O hard
necessity
!
Augustine - Exposition on the Psalms - v1
Why is it given -- gratuitously?
Because thy merits have not gone before, but
the kindnesses of God have prevented thee. Glory then be to
Him Who delivereth us. For all have sinned, and are in Rom. 3, need of the glory of God. In Thee, then, O Lord, have I23' trusted, not in myself: let me not be confounded for ever, because I trust in Him, Who confoundeth not. In Righteousness rescue me, and deliver me. Since Thou hast
not found in me my own righteousness, rescue me in Thine : that is, let that rescue me which justifieth me, which maketh me of ungodly godly, of unrighteous righteous, of blind seeing, of falling rising, of weeping rejoicing. This delivereth me : not I myself. In Thy Righteousness rescue me, and deliver me.
7. Ver. 2. Bend down Thine ear unto me. God did this, when He sent Christ Himself unto us. He sent Him to us, Who bending His Head wrote with His Finger on the earth, when the adulterous woman was brought before Him6. to be punished. But He had before bent Himself to the earth, that God to man, to whom was said, Earth thou Gen art, and unto earth thou shall go. For God doth not bend 19. His Ear to us as in bodily space, nor He bounded by these circumscribed bodily members. Nay, let not human fancies form any such notions as these. God Truth. Truth neither square, nor round, nor long. It every where present, the eye of the heart be open to It. Never theless God bendeth His Ear to us, letting down mercy upon
us. What greater mercy, than that He should give us His Only One, not to live with us, but to die for us Bend doum Tltine Ear unto me.
8. Make haste to deliver me. For he heard in this, when he saith, Make haste. For for this purpose this word was used, that thou mayest understand how that all this age, which seems to us while passing long, but moment. That not long, which hath an end. The period from Adam to this day passed, and much more in truth halh been passed already, than remains to be passed. If Adam were still living, and should die to-day what would profit him to have been so long, to have lived so long? Why then
'"--
Thy
r2
;
it is
is
is
is
it is
is
is
a is it ? is
if
is, if
3
244 Man cannot even seek refuge, save as enabled.
Psalm this haste ? Because time flies by, and what is slow tc 2? jl|thee, is in God's sight short. This haste he had already Serm. t. understood in ecstasy. Make haste to deliver me. Be unto
me a God Who prolecteth me, and a house of refuge, that Thou mayest save me. Be Thou unto me a house of refuge, a God Who protecteth, a house of refuge. For sometimes 1 am in peril, and Iwould fly: whither do Ifly? to what place fly safely ? to what hill ? to what cave ? to what guarded shelter ? What castle can I hold ? with what walls be encompassed? Whithersoever I go, I accompany my self. For, O man, whatsoever thou wilt, thou canst fly, except thy conscience. Enter into thy house, rest on thy bed, enter the inner chambers ; thou canst have no place within, whither thou mayest fly from thy conscience, if thy
sins torment thee. But because he hath said, Make haste to deliver me, and rescue me in Thy Righteousness, that
Thou mayest remit my sins, and build up Thy Righteous ness in me : Thou shalt be to me a house of refuge, to Thee do I fly. For whither shall I fly from Thee ? God is angry with thee, whither wilt thou fly ? Hear what, in fear of the
Ps. 139, anger of God, he saith in another Psalm, Whither shall
go
'" 8"
Ifly from from
if
servant, to escape a human master, Thou fliest to places where Thy master is not : to escape God, fly to the Lord. For there is no place, whither thou mayest fly from God. All things are present and naked to the eyes of the Almighty. Be Thou then to me, saith he, a house of refuge. For if I shall not be made whole, how shall I fly
I Thy Spirit ? or, whither shall
climb up into heaven, Tliouart there:
I
hell, Thou art present. Whithersoever I go, there I find Thee. And if Thou art angry, I find Thee an Avenger ; if Thou art propitious, an Helper. Nothing then remains for me, but to fly unto Thee, not from Thee. If Thou art a
If
go
down into
? Make me whole, and I fly to Thee. For if Thou dost not make me whole, I cannot walk : how shall I be able to fly ? Whither should he go, whither fly, if he be unable to walk, half dead in the way, maimed and wounded by robbers ? Whom the priest going by passed over, the Levite going by passed over, the Samaritan going by pitied, that the Lord Himself, Who
hath pitied the race of man. For Samarite
by interpreta
I Thy presence?
is
is,
Christ our Keeper. Hefeeds now with milk. Satan's trap. 245
tion keeper. And who keepeth us, if He deserteth us? Ver. With good reason, when the Jews said railing at Him, Say il tee not truly that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil ? 48. 49. ' He rejected the one, accepted the other, saying, / have not
a devil. He did not say, I am not a Samaritan : wishing it to be understood that He is our Keeper. In pity then He drew nigh, He took care of him, brought him to an inn, fulfilled His mercy towards him : now he is able to walk, he is able even to fly. Whither should he fly but to God, where he hath made for himself a house of refuge?
9. Ver. 3. For Thou art my strength and my refuge; and for Thy Name's sake Thou shall be my guide, and shalt nourish me. Not for my merit's sake, but for Thy Name's sake, that Thou mayest be glorified, not because I am worthy. Thou shall be my guide, that I go not astray from Thee ; and Thou shalt nourish me, that I may be strong to eat the food, wherewith Thou feedest angels. For
here hath He nourished us with milk, Who hath promised us heavenly food ; and hath exercised a mother's pity. For
as a mother, when suckling, conveys through the flesh the same food which the infant is not able to take, and infuses milk ; (for the little one receives the same as he would receive at table, but what is conveyed through the flesh is suited to the little one ;) so the Lord, that He might make His wisdom milk to us, came to us clothed with Flesh. Hence the Body of Christ speaketh, Tliou shalt nourish me.
10. Thou shall bring me out of this trap, which they have hidden for me. Now is suffering intimated, Thou shalt bring me out of this trap which they have hidden for me. Nor is it that suffering only, wherewith our Lord Jesus Christ suffered ; the devil hath spread his trap even unto the end. And woe to that man that falleth into it; now every one doth fall, who tIrusteth not in God, who saith not, In
Thee, O Lord, have
confounded for
trusted, let me not be
ever, and in Thy righteousness rescue me, and deliver me.
The trap of the enemy hath been spread, and prepared. He hath baited the trap with error and terror ; error to entice with, terror to crush and hurry away. Shut thou the door of desire against error, shut the door of fear against terror, and thou shalt be led out of the trap. Of this kind of fight
246 The Body of Christ tempted variously at different times.
Psalm thy Captain Himself, Who for thy sake vouchsafed even to Exf. ii. De tempted, hath given thee an example in Himself. And Srnm. 1. He was first tempted with enticements ; for the door of
desire was tempted in Him, when the devil tempted Him, Matt. 4, saying, Command these stones, that they be made bread. Luke 4 Worship me, and Iwill give Thee these kingdoms. Cast 3. &c.
Ps. 118, s 1
was shaken that might fall, and the Lord held me up. But when these
Thyself down, for it hath been written, He hath given His an gels charge over Thee, and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. All this enticement tempts desire. But when he found the door of desire shut in Him, Who was tempted for us, he be took himself to tempting the door of fear, and prepared suffering for Him. In a word, the Evangelist speaketh thus,
Luke 4, And the temptation being ended, the devil departed from Him for a season. What is, for a season ? As if he would return, and tempt the gate of fear, because he found the gate of desire closed. The whole Body then of Christ is tempted even unto the end. My Brethren, when some evil or other was enjoined against the Christians, this Body was attacked together, the whole was attackIed: hence it was /aid in the Psalm, As a heap of sand
things were over, which attacked the whole Body that it
it might fall, temptation began in its separate parts. The 1 so o. xf. Body of Christ is tempted part by part1: one Church does not suffer persecution, another does. It suffers not the rage
of the Emperor, but the rage of an evil people. How great devastations from the populace ! How great evils have been heaped upon the Church by bad Christians, by those,
Luke 5, who, having been taken in that net, have so multiplied, as to
7.
weigh down the ships in that fishing of the Lord before the Passion ! There is no want then of the weighing down of temptation. Let no one say to himself, " It is not a time of temptation. " Whoso saith this to himself,
promiseth himself peace : whoso promiseth himself peace, is assaulted
off his guard. Let the whole Body of Christ then say, (ver. 4. ) Thou wilt bring me out of this trap, which they have hidden for me : because our Head even hath been brought out of the trap, which they hid for Him, to Whom it was just now said in the Gospel, that they would say,
Our Lord, using words from the Psalms, shewed them His. 247
This is the heir; come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance Ver. will be ours. And on being questioned, What will the a' 6. Lord of the vineyard do to the wicked husbandmen ? they 9. " pronounced sentence against themselves : He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard to
other husbandmen. What, and have ye never read, 7%eMat. 2i, Stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the42' Head of the corner? For what is here, the builders rejected;
is expressed in the Gospel, they cast out of the vineyard, and slew. He too then hath been delivered. Our Head is above, is free. Let us cleave to Him by love, that we may be hereafter the better united to Him by immortality ; and let us say all, Thou wilt take me out ofthat trap which they have hidden for me; for Thou art my Protector.
'
11. Let us listen to the words ofIthe Lord, which He
spake on the Cross, IntosThy hands
At least when we meet in the Gospel with His words from
this Psalm, let us not doubt that He Himself hath spoken
here. We Ihave this in the Gospel: He said, (ver. 5. ) //j*oL"ke23, Thy hands
and gave up the ghost. It was not without a cause that He30, would have the words of this Psalm to be His own words,
but only that He might warn you that He hath spoken in
this Psalm. Seek Him here: consider how He wished to be sought for in that Psalm, For the taking up of the morning : Ps. 22,
commend My spirit: and He bowed His head,
J0hni9
They pierced My Hands and My Feet ; they numbered \f ? j distinctly all My bones ; yea, they regarded and beheld Me ; tit. p. they divided My garments for themselves, and cast the lot
upon My vesture ; that He might warn thee that this was fulfilled in Himself, He placed in His mouth the heading of
this very Psalm, O God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken ib. 1. Me ? And yet He transferred in a figure the voice of His Body unto Himself; for the Father never at any time forsook
His Only Son. Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of
truth. Doing what Thou hast promised, not failing in Thy promise, O God of truth.
12. Ver. 6. Thou hatest them that hold to vanity uselessly. Who holds to vanity ? He that by fear of death dieth. For by fear of death he lieth, and dieth before he dies, who therefore lied that he might live. Thou wouldest lie that thou
commend My spirit.
248 Vanities in which men trust. Man's hard necessities.
Psalm mayest not die: thou both liest, and diest; and whereas XXXI. .
Exp. n. thou shunnest one death, which thou canst put off, but canst
Serm. *. not put away, thou fallest into two, so as that thou diest first in soul, and afterwards in body. Whence is this, but from holding to vanity? Because the passing day is sweet to
js_ 40 6-- 8-
thee, because the flying seasons, of which thou retainest nothing and art moreover thyself retained, are sweet to thee. Thou hatest them that hold to vanity uselessly. But I, who
do not hold to vanity, have trusted in the Lord. Thou trustest in money, thou holdest by vanity: thou trustest in honour and in some eminence of human power, thou holdest to vanity : thou trustest in some powerful friend, thou hold est to vanity. When thou trustest in all these things, either thou diest and leavest them here ; or in thy lifetime they all perish, and thou failest in thy trust. Of this vanity Isaiah maketh mention, when he saith, All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof is as the flower ofgrass: the grass wither- eth, and the flower thereoffalleth; but the word of the Lord abidethfor ever. But I am not as they who trust in vanity, and do hold to vanity; but have trusted in the Lord, Who is
not vanity. / will be glad, and in
13. Ver. 7. rejoice Thy mercy,
not in mine own righteousness. For Thou hast regarded my humiliation, Thou hast saved my soul from necessities, and hast not shut me up into the hands of the enemy. What are the necessities, from which we wish our soul to be saved? Who can number them ? Who duly amplify them ? Who fitly set them forth, to be shunned and avoided ? First it is a hard necessity in the human race, not to know another's heart, to think ill frequently of a faithful friend, to think well frequently of a faithless friend.
O hard necessity ! And what canst thou do to look into hearts? what eye apply, O weak and lamentable mortality ? What canst thou do to see to-day thy brother's heart? Thou hast nothing thou canst do. There is another greater necessity,
thou seest not even thine. own, how it will be to-morrow. What shall I now say of the necessities of mortality itself? Death is inevitable, and no man wishes it. No man wishes what is inevitable. No man wishes that, which will be, whether he will or no. Hard necessity, not to wish that
Death a hardship. Hard conflict with evil. 249 which cannot be shunned! For if it were possible, we should Ver. a.
-
be unwilling doubtless to die; and should wish to be made
as Angels, but by some transformation, not by death: as the Apostle saith, We have a building of God, a house not made 2 Cor. 5, with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven, ifso be that we be found clothed and not naked.
For we who are in this habitation do groan, being burdened: wherein we would not be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality may be swallowed up of life. We wish to attain
unto the kingdom of God, but we do not wish it through
death: and yet necessity saith unto thee, This way shalt
thou come. Dost thou hesitate, O man, to come this way,
when God hath come this way to thee? What again are the necessities in conquering most inveterate lusts, and evil
habits the growth of years ? To conquer habit, you know,
is a hard battle. Thou seest how evil are thy deeds, how
detestable, how unhappy; and yet thou doest the same:
thou didst so yesterday, thou wilt do so to-day. If they are
thus displeasing to thee, whilst I am speaking, how do they displease thee, when thou thinkest on them ? And yet thou
wilt do the same. By what art thou hurried along? who
drags thee captive ? Is it that law in thy members warring againIst the law of thy mind? Cry out then, Wretched man Rom. 7, that
am, who shall deliver me the body this death? from of
Tlie grace of God through Jesus Christ our LordI: and so that
is fulfilled in thee, which we just now said, But
have trusted
I will be glad, and rejoice in Tliy mercy ;
in the Lord :
Thou hast regarded my humiliation, Thou hast saved my soul from necessities. For how hath thy soul been saved from necessities, but because thy humiliation hath been re garded ? Unless thou wert first humbled, He would not hear thee, Who should deliver thee from neceIssities. He was
humbled, who being ignorant of God's Righteousness, and Rom. 1 0,
wishing to establish their own, have not submitted themselves3"
to the Righteousness of God.
14. Ver. 8. And Thou hast not shut me up into the hands
of the enemy. Not thy neighbour, not thy partner, not him
am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? They were not
humbled, who said, Wretched man that
for
II.
as we ought to pray for. We have another enemy, the devil, the old serpent. We all at death, if we die well, are delivered out of his hands. For whoever die ill, in their iniquities, are shut up into his hands, that they should be condemned with him at the end. The Lord our God then delivereth us from the hand of our enemy ; for he wishes to catch us by our lusts. Now our lusts, when they are strong, and when we serve them, are called necessities. But when God delivereth our soul from our necessities, what shall there be which the enemy can lay hold of in us, that we should be shut up into his hands ?
15. Thou hast set myfeet in a large room. But yet, the way is narrow: it is narrow to the toiling, broad to the loving. The same way which is narrow, is made broad. In a large room, saith he, Thou hast set my feet, that my feet straitened for room should not knock against each other, and by such knocking throw me down. What then doth he mean by saying, Thou hast set my feet in a large room ? Thou hast plainly made righteousness easy to me, which once was difficult to me : this Thou hast set my feet in a large room.
16. Ver. 9. Have mercy on me, Lord, for am troubled; mine eye hath been disordered anger, my soul, and my belly. For my life hath failed in pain, and my years in groanings. Let this suffice you, dearly beloved: with the help of the Lord, we will perhaps fulfil our engage ment, that this Psalm ended, we may proceed on our way*.
PSALM XXXI.
SERMON II.
Let our attention turn again to the rest of the Psalm,
and let us recognise ourselves in the words of the Prophet. For we look into ourselves in the time of tribulation, we
We may see from this that the strange place, not in the Church of
250 Our Ghostly Enemy. The narrow way large to love.
Psalm with whom thou hast been on service, and injured him, or it
XXXI ?
Srrm. " may be *n thine own city hast done wrong to : for these are such
first and the two following discourses on Ps. 30. (31. ) were delivered in a
Hippo. Ben.
>>
if
1.
O by
I
is,
The one Body of Christ not all in one state. 251
shall rejoice in the time of retribution. I set forth to you, Ver. dearly beloved, when I was expounding the first part of this ----- Psalm, that it is Christ Who speaketh; and I did not omit
to say how that Christ is to be taken. Wholly, with the
Head and the Body. I established this also by testimonies of Scripture, as it appeared to me, adequate enough and clear; so that it could not in any wise be doubted that Christ is Head and Body, Bridegroom and Bride, the Son of God and the Church, the Son of God made Son of Man for our sakes, that He might make the sons of men sons of God ; and so there might be two in one flesh in a great mystery, who are recognised in the Prophets as two in one voice. The thanksgiving of the Psalmist himself hath been expressed above in the words, Thou hast regarded my humiliation, Thou hast saved my soul from necessities, and hast not shut me up into the hands qf the enemy; Thou hast set my feet in a large room. It is the thanksgiving of Man delivered from tribulation, of Christ's members delivered from affliction and snarIes. And again he saith,
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for
lation of course there is straitness: how then, Thou hast
set my feet in a large room? If he be still troubled, how
are his feet in a large room? Is it haply so that there is one voice, because there is indeed one Body ; but in some of the members thereof largeness is felt, in others straitness, that
is, some feel the easiness of righteousness, others are dis tressed in tribulation ? For if the condition of different members was not different, the Apostle would not say, If\ Cor. one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; and j/"12. 26.
one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Some Churches, for instance, have peace, some are in tribu lation ; in such as have peace the feet are in a large room ; such as are in tribulation suffer straitness ; but both the tribulation of the latter saddens the former, and the peace of the former comforts the latter. For the Body is in such wise one, that there is no schism; now nothing maketh schism but dissension. But charity produceth closeness, closeness embraceth unity, unity preserveth charity, charity attaineth to glory. Let her say then in the person of some members, (ver. 9. ) Have mercy on me, O Lord, for
am troubled. In tribu
252 Trouble arising from evil men in the Church.
Psalm /am troubled; mine eye hath been disturbed by anger, my gBRM J soul, and my belly.
H.
before he seemed to rejoice in his deliverance, through a certain righteousness poured in upon him bountifully by the gift of God, and room thereby made for his feet in the expanse of charity. Whence then is this trouble also,
Mat. 24, unless peradventure from that which the Lord saith, Because
12,
iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold? For when at first the fewness of the saints had been set forth, by the casting as it were of the net, the Church was
2. We ask, whence comes this trouble, since a little
and countless numbers were taken, of whom it Ps. 40 9. had been foretold, / declared, and spake, they were mul
tiplied out of number. Who were even to overload the ships, and break the nets, as it was recorded in that first fishing before the Lord's Passion. Out of these multitudes then are those numbers swelled, by whom the Churches through out Easter are so crammed, that the confined space of the walls cannot contain the crowds of them. Now how should he not be troubled for this multitude, when he seeth those very same filling the theatres and amphitheatres, who a
little before filled the Churches? those very same in their iniquities, who were a little before in the praises of God ? those very same blaspheming God, who were answering Amen unto God? Let him abide, let him endure, let him not fail, even in the abounding multitude of the wicked, because neither does the grain of corn fail in the multitude of the chaff, until that after the time of fanning he be sent into the barn, and there be in the company of the saints, and suffer nothing from the clouds of dust. Let him then endure to the end, because the Lord too, when He had said, Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold, lest through this, that abundance of iniquity is fore- announced, our feet should slip and stumble, immediately added for the encouragement and consolation and con-
Mat54 firmation of the faithful, saying, He that shall persevere unto I3' the end, the same shall be saved.
3. Give heed accordingly to the Psalmist, situated, as it appears to me, in this trouble. When as being in trouble he ought as it were to grieve, (for trouble hath a suitable
multiplied,
Fear and lawful anger at the prevalence of evil. 253 partner in grief,) he declares that he is angrIy in trouble, and Ver.
-- mine eye hath been disordered by anger. If thou art in
:--
saith, Have mercy on me, 0 Lord, for
am in trouble,
trouble, why art thou angry? He is angry for others'
sins. Who would not be angry, seeing men confessing
God with their mouths, and in their lives denying Him ?
Who would not be angry, seeing men renouncing the world
in word, and not in deed ? Who would not be angry, seeing brethren plotting against brethren, not keeping good faith with
the kiss, which they imprint in the Sacraments of God?
And who can enumerate all the things, at which the Body of Christ is angry, which liveth interiorily by the Spirit of Christ, which groaneth as the grain among the chaff? For
they scarcely appear who thus groan, who are thus angry ;
as the grain scarcely appears, when the floor is being threshed. He who knows not how many ears have been gathered in, thinks the whole chaff; and out of this which
is all thought to be chaff, a large heap will be cleansed.
Among these then, who do not appear and who groan, he is angry, who saith in another place, The zeal of Tliine house p>. 69,9. hath eaten me up. He saith too in another place, when he
seeth many doing evil, Weariness possessed me, at sinIners Ps. 119,
He saith again in another place, wasted away.
forsaking Thy law. I the senseless, and
saw
^'iss
4. But for this anger, there is cause for fear, lest it be so
great, as to be turned into hatred. For anger is not yet hatred. For thou art angry with thy son, thou dost not hate
the child; thou art keeping his inheritance for him, who is sensible of thine anger ; and therefore thou art angry, lest he
lose what thou mayest have kept for him, should he turn
out ill", by depraved habits. Anger then is not yet hatred:
we do not yet hate them, with whom we are angry; but
if this anger abide and be not quickly plucked out, it increases and becomes hatred. Therefore that new born
anger be plucked out, and turn not into hatred, Scripture
thus teacheth us, saying, Let not the sun go down upon your Eph. 4, tcrath. Now thou dost sometimes meet with a brother26. cherishing hatred, and he reproves one who is angry : there
is hatred in him, and he blames anger in another ; he hath
* Ben. read ' male vivens,' but add that all Mm. hare ' male evadens,' and >o ours.
254 The eye disturbed by anger. The Church's eating.
Psalm a beam in his own eye, and reproveth a mote in his brother's Bkrm. eye. But that mote and shoot, if it be not quickly plucked *T. out, will become a beam. He doth not therefore say, Mine
eye hath been put out by anger, but disordered. For, if it
be put out, it is now hatred, not anger. And, see how that l John it is put out. Hence John saith, He that hateth his brother
2, 9'
eorum
is in darkness even until now. Before one then pass into darkness, the eye is disordered by anger ; but care must be taken that the anger turn not into hatred, and the eye be put out. Therefore he saith, Mine eye hath been disordered for anger, my soul and my belly, that is, my inward parts have been disturbed. He used belly for inward parts. For sometimes with the wicked, and perverse, with those who wander from the law, and live evilly, one may be angry, one may not cry out. When we are angry and may not cry out, our inward parts are disturbed. For so great sometimes is the perver sity that it cannot be corrected.
5. Ver. 10. For my life hath failed in pain, and my years 1 Thess. tre groanings. My life hath failed in pain, he saith. Now
we live, saith the Apostle, if ye standfast in the Lord. Whosoever are perfect through the Gospel and the grace of God, live not here but for others ; for their life in this world
dispell- is no more necessary for them. But, because their services
are necessary for others, there occurs in their case what the Phil. 1, same Apostle saith, Having a desire to depart, and be with Christ; for it is far best: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is needful for you. Now when a man sees that from his services, from his labours, from his preaching men make no
progress, his life is weakened by want. A truly miserable want and hunger, since those whom we gain to the Lord the
Church in a manner eateth. What is eateth ?
her body. For whatever we eat we pass into our body. This the Church doeth by the Saints. She hungereth after those she would gain, and those whom she has gained in any way she in a manner eateth. Peter represented this Church, when a vessel was let down to him from heaven,
Acts 10, full of all manner of four-footed beasts, creeping things, and fowls of the air: by which kinds all the Gentiles are denoted. The Lord shewed the Church in figure beforehand, that she should devour all the Gentiles, and change them into her own body : and He said to Peter, Kill and eat. O Church,
Passeth into
Her groaning. The vine-branch, cut off, can only be burnt. 255
(that is, O Peter, for upon this rock I will build my Church,) Ver. kill and eat. First kill, and so eat. Kill what they are,
and make them what thou art. When then the Gospel is is. preached, and he who preaches it sees that men make no progress, how can he not cry out, For my life hath failed in pain, and my years in groanings? My strength hath been weakened by want, and my bones have been disturbed.
These years of ours, which we pass here, are in groanings.
Why? Because iniquity hath abounded, the love of many Mat. 24,
waxeth cold. In groanings, not in plain speeches. When
the Church seeth many going wrong, she stifles her groans
in her own breast, so as to say to God, My groaning is no* Fs. 38,9. hid from Thee. So it is said in another Psalm, but it is suitable here ; My groaning, though hidden from men, hath
not been hidden from Thee. My strength hath been weak
ened by want, and my bones have been disturbed. Of this
want we have spoken above. By bones are meant the strong
ones of the Church, who, though they be not disturbed by
the persecutions of aliens, are nevertheless disturbed by the iniquities of brethren.
have been made a reproach above all mine
have been made a reproach above all mine enemies.
the kindnesses of God have prevented thee. Glory then be to
Him Who delivereth us. For all have sinned, and are in Rom. 3, need of the glory of God. In Thee, then, O Lord, have I23' trusted, not in myself: let me not be confounded for ever, because I trust in Him, Who confoundeth not. In Righteousness rescue me, and deliver me. Since Thou hast
not found in me my own righteousness, rescue me in Thine : that is, let that rescue me which justifieth me, which maketh me of ungodly godly, of unrighteous righteous, of blind seeing, of falling rising, of weeping rejoicing. This delivereth me : not I myself. In Thy Righteousness rescue me, and deliver me.
7. Ver. 2. Bend down Thine ear unto me. God did this, when He sent Christ Himself unto us. He sent Him to us, Who bending His Head wrote with His Finger on the earth, when the adulterous woman was brought before Him6. to be punished. But He had before bent Himself to the earth, that God to man, to whom was said, Earth thou Gen art, and unto earth thou shall go. For God doth not bend 19. His Ear to us as in bodily space, nor He bounded by these circumscribed bodily members. Nay, let not human fancies form any such notions as these. God Truth. Truth neither square, nor round, nor long. It every where present, the eye of the heart be open to It. Never theless God bendeth His Ear to us, letting down mercy upon
us. What greater mercy, than that He should give us His Only One, not to live with us, but to die for us Bend doum Tltine Ear unto me.
8. Make haste to deliver me. For he heard in this, when he saith, Make haste. For for this purpose this word was used, that thou mayest understand how that all this age, which seems to us while passing long, but moment. That not long, which hath an end. The period from Adam to this day passed, and much more in truth halh been passed already, than remains to be passed. If Adam were still living, and should die to-day what would profit him to have been so long, to have lived so long? Why then
'"--
Thy
r2
;
it is
is
is
is
it is
is
is
a is it ? is
if
is, if
3
244 Man cannot even seek refuge, save as enabled.
Psalm this haste ? Because time flies by, and what is slow tc 2? jl|thee, is in God's sight short. This haste he had already Serm. t. understood in ecstasy. Make haste to deliver me. Be unto
me a God Who prolecteth me, and a house of refuge, that Thou mayest save me. Be Thou unto me a house of refuge, a God Who protecteth, a house of refuge. For sometimes 1 am in peril, and Iwould fly: whither do Ifly? to what place fly safely ? to what hill ? to what cave ? to what guarded shelter ? What castle can I hold ? with what walls be encompassed? Whithersoever I go, I accompany my self. For, O man, whatsoever thou wilt, thou canst fly, except thy conscience. Enter into thy house, rest on thy bed, enter the inner chambers ; thou canst have no place within, whither thou mayest fly from thy conscience, if thy
sins torment thee. But because he hath said, Make haste to deliver me, and rescue me in Thy Righteousness, that
Thou mayest remit my sins, and build up Thy Righteous ness in me : Thou shalt be to me a house of refuge, to Thee do I fly. For whither shall I fly from Thee ? God is angry with thee, whither wilt thou fly ? Hear what, in fear of the
Ps. 139, anger of God, he saith in another Psalm, Whither shall
go
'" 8"
Ifly from from
if
servant, to escape a human master, Thou fliest to places where Thy master is not : to escape God, fly to the Lord. For there is no place, whither thou mayest fly from God. All things are present and naked to the eyes of the Almighty. Be Thou then to me, saith he, a house of refuge. For if I shall not be made whole, how shall I fly
I Thy Spirit ? or, whither shall
climb up into heaven, Tliouart there:
I
hell, Thou art present. Whithersoever I go, there I find Thee. And if Thou art angry, I find Thee an Avenger ; if Thou art propitious, an Helper. Nothing then remains for me, but to fly unto Thee, not from Thee. If Thou art a
If
go
down into
? Make me whole, and I fly to Thee. For if Thou dost not make me whole, I cannot walk : how shall I be able to fly ? Whither should he go, whither fly, if he be unable to walk, half dead in the way, maimed and wounded by robbers ? Whom the priest going by passed over, the Levite going by passed over, the Samaritan going by pitied, that the Lord Himself, Who
hath pitied the race of man. For Samarite
by interpreta
I Thy presence?
is
is,
Christ our Keeper. Hefeeds now with milk. Satan's trap. 245
tion keeper. And who keepeth us, if He deserteth us? Ver. With good reason, when the Jews said railing at Him, Say il tee not truly that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil ? 48. 49. ' He rejected the one, accepted the other, saying, / have not
a devil. He did not say, I am not a Samaritan : wishing it to be understood that He is our Keeper. In pity then He drew nigh, He took care of him, brought him to an inn, fulfilled His mercy towards him : now he is able to walk, he is able even to fly. Whither should he fly but to God, where he hath made for himself a house of refuge?
9. Ver. 3. For Thou art my strength and my refuge; and for Thy Name's sake Thou shall be my guide, and shalt nourish me. Not for my merit's sake, but for Thy Name's sake, that Thou mayest be glorified, not because I am worthy. Thou shall be my guide, that I go not astray from Thee ; and Thou shalt nourish me, that I may be strong to eat the food, wherewith Thou feedest angels. For
here hath He nourished us with milk, Who hath promised us heavenly food ; and hath exercised a mother's pity. For
as a mother, when suckling, conveys through the flesh the same food which the infant is not able to take, and infuses milk ; (for the little one receives the same as he would receive at table, but what is conveyed through the flesh is suited to the little one ;) so the Lord, that He might make His wisdom milk to us, came to us clothed with Flesh. Hence the Body of Christ speaketh, Tliou shalt nourish me.
10. Thou shall bring me out of this trap, which they have hidden for me. Now is suffering intimated, Thou shalt bring me out of this trap which they have hidden for me. Nor is it that suffering only, wherewith our Lord Jesus Christ suffered ; the devil hath spread his trap even unto the end. And woe to that man that falleth into it; now every one doth fall, who tIrusteth not in God, who saith not, In
Thee, O Lord, have
confounded for
trusted, let me not be
ever, and in Thy righteousness rescue me, and deliver me.
The trap of the enemy hath been spread, and prepared. He hath baited the trap with error and terror ; error to entice with, terror to crush and hurry away. Shut thou the door of desire against error, shut the door of fear against terror, and thou shalt be led out of the trap. Of this kind of fight
246 The Body of Christ tempted variously at different times.
Psalm thy Captain Himself, Who for thy sake vouchsafed even to Exf. ii. De tempted, hath given thee an example in Himself. And Srnm. 1. He was first tempted with enticements ; for the door of
desire was tempted in Him, when the devil tempted Him, Matt. 4, saying, Command these stones, that they be made bread. Luke 4 Worship me, and Iwill give Thee these kingdoms. Cast 3. &c.
Ps. 118, s 1
was shaken that might fall, and the Lord held me up. But when these
Thyself down, for it hath been written, He hath given His an gels charge over Thee, and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. All this enticement tempts desire. But when he found the door of desire shut in Him, Who was tempted for us, he be took himself to tempting the door of fear, and prepared suffering for Him. In a word, the Evangelist speaketh thus,
Luke 4, And the temptation being ended, the devil departed from Him for a season. What is, for a season ? As if he would return, and tempt the gate of fear, because he found the gate of desire closed. The whole Body then of Christ is tempted even unto the end. My Brethren, when some evil or other was enjoined against the Christians, this Body was attacked together, the whole was attackIed: hence it was /aid in the Psalm, As a heap of sand
things were over, which attacked the whole Body that it
it might fall, temptation began in its separate parts. The 1 so o. xf. Body of Christ is tempted part by part1: one Church does not suffer persecution, another does. It suffers not the rage
of the Emperor, but the rage of an evil people. How great devastations from the populace ! How great evils have been heaped upon the Church by bad Christians, by those,
Luke 5, who, having been taken in that net, have so multiplied, as to
7.
weigh down the ships in that fishing of the Lord before the Passion ! There is no want then of the weighing down of temptation. Let no one say to himself, " It is not a time of temptation. " Whoso saith this to himself,
promiseth himself peace : whoso promiseth himself peace, is assaulted
off his guard. Let the whole Body of Christ then say, (ver. 4. ) Thou wilt bring me out of this trap, which they have hidden for me : because our Head even hath been brought out of the trap, which they hid for Him, to Whom it was just now said in the Gospel, that they would say,
Our Lord, using words from the Psalms, shewed them His. 247
This is the heir; come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance Ver. will be ours. And on being questioned, What will the a' 6. Lord of the vineyard do to the wicked husbandmen ? they 9. " pronounced sentence against themselves : He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard to
other husbandmen. What, and have ye never read, 7%eMat. 2i, Stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the42' Head of the corner? For what is here, the builders rejected;
is expressed in the Gospel, they cast out of the vineyard, and slew. He too then hath been delivered. Our Head is above, is free. Let us cleave to Him by love, that we may be hereafter the better united to Him by immortality ; and let us say all, Thou wilt take me out ofthat trap which they have hidden for me; for Thou art my Protector.
'
11. Let us listen to the words ofIthe Lord, which He
spake on the Cross, IntosThy hands
At least when we meet in the Gospel with His words from
this Psalm, let us not doubt that He Himself hath spoken
here. We Ihave this in the Gospel: He said, (ver. 5. ) //j*oL"ke23, Thy hands
and gave up the ghost. It was not without a cause that He30, would have the words of this Psalm to be His own words,
but only that He might warn you that He hath spoken in
this Psalm. Seek Him here: consider how He wished to be sought for in that Psalm, For the taking up of the morning : Ps. 22,
commend My spirit: and He bowed His head,
J0hni9
They pierced My Hands and My Feet ; they numbered \f ? j distinctly all My bones ; yea, they regarded and beheld Me ; tit. p. they divided My garments for themselves, and cast the lot
upon My vesture ; that He might warn thee that this was fulfilled in Himself, He placed in His mouth the heading of
this very Psalm, O God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken ib. 1. Me ? And yet He transferred in a figure the voice of His Body unto Himself; for the Father never at any time forsook
His Only Son. Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of
truth. Doing what Thou hast promised, not failing in Thy promise, O God of truth.
12. Ver. 6. Thou hatest them that hold to vanity uselessly. Who holds to vanity ? He that by fear of death dieth. For by fear of death he lieth, and dieth before he dies, who therefore lied that he might live. Thou wouldest lie that thou
commend My spirit.
248 Vanities in which men trust. Man's hard necessities.
Psalm mayest not die: thou both liest, and diest; and whereas XXXI. .
Exp. n. thou shunnest one death, which thou canst put off, but canst
Serm. *. not put away, thou fallest into two, so as that thou diest first in soul, and afterwards in body. Whence is this, but from holding to vanity? Because the passing day is sweet to
js_ 40 6-- 8-
thee, because the flying seasons, of which thou retainest nothing and art moreover thyself retained, are sweet to thee. Thou hatest them that hold to vanity uselessly. But I, who
do not hold to vanity, have trusted in the Lord. Thou trustest in money, thou holdest by vanity: thou trustest in honour and in some eminence of human power, thou holdest to vanity : thou trustest in some powerful friend, thou hold est to vanity. When thou trustest in all these things, either thou diest and leavest them here ; or in thy lifetime they all perish, and thou failest in thy trust. Of this vanity Isaiah maketh mention, when he saith, All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof is as the flower ofgrass: the grass wither- eth, and the flower thereoffalleth; but the word of the Lord abidethfor ever. But I am not as they who trust in vanity, and do hold to vanity; but have trusted in the Lord, Who is
not vanity. / will be glad, and in
13. Ver. 7. rejoice Thy mercy,
not in mine own righteousness. For Thou hast regarded my humiliation, Thou hast saved my soul from necessities, and hast not shut me up into the hands of the enemy. What are the necessities, from which we wish our soul to be saved? Who can number them ? Who duly amplify them ? Who fitly set them forth, to be shunned and avoided ? First it is a hard necessity in the human race, not to know another's heart, to think ill frequently of a faithful friend, to think well frequently of a faithless friend.
O hard necessity ! And what canst thou do to look into hearts? what eye apply, O weak and lamentable mortality ? What canst thou do to see to-day thy brother's heart? Thou hast nothing thou canst do. There is another greater necessity,
thou seest not even thine. own, how it will be to-morrow. What shall I now say of the necessities of mortality itself? Death is inevitable, and no man wishes it. No man wishes what is inevitable. No man wishes that, which will be, whether he will or no. Hard necessity, not to wish that
Death a hardship. Hard conflict with evil. 249 which cannot be shunned! For if it were possible, we should Ver. a.
-
be unwilling doubtless to die; and should wish to be made
as Angels, but by some transformation, not by death: as the Apostle saith, We have a building of God, a house not made 2 Cor. 5, with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven, ifso be that we be found clothed and not naked.
For we who are in this habitation do groan, being burdened: wherein we would not be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality may be swallowed up of life. We wish to attain
unto the kingdom of God, but we do not wish it through
death: and yet necessity saith unto thee, This way shalt
thou come. Dost thou hesitate, O man, to come this way,
when God hath come this way to thee? What again are the necessities in conquering most inveterate lusts, and evil
habits the growth of years ? To conquer habit, you know,
is a hard battle. Thou seest how evil are thy deeds, how
detestable, how unhappy; and yet thou doest the same:
thou didst so yesterday, thou wilt do so to-day. If they are
thus displeasing to thee, whilst I am speaking, how do they displease thee, when thou thinkest on them ? And yet thou
wilt do the same. By what art thou hurried along? who
drags thee captive ? Is it that law in thy members warring againIst the law of thy mind? Cry out then, Wretched man Rom. 7, that
am, who shall deliver me the body this death? from of
Tlie grace of God through Jesus Christ our LordI: and so that
is fulfilled in thee, which we just now said, But
have trusted
I will be glad, and rejoice in Tliy mercy ;
in the Lord :
Thou hast regarded my humiliation, Thou hast saved my soul from necessities. For how hath thy soul been saved from necessities, but because thy humiliation hath been re garded ? Unless thou wert first humbled, He would not hear thee, Who should deliver thee from neceIssities. He was
humbled, who being ignorant of God's Righteousness, and Rom. 1 0,
wishing to establish their own, have not submitted themselves3"
to the Righteousness of God.
14. Ver. 8. And Thou hast not shut me up into the hands
of the enemy. Not thy neighbour, not thy partner, not him
am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? They were not
humbled, who said, Wretched man that
for
II.
as we ought to pray for. We have another enemy, the devil, the old serpent. We all at death, if we die well, are delivered out of his hands. For whoever die ill, in their iniquities, are shut up into his hands, that they should be condemned with him at the end. The Lord our God then delivereth us from the hand of our enemy ; for he wishes to catch us by our lusts. Now our lusts, when they are strong, and when we serve them, are called necessities. But when God delivereth our soul from our necessities, what shall there be which the enemy can lay hold of in us, that we should be shut up into his hands ?
15. Thou hast set myfeet in a large room. But yet, the way is narrow: it is narrow to the toiling, broad to the loving. The same way which is narrow, is made broad. In a large room, saith he, Thou hast set my feet, that my feet straitened for room should not knock against each other, and by such knocking throw me down. What then doth he mean by saying, Thou hast set my feet in a large room ? Thou hast plainly made righteousness easy to me, which once was difficult to me : this Thou hast set my feet in a large room.
16. Ver. 9. Have mercy on me, Lord, for am troubled; mine eye hath been disordered anger, my soul, and my belly. For my life hath failed in pain, and my years in groanings. Let this suffice you, dearly beloved: with the help of the Lord, we will perhaps fulfil our engage ment, that this Psalm ended, we may proceed on our way*.
PSALM XXXI.
SERMON II.
Let our attention turn again to the rest of the Psalm,
and let us recognise ourselves in the words of the Prophet. For we look into ourselves in the time of tribulation, we
We may see from this that the strange place, not in the Church of
250 Our Ghostly Enemy. The narrow way large to love.
Psalm with whom thou hast been on service, and injured him, or it
XXXI ?
Srrm. " may be *n thine own city hast done wrong to : for these are such
first and the two following discourses on Ps. 30. (31. ) were delivered in a
Hippo. Ben.
>>
if
1.
O by
I
is,
The one Body of Christ not all in one state. 251
shall rejoice in the time of retribution. I set forth to you, Ver. dearly beloved, when I was expounding the first part of this ----- Psalm, that it is Christ Who speaketh; and I did not omit
to say how that Christ is to be taken. Wholly, with the
Head and the Body. I established this also by testimonies of Scripture, as it appeared to me, adequate enough and clear; so that it could not in any wise be doubted that Christ is Head and Body, Bridegroom and Bride, the Son of God and the Church, the Son of God made Son of Man for our sakes, that He might make the sons of men sons of God ; and so there might be two in one flesh in a great mystery, who are recognised in the Prophets as two in one voice. The thanksgiving of the Psalmist himself hath been expressed above in the words, Thou hast regarded my humiliation, Thou hast saved my soul from necessities, and hast not shut me up into the hands qf the enemy; Thou hast set my feet in a large room. It is the thanksgiving of Man delivered from tribulation, of Christ's members delivered from affliction and snarIes. And again he saith,
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for
lation of course there is straitness: how then, Thou hast
set my feet in a large room? If he be still troubled, how
are his feet in a large room? Is it haply so that there is one voice, because there is indeed one Body ; but in some of the members thereof largeness is felt, in others straitness, that
is, some feel the easiness of righteousness, others are dis tressed in tribulation ? For if the condition of different members was not different, the Apostle would not say, If\ Cor. one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; and j/"12. 26.
one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Some Churches, for instance, have peace, some are in tribu lation ; in such as have peace the feet are in a large room ; such as are in tribulation suffer straitness ; but both the tribulation of the latter saddens the former, and the peace of the former comforts the latter. For the Body is in such wise one, that there is no schism; now nothing maketh schism but dissension. But charity produceth closeness, closeness embraceth unity, unity preserveth charity, charity attaineth to glory. Let her say then in the person of some members, (ver. 9. ) Have mercy on me, O Lord, for
am troubled. In tribu
252 Trouble arising from evil men in the Church.
Psalm /am troubled; mine eye hath been disturbed by anger, my gBRM J soul, and my belly.
H.
before he seemed to rejoice in his deliverance, through a certain righteousness poured in upon him bountifully by the gift of God, and room thereby made for his feet in the expanse of charity. Whence then is this trouble also,
Mat. 24, unless peradventure from that which the Lord saith, Because
12,
iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold? For when at first the fewness of the saints had been set forth, by the casting as it were of the net, the Church was
2. We ask, whence comes this trouble, since a little
and countless numbers were taken, of whom it Ps. 40 9. had been foretold, / declared, and spake, they were mul
tiplied out of number. Who were even to overload the ships, and break the nets, as it was recorded in that first fishing before the Lord's Passion. Out of these multitudes then are those numbers swelled, by whom the Churches through out Easter are so crammed, that the confined space of the walls cannot contain the crowds of them. Now how should he not be troubled for this multitude, when he seeth those very same filling the theatres and amphitheatres, who a
little before filled the Churches? those very same in their iniquities, who were a little before in the praises of God ? those very same blaspheming God, who were answering Amen unto God? Let him abide, let him endure, let him not fail, even in the abounding multitude of the wicked, because neither does the grain of corn fail in the multitude of the chaff, until that after the time of fanning he be sent into the barn, and there be in the company of the saints, and suffer nothing from the clouds of dust. Let him then endure to the end, because the Lord too, when He had said, Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold, lest through this, that abundance of iniquity is fore- announced, our feet should slip and stumble, immediately added for the encouragement and consolation and con-
Mat54 firmation of the faithful, saying, He that shall persevere unto I3' the end, the same shall be saved.
3. Give heed accordingly to the Psalmist, situated, as it appears to me, in this trouble. When as being in trouble he ought as it were to grieve, (for trouble hath a suitable
multiplied,
Fear and lawful anger at the prevalence of evil. 253 partner in grief,) he declares that he is angrIy in trouble, and Ver.
-- mine eye hath been disordered by anger. If thou art in
:--
saith, Have mercy on me, 0 Lord, for
am in trouble,
trouble, why art thou angry? He is angry for others'
sins. Who would not be angry, seeing men confessing
God with their mouths, and in their lives denying Him ?
Who would not be angry, seeing men renouncing the world
in word, and not in deed ? Who would not be angry, seeing brethren plotting against brethren, not keeping good faith with
the kiss, which they imprint in the Sacraments of God?
And who can enumerate all the things, at which the Body of Christ is angry, which liveth interiorily by the Spirit of Christ, which groaneth as the grain among the chaff? For
they scarcely appear who thus groan, who are thus angry ;
as the grain scarcely appears, when the floor is being threshed. He who knows not how many ears have been gathered in, thinks the whole chaff; and out of this which
is all thought to be chaff, a large heap will be cleansed.
Among these then, who do not appear and who groan, he is angry, who saith in another place, The zeal of Tliine house p>. 69,9. hath eaten me up. He saith too in another place, when he
seeth many doing evil, Weariness possessed me, at sinIners Ps. 119,
He saith again in another place, wasted away.
forsaking Thy law. I the senseless, and
saw
^'iss
4. But for this anger, there is cause for fear, lest it be so
great, as to be turned into hatred. For anger is not yet hatred. For thou art angry with thy son, thou dost not hate
the child; thou art keeping his inheritance for him, who is sensible of thine anger ; and therefore thou art angry, lest he
lose what thou mayest have kept for him, should he turn
out ill", by depraved habits. Anger then is not yet hatred:
we do not yet hate them, with whom we are angry; but
if this anger abide and be not quickly plucked out, it increases and becomes hatred. Therefore that new born
anger be plucked out, and turn not into hatred, Scripture
thus teacheth us, saying, Let not the sun go down upon your Eph. 4, tcrath. Now thou dost sometimes meet with a brother26. cherishing hatred, and he reproves one who is angry : there
is hatred in him, and he blames anger in another ; he hath
* Ben. read ' male vivens,' but add that all Mm. hare ' male evadens,' and >o ours.
254 The eye disturbed by anger. The Church's eating.
Psalm a beam in his own eye, and reproveth a mote in his brother's Bkrm. eye. But that mote and shoot, if it be not quickly plucked *T. out, will become a beam. He doth not therefore say, Mine
eye hath been put out by anger, but disordered. For, if it
be put out, it is now hatred, not anger. And, see how that l John it is put out. Hence John saith, He that hateth his brother
2, 9'
eorum
is in darkness even until now. Before one then pass into darkness, the eye is disordered by anger ; but care must be taken that the anger turn not into hatred, and the eye be put out. Therefore he saith, Mine eye hath been disordered for anger, my soul and my belly, that is, my inward parts have been disturbed. He used belly for inward parts. For sometimes with the wicked, and perverse, with those who wander from the law, and live evilly, one may be angry, one may not cry out. When we are angry and may not cry out, our inward parts are disturbed. For so great sometimes is the perver sity that it cannot be corrected.
5. Ver. 10. For my life hath failed in pain, and my years 1 Thess. tre groanings. My life hath failed in pain, he saith. Now
we live, saith the Apostle, if ye standfast in the Lord. Whosoever are perfect through the Gospel and the grace of God, live not here but for others ; for their life in this world
dispell- is no more necessary for them. But, because their services
are necessary for others, there occurs in their case what the Phil. 1, same Apostle saith, Having a desire to depart, and be with Christ; for it is far best: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is needful for you. Now when a man sees that from his services, from his labours, from his preaching men make no
progress, his life is weakened by want. A truly miserable want and hunger, since those whom we gain to the Lord the
Church in a manner eateth. What is eateth ?
her body. For whatever we eat we pass into our body. This the Church doeth by the Saints. She hungereth after those she would gain, and those whom she has gained in any way she in a manner eateth. Peter represented this Church, when a vessel was let down to him from heaven,
Acts 10, full of all manner of four-footed beasts, creeping things, and fowls of the air: by which kinds all the Gentiles are denoted. The Lord shewed the Church in figure beforehand, that she should devour all the Gentiles, and change them into her own body : and He said to Peter, Kill and eat. O Church,
Passeth into
Her groaning. The vine-branch, cut off, can only be burnt. 255
(that is, O Peter, for upon this rock I will build my Church,) Ver. kill and eat. First kill, and so eat. Kill what they are,
and make them what thou art. When then the Gospel is is. preached, and he who preaches it sees that men make no progress, how can he not cry out, For my life hath failed in pain, and my years in groanings? My strength hath been weakened by want, and my bones have been disturbed.
These years of ours, which we pass here, are in groanings.
Why? Because iniquity hath abounded, the love of many Mat. 24,
waxeth cold. In groanings, not in plain speeches. When
the Church seeth many going wrong, she stifles her groans
in her own breast, so as to say to God, My groaning is no* Fs. 38,9. hid from Thee. So it is said in another Psalm, but it is suitable here ; My groaning, though hidden from men, hath
not been hidden from Thee. My strength hath been weak
ened by want, and my bones have been disturbed. Of this
want we have spoken above. By bones are meant the strong
ones of the Church, who, though they be not disturbed by
the persecutions of aliens, are nevertheless disturbed by the iniquities of brethren.
have been made a reproach above all mine
have been made a reproach above all mine enemies.
