The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
Augustine on Psalm LIX part II
Trinity 16 Home
O LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source of Collect - Bishop Gelasius' Sacrementary [494AD].One is reminded of Psalm 51 purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean and Rev 7:14, washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb
Isaiah xii, Psalms 98, 99 | 89, 59 Ephesians iii. 13 & St. Luke vii. 11
Homily of Augustine on Psalm LIX Part II
defend me from them that rise up against me
Isaiah xii
AND in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
Ephesians iii. 8
UNTO me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
St. Luke vii. 11
AND it came to pass the day after, that Jesus went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
Scripture from 1928 Book of Common Prayer, KJV
The Collects of Thomas Cranmer, Barbee and Zalh
Homily
Augustine
Psalm LIX Part II
The Second Part.
1. For, behold, the Jews are enemies, whom this Psalm seemeth to imply;
the law of God they hold, and therefore of them hath been said, "Slay
not them, lest sometime they forget Thy law:" in order that the nation
of Jews might remain, and by it remaining the number of Christians
might increase. Throughout all nations they remain certainly, and Jews
they are, nor have they ceased to be what they were: that is, this
nation hath not so yielded to Roman institutions, as to have lost the
form of Jews; but hath been subjected to the Romans so as that it still
retaineth its own laws; which are the laws of God. But what in their
case hath been done? "Ye tithe mint and cummin, and have forsaken the
weightier matters of the law, mercy, and judgment, straining a gnat,
but swallowing a camel." [2262] This to them the Lord saith. And in
truth so they are; they hold the law, hold the Prophets; read all
things, sing all things: the light of the Prophets therein they see
not, which is Christ Jesus. Not only Him now they see not, when he is
sitting in Heaven: but not even at that time saw they Him, when among
them humble He was walking, and they were made guilty by shedding the
blood of the Same; but not all. This even to-day we commend to the
notice of your Love. Not all: because many of them were turned to Him
whom they slew, and by believing on Him, they obtained pardon even for
the shedding of His blood: and they have given an example for men; how
they ought not to despair that sin of whatsoever kind would be remitted
to them, since even the killing of Christ was remitted to them
confessing....
2. What in them wilt Thou slay? The Crucify, Crucify, [2263] which they
cried out, not them that cried out. For they willed to blot out, cut
off, destroy Christ: but Thou, by raising to life Christ, whom they
willed to destroy, dost slay the "transgressions of their mouth, the
discourse of their lips." For in that He whom they cried out should be
destroyed, liveth, they are taken with dread: and that He whom on earth
they despised, in heaven is adored by all nations, they wonder: thus
are there slain the transgressions of them, and the discourse of their
lips. What is, "let them be taken in their pride"? Because to no
purpose have strong men rushed on, and it hath fallen out to them as it
were to think themselves to have done somewhat, and they have prevailed
against the Lord. They were able to crucify a man, weakness might
prevail and virtue [2264] be slain; and they thought themselves
somewhat, as it were strong men, as it were mighty men, as it were
prevailing, as it were a lion prepared for prey, as it were fat bulls,
as of them in another place he maketh mention: "Fat bulls have beset
me." [2265] But what have they done in the case of Christ? Not life,
but death they have slain....And what now hath come to pass in those
men that have been converted? For it was told to them that He whom they
slew rose again. They believed Him to have risen again, because they
saw that He, being in Heaven, thence sent the Holy Spirit, and filled
those that on Him believed; and they found themselves to have condemned
nought, and to have done nought. Their doing issued in emptiness, the
sin remained. Because therefore the doing was made void, but the sin
remained upon the doers; they were taken in their pride, they saw
themselves under their iniquity. [2266] It remained therefore for them
to confess the sin, and for Him to pardon, that had given Himself up to
sinners, and to forgive His death, having been slain by men dead, and
making alive men dead. They were taken therefore in their pride.
3. "And out of cursing and lying shall be declared consummations, in
anger of consummation, and they shall not be." This too with difficulty
is understood, to what is joined the "and they shall not be." What
shall they not be? Let us therefore examine the context above: when
they shall have been taken in their pride, "there shall be declared out
of cursing and lying consummations." What are consummations?
Perfections: for to be consummated, is to be perfected. One thing it is
to be consummated, another thing to be consumed. For a thing is
consummated which is so finished as that it is perfected: a thing is
consumed which is so finished that it is not. Pride would not suffer a
man to be perfected, nothing so much hindereth perfection. For let your
Love attend a little to what I am saying; and see an evil very
pernicious, very much to be guarded against. What sort of evil do ye
think it is? How long could I enlarge upon how much evil there is in
pride? The devil on that account alone is to be punished. Certes he is
the chief of all sinners: certes he is the tempter to sin: to him is
not ascribed adultery, not wine-bibbing, not fornication, not the
robbing of others' goods: by pride alone he fell. And since pride's
companion is envy, it must needs be that a proud man should envy....In
a word, all vices in evil-doings are to be feared, pride in well-doings
is more to be feared. It is no wonder, then, that so humble is the
Apostle, as to say, "When I am made weak, then I am strong." [2267] For
lest he should himself be tempted by this sin, what sort of medicine
doth he say was applied to him against swelling by the Physician, who
knew what He was healing? "Lest by the greatness," he saith, "of the
revelations I should be exalted, there was given to me a thorn of my
flesh, the angel of Satan, to buffet me: wherefore thrice the Lord I
besought, that it should depart from me: and He said to me, My grace is
sufficient for thee, for virtue in weakness is made perfect." [2268]
See what the consummations are. An Apostle, the teacher of Gentiles,
father of the faithful through the Gospel, received a thorn of the
flesh whereby he might be buffeted. Which of us would dare to say this,
unless he had not been ashamed to confess this? For if we shall have
said that Paul had not suffered this; while to him as it were honour we
give, a liar we make him. But because truthful he is, and truth he hath
spoken; it behoveth us to believe that there was given to him an angel
of Satan, lest by the greatness of the revelations he should be
exalted. Behold how much to be feared is the serpent of pride....
4. What is, "in the anger of consummation shall be declared
consummations"? There is an anger of consummation, and there is an
anger of consuming. For every vengeance of God is called anger:
sometimes God avengeth, to the end that He may make perfect; sometimes
He avengeth, to the end that He may condemn. How doth He avenge, to the
end that He may make perfect? "He scourgeth every son whom He
receiveth." [2269] How doth He avenge, to the end that He may condemn?
When He shall have set ungodly men on the left hand, and shall have
said to them, "Go ye into fire everlasting, that hath been prepared for
the devil and his angels." [2270] This is the anger of consuming, not
that of consummation. But "there shall be declared consummations in the
anger of consummation;" it shall be preached by the Apostles, that
"where sin hath abounded, grace shall much more abound," [2271] and the
weakness of man hath belonged to the healing of humility. Those men
thinking of this, and finding out and confessing their iniquities,
"shall not be." "Shall not be" what? In their pride.
5. "And they shall know how God shall have dominion of Jacob, and of
the ends of the earth" (ver. 13). For before they thought themselves
just men, because the Jewish nation had received the Law, because it
had kept the commandments of God: it is proved to them that it hath not
kept them, since in the very commandments of God Christ it perceived
not, because "blindness in part has happened to Israel." [2272] Even
the Jews themselves see that they ought not to despise the Gentiles, of
whom they deemed as of dogs and sinners. For just as alike they have
been found in iniquity, so alike they will attain unto salvation. "Not
only to Jews," saith the Apostle, "but also even to Gentiles." [2273]
For to this end the Stone which the builders set at nought, hath even
been made for the Head of the corner, [2274] in order that two in
itself It might join: for a corner doth unite two walls. The Jews
thought themselves exalted and great: of the Gentiles they thought as
weak, as sinners, as the servants of demons, as the worshippers of
idols, and yet in both was there iniquity. Even the Jews have been
proved sinners; because "there is none that doeth good, there is not
even so much as one:" [2275] they have laid down their pride, and have
not envied the salvation of the Gentiles, because they have known their
own and their weakness to be alike: and in the Corner Stone being
united, they have together worshipped the Lord....
6. "They shall be converted at evening" (ver. 14): that is, even if
late, that is, after the slaying of our Lord Jesus Christ: "They shall
be converted at evening: and hereafter they shall suffer hunger as
dogs." But "as dogs," not as sheep or calves: "as dogs," as Gentiles,
as sinners; because they too have known their sin that thought
themselves righteous....It is a good thing therefore for a sinner to be
humbled; and no one is more incurable than he that thinketh himself
whole. "And they shall go around the city." Already we have explained
"city;" [2276] it is the "city of standing round;" all nations.
7. "They shall be scattered abroad in order that they may eat" (ver.
15); that is, in order that they may gain others, in order that into
their Body they may change believers. "But if they shall not be filled,
they shall murmur." Because above also he had spoken of the murmur of
them, saying, "For who hath heard?" "And Thou, O Lord," he saith,
"shall deride them, saying, Who hath heard?" [2277] Wherefore? Because,
as nothing Thou shall count all nations. Let the Psalm be concluded.
See ye the Corner [2278] exulting, now with both walls rejoicing. The
Jews were proud, humbled they have been; Gentiles were despairing,
raised up they have been: let them come to the Corner, there let them
meet, there run together, there find the kiss of peace; from different
parts let them come, but with differing not come, those of
Circumcision, these of uncircumcision. Far apart were the walls, but
before that to the Corner they came: but in the Corner let them hold
themselves, and now let the whole Church from both walls, say what?
"But I will sing of Thy power, and I will exult in the morning of Thy
mercy" (ver. 16). In the morning when temptations have been overcome,
in the morning when the night of this world shall have passed away; in
the morning when no longer the lyings in wait of robbers and of the
devil and of his angels we dread, in the morning when no longer by the
lamp of prophecy we walk, but Himself the Word of God as it were a Sun
we contemplate. "And I will exult in the morning of Thy mercy." With
reason in another Psalm is said, "In the morning I will stand by Thee,
and I will meditate." [2279] With reason also of the Lord Himself the
Resurrection was at dawn, that there should be fulfilled that which
hath been said in another Psalm, "In the evening shall tarry weeping
and in the morning exultation." [2280] For at even the disciples
mourned our Lord Jesus Christ as dead, at dawn at Him rising again they
exulted. "For Thou hast become my taker up, and my refuge in the day of
my tribulation."
8. "My Helper, to Thee I will play, because Thou, O God, art my taker
up" (ver. 17). What was I, unless Thou didst succour? How much
despaired of was I, unless Thou didst heal? Where was I lying, unless
Thou didst come to me? Certes with a huge wound I was endangered, but
that wound of mine did call for an Almighty Physician. To an Almighty
Physician nothing is incurable....Lastly, thinking of all good things
whatsoever we may have, either in nature or in purpose, or in
conversion itself, in faith, in hope, in charity, in good morals, in
justice, in fear of God; all these to be only by His gifts, he hath
thus concluded: "My God is my mercy:" He being filled with the good
things of God hath not found what he might call his God, save "his
mercy." O name, under which no one must despair! If thou say, my
salvation, I perceive that He giveth salvation; if thou say, my refuge,
I perceive that thou takest refuge in Him; if thou say, my strength, I
perceive that He giveth to thee strength: "my mercy," is what? All that
I am is of Thy mercy....
Let us pray in the words of Augustine.
Turn we to the Lord God, the Father Almighty, and with pure hearts offer to him, so far as our
meanness can, great and true thanks, with all our hearts praying his exceeding kindness, that of
his good pleasure he would deign to hear our prayers, that by his Power he would drive out the
enemy from our deeds and thoughts, that he would increase our faith, guide our understandings,
give us spiritual thoughts, and lead us to his bliss, through Jesus Christ his Son our Lord, who
liveth and reigneth with him, in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
[A prayer which he was wont to use after his Sermons and Lectures.]
NPNF (V1-08) St. Augustine
Notes:
[2262] Matt. xxiii. 23, 24.
[2263] Matt. xxvii. 23; John xix. 5.
[2264] Or, "strength."
[2265] Ps. xxii. 12.
[2266] Acts i. 9, ii. 4, 37.
[2267] 2 Cor. xii. 10.
[2268] 2 Cor. xii. 7-9.
[2269] Heb. xii. 6.
[2270] Matt. xxv. 41.
[2271] Rom. v. 20.
[2272] Rom. xi. 25.
[2273] Rom. ii. 10.
[2274] Ps. cxviii. 22.
[2275] Ps. xiv. 3.
[2276] See p. 240, note 2.
[2277] Ps. lix. 7.
[2278] Eph. ii. 20.
[2279] Ps. v. 3.
[2280] Ps. xxx. 5.
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