Psalms 25 · The Lantern

The title of the fyue and twentithe salm. `To Dauid. Lord, deme thou me, for Y entride in myn innocens; and Y hopynge in the Lord schal not be made vnstidfast.

Lord, preue thou me, and asaie me; brenne thou my reynes, and myn herte.

For whi thi merci is bifor myn iyen; and Y pleside in thi treuthe.

"And let not my enemies mock me." And let them not mock me, who by ensnaring me with serpent-like and secret suggestions, and prompting me with "Well done, well done," have brought me down to this. "For all that wait upon You shall not be confounded" [Psalm 25:3].

Waiting for God means waiting courageously during the suffering of evils so that when he comes in his judgment he may grant what the spirit of the devoted person was seeking.

As to the second he says, "For indeed." Here the reason for the petition is presented, and it is twofold: as if to say, I ask not to be put to shame and not to be mocked. And first he shows to whom confusion is not owed. Second, he shows to whom it is owed, at "Let them be confounded," etc.

I sat not with the counsel of vanyte; and Y schal not entre with men doynge wickid thingis.

Now the ways of the Lord are, we may say, certain courses taken in a good life, guided by Christ, who says, "I am the way, and the truth and the life." The way, then, is the surpassing power of God, for Christ is our way, and a good way, too, is he, a way that has opened the kingdom of heaven to believers.

"Let them be confounded who do vain things unrighteously." Let them be confounded who act unrighteously for the acquiring things that pass away. "Make Your ways, O Lord, known to me, and teach me Your paths" [Psalm 25:4]: not those which are broad, and lead the many to destruction; [Matthew 7:13] but Your paths, narrow, and known to few, teach Thou me.

"Your ways." Next he asks to be advanced toward good things. And first he presents the petition. Second, the reason for it, at "For you are God." Now there is a twofold good: namely of the active and contemplative life. First, the good of the active life is presented.

I hatide the chirche of yuele men; and Y schal not sitte with wickid men.

I schal waische myn hondis among innocentis; and, Lord, Y schal cumpasse thin auter.

When people remember, they stir up within themselves the thoughts of things they had known before. But God, when he is mindful of the rational nature, is in that very nature. It is said that he is mindful of him into whom he comes.

In these words, a very glorious and orthodox statement seems to shine upon us, that no one attains to God's grace by his own merits. For in speaking of God's mercies "which are from the beginning of the world," the church continuously praises the Lord as the dispenser of mercies who does not receive human good works as an earlier step, but first grants his own gifts.

"Remember." Here he asks for the forgiveness of sins, etc. Here he does two things. First, he presents the petition in general. Second, he explains it in detail, at "The sins." In general, however, he asks for mercy. This properly regards misery. The greatest misery is guilt. Now misery is opposed to happiness, which consists principally in the act of perfect virtue.

That Y here the vois of heriyng; and that Y telle out alle thi merueils.

By "youthful sin" he refers to the people's sins in Egypt, where they committed idolatry, remember. So now, he is saying, remember not those sins but your lovingkindness, by which even then you were kind to them in their ignorance and had mercy on them of your own accord even without being asked; and so now, too, exercise such care and lovingkindness for your own sake.

In those expressions what he was asking for was this: According to your great mercy, remember me; remember not my sin but me in loving fashion.

"The sins." Here he explains why he is in need of mercy; as if to say, here I ask for mercy, because I have sins which, so to speak, are worthy of mercy. And he sets forth three things that pertain to the forgiveness of sin. First, he presents the kind of sin, and it is twofold: one of transgression, and another of omission.

Lord, Y haue loued the fairnesse of thin hows; and the place of the dwellyng of thi glorie.

How is it, if God is naturally loving and merciful, that he allowed some people to be subjected to punishments? David added "and upright" to bring out that justice accompanies goodness.

"Gracious and upright is the Lord" [Psalm 25:8]. The Lord is gracious, since even sinners and the ungodly He so pitied, as to forgive all that is past; but the Lord is upright too, who after the mercy of vocation and pardon, which is of grace without merit, will require merits meet for the last judgment.

"Therefore." Here the effects of divine goodness are presented. Now there are three degrees of men in whom the judgment of divine goodness is found. The first degree is of sinners. The second of penitents. The third of the just. As to sinners, God manifests his goodness by correcting them; hence he says, "therefore," that is, on account of his sweetness and uprightness.

God, leese thou not my soule with vnfeithful men; and my lijf with men of bloodis.

"He will guide the meek in judgment." He will guide the meek, and will not confound in the judgment those that follow His will, and do not, in withstanding It, prefer their own. "The gentle He will teach His ways" [Psalm 25:9].

By using the term meek he excludes the proud and exalted.… "The mild" are just the opposite of the proud, who kick against the easy yoke and light burden with a freedom that does harm to them; God will teach those who do without grumbling what they know has been commanded.

The second effect is that he directs penitents; hence he says, "He will guide the meek in judgment." Now a beast is tamed when, having laid aside its fierceness, it submits to men; so men, when they lay aside sins, submit to God; and therefore he says, "in judgment," namely of correction, because through the judgment of correction they advance to better things, and in the futur…

In whose hondis wyckidnessis ben; the riythond of hem is fillid with yiftis.

These are the ways of the Lord. Now, he habitually links truth and mercy, as if to say, this is God's work, this his way, this his action, to accord secure and true salvation to those he has chosen.

Those constantly reared on the sacred Words have a precise knowledge from them that all the dispensations of God our Savior are tempered with mercy and truth: to some, who repent of sins committed, he extends mercy and pardon; others unconquered he proclaims and crowns as champions of virtue, giving his verdict with truth, while admittedly on those caught up in lawlessness and…

He then explains the ways that he teaches; hence he says, "All the ways of the Lord." The ways of the Lord are his processes in some work; as if to say: I have found this way. Now the processes of the Lord in his works are referred to two things: namely to mercy and justice. For if something is said of God and of man, it is understood of each according to its own mode.

But Y entride in myn innocens; ayenbie thou me, and haue merci on me.

Although the mercy of God mitigated the truth of his judgment, nevertheless, because David was bold enough to make such statements, he was abandoned to his weakness for awhile, and, as you say, to the freedom of his will.

"For Your Name's sake, O Lord, You will be favourable to my sin; for it is manifold" [Psalm 25:11]. You have not only forgiven my sins, which I committed before I believed; but also to my sin, which is manifold, since even in the way there is no lack of stumbling, You will be made favourable by the sacrifice of a troubled spirit.

"For the sake of." Here the confidence conceived from divine mercy and justice is presented. And concerning this he does two things. First, he presents the confidence he has for himself. Second, he invites others to confess, at "Who is the man?" Concerning the first he does two things. First, he presents his confidence. Second, he assigns the reason for it.

Mi foot stood in riytfulnesse; Lord, Y schal blesse thee in chirchis.

Psalms25