Psalms 37:6

And an ark of imperishable wood was the Saviour Himself. For by this was signified the imperishable and incorruptible tabernacle (of His body), which engendered no corruption of sin. For the man who has sinned also has this confession to make: “My wounds stank, and were corrupt, because of my foolishness.” But the Lord was without sin, being of imperishable wood in respect of His humanity, that is to say, being of the Virgin and the Holy Spirit, covered, as it were, within and without with the purest gold of the Word of God.

For as the putrid humours and matter of flesh, and all those things which corrupt it, are driven out by salt, in the same manner all the irrational appetites of a virgin are banished from the body by divine teaching. For it must needs be that the soul which is not sprinkled with the words of Christ, as with salt, should stink and breed worms, as King David, openly confessing with tears in the mountains, cried out, “My wounds stink and are corrupt,” because he had not salted himself with the exercises of self-control, and so subdued his carnal appetites, but self-indulgently had yielded to them, and became corrupted in adultery. And hence, in Leviticus, every gift, unless it be seasoned with salt, is forbidden to be offered as an oblation to the Lord God. …

8. “My wounds stink and are corrupt” ( ver. 5 ). Now he who has wounds is not perfectly sound. Add to this, that the wounds “stink and are corrupt.” Wherefore do they “stink”? Because they are “corrupt:” now in what way this is explained in reference to human life, who doth not understand? Let a man but have his soul’s sense of smelling sound, he perceives how foully sins stink. The contrary to which stink of sin, is that savour of which the Apostle says, “We are the sweet savour of Christ unto God, in every place, unto them which be saved.” But whence is this, except from hope? Whence is this, but from our “calling the Sabbath to remembrance”? For it is a different thing that we mourn over in this life, from that which we anticipate in the other. That which we mourn over is stench, that which we reckon upon is fragrance. …

4. “For the enemy hath persecuted my soul: he hath humbled my life on the earth” ( ver. 3 ). Here we speak, here our Head speaketh for us. Manifestly both the devil persecuted the Soul of Christ and Judas the Soul of his Master: and now too the same devil remaineth to persecute the Body of Christ, and one Judas succeedeth another. There lacketh not then of whom the Body too may say, “For the enemy hath persecuted my soul.” For what doth each one who persecuteth us endeavour save to make us abandon our heavenly hope, and savour of the earth, yield to our persecutor, and love earthly things? “They have laid me in dark places, as the dead of the world.” This ye hear more readily from the Head; this ye perceive more readily in the Head. …

Well, then, let us speak to you to-day from the Old Testament. What does it tell us? “Accustom not thy mouth to swearing; neither use thyself to the naming of the Holy One.” And why? “For as a servant that is continually beaten shall not be without a blue mark, so he that sweareth.” ( Ecclus. xxiii. 10 .) See the discernment of this wise man. He did not say, “Accustom not to swearing” thy mind, but “thy mouth”; because being altogether an affair of the mouth, thus it is easily remedied. For at last it becomes a habit without intention; as for instance, there are many who entering the public baths, as soon as they have passed the threshold, cross (Hom. in 1 Cor. xi. 7 ) themselves ( σφραγίζονται ). This the hand has got to do, without any one’s bidding, by force of habit. Again, at the lighting of a candle, often when the mind is intent on something else, the hand makes the sign. …

But if thou sayest, “What? hath he no understanding?” thou shalt hear from me that he hath not: drunken as he is with his passion. For if in the heathen courts of justice, those who are injured must not speak for themselves while glowing with wrath; (although there be no fault in that kind of sympathy;) how much more those whom evil habit holds in subjection. Wherefore I say that manifold as his wisdom may be, he hath not his mind awake. For what can be wiser than David, the man who said, “The dark and the hidden things of Thy wisdom Thou hast made known unto me?” ( Ps. li. 6 . ap. LXX. l. 6.) But when he looked on the wife of the soldier with unjust eyes, then according to what he himself said ( Ps. cvii. 27 .) of those who sail on the raging sea, “all his wisdom was swallowed up;” and he stood in need of others to correct him, and did not even perceive amidst what evils he was. …

What is this, “in uncorruptness”? It either means, “in purity”; or else, “for the sake of those things which are incorruptible,” as, for example, not in riches, nor in glory, but in those treasures which are incorruptible. The “in” means, “through.” “Through uncorruptness,” that is, “through virtue.” Because all sin is corruption. And in the same way as we say a virgin is corrupted, so also do we speak of the soul. Hence Paul says, “Lest by any means your minds should be corrupted.” ( 2 Cor. xi. 3 .) And again elsewhere, he says, “In doctrine, showing uncorruptness.” For what, tell me, is corruption of the body? Is it not the dissolution of the whole frame, and of its union? This then is what takes place also in the soul when sin enters. …

“In all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another.” “In all,” says he. Virtue he calls wisdom, and lowliness of mind is wisdom, and almsgiving, and other such like things, are wisdom; just as the contraries are folly, for cruelty too cometh of folly. Whence in many places it calleth the whole of sin folly. “The fool,” saith one, “hath said in his heart, There is no God” ( Ps. xiv. 1 .); and again, “My wounds stink and are corrupt from the face of my foolishness.” ( Ps. xxxviii. 5 , Sept.) For what is more foolish, tell me, than one who indeed wrappeth himself about in his own garments, but regardeth not his brethren that are naked; who feedeth dogs, and careth not that the image of God is famishing; who is merely persuaded that human things are nought, and yet clings to them as if immortal. …

But nothing is more offensive than the savor of sin, which made the Psalmist say, “My wounds stink and are corrupt.” ( Ps. xxxviii. 5 .) For sin is more foul than putrefaction itself. What, for instance, is more offensive than fornication? And if this is not perceived at the time of its commission, yet, after it is committed, its offensive nature, the impurity contracted in it, and the curse, and the abomination of it is perceived. So it is with all sin. Before it is committed it has something of pleasure, but after its commission, the pleasure ceases and fades away, and pain and shame succeed. But with righteousness it is the reverse. At the beginning it is attended with toil, but in the end with pleasure and repose. …

[4.] This let us avoid, and glorify the Son. Had He not been of the same Nature, He would not have spoken thus. For had He merely taught, but been of different Substance, a man might not have known Him, and yet have known the Father; and again, it would not have been that one who knew Him, would have altogether known the Father; for neither doth one who knoweth a man know an Angel. “Yes,” replieth some one, “he that knoweth the creation, knoweth God.” By no means. Many, or rather I should say, all men know the creation, (for they see it) but they know not God. Let us then glorify the Son of God, not with this glory (of words) only, but that also which is by works. For the first without the last is nothing. “Behold,” saith St. …

[3.] Let us then use every means to wipe off the filthiness. But first the font cleanseth, afterwards other ways also, many and of all kinds. For God, being merciful, hath even after this given to us various ways of reconciliation, of all which the first is that by alms-doing. “By alms-deeds,” it saith, “and deeds of faith sins are cleansed away.” ( Ecclus. iii. 30 .) By alms-doing I do not mean that which is maintained by injustice, for this is not alms-doing, but savageness and inhumanity. What profits it to strip one man and clothe another? For we ought to begin the action with mercy, but this is inhumanity. If we give away everything that we have got from other people, it is no gain to us. And this Zacchæus shows, who on that occasion said, that he propitiated God by giving four times as much as he had taken. ( Luke xix. …

“And an ark of incorruptible wood was the Saviour Himself, for the incorruptibility and indestructibility of His Tabernacle signified its producing no corruption of sin. For the sinner who confesses his sin says ‘My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.’ But the Lord was without sin, made in His human nature of incorruptible wood, that is to say, of the Virgin and the Holy Ghost, overlaid within and without, as it were, by purest gold of the word of God.”