Commentarius In LXXV Psalmos [Attributus]

made in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life (John 4). Therefore

My soul has thirsted for God, the living fountain. Here the person turns to the hearers, so that they may be admonished and we may be edified. For this is proper to the righteous, that in all that they say or do, they seek not their own profit only, but that of others. God is a living fountain, an unfailing fountain; or strong and living, that is, incorruptible and immortal. Run to the fountain, or the strong living one. Let your running be your affection; let your running be your desire. But do not run in any haphazard way, do not run like any random animal: run like the deer. The deer, when serpents have been killed, burns with greater thirst and runs more keenly to the fountains. The serpents are your vices. Consume the serpents of iniquity (Prov. 13), then you will desire the fountain of truth all the more. But let us hear what this soul has thirsted for. When shall I come and appear before the face of God? When shall I come? What is swift is slow to desire. This, then, is what I thirst for: to come and to appear. The Apostle says, We are the sons of God, but it has not yet appeared what we shall be. We know that when it has appeared, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3). This is what it thirsts for. I thirst in my pilgrimage, I thirst in my course; I shall be satisfied at his coming. Hence elsewhere it says: I shall be satisfied when your glory has appeared (Ps. 16). Meanwhile, while I meditate, while I run, while I am on the way, before I come, before I appear:

My tears have been my bread day and night, while it is said to me daily, Where is your God? My tears, he says, have been to me not bitterness but bread. Those very tears were sweet (from Augustine). Thirsting for that fountain, because I could not yet drink, I was eating my tears more eagerly. For he did not say, My tears have become my drink, lest he seem to have desired those very things, as he did the fountains of waters; but with that thirst preserved, because I burn for the fountains of waters, my tears have become bread to me, while I am delayed. And indeed, by eating my tears, I undoubtedly thirst all the more for the fountains. For truly day and night my tears have become my bread. This food which is called bread, men eat by day; at night they sleep. They eat the bread of tears day and night, whether you take day and night as the whole, or understand day as the prosperity of this world and night as the adversity of this world. Whether, he says, in the prosperous things of the world, or in the adverse things of the world, I pour out the tears of my desire. I do not abandon the eagerness of my desire. And when things go well for me in the world, it is ill with me before I appear before the face of God. Why then do you compel me, as it were, to rejoice? If some prosperity of this world has smiled upon me, is it not deceptive? Is it not fleeting, falling, mortal, unstable, transitory? Does it not have more of deception than of delight? Why then should not my tears also become bread because of it?

Indeed, even when the felicity of this world shines all around us, as long as we are in this body we are away from the Lord (1 Cor 5). And it is said to me daily, Where is your God? For if a pagan has said this to me, can I not also say to him, Where is your God? He points out his own god with his finger. For he points his finger at some stone and says, Behold, this is my God. Where is your God? When I have mocked the stones and he who pointed them out has been put to shame, he withdraws from the stone, looks up to heaven, and perhaps, pointing his finger at the sun, says again, Behold, this is my God. Where is your God? He has found something to show with the eyes of the flesh. But I do not lack one whom I may show; rather, he lacks the eyes with which I might show him. For he could show his god, the sun, to the eyes of my body, but with what eyes shall I show him the creator of the sun? Nevertheless, by hearing daily, Where is your God? and being fed daily in my tears day and night, I have meditated on what I heard. Where is your God? I too have sought my Lord, so that, if I could, I might not only believe but also see something. For I see the things my God has made, but I do not see my God himself who made them. But since, as the deer longs for the fountains of waters, and with God is the fountain of life, and this psalm was written for understanding for the sons of Korah, and the invisible things of God are understood and seen through the things that are made (Rom 1), what shall I do that I may find my God? Shall I consider the earth?

The earth has been made. The beauty of the lands is great, but it has an artisan. Great are the wonders of seeds and of things that grow, but all these things have a Creator. I attend to the vastness of the sea spread around: I am stunned, I marvel, I seek the artisan. I look up at the sky: I admire the beauty of the stars, the splendor of the sun sufficient for bringing forth the day, the moon consoling the darkness of the night. These things are wondrous, these things are praiseworthy, these things are even to be desired. For they are not only earthly, but also heavenly. Yet my thirst does not yet stand satisfied: I marvel at these things, I praise these things, but for him who made these things I thirst. I return to myself, and I ask what I myself am, even within such things, and I search out: and I find that I have a body and a soul: one that rules, the other that is ruled. The body serves, the soul commands. I discern that the soul is something better than the body: and I see that the inquirer into such things is not the body, but the soul. And yet I recognize that all these things which I have surveyed, I have surveyed through the body. I was praising the earth, I had come to know it by the eyes. I was praising the sky, the stars, the sun, and the moon: I had come to know them by the eyes. The eyes are members of the flesh, they are the windows of the mind. It is the inner self that sees through these, which, when it is absent in some thought, they lie open in vain. My God, who made these things which I see with my eyes, is not to be sought with these eyes.

Let the mind itself also discern something through itself: whether there is anything it perceives not through the eyes, as it does colors and light; not through the ears, as it does song and sound; not through the nostrils, as it does the sweetness of odors; not through the palate and tongue, as it does flavor; not through the whole body, as I handle hardness and softness, stiffness and heat, roughness and smoothness—but whether there is anything it sees within. What is it that it sees within? That which is neither color, nor sound, nor odor, nor flavor, nor heat, nor cold, nor hardness, nor softness. Let it be told me, then, what color wisdom has. We think upon its justice, because within, in the very act of thought, we enjoy its beauty. What is there like a sound for the ears? What rises like a vapor to the nostrils? What is brought to the mouth? What is handled by the hand? And it delights, and it is within, and it is beautiful, and it is seen, and it is praised. And even if those eyes are in darkness, the mind enjoys the light of that beauty. What was it that Tobias saw when, blind, he gave his seeing son counsel for life? There is, then, something that the mind itself—the body's master, ruler, and inhabitant—sees, which it perceives not through the eyes of the body, not through the ears, not through the nostrils, not through the palate, not through the body's touch, but through itself. And surely what is through itself is better than what is altogether through its servant. For it sees itself through itself, and the mind too, in order to know itself, sees itself.

Nor does it seek the aid of bodily eyes in order to see itself. Indeed, it has withdrawn itself from all the senses of the body, as from things that hinder and creep between, and has gathered itself to itself, so that it may see itself in itself and know itself in its own presence. But is God anything like the mind itself? God can indeed be seen only by the mind, yet not as the mind can be seen. For the mind seeks something that is God, concerning whom those who say, Where is your God? do not mock it. It seeks some unchangeable truth, without any defect of substance. The mind itself is not such as this: it fails, it advances; it knows, it is ignorant; it remembers, it forgets; at one moment it wills this, at another it does not will. This mutability does not fall upon God. If I were to say, God is mutable, those who say, Where is your God? would mock me. Therefore, seeking my God among visible things and not finding him, seeking his substance within myself, as though it were something, and such as I am, and not finding it, I seek something above my soul, and behold, I perceive my God. Therefore, that I might touch him,

These things I remembered, and I poured out my soul within me. When would my soul attain what is sought concerning it, unless my soul poured itself out over itself? For if it remained in itself, it would see nothing other than itself, and when it saw itself, it would certainly not see its Lord. Let my mockers now say, Where is your God? I will say: as long as I do not see, as long as I am kept at a distance, I will eat my tears day and night. Let them still say, Where is your God? I seek therefore my God in every body, whether earthly or heavenly: and I do not find him. Yet they have meditated on the seeking of my God, and through the things that have been made, desiring to behold the invisible things of my God as understood, I poured out my soul over myself. And now there remain nothing more for me to touch except my God, for there is the house of my God above my soul. There he dwells, from there he created me, from there he governs me, from there he counsels me, from there he awaits me, from there he calls me, from there he directs me, from there he leads me, from there he brings me through. For he who has the highest house in secret also has a tabernacle on earth. His tabernacle on earth is his Church, still a pilgrim. But he who is found in the tabernacle must be sought, and the way by which one arrives at the house. For when I poured out my soul over myself, in order to attain my God, why did I do this? Because I will enter into the place of the tabernacle. For outside the place of the tabernacle I would wander astray seeking my God.

Because I will enter into the place of the marvelous tabernacle, even to the house of God. Behold how much I marvel at in the tabernacle. For the tabernacle of my God on earth is faithful men. I marvel at the obedience of their very members, because sin does not reign in them so as to obey its desires, nor do they present their members as weapons of iniquity to sin (Rom. 6), but they present them to the living God in good works: I marvel that the bodily members of a soul serving the living God wage war. I look also at the soul itself, obedient to God, distributing to God the works of its action, bridling desires, driving out ignorance, extending itself to endure all hard and rough things, bestowing justice and charity on others. I marvel at these virtues too in the soul, but I am still walking in the place of the tabernacle. I pass beyond these things as well, and although the tabernacle is marvelous, I am astonished when I come even to the house of God. While he marvels at the members of the tabernacle, he is thus led to the house of God by following a certain inner sweetness, some hidden pleasure I know not what: as if some organ were sounding sweetly from the house of God. And while he was walking in the tabernacle, upon hearing a certain inner sound, drawn on by the sweetness of God, following what was sounding, withdrawing himself from all the din of flesh and blood, he came even to the house of God. For he himself recalls his way and that he was led, as if we were saying to him: You marvel at the tabernacle in this land, and how did you come to the secret place of God?

In the voice, he says, of exultation and confession, the sound of one feasting. In the house of God there is a sempiternal festivity. For nothing there is celebrated and passes away: a sempiternal feast, the chorus of angels, the face of God present, joy without defect; the festal day there is such that it is neither opened by a beginning nor closed by an end. From that eternal and perpetual festivity there sounds something melodious and sweet, I know not what, to the ears of the heart. But if the world does not din about one walking in this tabernacle and considering the miracles of God in the redemption of the faithful, the sound of that festivity soothes the ear and draws the hart to the fountains of waters.

But because, brothers, as long as we are in the body, we are absent from the Lord: and the body that is corrupted weighs down the soul, and the earthly dwelling presses down the mind that thinks on many things. And if, with the clouds somehow scattered, walking through desire we have reached this sound, sometimes we snatch something of that house by striving: yet by some burden of our infirmity we fall back to accustomed things, and slip away to these customary things. And just as there we would have found whence to rejoice, so here there will not be lacking whence to groan.

For indeed that deer, eating his tears day and night, caught up by longing to the fountains of waters—that is, to the inner sweetness of God—pouring out his soul upon himself, walking in the place of the tabernacle of wonder even to the house of God, and led by the sweetness of an inner and intelligible sound so as to despise all outward things and be caught up to inward things—still, however, he is a man, still he groans here, still he bears fragile flesh, still he is in peril amid the scandals of this world. He looked back also at himself, as though coming from there, and said to himself, placed amid these sorrows, comparing these things with those which he had entered in to see and which he had gone out from after seeing: Why, he says, are you sorrowful, my soul, and why do you trouble me? Behold, we have now rejoiced in a certain inner sweetness. Behold, with the keen edge of the mind we have been able, if only briefly and fleetingly, to perceive something unchangeable: why are you still also sorrowful, my soul? For you do not doubt concerning your God. For is there not that which you may say to yourself against those who say, Where is your God? I have already perceived something unchangeable: why do you still trouble me? Hope in God. And as if his soul were answering him in silence: Why do I trouble you, except that I am not yet there where that sweet thing is, by which I was thus caught up as if in passing? Do I now drink from that fountain, except in fear? Now I dread no scandal: now I am secure from all desires as though they were subdued and conquered. Does the devil not keep watch against me?

Does my enemy not daily spread the snares of deception for me? Are you not disturbed by the things placed in the world, and still a stranger from the house of my God? Hope in God, he answers the soul that disturbs itself, and as it were gives an account of its own disturbance because of the evils with which this world abounds: Meanwhile, he says, dwell in hope. For hope that is seen is not hope. But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience (Rom. 8).

Hope in God. Why do you hope in God? [Verse 7.] Because I will still confess to him. What will you confess to him? The salvation of my countenance and my God. Salvation cannot come to me from myself. For this reason I will say this, I will confess. Your salvation, O God the Father, is the salvation of my countenance, namely, the man: as it is written, Taking the form of a servant and found in fashion as a man (Phil. 2): and he is also God. Rightly, then, do I call your Son your salvation, because through him made man you have wrought eternal salvation for us. And as if someone should say: Why do you reproach thus, and seem to be angry with your soul, saying, Why are you sad, my soul? and the rest. He answers: To myself, my soul—that is, the animality and sensuality, namely that lower part of the soul which animates and gives life to the body—is disturbed, because of the tribulations that are brought upon me; and the author is not therefore to be blamed, but it is to be borne to myself, that is, it is to be turned back upon my own fault. Therefore (Ex.

Because my soul is troubled toward me, and pride caused this disturbance. Therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, and from Hermon, from the little mountain. From where do I remember you? From the little mountain, and from the land of the Jordan, that is, from baptism, where there is remission of sins. For no one runs to the remission of sins except one who is displeasing to himself. No one runs to the remission of sins except one who confesses himself a sinner. No one confesses himself a sinner except one who has humbled himself before God. Therefore from the land of the Jordan I will remember you, and from the little mountain, so that you may make it great. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. But if you seek the interpretation of the names, the Jordan is their descent. Descend, therefore, so that you may be raised up. Do not exalt yourself, lest you be cast down. And from Hermon, from the little mountain. Hermon is interpreted as anathematization. Anathematize yourself, by being displeasing to yourself. For you will be displeasing to God if you have been pleasing to yourself. Therefore, because God provides all good things for us, because he himself is good, not because we are worthy; because he is merciful, not because we have merited anything in any respect: from the land of the Jordan I will remember you. For this reason I will also remember you: because

Deep calls to deep in the voice of your cataracts. The deep is a certain depth, impenetrable and incomprehensible. Do we not think that the human heart is a deep? For what is deeper than this deep? Men who are able can be seen through the working of their limbs and heard in speech, but whose thought is penetrated? Whose heart is inspected? What a man carries within, what he is able to do within, what he does within, what he arranges within, what he wills within, what he does not will within—who comprehends it? Deep calls to deep, man wins man. Not, however, in his own voice, but in the voice of your cataracts—that is, of your preachers, who through their voice open to us the brightness of the heavenly kingdom. For cataracts are called windows. Yet according to some, cataracts properly denote watercourses from which water gushes forth. Such are the holy prophets and Apostles, from whom true doctrine flows down to us. Or in the voice of your cataracts—that is, of those who preach—deep calls to deep, because the words they preach they confirm from the New and the Old Testament. Deep calls to deep, because the two Testaments lend each other a certain assistance: for the Old is the prophecy of the New, and the New is the exposition of the Old Testament. But when the preaching has been heard, all your high things—that is, all your judgments, high and unsearchable—and your waves—that is, your threats, terrifying and beating—have passed over me.

They overwhelmed me and sank me to the bottom: yet they passed. The wrath receded, the mercy came. The waves passed, the calm came. The little boat was tossed by the winds, covered by the waves: those in peril cried out to God, Save us: and he himself commanded the waves and the sea, and there came a great calm (Matt. 8; Mark 6). Where sin abounded, grace superabounded (Rom. 5): because in his wrath God did not withhold his mercies. Hence it is also added:

In the day the Lord has commanded his mercy. What is "in the day," except in the time of grace? Hence it is written, Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6). But because the day also has a night, and grace has tribulation (for all who wish to live piously in Christ suffer persecution [2 Tim. 3]), therefore in the night of tribulation he commanded a song of praise. And this is what follows: And in the night his song. A song in the night is the praise of God in tribulation. In this the children of wrath are distinguished from the children of grace, because when prosperity follows, the good and the bad alike praise God. But when adversity comes, the bad indeed murmur, but the good praise. Hence it is said elsewhere in the psalm, I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always in my mouth (Ps. 33). Or by the day the Gentile world, enlightened by faith, and by the night Judaea, blinded by unbelief, can be understood.

On the day the Lord commanded his mercy, because when the Gentiles came to believe he commanded the remission of sins and eternal life to be preached. But in the night a song: because Judaea, bereft, has left only the old Testament. Hence it is said elsewhere: By the rivers of Babylon, we hung up our instruments (Ps. 136). Among the Jews, as among unfruitful willows, the instruments are hung up, because the words of the law and the prophets are with them. They hang indeed, but they do not resound: because those among whom they are hung are ignorant of the art of spiritual understanding. We have said that the song in the night is the praise of God in tribulation. But because while we are in tribulation we are in peril, it is fitting for us not only to praise God but also to pray. Therefore it is added:

With me, prayer to God of my life: I will say to God, You are my protector. Since our Redeemer bids us pray, and the same says: For your Father knows what is needful for you before you ask him (Matt. 6): it seems we must ask why we are commanded to ask of one who knows what we need. For certain heretics are accustomed to object that we speak to no purpose to one who knows. To them, beyond the example of the Lord, who prayed to the Father on the Mount of Olives, beyond the authority of the precept by which we are known to have been commanded to pray, it can be briefly answered that we by no means apply ourselves to prayer in order to indicate to one who knows all things what we need, but to obtain what is necessary for us.

For it is one thing to wish to indicate something by narrating, and another to wish to obtain something by praying. In narration, indeed, diligence is to be shown; in prayer, however, the merit of being heard. And since in one who knows all things there is mercy in such a way that justice is also in him: what he wishes to bestow kindly upon the needy through mercy, he also wishes those same needy ones to earn before his justice by praying. For prayer in the sacred Scriptures is more frequently taken as a useful and upright request for honorable things before God or before his saints. There is nothing that a servant of God can do more usefully than to pray and praise God. But if we wish truly to pray, what is said must be greatly attended to and committed to memory: "With me is my prayer to God of my life." Often when I pray, my mind wanders outwardly, and I do not understand what I say. Then my prayer is not with me, nor am I myself with me. Of such people the Lord says: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Isa. 29). But how does God attend to my prayer, when I do not attend to it? But if in the innermost secret of my heart I pray to my God, and ask for those things that pertain to the salvation of my soul, then I can truly say, "With me is my prayer to God of my life," that is, to God who provides me with present life and eternal life. And in that same prayer I will say to God, "You are my sustainer," that is, you have sustained me in my weakness to be healed, or "you are my sustainer," so that I may not succumb in tribulation.

Great is our confidence, brothers, because God is our protector. Therefore, after so many iniquities and negligence, let us hasten to penitence; let us run in the fervor of the spirit to grace, which wishes no one to perish but all to be saved (1 Tim 2). Come (he says) to me, all you who labor, and I will refresh you (Matt 5). Again, the weak soul, seeing herself to be a stranger and to be troubled amid annoyances and temptations, complains grieving and groaning, saying: Why have you forgotten me? And why do I go about sorrowful, while the enemy afflicts me? The Lord seems to forget his servants when he permits them to be made sorrowful, to be afflicted by persecutions, to be shaken by temptations; nor does he quickly hear them, nor visibly help them, nor bodily deliver them. But this is why he says, Why? Because no one knows whether he suffers these things for testing or for condemnation. But it is greatly to be feared, which he adds:

When my bones are broken, my enemies who trouble me have reproached me. For bones (according to Augustine) are the strong; and sometimes the strong themselves yield to temptations. When anyone considers these things from the body of Christ, from the members of the body of Christ, does he not cry out: Why have you rejected me? Why do I go about sad, while the enemy afflicts me? While he breaks my bones? Not my flesh only, but even my bones—so that in those in whom some strength was thought to be, you may see them yield in temptations; so that the other weak ones may despair, when they see the strong succumb. How many are these dangers, my brothers! My enemies who trouble me have reproached me. Again that voice: While they say to me every single day, Where is your God? And especially they say this in the temptations of the Church: Where is your God? How much did the martyrs hear of this, strong and patient for the name of Christ! And how much was said to them: Where is your God? Let him deliver you, if he can. For they saw their torments from without, but they did not see their crowns from without. And I, because on account of these things my soul is troubled within me, what else shall I say to it than that: Why are you sad, my soul? And why do you trouble me? And as if to one answering, Do you not wish me to trouble you, placed here in such great evils? Sighing for good things, knowing and laboring—do you not wish me to trouble you? Hope, it says, in God, for I will still confess to him. It states that very confession, and repeats the confirmation of hope. The salvation of my countenance, and my God.

TITLE OF PSALM XLII

The title of the following psalm is, A Psalm of David. This psalm suits some righteous man from the company of the wicked and afflicted by the miseries of this life, directing us toward the end, that is, toward Christ. The subject matter in this psalm is the separation of the righteous man—here only in cause, but in the future both in person and in place. For he who is here distinguished from the wicked in cause can be secure, because in the final judgment he will be separated whole, both body and soul. In the first part the righteous man asks to be separated from the impious. In the second part he affirms that he will enter into the secret chamber of God. In the third part he exhorts his own animal nature to hope in the Lord. In this the intention is clear. For by strengthening himself he intends to strengthen also the weak, each by his own example. The voice of the faithful:

PSALM XLII.

Judge me, O God, and discern my cause from an unholy people; from the unjust and deceitful man deliver me. Let not the enemy judge me: not the false opinion of men, which makes good evil and, conversely, evil good. But do you judge me, who are just and merciful. And discern my cause, which you will find just. Deliver me from an unholy people, that is, from the unbelieving; and from the unjust man, that is, from the open persecutor, and the deceitful one who seeks to deceive me secretly. I do not fear (according to Augustine) your judgment, because I know your mercy. Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4). I do not fear you in a penal sense, because I love you.

For the meantime, in this pilgrimage, you do not yet discern my place, because I live together with the tares until the time of harvest; you do not yet discern my light. Or discern my cause. Let there be a distinction between the one who believes in you and the one who does not believe in you. The weakness is equal, but the self-restraint is different. The labor is equal, but the desire is different. And you ought to do this.

Because you are God, my strength. I do not presume on my own powers, nor do I hold any strength from elsewhere, except from you alone; and I place my whole hope in you. In God we shall do valiantly, and he will bring our enemies to nothing. Sometimes a man produces strength in himself. He desires to reign, to dominate, to appear superior to others. He does not endure injuries; he avenges those inflicted. Such strength is human, not divine; carnal, not spiritual. He returns evil for evil, curse for curse. He is ashamed to appear defeated. But while he conquers the man, he himself is worse overcome by vice. Such is the strength of pride. But the strength that is from God is not of the flesh but of the soul: not against men, but against vices and the devil. This itself is patience, this itself is humility, obedience, charity, and the other virtues of the mind that are from God. It is written: Those who trust in the Lord shall change their strength. Hence the Apostle admonishes us, saying: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Therefore let God be our strength.

In him we shall be delivered from temptations, through him we shall overcome the world and the devil, vices and sins, the flesh itself and evil desires; him too we shall take by force—the kingdom of heaven. As it is written, And the violent seize it (Matthew 11). But against these things that have been said, the words that follow seem to stand in contradiction, when he says: Why have you rejected me? And why do I go about sorrowful, while the enemy afflicts me? If God is his strength, how is he rejected? How is he, being sorrowful, afflicted by the enemy? Is the hand of the Lord weak? But it must be known that the loving Lord, by a certain dispensational mercy of his, often both keeps his elect by rejecting them and rejects them by keeping them. As when the devil sought blessed Job to tempt him, the Lord said: Behold, he is in your hand (Job 1). But because by rejecting him he kept him, this is shown when he immediately adds: Only preserve his soul. But how great a man this was, who is abandoned by God and handed over to the devil, we have learned from the Lord himself speaking to the same devil, where he says: Have you not considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth? a man simple and upright, and fearing God, and withdrawing from evil (ibid.). Since he was such a man, he could worthily say to the Lord: Why then have you rejected me? And why do I go about sorrowful, while the enemy afflicts me? To whom the Lord could also more worthily have answered: Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise: for the Lord chastises every son whom he receives (Proverbs 1).

And, Blessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life (James 1). Behold why the Lord profitably drives away his servants. But because holy men do not know the hidden judgments of God, and know that very many are abandoned and tempted to their damnation, they seek (if it can be done) to know the counsel of God: so that if they displease him in anything and are therefore abandoned, they may be able to correct it more quickly, lest they be reprobated. Hence he immediately adds:

Send forth your light and your truth. For unless he enlightens us, we are in darkness. Unless he teaches us the truth, we shall go astray. But what (from Augustine) is the light of God other than the truth of God? Or what is the truth of God other than the light of God? Or what is each of these other than the one Christ? I (he says) am the light of the world. I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 8 and 14). Rightly, therefore, is it added: They themselves have led me down and brought me to your holy mountain, and into your tabernacles. As if he should say: They themselves, your light and truth, have led me down from error to your faith, and have brought me to your holy mountain. That is, to the perfection and eminence of the virtues. And into your tabernacles, that is, into the unity and fellowship of the saints. Therefore the present Church is called a tabernacle, because in it one serves the Lord. But a tabernacle is the dwelling place of those who serve as soldiers: and the life of man upon earth is a warfare (Job 7). Well, moreover, does he say not tabernacle, but tabernacles: because there are many congregations of the saints, and in many places the Christian warfare serves the Lord.

For there are other tabernacles of the faithful married, others of the continent, others of beginners, others of the advanced, others of the perfect, others of hearers and subjects, others of prelates and preachers. All serve one King. And though their pursuits are diverse, the intention of the diverse is one. When you hear "light," cleanse the eye. That light of the heart requires a clean eye. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5). When you hear "tabernacle," understand it as war; beware the enemy. But now, led into the tabernacle and placed on his holy mountain, what hope do we bear? It follows, and he says:

I will go in to the altar of God. What is that altar? To God, who gives joy to my youth. That is, who will give joy to me, made young again, all oldness laid aside, by giving immortality and impassibility. The altar of God is the Son of God himself. To this altar we enter now through faith, hereafter we shall enter through sight. And on this altar we now offer to God the Father vows and sacrifices, a contrite and humbled heart (Psalm 50), prayers and supplications; hereafter, all sadness driven away, on that same altar, in the very Godhead, we shall offer a sacrifice only of praise, and not of prayer. Our youth will be made joyful in the resurrection, and after God will be all in all (Philippians 3). Now nothing will be lacking that need be sought for: but only to be free for divine praises.

But whoever desires to attain that praise must first begin here; therefore he adds, I will confess to you on the lyre, O God, my God. Here the repetition is a sign of affection and devotion. In this the lyre differs from the psaltery, because the psaltery gives its sound from the upper part, the lyre from the lower. On these two instruments, in many places of the psalms, we are instructed to confess to the Lord. Both (as Augustine says) are pleasing to God and sweet to his ears. When the Apostle was saying that he preached the gospel of God, and that he had received it not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ (Gal 1), the strings were sounding from above. But when he was saying, We glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces patience, and the rest (Rom 5), the lyre was sounding, from the lower part indeed, but nonetheless sweetly. For all patience is sweet to God. He says therefore, I will confess to you on the lyre, on account of that which he had said: Why do I go about sad, while the enemy afflicts me? He was suffering from a lower affliction, and in that very thing he wished to please God, and he longed to give thanks, strong in tribulations; and because patience could not exist without these, he was speaking to God.

Meanwhile he addresses his own soul, consoling it, and says: Why are you sorrowful, my soul? and why do you trouble me? But who is it that speaks to the soul? We understand that we have something in which the image of God resides: namely, the mind and reason. It is this that calls upon the light and truth of God. It is by this that we grasp what is unjust and what is just, by this that we discern true from false. This is called the intellect, which beasts lack. Our intellect, then, addresses our soul—the higher part of the soul addressing the lower. The latter grows slack in tribulations, weary in sicknesses, cramped in temptations, sick in labors. The mind from above lifts it up, grasping the truth. It hears that inner voice of God. It hears within itself a rational song. For thus from above, in silence, something sounds—not to the ears but to the minds—so that whoever hears that melody is made weary by bodily noise, and this whole human life becomes a kind of tumult to him, hindering the hearing of that inner sound, exceedingly delightful and ineffable. And when this happens, and a man suffers violence from some disturbance, addressing his soul he says: Why are you sorrowful, my soul? The present address sounds certain things; the faithful confession purges the rest. Hence he also adds: Hope in God. Await the Lord as rewarder, because having already confessed, I will still confess to him. Now I confess as one afflicted; it will come to pass that I will still confess as one renewed and made glad.

And this is, and will be, my confession: The salvation of my countenance, and my God. And this is a great cause for hope, because my Savior is the salvation of my countenance—that is, he who has my countenance, my form, and for my sake became man (Philippians 2), and he himself is my God.

TITLE OF PSALM 43.

Unto the end, for the sons of Korah, for understanding. This psalm is set forth for the sons of Korah—that is, for the sons of the passion and the cross—for the obtaining of understanding, that is, that they may understand that through the temporal goods given to the ancient people, spiritual goods were signified, which are now given to the Christian people and will be given more fully in the future. I say "for the sons of Korah," who are directed unto the end, through this understanding. The subject matter is the martyrs, who also speak. In the first part he sets forth the distinction of God's benefits, which God bestows on this people and which he bestowed on the former people, showing that these are eternal, while those were temporal. In the second part he sets forth the evils which they endure in this life, although in the future they will have many good things. But that the righteous suffer temporal evils in this life is contrary to the fact that the former peoples were freed from bodily punishments. In the third part he prays to be delivered from the evils of this life at the time of the resurrection. The intention is to invite us to patience, lest we be grieved over temporal punishments. The voice of the martyrs, showing what good things God did for the ancient fathers, when he says:

PSALM XLIII.

We have heard, O God, with our ears. We must note that he does not merely say, "we have heard," but adds, "with our ears." The words of the prophecy are in accord with the words that the Lord speaks in the Gospel: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Luke 8). Many have the ears of the flesh, not of the heart, because they hear outwardly but do not receive inwardly. For this reason it is said, "with our ears," so that we may hear with attention and understanding what is spoken—these being the ears of the heart. And to commend these things as worthy of hearing, he says: not any men whatsoever, but our fathers, the patriarchs and prophets, announced to us through their Scriptures the work that you worked in their days. How you delivered them from Egypt, and led them out through the Red Sea, and guarded them in the desert (Exod. 13), and other such things. And they announced to us also the work that you worked in days of old: what you did at the beginning concerning the creation of heaven and earth, concerning the things that happened before the flood. And this is the work that you did in their days, which our fathers announced.

Your hand, that is, your virtue and power, scattered the nations—namely the Amorite, the Jebusite, the Perizzite—and you planted them, that is, our fathers. This is said by comparison with a planted tree, which is planted for the purpose of taking root and bearing fruit. In this way your hand scattered them, because you first struck them down through many wars, and so drove them out of their land, in order to bring these in and plant them, and to strengthen their kingdom by your mercy. But perhaps they were able to do these things because they were strong, because they were warriors, because they were invincible, because they were trained. Our fathers did not indicate this to us. Scripture does not have this. But what does it have, except what follows? For not in their sword, that is, in their armor, did they possess the land, and their arm, that is, their strength, did not save them from their enemies. For if they could not save themselves from those nations, how much less is it evident that they could have possessed their land by their own virtue. The arm, I say, did not save them: but your right hand, that is, the favor of your grace, because we often place those whom we favor at our right hand: and your arm, that is, your strength, because in the arms a man has strength: and the illumination of your countenance, that is, prudent counsel, or the miracles which were a demonstration to them of your countenance, that is, of your grace and benevolence. What is it that you were present among them with such signs, so that you might be understood to be present?

For when God is present with us through some miracle, do we see His face with our eyes? No, but by the effect of the miracle He makes His presence known to men. And those who marvel at such deeds say: We have seen God present. But you did this for them because you were pleased with them. That is (according to Augustine), you acted with them in such a way as to be pleased with them, so that anyone who observed how it was going with them would say: Truly God is with them, and God helps them.

But because these things happened to them in figure (as the Apostle says), and were written for our edification (1 Cor 10), the title too has been set down for our understanding. This work of the Lord, which we have heard was done in time among the ancient fathers concerning the dispersion of the nations, we now see fulfilled spiritually in spiritual men. Moses makes mention of these nations where he says: When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you are about to enter and possess, and has destroyed many nations before you—the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Amorite and the Canaanite, the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, seven nations much greater in number than you and stronger than you—and the Lord has delivered them to you, you shall strike them down to utter destruction (Deut 7). These seven nations are the seven spiritual vices, which every spiritual soldier, overcoming them by the grace of God, is admonished to exterminate utterly.

But the reason why they are said to be of greater number is this: because vices are more numerous than virtues. And therefore in the catalogue seven nations are indeed enumerated, but in the conquest of them they are set down without number. For thus it is said, And he destroyed many nations before thee. For more numerous than Israel is the people of carnal passions, which proceeds from this sevenfold tinder and root of vices. For from Gluttony are born carousings and drunkenness; from Fornication, foul speech, buffoonish levity, and foolish talk. From Avarice, lying, fraud, thefts, perjuries, the desire for shameful gain, false testimonies, acts of violence, inhumanity, and rapacity. From Anger, murders, shouting, and indignation. From Sorrow, rancor, faint-heartedness, bitterness, despair. From Sloth, idleness, drowsiness, importunity, restlessness, transgression, instability of mind and body, talkativeness, and curiosity. From Vainglory, contentions, heresies, boasting, and the presumption of novelties. From Pride, contempt, envy, disobedience, blasphemy, murmuring, detraction, and many other such things. And since these are of much greater number than the virtues, yet when those seven principal vices are conquered, from whose nature these proceed, they all at once come to rest and are alike blotted out by perpetual slaughter. But that these plagues are even stronger, we perceive clearly by the assault of nature itself.

For the delight of carnal passions fights more strongly in our members (Rom. 7) than do the pursuits of virtues, which are acquired only by the utmost contrition of heart and body. But the fact that we are commanded to possess in a salutary way the regions of these pernicious nations is understood as follows. For each vice has its own station in our heart; but when the vices have been overcome by the people of Israel, that is, by the virtues fighting against them, the place that the spirit of lust or fornication was keeping for itself in our heart, chastity will thereafter hold. The place that fury had begun to occupy, patience will claim. The place that sorrow had occupied by working death, a healthful and joy-filled gladness will possess. The place that acedia was laying waste, humility begins to cultivate. And so, with each vice driven out, their places, that is, the contrary affections, will be possessed by the children of Israel, that is, by souls that see God. Since, therefore, almighty God does not cease even now to work spiritually in us what he worked bodily in the ancient fathers, the Church rightly says to him what follows:

You are yourself my king and my God. You are yourself, as Augustine says, unchangeable. Times have changed; the Creator of times is not changed. You are accustomed to lead me as King; you are accustomed to come to my aid as God. Who commands salvations to Jacob. What is this, "Who commands"? Even if you are altogether hidden through your own substance and nature, by which you are whatever you are, and you were not present to the fathers through that which you are, so that they might see you face to face, yet through any creature whatever you command salvations to Jacob. Not only are you present through yourself, but through whatever creature you may be present, you command that this be done for the salvation of your servants, which those to whom you command do. You are yourself, he says, through whom our fathers destroyed their enemies, my king, ruling me spiritually according to good morals and virtues, so that the devil may no longer rule over me, nor vices, nor may sin reign in my mortal body (Rom. 6). And my God, because I adore you, I worship you, who commands salvations to Jacob, that is, who through your saving commandments save those who wrestle and supplant vices. For Jacob is interpreted as supplanter; those things are past; what will there be concerning the future?

In you we shall winnow our enemies with the horn. In you, with our heart—that is, with our strength and defense—we shall winnow, that is, cast out and scatter our enemies, both carnal and spiritual: which will come to pass in the judgment, where holy and perfect men, by judging, will separate the wicked from the good, just as one who winnows divides the chaff from the grain (Matt. 13). This is what the Lord promises to his disciples, saying, "When the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of his majesty, you also shall sit judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19). Then shall be fulfilled what is now added: And in your name we shall despise those who rise up against us. Now we despise them, because we call upon your name, because we leave vengeance to you, because we are lowly and poor for the sake of your name: but in that very name in which we have believed, those who now rise up against us to persecute us, in the future we shall despise as vanquished, as vile and reprobate. And well do I say, in your name.

For I will not hope in my bow, that is, in my own cunning. The bow draws from afar. Therefore by the bow human providence or prudence is designated. He hopes, as it were, in his own bow who trusts in his own understanding and leans upon his own prudence. Whence it is written, Woe to you who are wise in your own eyes, and prudent in your own sight (Isa. 5). Against which Solomon admonishes us, saying: Have confidence in the Lord with your whole heart, and do not lean upon your own prudence (Prov. 3). He therefore does not hope in his own bow, who does not trust in his own understanding and in his own prudence. And my sword, that is, my armor, my strength, will not save me. Just as our fathers also were not saved by the sword. These are the two things in which the men of this world greatly trust: in their own cunning, and in strength. But this man places his whole salvation in God when he adds:

For you have saved us from those who afflict us. He puts the past tense for the future. For it is the custom of the prophets thus to foreknow certain future things, and to hold them as certain as if they were already past. As if he were saying: You will save us in the future from those who now afflict us for your sake. And you have confounded those who hate us, that is, those who persevere in hatred of us you will confound, and make them blush, by showing them the evils they have done, the losses of good things they have forfeited, the eternal punishments with which they are to be punished. O how fierce, how hard will be that confusion for those to whom it shall be said: Amen I say to you, I do not know you.

And, "Go, you cursed, into eternal fire" (Matt. 25).

When our enemies are confounded, In God we shall be praised all the day. Then there will be one day, one eternity. Then there will be praise for each one from God. We shall praise and be praised: we in you, and you in us. And in your name, that is, to the honor of your name, We shall confess to you forever: because it is written: Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O God, they shall praise you forever and ever (Ps. 83). These future things are as certain to us as those past things which we have heard from our fathers. But what now?

But now you have cast us off, that is, you have seemed to cast us off by this, that in the present you permit us to be afflicted, and you have confounded us, not in our conscience, but in the sight of men, and you will not go forth in our virtues. We advance against our enemies, and you do not advance with us: they prevail, we are weak. Where is that virtue of yours? Where is your right hand and power? Where is the dried-up sea? Where are the Egyptians pursuing, engulfed in the waves? Where is Amalek, resisting, overcome by the sign of the cross? And you will not enter in with our virtues.

You have turned us back before our enemies. So that they are, as it were, in front, and we behind: they are reckoned victors, we as conquered. And those who hated us plundered for themselves: they plundered us as prey for themselves: dragging some, scourging others, sending others to prison, killing others (Matt. 24).

You have given us as sheep for food, and you have scattered us among the nations. By the nations (from Augustine) certain of us were devoured. Those are signified who so suffered as to be turned back into the body of the Gentiles. The Church laments them as members devoured. Or, I was scattered among the nations, when Peter is crucified at Rome, Thomas dies in India, and countless martyrs are killed in countless places. The Lord Jesus also proclaimed that dispersion of theirs when he said: If they have persecuted you in one city, flee to another (Matt. 10).

You have sold your people without price. As if without price the people of the holy martyrs was being sold, when blood so precious was being poured out that by their example no one was converted to redemption and salvation. To such an extent at times were the holy martyrs held without price, to such an extent were they thought to be lost, that those who killed them even esteemed that in this they were rendering service to God (John 6). As if, therefore, they were given without price, when they were being killed, and they were gaining no one. And if there were some who were converted, in comparison with the martyrs they were few.

And this is what he adds: And there was no multitude in their exchanges. That is, of the martyrs who were dying to magnify your name; or in their exchanges, when the martyrs were being killed, there was no multitude of congregations, who might serve God together in the churches, in the monasteries, in the various orders, as we now see in a time of peace. For they were hidden away because of persecutions, and some were separated from others, so that they might lie hidden more effectively, lest, if many were together, they be found and seized more quickly.

You have made us a reproach to our neighbors. So great was our persecution that we were a reproach to our neighbors, that is, to those who were drawing near to the faith and setting their mind upon it. For seeing our death so shameful, they held back from the faith. And you have made us: A mockery and a laughingstock to those who are around us. Who surround us, to seize and kill us. Mockery is made with the nose, derision with the mouth.

You have set us as a likeness to the nations. That is, to set as a likeness (from Augustine), when cursing men make a likeness of him whom they detest: May you die so, may you be punished so, as he did. And to this day the Jews, enemies of Christ, are not lacking; against them, when we defend Christ, they say to us: May you die just as he did. For they would not have inflicted that death, had they been able to understand the merit of martyrdom. You have also set us as a shaking of the head among the peoples. The shaking of the head is a sign of insult. Whence it is said elsewhere: They spoke with their lips, and they shook their head. This they did to the Lord. This they did to his saints, whom they were able to persecute, seize, mock, hand over, afflict, and kill.

All day long, that is, continually, my shame for so many reproaches is against me, that is, before my sight. And the confusion of my face has covered me. This is said by way of comparison, because when we are confused and blush, our face is covered with the redness of blood. Which shame comes upon me,

From the voice of the one who reproaches, that is, from the side of the one who resists and speaks against, that is, of one who secretly disparages or speaks against the truth; from the face of the enemy, that is, from the presence or the pressing onslaught of the enemy in the will of the persecutor, in act. What is this understanding here (from the same source)? The things that are past are not done in us. The things that are future and which we hope for do not appear. The brotherhood: in your great glory the people was led out of Egypt, freed from those pursuing them, led through the nations, with the nations driven out, established in the kingdom. What things are future? The people is to be led out of this Egypt of the world, with Jesus Christ as guide, and when he appears in his glory, the saints are to be placed at the right hand, the wicked at the left, to be condemned with the devil to eternal punishment (Matt. 21): the kingdom is to be received by us from Christ forever with the saints. These things are future and past: in the middle is tribulation. Why? So that the mind may be shown to worship God, how greatly it worships God: so that it may be seen whether it worships God freely, from whom it freely received salvation. Therefore, so that this our faith, by which we are cleansed, may be prepared for invisible things, that is, for understanding, all these things were made for the sons of Korah, so that those things which they had might be taken away from the saints, and temporal life itself might be taken away: so that they would not worship the eternal God himself on account of these temporal things, but with chaste love of him would endure all these things which they suffered for a time. Finally, because the sons of Korah understood this, what do they say?

All these things have come upon us, yet we have not forgotten you: and we have not dealt wickedly in your testament. According to your precepts we have held ourselves. Amid so many adversities, we have not withdrawn from you either in faith or in deed. Here the great constancy and perfection of the martyrs is commended. What shall we say to this concerning ourselves? We who, if even a light word of insult has been brought against us by someone, presently burn with anger, lose our mind, speak like madmen, and seek vengeance if we can; if we cannot, we carry hatred in our heart (which is the poison of the devil). We forget God: we forget charity, patience: we act wickedly, having become transgressors of his commandments in the testament of God. Therefore we read these writings for this purpose, that we may attentively consider how much the holy martyrs endured for the love of God, and considering it, lament our own frailty and impatience, and correct them. But still, let us hear what they say.

And our heart has not turned back. But we always stretch forward to the things that are before, hastening to the prize that has been promised. When the heart is lifted up in hope, it becomes patient in tribulation. By thinking on eternal rewards, transitory torments are easily despised, and when the way of life is loved, the way of the world is straightway turned away from. Hence it is also added: And you have turned aside, that is, you have caused our paths to turn aside; the paths of carnal thoughts, desires, and pleasures; away from your narrow and strait way, which leads to life (Matt 7). This is a commendation of divine grace. Whoever enters the way of the Lord, lest he boast as it were of his own righteousness, ought to bring back to memory his past ways, and to consider from how many evil concupiscences and desires, from how many negligences and pleasures, the merciful Lord has freed him by his grace. Hence the Apostle Paul says: Who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor: but now I have obtained mercy (1 Tim 1). The Lord turns aside our paths from his way when, with him helping, we do what is written: Turn away from evil, and do good (Ps 33). In this, then, you have turned aside our paths.

For you have humbled us in the place of affliction, that is, in this world, in the time of our pilgrimage. Because God has humbled us by afflicting us, therefore he has turned us away from our pride, so that, being humbled, we might leave our own paths and follow the ways of the Lord. And from that humiliation the shadow of death has covered us. Not true death, but a shadow; not the death of the soul, but the death of the flesh; the shadow of death is carnal mortality; true death is damnation with the devil. It was said above, Because we have not forgotten you. For there would be no healing for us unless you sought us out. And this is what he adds:

If we have forgotten the name, that is, the honorificence of our God, so as to withdraw from the faith; and if we have stretched out our hands to a foreign god, to be venerated and worshiped, who neither created us nor did good to us; and if we are idolaters,

Will not God require these things? But he will not require them from us. For he himself knows the hidden things of the heart. He knows that we have not forgotten him, which is evident from this, that we are ceaselessly put to death for his sake. And this is what he subjoins: For for your sake we are put to death all day long. That is, continually. Many labor in this world, many are afflicted, many die for another reason, not for God. Therefore, about to say, we are put to death, he rightly prefixed for your sake, because it is not the punishment that makes a martyr, but the cause. Hence blessed Peter says: For what grace is it, if sinners and [those] buffeted endure it?

But if, doing good and suffering, you endure, this is grace with God. For to this you were called. Because Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his footsteps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Who, when he was cursed, did not curse back; when he suffered, he did not threaten (Isa. 33). Fittingly, therefore, there follows: We are counted as sheep for the slaughter—namely, that we are in no way reckoned fit except for the occasion. Rightly are holy men compared to sheep, because they are simple, innocent, having no bite of malice. Hence it is that the Lord instructs his disciples, where he says: My sheep hear my voice (John 10). And again: Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves (Matt. 10). Moses says to Pharaoh: We will sacrifice to the Lord our God the abominations of the Egyptians (Exod. 8). The Egyptians disdain to eat sheep. But what the Egyptians abominate, this the Israelites offer to God: because simplicity of heart, which the unjust despise as the lowest and most abject thing, this the just turn into a sacrifice of virtue; and cultivating the purity and gentleness of the upright, they sacrifice to God what the reprobate, abominating it, consider foolishness. There are two kinds of martyrdom: one of the mind, the other of the body; one manifest, the other hidden. Manifest is when the body is killed for God's sake; hidden is when vices are cut away for the love of God.

Hence the Apostle admonishes us, saying: Mortify your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, lust, and so on (Col. 3). Therefore, since holy men, while they desire to live to God and to die to the world, afflict themselves unceasingly—wasting the flesh with fasts, washing away their faults with tears, extinguishing base desires—it is rightly said now in their voice: For because of you we are put to death all day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. But, placed in these tribulations, because they do not trust in their own strength, they seek the Lord's help, when it is added: Arise, why do you sleep, God? Arise, and do not cast us off in the end. To sleep belongs to one at rest, to arise to one fighting or helping. Christ was sleeping, and the little boat was covered by the waves. He was awakened, the disciples entreat him, he commands the winds and the sea, and a great calm was made (Matt. 8). So even now the Church labors amid the perils of this world as amid the waves of the sea. The Lord is, as it were, asleep when he does not rescue. He is awakened by prayers, and he helps those who labor. Therefore it asks, Why do you sleep? because as long as anyone is permitted to labor and the Lord does not wish to help, it is uncertain whether this is from wrath or from mercy: whether he wishes to test and correct him for a time, or to abandon him entirely. For this reason the entreaty is made, when it is added: Arise, and do not cast us off in the end, that is, entirely. If you abandon us, do not cast us off.

If you wish us to be tried, do not wish us to be crushed. If you permit us to be tempted, do not allow us to perish.

Why do you turn away your face? As if angry, as if you were not present, as if you had forgotten us. You forget our need, because for your sake we have left earthly things, and now we are as if without help, without consolation. And do you forget our tribulation? Because for love of you we are afflicted, and we are not delivered.

For our soul is humbled in the dust. It is afflicted by those who are unstable and unfruitful, like dust: of whom it is said elsewhere, Not so the wicked, not so (Ps. 1), but like dust: which the wind drives from the face of the earth. But to such an extent is our soul humbled in the dust, that even our belly is glued to the earth. He seems to have expressed the punishment (according to Augustine) of excessive humility, because whenever anyone is cast down, his belly clings to the earth: he has nothing further by which to be humbled. His humiliation has now reached the utmost point. Let mercy also come. The belly of the Church is glued to the earth when the softer and weaker cling to earthly things out of desire. Such people indeed he mourns, and prays for them, when he adds:

Arise, O God, help us: and deliver us for your name's sake. Help those who labor, deliver the oppressed: help in us, deliver us from evils: and this not because of our merit, but that your name may be spread abroad and glorified, so that you may be known and praised, who are blessed forever. Amen.

TITLE OF THE FORTY-FOURTH PSALM.

Unto the end, for those who are troubled, for the sons of Korah, for understanding, a song for the beloved. This is an epithalamium, that is, a nuptial song, a song, that is, set before the hearers for their delight. It is entitled "for the beloved," that is, for the commendation of Christ, who is the bridegroom of the Church, the beloved of the Father, according to that saying: This is my beloved Son (Matthew and 17, Luke 3). And why the bridegroom is commended, the cause has been stated beforehand: "for those who shall be changed at the end, for the sons of Korah." That is, for those who shall be transformed from the body of this lowliness into the fashion of the body of Christ's brightness (Philippians 3): who first in this life were sons of Korah, that is, imitators of the sufferings of the crucified: which song is set before the faithful for understanding, that is, for this, that they may understand the preeminence of the divinity and humanity of Christ, who as Christ is commended in this psalm, both according to humanity and according to divinity. The subject matter in this psalm is the bridegroom and the bride, that is, Christ and the Church. This he sets forth in the following manner. In the first part he sets down the commendation of the bridegroom, that is, of Christ. In the second, of the Church.

The prophet's intention in this psalm is, by introducing God the Father speaking, to exhort the faithful to strive to live in such a way that they may present themselves as a chaste virgin to one man—understand, to Christ (1 Cor. 11)—so that at the wedding they may sit at the right hand of their bridegroom.

PSALM 44.

My heart has brought forth a good word: I tell my works to the king. The heart of God the Father has brought forth the Word, because his secrets and divine essence have begotten the Son, who is truly and uniquely good, since, as he himself says, No one is good except God alone (Mark 10). For whatever other things are good are good from elsewhere, and nothing is good through itself except he alone, who is the highest good. From these words it is shown that the Word is consubstantial with the Father. And the Father himself tells his works to the king, because he orders all things together with his Son; and by this the Son is understood to be almighty with the Father. Therefore we take "heart" to mean the divinity of the Father, because just as by a word we make known the secrets of the heart to someone, so through the Son the divinity of the Father has been made manifest. For no one knows the Son except through the Father. Lest you should think that God needed some marriage from which to beget the Son: My heart, he says, has brought forth a good word—that is, from myself I have eternally begotten the Son. Today your heart, O man, brings forth a plan, and you do not seek a wife. By the plan born in your heart you build something, and before that structure stands, the plan stands, and what you are going to do is already present in that by which you are going to do it.

Praises the fabric not yet existing: but in the proving of counsel. Therefore if all things are through the Word, and the Word is from God: consider the fabric made through the Word, and in that building marvel at the counsel. I declare, he says, my works to the king. Do you marvel that God speaks thus? For God to speak thus is eternal. It is read (from Augustine) in another psalm: God has spoken once (Ps. 61). God has spoken so many times through the prophets, through the apostles, through the teachers (Heb. 1); and today he speaks through the saints. From what source, then, has God spoken once, except on account of the good word? And why do I say, My works to the king? Because in him are all the works of God (Rom. 11). For whatever he was going to do in creation was already in the Word: as it is said in the Gospel, What was made in him was life. Not only do I arrange all things with the king, but I also make all things through him. And this is what he adds: My tongue is the pen of a scribe. My tongue—that is, the Word itself (for the cause is put for the effect)—is the pen of my scribe. For just as a scribe impresses figures through a pen, so I produce creatures through my Word. But creation itself is a kind of Scripture for us, in which we read and know God, as the Apostle testifies, who says: For his invisible things are seen, understood through the things that are made, and also his eternal power and divinity (Rom. 1). And well does he say, Of one writing swiftly. Since he spoke, and they were made (Ps. 148).

Swiftly (from the same) God's nature is such that nothing is swift. For in the Scriptures it is written letter after letter, syllable after syllable, word after word, and one does not pass to the second until the first is finished. But there, where words are not changed, it is swifter; and yet nothing has been left out, since all things are in one. He commended the Son according to divinity, showing him consubstantial and co-equal in power with the Father; now he commends him according to humanity, thus:

Beautiful in form before the sons of men. Why not also among the angels? What did he wish to say by before the sons of men, except that he is man? Therefore beautiful before the sons of men, because free from sin, which no other man has been. What he says, Beautiful in form, he says for emphasis: as it is said, Life will live (John 8). The prophet was bearing the person of the Jews when he said, We saw him and he had no form or comeliness (Isaiah 53). Why? Because he was not understood. For if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor 2). But to those who understand, even the Word made flesh is great beauty. But far be it from me to glory (said one of the friends of the bridegroom) except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 6). It is a small thing that you are not ashamed of it, unless you also glory. Why then did he have no form or comeliness? Because Christ crucified is a stumbling block to the Jews, but foolishness to the Gentiles (1 Cor 1). But why did he have beauty on the cross?

For what is foolish in God is wiser than men, and what is weak in God is stronger than men. So now, to us who already believe, let the bridegroom meet us everywhere, beautiful. Beautiful was God the Word, who was with God. Beautiful in the womb of the Virgin, where he did not lose his divinity and took up humanity. Beautiful as a newborn infant, the Word, because while he was an infant, while he nursed, while he was carried in arms, the heavens spoke, the angels gave praise, a star directed the Magi. He was adored in the manger, the food of the gentle. He was beautiful in heaven, beautiful on earth, beautiful in the womb, beautiful in the hands of his parents, beautiful in miracles, beautiful under the lash, beautiful inviting to life, beautiful not heeding death, beautiful laying down his soul, beautiful taking it up again, beautiful on the wood, beautiful in the tomb, beautiful in heaven. Hear the song with understanding, and do not let the weakness of the flesh turn your eyes away from the splendor of that beauty. The highest and true beauty is grace, the voice of the Prophet turning to Christ: Grace is poured out on your lips. The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were made through Jesus Christ. Come with us, preaching repentance in the word of grace for the forgiveness of sins. So great a grace was poured out on the lips of Christ that at his voice the blind saw, lepers were healed, the lame walked, the dead rose again.

Concerning the diffusion of this grace Paul says: Where sin abounded, grace did more abound (Rom. 5). And John says: We have all received of his fullness (John 1), grace for grace. And because you are such, therefore God has blessed you forever. The first covenant promised an earthly land. And there was one thing promised under the law, another under grace: the land of the Canaanites to the Jews placed under the law, the kingdom of heaven to Christians established under grace. And so that which pertained to those who were under the law has passed away; the kingdom of heaven, which pertains to those placed under grace, has not passed away. Therefore here God has blessed you, not for a time, but forever; for both here and in the future Christ will always be blessed. And you, such a king,

Gird your sword upon your thigh, most mighty. That is, use boldly the word of your preaching, of which the Apostle says: And the sword of the Spirit, which is also the word of God (Eph. 6). By the thigh we understand the Lord's body, because in the thighs is the place of generation. He girded the sword upon his thigh, because in the flesh he assumed he preached the Gospel. Hence the Truth says: I have not come to send peace, but a sword (Matt. 10). This sword separates son from father, daughter from mother, daughter-in-law from mother-in-law. The father contends with the son, because the son wishes to serve God. The one promises an earthly inheritance, the other aspires to a heavenly one. The one fights, the other fights back.

But stronger is the spiritual sword that separates than carnal nature that joins together. Well indeed does he say, Upon thy thigh, O most mighty: because what is weak in God is stronger than men. Most mightily did he use this sword in the flesh, because he not only conquered men, but also the powers of the air; he not only destroyed vices, but also despoiled hell. This sword subdues the flesh, cuts away vices, strengthens the spirit, nourishes virtues, consumes evil desires. Behold, our king is girded with his sword. Let us now hear how he fights, how he reigns, with what arms he advances:

In thy splendor and thy beauty, intend, proceed prosperously, and reign. Splendor can refer to innocence and holiness of conduct; beauty to the comeliness of divinity. Through these Christ intends—that is, he has become intent—so as not to act slackly, but to proceed prosperously to battle and to reign by conquering. Or it can be said: Proceed prosperously from one people to another, and reign among those acquired according to good conduct and virtues. It can also be understood in this way: Intend in thy splendor and thy beauty, so that the image and likeness which thou gavest to our first parent, thou mayest deign to renew and reform in his children.

Prosperously go forth, prosperously come forth from the virginal womb, prosperously rise from the tomb, prosperously return from the underworld to the Father; for all these things are prosperous and felicitous for us. And reign over the empire of the whole world, O Redeemer, by thy precious blood. For truth and meekness and justice. For all these things befit a king. Do thou therefore reign, who art true and meek and just. And thy right hand shall lead thee wonderfully, that is, thy strength, power, and might. But whither shall it lead thee? To the Father. Wherefore wonderfully? Because by dying thou didst overcome the devil. Or Christ is said to reign because of the truth of the Gospel, and the meekness with which he suffered, and the justice with which he will judge the good and the evil. And his right hand shall lead him wonderfully, doing divine things, suffering human things, laying low the malice of men by his goodness. Still it leads him, and where the sword has not yet been spoken of, let it now be said of the arrows. For manifold is the armor of our king.

Your arrows are sharp. Your words pierce the heart and stir up love. Hence it is said in the Song of Songs: I am wounded with love (Song 2). In this sense the words of God are called arrows, because they secretly draw men to the fear and love of God. In this sense a sword, because by manifest and compelling reason they make men cling to God. And by this, that you are thus equipped for battle, Peoples shall fall under you. They shall adore you, they shall be humbled before you. And where shall they fall? In the heart of the king's enemies, that is, in the very heart in which they were formerly hostile to you, the king: where they raised themselves up against Christ. Where shall they fall? Before Christ (from Augustine), they blasphemed Christ, now they entreat Christ: they call him king. They have received your arrows. They have fallen before you. In the heart where you see, they have been made friends out of enemies. The enemies have been slain, the friends live. The proud have been cast down, the humble rise.

And your thrones, O God, have been made for ever and ever. You sit upon them for eternity, according to what is written: The soul of the righteous is the seat of wisdom (Prov 14). The rod of direction is the rod of your kingdom. This rod is justice. With such a rod our king governs his kingdom, which is we ourselves. But he does not rule (from the same) who does not correct. Just as he is a priest to sanctify us, so he is a king to rule us. The men of his kingdom were crooked, they were distorted, they desired to rule themselves, they loved themselves; they did not subject their own will to God, but desired to bend his will to their own desires. The King came with the rod of direction. He directed us in justice, he corrected our crookedness according to the straightness of his rule. Concerning this rod it is said elsewhere: You shall rule them with a rod of iron (Ps 2). Therefore iron, because it is hard. Justice is inflexible. Some it rules, others it crushes. It rules the spiritual, it crushes the carnal. I say well that your rod is a rod of direction, because you

You have loved righteousness, both in yourself and in others, and to such a degree that you have also hated iniquity. And so that you might be such, therefore he anointed you spiritually, O God, your God—that is, he who is consubstantial with you—with the oil of gladness, that is, with the Holy Spirit, above your companions. More than the rest of men whom you willed to be your companions in your kingdom. Rightly is the Holy Spirit compared to the oil of gladness, because just as oil nourishes the flesh and repels pain, so the anointing of the Holy Spirit sweetly cherishes the mind it has filled and makes it glad. Now with this spiritual oil Christ was anointed above his companions, because to others the Holy Spirit was given in part, but in him was all the fullness of divinity bodily (Col 2). And note that he did not say, You have done righteousness, but, You have loved it; nor did he say, You have abandoned iniquity, but, You have hated it. For many do good things more from fear of punishment than from love of righteousness; in these, even if the action seems good, the will is nonetheless guilty. And though they appear righteous from their work, in this they are unjust—that they would wish to sin if they could do so with impunity. They abandon wicked deeds, but they still retain depraved desires. Some progress has been made in that they do works of righteousness, but this is not yet sufficient for attaining the kingdom of God, because they do not yet have the power of righteousness in their heart. There are therefore two things that truly make a person righteous: love of the good and hatred of evil.

Whoever can possess these two things is worthy of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which bestows health and joy upon the soul. God has been anointed by God. You hear "anointed"? Understand "Christ." For "Christ" is so called from chrism. This name—as Augustine says—by which he is called Christ is a name of anointing. Nor were kings and priests anointed anywhere else but in that kingdom where Christ was foretold. God, therefore, has been anointed by God—with what oil, if not spiritual? For the visible oil is a sign in the sacrament; the spiritual oil is the power. God, therefore, is man, and therefore God has been anointed because man is God, and he has been made Christ. We have heard what sort he was in himself; let it be told us what sort he was in his own.

Myrrh and drop and cassia from your garments, from ivory houses. You have been anointed with oil above your companions, and even from your garments—that is, from your humanity, or from your Apostles, who adorn and beautify you as a garment adorns its lord—proceeds myrrh and drop and cassia, that is, good odors and a good report. Myrrh is a very bitter substance, with which the body of the dead is anointed so that it may not rot, and it drives away worms. By this is signified the mortification of the flesh, which is very bitter and drives away the worms—that is, the temptations of the devil—and preserves body and soul from the rot of vices. The drop, in turn, is a substance that drives away swellings of the lung; it is humility, which drives away inflation and every motion of pride.

Casia is an herb that grows in a watery place, and it grows to a great height and gives off a great fragrance. Faith is what is born in the waters of baptism, and it grows greatly in the righteous and gives a good reputation to others. All these things have come forth for us from the humanity of Christ; or they are present in the apostles, who set forth all these things for us in themselves as an example. And these same things have come forth for us from the ivory houses, that is, from the holy apostles themselves; they are called houses because the Lord dwells in them: ivory either because of their strength or because of the whiteness of simplicity, or because they were cut, carved, scraped, and polished by various torments. From these the daughters of kings have delighted you in your honor. As if he were saying: because of these fragrances, the individual churches have pleased you, whose fathers and rulers were the apostles, who begot them from the font of baptism in honor not of themselves but of you. To this sacrament belongs what is written in the law: If a brother has died, let his brother take his wife and raise up seed for his brother. Christ died; he removed himself in the body; his brothers took his wife, the Church, to beget children by the preaching of the Gospel, not through themselves but through the Gospel, for the sake of the brother's name. In Christ Jesus (says Paul) I begot you through the Gospel.

And so, raising up seed for their brother because of his name, as many as they begot they called not Paulinians, not Petrinians, but Christians. This is in your honor, because they did not seek their own honor, but yours. From all these there was made one bride for the king, one queen, concerning whom it is added:

The queen stood at your right hand in gilded clothing, surrounded with variety. The Church is therefore called a queen, because she rules her sons well. She stood adorned to serve at your right hand, that is, in your better goods; in gilded clothing, in the adornment of virtues, where wisdom especially shines forth, which is signified by gold, as it is written: A desirable treasure rests in the mouth of the wise. The clothing of this queen (from Augustine) is both precious and varied in various tongues. One tongue is African, another Syriac, another Greek, another Hebrew, and another this and that. These five tongues make the variety of this queen's clothing. But just as all the variety of the clothing is in concord in unity, so also all tongues are in concord in one faith. In this clothing let there be variety, let there be no rent. Behold, we have understood the variety from the diversity of tongues, and we have understood the clothing because of the unity in that very variety. What is the gold? Wisdom itself. Whatever the variety of tongues may be, one gold is preached, not a different gold, but the truth concerning the gold: for all tongues preach the same wisdom, the same teaching and discipline.

Variety in tongues, gold in the meanings. Let the prophet address this queen, for he sings to her willingly, and each one of us too—if only we know where we are, and strive to belong to that body, and belong to it in faith and hope, united to the members of Christ. For he addresses us.

Hear, daughter, and see. He addresses her (from the same) as one of the fathers, because kingdoms belong to daughters; even if the prophet addresses her, even if the Apostle addresses her as a daughter. (For so we say: Our fathers the prophets; our fathers the apostles. So we call them fathers, and they call us sons.) And one paternal voice addresses one daughter. Hear, daughter, and see. First hear, then see. It has come to us with the Gospel, and it has been preached to us, which we do not yet see; and by hearing we believe, and by believing we have seen. Hear, that you may believe; cleanse your heart by faith. And when I have cleansed my heart, what shall I see? Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God (Matt. 5). And incline your ear. That is, hear humbly. And forget your people—namely, the sects of the Jews, or of the Gentiles: the legal rites in Judaism, and idolatry in Gentilism. And the house of your father. That is, the conversation of the devil. Or the house of your father, that is, the vanities of this world, in which as in his own house the devil has reigned until now (John 14). You have been his daughter through the imitation of evil works.

And the king shall desire your beauty. That is, he shall desire you as beautiful, after you have forgotten those things which were spoken. And therefore you ought willingly to hear the precepts that have been given to you. For he who desires you is not only your king and bridegroom, but He is the Lord your God. That is, your creator and ruler. You are married to God as king, polished by him, adorned by him, healed and redeemed by him. Whatever you have whereby you please him, you have from him. These things which have been said concerning the Church, each one of us can apply to himself. The soul which, having abandoned error, believes rightly, is adopted as a daughter from being estranged from God. Having been adopted, therefore, let her incline her ear and wholly surrender herself to the teaching and understanding of the things that are said. Let her first forget her own people: and, like Abraham going out from Chaldea, let her leave the land of her birth and her kindred (Gen. 12). No one doubts that our father, before we were adopted by God, was he of whom the Savior says: You are of your father the devil (John 8). When, then, he says, you have forgotten your ancient father, and been renewed through baptism or through repentance: then the king shall desire your beauty. Let the soul therefore show herself such that she may be loved by the king, for He is the Lord her God, to whom she ought to bend the knee and, laying aside pride, take up the yoke of humility (Phil. 2). And they shall adore him also,

And the daughter of Tyre among gifts. The daughters of Tyre are the daughters of the Gentiles, signifying the whole by a part. Tyre, neighboring this land where the prophecy was, signified the Gentiles who would believe in Christ: who adored the Lord with gifts, according to what is written: Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matthew 6). And give alms, and all things are clean for you (Luke 11). Tyre is interpreted as distress, and signifies sinners, whom the devil was oppressing. Therefore the daughters of Tyre adore the Lord, since they are sinners whom the devil was tormenting with tight bonds. And this among gifts, because they offer themselves to the Lord. They shall entreat your face. That is, they shall pray devoutly to God, that he may grant them the ability to attain to conformity with you. All the rich of the people, that is, the rich of every kind, whether consuls, or leaders, or kings, or emperors. Concerning such rich men Paul admonishes his disciple, saying (1 Timothy 6): Command the rich of this world not to be proud, nor to hope in the uncertainty of riches: but in the living God, who provides us all things abundantly to enjoy. Let them be rich in good works: let them distribute readily, let them lay up for themselves a good foundation for the future. After he has shown the dignities of the Church, he commends her as praiseworthy according to her inner nature, saying:

All her glory is within, the daughter of the king. Hence Paul says: Our glory is this, the testimony of our conscience (2 Cor 1). The foolish virgins did not take oil with them (Mt 23), because they did not have glory within their conscience, while they sought it from the mouth of their neighbors. And it is to be noted that all are said to have lamps, but not all to have oil: because for the most part they display good works in themselves among both the elect and the reprobate, but only those come to the bridegroom with oil who seek glory from the things they have done outwardly, not outwardly but within. Therefore it is necessary not only to do good things, but to guard the same with great caution: that whoever glories, may glory in the Lord (1 Cor 10). And she is that daughter of the king, clothed about with varieties in golden fringes. She is indeed clothed about with varieties, because faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance surround her on every side. But these virtues are with golden fringes in the Church, since wisdom, and knowledge, and the splendor of miracles depend from them. Fringes are placed on garments for ornament. As if, therefore, golden fringes proceed from the varieties of the garment, when miracles shine forth from the virtues.

The virgins shall be brought to the king after her. Many others follow after the apostolic and primitive Church that goes before: virgins, that is, those whole in both soul and body, shall be brought to the king, to serve. And in this he notes that they cannot come to that dignity by themselves unless they are brought by preaching and with the help of grace. Hence the bridegroom himself says: No one can come to me unless my Father draws him (Jn 6). Here there is a turning to the king himself, when it is added: Her nearest shall be brought to you. For (as Augustine says) those who are brought are not strangers, but her nearest, belonging to her. By the virgins we can understand those souls who, always preserving the integrity of the flesh, served the heavenly bridegroom in their virginity; and these are in the first rank. There are others, if not virgins, yet continent, who, although they are not in the same rank, are nevertheless nearest, because after the fall of the flesh they have striven to preserve continence of mind. Among these nearest is contained the order of the married, who has kept himself from union with another. These therefore, who follow the Church and are placed in the first rank, who persevere in virginity of body and soul, and the nearest, that is, widows and the continent in marriage: all,

They shall be brought with gladness and exultation, because even in the present the saints in the Church greatly rejoice over the purity of their conscience. And then concerning this: They shall be brought into the temple of the king, that is, into the heavenly Jerusalem. They shall be brought into the temple as priests of God, into the bridal chamber as brides of the king and bridegroom. Or they shall be brought into the temple, that is, to this end, that they may be the temple of the king: so that the Lord may dwell in them as in a temple. According to what Paul says: The temple of God is holy, which you are (1 Cor 3:6). In unity is the temple of the king. The faithful of God are living stones. This temple is not crumbling, not torn apart, not divided. The joining of the living stones is love. Therefore, with grace as their guide, they shall be brought into the temple of the king, into the unity of perfect love, where they may praise God forever. Then he addresses the Church, saying:

Instead of your fathers, sons have been born to you. The Apostles begot you. They were sent, they preached, they are the fathers, they have been received into glory; and in their place sons have been born: bishops have been appointed. Do not think yourself desolate, then, because you do not see Paul, because you do not see those through whom you were born. From your offspring fatherhood has grown for you. Sons have been born to you for your work. You shall appoint them, that is, you shall make them steadfast in faith and in work. Princes, teachers, and doctors. Over all the earth. That is, the Church spread through all parts of the earth. And because the Church is so ordered and confirmed, therefore

I will be mindful of your name, O Lord. That is, I will keep the memory of your fame and glory in every generation, spread abroad in all the earth, and then into the generation that follows. For this reason also the peoples who are to come, seeing the great glory of your Church, will confess to you—that is, will praise you—as author and governor, forever, throughout this whole present life. Not because this life is eternal, but according to their intention and devotion: because if they lived forever, they would praise here forever. And into the age that follows this age. O happy are those who will be counted worthy to praise the Lord for ever and ever!

TITLE OF PSALM 45.

Unto the end, for the sons of Korah, for the hidden things, a psalm of David. This psalm is attributed to the sons of Korah, that is, to the imitators of the Crucified—namely the Apostles, inviting the future sons of Korah to press on unto the end, that is, unto perfection: for he who perseveres to the end will be saved (Matt. 24). And they act for the revealing of hidden things. In this psalm is made manifest the advent of Christ, which was greatly hidden, and the conversion of the Apostles from the Jews to the Gentiles, and the salvation of the Jews in the last times, and peace in the time of his birth between God and man. The subject matter is the advent of Christ, from which all the hidden things that have been spoken proceeded. In the first part he shows that all hope is in the advent of Christ, and in the passing over of the Apostles to the Gentiles.

In the second part he shows that the Church is founded in Christ, to whom the nations and kingdoms are subjected. In the third part God admonishes us to attend to the works of this Lord. The intention is that men should place the hope of their liberation in the coming of God, or that he should assure us concerning that coming itself and concerning the salvation of the Gentiles. The primitive Church sets itself before posterity in this psalm as an example of patience, namely, that they should not be broken down under the weight of tribulations, since they hear that those who sought the salvation of all endured so many and such great things patiently.

PSALM XLV.

Our God is a refuge and strength. He who is, God of all by power, but ours by will and grace, is a refuge for us, that is, both security and strength. And because there are many refuges that are not safe, therefore he adds, And strength—a strong, impregnable refuge. There are, as Augustine says, certain refuges where there is no strength, to which when anyone has fled, he is weakened rather than strengthened. When you flee, for example, to some great man in the world, so as to make him a powerful friend for yourself, it seems to be a refuge. Yet the uncertainties of this world are so great, and the evils of the powerful so daily increase, that when you have fled to such a refuge, you begin to fear more there. For before, you feared only for your own cause; when you have fled to such a man, you will also fear on his account. For many, when they had fled to such refuges, when those to whom they fled fell, were themselves sought out, whom no one would have sought, had they not fled to such refuges.

But our refuge is not of that kind; our refuge is power. When we flee to it, we shall be safe. And it not only defends us from our enemies, but is also our helper, so that we not only do not lose, but can even overcome others: in the tribulations that have come upon us exceedingly. For we would be afflicted beyond what the frailty of the flesh could bear (1 Cor 10), unless we were helped by the aid of the Godhead. It is one thing to find tribulations, another to be found by tribulations. We find tribulations when we endure them after forethought. But they find us when they overtake us unforeseen. Moreover, weapons strike more grievously when they have not been foreseen. Therefore, because the holy martyrs sometimes suffered such great torments as they could not even have thought of beforehand, they declare that they were found by tribulations exceedingly. That is exceedingly which cannot be thought of or borne. But because they receive help and power from almighty God, while they persist unconquered and undaunted amid those exceedingly great torments, they say:

Therefore we shall not fear, while the earth is troubled, and the mountains are carried into the heart of the sea. A little before, anxious, and suddenly secure out of excessive tribulations, placed in great tranquility. To fear nothing is great tranquility in the mind. Let the earth be troubled, let the sea be troubled, let all the elements be troubled: the servant of God remains undaunted. But the sea (according to Augustine) signifies this age, in comparison with which sea the race of the Jews seemed like dry land. For it was not covered by the bitterness of idolatry, but was like dry ground, itself surrounded by the bitterness of the Gentiles as by a sea. It was to come about that the earth would be troubled, that is, that very race of Judaea, and that the mountains would be carried into the heart of the sea (Isa. 2). And first that great mountain itself, prepared on the summit of the mountains. For he abandoned the race of the Jews, and was made among the Gentiles, transferred from the earth to the sea, by the Apostles who carried him, to whom he had said: If you have faith in you as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Be lifted up and cast into the sea, and it shall be done (Matt. 17). That is, through your most faithful preaching it shall come about that this mountain, that is, that I myself be glorified among the Gentiles, be acknowledged among the Gentiles, be preached among the Gentiles: and that there be done what was foretold concerning me. The people whom I did not know served me (Ps. 17). But when those mountains also were transferred, let the Scripture of God show us this.

When the Apostle was preaching, the Jews rejected the word, and the Apostle Paul said: We had been sent to you; but because you have rejected the word of God, we go to the Gentiles (Acts 13). Thus the mountains were carried into the heart of the sea. But truly the Gentiles believed the mountains, so that those mountains might be in the heart of the sea—not like the Jews, of whom it was said, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me (Isaiah 26). For this the Lord promises in the New Testament through the Prophet, saying, I will give my laws in their hearts (Jeremiah 31). These laws, these precepts, implanted through the Apostles into the faith and belief of all the Gentiles, are called mountains carried, from the mountains into the heart of the sea. Then we shall not fear—we who have been pricked in heart—lest we become of the number of the reprobate Jews, as of broken branches. For they believed and drew near to the Apostles. Let those therefore fear whom the mountains desert. We have not withdrawn from the mountains; and when they were carried into the heart of the sea, we followed.

What now follows from this—that the mountains were transferred into the heart of the sea? Attend and see the truth. For when these things were being spoken, they were obscure, because they had not yet come to pass; but now who does not recognize that they have been done? Let the divine page be open to you, so that you may hear these things. Let the circle of the whole world be open to you, so that you may see these things. In those codices, only those who know their letters read these things. In the whole world, even the unlettered read them. What then was done, when the mountains were transferred into the heart of the sea? [Verse 4.] They sounded, and their waters were troubled. When the Gospel was being preached, they said: What is this? This man seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods. So the Athenians did (Acts 17). But with what uproar the Ephesians wished to kill the Apostles, when in the theater they raised such a clamor for their Diana that they cried out: Great is Diana of the Ephesians (Acts 19). Amid those waves and the roaring of the sea, those who had fled to that refuge were not afraid. Finally, the Apostle Paul wished to enter the theater, and was held back by the disciples, because it was still necessary for him to remain in the flesh on their account (Philippians 1). But nevertheless they sounded and their waters were troubled. The mountains were troubled by his strength. By whose? Was it the sea's, or rather God's, of whom it is said: A refuge and strength, a helper in tribulations that have come upon us exceedingly? For the mountains were troubled, that is, the powerful of this world.

For there are some mountains of God, and there are other mountains of the world. The mountains of the world are those whose head is the devil; the mountains of God are those whose head is Christ. But through these mountains those mountains were troubled. They gave laws against the Christians when the mountains were troubled. With the waves sounding, the mountains also were troubled, and there was a great earthquake, the waters being stirred. But for whom are these things? For that city founded upon the rock. Let the waters sound, let the mountains be troubled when the Gospel is proclaimed. What of you, city of God? Hear what follows:

The rush of a river gladdens the city of God. When the mountains are troubled, when the sea rages, God does not forsake his city through the rush of the river. What is this rush of the river? That flooding of the Holy Spirit, of which the Lord was saying: Let him who thirsts come and drink. Whoever believes in me, rivers of living water shall flow from his belly. Therefore these rivers were flowing from the belly of Peter, of Paul, of John, of the other Apostles, of the other Evangelists, of the faithful. When these rivers were flowing from one river, many rushes of the river were gladdening the city of God. For that you may know this was said of the Holy Spirit, the Evangelist says consequently in the same Gospel: But this he was saying of the Holy Spirit, whom those who were to believe in him were about to receive. But the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Jesus having been glorified after the resurrection,

After he was glorified following his ascension on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came and filled the believers, and they spoke in tongues (Acts 2); they began to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles (Matt. 28). Hence the city of God was made glad, while the sea was thrown into turmoil by the sound of its waters, while the mountains were thrown into turmoil, asking what they should do, how they might drive out the new teaching, how they might uproot the race of Christians from the earth. Against whom? Against the rushing of the river that makes glad the city of God.

And it follows: The Most High has sanctified his tabernacle. If, then, the word "sanctification" follows, it is manifest that those rushings of the river are to be understood of the Holy Spirit, by whom every devout soul that believes in Christ is sanctified, so as to become the city of God. The one river is the one Spirit, who is divided into seven horns, which are the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety, and the spirit of the fear of the Lord (Isa. 11). Therefore the Holy Spirit is called a river: because he extinguishes the desires and ardors of the flesh. But he is called rushing, because no one resists him. The Church is called a city, either because of the concord of those who dwell in it, or because of the fortification of the virtues, or because it has a law and a king. The Spirit makes it glad to such a degree that it even glories in tribulations (Eph. 4). It is also called a tabernacle (Rom. 5), because in it service is rendered to the Lord. And this tabernacle is sanctified through the Spirit.

For everyone who has the Holy Spirit is holy, and whoever does not have him cannot be holy. God not only gladdens and sanctifies his Church, but is also in the midst of her, lest she be moved from good to evil. And this is what he adds:

God in the midst of her shall not be moved. So then (from Augustine) is God enclosed by a place? Even broad things surround, and what is surrounded is in a narrow space. Far be it: let you think no such thing of God, who is contained by no place, whose seat is the conscience of the pious. And so the seat of God is in the hearts of men in such a way that, if a man falls away from God, God remains in himself—not as though he falls, not finding where he may be. For rather he lifts you up, so that you may be in him, since he presses upon you; so that if he withdraws himself, you fall. If you withdraw yourself, he will not fall. What then is this, God in the midst of her? This signifies that God is fair to all and does not accept persons. For just as that which is in the middle has equal spaces to all streams, so God is said to be in the midst, caring equally for all. He is in the midst, that is, in the common, because he is set equally before all. Or for this reason, because he is the column that sustains all parts of the house. And he not only sustains it lest it collapse, but also God will help her to do good: in the morning, that is, at the beginning of conversion; at daybreak, that is, in the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Morning is properly said before the light. Daybreak is when the day first rises.

When, for the sins we have committed, we hasten to repentance or to conversion, then, leaving the darkness behind, we draw near to the light: this is our morning. But after the morning comes the dawn, because through the beginning of conversion one arrives at the origin and light of virtue. But because this is not done by our own strength, but by divine help, it is rightly said here: God will help her at early dawn. And the Church is not only firm because God is in her midst, but through her preaching others have come to conversion. Hence it is also added:

The nations are thrown into confusion. With a good confusion, unto repentance, and kingdoms are brought low. And princes or regions are humbled. According to what is written: And all kings shall adore him, all nations shall serve him. And how did this come about? It follows and says: He gave his voice, that is, his preaching, and the earth was moved, that is, earthly people were moved to conversion. This is that voice of which the same Psalmist says elsewhere: The voice of the Lord is in power: the voice of the Lord is in magnificence. This voice he gave through the apostles, and the earth was moved from unbelief to faith, from vices to virtues, from the devil to God. Who is it that gave his voice? Let the apostles say, let the Church say, let the renewed people say:

The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our support. Who is not moved by this voice? Who does not mingle it with joy? Who does not marvel at such great grace? The Lord of hosts, the Lord of the angels, himself is with us in the flesh. He was received by us, and he received us. He took up our humanity, he received us into his divinity (Phil. 2). He became a partaker of our mortality, that he might make us partakers of his immortality (Rom. 8). Let Christians therefore say what Jews, or pagans, or heretics cannot say: The Lord of hosts is with us. This he himself had also promised through his prophet, saying: And I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (Jer. 31). Hence the Truth himself said to his disciples: Behold, I am with you even to the consummation of the age (Matt. 28). He himself, the Lord of hosts and the God of Jacob, himself gives virtues to those who are spiritually Jacob, that is, who wrestle with the flesh, and who supplant vices. For Jacob is called the supplanter. And because this grace is admirable and salutary, by inviting and admonishing all, he adds:

Come and see, that is, believe and understand the works of the Lord, which he has worked for our sake. Let us go, says the Church, let us forget the things that are behind. Let us pass over from earthly things to spiritual things, and with the eyes of the heart let us see the wonders he has set, that is, as a sign. For those things are called wonders in which something other than what is seen is signified: upon the earth, that is, upon earthly men. What are those things?

Taking away wars even to the end of the earth. For he has made peace between God and man, and he has taken away idolatry and the worship of the old law, through which Jews and Gentiles were at variance, and he has made both one (Colossians 1). And that peace of God toward men was not in one land only, but even to the ends of the earth. For from the rising of the sun even to its setting the name of the Lord is worthy of praise (Psalm 121). The Lord also takes away wars in us, when he destroys the vices that fight against us. Hence it is added: He shall break the bow, and shatter weapons, and burn shields with fire. The bow (according to Augustine), the weapons, the shields, the fire. The bow is plots. The weapons are open assault: the shield, the protection of vain presumption. The fire by which these are burned is that of which the Lord says: I have come to cast fire upon the earth (Luke 12). And of which fire he says in the psalm: There is none who can hide himself from its heat (Psalm 18). With this fire burning, no weapons of impiety will remain in us. It is necessary that all things be shattered, broken, and burned.

Remain unarmed, having no help of your own, and the more infirm you are, having no weapons of your own, the more does he receive you, of whom it is said: Our protector is the God of Jacob. For you were strong, as it were, through yourself; you are thrown into confusion in yourself. Lose the weapons in which you presumed. Go to the Lord, who says: My grace is sufficient for you. Say also you: When I am weak, then I am strong—it is the voice of the Apostle (2 Cor 12). He had lost all the weapons of his own strength, who said: But I will glory in nothing except in my infirmities (ibid.). But when the Lord receives us, does he leave us unarmed? He arms us, but with those weapons of evangelical truth, of continence and salvation, of faith, hope, and charity (2 Cor 10). These weapons we have, but not from ourselves. But the weapons which we had from ourselves have burned; yet by that holy fire we have been set ablaze. First we were invited to see the works of the Lord. Now the Lord himself invites us to see himself, saying:

Be still, and see that I am God. You have seen my works. Now prepare yourselves to see the craftsman himself. And so that you may be fit for this: cease from earthly things; empty yourselves of evils. Let there be no turmoil in the mind. Let all things be peaceful, all things clean. For blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God (Matt. 5). For this we now leave behind the entanglements of the world and the cares of the age, and have come to the secret of the monastery: so that we may be free more freely for God, not for those things in which our adversary takes delight. For it is certain that when we are idle and negligent, when we do not lift up the mind to heavenly desires, when we grow cold in the love of God, when we spend the day in idle talk, in wicked thoughts: then we are free for the devil rather than for God. This is what is meant by what is written: Her enemies saw her, and mocked her sabbaths (Lam.). Sabbath means rest. And our enemies mock our sabbaths when the evil spirits see us free for idleness and vanities. Let us therefore strive to have that which the Lord most desires in us, that is, a mind free from all malice; and having avoided those things by which the Holy Spirit is offended, let us give our attention to humility, quiet, and charity; so that what is said may be fulfilled by us: Be still and see that I am God. For thus we shall deserve to see God, if we first strive to cease from unlawful things and to be tranquil in mind.

A little earlier (following Augustine) I had said that by the name "earth" the people of the Jews is signified, and by the name "sea" the other nations. The mountains have been transferred into the heart of the sea. The nations are troubled, the kingdoms are brought low, the Most High has given forth his voice, and the earth is shaken. The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our protector. Marvels have been wrought among the nations, faith is being fulfilled among the nations, the weapons of human presumption burn, and there is leisure in the tranquility of the heart, so that God may be known as the author of all his gifts. And after their glorification, does he then abandon even the people of the Jews? Concerning which the Apostle says: For I say to you, that you should not be wise in your own conceits: because blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fullness of the nations should come in, that is, until the mountains should be transferred hither, so that the clouds should rain here, here the Lord by his thunder should bring down kingdoms, until the fullness of the nations should come in. And what afterwards? And so all Israel should be saved. Therefore here too, keeping that same order, he says: I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth. That is, in the sea and in the earth: so that now all may say what follows:

The Lord of hosts is with us, our protector is the God of Jacob. The Lord our God has spread abroad his faith, the faith in which we live and from which we live, through his books, his Scriptures, in many ways and variously for us. He varies indeed the sacraments of words, yet commends one faith. For one and the same thing is said in many ways, not so that the manner of speaking itself should be varied on account of distaste, but so that on account of concord it may be held as one. And so in this psalm, which we have heard sung, to which we have responded by singing, we are about to say those things which you know. And yet perhaps, with God helping and giving, we shall bring you some sweetness, when we are reminded to ruminate even those things which you had known here and there. For even in that very rumination, in which God signifies the clean animals, he wished to suggest this: that every man who hears ought so to put it into his heart that he not be sluggish in thinking on it, so that when he hears he may be like one eating. But when he recalls what he has heard into memory and recollects it with most sweet thought, he becomes like one ruminating. In another way, however, the same things are said, and they make us think sweetly on what we know and gladly hear those same things, because the manner of speaking is varied, and the ancient matter is renewed by that very manner of speaking.

THE TITLE OF PSALM 46.

The title of the psalm reads thus: Unto the end, for the sons of Korah, a psalm for David himself. This psalm suits David the prophet, who here speaks in the person of the Apostles. A psalm, I say, set forth for the sons of Korah, who are directed by this means unto the end. The subject matter is Christ ascending. Or the subject matter is the converted Gentiles, namely the sons of Korah themselves, who are the sons of Christ. In the first part he admonishes us all to the praise of God. In the second he describes the kingdom of Christ through his ascension. His aim, moreover, is to invite us to the praises of God. The psalm is sung for the sons of Korah. Therefore it has been sung for Christians. For let us hear as sons of that bridegroom whom the senseless boys crucified at the place of Calvary (John 19). But they deserved to be devoured by beasts; we to be crowned by angels. For we acknowledge the humility of our Lord, and we are not ashamed of it. We are not ashamed of him who was mystically called bald, on account of the place of Calvary. For the cross itself, on which he was insulted, did not permit our forehead to be bald, which he signed with his own sign. Finally, that you may know that these things are said to us, see what is said.

PSALM 46.

O all you nations, clap your hands. Were all the nations the people of the Jews (as Augustine says)? But blindness in part came upon Israel, so that foolish children cried out, "Bald head, bald head" (2 Kings 2), and so the Lord was crucified in the place of the Skull, and by shedding his blood redeemed us, and what the Apostle says was fulfilled: Blindness in part has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should enter in (Rom 11). So let the vain, the dull, and the foolish mock, and say, "Bald head, bald head." But you who were redeemed by that blood (1 Pet 1), which was shed in the place of the Skull: O all you nations, clap your hands, because grace has come to you. What does "clap your hands" mean? Rejoice. But why with the hands? Because with good works. If only with the voice, not well—because the hands are idle. If only with the hands, neither is this well—because the tongue is mute. Let hands and tongue agree. Let the tongue confess, let the hands act. Rejoice unto God, that is, conceive in your mind such great praise of God as cannot be expressed by the voice, and so let that jubilation be in a voice of exultation. That is, not only praise God in your heart, but also with an exulting voice. Announce him to others. And he adds the reason why he is to be praised, saying:

For the Lord is Lord over all creation; he is exalted because he is powerful and effectual in his will. And lest you trust in his goodness if you have done evil, he will be a terrible judge: he will punish the wicked, and he is king because he spiritually rules his own by his power. He is great over all the earth, because there is no part of the earth where he does not rule. He who seemed small and despised has become terrible and exalted; and he who was only in the kingdom of the Jews now reigns over all the earth. It is not enough for him to have one nation alone under him; therefore he gave so great a price from his side, that he might purchase the whole world. Therefore it is said by the voice of the preachers:

He subjected peoples, that is, the Jews, to us, and the nations under our feet. Therefore he says, Under our feet, so that we may understand the complete humility of those subject. For thus the Lord ordered the Church, that he willed some to be prelates and others to be subjects. Hence also in another psalm those subject say: You have placed men over our heads (Ps. 65). The office of prelates is to preach, to admonish, to correct, and to hold the place of Christ in the Churches (1 Tim. 3). The office of subjects is to hear, to obey, to show all subjection to their prelates as to the Lord Christ himself (Hebr. 13). For what they say—He subjected peoples to us—they do not say this in their own person, but in the person of him whose ministry they perform.

Hence Peter admonishes certain people, saying: Be subject to every human creature for the Lord's sake (1 Pet. 2). That subjection, surely, which is made for God's sake is shown not so much to men as to God. In that, therefore, which the holy preachers say—He subjected peoples to us, and nations under our feet—it is by no means to be understood that they wished to ascribe this to themselves, since the Apostle Paul refutes certain people who wished to be subject to him as though to a man, saying: Was Paul crucified for you, or were you baptized in the name of Paul (1 Cor. 1)? Not in this word, then, do they seek to commend themselves, but rather him whose authority was in them, who was obeyed through them more than they themselves were. By their voice it is further added:

He chose for us his own inheritance. That is, he chose the nations to be joined to us as an inheritance. Or he chose for us, that we, standing in his place, might cultivate it as an inheritance, by removing the thorns of vices, by plowing with the plowshare of discipline, by sowing the seeds of virtues. In that it is said, He chose, divine grace is commended. According to what the very author of grace says to his own: You did not choose me, but I chose you (John 15). This grace is declared more clearly when it is added: The beauty of Jacob, whom he loved. There were two brothers, Jacob and Esau (Gen. 25); and before they had done anything good or evil, the Lord said: Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated (Mal. 1; Rom. 9). Through Jacob, therefore, those chosen by grace are understood.

Therefore the Lord chose the appearance of Jacob, whom he loved: not because he was handsome when he was chosen, or because he was loved for the appearance he had before; but he already loved in Jacob that appearance which he would later give him through grace. So he chose for himself the Church, not having spot or wrinkle (Eph. 5), not because she was immaculate when she was chosen, but he chose her ugly for this purpose, that he might make her beautiful. Then he shows in what order the nations were chosen, when he adds:

God has ascended with a shout. For after the ascension the Holy Spirit was sent upon the Apostles (Acts 2), and the Gospel was preached to the nations (Matt. 28), and so they were chosen. What is this shout (from Augustine), if not the wonder of joy, which cannot be expressed in words? How did they wonder with joy, seeing him go into heaven (Mark 16) whom they had mourned as dead? Truly words would not suffice for this joy. It remained to shout for joy, which no one could explain. There was also the voice of the trumpet, that voice of the angels. For it is said, Like a trumpet lift up your voice (Isa. 38). The angels proclaimed the Lord's ascension. The disciples saw the Lord ascending, clinging to him, wondering, astonished, saying nothing, but shouting for joy in their heart. And the voice of the trumpet was already clear in the voice of the angels: Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This is Jesus (Acts 1). As if they did not know that it was Jesus himself. Did they not see him shortly before?

Did they not hear him speaking with them? Of course they not only saw the appearance of the one present, but they touched his limbs. Did they themselves, then, not know that it was Jesus? But out of astonishment beyond joy, as if with minds deranged, they say to the angels, It is Jesus himself. He at whose crucifixion your feet trembled. At whose death and burial you thought your hope had perished. Behold, it is Jesus himself. He has gone up before you: he will come just as you saw him go into heaven. For the body is taken away from your eyes, but God is not separated from your hearts. Therefore you sons of Korah, if you have now understood yourselves, and look upon yourselves here, and rejoice because you see, you

For God is king of all the earth. For what (from Augustine)? Was he not already God of all the earth? Is he not God of heaven and earth? Since all things were made through him, what could anyone say—that he is not his own God? But not all men had acknowledged their God, and where he was acknowledged, it was as if God were there only. God is known in Judaea (Ps. 75). The sons of Korah were not yet saying, All you nations, clap your hands. Now he is acknowledged by all, because what Isaiah says has been fulfilled: He is your God, who delivered you; he shall be called the God of the whole earth. Therefore he adds: Sing psalms wisely, that is, do good works, not for earthly things, lest you be like the foolish virgins, who, taking their lamps, did not take oil with them in their vessels (Matt. 25). For by them are designated souls that live in continence and do good works, which are designated by the lamps. But while they seek to please men by them, they neglect to have oil in their vessels, that is, the brightness of glory in their consciences. Such people seem to sing psalms to God in that they do good, but they sing psalms foolishly, because they lose those same good works through vainglory. To sing psalms wisely, then, is to act rightly and, from those very right actions, to wish to please God alone. Nor is it idle that it is said so many times, Sing psalms. By repeating it he drives it home, to stir up the slow; and the frequent repetition of the same word is the pressing home of excessive delight.

Or "sing five times" we can refer to the five senses of the body: namely, that we turn sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch to good use. Then he shows how he is king of all the earth, when he adds:

God has reigned over the nations. And lest anyone understand it as though he also reigned among the wicked, he determines it thus: God sits upon his holy seat. That is, he so reigns among the nations that he nevertheless remains in the saints. Hence it is written, The soul of the just is the seat of wisdom (Wis. 7). Where, therefore, the devil was reigning, now Christ reigns. That one reigned through pride, through lust, through anger, and through vices. This one reigns through humility, through chastity, through meekness, and through the other virtues: so that we may now no longer be slaves of sin, but free men of righteousness (Rom. 6). If we do these things, we shall be the kingdom of God and the seat of God. He explains how it came about that he reigns over the nations.

The princes of the peoples are gathered together with the God of Abraham. And so he would say: kings and other powers, who previously opposed God, have been gathered together through faith with the God in whom Abraham believed (Heb. 11). Among those princes was that centurion whose faith is commended in the Gospel (Mt. 8). Behold how that was fulfilled which John says: God is able to raise up other children to Abraham from the stones (Mt. 4). Were not the nations stones, when they worshiped stones, as is said of them elsewhere in the psalm: Let those who make them become like them (Ps. 113)?

And therefore they came to the faith, "For the strong gods of the earth," that is, the apostles and holy preachers: gods by grace, strong by faith, they were greatly exalted in signs and wonders. And so it came about that many are born to the faith.

TITLE OF PSALM 47.

A psalm of song for the sons of Korah on the second day of the sabbath. This psalm is set forth for the sons of Korah, that is, for the sons of Christ, who was crucified in the place of Calvary. For Korah (as has often been said) is interpreted as Calvary. This psalm is called a song, because it treats of that matter from which we must above all rejoice: since it sets forth the great dignity of the Church. A psalm, I say, appointed for the second day of the sabbath, that is, concerning the foundation of the Church, which is signified in place of the foundation of the earth, which was made on the second day (Gen. 1). For on the first day light was separated from darkness (ibid.): in which is signified the resurrection of Christ, by which the light of immortality was separated from mortality. But on the second day the firmament was made, in which is signified the time after the resurrection, when the holy Church was founded. In the first part he describes her, and commends her in many ways: now by her founder, now by the placing of the place, now by her spreading abroad. He also praises her for her gifts. Through this also, that certain ones wishing to destroy her, recognizing her dignity, were converted to her. Then he commends a certain distinguished gift of hers, namely, that the mercy of God dwells in her.

In the second part he treats of the orders of the Church herself. His intention is to exhort all to enlarge this city. The voice of the perfect.

PSALM XLVII.

Great is the Lord and exceedingly to be praised. That is, of great dominion and great power. And hence worthy of praise beyond what the tongue can explain. And this, that he is great and praiseworthy, is chiefly discerned In the city of our God, that is, in the building up of the Church, which is fortified by virtues, by charity, gathered through faith for living righteously. Nor is such a city of Babylon, that is, of the confused, or of heretics: but it is of our God. Hence he commends the Church by its craftsman, God. I say the city set, in his holy mountain. That is, in Christ, or in the mountain of virtues, or of constancy. This city is possessed by such a lord. It is built of such stones, that is, of Jews and Gentiles. And this is what he adds:

It is founded in the exultation of the whole earth. That is, it is firmly built up from the inhabitants of the whole earth exulting over the remission of sins; or it is founded in the exultation of the whole earth, that is, unto the exultation of all believers. And this he carries out in parts, when he adds: Mount Sion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king. Mount Sion, in which was the capital of the kingdom of the Jews, signifies the Jews themselves. By the sides of the north the Gentiles are designated, who, benumbed by the cold of unbelief, were possessed by the devil. Because the north wind constrains with cold, not unfittingly by the name of the north is understood the torpor of the malignant spirit. Isaiah also testifies this, who reports that the devil said: I will sit on the mount of the testament, on the sides of the north. The malignant spirit held the mount of the testament, because he subjected to himself in perfidy the Jewish people, who had received the law. He still presides over the mount of the testament, when he holds the hearts of teachers; who also sat on the sides of the north, because he possessed the cold minds of the Gentiles. Whence also by the voice of the bridegroom in the Canticles it is said: Arise, O north, and come, O south, blow through my garden, and its spices shall flow. For when the north withdraws, that is, the malignant spirit, the Holy Spirit fills the minds as it were with the south wind. And while by warming he makes them breathe forth, immediately from the hearts of the faithful the spices of virtues flow.

Such people (as Augustine says) become the city of the great King—men freed from unbelief and from the superstition of demons, who by believing in Christ have been joined to that city. Those coming from the circumcision met them at the corner of the wall (Rom. 15). And they became the city of the great King, who were the sides of the North. Whoever clings to the devil is a side of the North. Let them cling to Christ, and they will be of the city of the great King. In these is the great glory and honor of the Almighty. For great is the glory of the physician when the sick man recovers from a state of despair. Another commendation follows:

God will be known in its houses, when he receives it. In the houses of his city—that is, in each of the faithful, who are called houses because the Lord dwells in them—God will be known, because they themselves will have knowledge of God, when he receives it to guard and protect it from enemies. Or "in the houses" is said on account of the two walls of Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2). And grace is commended where it is said, "When he receives it." For what would this city be, unless he had received it? Would it not immediately fall, if it did not have such a foundation? Let no one therefore glory in his own merits. But "whoever glories, let him glory in the Lord" (2 Cor. 10). Now behold, see how those sides of the North come.

For behold, the kings of the earth are gathered together. Behold, the kings and powers of this world are gathered together from many places, from many peoples; they have come together into one: the cornerstone, which makes one out of many (Eph. 2).

These, seeing thus, understanding the city of God to be thus founded, thus built, thus adorned, thus firm, marveled. After the marveling at the miracles of the Church of Christ, they were troubled over their sins; they were moved to repentance. Trembling seized them, because of fear of the wrath to come. The order of the words must be noted. First they see, and by seeing they marvel; then, returning to themselves, they are troubled and tremble. And you, do likewise. Let the eyes of your heart be opened. See and marvel at the glory of this city of God. Consider with how many virtues it prevails, with what miracles it gleams, how it despises earthly things; with what great desires it pants for heavenly things, how great in the future is its reward and blessedness. Pondering and marveling at such things, return to yourself, bewail your sins. Fear the strict judgment of God, tremble within yourself, so that you may be able to be joined to this blessed people, of which it is said next: There were pains, as of a woman in labor. In that troubling and trembling there were fruitful pains, as of a woman in labor. For the old man gave birth to the new (Rom. 6). A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow; but when she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy, for a man has been born into the world (John 16).

Thus when the sinful woman repents each year, she suffers great pain, she feels great anguish within herself. But after she has received the fruit of repentance, that is, absolution and the remission of sins, she no longer remembers the pressure of repentance because of the joy of salvation. "From fear," says Isaiah, "we conceived and were in labor and brought forth the spirit of salvation" (Isa. 26). So then the kings conceived from the fear of Christ, so that by giving birth they might bring forth salvation. And the fact that those pains were fruitful was not from their own merits, but from the grace of God. And therefore it is added:

In a vehement spirit you will crush the ships of Tarshish. According to Jerome, Tarshish is the same as Carthage. But the firstfruits of the kingdom (from Augustine) flourished in the ships of Carthage, to such an extent that they excelled among other nations in commerce and navigation. And from this that city became excessively proud, so that by its ships the pride of the nations is rightly understood, presuming on uncertain things as if on the blasts of winds. But in a vehement spirit the ships of Tarshish will be crushed, because in the power of the Holy Spirit all the haughtiness of this world is destroyed. This vehement spirit drives out all the breezes of temptations, divides all the clouds of thoughts. It calms all things in the mind, breathes where it wills (John 3), and changes whom it wills: it crushes vices, nourishes virtues. But this constitution of the Church was not made without forethought, but was long beforehand prophesied, and is now fulfilled.

And therefore it is added:

As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts. Rightly is the Lord called "of hosts," because He rules over Angels, Archangels, Thrones, Dominations, and all the hosts of the heavens. And so great a Lord, who reigns among the Angels, does not disdain to reign in us. For this reason it is immediately added: In the city of our God. He who is the Lord of hosts is Himself also our God, that is, the Lord and God of angels and of men. There is one city of all, one Lord and God of all (Eph. 4). What is it that we have heard and seen? There follows: God has founded it—not for a time, as the Synagogue, but forever. To found is God's to establish unchangeably. O blessed Church! At one time she heard, at another time she saw. She heard in the promise, she saw in the fulfillment. She heard in prophecy, she saw in the Gospel. All things that are now being fulfilled were foretold beforehand. But He founded His city by sending His Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. And He Himself became our mercy. Concerning Him the Church says to the same Lord, to His praise:

We have received, O God, your mercy in the midst of your temple. Rightly is the Son called the mercy of God, because through him God has had mercy on us. Of him it is also said in another psalm: My God, my mercy (Ps. 58). If he had only forgiven sins, Christ could have been called merciful. But because he both forgave sins and, beyond that, gave eternal life to those who did not deserve it, he was worthily called not only merciful, but mercy itself. He is rightly said to be placed in the midst, because he relates equally to all, both to the noble and to the lowly, both to the simple and to the wise; as it is written: Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2). And again: But to as many as received him, he gave power to become children of God (John 1). Rightly, therefore, it is added:

According to your name, O God, so also is your praise in the ends of the earth. Just as your name, O God, has been spread throughout all lands, so also your praise proceeds and grows even to the ends of the whole earth. For there is no land in which the name of Christ has not been heard. And truly many will be the righteous who will praise you, because your right hand is full of justice. For through your omnipotence you have already converted many righteous. Many are those who will stand at your right hand (Matt. 25). Not only will there be many who will stand at the left, but there will be the fullness of the mass established at the right. And therefore

Let mount Sion rejoice, and let the daughters of Judah exult. That is, both peoples, Judah and the Gentiles. Why? Because of your judgments, O Lord. For you will judge the living and the dead, and will separate the chaff from the grain (Matt. 13, 25). And if now your elect suffer many troubles, still placed among the wicked, because your judgments are not yet discerned, then surely there will be full joy and perfect exultation, when after the judgments have been given they shall hear: Come, you blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom which has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world (Matt. 25). By mount Sion, therefore, the Jews are understood, because, as has already been said above, there is the head of the kingdom. The daughters of Judah are not undeservedly taken to be the Gentiles, but because of the confession of faith. For Judah means confession, and all the daughters of confession are the daughters of Judah. Hence (from Augustine) the Apostle says: For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God (Rom. 2). Be such a Jew: glory in the circumcision of the heart. Others are admonished that we should be converted, when it is added:

Surround Sion, and embrace her. Surround her through faith, through action, through good conduct, and embrace her with the sweetest embraces, you who are sung of. Do not surround her with scandals, but with love, so that you may imitate those who live well in your midst, and by imitating them be incorporated into Christ, whose members they are. Tell of her in her towers. That is, established in the height of her fortifications, proclaim her praises. Hence another prophet admonishes, saying: Go up on a high mountain, you who bring good news to Sion. For he who still lies in the depths by living wickedly ought not to preach the word of God. Whence it is written in another psalm: But to the sinner God said, Why do you recount my justices, and take my covenant upon your lips? But you have hated discipline, etc. Therefore the divine word must be told in the towers and on the high mountain. It is right that he who preaches high things should live on high, so that his life may be in harmony with his teachings. Fittingly, therefore, there follows:

Set your hearts upon his strength. The strength of this city is the very power of love. Nothing is stronger than this virtue, of which Solomon says: Love is strong as death (Song 8). For just as when death comes, it cannot be resisted by any skills or any medicines, so against the violence of love the world can do nothing. Hence Paul says: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? I am certain that neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, nor any creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8). Where love reigns, covetousness does not reign, nor pride, nor anger, nor envy, nor lust, nor the other vices. Love extinguishes vices (1 Cor. 13) and nourishes virtues. It is itself the wine of the virtues and, so to speak, the soul of the virtues. For just as the flesh cannot live without the soul, so the other virtues can have the appearance without love, but cannot have the reality. And just as the soul gives life to the body, so love gives life to the other virtues. For through love humility thrives, chastity shines; through love obedience serves, patience conquers. Thus each virtue does not draw its whole beauty, its whole strength abundantly, except from love.