[87052] Then when he says, "What profit is there in my blood." He assigns the reason in two ways. First in general. Second in particular, at "Shall the dust confess." He says therefore, "What profit?" If it is explained of Christ, in the blood of Christ there was the greatest profit: Mt. 26: "It shall be shed for many for the remission of sins." But if he had not been raised quickly, and his resurrection had been delayed until the end of the world, there would have been no profit in it; or even if his body had been totally corrupted. But was the passion sufficient for salvation? Yes. But if this had not been the case, namely that he had not risen, and risen quickly, his divinity would not have been believed: and so men would not have obtained the profit. In particular he shows this, saying, "Shall the dust confess to you." Dust is spoken of in two ways. In one way, it refers to the dust of sinners: Ps. 1: "Like the dust which the wind casts from the face of the earth." Through the death of Christ, sinners, who are dust, arrived after the resurrection at two goods: namely, that they might confess their sins: Acts 2: "Hearing these things, they were pierced in heart," etc. And therefore he says, "Shall the dust confess to you?" Namely, the sinner, if I go down into the corruption of decay; as if to say, no. The other good is the confession of the truth of faith; hence, "Or shall it announce your truth?" Or shall the dust dissolved from the body now be the matter by which through the apostles peoples confess to you the truth, or the apostles themselves announce your truth? If it is explained of man, then thus: "Shall it confess," that is, if I die, I shall not be able to praise you.
[87053] Third, when he says "The Lord has heard." He shows that the prayer was heard. And first the hearing is set forth. Second, the manner of the hearing, at "And he had mercy." Third, the fruit, at "That my glory may sing." He says therefore, "The Lord has heard," etc. He had said above, "I will cry out"; here he says he was heard, for the Lord heard, because he answered: Is. 65: "And it shall be that before they call, I will hear; while they are yet speaking, I will listen": Jn. 11: "Father, I thank you that you have heard me: but I knew that you always hear me." Then the manner is set forth: "And he had mercy on me." And first he shows the manner itself. Second he explains it, at "You have turned," etc. The Gloss says: "I will cry out" against evils, "and I will make supplication" for goods; and in both I was heard. For as to the first, "he had mercy on me," removing every evil of suffering. As to the second, "the Lord became my helper." And that I obtained the glory of immortality: Ps. 27: "My helper and my protector; in him my heart has hoped, and I have been heard. And my flesh has flourished." He explains the manner when he says, "You have turned." Insofar as he speaks of Christ, he says two things. For first he shows the change from evils to good, as to interior things. Second, as to exterior things, at "You have torn." Christ had mourning at the time of the passion in himself: because "My soul is sorrowful," etc. Mt. 26. And in his own: Jn. 16: "Because you shall weep and lament," etc. "You have turned this mourning," he says, "into the joy" of the resurrection. As to himself: Ps. 20: "O Lord, in your strength the king shall rejoice," namely Christ. As to his own: because "the disciples rejoiced seeing the Lord," Jn. 20. Second he shows the change made from evils to goods, as to exterior things: "because you have torn." A sackcloth is a rough garment, and it is placed upon the loins in time of sadness, and it is made from goat hair. So the sackcloth is the flesh of Christ insofar as it bears the likeness of sinful flesh. For goats and kids signify sinners: because they were offered for sins, as is found in the Gloss. "You have torn my sackcloth," that is, you allowed it to be rent by nails and lance, and you have restored immortality to me: and therefore he says "you have surrounded me." Or it can be understood of any just person, that mourning is changed into joy: Jn. 16: "Your sorrow shall be turned into joy": Tob. 3: "After lamentation and weeping you pour forth exultation."
[87054] Then when he says, "That my glory may sing," the fruit of the hearing is set forth. The fruit is the glory of God; and that it may redound to the glory of God can be understood in two ways: either of the glory of the resurrection of Christ, or of the glory of the saints; hence he says, "My glory," given to me in the resurrection, or to be given to the saints in the fatherland, "may sing to you," that is, may be your praise: Jn. 17: "That your Son may glorify you"; and let this be in perpetuity; hence he says, "O Lord my God, forever I shall confess to you": Ps. 83: "Blessed are those who dwell in your house: they shall praise you forever and ever."
Commentary on Psalm 30
[87055] Above, the prophet recounted tribulations, benefits of God, his prayer, his confidence, and his thanksgiving; but here he sets forth the entire order of his liberation. The title is: "To the end, a Psalm of David, for an ecstasy." Jerome does not have "for an ecstasy," nor do the Hebrews; and perhaps the Septuagint added it on account of what is said below, "in an excess." For "ecstasy" in Greek is called "excess" in Latin, which is of the mind, namely when a man is placed outside himself. And this happens in two ways: either because he is drawn by higher things, or because he is driven out by lower things. Therefore if the soul of a man is carried outside itself, it is said to be either drawn by heavenly things through contemplation and love -- because divine love, as Dionysius says in chapter 4 of The Divine Names, produces ecstasy, since it makes him live not his own life but the life of God: Gal. 2: "I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me" -- or assailed or terrified by something lower; hence when he fears, he is put outside himself: Acts 3: "They were filled with wonder and amazement." And as the Gloss would have it, ecstasy is taken in this way here, for this passage treats of the tribulation of Christ in his passion; hence Christ, hanging on the cross, said, "Into your hands I commend my spirit," Lk. 23. And of the tribulations of the Church, and this under the figure of those things that happened to David. Or the words of this Psalm are understood as spoken by one person, because the head, the body, and the members are one person. Hence Christ speaks for himself and for his body: Is. 61: "As a bridegroom adorned with a crown, and as a bride adorned with her jewels," because Christ and the Church are one person. This Psalm is divided into two parts. First, he sets forth a prayer. Second, he presents the answer to the prayer, at "How great is the multitude of your sweetness." But because prayer rests upon hope, first he sets forth hope and prayer. Second, he assigns the reason for both, namely why he hopes and prays, at "For you are my strength." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he sets forth the hope. Second, he adds the reason, at "In your justice deliver me." Concerning hope he does two things. First, he posits the rectitude of hope. Second, its certainty or firmness, at "Let me never be confounded." He says therefore, "In you, O Lord, have I hoped": Jer. 17: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man," and so on. And therefore hope cannot be rightly placed in man, but in God: Sir. 2: "You who fear the Lord, hope in him," and so on. And this is said in the person of Christ and of the Church. But against this: hope has no place in one who comprehends; and Christ was a comprehensor. Therefore he had neither hope nor faith, but vision. I respond: to hope is said from hope; and hope is spoken of in two ways. For sometimes it denotes the virtue, and sometimes its object, which is a good, under a twofold aspect: because it regards God as eternal beatitude and as the giver of beatitude. Christ did not have this, because its object is a future good, not one already possessed. Nevertheless, certain other things were to be awaited by Christ through God's help, such as the glory of immortality, the conversion of men, and things of this kind. And in this respect he hoped, although the virtue of hope was not necessary for him. Second, he sets forth firmness, because, "I shall not be confounded forever," because he relies on God, who is unchangeable; but he who hopes in a man who fails is confounded at some point.
[87056] Then when he says, "In your justice," he adds the prayer, in which he does three things. First, he assigns the reason why he asks to be freed. Second, he asks for the speed of liberation, at "Incline." Third, he presents the manner: "Be to me." He says therefore: O Lord, I hope, and therefore I ask to be freed. But for what reason? Not because of my justice, but "in your justice," because you are just: Dan. 9: "We do not present our prayers before your face in our justifications, but in your great mercies." Or, "in your justice," which you have given to me, not my own: Rom. 10: "Being ignorant of the justice of God," and so on. Likewise, I ask to be freed quickly, because I cannot endure the affliction. Delay can occur for two reasons: one, because the liberator is far away; the other, because he is slow. God seems to be far from us; hence some have said that he does not have providence over us: Job 22: "He walks about the poles of heaven, and he does not consider our affairs." And therefore I ask that you, God, who dwell on high, since I cannot approach you, "incline your ear." The ear of God is the will to hear; and God is said to draw near to us when he condescends to our weaknesses and miseries. And therefore he says, "Incline," that is, condescend out of goodness; and this quickly, and therefore "make haste to deliver me": Is. 8: "Call his name, Make haste," because he does not delay in necessity. The manner of liberation is twofold: namely, that one is not harmed while remaining in evils, or that one flees the evils. As to the first he says, "Be to me a God, a protector," so that evils may not harm me: Is. 49: "He has hidden me in his quiver." As to the second he says, "And a house of refuge"; and this is the name of the Lord. Prov. 18: "The name of the Lord is a strong tower." And therefore he adds here, "That you may save me."
[87057] Then when he says, "For you are," he shows what moves him. First, to hope. Second, to pray, at "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted." Concerning the first he does two things. For first he is moved to hope from the consideration of the divine condition. Second, from the experience of benefits, at "But I have hoped in the Lord." For these two things give confidence. He shows the condition of God in two ways. First, by comparison to us; second, by comparison to adversaries, because there were both adversaries and enemies, at "You have hated those who observe." Concerning the first he does three things. First, he sets forth God's relation to us; second, what he hopes from this, at "And for your name's sake." Third, raised up in hope, he breaks forth in prayer, at "Into your hands." Now it should be known that God has a relation to us because he is our strength for accomplishing all the good things that we do through him. Ex. 15: "The Lord is my strength and my praise," and so on. Likewise, because he is our refuge for avoiding evils. Ps. 103: "The rock" (namely God) "is a refuge for hedgehogs." And therefore he says, I hope in you because of these two things. And what he hopes for, he shows in the person of a wayfarer, because he always needs a guide, a provider, and a defender. The first pertains to the way; the second to life; the third to safety. And therefore as to the first he says, "You will lead me," namely along the way of salvation. As to the second, "And you will nourish me," with the nourishment of virtues, and also with bodily nourishment. Ps. 22: "The Lord rules me, and I shall want nothing." As to the third, "You will bring me out of the snare," that is, from the deceitful ambush, which they have prepared for me. Prov. 1: "Come with us, let us lie in wait," and so on. Ps. 123: "The snare is broken." And the reason is that you are my protector; as if to say, I hope because you will do these things for me, because you are my protector.
[87058] "Into your hands." Third, he breaks forth in sudden prayer; and concerning this he does two things. First, he commends himself to the Lord; second, he commemorates the divine benefit, either already received or soon to follow, at "You have redeemed," and so on. He says therefore as to the first, "Into your hands," and so on. What a man holds most dear he commends to his guide. And therefore in this perilous life I commend my spirit to you, God. Christ did this as an example for us; hence on the cross he said, "Into your hands," and so on. 2 Tim. 1: "I know whom I have believed," and so on. This is understood from the person of the Church; as if the Church were to say to its head, Christ: you say, "Into your hands I commend my spirit," and so on. And from this, namely from the cross, our redemption follows. He says moreover, "God of truth," because he fulfilled what he promised. But by comparison to adversaries he says, "You have hated"; as if to say, thus you relate to me, but how toward adversaries? Because you hate them, and rightly, because they observe vanities, and so on -- those, namely, who place and fix their hope in the things of the world. And this they do in vain, because these things fail. Wis. 5: "What has pride profited us?" and so on. Likewise vanities: auguries, or dreams, or pacts with demons; and such people are hated by God, because they are sacrilegious and idolaters. Ps. 39: "Blessed is the man whose trust is the name of the Lord," and so on.
[87059] "But I." Above, he assigned the reason for his hope from the divine condition; here he assigns it from the experience of divine benefits. Concerning which he does two things. First, he proposes hope; second, its effect, at "I will be glad." He says therefore: God hates the wicked; "But I," who do not observe vanities, "have hoped in God alone," not in the god of riches, 1 Tim. 6. The effect of hope is spiritual joy. Rom. 12: "Rejoicing in hope." And he sets forth the manner of joy, because "I will rejoice and be glad." Now exultation is a joy leaping forth outwardly through external signs. Gladness, however, denotes the interior expansion of the heart. Exultation therefore denotes the greatness of the joy; gladness, its moderation. And he places exultation first, because men inflamed with love of God at first rejoice more, and afterward moderately. "I will be glad," not in my justice, but in yours.
[87060] "Because." Here he commemorates the benefit of liberation. First, the liberation; second, the manner of liberation, at "You have not shut me up." He says he was freed from two things: from rejection and from tribulation. The first is opposed to honor; the second to prosperity. As to the first he says "humility," that is, rejection; as if to say, although you are exalted in heaven, yet "you have looked upon" this lowly one here, or "the humility of my heart." Lk. 1: "He has regarded the humility of his handmaid." As to the second he says, "You have saved my soul from necessities," that is, tribulations -- not the body; because according to the body they sometimes succumb, but the soul is freed. Ps. 24: "Deliver me from my necessities, O Lord." Or, by necessities he means the passibilities of the present life, namely death, hunger, want, and poverty: Rom. 12: "Sharing in the necessities of the saints." The manner of liberation is shown. First, as to the escape from evil; second, as to the preservation in good, at "Because you have set." He says therefore as to the first, "You have not shut me up." That is shut up of which nothing is outside. God permits someone to be tempted by men, but he does not shut him up in their hands, because he reserves something to which the enemy cannot reach, as in Job 1, whom he first so confined regarding his substance that the body should not be touched; then he so confined regarding the body that the soul should not be touched. Hence he says, "Nevertheless, preserve his soul." But the wicked are shut up in the hands of the enemy. But against this: Job 16: "He has shut me up with the unjust," and so on. I respond: this is true according to the intention of the enemy, who believes himself to prevail, but it is not true in an absolute sense. As to the second he says, "You have set," and so on, that is, in a free and broad place, "my feet," that is, my affections, because from no quarter is he impeded from doing good. Prov. 4: "I will lead you through the paths of equity, and when you have entered them, your steps shall not be straitened, and when you run, you shall not stumble." Or, this spacious place is eternal life. Bar. 3: "O Israel, how great is the house of God," and so on, "where our feet stood." Ps. 121: "Our feet were standing," and so on.
[87061] Then when he says, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted," and so on, he assigns the reason for his prayer in two ways. First, he sets forth the prayer and its cause in general; second, he pursues both in detail, at "My eye is troubled." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he presents the petition in general; second, the cause of the petition, at "Have mercy." Jdt. 8: "Let us ask his pardon with tears." And why? "Because I am afflicted." Ps. 118: "Many are those who persecute me and afflict me." But against this: above he says, "You have saved my soul from necessities." I respond: it must be said that he speaks according to different members, or according to different times. There follows, "My eye is troubled." Where he explains in detail, first the tribulation; second, the prayer, at "But I have hoped in you." Concerning the first he does two things. First, as to what is interior; second, as to what is exterior, at "Because my strength has failed." As to the first, three things are mentioned: namely, the eye, the soul, and the belly; by which are designated reason, will, and sensuality -- namely, when a man is placed in tribulation, all of these are disturbed. And therefore he says, "My eye," the interior eye. Eph. 1: "The eyes of your heart enlightened": "in wrath," of enemies who persecute, or of God who punishes. Ps. 6: "My eye is troubled with wrath." Or, "in wrath," because I am angry against the wicked; for this does not blind the eye of reason, as anger through vice does, but it disturbs and clouds it, because it does not see as clearly. "My soul," as to the will, because it is proper to the will to move the body, and the will moves all things that are in us. Ps. 6: "My soul is greatly troubled." "My belly," that is, my weakness; and it signifies sensuality. Jer. 4: "My belly, my belly, I am pained." Or, "my soul" refers to sensuality, and the belly to the body; as if to say, the sensuality is troubled, and the body. Or it refers to diverse members of the Church. For the "eyes" are the teachers, the "soul" the prelates, and the "belly" the others.
[87062] Then when he says, "Because," and so on, he explains the tribulation as to external matters. For tribulation drives out the goods of the present life, which are three: namely, pleasures of the flesh, riches, and honors: 1 Jn. 2: "All that is in the world," and so on. Against the first he sets forth sorrow; against the second, poverty; and against the third, reproaches. The second is at "My strength is weakened"; the third at "Above all my enemies." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he sets forth sorrow; second, its sign, at "My years." He says therefore, I am troubled interiorly; and this tribulation comes from within, "because my life has failed in sorrow." Life continually proceeds to failure. Wis. 5: "We immediately ceased to exist." Therefore, one who is saddened can say, "My life has failed in sorrow." Sir. 38: "For from sadness comes death." Or, the spiritual life: Rom. 1: "My just one lives by faith." Or, it can be understood of the life by which one rejoices in the good of others. 2 Cor. 7: "Now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because you were made sorrowful unto penance." And sorrow causes failure in them; hence, "And my years," that is, the duration of my life, "in groans," which are a sign of sorrow. Concerning the second he says, "My strength is weakened," and so on. Riches strengthen men. Eccl. 7: "As wisdom protects, so money protects." And therefore poverty corresponds to exterior weakness. But just as temporal poverty causes exterior weakness, so spiritual poverty causes spiritual weakness. "My strength," that is, bodily fortitude, which resides in the sinews and bones; and therefore he adds, "My bones"; as if to say, all the things in which his strength was grounded were weakened. Ps. 21: "They have numbered all my bones."
[87063] "Above." The prophet, assigning his exterior tribulation, has proposed sorrows against pleasures, poverty against riches; here he sets forth reproaches against the honors of the world. Concerning this he does three things. First, he proposes the confusion he suffers; second, he introduces a similitude: "I have become as a vessel that is destroyed"; third, a proof: "Because I have heard." Concerning the first he does three things, according to the threefold degree found among those who despise others. For some openly inflict reproaches; some avoid his company; and some completely forget him, and this pertains to contempt, because no one forgets what he does not despise. First, therefore, he sets forth the first and says, "Above all my enemies," and so on. Jerome has: "Among all my foes I have become a reproach to my neighbors exceedingly"; as if to say, not only to my enemies have I become a reproach, but also to my neighbors. And these are the words of Christ on behalf of the Church. The neighbors of the Church are those who have not yet been converted but propose to convert. And he says "a reproach" on account of punishment and on account of guilt. And it is expounded according to both, so that Christ says on behalf of the Church: "I have become a reproach" because of the punishments of the martyrs. And this "above all enemies," because the saints endured more shameful punishments than robbers. 1 Cor. 4: "We are made a spectacle," and so on. Likewise, on account of guilt, in the Church there are certain sinners and persons of wicked life, so that because of them the Church is contemptible among those who ought to come to it. And rightly, "above all enemies," because their life appears more shameful than that of unbelievers. Ezek. 5: "This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations," and so on. Likewise, Ezek. 16: "You have justified your sisters in all your abominations," and so on. Likewise, as to the second, no one joins himself to him; hence he says, "A fear to my acquaintances," that is, to my neighbors, who fear to approach me, either on account of the punishments I suffer, or on account of the wicked life of bad Christians. And the sign of this he adds: "Those who saw me," that is, who considered such reproaches of guilt and punishment, "fled from me outside," because they refused to be converted. Job 6: "My brothers have passed by me as a torrent." Ps. 87: "You have put my acquaintances far from me." The third is forgetfulness. And this is what he says, "I am given over to oblivion." But because a man, however much he loves someone, after death consigns him to oblivion, therefore he says, "As one dead." Ps. 87: "Like the slain sleeping in the sepulchers, whom you remember no more." These are referred to Christ in his own person, because he was made a reproach. Ps. 68: "For your sake I have borne reproach; confusion has covered my face." Likewise, fear, because the disciples fled. Likewise, "given over to oblivion," because "we had hoped that he was the one who would redeem Israel," Lk. 24.
[87064] Then he introduces the example: "I have become," and so on. "I have become as a vessel that is destroyed," that is, useless, which no one cares about. Jer. 51: "He has made me as an empty vessel; he has swallowed me up as a dragon," and so on. Third, the proof; and concerning this he does two things. First, he introduces the contempt; second, the persecution he suffers, at "When they assembled together." He says therefore, "I have become a reproach," because "I have heard the reproach" from my men. Jer. 20: "I heard the reproaches of many," and so on. "Round about." Augustine says: sometimes Christians sin, and unbelievers do not say, "the wicked do this," but "Christians do this." And if religious sin, likewise. And he says "round about," because they do not enter into the consideration of the truth; because then they would say, "wicked Christians do this." Ps. 11: "The wicked walk round about."
[87065] Then when he says, "When," he shows how he suffers persecution, and he aggravates it from the multitude of those persecuting, when he says, "When they assembled together," that is, unanimously, "against me": this would be greatly to be feared. Sir. 26: "My heart feared three things: the calumny of a city, the gathering of a mob, and a false accusation," and so on. From their cruelty, for they assembled not for something light, but to kill; hence, "They took counsel to take away my soul," that is, my life. Jer. 18: "You know, O Lord, all their counsel against me unto death." Gen. 49: "Into their council let not my soul come."
[87066] "But I." Above, the Psalmist narrated the evils he was suffering; here he takes refuge in prayer. And because prayer is empty unless it rests upon sure hope, therefore he first sets forth hope and then adds the prayer, at "Deliver me from the hand," and so on. Concerning the first he does two things. First, he sets forth hope. Second, he assigns the reason for hope, at "I said, You are my God." The connection is as follows: he does not simply say "I have hoped in you," but "But I," and so on. The Gloss of Augustine says that it is customary for children to be called "mammontreca" (those who want to nurse too long), because they want to suck the breasts for a long time, but their mothers apply bitterness so that they may be repelled. Our breasts, from which we are nursed by the Lord, are temporal prosperity and the consolation of friends. When God sees that men trust too much in these things and are allured by them, he withdraws them and applies bitterness, so that they may place their hope in God alone. So the one who perceives this says, "I have heard," he says, "reproach"; and therefore he says, "But I," and so on; as if to say: with all others contradicting and fighting against me, my hope was in you alone: Jer. 17: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord." A twofold reason for hope is assigned. One from the care and providence of God. The other from his power. He trusts in him, first, as one entrusted to divine care and received by God; for God by his power has care of all things: Wis. 12: "For there is no other God besides you, whose care is for all." Likewise, Wis. 14: "But you, Father, govern all things by your providence." Hence God has care of all, but specially of some: 1 Pet. 5: "Cast all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you." And therefore God is specially theirs. And therefore he says, "I have hoped in you, because you are my God." Second, from his power; because unless he were powerful, hope would fail. But he does not think thus of God; hence he says, "My lots are in your hands," that is, all the good things that are given to me are in your power: Eph. 1: "In whom we also have been called by lot, having been predestined," and so on. Now it should be known that lots are of three kinds: some consultatory, some divinatory, and some derisory. Generally speaking, a lot is nothing other than a certain sign of the divine will that is sought. And therefore, in the Gloss of Augustine, a lot is not something evil, but a thing indicating the divine will in a case of human doubt. And therefore to cast lots is nothing other than to seek a sign of the divine will. Therefore, a lot by its very nature does not signify something evil; but it becomes evil in two ways. First, when someone seeks this sign from one from whom he ought not, as from a demon; and in this way sortileges are condemned among other things that pertain to unbelief. Second, if one seeks a sign in matters where it is not necessary. In two cases this sign ought to be sought: in necessary matters and in matters that cannot otherwise be known. For if it is not about necessary things, then it is curiosity; and this is the case with divinatory lots, because in these one is concerned about future things, and therefore they are vain and are rejected. But in necessary matters that can be otherwise known, lots are also prohibited, because this is to tempt God, namely when something can be known by human means but one resorts to the divine. But to use lots in distributing who should have what, or in deciding what is best to do in temporal affairs, I say that the lot is not blameworthy. Hence divisions are frequently made by lot. Similarly, for temporal dignities, if they are chosen by lot. But this is not permitted in spiritual matters, because in these man is directed by the Holy Spirit; hence whoever would cast lots in such matters would do injury to the Holy Spirit. Hence the apostles, before the Holy Spirit came, cast lots for Matthias; but after the Holy Spirit they chose the seven deacons without lots. "In your hands," therefore, he says, "are my lots," that is, whatever is given according to the indication of your will, all is under your power: Prov. 16: "Lots are cast into the lap, but they are disposed of by the Lord." Another text has, "My times," how long and what kind: Dan. 2: "He changes times and ages."
[87067] Then he adds the prayer when he says, "Deliver." He prays first for himself. Second, against his enemies, at "Let them be put to shame." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he prays to be freed from evils. Second, to be advanced to good, at "Make your face to shine." In adversaries he considers two things. First, their affection; and this he touches when he says, "From the hand of my enemies," that is, those who hate me: Ps. 142: "Deliver me from my enemies," and so on. These are the devils: Mt. 13: "An enemy has done this," and so on. Likewise friends: Mt. 10: "A man's enemies are those of his own household." Second, their effect, because they persecute: Ps. 118: "Many are those who persecute me and afflict me," and so on. Second, he prays to be advanced to good when he says, "Make your face to shine." Concerning this he does two things. First, he asks to be advanced in good things. Second, that he may not fail in his petition, at "Let me not be confounded." The first he asks in two ways. First, according to progress in wisdom. Second, according to progress in justice, at "Save me." The light of reason is nothing other than a certain participation of the divine light: Ps. 4: "The light of your countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us," and so on. This light does not increase in us except from the same cause by which it was begun. Hence if we wish to advance in it, it must be through the illumination of the divine countenance: Ps. 42: "Send forth your light," and so on. According to progress in justice, by which one arrives at salvation, he asks when he says, "Save me," and this "because of your mercy," not because of my merits: Tit. 3: "Not by the works of justice which we have done," and so on. As to the second he says, "Let me not be confounded," that is, failing in your hope; or "let me not be confounded," that is, cheated of my hope. And this because "I have called upon you": Joel 2: "Everyone who shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." "I have called upon you." The Gloss of Augustine says: you call upon God when you call God into yourself, when you invite him into the house of your heart, which must first be cleansed of all filth and deceit; otherwise you do not truly call upon him. For if you call upon God to give you profit, you are calling upon profit, not God. Therefore, O avaricious one, you call upon God freely, so that money, not God himself, may fill you. Do you not want him to come to you without gold and silver? What, then, of the things God does for you suffices, when God himself does not suffice?
[87068] Then he prays against his enemies when he says, "Let them be put to shame." And first he sets forth his petition. Second, he assigns their merit, at "Who speak." And note that this prayer is to be understood more in the manner of a prediction than of a prayer; as if to say, "Let them be put to shame," conforming his will to divine justice. Against the first he sets forth three things that will come upon them: because at the judgment they will be confounded; hence he says, "Let them be put to shame." For he will say, Mt. 25: "I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat," and so on, because their conscience will reprove them: Is. 1: "You shall be ashamed of the gardens that you have chosen, when you shall be," and so on. Second, they will be sent into eternal punishment; and this is what he says, "And let them be brought down to hell": Ps. 48: "Like sheep they are laid in hell; death shall feed upon them." Third, they will be struck dumb; hence he says, "Let deceitful lips be made dumb": Ps. 106: "All iniquity shall stop its mouth." But against this: rather, they will be speaking: Rev. 16: "They blasphemed God," and so on. Likewise, they will groan: Wis. 5: "Groaning for anguish of spirit, and saying," and so on. I respond: it must be said that they will be struck dumb from words of pride and of injury inflicted on the saints.
[87069] Second, when he adds, "Who speak," he assigns a threefold sin of theirs, and especially of the mouth, which is aggravated by three things: namely, the person against whom it is said, what is said, and its root. As to the first he says, "Against the just one," which is worse than if against a sinner; as if to say, those lips will be struck dumb which now speak; concerning what they say, because they speak injustice and falsehood: Ps. 35: "The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit." From their root, because something is sometimes said against a just man out of ignorance and deception; but if it proceeds from a wicked root, then it is evil. And this wicked root is twofold: namely, pride and abuse: Prov. 2: "Where there has been pride, there will also be reproach." Likewise, they abuse the goods given to them, because these were given so that they might be humbled, and instead they are puffed up. Jerome has, "And contempt," because they foolishly despise others. And this is abuse, because they do not treat the just man as they ought, by despising him.
[87070] "How great." Above, the Psalmist set forth tribulation and prayer; here he proceeds to thanksgiving, as one who has been heard. In this he does two things. First, he commemorates universally the benefits that God confers on the human race and on the saints. Second, he breaks forth into thanksgiving, at "Blessed be the Lord, because," and so on. And concerning the first he does two things. First, he shows the mercy of God as to gifts conferred on the saints. Second, as to the evils from which he protects them, at "You will hide them." Concerning the first he does two things. He shows, first, the preparation of goods. Second, their fulfillment, at "You have completed for them." He says therefore, "How great," and so on. Sweetness in spiritual matters is spoken of by analogy: for just as bodily sweetness delights the taste of the flesh, so that which delights the mind inwardly is called sweetness. It happens, however, sometimes that the taste of the flesh, not well disposed, takes delight in a corrupt flavor, and then it is falsely delighted. So the affection of a man, when it is not well ordered, takes delight in something that is not truly delightful. But if it is well disposed, it takes delight in the true good, namely the divine good. And therefore the substantial goodness of God is called the sweetness of God: Wis. 16: "You showed your substance and your sweetness, which you have toward your children." Or, the sweetness of God is spoken of in the way in which someone is said to have a bitter disposition, namely when he thinks about how to sadden others: Eph. 4: "Let all bitterness be put away from you." Therefore, by contrast, the sweetness of the soul is when one proposes to console others. Hence the sweetness of God is called the purpose by which he wills all men to be saved, 1 Tim. 2: "O taste and see that the Lord is sweet," Ps. 33; likewise, "The Lord is sweet and upright," Ps. 24. And in whatever way sweetness is spoken of, it contains delight, because although it is one and simple in itself, yet it is the root and source of all goodness. And therefore whatever delights in the world, the whole of it is in God -- such as wisdom, truth, honors, excellence, pleasure, and all things of this kind -- in excess they are there. And therefore he says, "How great is the multitude," surpassing in magnitude, infinitely incomprehensible to us. Likewise, the multitude as to the sweetness of its effect, because whatever can come to man, the whole of it is from the sweetness of God's goodness: Wis. 12: "O how good and sweet is your spirit, Lord, in us." Is. 54, where the multitude of the just is treated: "Many are the children of the desolate," and so on. As for what he says, "Which you have hidden," and so on, this can be understood in two ways. In one way, that God hides himself from them so that they may not know him, so that their desire may grow. In another way, that he has stored up in hiddenness for those who fear him to possess it; and this is better. As if to say, you have stored up in hiddenness on their behalf. And why? Because that sweetness is not in sensible goods, which are manifest to us, but in invisible things; and not in created things, but in the invisibility of God himself: Rev. 2: "To the one who conquers I will give the hidden manna": 1 Cor. 2: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him." Therefore the good preparation is in hiddenness; but the consummation and fulfillment is manifest. Hence he adds, "You have completed for them," and so on. Between that predestination and its effect -- namely, of him who is in glory -- in the middle is the state of grace, which is the beginning of glory. And passing over this, he proceeds to the perfect and says, "You have completed," that is, you will complete, and you have begun to bring to completion that hidden thing: 1 Cor. 13: "When that which is perfect shall come, that which is imperfect shall be done away with," and so on. But for whom? "For those who hope in you," to whom this perfection will come -- not to those who trust in themselves: Rom. 5: "We glory in the hope of the glory of the children of God." But then it will not be hidden; rather, it will be "in the sight of the children of men," because all, both good and evil, will see that glory: Rom. 8: "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us": Wis. 5: "Seeing this, they shall be troubled with terrible fear," and so on, "and say: how are they counted among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints?" Or, "children," that is, the saints, who will see fully: Ps. 106: "The upright shall see," and so on. Or, "those who hope in you" and manifest this "in the sight of the children of men": Rom. 1: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel."
[87071] Then when he says, "You will hide them," he shows the benefits of God toward the saints through liberation from evil. But because man can suffer a twofold evil -- namely, in deed and in word -- first he shows when he protects from the first evil. Second, how from the second, at "You will protect them." He says therefore, "You will hide them," and so on. He speaks by way of similitude: just as if someone were sought for death, whoever hid him in the secret places of his house, there he would be safe. So it is with the saints. The wicked persecute them, but God hides them in the secret place, that is, he will lead them to that hidden place of his sweetness: Col. 3: "Your life is hidden with Christ in God." But this will be perfectly in the future, when they will see him face to face: 1 Cor. 13: "Then we shall see him face to face, as he is." And this is what he says, "Of your face." But even in the present he hides them, insofar as we see something of the sweetness of his glory in contemplation. And he hides them to such an extent that men cannot disturb those who are established in the love of God: Wis. 3: "The souls of the just are in the hand of God," and so on. Or, not feeling the disturbances that men suffer in judgment: Wis. 5: "They shall be troubled with terrible fear," and so on. Likewise, insofar as a man is hidden in contemplation and does not feel the disturbances of the world: Wis. 8: "Entering into my house, I shall find rest with her," and so on. Second, he shows how they are hidden from evil speakers when he says, "You will protect them," and so on. For some are protected from evildoers but not from evil speakers; for not all are protected from this evil. Hence Octavian responded to Tiberius, who was zealous on his behalf against those who spoke ill of him: "I do not want you to be troubled on this matter, Tiberius. It is enough for us that no one can harm us." He says therefore, "You will protect them in your tabernacle." This refers to the present Church, which is the tabernacle of those who are fighting: Is. 4: "The tabernacle shall be for a shade in the daytime from the heat," and so on. And this, "from the contradiction of tongues," which either by blaspheming God or by teaching falsehoods, contradict truthful doctrine -- such as schisms and various heresies: Job 16: "A slanderer is raised up against my face, contradicting me." If therefore one has recourse to the tabernacle of God, that is, to the Church and to the secrets of its faith, there one finds a secure defense against such contradiction of tongues.
[87072] Then when he says, "Blessed," he offers thanksgiving. In this he does two things. First, he gives thanks. Second, he exhorts others to this, to whom the aforesaid benefits have been conferred, at "Love the Lord." Concerning the first he does three things. First, he breaks forth into thanks. Second, he proposes the mercy for which he gives thanks, at "Because he has made his mercy wonderful," and so on. Third, he explains the cause, at "But I said." He says therefore, "Blessed be the Lord"; as if to say, since the people of the saints have been thus protected by God, nothing remains but to bless God, that is, to attribute this to his goodness: Tob. 12: "Bless God and recount all his wonders." And why? "Because he has made his mercy wonderful to me," that is, he has made it marvelous. For a man seems to be bound to give thanks when he is marvelously freed from great dangers. And how did he make it wonderful? "In a fortified city," he says; as if to say, he so freed me that he made me like a fortified city. Another text has, "In a city of surrounding." The Hebrews have, "Under siege." This can be referred to two intentions, and each shows God's mercy as marvelous: because in a fortified city he so freed me, because he made me like a fortified city against evils. And this city is the Church: Jer. 1: "I have made you today a fortified city, and a pillar of iron, and a wall of bronze." Or, in a besieged city, his mercy is likewise marvelous: because we were freed from a lesser evil. For those who are besieged endure great danger; and therefore he says, I was in a besieged city, or one surrounded, and yet he freed me as a center from the circumference. For the circumference is placed around in a circle, and the center in the middle. The people of the Jews, who were in the middle of the nations that surrounded Judea, where praises were said to God, where sacrifices were offered, where prophecies did not cease. But now among all the surrounding nations the mercy of God has been spread: Mk. 16: "Go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature." Therefore, in a surrounding city, he says, namely, among the whole people of the nations.
[87073] Then when he says, "But I said," he explains the matter of thanksgiving. Where first he sets forth its greatness. Second, he presents the answer to prayer, at "Therefore you have heard," and so on. He says therefore, "I said in the excess of my mind." Excess sometimes comes from an internal cause, when one sees astonishing things that put one beside oneself: Acts 3: "They were filled with wonder and amazement." Sometimes from a higher cause, when one contemplates divine things and is caught up beyond oneself: 2 Cor. 5: "Whether we be transported in mind, it is for God." So, elevated to divine things, he says, "I am cast away," and so on, that is, I perceived myself to be far from you, because the more a man approaches God, the more he perceives himself as lesser. Job 42: "With the hearing of the ear I heard you, but now my eye sees you," and so on. Or, if it is understood as to the excess from a lower cause, which Jerome's text suggests, sometimes a man considers the gravity of sins or of impending evils, and from this he reckons himself forsaken -- as Christ said in the person of his members, Mt. 27: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And so David says this: considering the evils that are coming upon me, "I am cast away": Jon. 2: "I am cast away from the sight of your eyes."
[87074] Second, when he says, "Therefore you have heard," he presents the answer to prayer; as if to say, therefore, because I said this, "you have heard": Ps. 10: "He has had regard for the prayer of the humble." So the publican in Lk. 18, because he acknowledged himself a sinner, went down to his house justified: Sir. 35: "The prayer of him who humbles himself shall pierce the clouds." Or, according to Jerome, it is put interrogatively: "I said," and so on. Will you therefore not hear? As if to say, it is wonderful that, since I am so far from you, you should hear me. "When I cried to you." The Gloss of Augustine says: the cry that reaches God is made not with the voice but with the heart, because many who are silent with their lips but with averted hearts have been able to obtain nothing. Cry out, therefore, within, where God hears.
[87075] Then when he says, "Love the Lord," he exhorts those to whom the aforesaid benefits have been conferred to show gratitude. And he orders them first as to their affection. Second, as to their action, at "Act manfully." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he exhorts them to love God. Second, he assigns the reason for loving: "Because the Lord will require truth." He says therefore: because he has heard and because he has made his mercy wonderful, "love the Lord": Deut. 4: "And now, Israel, hear the commandments and judgments that I teach you," and so on. And who those are who ought to love, he shows: because "his saints": Song 1: "The upright love you." "Because the Lord will require truth." He assigns the cause of loving. Now a twofold cause is given as to why they are bound to love God: because what the saints love, God loves; and what they hate, God hates. The second is at "And he will repay." As to the first he says, "Because the Lord will require truth, and will repay abundantly those who act proudly"; as if to say, you ought to love the Lord because he loves what you love, and he requires this. The saints love truth; and therefore God, who requires truth, ought to be loved by us. God requires the truth of justice: Rom. 2: "The judgment of God is according to truth against those who do such things." Likewise, of life: Is. 38: "I beseech you, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart." Likewise, of doctrine: Mt. 22: "We know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth." The second reason why you are bound to love God is that he punishes what you hate; for God punishes pride, which the saints hate. And this is what he says, "And he will repay" punishment, namely, "abundantly," that is, beyond themselves, because they exalt themselves beyond themselves: Is. 16: "His pride and his arrogance and his indignation are more than his strength."