First Sunday after Trinity
Augustine on Psalm III
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 Bookk
Genesis v, Psalms 1, 5 | 2, 3, 4 , 1 St. John iv. 7 & St. Luke xvi. 19
Homily of Augustine on Psalm III
READINGS
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 III
Psalm III.
[35]
A psalm of David, when he fled from the face of Abessalon his son.
1. The words, "I slept, and took rest; and rose, for the Lord will take
me up," lead us to believe that this Psalm is to be understood as in
the Person of Christ; for they sound more applicable to the Passion and
Resurrection of our Lord, than to that history in which David's flight
is described from the face of his rebellious son. And, since it is
written of Christ's disciples, "The sons of the bridegroom fast not as
long as the bridegroom is with them;" [36] it is no wonder if by his
undutiful [37] son be here meant that undutiful [38] disciple who
betrayed Him. From whose face although it may be understood
historically that He fled, when on his departure He withdrew with the
rest to the mountain; yet in a spiritual sense, when the Son of God,
that is the Power and Wisdom of God, abandoned the mind of Judas; when
the Devil wholly occupied him; as it is written, "The Devil entered
into his heart," [39] may it be well understood that Christ fled from
his face; not that Christ gave place to the Devil, but that on Christ's
departure the Devil took possession. Which departure, I suppose, is
called a flight in this Psalm, because of its quickness; which is
indicated also by the word of our Lord, saying, "That thou doest, do
quickly." [40] So even in common conversation we say of anything that
does not come to mind, it has fled from me; and of a man of much
learning we say, nothing flies from him. Wherefore truth fled from the
mind of Judas, when it ceased to enlighten him. But Absalom, as some
interpret, in the Latin tongue signifies, Patris pax, a father's peace.
And it may seem strange, whether in the history of the kings, when
Absalom carried on war against his father; or in the history of the New
Testament, when Judas was the betrayer of our Lord; how "father's
peace" can be understood. But both in the former place they who read
carefully, see that David in that war was at peace with his son, who
even with sore grief lamented his death, saying, "O Absalom, my son,
would God I had died for thee!" [41] And in the history of the New
Testament by that so great and so wonderful forbearance of our Lord; in
that He bore so long with him as if good, when He was not ignorant of
his thoughts; in that He admitted him to the Supper in which He
committed and delivered to His disciples the figure of His Body and
Blood; finally, in that He received the kiss of peace at the very time
of His betrayal; it is easily understood how Christ showed peace to His
betrayer, although he was laid waste by the intestine war of so
abominable a device. And therefore is Absalom called "father's peace,"
because his father had the peace, which he had not.
2. "O Lord, how are they multiplied that trouble me!" (ver. 1). So
multiplied indeed were they, that one even from the number of His
disciples was not wanting, who was added to the number of His
persecutors. "Many rise up against me; many say unto my soul, There is
no salvation for him in his God" (ver. 2). It is clear that if they had
had any idea that He would rise again, assuredly they would not have
slain Him. To this end are those speeches, "Let Him come down from the
cross, if He be the Son of God;" and again, "He saved others, Himself
He cannot save." [42] Therefore, neither would Judas have betrayed Him,
if he had not been of the number of those who despised Christ, saying,
"There is no salvation for Him in His God."
3. "But Thou, O Lord, art my taker." [43] It is said to God in the
nature of man, for the taking of man is, the Word made Flesh. "My
glory." Even He calls God his glory, whom the Word of God so took, that
God became one with Him. Let the proud learn, who unwillingly hear,
when it is said to them, "For what hast thou that thou didst not
receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou
hadst not received it?" [44] "And the lifter up of my head" (ver. 3). I
think that this should be here taken of the human mind, which is not
unreasonably called the head of the soul; [45] which so inhered in, and
in a sort coalesced with, the supereminent excellency of the Word
taking man, that it was not laid aside by so great humiliation of the
Passion.
4. "With my voice have I cried unto the Lord" (ver. 4); that is, not
with the voice of the body, which is drawn out with the sound of the
reverberation of the air; but with the voice of the heart, which to men
speaks not, but with God sounds as a cry. By this voice Susanna was
heard; [46] and with this voice the Lord Himself commanded that prayer
should be made in closets, [47] that is, in the recesses of the heart
noiselessly. Nor would one easily say that prayer is not made with this
voice, if no sound of words is uttered from the body; since even when
in silence we pray within the heart, if thoughts interpose alien from
the mind of one praying, it cannot yet be said, "With my voice have I
cried unto the Lord." Nor is this rightly said, save when the soul
alone, taking to itself nothing of the flesh, and nothing of the aims
of the flesh, in prayer, speaks to God, where He only hears. But even
this is called a cry by reason of the strength of its intention. "And
He heard me out of His holy mountain." We have the Lord Himself called
a mountain by the Prophet, as it is written, "The stone that was cut
out without hands grew to the size of a mountain." [48] But this cannot
be taken of His Person, unless peradventure He would speak thus, out of
myself, as of His holy mountain He heard me, when He dwelt in me, that
is, in this very mountain. But it is more plain and unembarrassed, if
we understand that God out of His justice heard. For it was just that
He should raise again from the dead the Innocent who was slain, and to
whom evil had been recompensed for good, and that He should render to
the persecutor a meet reward, who repaid Him evil for good. For we
read, "Thy justice is as the mountains of God." [49]
5. "I slept, and took rest" [50] (ver. 5). It may be not unsuitably
remarked, that it is expressly said, "I," to signify that of His own
Will He underwent death, according to that, "Therefore doth My Father
love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man
taketh it from Me; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to
take it again." [51] Therefore, saith He, you have not taken Me as
though against My will, and slain Me; but "I slept, and took rest; and
rose, for the Lord will take me up." Scripture contains numberless
instances of sleep being put for death; as the Apostle says, "I would
not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are
asleep." [52] Nor need we make any question why it is added, "took
rest," seeing that it has already been said, "I slept." Repetitions of
this kind are usual in Scripture, as we have pointed out many in the
second Psalm. But some copies have, "I slept, and was cast into a deep
sleep." [53] And different copies express it differently, according to
the possible renderings of the Greek words, ego ds ekoimethen kai
hupnosa. Unless perhaps sleeping [54] may be taken of one dying, but
sleep [55] of one dead: so that sleeping may be the transition into
sleep, as awakening is the transition into wakefulness. Let us not deem
these repetitions in the sacred writings empty ornaments of speech. "I
slept, and took rest," is therefore well understood as "I gave Myself
up to My Passion, and death ensued." "And I rose, for the Lord will
take Me up." [56] This is the more to be remarked, how that in one
sentence the Psalmist has used a verb of past and future time. For he
has said, both "I rose," which is the past, and "will take Me up,"
which is the future; seeing that assuredly the rising again could not
be without that taking up. But in prophecy the future is well joined to
the past, whereby both are signified. Since things which are prophesied
of as yet to come in reference to time are future; but in reference to
the knowledge of those who prophesy they are already to be viewed as
done. Verbs of the present tense are also mixed in, which shall be
treated of in their proper place when they occur.
6. "I will not fear the thousands of people that surround me" (ver. 6).
It is written in the Gospels how great a multitude stood around Him as
He was suffering, and on the cross. "Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God"
(ver. 7). It is not said to God, "Arise," as if asleep or lying down,
but it is usual in holy Scripture to attribute to God what He doeth in
us; not indeed universally, but where it can be done suitably; as when
He is said to speak, when by His gift Prophets speak, and Apostles, or
whatsoever messengers of the truth. Hence that text, "Would you have
proof of Christ, who speaketh in me?" [57] For he doth not say, of
Christ, by whose enlightening or order I speak; but he attributes at
once the speaking itself to Him, by whose gift he spake.
7. "Since Thou hast smitten all who oppose me without a cause." It is
not to be pointed as if it were one sentence, "Arise, O Lord, save me,
O my God; since Thou hast smitten all who oppose me without a cause."
For He did not therefore save Him, because He smote His enemies; but
rather He being saved, He smote them. Therefore it belongs to what
follows, so that the sense is this; "Since Thou hast smitten all who
oppose me without a cause, Thou hast broken the teeth of the sinners;"
that is, thereby hast Thou broken the teeth of the sinners, since Thou
hast smitten all who oppose me. It is forsooth the punishment of the
opposers, whereby their teeth have been broken, that is, the words of
sinners rending with their cursing the Son of God, brought to nought,
as it were to dust; so that we may understand "teeth" thus, as words of
cursing. Of [58] which teeth the Apostle speaks, "If ye bite one
another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." [59] The
teeth of sinners can also be taken as the chiefs of sinners; by whose
authority each one is cut off from the fellowship of godly livers, and
as it were incorporated with evil livers. To these teeth are opposed
the Church's teeth, by whose authority believers are cut off from the
error of the Gentiles and divers opinions, and are translated into that
fellowship which is the body of Christ. With these teeth Peter was told
to eat the animals when they had been killed, that is, by killing in
the Gentiles what they were, and changing them into what he was
himself. Of these teeth too of the Church it is said, "Thy teeth are as
a flock of shorn sheep, coming up from the bath, whereof every one
beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them." [60] These are
they who prescribe rightly, and as they prescribe, live; who do what is
written, "Let your works shine before men, that they may bless your
Father which is in heaven." [61] For moved by their authority, they
believe God who speaketh and worketh through these men; and separated
from the world, to which they were once conformed, they pass over into
the members of the Church. And rightly therefore are they, through whom
such things are done, called teeth like to shorn sheep; for they have
laid aside the burdens of earthly cares, and coming up from the bath,
from the washing away of the filth of the world by the Sacrament of
Baptism, every one beareth twins. For they fulfil the two commandments,
of which it is said, "On these two commandments hang all the Law and
the Prophets;" [62] loving God with all their heart, and with all their
soul, and with all their mind, and their neighbour as themselves.
"There is not one barren among them," for much fruit they render unto
God. According to this sense then it is to be thus understood, "Thou
hast broken the teeth of the sinners," that is, Thou hast brought the
chiefs of the sinners to nought, by smiting all who oppose Me without a
cause. For the chiefs according to the Gospel history persecuted Him,
whilst the lower people honoured Him.
8. "Salvation is of the Lord; and upon Thy people be Thy blessing"
(ver. 8). In one sentence the Psalmist has enjoined men what to
believe, and has prayed for believers. For when it is said, "Salvation
is of the Lord," the words are addressed to men. Nor does it follow,
"And upon Thy people" be "Thy blessing," in such wise as that the whole
is spoken to men, but there is a change into prayer addressed to God
Himself, for the very people to whom it was said, "Salvation is of the
Lord." What else then doth he say but this? Let no man presume on
himself, seeing that it is of the Lord to save from the death of sin;
for, "Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of
this death? The grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord." [63] But
do Thou, O Lord, bless Thy people, who look for salvation from Thee.
9. This Psalm can be taken as in the Person of Christ another way;
which is that whole Christ should speak. [64] I mean by whole, with His
body, of which He is the Head, according to the Apostle, who says, "Ye
are the body of Christ, and the members." [65] He therefore is the Head
of this body; wherefore in another place he saith, "But doing the truth
in love, we may increase in Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ,
from whom the whole body is joined together and compacted." [66] In the
Prophet then at once, the Church, and her Head (the Church founded
amidst the storms of persecution throughout the whole world, which we
know already to have come to pass), speaks, "O Lord, how are they
multiplied that trouble me! many rise up against me;" wishing to
exterminate the Christian name. "Many say unto my soul, There is no
salvation for him in his God." For they would not otherwise hope that
they could destroy the Church, branching out so very far and wide,
unless they believed that God had no care thereof. "But Thou, O Lord,
art my taker;" in Christ of course. For into that flesh [67] the Church
too hath been taken by the Word, "who was made flesh, and dwelt in us;"
[68] for that "In heavenly places hath He made us to sit together with
Him." [69] When the Head goes before, the other members will follow;
for, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" [70] Justly then
does the Church say, "Thou art my taker. My glory;" for she doth not
attribute her excellency to herself, seeing that she knoweth by whose
grace and mercy she is what she is. "And the lifter up of my head," of
Him, namely, who, "the First-born from the dead," [71] ascended up into
heaven. "With my voice have I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me out
of His holy mountain." This is the prayer of all the Saints, the odour
of sweetness, which ascends up in the sight of the Lord. For now the
Church is heard out of this mountain, which is also her head; or, out
of that justice of God, by which both His elect are set free, and their
persecutors punished. Let the people of God also say, "I slept, and
took rest; and rose, for the Lord will take me up;" that they may be
joined, and cleave to their Head. [72] For to this people is it said,
"Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall
lay hold on thee." [73] Since they are taken out of sinners, of whom it
is said generally, "But they that sleep, sleep in the night." [74] Let
them say moreover, "I will not fear the thousands of people that
surround me;" of the heathen verily that compass me about to extinguish
everywhere, if they could, the Christian name. But how should they be
feared, when by the blood of the martyrs in Christ, as by oil, the
ardour of love is inflamed? "Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God." The
body can address this to its own Head. For at His rising the body was
saved; who "ascended up on high, led captivity captive, gave gifts unto
men." [75] For this is said by the Prophet, in the secret purpose of
God, [76] until that ripe harvest [77] which is spoken of in the
Gospel, whose salvation is in His Resurrection, who vouchsafed to die
for us, shed out our Lord to the earth. "Since Thou hast smitten all
who oppose me without a cause, Thou hast broken the teeth of the
sinners." Now while the Church hath rule, the enemies of the Christian
name are smitten with confusion; and, whether their curses or their
chiefs, brought to nought. Believe then, O man, that "salvation is of
the Lord: and," Thou, O Lord, may "Thy blessing" be "upon Thy people."
10. Each one too of us may say, when a multitude of vices and lusts
leads the resisting mind in the law of sin, "O Lord, how are they
multiplied that trouble me! many rise up against me." And, since
despair of recovery generally creeps in through the accumulation of
vices, as though these same vices were mocking the soul, or even as
though the Devil and his angels through their poisonous suggestions
were at work to make us despair, it is said with great truth, "Many say
unto my soul, There is no salvation for him in his God. But Thou, O
Lord, art my taker." For this is our hope, that He hath vouchsafed to
take the nature of man in Christ. "My glory;" according to that rule,
that no one should ascribe ought to himself. "And the lifter up of my
head;" either of Him, who is the Head of us all, or of the spirit of
each several one of us, which is the head of the soul and body. For
"the head of the woman is the man, and the head of the man is Christ."
[78] But the mind is lifted up, when it can be said already, "With the
mind I serve the law of God;" [79] that the rest of man may be reduced
to peaceable submission, when in the resurrection of the flesh "death
is swallowed up in victory." [80] "With my voice I have cried unto the
Lord;" with that most inward and intensive voice. "And He heard me out
of His holy mountain;" [81] Him, through whom He hath succoured us,
through whose mediation He heareth us. "I slept, and took rest; and
rose, for the Lord will take me up." Who of the faithful is not able to
say this, when he calls to mind the death of his sins, and the gift of
regeneration? "I will not fear the thousands of people that surround
me." Besides those which the Church universally hath borne and beareth,
each one also hath temptations, by which, when compassed about, he may
speak these words, "Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God:" that is, make me
to arise. "Since Thou hast smitten all who oppose me without a cause:"
it is well in God's determinate [82] purpose said of the Devil and his
angels; who rage not only against the whole body of Christ, but also
against each one in particular. "Thou hast broken the teeth of the
sinners." Each man hath those that revile him, he hath too the prime
authors of vice, who strive to cut him off from the body of Christ. But
"salvation is of the Lord." Pride is to be guarded against, and we must
say, "My soul cleaved after Thee." [83] "And upon Thy people" be "Thy
blessing:" that is, upon each one of us.
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:
[35] [On the place of this Psalm in the Ordo Psalmorum, see the
important principle laid down by Bishop Wordsworth, in his Introduction
to the Psalms, p. v.--C.]
[36] Matt. ix. 15.
[37] Impius.
[38] Impius.
[39] John xiii. 27.
[40] John xiii. 27.
[41] 2 Sam. xviii. 33.
[42] Matt. xxvii. 42.
[43] Susceptor.
[44] 1 Cor. iv. 7.
[45] [1 Thess. v. 23. See Tertull. vol. iii. p. 450, A.N.F.; also
Irenaeus, vol. i. p. 386, ibid.--C.]
[46] Sus. 44.
[47] Matt. vi. 6.
[48] Dan. ii. 34, 35.
[49] Ps. xxxvi. 6. [See Tertullian, p. 364, A.N.F. vol. iii.--C.]
[50] Ego dormivi, et somnum cepi. In the Hebrew, also, I is emphatic.
[51] John x. 17, 18.
[52] 1 Thess. iv. 13.
[53] Dormivi, et soporatus sum.
[54] Dormitio.
[55] Somnus.
[56] [Justin Martyr understands this of Christ and His resurrection.
A.N.F. vol. i. p. 175.--C.]
[57] 2 Cor. xiii. 3.
[58] Oxford mss. "De."
[59] Gal. v. 15.
[60] Sol. Song iv. 2, vi. 6.
[61] Matt. v. 16.
[62] Matt. xxii. 40.
[63] Rom. vii. 24, 25.
[64] [On this principle, which rules throughout this commentary, see
the author's remark on Ps. xcvi., infra.--C.]
[65] 1 Cor. xii. 27.
[66] Eph. iv. 15, 16.
[67] Homine.
[68] John i. 14.
[69] Eph. ii. 6.
[70] Rom. viii. 35.
[71] Col. i. 18.
[72] [An Easter antiphon in the Western liturgies. Wordsworth, apud
loc. Commentary on Psalms, p. 5.--C.]
[73] Eph. v. 14.
[74] 1 Thess. v. 7.
[75] Eph. iv. 8; Ps. lxviii. 18.
[76] Praedestinatione.
[77] Matt. ix. 37.
[78] 1 Cor. xi. 3.
[79] Rom. vii. 25.
[80] 1 Cor. xv. 54.
[81] [Here, for the first time, comes in the word Selah, the Sursum
Corda of the Hebrews. Bishop Wordsworth notes the three upliftings
which here precede.--C.]
[82] Praedestinatione.
[83] Ps. lxiii. 8. ekollethe, Sept.
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