2. "O clap your hands, all ye nations" (ver. i). Were the people of the Jews all the nations? No, but blindness in part is happened to Israel, that senseless children might cry, " Calve," " Calve; " and so the Lord might be crucified in the place of Calvary, that by His Blood shed He might redeem the Gentiles, and that might be fulfilled which saith the Apostle, " Blindness in part is happened unto Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." 2 Let them insult, then, the vain, and foolish, and senseless, and say, "Calve," "Calve;" but ye redeemed by His Blood which was shed in the place of Calvary, say, " O clap your hands, all ye nations; " because to you hath come down the Grace of God. " O clap your hands." What is "O clap"? Rejoice. But wherefore with the hands? Because with good works. Do not rejoice with the mouth while idle with the hands. If ye rejoice, " clap your hands." The hands of the nations let Him see, who joys hath deigned to give them. What is, the hands of the nations? The acts of them doing good works. " O clap your hands, all ye nations: shout unto God with the voice of triumph." Both with voice and with hands. If with the voice only it is not well, because the hands are slow; if only with the hands it is not well, because the tongue is mute. Agree together must the hands and tongue. Let this confess, these work. " Shout unto God with the voice of triumph."
3. " For the Lord Most High is terrible " (ver. 2). The Most High in descending made like one ludicrous, by ascending into Heaven is made terrible. " A great King over all the earth." Not only over the Jews; for over them also He is King. For of them also the Apostles believed, and of them many thousands of men sold their 1 1 Cor. xiv. 20.
3 Rom. xi. 35.
goods, and laid the price at the Apostles' feet,3 and in them was fulfilled what in the title of the Cross was written, " The King of the Jews." * For He is King also of the Jews. But " of the Jews " is little.5 " O clap your hands, all ye nations: for God is the King of all the earth." For it sufficeth not Him to have under Him one nation: therefore such great price gave He out of His side, as to buy the whole world.
4. " He hath subdued the people under us, and the nations under our feet " (ver. 3). Which subdued, and to whom? Who are they that speak? Haply Jews? Surely, if Apostles; surely, if Saints. For under these God hath subdued the people and the nations, that to-day are they honoured among the nations, who by their own citizens earned to be slain: as their Lord was slain by His citizens, arid is honoured among the nations; was crucified by His own, is adored by aliens, but those by a price made His own. For therefore bought He us, that aliens from Him we might not be. Thinkest thou then these are the words of Apostles, " He hath subdued the people under us, and the nations under our feet "? I know not. Strange that Apostles should speak so proudly, as to rejoice that the nations were put under their feet, that is, Christians under the feet of Apostles. For they rejoice that we are with them under the feet of Him who died for us. For under Paul's feet ran they, who would be of Paul, to whom He said, " Was Paul crucified for you?"6 What then here, what are we to understand? " He hath subdued the people under us, and the nations under our feet." All pertaining to Christ's inheritance are among " all the nations," and all not pertaining to Christ's inheritance are among " all the nations: " and ye see so exalted in Christ's Name is Christ's Church, that all not yet believing in Christ lie under the feet of Christians. For what numbers now run to the Church; not yet being Christians, they ask aid of the Church;' to be succoured by us temporally they are willing, though eternally to reign with us as yet they are unwilling. When all seek aid of the Church, even they who are not yet in the Church, hath He not " subdued the people under us, and the nations under our feet"?
5. " He hath chosen an inheritance for us, the excellency 8 of Jacob, whom He loved " (ver. 4). A certain beauty of Jacob He hath chosen for our inheritance. Esau and Jacob were two brothers; in their mother's womb both struggled, and by this struggle their mother's bowels were shaken; and while they two were yet therein, the younger was elected and preferred to the 6 1 Cor. i. 13.
8 SpccitiH.
l62 [fSALM XLVII.
elder, and it was said, "Two peoples are in thy womb, and the elder shall serve the younger." ' Among all nations is the elder, among all nations the younger; but the younger is in good Christians, elect, godly, faithful; the elder in the proud, unworthy, sinful, stubborn, defending rather than confessing their sins: as was also the very people of the Jews, " being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness." 2 But for that it is said, " The elder shall serve the younger; " it is manifest that under the godly are subdued the ungodly, under the humble are subdued the proud. Esau was born first, and Jacob was born last; but he who was last born, was preferred to the first-born, who through gluttony lost his birthright. So thou hast it written,3 He longed for the pottage, and his brother said to him, If thou wilt that I give it thee, give me thy birthright. He loved more that which carnally he desired, than that which spiritually by being born first he had earned: 4 and he laid aside his birthright, that he might eat lentils. But lentils we find to be the food of the Egyptians, for there it abounds in Egypt. Whence is so magnified the lentil of Alexandria, that it comes even to our country, as if here grew no lentil. Therefore by desiring Egyptian food he lost his birthright. So also the people of the Jews, of whom it is said, " in their hearts they turned back again into Egypt." s They desired in a manner the lentil, and lost their birthright.
6. " God is gone up with jubilation " (ver. 5). Even He our God, the Lord Christ, is gone up with jubilation; " the Lord with the sound of a trumpet." " Is gone up: " whither, save where we know? Whither the Jews followed Him not, even with their eyes. For exalted on the Cross they mocked Him, ascending into Heaven they did not see Him. " God hath gone up with jubilation." What is jubilation, but admiration of joy which cannot be expressed in words? As the disciples in joy admired, seeing Him go into Heaven, whom they had mourned dead; truly for the joy, words sufficed not: remained to jubilate what none could express. There was also the voice of the trumpet, the voice of Angels. For it is said, " Lift up thy voice like a trumpet." Angels preached the ascension of the Lord: they saw the Disciples, their Lord ascending, tarrying, admiring, confounded, nothing speaking, but in heart jubilant: and now was the sound of the trumpet in the clear voice of the Angels, " Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? this is Jesus."6 As if they knew not that it was the same Jesus. Had they not just before seen Him before them? Had they not heard Him speaking with them? Nay, they not 1 Gen. xxv. 23. * Merucrat.
only saw the figure of Him present, but handled also His limbs. Of themselves then knew they not, that it was the same Jesus? But they being by very admiration, from joy of jubilation, as it were transported in mind, the Angels said, "that same is Jesus." As though they said, If ye believe Him, this is that same Jesus, whom crucified, your feet stumbled, whom dead and buried, ye thought your hope lost. Lo, this is the same Jesus. He hath gone up before you, " He shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven." His Body is removed indeed from your eyes, but God is not separated from your hearts: see Him going up, believe on Him absent, hope for Him coming; but yet through His secret Mercy, feel Him present. For He who ascended into Heaven that He might be removed from your eyes, promised unto you, saying, " Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." I Justly then the Apostle so addressed us, " The Lord is at hand; be careful for nothing."8 Christ sitteth above the Heavens; the Heavens are far off, He who there sitteth is near...
7. "Sing praises to our God, sing praises" (ver. 6). YVhom as Man mocked they, who from God were alienated. " Sing praises to our God." For He is not Man only, but God. Man of the seed of David,9 God the Lord of David, of the Jews having flesh. " Whose " (saith the Apostle) "are the fathers, of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came." '° Of the Jews then is Christ, but according to the flesh. But who is this Christ who is of the Jews according to the flesh? " Who is over all, God blessed for ever." God before the flesh, God in the flesh, God with the flesh. Nor only God before the flesh, but God before the earth whence flesh was made; nor only God before the earth whereof flesh was made, but even God before the Heaven which was first made; God before the day which was first made; God before Angels; the same Christ is God: for " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." " 8. " For God is the King of all the earth " (ver. 7). What? And before was He not God of all the earth? Is He not God of both heaven and earth, since by Him surely were all things made? Who can say that He is not his God? But not all men acknowledged Him their God; and where He was acknowledged, there only, so to say, He was God. " In Judah is God known." " Not yet was it said to the sons of Korah, " O clap your hands, all ye nations." For that God known in Judah, is King of all the earth: now by all He is acknowledged, for that is fulfilled which Isaiah saith, " He is thy God who hath 7 Matt, xxviii. ao. 10 Rom. ix. }.
TSALM XLVII.]
delivered thee, the God of the whole earth shall He be called." ' " Sing ye praises with understanding." He teacheth us and warneth us to sing praises with understanding, not to seek the sound of the ear, but the light of the heart. The Gentiles, whence ye were called that ye might be Christians, adored gods made with hands, and sang praises to them, but not with understanding. If they had sung with understanding, they had not adored stones. When a man sensible sang to a stone insensible, did he sing with understanding? But now, brethren, we see not with our eyes Whom we adore, and yet correctly 2 we adore.3 Much more is God commended to us, that with our eyes we see Him not. If with our eyes we saw Him, haply we might despise. For even Christ seen, the Jews despised; unseen, the Gentiles adored.
9. " God shall reign over all nations " (ver. 8). Who reigned over one nation, " shall reign " (saith He) " over all nations." When this was said, God reigned over one nation. It was a prophecy, the thing was not yet shown. Thanks be to God, we now see fulfilled what before was prophesied. A written promise God sent unto us before the time, the time fulfilled He hath repaid us. "God shall reign over all nations," is a promise. " God sitteth upon His Holy Seat." What then was promised to come, now being fulfilled, is acknowledged and held. " God sitteth upon His Holy Seat." What is His Holy Seat? Haply saith one, The Heavens, and he understandeth well. For Christ hath gone up,4 as we know, with the Body, wherein He was crucified, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father; thence we expect Him to come to judge the quick and the dead.s " God sitteth upon His Holy Seat." The Heavens are His Holy Seat. Wilt thou also be His Seat? think not that thou canst not be; prepare for Him a place in thy heart. He cometh, and willingly sitteth. The same Christ is surely " the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God: " 6 and what saith the Scripture of Wisdom Herself? The soul of the righteous is the seat of Wisdom.7 If then the soul of the righteous is the seat ot Wisdom, be thy soul righteous, and thou shalt be a royal seat of Wisdom. And truly, brethren, all men who live well, who act well, converse in godly charity, doth not God sit in them, and Himself command? Thy soul obeyeth God sitting in it, and itself commandeth the members. For thy soul commandeth thy members, that so may move the foot, the hand, the eye, the ear, and itself commandeth the members as 1 Tsa. liv. 5.
2 Correcti. ms. Vat. ap. Ben. corde recti, " right in heart."
3 [The adoration of the Host was unknown to the ancient Church. — C] 3 2 Tim. iv. 1.
6 1 Cor. i. 24.
its servants, but yet itself serveth its Lord sitting within. It cannot well rule its inferior, unless its superior it have not disdained to serve.
10. " The princes of the peoples are gathered together unto the God of Abraham" (ver. 9). The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.8 True it is, God said this, and thereupon the Jews prided themselves, and said, " We are Abraham's children; " » priding themselves in their father's name, carrying his flesh, not holding his faith; by seed cleaving to Him, in manners degenerating. But the Lord, what said He to them so priding themselves? " If ye are Abraham's children, do the works of Abraham." '° Again..." The princes of the peoples: " the princes of the nations: not the princes of one people, but the princes of all people have "gathered together unto the God of Abraham." Of these princes was that Centurion too, of whom but now when the Gospel was read ye heard. For he was a Centurion having honour and power among men, he was a prince among the princes of the peoples. Christ coming to him, he sent his friends to meet Him, nay unto Christ truly passing over to him he sent his friends, and asked that He would heal his servant who was dangerously sick. And when the Lord would come, he sent to Him this message: " I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof, but say in a word only, and my servant shall be healed." " For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers." " See how he kept his rank! first he mentioned that he was under another, and afterwards that another was under him. I am under authority, and I am in authority; both under some I am, and over some I am...As though he said, If I being set under authority command those who are under me, Thou who art set under no man's authority, canst not Thou command Thy creature, since all things were made by Thee, and without Thee was nothing made. " Say," then, said he, " in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof."...Admiring at his faith, Jesus reprobates the Jews' misbelief. For sound to themselves they seemed, whereas they were dangerously sick, when their Physician not knowing they slew. Therefore when He reprobated, and repudiated their pride, what said he? "I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west," not belonging to the kindred of Israel: many shall come to whom He said, " O clap your hands, all ye nations; " " and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." Abraham begat them not of his own flesh; yet shall they come and 9 John viii. 33.
10 John viii. 39.
]64 [Psalm XLVIII.
sit down with him in the kingdom of heaven, and be his sons. Whereby his sons? Not as bom of his flesh, but by following his faith. " But the children of the kingdom," that is, the Jews, " shall be cast into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." ' They shall be condemned to outer darkness who are born of the flesh of Abraham, and they shall sit down with him in the kingdom of heaven, who have imitated Abraham's faith.
n. And what they who belonged to the God of Abraham? " For the mighty gods of the earth are greatly lifted up." They who were gods, the people of God, the vineyard of God, whereof it is said, " Judge betwixt Me and My vineyard," 2 shall go into outer darkness, shall not sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, are not gathered unto the God of Abraham. Wherefore? " For the mighty gods of the earth; " they who were mighty gods of the earth, presuming upon earth. What earth? Themselves; for every man is earth. For to man was it said, " Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." 3 But man ought to presume upon God, and thence to hope for help, not from himself. For the earth raineth not upon itself, nor shineth for itself; but as the earth from heaven expecteth rain and light, so man from God ought to expect mercy and truth. They then, " the mighty gods of the earth, were greatly lifted up," that is, greatly prided themselves: they thought no physician necessary for themselves, and therefore remained in their sickness, and by their sickness were brought down even to death. The natural branches were broken off that the humble wild olive tree might be grafted in.'* Hold we fast then, brethren, humility, charity, godliness: since we are called, on their proving reprobate, even by their example let us fear to pride ourselves.
PSALM XLVIII.s PSALM XLVIII.s i. The title of this Psalm is, "A song of praise, to the sons of Korah, on the second day of the week." Concerning this what the Lord deigneth to grant receive ye like sons of the firmament. For on the second day of the week, that is, the day after the first which we call the Lord's day, which also is called the second week-day, was made the firmament of Heaven.6...The second day of the week then we ought not to understand but of the Church of Christ: but the Church of Christ in the Saints, the Church of Christ in those who are written in Heaven, the Church of Christ in those who to this world's temptations yield not. For they are worthy of the name of "firmament." The Church of 1 Matt. viii. 12. * Rom. xi. 17.
3 Gen. iii. to. * Gen. i. 6-8.
Christ, then, in those who are strong, of whom saith the Apostle, " We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak," 7 is called the firmament. Of this it is sung in this Psalm. Let us hear, acknowledge, associate, glory, reign. For Her called firmament, hear also in the Apostolic Epistles, " the pillar and firmament8 of the truth." 9...
2. "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised" (ver. i)...That is, "in the city of our God, in His holy mountain." This is the city set upon an hill, which cannot be hid: this is the candle which is not hidden under a bushel, "° to all known, to all proclaimed. Yet are not all men citizens thereof, but they in whom " great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised." What then is that city: let us see' whether perhaps, since it is said, " In the city of our God, in His holy mountain," we ought not to enquire for this mountain where also we may be heard...What then is that mountain, brethren? One is it with great care to be enquired for, with great solicitude investigated, with labour also to be occupied and ascended. But if in any part of the earth it is, what shall we do? Shall we go abroad out of our own country, that to that mountain we may arrive? Nay, then we are abroad, when in it we are not. For that is our city, if we are members of the King, who is the head of the same city...For there was a certain corner-stone contemptible, whereat the Jews stumbled," cut out of a certain mountain without hands, that is, coming of the kingdom of the Jews without hands, because human operation went not with Mary of whom was born Christ.'2 But if that stone, when the Jews stumbled thereat, had remained there, thou hadst not had whither to ascend. But what was done? What saith the prophecy of Daniel? What but that the stone grew, and became a great mountain? How great? So that it filled the whole face of the earth. 'J By growing, then, and by filling the whole face of the earth, that mountain came to us. Why then seek we the mountain as though absent, and not as being present ascend to it; that in us the Lord may be "great, and greatly to be praised"?
3. Further,...when he had said, " in the city of our God, in His holy mountain," what added he? " Spreading abroad the joys of the whole earth, the mountains of Sion " (ver. 2). Sion is one mountain, why then " mountains "? Is it that to Sion belonged also those which came from the other side, so as to meet together on the Corner Stone, and become two walls, as it were two mountains, one of the circumcision, the other of the uncircumcision; one of the Psalm XLVIII.]
Jews, the other of the Gentiles: no longer adverse, although diverse, because from different sides, now in the corner not even diverse. " For He is our peace, who hath made both one." ' The same Corner Stone " which the builders rejected, is become the Head Stone of the corner." * The mountain hath joined in itself two mountains; one house there is, and two houses; two, because coming from different sides; one, because of the Corner Stone, wherein both are joined together. Hear also this, " the mountains of Sion: the sides of the North are the city of the great King."...See the Gentiles; " the sides of the North: " the sides of the North are joined to the city of the great King. The North is wont to be contrary to Sion: Sion forsooth is in the South, the North over against the South.
Who is the North, but He who said, " I will sit in the sides of the North, I will be like the Most High"?' The devil had held dominion over the ungodly, and possessed the nations serving images, adoring demons; and all whatsoever there was of human kind anywhere throughout the world, by cleaving to Him, had become North. But since He who binds the strong man, taketh away his goods,4 and maketh them His own goods; men delivered from infidelity and superstition of devils, believing in Christ, are fitted on to that city, have met in the corner that wall that cometh from the circumcision, and that was made the city of the great King, which had been the sides of the North. Therefore also in another Scripture is it said, " Out of the North come clouds of golden colour: great is the glory and honour of the Almighty." 5 For great is the glory of the physician, when from being despaired of the sick recovers. " Out of the North come clouds," and not black clouds, not dark clouds, not lowering, but " of golden colour." Whence but by grace illumined through Christ? See, " the sides of the North are the city of the great King."...
4. Let the Psalm then follow, and say, " God shall be known in her houses." Now in her " houses," because of the mountains, because of the two walls, because of the two sons. " God shall be known in her houses," but he commendeth grace, therefore he added, " when He shall take her up." For what would that city have been, unless He had taken her up? Would it not immediately have fallen, unless it had such foundation? For " other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 6 Let none then glory in his own merits; but " he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." 1...The Lord then hath taken up this city, and is known therein, that is, His grace is known in 2 Ps. cxviii 22. 5 Job xxxvii. 22.
that city: for whatever that city hath, which glorieth in the Lord, it hath not of itself. For because of this it is said, " What hast thou that thou didst not receive? " 8 5. "For, lo, the kings of the earth are gathered together " (ver. 3). Behold now those sides of the North, see how they come, see how they say, " Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord: and He will teach us His way, and we will walk in it."9 "And have come together in one." In what one, but that " corner-stone "? '° "They saw it, and so they marvelled" (ver. 4). After their marvelling at the miracles and glory of Christ, what followed? "They were troubled, they were moved" (ver. 5), "trembling took hold upon them." Whence took trembling hold upon them, but from the consciousness of sins? Let them run then, kings after a king: kings, let them acknowledge the King. Therefore saith He elsewhere, "Yet have I been set by Him a King upon His holy hill of Sion." "...A King then was heard of, set up in Sion, to Him were delivered possessions even to the uttermost parts of the earth. Kings behoved to fear lest they should lose the kingdom, lest the kingdom be taken from them. As wretched Herod feared, and for the Child slew the children.'2 But fearing to lose his kingdom, he deserved not to know the King. Would that he too had adored the King with the Magi: not by ill-seeking the kingdom, slain the Innocents, and perished guilty.
For as concerning him, he destroyed the Innocents: but as for Christ, even a Child, the children dying for Him did He crown. Therefore behoved kings to fear when it was said, " Yet have I been set a King by Him upon His holy hill of Sion," and inheritance, to the uttermost parts of the earth shall He give Him, who set Him up King...Thence also this is said to them, " Understand now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice unto Him with trembling.'"3 And what did they? "There pains as of a woman in travail." What are the pains " as of a woman in travail," but the pangs of a penitent? See the same conception of pain and travail: " Of Thy fear" (saith Isaiah) " we have conceived, we have travailed of the Spirit of salvation." '4 So then the kings conceived from the fear of Christ, that by travailing they brought forth salvation by believing on Him whom they had feared. " There pains as of a woman in travail: " when of travail thou hearest, expect a birth. The old man travaileth, but the new man is born.
9 Isa ii. 3. " Matt. if. 16.
10 Eph. ii. 20.
1 66 [Psalm XLVIII.
6. " With a strong wind Thou shalt break the ships of Tarshish " (ver. 6). Briefly understood, this is, Thou shalt overthrow the pride of the nations. But where in this history is mentioned the overthrowing of the pride of the nations? Because of " the ships of Tarshish." Learned men have enquired for Tarshish a city, that is, what city was signified by this name: and to some it has seemed that Cilicia is called Tarshish, because its metropolis is called Tarsus. Of which city was the Apostle Paul, being born in Tarsus of Cilicia.1 But some have understood by it Carthage, being haply sometimes so named, or in some language so signified. For in the Prophet Isaiah it is thus found: " Howl, ye ships of Carthage." 2 But in Ezekiel3 by some interpreters the word is translated Carthage, by some Tarshish: and from this diversity it can be understood that the same which was called Carthage, is called Tharsus. But it is manifest, that in the beginning of its reign Carthage flourished with ships, and so flourished, that among other nations they excelled in trafficking and navigation. For when Dido, flying from her brother, escaped to the parts of Africa, where she built Carthage, the ships which had been prepared for commerce in his country she had taken with her for her flight, the princes of the country consenting to it; and the same ships also when Carthage was built failed not in traffic. And hence that city became too proud, so that