First Sunday after Trinity
Augustine on Psalm 1
First Sunday after Trinity Home
O GOD, the strength of all those who put their hope in thee; Mercifully accept our prayers; and because, through the weakness of our mortal nature, we can do no good thing without thee, grant us the help of thy grace, that in keeping thy commandments we may please thee, both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Gregory's Sacramentum. The traditional numbering of Sundays was after Trinity Sunday in the Sarum Missal of England. The Gregorian Sacrementary of 600 numbered the Sunday after Trinity as the Second Sunday after Pentecost. Carnmer translated it as put their "trust" in thee in the first Prayer Book
Genesis v, Psalms 1, 5 | 2, 3, 4 , 1 St. John iv. 7 & St. Luke xvi. 19
READINGS
Gen iii. 17
Unto Adam God said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.1 St. John iv. 7.
BELOVED, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
St. Luke xvi. 19
THERE was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Augustine
Psalm I
1. "Blessed is the man that hath not gone away in the counsel of the
ungodly" (ver. 1). This is to be understood of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord Man. [6] "Blessed is the man that hath not gone away in the
counsel of the ungodly," as "the man of earth did," [7] who consented
to his wife deceived by the serpent, to the transgressing the
commandment of God. "Nor stood in the way of sinners." For He came
indeed in the way of sinners, by being born as sinners are; but He
"stood" not therein, for that the enticements of the world held Him
not. "And hath not sat in the seat of pestilence." He willed not an
earthly kingdom, with pride, which is well taken for "the seat of
pestilence;" for that there is hardly any one who is free from the love
of rule, and craves not human glory. For a "pestilence" is disease
widely spread, and involving all or nearly all. Yet "the seat of
pestilence" may be more appropriately understood of hurtful doctrine;
"whose word spreadeth as a canker." [8] The order too of the words must
be considered: "went away, stood, sat." For he "went away," when he
drew back from God. He "stood," when he took pleasure in sin. He "sat,"
when, confirmed in his pride, he could not go back, unless set free by
Him, who neither "hath gone away in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of pestilence."
2. "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law will he
meditate by day and by night (ver. 2). The law is not made for a
righteous man," [9] says the Apostle. But it is one thing to be in the
law, another under the law. Whoso is in the law, acteth according to
the law; whoso is under the law, is acted upon according to the law:
the one therefore is free, the other a slave. Again, the law, which is
written and imposed upon the servant, is one thing; the law, which is
mentally discerned by him who needeth not its "letter," is another
thing. "He will meditate by day and by night," is to be understood
either as without ceasing; or "by day" in joy, "by night" in
tribulations. For it is said, "Abraham saw my day, and was glad:" [10]
and of tribulation it is said, "my reins also have instructed me, even
unto the night." [11]
3. "And he shall be like a tree planted hard by the running streams of
waters" (ver. 3); that is either Very "Wisdom," [12] which vouchsafed
to assume man's nature for our salvation; that as man He might be "the
tree planted hard by the running streams of waters;" for in this sense
can that too be taken which is said in another Psalm, "the river of God
is full of water." [13] Or by the Holy Ghost, of whom it is said, "He
shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost;" [14] and again, "If any man
thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink;" [15] and again, "If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that asketh water of thee, thou
wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water,
of which whoso drinketh shall never thirst, but it shall be made in him
a well of water springing up into everlasting life." [16] Or, "by the
running streams of waters" may be by the sins of the people, because
first the waters are called "peoples" in the Apocalypse; [17] and
again, by "running stream" is not unreasonably understood "fall," which
hath relation to sin. That "tree" then, that is, our Lord, from the
running streams of water, that is, from the sinful people's drawing
them by the way into the roots of His discipline, will "bring forth
fruit," that is, will establish Churches; "in His season," that is,
after He hath been glorified by His Resurrection and Ascension into
heaven. For then, by the sending of the Holy Ghost to the Apostles, and
by the confirming of their faith in Him, and their mission to the
world, He made the Churches to "bring forth fruit." "His leaf also
shall not fall," that is, His Word shall not be in vain. For, "all
flesh is grass, and the glory of man as the flower of grass; the grass
withereth, and the flower falleth, but the word of the Lord abideth for
ever. [18] And whatsoever He doeth shall prosper" that is, whatsoever
that tree shall bear; which all must be taken of fruit and leaves, that
is, deeds and words.
4. "The ungodly are not so," they are not so, "but are like the dust
which the wind casteth forth from the face of the earth" (ver. 4). "The
earth" is here to be taken as that stedfastness in God, with a view to
which it is said, "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, yea, I
have a goodly heritage." [19] With a view to this it is said, "Wait on
the Lord and keep His ways, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the
earth." [20] With a view to this it is said, "Blessed are the meek, for
they shall inherit the earth." [21] A comparison too is derived hence,
for as this visible earth supports and contains the outer man, so that
earth invisible the inner man. "From the face of" which "earth the wind
casteth forth the ungodly," that is, pride, in that it puffeth him up.
On his guard against which he, who was inebriated by the richness of
the house of the Lord, and drunken of the torrent stream of its
pleasures, saith, "Let not the foot of pride come against me." [22]
From this earth pride cast forth him who said, "I will place my seat in
the north, and I will be like the Most High." [23] From the face of the
earth it cast forth him also who, after that he had consented and
tasted of the forbidden tree that he might be as God, hid himself from
the Face of God. [24] That his earth has reference to the inner man,
and that man [25] is cast forth thence by pride, may be particularly
seen in that which is written, "Why is earth and ashes proud? Because,
in his life, he cast forth his bowels." [26] For, whence he hath been
cast forth, he is not unreasonably said to have cast forth himself.
5. "Therefore the ungodly rise not in the judgment" (ver. 5):
"therefore," namely, because "as dust they are cast forth from the face
of the earth." And well did he say that this should be taken away from
them, which in their pride they court, namely, that they may judge; so
that this same idea is more clearly expressed in the following
sentence, "nor sinners in the counsel of the righteous." For it is
usual for what goes before, [27] to be thus repeated more clearly. So
that by "sinners" should be understood the "ungodly;" what is before
"in the judgment," should be here "in the counsel of the righteous." Or
if indeed the ungodly are one thing, and sinners another, so that
although every ungodly man is a sinner, yet every sinner is not
ungodly; "The ungodly rise not in the judgment," that is, they shall
rise indeed, but not that they should be judged, for they are already
appointed to most certain punishment. But "sinners" do not rise "in
counsel of the just," that is, that they may judge, but peradventure
that they may be judged; so as of these it were said, "The fire shall
try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, he
shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall
then suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
6. "For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous" (ver. 6). As it is
said, medicine knows health, but knows not disease, and yet disease is
recognised by the art of medicine. In like manner can it be said that
"the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous," but the way of the ungodly
He knoweth not. Not that the Lord is ignorant of anything, and yet He
says to sinners, "I never knew you." [28] "But the way of the ungodly
shall perish;" is the same as if it were said, the way of the ungodly
the Lord knoweth not. But it is expressed more plainly that this should
be not to be known of the Lord, namely, to "perish;" and this to be
known of the Lord, namely, to "abide;" so as that to be should
appertain to the knowledge of God, but to His not knowing not to be.
For the Lord saith, "I Am that I Am," and, "I Am hath sent me." [29]
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:
[6] Homine Dominico. This term as applied to our Lord, St. Augustin
disallows in his Retractat. i. 19. [He would not have objected to the
expression of our translator, "the Lord Man," as above. It is the
adjective Dominicus to which he objects, because it is ambiguous, quasi
Man of the Lord.--C.]
[7] 1 Cor. xv. 47.
[8] 2 Tim. ii. 17.
[9] 1 Tim. i. 9.
[10] John viii. 5, 6.
[11] Ps. xvi. 7.
[12] Prov. viii.
[13] Ps. lxv. 9.
[14] Matt. iii. 11.
[15] John vii. 37.
[16] John iv. 10, 14.
[17] Rev. xvii. 15.
[18] Isa. xl. 6-8.
[19] Ps. xvi. 5, 6.
[20] Ps. xxxvii. 34.
[21] Matt. v. 5.
[22] Ps. xxxvi. 11.
[23] Isa. xiv. 13, 14.
[24] Gen. iii. 8.
[25] Oxford mss. "the inner man."
[26] Ecclus. x. 9.
[27] Oxford mss. "what is darkly said."
[28] Matt. vii. 23.
[29] Exod. iii. 14. [Irenaeus, p. 419, vol. i. A.N.F.; also Tertull. p.
682, vol. iii. A.N.F.; same series elsewhere.--C.]
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