The Second Part.
1. For, behold, the Jews are enemies, whom this Psalm seemeth to imply; the law of God they hold, and therefore of them hath been said, “Slay not them, lest sometime they forget Thy law:” in order that the nation of Jews might remain, and by it remaining the number of Christians might increase. Throughout all nations they remain certainly, and Jews they are, nor have they ceased to be what they were: that is, this nation hath not so yielded to Roman
institutions, as to have lost the form of Jews; but hath been subjected to the Romans so as that it still retaineth its own laws; which are the laws of God. But what in their case hath been done? “Ye tithe mint and cummin, and have forsaken the weightier matters of the law, mercy, and judgment, straining a gnat, but swallowing a camel.”2262
This to them the
Lord saith. And in
truth so they are; they hold the
law, hold the
Prophets; read all things,
sing all things: the
light of the
Prophets therein they see not, which is
Christ Jesus. Not only Him now they see not, when he is sitting in
Heaven: but not even at that time saw they Him, when among them
humble He was walking, and they were made
guilty by shedding the
blood of the Same; but not all. This even to-day we commend to the notice of your
Love. Not all: because many of them were turned to Him whom they slew, and by believing on Him, they obtained pardon even for the shedding of His
blood: and they have given an example for men; how they ought not to
despair that
sin of whatsoever
kind would be remitted to them, since even the killing of
Christ was remitted to them confessing.…
2. What in them wilt Thou slay? The Crucify, Crucify,2263
which they
cried out, not them that
cried out. For they willed to
blot out,
cut off,
destroy Christ: but Thou, by raising to
life Christ, whom they willed to
destroy, dost
slay the “
transgressions of their mouth, the
discourse of their
lips.” For in that He whom they
cried out should be
destroyed, liveth, they are taken with dread: and that He whom on
earth they
despised, in
heaven is adored by all
nations, they wonder: thus are there slain the
transgressions
of them, and the
discourse of their
lips. What is, “let them be taken in their
pride”? Because to no purpose have
strong men
rushed on, and it hath fallen out to them as it were to think themselves to have done somewhat, and they have
prevailed against the
Lord. They were able to crucify a man,
weakness might
prevail and
virtue2264
be slain; and they thought themselves somewhat, as it were
strong men, as it were mighty men, as it were prevailing, as it were a
lion prepared for prey, as it were fat bulls, as of them in another place he maketh mention: “Fat bulls have beset me.”
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But what have they done in the case of
Christ? Not
life, but
death they have slain.…And what now hath come to pass in those men that have been
converted? For it was told to them that He whom they slew rose again. They believed Him to have risen again, because they saw that He, being in
Heaven, thence sent the
Holy Spirit, and filled those that on Him believed; and they found themselves to have
condemned nought, and to have done nought. Their doing issued in
emptiness, the
sin remained. Because therefore the doing was made
void, but the
sin remained upon the doers; they were taken in their
pride, they saw themselves under their
iniquity.
2266
| 2266 Acts i. 9, ii. 4, 37.
|
It remained therefore for them to confess the
sin, and for Him to pardon, that had given Himself up to
sinners, and to
forgive His
death, having been slain by men dead, and making alive men dead. They were taken therefore in their
pride.
3. “And out of cursing and lying shall be declared consummations, in anger of consummation, and they shall not be.” This too with difficulty is understood, to what is joined the “and they shall not be.” What shall they not be? Let us therefore examine the context above: when they shall have been taken in their pride, “there shall be declared out of cursing and lying consummations.” What are consummations? Perfections: for to be
consummated, is to be perfected. One thing it is to be consummated, another thing to be consumed. For a thing is consummated which is so finished as that it is perfected: a thing is consumed which is so finished that it is not. Pride would not suffer a man to be perfected, nothing so much hindereth perfection. For let your Love attend a little to what I am saying; and see an evil very pernicious, very much to be guarded against. What sort of evil do ye think it is? How long could
I enlarge upon how much evil there is in pride? The devil on that account alone is to be punished. Certes he is the chief of all sinners: certes he is the tempter to sin: to him is not ascribed adultery, not wine-bibbing, not fornication, not the robbing of others’ goods: by pride alone he fell. And since pride’s companion is envy, it must needs be that a proud man should envy.…In a word, all vices in evil-doings are to be feared, pride in well-doings is more to be feared.
It is no wonder, then, that so humble is the Apostle, as to say, “When I am made weak, then I am strong.”2267
For lest he should himself be tempted by this
sin, what sort of medicine doth he say was applied to him against swelling by the
Physician, who knew what He was healing? “Lest by the greatness,” he saith, “of the revelations I should be exalted, there was given to me a
thorn of my
flesh, the
angel of
Satan, to buffet me: wherefore thrice the
Lord I besought, that it should depart from me: and He said to me, My
grace is sufficient for thee, for
virtue in
weakness
is made
perfect.”
2268
See what the consummations are. An
Apostle, the
teacher of Gentiles,
father of the
faithful through the
Gospel, received a
thorn of the
flesh whereby he might be buffeted. Which of us would
dare to say this, unless he had not been
ashamed to confess this? For if we shall have said that
Paul had not
suffered this; while to him as it were honour we give, a
liar we make him. But because truthful he is, and
truth he hath spoken; it behoveth us to
believe that there was given to him an
angel of
Satan, lest by the greatness of the revelations he should be exalted. Behold how much to be
feared is the
serpent of
pride.…
4. What is, “in the anger of consummation shall be declared consummations”? There is an anger of consummation, and there is an anger of consuming. For every vengeance of God is called anger: sometimes God avengeth, to the end that He may make perfect; sometimes He avengeth, to the end that He may condemn. How doth He avenge, to the end that He may make perfect? “He scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.”2269
How doth He
avenge, to the end that He may
condemn? When He shall have set
ungodly men on the left
hand, and shall have said to them, “Go ye into
fire everlasting, that hath been prepared for the
devil and his
angels.”
2270
This is the
anger of consuming, not that of consummation. But “there shall be declared consummations in the
anger of consummation;” it shall be
preached by the
Apostles, that “where
sin hath abounded,
grace shall much more abound,”
2271
and the
weakness of man hath belonged to the healing of
humility. Those men thinking of this, and finding out and confessing their
iniquities, “shall not be.” “Shall not be” what? In their
pride.
5. “And they shall know how God shall have dominion of Jacob, and of the ends of the earth” (ver. 13). For before they thought themselves just men, because the Jewish nation had received the Law, because it had kept the commandments of God: it is proved to them that it hath not kept them, since in the very commandments of God Christ it perceived not, because “blindness in part has happened to Israel.”
2272
Even the
Jews themselves see that they ought not to
despise the Gentiles, of whom they deemed as of
dogs and
sinners. For just as alike they have been found in
iniquity, so alike they will attain unto
salvation. “Not only to
Jews,” saith the
Apostle, “but also even to Gentiles.”
2273
For to this end the
Stone which the builders set at nought, hath even been made for the Head of the corner,
2274
in order that two in itself It might join: for a corner doth unite two walls. The
Jews thought themselves exalted and great: of the Gentiles they thought as
weak, as
sinners, as the
servants of
demons, as the worshippers of
idols, and yet in both was there
iniquity. Even the
Jews have been
proved sinners; because “there is none that doeth good, there is not even so much as one:”
2275
they have laid down their
pride, and have not envied the
salvation of the Gentiles, because they have known their own and their
weakness to be alike: and in the Corner
Stone being united, they have together worshipped the
Lord.…
6. “They shall be converted at evening” (ver. 14): that is, even if late, that is, after the slaying of our Lord Jesus Christ: “They shall be converted at evening: and hereafter they shall suffer hunger as dogs.” But “as dogs,” not as sheep or calves: “as dogs,” as Gentiles, as sinners; because they too have known their sin that thought themselves righteous.…It is a good thing therefore for a
sinner to be humbled; and no one is more incurable than he that thinketh himself whole. “And they shall go around the city.” Already we have explained “city;”2276
it is the “city of standing round;” all
nations.
7. “They shall be scattered abroad in order that they may eat” (ver. 15); that is, in order that they may gain others, in order that into their Body they may change believers. “But if they shall not be filled, they shall murmur.” Because above also he had spoken of the murmur of them, saying, “For who hath heard?” “And Thou, O Lord,” he saith, “shall deride them, saying, Who hath heard?”2277
Wherefore? Because, as nothing Thou shall
count all
nations. Let the Psalm be concluded. See ye the Corner
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exulting, now with both walls rejoicing. The
Jews were
proud, humbled they have been; Gentiles were despairing,
raised up they have been: let them come to the Corner, there let them meet, there
run together, there find the
kiss of
peace; from different parts let them come, but with differing not come, those of
Circumcision, these of uncircumcision.
Far apart were the walls, but before that to the Corner they came: but in the Corner let them hold themselves, and now
let the whole
Church from both walls, say what? “But I will
sing of Thy
power, and I will exult in the morning of Thy
mercy” (
ver. 16). In the morning when
temptations have been overcome, in the morning when the
night of this
world shall have passed away; in the morning when no longer the lyings in wait of robbers and of the
devil and of his
angels we dread, in the morning when no longer by the
lamp of
prophecy we
walk, but Himself the Word of
God as it were a Sun we contemplate. “And I will exult in the morning of Thy
mercy.” With reason in another Psalm is said, “In the morning I
will stand by Thee, and I will
meditate.”
2279
With reason also of the
Lord Himself the Resurrection was at
dawn, that there should be fulfilled that which hath been said in another Psalm, “In the evening shall tarry weeping and in the morning exultation.”
2280
For at even the
disciples mourned our
Lord Jesus Christ as dead, at
dawn at Him rising again they exulted. “For Thou hast become my taker up, and my
refuge in the day of my
tribulation.”
8. “My Helper, to Thee I will play, because Thou, O God, art my taker up” (ver. 17). What was I, unless Thou didst succour? How much despaired of was I, unless Thou didst heal? Where was I lying, unless Thou didst come to me? Certes with a huge wound I was endangered, but that wound of mine did call for an Almighty Physician. To an Almighty Physician nothing is incurable.…Lastly, thinking of all good things
whatsoever we may have, either in nature or in purpose, or in conversion itself, in faith, in hope, in charity, in good morals, in justice, in fear of God; all these to be only by His gifts, he hath thus concluded: “My God is my mercy:” He being filled with the good things of God hath not found what he might call his God, save “his mercy.” O name, under which no one must despair! If thou say, my salvation, I perceive that He giveth salvation; if thou say, my refuge, I perceive
that thou takest refuge in Him; if thou say, my strength, I perceive that He giveth to thee strength: “my mercy,” is what? All that I am is of Thy mercy.…
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
