Psalms 51 · The Lantern

The title of the oon and fiftithe salm. To victorie, the salm of Dauid,

ON PSALM FIFTY. — The Fiftieth Psalm is placed here not according in chronological order, but according to rationale. For its title is governed not by number, but by meaning. As far as history is concerned, it comes before the third. For the prophet Nathan rebuked him for his sin before his son Absalom rose up against him to deprive him of both life and kingdom.

Hear therefore these words, and say thou with him: "Have pity upon me, O God, after Thy great mercy" [Psalm 51:1]. He that imploreth great mercy, confesseth great misery. Let them seek a little mercy of Thee, that have sinned in ignorance: "Have pity," he saith, "upon me, after Thy great mercy." Relieve a deep wound after Thy great healing.

In the preceding Psalms of this decade, the Psalmist seems to have treated of those things that pertain to the state of the kingdom, whose glory he described and to which he invited others. But now, because the glory of this kingdom has been impeded by sin, he treats of the abolition of sin. Here two things must be considered.

`whanne Doech Idumei cam, and telde to Saul, and seide to him, Dauid cam in to the hows of Abymelech.

"More and more wash me from mine unrighteousness" [Psalm 51:2]. What is, "More and more wash"? One much stained. More and more wash the sins of one knowing. Thou that hast washed off the sins of one ignorant. Not even thus is it to be despaired of Your mercy. "And from my delinquency purge Thou me." According to the manner in which He is physician, offer a recompense.

"Wash me yet more." Here he asks for the removal of the uncleanness of guilt. A person who has a well-disposed mind abhors the uncleanness of guilt more than the severity of punishment; and therefore he says, "wash me yet more"; as if to say: I ask that you blot out the punishment; but more than that, I ask that you cleanse the stain. Or, "wash me more" than I understand. Rom.

What hast thou glorie in malice; which art miyti in wickidnesse?

He too who has sinned, and after the sin remembers that he has sinned, ought to say these things, just as David himself said in the fiftieth psalm: "And my sin is ever before me." There are certain people who, when they have sinned, are utterly secure, and do not think about their sin, nor does it come to their senses what evil they have done, but they live as though they had c…

"For mine iniquity I acknowledge, and my delinquency is before me ever" (ver. 3). I have not put behind my back what I have done, I look not at others, forgetful of myself, I pretend not to pull out a straw from my brother's eye, when there is a beam in my eye; my sin is before me, not behind me.

"Because." Here he confesses his guilt. And first, he confesses the guilt. Second, he shows this confession to be acceptable to God. First, therefore, he confesses the guilt.

Al dai thi tunge thouyte vnriytfulnesse; as a scharp rasour thou hast do gile.

What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

"Against You alone have I sinned, and before You an evil thing have I done" [Psalm 51:4]. What is this? For before men was not another's wife debauched and husband slain? Did not all men know what David had done? [2 Samuel 11:4, 15] What is, "Against You alone have I sinned, and before You an evil thing have I done." Because You alone are without sin.

"Against you alone have I sinned." Above, the Psalmist set forth the recognition of his own guilt; here he aggravates his guilt; and regarding this he does two things. First, he aggravates it. Second, he sets forth what follows from the aggravation, at "that you may be justified." He aggravates this guilt by comparison to God; and in two ways, as is said in Jer.

Thou louedist malice more than benygnite; `thou louedist wickidnesse more than to speke equite.

But if it pleases you to hear what the other saints also thought concerning that nativity, hear David saying: "In iniquities," he says, "was I conceived, and in sins did my mother bear me," showing that whatever soul is born in the flesh is polluted with the filth "of iniquity and sin"; and that on this account was said what we have already mentioned above, that: "No one is cle…

"For, behold, in iniquities I was conceived" [Psalm 51:5]. As though he were saying, They are conquered that have done what thou, David, hast done: for this is not a little evil and little sin, to wit, adultery and man-slaying. What of them that from the day that they were born of their mother's womb, have done no such thing?

"Behold indeed." Here he sets forth the root of the guilt. The root of all actual guilt is original sin, which is contracted from parents infected with that sin; this infection was in the father of David and in his mother.

Thou louedist alle wordis of casting doun; with a gileful tunge.

Therfor God schal distrie thee in to the ende, he schal drawe thee out bi the roote, and he schal make thee to passe awei fro thi tabernacle; and thi roote fro the lond of lyuynge men.

After this white robes were given to you as a sign that you were putting off the covering of sins and putting on the chaste veil of innocence, of which the prophet said, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed; wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow." For one who is baptized is seen to be purified according to the law and according to the gospel: according to the…

"You shall sprinkle me," he says, "with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed" [Psalm 51:7]. Hyssop we know to be a herb humble but healing: to the rock it is said to adhere with roots. Thence in a mystery the similitude of cleansing the heart has been taken.

"You shall sprinkle me with hyssop." Above, the Psalmist commemorated the benefit of God granted to him as to the grace of prophecy, from which he was raised to hope; here he shows what he hoped for from God. And there were two things. First, he hopes for the removal of the evils he had incurred through sin.

Iust men schulen se, and schulen drede; and thei schulen leiye on hym, and thei schulen seie, Lo!

the man that settide not God his helpere. But he hopide in the multitude of his richessis; and hadde maistrie in his vanite.

Forsothe Y, as a fruytful olyue tre in the hous of God; hopide in the merci of God with outen ende, and in to the world of world.

People are in error who think that the priests of the Lord, after a lapse, although they may have exhibited true repentance, are not capable of ministering to the Lord and engaging their honorable offices, even though they may lead a good life thereafter and perform their priesthood correctly.

It would be better to be defiled with unclean mud than with sins. A person who is defiled with mud can wash it off in a short time and become like one who had never fallen into that mire at all.

"A clean heart." Above, the Psalmist asked for sin to be removed; here he asks for the effects of sin to be removed, which are two: namely, the defilement of the soul and the disorder of the affections. The first effect occurs because a person is attached to earthly things; hence he asks for cleanness of heart. Mt.

Y schal knowleche to thee in to the world, for thou hast do mercy to me; and Y schal abide thi name, for it is good in the siyt of thi seyntis.

Psalms51