Psalm 12

Psalm 13

Lhe general corruption of man before our redemption by Christ.

1 The fool hath said in his heart: There isno God. They are corrupt, and are become abominable in their ways : there is none that doeth good, no not one.

2 The Lord hath looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there be any that understand and seek God.

3 They are all gone aside, they are become

unprofitable together: there is none that_

doeth good, no notone. Theirthroat isan open sepulchre; with their tongues they acted deceitfully ; the poison of asps ds under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness ; their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and unhappiness in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes.

4 Shall not all they know that work iniquity, who devour my people as they eat bread ?

‘5 They have not called upon the Lord :

there have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear.

6 For the Lord is in the just generation: you have confounded the counsel of the poor man, but the Lord is his hope.

7 Whoshall give out of Sion the salvation of Israel ? when the Lord shall have turned away the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALM.

1 ‘+ The fool hath said in his heart : There is no God. They are corrupt, and become abominable in their ways: there is none that doeth good, no not one.”

To such a pitch of folly has human nature, corrupted in our first parent, arrived, that one can be found, without daring to express it, yet to “say we his heart there is no God.” David does not convey here, that one particular person said so, but that men in general, through the corruption of their intellect, had come to such apitch of blindness, as to become entirely regardless of their last end, and to think there was no God who regarded mankind, or to whom they would be accountable. ‘“ The fool,” that is, the man bereft of all sense, “said in his heart, There is no God;” that is, began to think God had no existence, and not only was the mind become corrupt and foolish, but also, so was the will; so that men, in general, leaned to sin, never to good; for the avoiding of sin, and the doing good, are very different things, when we speak of an act absolutely and perfectly good. For men without faith or grace, acting on the strength of corrupt nature alone, generally fall into sin; yet sometimes produce certain moral good works, which cannot be called sin; yet are not perfectly and absolutely good, when they do not bring man to the chief good. David, therefore, says, “ They are corrupt and become abominable in their ways;”? that is, in their desires or affections: hence themselves are corrupted and abominable. “ There as none that doeth good; no not one.” Mankind is so corrupted in desire and in iniquity, but still not so generally that all their desires and actions should be considered corrupt and unjust. For surely when an infidel, moved by compassion, has mercy on the poor or cares their children, he doeth no evil. But nobody depending on the strength of corrupt nature alone, can perfectly and absolutely produce a good action. Hence, we see, that this passage, when properly understood, proves nothing for the heretics who abuse it, to prove that allthe acts of a sinner, or of a nonregenerated, are sins.

2 ** The Lord hath looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there be any that understand and seek God.

3 ‘* They are all gone aside, they are become unprofitable together: there is none that doeth good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their their tongues they acted deceitfully ; the poison of asps

is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness ; their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and unhappiness in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Having said that human nature was corrupt in mind and in will, he shews now whence he had such knowledge: namely, from revelation. For God, who knows every thing, saw it, and revealed it to his prophets. He describes God looking down from heaven, as if he were a mortal from his lofty look-out, to see “Jf there be any that understood;” that is, not corrupted in his mind ; ** Or seeking God;” that is, not corrupted in his will, who could understand and love, and thus seek God, who is the supreme good. What God knew, that is, made us know, he explains in those words : ‘* They are all gone aside;” that is, he saw they had all become useless to God, inasmuch as they neither serve, worship, nor render him any tribute of praise ; and, finally, that he saw none to do a work perfectly and absolutely good. ‘‘ Their throat is an open sepulchre.’ The remainder of this verse is not in the Hebrew, nor in the Septuagint, nor in the Latin edition of Psalm lii., where the same passage occurs; but, whereas St. Paul, in Romans iii., quotes all these expressions consecutively, as if tuey belonged to one Psalm, we may consider they did originally belong to it, and were accidentally lost or omitted from it. These verses give us an idea of the malice of the wicked, who by word and deed do harm to their neighbour. ‘‘ Their throat is an open sepulchre.” For, as the stench of the putrid corpse exhales from an opened tomb, so from their mouth issues filthy language, the exhalation of their cor-. rupted heart. ‘* With ther tongues they acted deceitfully:” that is, by making use, not only of filthy but deceitful language. ** The poison of asps is under their lips ;” which words are not only filthy and deceitful, but, furthermore, poisonous, and deadly, and leading to sin. ‘‘ Their mouth is full of cursing and bitter-. ness; their feet are swift to shed blood.” Those abandoned characters not only rail and fiercely contend in language; but are involved in evil action, and injure every one. For they whose mouths are full of maledictions and railing, are always ready to run swiftly to slanghter and bloodshed. ‘‘ Destruction and unhappiness in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known:” that is, all their thoughts turn upon destruction, devastation, and affliction of the neighbour, because “ The way of peace they have not known ;” that is, what belongs to peace. ‘ Zhere is no fear of God before their eyes.” The root of all the aforesaid evils; because they clearly cast overboard all fear of God, saying in their hearts, “ Zhere is no God.”

4 ‘Shall not all they know that work iniquity, who devour my people as they eat bread 2”

Here we can justly infer, that this universal corruption of human nature is to be understood of human nature in itself, and depending on its own na-

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.

tural strength alone. For, through the grace of God,

men become truly just and pious, and they are de-

signated here as ‘* My people” who are despised and - persecuted by the wicked. ‘ Shall all they know

that work iniquity;? addressed to the wicked, by

way of reproof, as if he said, will they be always

insensible, will they ever open their eyes, will they

ever begin to learn? “ Who devour my people as they eat bread;” which means, that the wicked may,

from such evils, be warned of their iniqnity. For as bread, though eaten daily, is always relished; 0

the wicked take pleasure in daily harassing the poor,

and never tire of it.

5 “* They have not called upon the Lord: there have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear.”

A reason assigned for such wickedness, namely : “ They have not called upon the Lord:” they put their trust not in God, but in things created; and, therefore, ‘‘ There have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear ;” and, therefore, not knowing in whom to hope, or who to fear, they trembled at encountering adversity, or going back in their prosperity ; things of small moment, and transitory, which should have been above their consideration: whereas, had they put their trust in God, ‘‘ And sought the kingdom of God and his justice, all these things shall be added unto

6 ‘ For the Lord is in the just generation: you have confounded the counsel of the poor man, but the Lord is his hope.”

Another reason for the wicked being seized with fear, when there is no ground for fear, ‘‘ Mor the Lord is in the just generation ;” which means, as the wicked neither invoked nor trusted in God, he deserts them, and takes up with ‘ The just generation:” and once deserted by God, the true light, truth itself, they walk in darkness, and therefore fear when they have no cause for fear. He then appeals to the wicked themselves. ‘‘ You have confounded the counsel of the poor man, but the Lord ws his hope.” Are you so blind as not only to abandon God yourselves, but even to mock those who have not? For you ‘* Have confounded ;” that is, derided, made the poor man blush, for doing what you call a foolish thing, the putting bis hope in God, whereas he ene tirely depends on him. For to the worldly it seems a foolish thing to put our trust in God, whom we don’t see ; and not to trust in the riches of this world and other things we do see.

7 “* Who shall give out of Sion the salvation of Israel? when the Lord shall have turned away the cap-

tivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.”

This last verse is a prayer to God for the speedy coming of the Saviour, to deliver mankind from that captivity of the devil, in which all the wicked and perverse, whose sins and enormities he had just described, were bound. ‘* Who shall give out of Sion the salvation of Israel?” That is, would that salya-~ tion to Israel should quickly come from Sion ; “ For

salvation is from thé Jews;” as the Lord said to the Samaritan woman, John iv. ; and not only from the Jews, that is, from the tribe of Juda, but from the family of David, whose city was named Sion. Salvation, therefore, or the promised Saviour, was promised and expected from Sion, the city of David ; that is, from the stock of David, who was to save Israel ; that is, his people. Christ is called “* Saviour of Israel his people ;” because, though in reality he came to save the whole world, he did not actually save beyond a certain number, who are called the people of God and spiritual Isracl. ‘ When the Lord shall have turnedaway the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.” As much as to say, I beseech and pray for “ salvation from Sion;” and, therefore, for the Saviour “‘ to free us from captivity ;’ because, when that shall be effected, then truly and perfectly, “‘ Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad;” that is, the people of God, who are spiritually called Jacob aud Israel, for both names belong to one person. And that such promises, and similar ones, belong not exclusively to the carnal Jews, but to God’s people, composed of Jews and gentiles, is clearly established by St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans.

PSALM XIV. What kind of men shall dwell in the heavenly Ston.

1 Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle ? or who shall rest in thy holy hill?

. 2 He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:

3 He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.

A In his sight the malignant is brought to nothing: but he glorifieth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his neighbour, and deceiveth not,

5 He that hath not put out his money to usury, nor taken bribes against the innocent: he that doeth these things shall not be moved for ever. .

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALM.

1 “ Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle ? or who shall rest in thy holy hill 2”

The prophet, in alluding to Mount Sion and the tabernacle of God thereon, means the “ heavenly Jerusalem,” and the tabernacle not made by human hands; for the prophets foretold the kingdom of heaven through such figures: St. Paul makes frequent mention of the “ celestial tabernacle,” Heb. viii. and ix.; and in chap. xii., Mount Sion is called “ The city of the living God;” and St. John, in the Apoca-

lypse, makes’mention of “ the celestial Sion;” and, in chap. xxi., he says, “Behold the tabernacleof God with man, and he will dwell with them.” The prophet then asks, “* Who is to dwell?” That means, to have a fixed, certain residence, on the top of that lofty mount, from which, by reason of its out-topping all others, there is no further ascent ; for here on earth there can be no permanent residence nor real rest.

2 ‘ He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice :”

A most summary and comprehensive answer; as if he said, “* Who declineth from evil and doeth good ?” who does not offend God by the commission of a sin, or the omission of a duty? He who lives without committing a mortal sin ‘‘walketh without blemish ;” and he who discharges all his obligations, not through fear of punishment, but from a sense of duty, is one “ that worketh justice.”

3 ‘ He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: nor hath done evil to his

neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.”

Coming now to particulars, he says, “‘ The man to dwell in the house of the Lord” is he who doeth no evil in heart, mouth, or action, ‘‘ Who speaketh truth in his heart.’ For all who set more value than they ought on the things of this world, do not speak truth in their heart; and whoever consent to sin speak not truth in their heart, because they consider a matter will profit them, which rather injures. Thus, all the sins of the heart may be reduced to false judgment as their main root. Speaking of sins by the mouth, he says, ‘© Who hath not used deceit in his tongue ;” for detractions and flattery, and such sins, may be aptly styled “ deceits.” Such man not only did no evil himself, but did all in him lay to prevent it in others, and thus committed no sin in his actions, “nor taken up a reproach against his neighbour.” He has not listened to vituperation, detraction, stories or calumnies against his neighbour; and, instead of giving ear to the ill-disposed, has rather despised them ; while, on the contrary, he has glorified, honoured, and helped the good who fear God. Great praise is due to him who hates sin, not only in himself, but in others.

4 ‘In his sight the malignant is brought to nothing : but he glorifieth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his neighbour, and deceiveth not.”

All this is explained above.

5 ‘ He that hath not put out his money to usury, nor taken bribes against the innocent: he that doeth these things shall not be moved for ever,”

Having explained the virtues of a good man, in general, he now touches on one vice in particular, from which any one aspiring to be heir to the kingdom of heaven should be specially exempt, namely, avarice. His reason for touching on this vice in particular, is either because, according to Tim. i. 6., “Tt is the root of all evils,” or because this vice always was, and is still, peculiar to the Jews. Now,

_ 80 avarice turns up in contracts otherwise lawful, or in unlawful contracts, or in bribes. The first class come under “‘ He that sweareth to his neighbour, and deceiveth not.” The second class are designated by the expression, “ He that hath not put out his money to usury.” The third class, the worst of all, are they “ Who take bribes against the innocent.” ‘ He that doeth those things shall not be moved for ever.” The question put in the first verse is here answered. He says, that they who live according to what was just laid down will have an everlasting habitation in the kingdom of heaven. “ He that doeth,” &c., will securely dwell in God’s tabernacle, will rest in his holy mountain, without the slightest fear of ever being disturbed therein.

COMMENTARY