The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity
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LORD, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
Psalm cxi
Amos viii. 4
Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
1 Corinthians i. 4.
I THANK my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.St. Matthew xxii. 34
WHEN the Pharisees had heard that Jesus had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
An Exposition of the Psalms
Psalm CXI
1. The days have come for us to sing Allelujah [Praise ye the Lord]...Now these
days come only to pass away, and pass away to come, again, and typify
the day which does not come and pass away, because it is neither
preceded by yesterday to cause it to come, nor pressed upon by the
morrow to cause it to pass....For as these days succeed in regular
season, with a joyful cheerfulness, the past days of Lent, whereby the
misery of this life before the Resurrection of the Lord's body is
signified; so that day which after the Resurrection shall be given to
the full body of the Lord, that is, to the holy Church, when all the
troubles and sorrows of this life have been shut out, shall succeed
with perpetual bliss. But this life demandeth from us self-restraint,
that although groaning and weighed down with our toil and struggles,
and desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven,
we may refrain from secular pleasures: and this is signified by
the number of forty, which was the period of the fasts of Moses, and
Elias, and our Lord Himself....But by the number fifty after our
Lord's resurrection, during which season we sing Allelujah, not the
term and passing away of a certain season is signified, but that
blessed eternity; because the denary [4986] added to forty signifieth
the reward paid to the faithful who toil in this life, which our Father
hath prepared an equal share of for the first and for the last. Let us
therefore hear the heart of the people of God full of divine praises.
He representeth in this Psalm some one exulting in happy joyfulness, he
prefigureth the people whose hearts are overflowing with the love of
God, that is, the body of Christ, freed from all evil.
2. "I will make confession unto Thee, O Lord," he saith, "with my whole
heart" (ver. 1). Confession is not always confession of sins, but the
praise of God is poured forth in the devotion of confession. The former
mourneth, the latter rejoiceth: the former showeth the wound to the
physician, the latter giveth thanks for health. The latter confession
signifieth some one, not merely freed from every evil, but even
separate from all the ill-disposed. And for this reason let us consider
the place where he confesseth unto the Lord with all his heart. "In the
counsel," he saith, "of the upright, and in the congregation:" I
suppose, of those who shall "sit upon the twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel." For there will be no longer an unjust
man among them, the thefts of no Judas are allowed, no Simon Magus is
baptized, wishing to buy the Spirit, whilst he designeth to sell it;
no coppersmith like Alexander doth many evil deeds, no
man covered with sheep's clothing creepeth in with feigned fraternity;
such as those among whom the Church must now groan, and such as she
must then shut out, when all the righteous shall be gathered together.
"These are the great works of the Lord, sought out unto all His wills"
(ver. 2): through which mercy forsaketh none who confesseth, no man's
wickedness is unpunished. ...Let man choose for himself what he
listeth: the works of the Lord are not so constituted, that the
creature, having free discretion allowed him, should transcend the will
of the Creator, even though he act contrary to His will. God willeth
not that thou shouldest sin; for He forbiddeth it: yet if thou hast
sinned, imagine not that the man hath done what he willed, and that
hath happened to God which He willed not. For as He would that man
would not sin, so would He spare the sinner, that he may return and
live; He so willeth finally to punish him who persisteth in his sin,
that the rebellious cannot escape the power of justice. Thus whatever
choice thou hast made, the Almighty will not be at a loss to fulfil His
will concerning thee.
3. "Confession and glorious deeds are His work" (ver. 3). What is a
more glorious deed than to justify the ungodly? But perhaps the work of
man preventeth that glorious work of God, so that when he hath
confessed his sins, he deserveth to be justified....This is the
glorious work of the Lord: for he loveth most, to whom most is
forgiven. This is the glorious work of the Lord: for "where sin
abounded, there did grace much more abound." But perhaps a man
would deserve justification from works. "Not," saith he, "of works,
lest any man boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
unto good works." For a man worketh not righteousness save he be
justified: but by "believing on Him that justifieth the ungodly,"
he beginneth with faith; that good may not by preceding show
what he hath deserved, but by following what he hath received....
4. "He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered" (ver. 4): by
abasing this man, exalting that. Reserving unusual miracles for a fit
season, that thus human weakness, intent upon novelty, may remember
them, although His daily miracles be greater. He created so many trees
throughout the whole earth, and no one wondereth: He dried up one with
a word, and the hearts of mortals were thunderstruck. For that
miracle, which hath not through its frequency become common, will cling
most firmly to the heart. But of what use were the miracles, save that
He might be feared? What too would fear profit, unless "the gracious
and merciful Lord" gave "meat unto them that fear Him"? (ver. 5); meat
that doth not spoil, "bread that cometh down from heaven," which
He gave to no deservings of ours. For "Christ died for the ungodly."
No one then would give such food, save a gracious and merciful
Lord. But if He gave so much to this life, if the sinner who was to be
justified received the Word made flesh; what shall he receive when
glorified in a future world? For, "He shall ever be mindful of His
covenant." Nor hath He who hath given a pledge, given the whole.
5. "He shall show His people the power of His works" (ver. 6). Let not
the holy Israelites, who have left all their possessions and have
followed Him, be saddened; let them not be sorrowful and say, "Who then
can be saved?" For "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." For
"with men these things are impossible, but with God all things are
possible." "That He may give them the heritage of the heathen."
For they went to the heathen, and enjoined the rich of this world "not
to be high-minded, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living
God," to whom that is easy which is difficult for men. For thus
many were called, thus the heritage of the heathen has been occupied,
thus it hath happened, that even many who have not abandoned all their
possessions in this life in order to follow Him, have despised even
life itself for the sake of confessing His Name; and like camels
humbling themselves to bear the burden of troubles, have entered as it
were through a needle's eye, through the piercing straits of suffering.
He hath wrought these effects, unto whom all things are possible.
6. "The works of His hands are verity and judgment" (ver. 7). Let
verity be held by those who are judged here. Martyrs are here
sentenced, and brought to the judgment-seat, that they may judge not
only those by whom they have been judged, but even give judgment on
angels, against whom was their struggle here, even when they
seemed to be judged by men. Let not tribulation, distress, famine,
nakedness, the sword, separate from Christ. For "all His commandments
are true;" He deceiveth not, He giveth us what He promised. Yet
we should not expect here what He promised; we should not hope for it:
but "they stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and
equity" (ver. 8). It is equitable and just that we should labour here
and repose there; since "He sent redemption unto His people" (ver. 9).
But from what are they redeemed, save from the captivity of this
pilgrimage? Let not therefore rest be sought, save in the heavenly
country. God indeed gave the carnal Israelites an earthly Jerusalem,
"which is in bondage with her children:" but this is the Old Covenant,
pertaining unto the old man. But they who there understood the figure,
even then were heirs of the New Covenant; for "Jerusalem which is above
is free, which is our everlasting mother in heaven." But that
transitory promises were given in that Old Testament is proved by the
fact itself: however, "He hath commended His covenant for ever." But
what, but the New? Whosoever dost wish to be heir of this, deceive not
thyself, and think not of a land flowing with milk and honey, nor of
pleasant farms, nor of gardens abounding in fruits and shade: desire
not how to gain anything of this sort, such as the eye of covetousness
is wont to lust for. For since "covetousness is the root of all evils,"
it must be cut off, that it may be consumed here; not be put
off, that it may be satisfied there. First escape punishments, avoid
hell; before thou longest for a God who promiseth, beware of one who
threateneth. For "holy and reverend is His Name."
7. ..."The fear of the Lord," therefore, "is the beginning of wisdom."
"Understanding is good" (ver. 10). Who gainsayeth? But to understand,
and not to do, is dangerous. It is "good," therefore, "to those that do
thereafter." Nor let it lift up the mind unto pride; for, "the praise
of Him," the fear of whom is the beginning of wisdom, "endureth for
ever:" and this will be the reward, this the end, this the everlasting
station and abode. There are found the true commandments, made fast for
ever and ever; here is the very heritage of the New Covenant commanded
for ever. "One thing," he saith, "I have desired of the Lord, which I
will require: even that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the
days of my life." For, "blessed are they that dwell in the
house" of the Lord: "they will be alway praising" Him; for "His
praise endureth for ever."
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
Finis
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