shalt come and shall pass through, from the beginnings of faith. And no one begins to live well, savecant. by faith. Our faith therefore is in our first-born. When^u*ta our faith is guarded, other things can follow. For since men are cleansed daily by growing better, and by living better, the inner man being renewed day by day, (as the Apostle says, And if our outer man perish, our inner man is renewed day by day,) hence it follows, that our16, first-born faith lives, of which first-born faith the Apostle speaks, but not only they, but we ourselves who have the^om first-fruits of the Spirit, that is, who give already to God the first-fruits of our spirit, that is, faith as our first-born; nevertheless, groan in ourselves, waiting our adoption, the redemption of our body. If then it is a great grace of God that our faith is preserved, it is a great punishment to slay the first-born, when men lose their faith being involved in the afflictions of the Church. For they afflict the Church when they lose their faith, for affliction is meant by Egypt. Whoever therefore afflicts the Church, whoever causes offences to the Church, though he be called a Christian, yet his first-born is dead. They will be infidel, worthless, they will have name and sign only, but they have buried tneir first-born in their hearts; so much so, that when thou shalt have said any thing to him about good living, about the hope of eternal life, about the fear of eternal fire, he will mutter to himself; or if he be such as to dare before thee, he turns his face and says, Who hath returned hither from thence? men say to themselves what they will. And yet he is a Christian; but because he afflicts us, his first-bom is slain, his faith is dead, and this from man^even unto beast. I will tell you, brethren, what I mean. I understand that men are spiritually meant to be the learned, on account of the rational mind which is man"; beasts the unlearned, but yet having faith, else they would not have a first-born. It is the learned who afflict the Church, by creating schism and heresy. Wherefore ye find no faith in them, because they are become Egypt, that is, an affliction to the people of God. Their first-born is slain, they draw after them an unlearned crowd, these are beasts. In this affliction then, wrherewith the Church is afflicted, the faith of them who afflict her perishes. The first-born dies of the learned and unlearned, because God slew the first-born of Egypt from man even unto beast.

18. He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants. Pharaoh is the king of the Egyptians. Observe the name, and note how God doeth these things. The king of every nation is the highest one. Egypt is affliction. Pharaoh isd dispersion. Affliction therefore has dispersion for its king, because they who afflict the Church, are dispersed when they afflict it. For that they may afflict it, they are scattered, as the king leads, the people follow; dispersion goes before, affliction follows. Listen ye, listen ye to these names full of typical meaning and wisdom. You will find not one of these names, which means any good thing, where God hath displayed His wrath,

19. He smote many nations, and slew strong kings. Tell

• Pharaoh, n3H9 means king in ite cognate languages. The word Coptic. St. A ugustin appears to have is ™ed in the 8ense of lawle8S or dispersion or division, contained in all tne word s compared with Pharez words beginning with in Hebrew, VT)§. me, what kings and what nations? Sehon, king of the Amorites. Listen to names pregnant with 1 sacramental meanings. He slew, says he, Sehon, king of the Amorites. Truly He killed them, and now may He slay them frommentl8# the hearts of His servants, from the temptations of His Church; and may not His hand stop in slaying such kings and such people, for Sehon is interpreted the lust of the eyes; the Amorites mean, they who cause bitterness. And her see whether we can understand how these who cause bitterness, have for their king the lust of the eyes. The lust of the eyes cannot but be lying; it has a colour, it has no truth. And now why need we wonder, if they who cause bitterness have such a king, namely, a lying king? For except deceit and lying go before, there would be none to cause bitterness in the Church, for they cause bitterness in that they lie. The lust of the eyes goes before, bitterness follows, as it went before in the devil. For is not the lust of the eyes that which transforms him to an angel of light?i God's right hand slay him and them; him lest he tempt, them that they may be purged. For so that king is slain in every man, when he condemneth deception, and loveth the truth. The hand of God ceaseth not to do this. For as He did then verbally, now He doeth spiritually, that He may fulfil what he declared in prophecy. Moreover, He slew another king, and his people. And Og the king of Basan. How evil is this one? Og means shutting up, Basan means confusion. Evil is that king, who shuts up the road to God. For this the devil does; by always bringing forward his falsehoods, by bringing forward his idols, by introducing himself as a friend by means of his fanatical soothsayers, his augurs, diviners, magicians, rites sacred to demons, he shutteth up the way. Wherefore Christ is the means, that the way may be made open, which had been shut up, for by Him one of the redeemed saith, And in my God I will pass over a wall; so that the devil is busied in nothing else, 29* but that he may shut up the way, lest men believe in God. For if they believe in God, the way is open, and Christ himself is the Way; but if men believe not in God, the way 6* is shut up. But if it be shut up, because He is not believed, what remains, but that when He comes Who was not believed, they should be confounded who believed not? why? Because the shutting up precedes, confusion follows. The shutting up, as the King goes before; the confusion, as the people follow. They whom he shuts up, that they believe not in Christ, when Christ appears, will all be confounded, and their iniquities will reprove them. Then wicked in confusion shall say, what did our pride profit us? It is a great mystery, my brethren. Scattering is the king of afflictions, they are scattered that they mSf be afflicted. A great mystery. The lust of the eyes, that is, deceit, is the prince of them who cause bitterness, for they deceive that they may cause bitterness. Shutting up is the prince of confusion, for they are shut up, that they may not cross over to faith, and when they come before Him in Whom we believe, they will be confounded. And all the kingdoms of Chanaan God destroyeth. Chanaan means, Ready for Humbling; Humbling seemeth to mean something good, but only if it profit, for evil humbling is punishment. If humbling were not of the nature of punishment, it would not be said, that he who exalteth himself shall be humbled. For no benefit is conferred on him, since his punishment is to be humbled. Chanaan therefore is proud now. Every wicked man, every infidel, lifteth up his heart, will not believe in God. But this exaltation is prepared for humbling on the day of judgment; he will be humbled then, wnen he willeth not. For there are vessels of wrath, which are made ready for destruction.. Let them exalt themselves now, babble, raise themselves above the faithful, scoff at the faithful, revile Christians; let them say, * These are old wives' tales, which they prate of the day of judgment.' That haughtiness of theirs is prepared for humbling. When the Judge has come, whose advent was before laughed at, then he who now is proud shall be brought low, not to his good, but to his punishment. But he is not yet humbled, he is being made ready for it, that is, he is getting ready for damnation, getting ready for the slaughter.

21. All these things then did God overthrow, in the body at that time, when our fathers were led out of the land of Egypt, in the spirit now. Nor does His Hand cease until the end. Therefore deem not that these mighty deeds of God One Judgment past, were then finished and have ceased. Thy Name, O Lord, he says, is for ever. That is, Thy loving-kindness ceaseth not, Thy hand ceaseth not for ever from doing these things, which then Thou didst afore declare in a figure. For all these things happened unto them in a figure, but they are written for our admonition, on whom the end of the ages is come. O Lord, Thy Memorial is from generation to generation. One generation and another generation; the generation by which we %re made the faithful, and are horn again by baptism; the generation by which we shall rise again from the dead, and shall live with the Angels for ever. Thy Memorial, O Lord, is above this generation, and above that; for neither doth He now forget to call usrnor then will He forget to crown us. Thy Memorial, O Lord, is from generation to generation.

22. For the Lord hath judged His people. Verily He hath fulfilled all these things upon the people of the Jews. Have His works at all remained, after He brought His people into the land of. promise? Manifestly He will yet judge them. The Lord hath judged His people, and will be called upon among His servants. Already hath He judged the people. Save the final judgment, the people of the Jews is judged. What is judged? The just "are taken away, the unjust are left. But if I lie, or am thought to lie, because I have said, it is already judged, hear the Lord saying, / have come for judgment into this world, that they who see not may see, and they who see may be made39' blind. The proud are made blind, the lowly are enlightened. Therefore, He hath judged His people. Isaiah spake the judgment. And now, thou house of Jacob, come ye, let us walk in the light of the Lord. This is a small matter; but what follows? For He hath put away His people, the house of Israel. The house of Jacob is the house of Israel; for he who is Jacob, the same is Israel. Ye know the holy Scriptures, and I think you remember, that the same Jacob, when he saw an Angel wrestling with him, received the name 28# of Israel. It is therefore one man, whether it be Jacob or Israel, and one person: the house of Jacob and the house of Israel, one nation, one people; this he invites, that sends away. And of a surety already thou hast killed Christ, thou house of Jacob, thou hast killed Christ; already thou hast wagged thy head before the cross; hast marked Him as He hung there; hast said, If He be the Son of God, let Him come down from the Cross. Already the Physician has prayed for the madmen, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Surely already thou hast done all these things; and now believe on Him Whom thou hast slain, drink the Blood which thou hast poured out. And now, thou house of Jacob, I would expound the witness of Isaiah, whidfrhe hath said here, For the Lord hath judged His people, and He will be called upon among His servants. For He is understood to judge His people, by separating in that very people of His the good from the bad, the faithful from the unfaithful, the Apostles from the lying Jews. He signified this, as I began to say4 when He spake by the Prophet* now after all these ill-doiugs of thine, O thou house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord. Wherefore do I say to yon, Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord? Lest by remaining in Judaism, ye come not to Christ. But why? Did not Christ always prophesy there? But now He hath sent away His people, the house of Israel. Come, O house of Jacob, for He hath sent away His people the house of Jacob; come, O house of Israel, for He hath sent away His people the house of Israel. Who hath come, who hath been sent away, save that this is the judgment, that they who see not may see, and they who see may become blind? Therefore the Lord hath judged His people. Therefore He hath separated them, and will He not find there them whom He may restore to His kingdom? Surely He will find, and shall be called upon among His servants. He cast not away, says the Apostle, His people whom He knew. And how does he prove this? For I also am an Israelite. Therefore God had judged His people, by separating the evil and the good; that is to say, He shall be called upon among His servants. By whom? By the Gentiles. For how vast are the nations who have come in by faith. How many farms and desert places now come in to us? They come thence no one can tell how numerously; they would believe. We say to them, What will ye? They answer, To know the glory of God. Believe, my brethren, and Conversion of the Gentiles. that we wonder and rejoice at such a claim of these rustic people. They come I know not whither, roused up by I know not whom. How shall I say, I know not by whom? I know indeed by whom, because He says, No one cometh to Me, save whom the Father draweth. They come suddenly from the woods, the desert, the44, most distant and lofty mountains, to the Church; and manv of them, nay, near all hold this language, so that we see of a truth that God teacheth them within. The prophecy of Scripture is fulfilled, when it says, And they shall all be taught of God. We say to them, What do ye longjohn6 for? And they answer, To see the glory of God. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. They believe, they are sanctified, they will to have clergy ordained for them. Is it not fulfilled, and He will be called upon among His servants?

23. Lastly, after all that arrangement and dispensation, the Spirit of God turns itself to reproaching and ridiculing those idols, which are now ridiculed by their very worshippers. The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold. As God made all these things, Who made whatever He would in heaven and earth, Who hath judged His people, and will be called upon by His servants, what can any thing that man maketh be, but an object of ridicule, not adoration? Was He perchance about to speak of the idols of the Gentiles, that we might despise them all? was He about to speak of the idols of the heathen, stones and wood, plaster and pottery? I say not these, they are mean materials. I speak of that which they specially love, that which they specially honour. The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold. Surely it is gold, surely it is silver: because silver glitters, and gold glitters, have they therefore eyes, or do they see? As it is silver, as it is gold, it is useful not to the religious, but to the covetous; nay not even useful to the covetous, but useful to him who useth it well, and who gains by spending it celestial treasure. But as these things are senseless, why make ye men of silver and gold to be gods? See ye not that the gods which ye make see not? They have eyes, and will not see; they have ears, and will not hear; they have nostrils, and will not smell; they have a mouth, and will not speak; they have hands, and will not work; they have feet, and will not walk. All these things could the carpenter, the silversmith, the goldsmith make, both eyes, and ears, and nostrils, and mouth, and hands, and feet, but he could give neither sight to the eyes, nor hearing to the ears, nor speech to the mouth, nor smell to the nostrils, nor motion to the hands, or going to the feet.

24. And man, thou laughest doubtless at what thou Jiast made, if thou knowest by Whom thou art made. But of them who know not, what is said? All they who make them, and all they who trust in them, are like them. And ye believe, brethren, that there is a likeness to these idols expressed not in their flesh, but in their inner man. For they have ears, and hear not. God calls to them indeed, He who hath ears to hear, let him hear. They have eyes, and see not, for they have the eyes of the body, and not the eyes of faith. Lastly, this prophecy is fulfilled among all the nations. See how it hath been said by the prophet. It is nothing allegorical or figurative I mention. Listen to a peculiar, express, simple, plain prophecy, behold its fulfilThe Lord, says he, hath prevailed against them: so saith the prophet Zephaniah. Against the gainsayers, and rebellious, and them who make martyrs by the murder of the faithful, but know not, against them the Lord hath prevailed. And how hath He prevailed? We shall see in His Church that He hath prevailed. They wished to slay, to destroy a few Christians; they poured out their blood; from the blood of the slain so many rose up, that by them they, the murderers of the Martyrs, were overcome. And now they ask where they may hide their idols, who of yore killed Christians for the sake of their idols. Hath not the Lord prevailed against them? See whether He does what follows. The Lord hath prevailed against them. And what did He do? ue hath destroyed all the gods of the Gentiles, and every man shall worship Him in his own place, all the isles of the Gentiles. What is this? Was it not prophesied? Is it not fulfilled? Is it not seen, as it is written? And they who remain have eyes, and see not; have nostrils, and smell not. They perceive not that savour. We are a good savour of Christ, as the apostle says every where. What profiteth Christians the true house of Israel. it, that they have nostrils, and smell not that so sweet savour of Christ? Truly it is done in them, and truly it is said of them, All they who make them, and all they who trust in them, are like to them.

25. But daily do men believe through the miracles of Christ our Lord; daily the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf are opened, the nostrils of the senseless are breathed into, the tonnes of the dumb are loosed, the hands of the palsied are strengthened, the feet of the lame are guided; sons of Abraham are raised up of these stones, to all of whom be it said, Bless^the Lord, ye house of Israel. All are sons of Abraham; and if sons of AbratJam are raised up from these stones, it is plain that they are rather the house of Israel who belong to the house of Israel, the seed of Abraham, not by the flesh, but by faith. Bless the Lord, ye house of Israel. But even granting that it is said of that house, and the people of Israel is meant, from thence did the Apostles and thousands of the circumcised believe? Bless the Lord, ye house7- of Israel; bless the Lord, ye house of Aaron; bless the Lord, ye house of Levi. Bless the Lord, ye nations, this is, the house of Israel generally; bless Him, ye leaders, this is, the house of Aaron; bless Him, ye servants, this is, the house of Levi. What of the other nations? Ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord.

26. Let us also with one voice say what follows: Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, who dwelleth in Jerusalem. Out of Zion is Jerusalem too. Zion is ' watching,' Jerusalem the ' vision of peace.' In what Jerusalem will He dwell now? In that which has fallen? Nay, but in that which is our mother, which is in the heavens, of which it is said, The desolate hath more children than she which hath a husband. For now the Lord is from Zion, because we watch when He will come; now as long as we live in hope, we are in Zion. When our way is ended, we shall dwell in that city which will never fall, because the Lord dwelleth in her, and keepeth her, which is the vision of peace, the eternal Jerusalem; for the praise of which, my brethren, language sufficeth not; where we shall find no enemy, either within the Church or without the Church, neither in our flesh, nor in our thoughts. For death shall be swallowed up in victory, and we shall be free to see God in eterua| peace^ being made citizens of Jerusalem, the city

27. Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is- good, for His mercy endureth for 9ever. This Psalm contains the praise of God, and all its verses finish in the same way-Wherefore although many things are related here in praise of God, yet His mercy is most commended; for without this plain commendation, he, whom the Holy Spirit used to utter this Psalm, would have no verse be ended. I remember, in the hundred and fifth Psalm, which begins in the' same way, because the manuscript which! read had not for ever, but, for ages1 His mercy, that I enquired what we had better understand. For, in the Greek language, it is written, el$ rov alcovot, which may be interpreted, for ages, for ever2. But it would be tedious to renew the enquiries I made as best I could in that place. But in this Psalm, the same manuscript has not for ages, which most have, but, for ever His mercy. Although after the judgment, by which at the end of the world the quick and the dead must be judged, the just being sent into life eternal, the unjust into everlasting fire, there will not afterwards be those, whom God will have mercy on, yet rightly may His future mercy be understood to be for ever, which He bestows on His saints and faithful ones, not because they will be miserable for ever, and therefore will need His mercy for ever, but because that very blessedness, which He mercifully bestows on the miserable, that they cease to be miserable, and begin to be happy, will have no end, and therefore His mercy is for ever. For that we shall be just from being unjust, whole from being unsound, alive from being dead, immortal from being mortal, happy from being wretched, is of His mercy. But this that we of God.