Psalms 54:23

70. Terrified by my sins and the load of my misery, I had resolved in my heart, and meditated flight into the wilderness; but Thou didst forbid me, and didst strengthen me, saying, therefore, Christ “died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them.” Behold, O Lord, I cast my care upon Thee, that I may live, and “behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” Thou knowest my unskilfulness and my infirmities; teach me, and heal me. Thine only Son, He “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”, hath redeemed me with His blood. Let not the proud speak evil of me, because I consider my ransom, and eat and drink, and distribute; and poor, desire to be satisfied from Him, together with those who eat and are satisfied, and they praise the Lord that seek him.

19. “But surely every man living disquieteth himself in vain.” He returns to what he mentioned a little before. Although he be improving here, yet for all that, “every man living disquieteth himself in vain;” forasmuch as he lives in a state of uncertainty. For who has any assurance even of his own goodness? “He is disquieted in vain.” Let him “cast upon the Lord the burden” of his care; let him cast upon Him whatever causes him anxiety. “Let Him sustain thee;” let Him keep thee. …

“But I” ( ver. 17 ). I for whom they were seeking evil, I whose “life they were seeking, that they might take it away.” But turn thee to another description of persons. But I to whom they said, “Well done! Well done!” “I am poor and needy.” There is nothing in me that may be praised as mine own. Let Him rend my sackcloth in sunder, and cover me with His robe. For, “Now I live, not I myself; but Christ liveth in me.” If it is Christ that “liveth in thee,” and all that thou hast is Christ’s, and all that thou art to have hereafter is Christ’s also; what art thou in thyself? “I am poor and needy.” Now I am not rich, because I am not proud. …

21. “And His heart hath drawn near” ( ver. 22 ). Of whom do we understand it, except of Him, by the anger of whom they have been divided? How “hath his heart drawn near”? In such sort, that we may understand His will. For by heretics hath been vindicated the Catholic Church, and by those that think evil have been proved those that think well. For many things lay hid in the Scriptures: and when heretics had been cut off, with questions they troubled the Church of God: then those things were opened which lay hid, and the will of God was understood. Thence is said in another Psalm, “In order that they might be excluded that have been proved with silver.” For let them be excluded, He hath said, let them come forth, let them appear. Whence even in silver-working men are called “excluders,” that is, pressers out of form from the sort of confusion of the lump. …

23. Furthermore, just as Peter, after their having been scandalized by the hardness, as they thought, of the discourse of the Lord, even then said, “to whom shall we go?” so he hath added, “Cast upon the Lord thy care, and He shall Himself nourish thee up” ( ver. 22 ). A little one thou art, not yet thou understandest the secret things of words: perchance from thee the bread is hidden, and as yet with milk thou must be fed: be not angry with the breasts: they will make thee fit for the table, for which now little fitted thou art. Behold by the division of heretics many hard things have been softened: His discourses that were hard have been softened above oil, and they are themselves darts. …

9. “Hope ye in Him all the council of the people” ( ver. 8 ). Imitate ye Idithun, leap over your enemies; men fighting against you, stopping up your way, men hating you, leap ye over: “Hope in Him all the council of the people: pour out before Him your hearts:”…By imploring, by confessing, by hoping. Do not keep back your hearts within your hearts: “Pour out before Him your hearts.” That perisheth not which ye pour out. For He is my Taker up. If He taketh up, why fearest thou to pour out? “Cast upon the Lord thy care, and hope in Him.” What fear ye amid whisperers, slanderers hateful to God, where they are able openly assailing, where they are unable secretly lying in wait, falsely praising, truly at enmity, amid them what fear ye? “God is our Helper.” Do they anywise equal God? Are they anywise stronger than He? “God is our Helper,” be ye without care. …

In its midst God planted the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. The tree of knowledge was for trial, and proof, and exercise of man’s obedience and disobedience: and hence it was named the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or else it was because to those who partook of it was given power to know their own nature. Now this is a good thing for those who are mature, but an evil thing for the immature and those whose appetites are too strong, being like solid food to tender babes still in need of milk. For our Creator, God, did not intend us to be burdened with care and troubled about many things, nor to take thought about, or make provision for, our own life. But this at length was Adam’s fate: for he tasted and knew that he was naked and made a girdle round about him: for he took fig-leaves and girded himself about. …

But what sort of a thing is this, that sometimes we fancy that we are patient because when provoked we scorn to answer, but by sullen silence or scornful motions and gestures so mock at our angry brothers that by our silent looks we provoke them to anger more than angry reproaches would have excited them, meanwhile thinking that we are in no way guilty before God, because we have let nothing fall from our lips which could brand us or condemn us in the judgment of men. As if in the sight of God mere words, and not mainly the will was called in fault, and as if only the actual deed of sin, and not also the wish and purpose, was reckoned as wrong; or as if it would be asked in the judgment only what each one had done and not what he also purposed to do. …