» So Oxf. mss.; Ben. " it."
[Psalm LXXX.
ered out of Egypt, into the land of promise. Whence the vineyard was cast out, and where she was planted, we have heard. Let us see what next was done, how she believed, how much she grew, what ground she covered.
6. " A way Thou hast made in the sight of her, and hast planted the roots of her, and she hath filled the land " (ver. 9). Would she have filled the land, unless a way had been made in the sight of her? What was the way which was made in the sight of her? "I am," He saith, "the Way, the Truth, and the Life.'" With reason she hath filled the land. That hath now been said of this vineyard, which hath been accomplished at the last. But in the mean time what? " She hath covered the mountains with her shadow, and with her branch the cedars of God " (ver. 10). " Thou hast stretched out her boughs even unto the sea, and even unto the river her shoots " (ver. n). This requireth the office of an expositor, that of a reader and praiser2 doth not suffice: aid me with attention; for the mention of this vineyard in this Psalm is wont to overcloud with darkness the inattentive...But nevertheless the first Jewish nation was this vine But the Jewish nation reigned as far as the sea and as far as the river. As far as the sea; it appeareth in Scripture 3 that the sea was in the vicinity thereof. And as far as the river Jordan. For on the other side of Jordan some part of the Jews was established, but within Jordan was the whole nation. Therefore, " even unto the sea and even unto the river," is the kingdom of the Jews, the kingdom of Israel: but not " from sea even unto sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the round world; " * this is the future perfection of the vineyard, concerning which in this place he hath foretold. When, I say, he had foretold to thee the perfection, he returneth to the beginning, out of which the perfection was made. Of the beginning wilt thou hear? "Even unto the river." Of the end wilt thou hear? " He shall have dominion from sea even unto sea: " 4 that is, " she hath filled the earth." Let us look then to the testimony of Asaph, as to what was done to the first vineyard, and what must be expected for the second vineyard, nay to the same vineyard...What then, the vineyard before the sight whereof a way was made, that she should fill the earth, at first was where? " Her shadow covered the mountains." Who are the mountains? The Prophets. Why did her shadow cover them? Because darkly they spake the things which were foretold as to come. Thou hearest from the Prophets, Keep the Sabbath-day, on the eighth day circumcise a child, offer sacrifice of ram, of calf, of he-goat. Be not troubled, her shadow * One MS. " hearer." * Numb, xxxiv. 5.
doth cover the mountains of God; there will come after the shadow a manifestation. " And her shrubs the cedars of God," that is, she hath covered the cedars of God; very lofty, but of God. For the cedars are types of the proud, that must needs be overthrown. The " cedars of Lebanon," the heights of the world, this vineyard did cover in growing, and the mountains of God, all the holy Prophets and Patriarchs.
7. Then what? "Wherefore hast Thou thrown down her enclosure?" (ver. 12). Now ye see the overthrow of that nation of the Jews: already out of another Psalm ye have heard, " with axe and hammers they have thrown her down."6 When could this have been done, except her enclosure had been thrown down. What is her enclosure? Her defence. For she bore herself proudly against her planter. The servants that were sent to her and demanded a recompense, the husbandmen they scourged, beat, slew: there came also the Only Son, they said, " This is the Heir; come, let us kill Him, and our own the inheritance will be: " they killed Him, and out of the vineyard they cast Him forth. 7 When cast forth, He did more perfectly possess the place whence He was cast forth. For thus He threatens her through Isaiah, " I will throw down her enclosure." Wherefore? " For I looked that she should bring forth grapes, but she brought forth thorns." 8 I looked for fruit from thence, and I found sin. Why then dost thou ask, O Asaph, " Why hast Thou thrown down her enclosure?" For knowest thou not why? I looked that she should do judgment, and she did iniquity. Must not her enclosure needs be thrown down? And there came the Gentiles when the enclosure was thrown down, the vineyard was assailed, and the kingdom of the Jews effaced. This at first he is lamenting, but not without hope. For of directing the heart he is now speaking, that is, for the " Assyrians," for " men directing," the Psalm is.
" Wherefore hast Thou thrown down her enclosure: and there pluck off her grapes all men passing along the way." What is " men passing along the way?" Men having dominion for a time.
8. " There hath laid her waste the boar from the wood" (ver. 13). In the boar from the wood what do we understand? To the Jews a swine is an abomination, and in a swine they imagine as it were the uncleanness of the Gentiles. But by the Gentiles was overthrown the nation of the Jews: but that king who overthrew, was not only an unclean swine, but was also a boar. For what is a boar but a savage swine, a furious swine? "A boar from the wood hath laid her waste." " From the wood," from 6 Ps. lxxiv. 6.
7 Matt. xxi. 35, etc.
Psalm LXXX.]
the Gentiles. For she was a vineyard, but the Gentiles were woods. But when the Gentiles believed, there was said what? '■' Then there shall exult all the trees of the woods." ' " The boar from the wood hath laid her waste; and a singular wild beast hath devoured her." " A singular wild beast" is what? The very boar that laid her waste is the singular wild beast. Singular, because proud. For thus saith every proud one, It is I, it is I, and no other.
9. But with what profit is this? "O God of virtues turn Thou nevertheless" (ver. 14). Although these things have been done, "Turn Thou nevertheless." " Look from heaven and see, and visit this vineyard." " And perfect Thou her whom Thy right hand hath planted " (ver. 15). No other plant Thou, but this make Thou perfect. For she is the very seed of Abraham, she is the very seed in whom all nations shall be blessed: 2 there is the root where is borne the graffed wild olive. " Perfect Thou this vineyard which Thy right hand hath planted." But wherein doth He perfect? "And upon the Son of man, whom Thou hast strengthened to Thyself." What can be more evident? Why do ye still expect, that we should still explain to you in discourse, and should we not rather cry out with you in admiration, " Perfect Thou this vineyard which Thy right hand hath planted, and upon the Son of man " perfect her? What Son of man? Him " whom Thou hast strengthened to Thyself." A mighty stronghold: build as much as thou art able. " For other foundation no one is able to lay, except that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus." 3 10. "Things burned with fire, and dug up, by the rebuke of Thy countenance shall perish " (ver. 16). What are the things burned with fire and dug up which shall perish from the rebuke of His countenance? Let us see and perceive what are the things burned with fire and dug up. Christ hath rebuked what? Sins: by the rebuke of His countenance sins have perished. Why then are sins burned with fire and dug up? Of all sins, two things are the cause in man, desire and fear.4 Think, examine, question your hearts, sift your consciences, see whether there can be sins, except they be either of desire, or of fear. There is set before thee a reward to induce thee to sin, that is, a thing which delighteth thee; thou doest it, because thou desirest it. But perchance thou wilt not be allured by bribes; thou art terrified with menaces, thou doest it because thou fearest. A man would bribe thee, for example, to bear false witness. Countless cases there are, but I am setting before you the plainer cases, whereby ye may imagine the rest. Hast thou hearkened unto God, and hast thou said in 1 Ps. xcvi. 12. 2 Gen. xxii 18.
4 AH sins are either of desire or of fear.
3 x Cor. iit. 11.
3 x Cor. iit. 11.
thy heart, " What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, but of his own soul suffer loss?"s I am not allured by a bribe to lose my soul 5 to gain money. He turneth himself to stir up fear within thee, he who was not able to corrupt thee with a bribe, beginneth to threaten loss, banishment, massacres, perchance, and death. Therein now, if desire prevailed not, perchance fear will prevail to make thee sin...What had evil fear done? It had dug up, as it were. For love doth inflame, fear doth humble: therefore, sins of evil love, with fire were lighted: sins of evil fear were dug up. On the one hand, evil fear doth humble, and good love doth light; but in different ways respectively. For even the husbandman interceding for the tree, that it should not be cut down, saith, " I will dig about it, and will apply a basket of dung." ' The dug trench doth signify the godly humility of one fearing, and the basket of dung the profitable squalid state of one repenting. But concerning the fire of good love the Lord saith, " Fire I have come to send into the world." 8 With which fire may the fervent in spirit burn, and they too that are inflamed with the love of God and their neighbour. And thus, as all good works are wrought by good fear and good love, so by evil fear and evil love all sins are committed. Therefore, "Things set alight with fire and dug up," to wit, all sins, " by the rebuke of Thy countenance shall perish."
11. " Let Thy hand be upon the Man of Thy right hand, and upon the Son of Man whom Thou hast strengthened Thyself " (ver. 17). "And we depart not from Thee...Thou wilt quicken us, and Thy Name we will invoke" (ver. 18). Thou shalt be sweet to us, " Thou wilt quicken us." For aforetime we did love earth, not Thee: but Thou hast mortified our members which are upon the earth.' For the Old Testament, having earthly promises, seemeth to exhort that God should not be loved for nought, but that He should be loved because He giveth something on earth. What dost thou love, so as not to love God? Tell me. Love, if thou canst, anything which He hath not made. Look round upon the whole creation, see whether in any place thou art held with the birdlime of desire, and hindered from loving the Creator, except it be by that very thing which He hath Himself created, whom thou despisest. But why dost thou love those things, except because they are beautiful? Can triey be as beautiful as He by whom they were made? Thou admirest these things, because thou seest not Him: but through those things which thou admirest, love Him whom thou seest not. Examine the creation; if of itself it is, stay therein: but if it is of Him, for no other reason is it pre- 3 Matt. xvi. 26. 8 Luke xii. 49.
6 Or, " life." 9 Coi. iii. 5.
7 Luke xiii. 8.
39° [Psalm LXXXI.
judicial to a lover, than because it is preferred to the Creator. Why have I said this? With reference to this verse, brethren. Dead, I say, were they that did worship God that it might be well with them after the flesh: " For to be wise after the flesh is death: " ■ and dead are they that do not worship God gratis, that is, because of Himself He is good, not because He giveth such and such good things, which He giveth even to men not good. Money wilt thou have of God? Even a robber hath it. Wife, abundance of children, soundness of body, the world's dignity, observe how many evil men have. Is this all for the sake of which thou dost worship Him? Thy feet will totter,2 thou wilt suppose thyself to worship without cause, when thou seest those things to be with them who do not worship Him. All these things, I say, He giveth even to evil men, Himself alone He reserveth for good men. " Thou wilt quicken us; " for dead we were, when to earthly things we did cleave; dead we were, when of the earthly man we did bear the image. " Thou wilt quicken us; " Thou wilt renew us, the life of the inward man Thou wilt give us. " And Thy Name we will invoke; " that is, Thee we will love. Thou to us wilt be the sweet forgiver of our sins, Thou wilt be the entire reward of the justified. " O Lord God of virtues, convert us, and show Thy face, and we shall be whole "(ver. 20).
PSALM LXXXI.'
1. For a Title this Psalm hath, "Unto the end for the presses, on the fifth of the Sabbath, a Psalm to Asaph himself." Into one title many mysteries are heaped together, still so that the lintel of the Psalm indicates the things within. As we have to speak of the presses, let no one expect that we shall speak of a vat, of a press, of olive baskets; 4 because neither the Psalm hath this, and therefore it indicateth the greater mystery...No such thing did ye hear in this when it was reading. Therefore take the presses for the mystery of the Church, which is now transacting. In the presses we observe three things, pressure, and of the pressure two things, one to be laid up, the other to be thrown away. There takes place then in the press a treading, a crushing, a weight: and with these the oil strains out secretly into the vat,5 the lees run openly down the streets.
Look intently on this great spectacle. For God cease'th not to exhibit to us that which we may look upon with great joy, nor is the madness of the Circus to be compared with this spectacle. That belongeth to the lees, this to the oil. When therefore ye hear the blasphemers babble impudently and say that distresses abound in Christian times; for ye know that they love to say this: and it is an old proverb, yet one that began from Christian times, " God gives no rain; count it to the Christians! " 6 Although it was those of old that said thus. But these now say also, " That God sends rain, count it to the Christians! God sends no rain; we sow not. God sends rain; we reap not! " And they wilfully make that an occasion of showing pride, which ought to make them more earnest in supplication, choosing rather to blaspheme than to pray.
When therefore they talk of such things, when they make such boasts, when they say these things, and say them in defiance, not with fear, but with loftiness, let them not disturb you. For suppose that pressures abound; be thou oil. Let the lees, black with the darkness of ignorance, be insolent; and let it, as though cast away in the streets, go gibing publicly: but do thou by thyself in thy heart, where He who seeth in secret will requite thee, strain off into the vat.
...To name some one thing about which even they murmur who make them: How great plur.derings, they say, are there in our times, how great distresses of the innocent, how great robberies of other men's goods! Thus indeed thou takest notice of the lees, that other men's goods are seized; to the oil thou givest no heed, that to the poor are given even men's own. The old time had no such plunderers of other men's goods: but the old time had no such givers of their own goods...2. Wherefore also " on the fifth of the sabbath "?? What is this? I^t us go back to the first works of God, if perchance we may not there find somewhat in which we may also understand a mystery. For the sabbath is the seventh day, on which " God rested from all His works," 8 intimating the great mystery of our future resting from all our works. First of the sabbath then is called that first day, which we also call the Lord's day; second of the sabbath, the second day;...and the sabbath itself the seventh day. See ye therefore to whom this Psalm speaketh. For it seems to me that it speaketh to the baptized. For on the fifth day God from the waters created animals: on the fifth day, that 1 Rom. viti 6.
a Ps. Ixxiii. 3.
3 Lat. LXXX. A Sermon to the people of Carthage. [He makes this preface: " We have undertaken to speak to you of the present Psalm; let your quietness aid our voice, for it is somewhat worn out: the attention of the hearers, and the help of Him who bids me speak, will give it strength." — C. ] < Fitcinit. J Gemellarium.
6 Due ad Christianos; al. dicat Christianas, with other variations. The Ben. editor refers to De Civ. Dei, ii. c. 3. where a similar proverb is noticed: and Tertull. Apol. c. 40," If the Tiber rises to the walls, if the Nile rises not upon the fields, presently the cry is, ' The Christians to the lions! ' " and St. Cyprian to Demetrianus, speaking of the like complaints with respect to other calamities: to which may De added, St Aug. De Civ. Dei, i. c. 1, of the sack of Rome, such a complaint being the occasion of his writing the book for its refutation. [See this series, vol. ii. p. xi., and A. N. F. vol. iu.47' — C.]
Psalm LXXXI.]
is, on the " fifth of the sabbath," God said, " Let the waters bring forth creeping things of living souls." ' See ye, therefore, ye in whom the waters have already brought forth creeping things of living souls. For ye belong to the presses, and in you, whom the waters have brought forth, one thing is strained out, another is thrown away. For there are many that live not worthily of the baptism which they have received. For how many that are baptized have chosen rather to be filling the Circus than this Basilica! How many that are baptized are either making booths in the streets, or complaining that they are not made!
But this Psalm, " For the presses," and " on the fifth of the sabbath," is sung " unto Asaph." Asaph was a certain man called by this name, as Idithun, as Core, as other names that we find in the titles of the Psalms: yet the interpretation of this name intimates the mystery of a hidden truth. Asaph, in fact, in Latin is interpreted " congregation." Therefore, " For the presses, on the fifth of the sabbath," it is sung " unto Asaph," that is, for a distinguishing pressure, to the baptized, born again of water, the Psalm is sung to the Lord's congregation. We have read the title on the lintel, and have understood what it means by these " presses." Now if you please let us see the very house of the composition, that is, the interior of the press. Let us enter, look in, rejoice, fear, desire, avoid. For all these things ye are to find in this inward house, that is, in the text of the Psalm itself, when we shall have begun to read, and, with the Lord's help, to speak what He grants us.
3. Behold yourselves, O Asaph, congregation of the Lord. " Exult ye unto God our helper " (ver. 1). Ye who are gathered together to-day, ye are this day the congregation of the Lord, if indeed unto you the Psalm is sung, " Exult ye unto God our helper." Others exult unto the Circus, ye unto God: others exult unto their deceiver, do ye exult unto your helper: others exult unto their god their belly, do ye exult unto your God your helper. " Jubilate unto the God of Jacob." Because ye also belong to Jacob: yea, ye are Jacob, the younger people to which the elder is servant.2 " Jubilate unto the God of Jacob." Whatsoever ye cannot explain in words, ye do not therefore forbear exulting: what ye shall be able to explain, cry out: what ye cannot, jubilate. For from the abundance of joys, he that cannot find words sufficient, useth to break out into jubilating; "Jubilate unto the God of Jacob."
4. " Take the Psalm, and give the tabret " (ver. 2). Both " take," and " give." What is, " take "? what, " give "? " Take the Psalm, and 1 Gen. i. 20.
2 Gen. xxv. 23.
give the tabret." The Apostle Paul saith in a certain place,3 reproving and grieving, that no one had communicated with him in the matter of giving and receiving. What is, " in the matter of giving and receiving," but that which he hath openly set forth in another place.4 " If we have sowed unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your carnal things." And it is true that a tabret, which is made of hide, belongs to the flesh. The Psalm, therefore, is spiritual, the tabret, carnal. Therefore, people of God, congregation of God, " take ye the Psalm, and give the tabret:" take ye spiritual things, and give carnal. This also is what at that blessed Martyr's table s we exhorted you, that receiving spiritual things ye should give carnal. For these which are built for the time, are needful for receiving the bodies either of the living or of the dead, but in time that is passing by. Shall we after God's judgment take up these buildings to Heaven? Yet without these we shall not be able to do at this time the things which belong to the possessing of Heaven. If therefore ye are eager in getting spiritual things, be ye devout in expending carnal things. " Take the Psalm, and give the tabret: " take our voice, return your hands.
5. "The pleasant psaltery,5 with the harp." I remember that we once intimated to your charity the difference of psaltery and harp.'...For heavenly is the preaching of the word of God. But if we wait for heavenly things, let us not be sluggish in working at earthly things; because, " the psaltery is pleasant," but, " with the harp." The same is expressed in another way as above, "Take the Psalm, and give the tabret: " here for " Psalm," is put " psaltery," for " tabret," " harp." Of this, however, we are admonished, that to the preaching of God's word we make answer by bodily works.
6. "Sound the trumpet" (ver. 3). This is, Loudly and boldly preach, be not affrighted! as the Prophet says in a certain place, " Cry out, and lift up as with a trumpet thy voice." 8 Sound the trumpet in the beginning of the month of the trumpet." It was ordered, that in the beginning of the month there should be a sounding of the trumpet: and this even now the Jews do in bodily sort, after the spirit they understand it not. For the beginning of the month, is the new moon: the new moon, is the new hfe. What is the new moon? " If any, then, is in Christ, * Si. Cyprian's, who is named in § 21, note 4: namely, at Carthage, on the spot of his martyrdom. " In that same place," says St. Augustin, Ser. 113, " a table was constructed to God, which is called Cyprian's table, not because Cyprian ever ate there, but because there he was offered up, and because by that very offering of his he prepared that table, not to feed or be fed on, but whereon sacrifice might be offered to God, to whom himself also was offered." — Ben.
6 Or, " The psaltery is pleasant."
8 Isa. lviti. 1.
[Psalm LXXXI.
he is a new creature." ' What is, " sound the trumpet in the beginning of the month of the trumpet "? With all confidence preach ye the new life, fear not the noise of the old life.
7. " Because it is a commandment for Israel, and a judgment for the God of Jacob " (ver. 4). Where a commandment, there judgment. For, " They that have sinned in the Law, by the Law shall be judged." * And the very Giver of the commandment, the Lord Christ, the Word made flesh, saith, " For judgment I am come into the world, that they that see not may see, and they that see may be made blind." 3 What is, " That they that see not may see, they that see be made blind," but that the lowly be exalted, the proud thrown down? For not they that see are to be made blind, but those who to themselves seem to see are to be convicted of blindness. This is brought about in the mystery of the press, that they who see may not see, and they that see be made blind.
8. " A testimony in Joseph He made that " (ver. 5). Look you, brethren, what is it? Joseph is interpreted augmentation. Ye remember, ye know of Joseph sold into Egypt: Joseph sold into Egypt 4 is Christ passing over to the Gentiles. There Joseph after tribulations was exalted, and here Christ, after the suffering of the Martyrs, was glorified. Thenceforth to Joseph the Gentiles rather belong, and thenceforth augmentation; because, " Many are the children of her that was desolate, rather than of her that hath the husband." 5 " He made it, till he should go out of the land of Egypt." Observe that also here the " fifth of the sabbath " is signified: when Joseph went out from the land of Egypt, that is, the people multiplied through Joseph, he was caused to pass through the Red Sea. Therefore then also the waters brought forth creeping things of living souls.6 No other thing was it that there in figure the passage of that people through the sea foreshowed, than the passing of the Faithful through Baptism; the apostle is witness: for " I would not have you ignorant, brethren," he said, " that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." » Nothing else then the passing through the sea did signify, but the Sacrament of the baptized; nothing else the pursuing Egyptians, but the multitude of past sins. Ye see most evident mysteries. The Egyptians press, they urge; so then sins follow close, but no farther than to the water. Why then dost thou fear, who hast not yet come, to come to the Baptism of Christ, to pass through the Red Sea? What is "Red"? Consecrated with the 4 Oxf. mss. repeat the words. 5 Isa. liv. x.
Blood of the Lord. Why fearest thou to come? The consciousness, perhaps, of some huge offences goads and tortures in thee thy mind, and says to thee that it is so great a thing thou hast committed, that thou mayest despair to have it remitted thee. Fear lest there remain anything of thy sins, if there lived any one of the Egyptians! 8 But when thou shalt have passed the Red Sea, when thou shalt have been led forth out of thine offences " with a mighty hand and with a strong arm," 9 thou wilt perceive mysteries that thou knowest not: since Joseph himself too, " when he came out of the land of Egypt, heard a language which he knew not." Thou shalt hear a language which thou knowest not: which they that know now hear and recognise, bearing witness and knowing. Thou shalt hear where thou oughtest to have thy heart: '° which just now when I said many understood and answered by acclamation, the rest stood mute, because they have not heard the language which they knew not. Let them hasten, then, let them pass over, let them learn.
9. " He turned away from burdens his back " (ver. 6). Who " turned away from burdens his back," but He that cried, " Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden "? " In another manner this same thing is signified. What the pursuit of the Egyptians did, the same thing do the burdens of sins. As if thou shouldest say, From what burdens? " His hands in the basket did serve." By the basket are signified servile works; to cleanse, to manure, to carry earth, is done with a basket,'2 such works are servile: because " every one that doeth sin, is the slave of sin; " and " if the Son shall have made you free, then will ye be free indeed." *» Justly also are the rejected things of the world counted as baskets, but even baskets did God fill with morsels; " Twelve baskets " '4 did He fill with morsels; because " He chose the rejected things of this world to confound the things that were mighty." '5 But also when with the basket Joseph did serve, he then carried earth, because he did make bricks. " His hands in the basket did serve."
10. " In tribulation thou didst call on Me, and I delivered thee " (ver. 8). Let each Christian conscience recognise itself, if it have devoutly passed the Red Sea,'6 if with faith in believing and observing it hath heard a strange language which it knew not, let it recognise itself as having been heard in its tribulation. For that was a great tribulation, to be weighed 8 Exod. xiv. 29, 30. • Exod. xiii. 3; Deut. vi. it.
■° Malt. vi. si, and Off. Euch. » Matt. xi. 28.
12 To this day it is common in many countries to do with a basket what we usually do with a barrow.
Psalm LXXXI.]
down with loads of sins. How does the conscience, lifted from the earth, rejoice. Lo, thou art baptized, thy conscience which was yesterday overladen, to-day rejoiceth thee. Thou hast been heard in tribulation, remember thy tribulation. Before thou earnest to the water, what anxiety didst thou bear on thee! what fastings didst thou practise! what tribulations didst thou carry in thy heart! what inward, pious, devout prayers! Slain are thine enemies; all thy sins are blotted out. In tribulation thou didst call upon Me, and I delivered thee.
ii. "I heard thee in the hidden part of the tempest." Not in a tempest of the sea, but in a tempest of the heart. " I proved thee in the water of contradiction." Truly, brethren, truly, he that was heard in the hidden part of the tempest ought to be proved in the water of contradiction. For when he hath believed, when he hath been baptized, when he hath begun to go in the way of God, when he hath striven to be strained into the vat, and hath drawn himself out from the lees that run in the street, he will have many disturbers, many insurers, many detractors, many discouragers, many that even threaten where they can, that deter, that depress. This is all the " water of contradiction." I suppose there are some here to-day, for instance, I think it likely there are some here whom their friends wished to hurry away to the circus, and to I know not what triflings of this day's festivity: perchance they have brought those persons with them to church. But whether they have brought those with them, or whether they have by them not permitted themselves to be led away to the circus, in the " water of contradiction " have they been tried. Do not then be ashamed to proclaim what thou knowest, to defend even among blasphemers what thou hast believed...However much the bad that are aliens may rage, O that our own bad people would not help them!
Ye recollect what was said of Christ, that He was thus born for " the fall of many, and the rising again of many, and for a sign to be spoken against." ■ We know, we see: the sign of the Cross has been set up, and it has been spoken against. There has been speaking against the glory of the Cross: but there was a title over the Cross which was not to be corrupted. For there is a title in the Psalm,2 " For the inscription of the title, corrupt thou not." It was a sign to be spoken against: for the Jews said, " Make it not, King of the Jews, but make it, that He said I am the King of the Jews." 3 Conquered was the contradiction; it was answered, " What I have written, I have written.1' 12. All this, from the beginning of the Psalm 1 Luke ii. 34.
2 Ps. lx. Tit.
3 John xix. 31.
up to this verse, we have heard of the oil of the press. What remains is rather for grief and warning: for it belongs to the lees of the press, even to the end; perchance also not without a meaning in the interposition of the " Diapsalma." But even this too is profitable to hear, that he who sees himself already of the oil may rejoice; he that is in danger of running among the lees may beware. To both give heed, choose the one, fear the other.
" Hear, O My people, and I will speak, and will bear witness unto thee " (ver. 8). For it is not to a strange people, not to a people that belongs not to the press: " Judge ye," He saith, " between Me and My vineyard." 4