EXPOSITION ON PSALM CXLIV
to make those who sing it more brilliant, and by that means to bestow a benefit upon them again. *In a psaltery of ten strings I will sing to thee*; that is, I will give thee thanks. But then truly there were instruments through which songs were emitted; now, however, instead of instruments, we can use the body. For we can sing not just with the tongue, but with the eyes, with the hands, with the feet, and with the ears. For when each of these does those things which bring glory and honor to God—namely, when the eye does not look licentiously, when the hands extend not to rapine but to almsgiving, when the ears are prepared to receive psalms and spiritual discourses, when the feet run to the church, when the heart constructs no guile but is full of love—the limbs of the body become a psaltery and a cithara, and they sing a new song, not by words alone, but by the deeds themselves. For it is not the multitude of soldiers nor satellites and bodyguards A that are accustomed to save, but the help of God. *Who redempit*, he says, *David his servant*. Speaking in common, he now speaks of himself, and he does not say, "Who hath redeemed," but, "Who redeems," showing His perpetual providence. After praying and suppliants requesting to be liberated from wicked men, he says thus: 11. *Rescue me from the malignant sword, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth hath spoken vanity, and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity.*
12. *Whose sons are as new plantations in their youth.* He describes here worldly prosperities and riches; and he places first that which is primary: having children who are flourishing and exulting in their youth, and of both sexes. He therefore added: *Their daughters are adorned, embellished as the likeness of a temple.* Here, along with youth, he shows much luxury, he describes their ribbons and womanly adornment, things which indeed arise from great prosperity. Then, what seems to be secondary, though perhaps it is now primary, he describes riches again, saying: *From this to that.* What is, *Eructantia ex hoc in illud* (pouring forth from this to that)? Narrow storehouses, he says, cannot contain the riches. *Their sheep are fruitful, abundant in their goings forth. 14. Their oxen are fat.* This also did not seem to be a small happiness. For among the ancients, riches were situated in these things—in herds, flocks, and seeds—before today’s sloth and softness were invented. *There is no ruin of the wall, nor passage.* This is: In cultivating fields, great care, diligence, and study are applied, since the fruits are luxuriant, the hedges stand, the vineyard is planted and fortified on all sides. *Nor crying in their streets.* Another says: *In their courtyards.* Another kind of prosperity, but not acquired with whatever wealth: namely, peace, tranquility, and security; no one who lays snares, no one who wages war, but neither any tumult, nor perturbation. 15. *They have called the people blessed that hath these things.* Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord. B Have you seen the virtue of the man? After he brought up all riches, and pursued them with words, and then brought forth the judgment of the common people concerning them, nothing human happens to him, nor does he judge them to be blessed who possess these things, but, passing all these by, he extends his blessedness to the true treasure. Others, he says, have called those blessed who have these things: but I judge the people blessed, *whose God is the Lord*: by this one thing showing all happiness, all plenteousness of good things, all wealth. For those things flow past and pass away, but this blessedness remains perpetually; while, instead of sheep, children, oxen, a fence, and a vineyard, the blessedness of God is destined to be riches, security, and an inexpugnable wall. When therefore you hear these things, let none of you be perturbed by them, but, passing by the shadows, apprehend the truth. For he said previously that man is like to vanity, and his days pass away as a shadow. If, therefore, you see some who abound in all these things living in wickedness, even if the whole world judges them blessed, you judge them to be unhappy and miserable; but those who have dedicated themselves to God, deem them happy and blessed. Let us all seek those riches that are always ours, and this blessedness, so that we may obtain both present and future good things, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and empire, into the ages of ages. Amen.
ON PSALM CXLIV
*I will exalt thee, my God, O King; and I will bless thy name for ever, and for ever and ever.*
1. This Psalm is worthy of being attended to with care. For it consists of those words which those who are initiated into our mysteries sing assiduously, saying: *The eyes of all hope in thee, and thou givest them their food in due season* (v. 15). For he who has been made a son, and enjoys the spiritual table, would C fittingly bring glory to his father. *A son*, he says, *honoreth his father, and a servant his master* (Mal. i, 6). You have been made a son, and you enjoy the spiritual table, eating the flesh and blood of Him who regenerated you: therefore render thanks for such a benefit, and bring glory and honor to Him who provided these things, and when reading the words, compose your mind to those things which are being said; and when you say, *I will exalt thee, my God, my King*, show great familiarity and conjunction, so that God may also say of you, as He did of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: *I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob* (Exod. iii, 6). For if you say, *My God* and *my King*, and do not say it with your voice alone, but also show this love, He Himself will also say these things of you: *My servant and my famulus*—which was also said concerning Moses. *And I will bless thy name for ever, and for ever and ever.* Have you seen how he shows the preludes of the future life? But he shows a blessing here, not one that is made through words, but one through the deeds themselves. So therefore D [[alt-version omitted]]
A it is of a devout soul to be released from the affairs of life and to be dedicated to hymns. For it would be shameful for the rational man, who is more precious than all visible things, to be inferior to creation in the matter of praise; and not only shameful, but also absurd. How is it not absurd, since it [creation] sends up a doxology to the Master every day and every hour? For the heavens, he says, declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands. Day to day pours forth a word, and night to night declares knowledge. The sun and the moon, and the varied choir of the stars, and the good order of all other things, declare their own Creator. He, therefore, who is more precious than all these things, if he does not do this, but even provides a life whereby blasphemy is rubbed against the God who fashioned him, of what forgiveness will such a man be worthy? Or what defense will he have, when he was brought into being so that he might please the philanthropic God and enjoy the kingdom of the future, yet he does not take much thought for this, but wraps himself in worldly dealings and cares? But not so this man, but through his whole life he offered praise to God—the praise through words and the praise through deeds. For we are debtors to him for many things: that he made us when we were not, that he fashioned us such as we are, that he sustains us now that we have come into being, and that every day he provides for us—both generally and individually, both secretly and openly, and for those who know and those who do not know. B For what could one say regarding the things seen, which he made for our sake? The service they provide, the fashioning of the body, the nobility of the soul, his daily governance, that which is through wonders, that which is through laws, that which is through punishments, his varied and incomprehensible providence, the sum of all good things—that he did not even spare his Only-Begotten for our sake, the blessings already given through baptism, through the mysteries, the blessings yet to be given, those ineffable good things, the kingdom, the resurrection, the lot full of all blessedness? For if anyone recounts each of these, he will fall into an ineffable sea of benefits, and will see how many things he is beholden for to the philanthropic God; and not for these things only, but also for the majesty of his glory, for his uncorrupted essence. For indeed, for this too, praise, and blessing, and continuous thanksgiving, and worship, and constant service are owed to him by us. Making this very thing known, the prophet says, *Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised; and of his greatness there is no end.* Since he said, “I will bless and I will praise,” he shows that he has no need of the praises from us, nor of the blessings, nor is anything added to his glory by the praise of those served by him. For his essence is uncorrupted and, being in need of nothing, requires nothing else. But those who praise him become brighter themselves. And not only for this, but also because of the excellence of his glory, praise is owed to him by us. Wherefore, making this known, he said, *Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;* that is, needing nothing. What is, *Highly to be praised*? Deserving of benedictions, of encomiums, and of hymns; not simply, “praiseworthy,” but also, “highly.” Therefore he added this; and since he could not express how much he is to be praised, he added, C *And of his greatness there is no end*; which another interpreter translated as, "Finding." And what he says is of this sort: Since you have a great Master, be also you exalted, and be released from the affairs of life. Take a frame of mind superior to the humility of present things, not so that you might become deranged and arrogant, but so that you might be great-spirited and great-minded. For arrogance is one thing, and greatness of soul is another. For the arrogant man is he who boasts in little things and looks down upon his fellow slaves; but he who is noble in his mind, and who considers the phantasms of the present life to be nothing, is high-minded.
2. Where now are those who say they know God just as he knows himself? Let them hear the prophet saying, *Of his greatness there is no end*, and let them be ashamed of their own madness. *Generation and generation shall praise your works.* That which is his custom to do, he does here as well. For when he has marveled at his greatness and his glory, he comes also to the demonstration of his works. He does the same thing here, and says, D *Generation and generation shall praise your works*, showing his greatness from his works. That is to say, it did not happen in one time only and pass away, nor in two or three years, but it extends over this entire present age, so that each generation may contemplate his handiwork. For this is what *Generation and generation* means: the generation that is, he says, and the one that is to come, and the one after that, and the one after that again, and each of those that follow; and again, creation itself extends over this time in a similar way—for example, heaven, earth, sea, air, lakes, fountains, rivers, seeds, plants, herbs, and the benefit derived from these, the course of nature which is never interrupted, rains, vicissitudes dancing continuously, night, day, sun, moon, the stars, and all other things. Furthermore, those things apart from these, which also come to be in each generation, both individually and collectively, for correction and for the benefit of the common race of all men, such as the wonders that happened to the Jews continuously, the signs, the providence in times of plenty, in victories in wars, in all other things, such as in the presence of Christ, in the time of the apostles, in the time of persecutions—things far more numerous and greater than the ancient ones in magnitude, such as in our own generation. For there is no time, even apart from these common things, that does not bear a sign of his providence. *And they shall declare your power.* And through the benefits, he says, and through the punishments. For God does not cease in every way from governing the things concerning our nature through all time.
Thus, He does not just punish; for even if He occasionally applies the test, He does so due to the great insensibility of those being corrected, through fear. He delights in these things, and even when He carries them out, He brings them forth not only for the worthy, but also for the unworthy.
A 7. Since He varies our salvation, He now does these things, now those, but more often the latter. For He does not desire even those things, but rather these, since He does not wish to carry out the threat of Gehenna, so as not to have to inflict it. For He prepared Gehenna for the devil: "Go," He says, "into the fire which has been prepared for the devil" (Matt. 25:41), but the kingdom for men, showing that He does not want to thrust men into Gehenna. B "The Lord is compassionate and merciful, long-suffering and full of mercy. The Lord is sweet to all, and His mercies are over all His works." You see the prophet dwelling on these better things and using more expansive speech. For he knows well that the wealth of God consists mostly in these. For it would not have been possible to be saved, had His clemency not been great; it would not have been possible to remain, had we not experienced His great goodness. And therefore He said: "I am He who blots out your iniquities, and I stood for you in your sins." "The Lord is compassionate and merciful" (Isa. 43:25). See how He shows His ineffable clemency. C For He does not only have mercy on those who sin, but He also shows another kind of clemency that is not small—namely, gentleness and patience—so that they might come to repentance, and through His clemency, be saved also by their own zeal and effort, and have confidence from their own good deeds. For He is not only "merciful," but also "full of mercy," showing that such great mercy cannot be encompassed by measure, nor explained by any speech. {But yet} through the things that follow, He shows it as far as possible, when He added: "The Lord is sweet to all, and His mercies are over all His works."
What is "to all"? To the sinners, he says, and to those who live in wickedness. For not only the just, and those who conduct themselves rightly and virtuously, or those who are led by repentance; but all—through the things they suffer—proclaim His mercy and His goodness. And if someone asks me, To whom was He good? I will say: Not to Abel alone, but also to Cain; not to Noah alone and his children, but also to those whom the flood overwhelmed. For everything He does proceeds from mercy and clemency. And that you may know how He is good and clement to all, reflect on this from the following. D Of how great benignity was He, I pray, to hand over that fratricide, who had performed such a slaughter, who had defiled his right hand, and who had trampled upon the laws of God, to such a punishment—which is a warning rather than a punishment—so that both through the length of time he might be cleansed from the sin, and he might teach and chastise others through the things he suffered? Of how great benignity was He, I pray, toward those who were laboring under a most grave and incurable disease at the time of the flood, and had been corrected by neither threats, nor arguments, nor by any other means.
and to use the common debt of nature instead of a medicine, and to bring upon them the easiest death, which is through water? But the phrase, "over all," is to be seen not only in this case, but also in all things that are visible, in animals, and in irrational creatures. And if one were to look even at the angels and archangels, one will see great goodness and many mercies; for every work enjoys much philanthropy. The Psalmist, having observed this himself, added: 10. *Let all thy works praise thee, O Lord, and let thy saints bless thee*; that is, let them give thee thanks, let them send up hymns to thee, both those who are honored with speech and those which have no voice. For each of the voiceless things has been made in such a way as to send up praise through its own nature; even if they are voiceless, they do so through those who see and enjoy them. And the former do so through their own substance, but men also through their conduct and through their actions. Therefore he makes this clear by the following addition: *And let thy saints bless thee*. Here he calls those "saints" who fulfill the commands of God, those who have no access to sins and wickedness. *They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom*. What is, *They shall speak of the glory*? He says: the self-sufficiency, the philanthropy, the providential care, the fact that You do not stand in need of those who are governed, the fact that You display such providence toward them, the unapproachability of the light, the ineffable nature of Your essence, the incomprehensible. *And they shall speak of thy power*; that is, they shall sing of Your unconquerable, invincible strength. Not because You have need of these hymns and praises, but for the sake of those who speak them, and so that they might teach others as well and make them participants in the praise. Therefore he added: 12. *To make known to the sons of men thy power, and the glory of the majesty of thy kingdom*. By this he shows that he accepts these praises for the sake of teaching others his power. Great, therefore, is the power, great is the glory, great is the splendor, great and ineffable, not only surpassing all speech but also conquering all mind. But this great and ineffable thing has need of those who teach it because of the unreasonableness of the many. For the sun is a most brilliant star, and yet those who have diseased eyes do not see its light; so also the providence of God is brighter than any sun, but those who are distorted in their reasonings, and have blocked their ears, have need of much care so that their mind may be opened. 4. Therefore one must incessantly sound into their ears and introduce the teaching concerning these things. Then, since he said "glory of the kingdom" and "majesty" without having clarified them, he takes up the matter again and says, as far as is possible for him, what the "glory" is, adding: *Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages*. Not only of the present, he says, but also of those to come; for it is endless and infinite, and alone possesses eternity. *And thy dominion is in every generation and generation*. Behold its endlessness from this also. Everywhere in the world, everywhere in the ages, everywhere in the times, it is extended. *The Lord is faithful in all his words, and holy in all his works*. Having spoken of the endlessness, the stability, the firmness, and the immovability of the kingdom, he speaks also of the firmness of His words. For "faithful" means this: steady, true. And if He is faithful, then what has been said by Him will certainly be. Just as His kingdom is unfailing and has no end, so also are His words firm and stable. Therefore, neither is that kingdom ever interrupted, nor do these words ever fail. And if they do not fail, the deeds must necessarily follow. But if He also said something and it did not come to pass, this too is a proof of His truth: "For I shall speak concerning a nation and a kingdom, to tear down and to root out; and if they repent of their wickedness, I will also repent of the things which I spoke to do to them" (Jer. 18. 7-10). And likewise in the case of good things: "I will speak," he says, "of good things, and if they change, I also will change what was said concerning them." *And holy in all his works*. What is *Holy*? Blameless, straight, pure, clean, providing no opening to anyone. *The Lord sustains all those who are falling, and raises up all those who have been cast down*. Having spoken concerning the kingdom, that it is endless; concerning the words, that they are true; concerning the acts, that they are blameless; concerning the glory; concerning the majesty; he speaks again concerning the philanthropy, which itself is the greatest glory of His kingdom: that He does not merely hold up those who are standing, but that He also manages, so that those who are about to fall might not suffer this, and raises up those who are already lying prostrate; and what is wondrous is that He does this for all—not for this one or that one, but for all, even if they are slaves, even if they are poor, even if they are obscure, even if they were born of obscure parents. For He is the Lord of all, and He does not pass by even those who are down, nor does He disregard those who are tottering. He did this in universal nature; He does this also in each individual. And if some of those who are lying prostrate are not raised up, it is not because of Him who wishes to raise them, but because of those who do not wish to rise. For He even wished to raise Judas when he had fallen, and He worked everything toward this end, but that man did not wish it. David, however, when he had fallen, He raised up and made firm. Peter, who was about to fall, He sustained. And hear how: "Simon, Simon," He says, "behold Satan has asked to sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith may not fail" (Luke 22. 31-32). Then he says another kind of benefit: for His care is varied and manifold. *The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest their food in due season*. Did you see how he showed that He is good to all, and that His mercies are over all His works? What is said in the Gospels, "That he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and rains on the just and the unjust" (Matt. 5. 45), this he also hinted at here by saying: *And thou givest their food in due season*. For it is not rains and earth and air, but His command that causes fruits to be brought to completion from without. And the phrase, *In due season*, signifies that all things are defined by certain
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXLV
A and are brought forth at different times and in different vicissitudes. For it displays his wisdom most of all that he does not allot sustenance all at once, or at the same time, but divides it throughout the whole year, so that the farmer may rest and the things that are produced may not perish. That expression, therefore, "in due season," either signifies what we said before, that things have been distributed into their own specific times, or that he gives food to those who are in need and labor with want. And you ask, how did he say, "The eyes of all hope in thee"? Yet there are many who say that the things which exist are there by chance, as do those who are impious. He speaks here of the nature of the thing itself, just as he does elsewhere when he says, "to the young of the ravens that call upon him" (Ps. cxlvi, 9), even though they are irrational animals. And again, "The lions' whelps roaring to snatch and seek their food from God" (Ps. ciii, 21). Yet these too are devoid of reason and do not seek it themselves; but here too he speaks of the nature of the thing. This is to be said not according to their own will, but according to the nature of the things that happen. B 16. "Thou openest thy hand, and fillest every animal with favor." By "hand" he means his operation and his sustaining power, teaching you through all things that the generations of fruits are not situated in the elements, but in the providence of God. Or even showing his readiness, he says that, "Thou openest thy hand." For since those who were there at the time, abandoning the primary cause, were worshipping the air and the sun, and were thinking these were the things that provided the fruits, he raises them up to the upper origin, and to their author and Lord, bringing these things frequently forward, showing that from his hand—that is, from his care and providence—all good things flow. 17. He says "fill" here because he fills every animal with his will, which is pleasing to it. For he does not give sustenance absolutely, but as it is useful to each, according to everyone's desire, to the extent that it is enough to satisfy him. And this is what he says: that to brutes, to men, and indeed to all, you give as it is pleasing to each and as it is agreeable to each; and you do not just give, but you also fill, so that nothing is lacking. Therefore he says, "Thou fillest every animal with favor." "In all his works." By "ways" he signifies here his economy, his providence, his curation, through which he fashions and constitutes all things. All his works, he says, are praises, full of miracles, which offer no ground to anyone for reproach, even if some act madly and are agitated by rage. His works, therefore, are by nature such as to shine and resplend and to announce the care, providence, clemency, justice, and holiness of him who made them. 18. "The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth." Behold another part of his providence which is the head of all good things. For after he said what was given in common even to the infidels—namely, food and rains—he also tells of the things given privately to the faithful. And what are these? That he is near them, that is, that he defends them, takes care of them, provides for them more fully, is well-disposed, benign, and propitious to them, and reveals good things to them more clearly. C Afflictions are useful. 19. "He will do the will of those who fear him, and he will hear their supplication, and save them." And yet someone might say, Paul wanted the angel of Satan to depart from him (2 Cor. xii, 8), which is to say, temptations, afflictions, and snares, and he did not do it. Nay, he did indeed do it; for after he learned that he was asking for things not conducive to his welfare, that he should once again desire, and desire vehemently, was God's own work. And therefore he said, "I am well-pleased in infirmities, in afflictions, in persecutions" (2 Cor. xii, 10), due to ignorance. After he learned that God willed this, he himself thereafter gladly acquiesces. For God's will is not one thing and the will of those who fear him another; and even if they themselves desire something as humans do, they are corrected afterwards. 20. "The Lord keeps all who love him, and he will destroy all sinners." This too is no small part of providence: to preserve, to fortify, to protect, to offer his own providence. But he calls those sinners who labor under an incurable disease, those who are unwilling to be corrected. But if he allows some of those who love him to fall into death, these too are parts of him who keeps them: which also happened to Abel. For even if their bodies perished, they emerged clearer in soul; moreover, they will receive bodies not subject to destruction. Therefore, after he said the species of his providence, as far as they could be stated by him—the common ones, the private ones, and those which belong to the saints, especially those who wavered, his care for those who lie prostrate, his providence, his patience, the correction of sinners, the custody of the saints—he concludes his prayer with praise again, and calls the whole inhabited world to the communion of praise: 21. "My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever." D You see how, out of good affection, he calls not only those who are benefited, but also those who are punished (for this too is of his providence), not only men, but also brutes, and the elements, and all inanimate things: for all things are full of his goodness. Let us not, therefore, cease to praise him incessantly with both words and deeds—who is so good, so benign, and clement, and extends his beneficence everywhere—so that we may attain both present and future benefits, by the grace and clemency of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and empire, for ever and ever. Amen.
IN PSALM CXLV
"In my life. I will sing to my God as long as I exist." ... tion. For this purges the mind not a little. By praise, moreover, he means—as I often say—what is exhibited in works; which Christ also says: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. v, 16). And again Paul: "Glorify God in your body and in your spirit" (1 Cor. vi, 20); and as he said in the preceding Psalm, "Every day..."