Psalms 72:7

8. Behold with what companions I walked the streets of Babylon, in whose filth I was rolled, as if in cinnamon and precious ointments. And that I might cleave the more tena ciously to its very centre, my invisible enemy trod me down, and seduced me, I being easily seduced. Nor did the mother of my flesh, although she herself had ere this fled “out of the midst of Babylon,”, progressing, however, but slowly in the skirts of it, in counselling me to chastity, so bear in mind what she had been told about me by her husband as to restrain in the limits of conjugal affection (if it could not be cut away to the quick) what she knew to be destructive in the present and dangerous in the future. But she took no heed of this, for she was afraid lest a wife should prove a hindrance and a clog to my hopes. …

10. At first these men are being described. “There shall go forth as if out of fat their iniquity” ( ver. 7 ).…A poor beggar committeth a theft; out of leanness hath gone forth the iniquity: but when a rich man aboundeth in so many things, why doth he plunder the things of others? Of the former the iniquity out of leanness, of the other out of fatness, hath gone forth. Therefore to the lean man when thou sayest, Why hast thou done this? Humbly afflicted and abject he replieth, Need hath compelled me. Why hast thou not feared God? Want was urgent. Say to a rich man, Why doest thou these things, and fearest not God? supposing thee to be great enough to be able to say it, see if he even deigneth to hear; see if even against thyself there will not go forth iniquity out of his fatness. …

16. But as to unbelievers, being a crooked and embittering generation, as it were, while the morsel was yet in their mouths, “the anger of God went up upon them, and it slew among the most of them” ( ver. 31 ): that is, the most of them, or as some copies have it, “the fat ones of them,” which however in the Greek copies which we had, we did not find. But if this be the truer reading, what else must be understood by “the fat ones of them,” than men mighty in pride, concerning whom is said, “their iniquity shall come forth as if out of fat”? “And the elect of Israel He fettered.” Even there there were elect, with whose faith the generation crooked and embittering was not mixed. But they were fettered, so that they might in no sort profit them for whom they desired that they might provide from a fatherly affection. …

More then than all other things together, let us attend seriously to this. “I have loved,” saith he,“ those that love thy law.” ( Ps. cxix. 165 , not exact.) This man then let us too emulate, and such let us love. And that the young may further be taught chastity, let them hear the Prophet, saying, “My loins are filled with illusions” ( Ps. xxxviii. 7 , Sept.); and again let them hear him saying, “Thou wilt utterly destroy every one that goeth a whoring from Thee.” ( Ps. lxxiii. 27 , Sept.) And, that one ought to restrain the belly, let them hear again, “And slew,” he saith, “the more part of them while the meat was yet in their mouths.” ( Ps. lxxviii. 30 , Sept.) And that they ought to be above bribes, “If riches become abundant, set [not] your heart upon them” ( Ps. lxii. 10 .); and that they ought to keep glory in subjection, “Nor shall his glory descend together after him.” ( Ps. …

1. Of old, when it had repented the Lord that he had anointed Saul to be king over Israel, we are told that Samuel mourned for him; and again, when Paul heard that there was fornication among the Corinthians and such fornication as was not so much as named among the gentiles, he besought them to repent with these tearful words: “lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.” If an apostle or a prophet, themselves immaculate, could speak thus with a clemency embracing all, how much more earnestly should a sinner like me plead with a sinner like you. …

189. See how horrified holy David is at such men, in limiting the knowledge of the Son of God. For thus it is written: “They are not in the troubles of other men, neither will they be scourged with men; therefore their pride has laid hold on them; they are covered with their wickedness and blasphemy; their iniquity hath stood forth as it were with fatness; they have passed on to the thoughts of their heart.” Truly he condemns those who think that divine things are to be regarded in the light of the thoughts of the heart. For God is not subject to arrangement or order; seeing that we do not perceive even those very things, which are common among men and often occur in the history of the human race, to turn out always after the arrangement of some stated rule, but often to happen suddenly in some secret and mysterious manner.