|
My dear Marcellinus,
Your steadfastness in Christ fills me with admiration. Not only are you
bearing well your present trial, with its attendant suffering; you are
even living under rule and, so the bearer of your letter tells me,
using the leisure necessitated by your recent illness to study the
whole body of the Holy Scriptures and especially the Psalms. Of every
one of those, he says, you are trying to grasp the inner force and
sense. Splendid! I myself am devoted to the Psalms, as indeed to the
whole Bible; and I once talked with a certain studious old man, who had
bestowed much labour on the Psalter, and discoursed to me about it with
great persuasiveness and charm, expressing himself clearly too, and
holding a copy of it in his hand the while he spoke. So I am going to
write down for you the things he said.
Son, all the books of Scripture, both Old Testament and New, are
inspired by God and useful for instruction, as it is written; but to
those who really study it the Psalter yields especial treasure. Each
book of the Bible has, of course, its own particular message: the
Pentateuch, for example, tells of the beginning of the world, the
doings of the patriarchs, the exodus of Israel from Egypt, the giving
of the Law, and the ordering of the tabernacle and the priesthood; The
Triteuch [Joshua, Judges, and Ruth] describes the division of the
inheritance, the acts of the judges, and the ancestry of David; Kings
and Chronicles record the doings of the kings, Esdras the deliverance
from exile, the return of the people, and the building of the temple
and the city; the Prophets foretell the coming of the Saviour, put us
in mind of the commandments, reprove transgressorts, and for the
Gentiles also have a special word. Each of these books, you see, is
like a garden which grows one special kind of fruit; by contrast, the
Psalter is a garden which, besides its special fruit, grows also some
those of all the rest.
The creation, for instance, of which we read in Genesis, is spoken of
in Psalm 18, The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament
showest His handiwork, and again in 23, "The earth is the Lord's and
the fullness thereof: the inhabited earth and all that dwell therein.
He Himself laid the foundations of it on the seas." The exodus from
Egypt, which Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy record, is fitly sung in
Psalms 77, 105, 113. When Israel came out of Egypt, says this last, the
House of Jacob from among a foreign people, Judah became his holy place
and Israel came under his authority. He sent Moses His servant, Psalm
104 declares, Aaron whom He had chosen. He showed the words of His
signs among them, and of His wonders in the land of ham. Darkness He
sent, and it was dark, and they were not obedient to his word. He
turned their waters into blood and slew their fish: their land brought
forth frogs, even in the king's apartments. He spake, and dog-flies
came, and flies in all their quarters; and so on, all through this
Psalm and the next, we find the same things treated. As for the
tabernacle and the priesthood, we have reference to them in Psalm 28,
sung when the tabernacle was carried forth, Bring unto the Lord, ye
sons of God, bring unto the Lord young rams, bring to the Lord glory
and honour.
The doings of Joshua, the son of Nun, and of the Judges also are
mentioned, this time in Psalm 104, They built them cities to dwell in
and sowed fields and planted vineyards, for it was under Joshua that
the promised land was given into their hands. And when we read
repeatedly in this same Psalm, They cried unto the Lord in their
trouble and He saved them out of their distress, the period of the
judges is referred to, for then it was that, when they cried to Him, He
raised up judges to deliver them form their oppressors, each time the
need arose. In the same way, Psalm 19 has the kings in mind when
singing, Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will gain
glory by the Name of the Lord our God. They are brought down and
fallen, but we are risen and stand upright. And Psalm 125 of the
Gradual Psalms speaks of that which Esdras tells, When the Lord turned
the captivity of Sion, we became as those comforted; and similarly
Psalm 121, I was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the House
of the Lord. Our feet were set in thy gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem is
built as a city that has fellowhip within itself: thither the tribes go
up, the tribes of the Lord, to testify to Israel.
You see, then, that all the subjects mentioned in the historical books
are mentioned also in one Psalm or another; but when we come to the
matters of which the Prophets speak we find that these occur in almost
all. Of the coming of the Saviour and how, althought He is God, He yet
should dwell among us, Psalm 49 says, God shall come openly, even our
God, and He shall not keep silence; and in Psalm 117 we read, Blessed
is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the
House of the Lord. God is the Lord, and He has given us light. That He
Who comes is Himself the Father's Word, Psalm 106 thus sings, He sent
His Word and healed them, and rescued them out of all their distresses.
For the God Who comes is this self-same Word Whom the Father sends, and
of this Word Who is the Father's Voice, Whom well he knows to be the
Son of God, the Psalmist sings again in 44, My heart is inditing of a
good Word; and also in 109, Out of the womb, before the down, have I
begotten Thee. Whom else, indeed, should any call God's very Offspring,
save His own Word and Wisdom? And he, who knows full well that it was
through the Word that God said, Let there be light, Let there be a
firmament. Let there be all things, says again in Psalm 32, By the Word
of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the
Breath of His mouth.
And, so far from being ignorant of the coming of Messiah, he makes
mention of it first and foremost in Psalm 44, Thy throne, O God, is for
ever and ever, a scepter of justice is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou
has loved righteousness and hated lawlessness: wherefore God, even thy
God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Further, lest any one should think this coming was in appearance only,
Psalm 86 shows that He Who was to come should both come as man and at
the same time be He by Whom all things were made. Mother Sion shall
say, A man, a man indeed is born in her: and He himself, the Most
Highest, founded her, it says; and that is equivalent to saying The
Word was God, all things were made by Him, and the Word became flesh.
Neither is the Psalmist silent about the fact that He should be born of
a virgin - no, he underlines it straight away in 44, which we were
quoting, but a moment since. Harken, O daughter, he says, and see and
incline thine ear, and forget thine own people and thy fathers's house.
For the King has desired thy beauty, and He is thy Lord. Is not this
like what Gabriel said, Hail, thou that art full of grace, the Lord is
with thee? For the Psalmist, having called Him the Anointed One, that
is Messiah or Christ, fortwith declares His human birth by saying,
Harken, O daughter, and see; the only difference being that Gabriel
addresses Mary by an epithet, because he is of another race from her,
while David fitly calls her his own daughter, because it was from him
that she should spring.
Having thus shown that Christ should come in human form, the Psalter
goes on to show that He can suffer in the flesh He has assumed. It is
as foreseeing how the Jews would plot against Him that Psalm 2 sings,
Why do the heathen rage and peoples meditate vain things? The kings of
the earth stood up and their rulers took counsel together against the
Lord and against His Christ. And Psalm 21, speaking in the Saviour's
own person, describes the manner of His death. Thou has brought me into
the dust of death, for many dogs have compassed me, the assembly of the
wicked have laid siege to me. They peirced my hands and my feet, they
numbered all my bones, they gazed and stared at me, they parted my
garments among them and cast lots for my vesture. They pierced my hands
and my feet- what else can that mean except the Cross? and Psalms 87
and 68, again speaking in the Lord's own person, tell us further that
He suffered these things, not for His own sake but for ours. Thou has
made Thy wrath to rest upon me, says the one; and the other adds, I
paid them things I never took. For He did not die as being Himself
liable to death: He suffered for us, and bore in Himself the wrath that
was the penalty of our transgression, even as Isaiah says, Himself bore
our weaknesses. So in Psalm 136 we say, The Lord will make requital for
me; and in the 71st the Spirit says, He shall save the children of the
poor and bring the slanderer low, for from the hand of the mighty He
has set the poor man free, the needy man whom there was none to help.
Nor is this all. The Psalter further indicates beforehand the bodily
Ascension of the Saviour into heaven, saying in Psalm 23, Lift up your
gates, ye princes, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the
king of glory shall come in! And again in 46, God is gone up with a
merry noise, the Lord with the voice of the trumpet. The Session also
it proclaims, saying in Psalm 109, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou
on My right hand, until I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet.
And Psalm 9 mentions also the coming destruction of the devil, crying,
Thou satest on Thy throne, Thou that judgest righteousness, Thou hast
rebuked the heathen and the wicked one is destroyed. And that He should
receive all judgement from the Father, this also the Psalter does not
hide from us, but foreshows Him as coming to be the judge of all in 71,
Give the King Thy judgements, O God, and Thy righteousness unto the
King's Son, that He may judge Thy people in righteousness and Thy poor
with justice. In Psalm 49 too we read, He shall call the heaven from
above, and the earth, that He may judge His people. And the heavens
shall declare His righteousness, that God is judge indeed. The 81st
(82nd) like-wise says, God standeth in the assembly of gods, in the
midst He judges gods. The calling of the Gentiles also is to be learnt
from many passages in this same book, especially in these words of
Psalm 46, O clap your hands together, all ye Gentiles, shout unto God
with the voice of triumph; and again in the 71st, the Ethiopians shall
fall down before Him, His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of
Tarsis and of the islands shall bring presents, the kings of Arabia and
Saba shall offer gifts. All these things are sung of in the Psalter;
and they are shown forth separately in the other books as well.
My old friend made rather a point of this, that the things we find in
the Psalms about the Saviour are stated in the other books of Scripture
too; he stressed the fact that one interpretation is common to them
all, and that they have but one voice in the Holy Spirit.
Moreover, he went on, the opposite is true, to some extent; for, just
as the Psalter includes the special subjects of all the other books, so
also do they often contain something of the special feature of the
Psalter. Moses, for example, writes a song; Isaiah does the same, and
Habacuc offers prayer in form of song. And in the same way in every
book we see something alike of prophecy, of law-giving, and of history;
for the same Spirit is in all and He, being by nature One and
Indivisible, is given whole to each: yet is He diverse in His
manifestations to mankind, and each one who is taught by and receives
Him ministers the word according to the moment's need. Thus, as I said
before, Moses is at times a prophet and a psalmist, and the Prophets on
occasion both lay down laws (like Wash you, make you clean. Wash clean
your heart from wickedness, Jerusalem), and also record history, as
when Daniel relates the story of Susanna or Isaias tells us about the
Rab-shakeh and Sennacherib. Similarly the Psalter, whose special
function is to utter songs, generalizes in song matters that are
treated in detail in the other books, as I have shown you. It also even
lays down laws at times, such as Leave off from wrath and let go
displeasure, incline thine heart from evil and do good. Seek peace and
ensue it, as well as telling us the history of Israel's journey and
prophesying the coming of the Saviour, as I said just now.
You see, then, that the grace of the one Spirit is common to every
writer and all the books of Scripture, and differs in its expression
only as need requires and the Spirit wills. Obviously, therefore, the
only thing that matters is for each writer to hold fast unyieldingly
the grace he personally has received and so fulfil perfectly his
individual mission. And, among all the books, the Psalter has certainly
a very special grace, a choiceness of quality well worthy to be
pondered; for, besides the characteristics which it shares with others,
it has this peculiar marvel of its own, that within it are represented
and portrayed in all their great variety the movements of the human
soul. It is like a picture, in which you see yourself portrayed, and
seeing, may understand and consequently form yourself upon the pattern
given. Elsewhere in the Bible you read only that the Law commands this
or that to be done, you listen to the Prophets to learn about the
Saviour's coming, or you turn to the historical books to learn the
doings of the kings and holy men; but in the Psalter, besides all these
things, you learn about yourself. You find depicted in it all the
movements of your soul, all its changes, its ups and downs, its
failures and recoveries. Moreover, whatever your particular need or
trouble, from this same book you can select a form of words to fit it,
so that you do not merely hear and then pass on, but learn the way to
remedy your ill. Prohibitions of evil-doing are plentiful in Scripture,
but only the Psalter tells you how to obey these orders and abstain
from sin. Repentance, for example, is enjoined repeatedly; but to
repent means to leave off sinning, and it is the Psalms that show you
how to set about repenting and with what words your penitence may be
expressed. Again, Saint Paul says, Tribulation worketh endurance, and
endurance experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed;
but it is in the Psalms that we find written and described how
afflictions should be borne, and what the afflicted ought to say, both
at the time and when his troubles cease: the whole process of his
testing is set forth in them and we are shown exactly with what words
to voice our hope in God. Or take the commandment, In everything give
thanks. The Psalms not only exhort us to be thankful, they also provide
us with fitting words to say. We are told, too, by other writers that
all who would live godly in Christ must suffer persecution; and here
again the Psalms supply words with which both those who flee
persecution and those who suffer under it may suitably address
themselves to God, and it does the same for those who have been rescued
from it. We are bidden elsewhere in the Bible also to bless the Lord
and to acknowledge Him: here in the Psalms we are shown the way to do
it, and with what sort of words His majesty may meetly be confessed. In
fact, under all the circumstances of life, we shall find that these
divine songs suit ourselves and meet our own souls' need at every turn.
And herein is yet another strange thing about the Psalms. In the other
books of Scripture we read or hear the words of holy men as belonging
only to those who spoke them, not at all as though they were our own;
and in the same way the doings there narrated are to us material for
wonder and examples to be followed, but not in any sense things we have
done ourselves. With this book, however, though one does read the
prophecies about the Saviour in that way, with reverence and with awe,
in the case of all the other Psalms it is as though it were one's own
words that one read; and anyone who hears them is moved at heart, as
though they voiced for him his deepest thoughts. To make this clear
and, like Saint Paul not fearing somewhat to repeat ourselves, let us
take some examples. The patriarchs spoke many things, all fitting to
themselves; Moses also spoke, and God answered; Elijah and Elisha,
seated on Mount Carmel, called upon the Lord and said, The Lord liveth,
before Whom I stand. And the other prophets, while speaking specially
about the Saviour, addressed themselves also at times to Israel or to
the heathen. Yet no one would ever speak the patriarchs' words as
though they were his own, or dare to imitate the utterance of Moses or
use the words of Abraham concerning the great Isaac, or about Ishmael
and the home-born slave, as though they were his own, even though like
necessity oppressed him. Neither, if any man suffer with those that
suffer or be gripped with desire of some better thing, would he ever
say as Moses said, Show me Thyself, or If Thou remittest their sin;
then remit it; but if not, then blot me out of Thy book that Thou hast
written.No more would any one use the prophets' words of praise or
blame as though they were his own, or say, The Lord lives, in Whose
sight I stand today. For he who reads those books is clearly reading
not his own words but those of holy men and other people about whom
they write; but the marvel with the Psalter is that, barring those
prophecies about the Saviour and some about the Gentiles, the reader
takes all its words upon his lips as though they were his own, and each
one sings the Psalms as though they had been written for his special
benefit, and takes them and recites them, not as though someone else
were speaking or another person's feelings being described, but as
himself speaking of himself, offering the words to God as his own
heart's utterance, just as though he himself had made them up. Not as
the words of the patriarchs or of Moses and the other prophets will he
reverence these: no, he is bold to take them as his own and written for
his very self. Whether he has kept the Law or whether he has broken it,
it is his own doings that the Psalms describe; every one is bound to
find his very self in them and, be he faithful soul or be he sinner,
each reads in them descriptions of himself.
It seems to me, moreover, that because the Psalms thus serve him who
sings them as a mirror, wherein he sees himself and his own soul, he
cannot help but render them in such a manner that their words go home
with equal force to those who hear him sing, and stir them also to a
like reaction. Sometimes it is repentance that is generated in this
way, as by the conscience-stirring words of Psalm 50; another time,
hearing how God helps those who hope and trust in Him, the listener too
rejoices and begins to render thanks, as though that gracious help
already were his own. Psalm 3, to take another instance, a man will
sing, bearing his own afflictions in his mind; Psalms 10 and 11 he will
use as the expression of his own faith and prayer; and singing the
53rd, 55th, 56th, and the 141st, it is not as though someone else were
being persecuted but out of his own experience that he renders praise
to God. And every other Psalm is spoken and composed by the Spirit in
the selfsame way: just as in a mirror, the movements of our own souls
are reflected in them and the words are indeed our very own, given us
to serve both as a reminder of our changes of condition and as a
pattern and model for the amendment of our lives.
This is the further kindness of the Saviour that, having become man for
our sake, He not only offered His own body to death on our behalf, that
He might redeem all from death, but also, desiring to display to us His
own heavenly and perfect way of living, He expressed this in His very
self. It was as knowing how easily the devil might deceive us, that He
gave us, for our peace of mind, the pledge of His own victory that He
had won on our behalf. But He did not stop there: He went still
further, and His own self performed the things He had enjoined on us.
Every man therefore may both hear Him speaking and at the same time see
in His behaviour the pattern for his own, even as He himself has
bidden, saying, Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart. Nowhere
is more perfect teaching of virtue to be found than in the Lord's own
life. Forbearance, love of men, goodness, courage, mercy,
righteousness, all are found in Him; and in the same way no virtue will
be lacking to him who fully contemplates this human life of Christ. It
was as knowing this that Saint Paul said, Be ye imitators of me, even
as I myself am of Christ. The Greek legislators had indeed a great
command of language; but the Lord, the true Lord of all, Who cares for
all His works, did not only lay down precepts but also gave Himself as
model of how they should be -carried out, for all who would to know and
imitate. And therefore, before He came among us, He sketched the
likeness of this perfect life for us in words, in this same book of
Psalms; in order that, just as He revealed Himself in flesh to be the
perfect, heavenly Man, so in the Psalms also men of good-will might see
the pattern life portrayed, and find therein the healing and correction
of their own.
Briefly, then, if indeed any more is needed to drive home the point,
the whole divine Scripture is the teacher of virtue and true faith, but
the Psalter gives a picture of the spiritual life. And, just as one who
draws near to an earthly king observes the formalities in regard to
dress and bearing and the correct forms of words lest, transgressing in
these matters, he be deemed a boor, so he who seeks to live the good
life and learn about the Saviour's conduct in the body is by the
reading of this holy book first put in mind of his own soul's condition
and then supplied with fit words for a suppliant's use. For it is a
feature of this book that the Psalms which compose it are of many
different sorts. Some such as 72, 77, and 113, are narrative in form;
some are hortatory, like 31, 96, 102; some are prophetic, for example,
21, 44, 46, and 109; some, in whole or part, are prayers to God, as are
6, 15, 53, 101; some are confessions, notably the 50th, some denounce
the wicked, like 13; while yet others, such as 8, 97, 116, 124, and
many more, voice thanksgiving, praise, and jubilation, Psalm 65 alone
of these having special reference to the Resurrection of the Lord.
It is possible for us, therefore, to find in the Psalter not only the
reflection of our own soul's state, together with precept and example
for all possible conditions, but also a fit form of words wherewith to
please the Lord on each of life's occasions, words both of repentance
and of thankfulness, so that we fall not into sin; for it is not for
our actions only that we must give account before the judge, but also
for our every idle word. Suppose, then, for example, that you want to
declare anyone to be blessed; you find the way to do it in Psalm 1, and
likewise in 31, 40, 111, 118, and 127. If you want to rebuke the
conspiracy of the Jews against the Saviour, you have Psalm 2. If you
are persecuted by your own family and opposed by many, say Psalm 3; and
when you would give thanks to God at your affliction's end, sing 4 and
74 and 114-115. When you see the wicked wanting to ensnare you and you
wish your prayer to reach God's ears, then wake up early and sing 5;
and if you feel yourself beneath the cloud of His displeasure, you can
say 6 and 37. If any plot against you, as did Ahithophel against David,
and someone tells you of it, sing Psalm 7, and put your trust in God
Who will deliver you.
Contemplating humanity's redemption and the Saviour's universal grace,
sing Psalm 8 to the Lord; and with this same Psalm or the 18th you may
thank Him for the vintage. For victory over the enemy and the saving of
created things, take not glory to yourself but, knowing that it is the
Son of God Who has thus brought things to a happy issue, say to Him
Psalm 9; and, if any wishes to alarm you, the 10th, still trusting in
the Lord. When you see the boundless pride of many, and evil passing
great, so that among men (so it seems) no holy thing remains, take
refuge with the Lord and say Psalm 11. And if this state of things be
long drawn out, be not faint-hearted, as though God had forgotten you,
but call upon Him with Psalm 26. Should you hear others blaspheme the
providence of God, do not join with them in their profanity but
intercede with God, using the 13th and the 52nd. And if, by way of
contrast, you want to learn what sort of person is citizen of heaven's
kingdom, then sing Psalm 14.
When, again, you need to pray against your enemies and those who
straiten you, Psalms 16, 85, 87, and 139 will all meet your need; and
if you want to know how Moses prayed, you have the 89th. When you have
been delivered from these enemies and oppressors, then sing Psalm 17;
and when you marvel at the order of creation and God's good providence
therein and at the holy precepts of the Law, 18 and 23 will voice your
prayer; while 19 will give you words to comfort and to pray with others
in distress. When you yourself are fed and guided by the Lord and,
seeing it, rejoice, the 22nd awaits you. Do enemies surround you? Then
lift up your heart to God and say Psalm 24, and you will surely see the
sinners put to rout. If they persist, their murderous intent unslaked,
then let man's judgement go and pray to God, the Only Righteous, that
He alone will judge according unto right, using Psalms 25, 34, and 42.
If your foes press yet harder and become a veritable host, that scorns
you as not yet anointed, be not afraid, but sing again Psalm 26. Pay no
attention either to the weakness of your own humanity or to the
brazenness of their attack, but cry unceasingly on God, using Psalm 27.
And when you want the right way of approach to God in thankfulness,
with spiritual understanding sing Psalm 28. And finally, when you
dedicate your home, that is your soul in which you receive the Lord and
the house of your senses, in which corporeally your spirit dwells, give
thanks and say the 29th and, from the Gradual Psalms, the 126th.
Again, when you find yourself hated and persecuted by all your friends
and kinsfolk because of your faith in Christ, do not despair on this
account nor be afraid of them, but go apart and, looking to the future,
sing Psalm 30. And when you see people baptized and ransomed from this
evil world, be filled with wonder at the love of God for men, and in
thanksgiving for them sing the 31st. And whenever a number of you want
to sing together, being all good and upright men, then use the 32nd.
When you have fallen among enemies but have escaped by wise refusal of
their evil counsel, then also gather holy men together and sing with
them the 33rd. And when you see how zealous are the lawless in their
evil-doing, think not the evil is innate in them, as some false
teachers say, but read Psalm 35 and you will see they are themselves
the authors of their sin. And if you see these same wicked men trying,
among other evils, to attack the weak and you wish to warn their
victims to pay no heed to them, nor envy them, since they will soon be
brought to nought, both to yourself and others say the 36th.
When, on the other hand, it is your own safety that is in question, by
reason of the enemy's attacks, and you wish to bestir yourself against
him, say the 38th; and if, when he attacks, you then endure
afflictions, and wish to learn the value of endurance, sing Psalm 39.
When you see people in poverty, obliged to beg their bread, and you
want to show them pity, you can applaud those who have already helped
them and incite others to like works of mercy by using 40. Then again,
if you are aflame with longing for God, be not disturbed at the
reviling of your enemies but, knowing the immortal fruit that such
desire shall bear, comfort your soul and ease your pains with hope in
God, and say the 41st. When you wish to recall in detail the
loving-kindnesses which God showed to the fathers, both in their exodus
from Egypt and in the wilderness, and to reflect how good God is and
how ungrateful are men, you have the 43rd, the 77th, the 88th, the
104th, the 105th, the 106th and also the 113th. And the 45th will
supply your need when after deliverance from afflictions you flee to
God, and want to give Him thanks and tell of all His loving mercy shown
towards yourself.
But suppose now that you have sinned and, having been put to confusion,
are repenting and begging for forgiveness, then you have the words of
confession and repentance in Psalm 50. Or you have been slandered,
perhaps, before an evil king, and you see the slanderer boasting of his
deed: then go away and say Psalm 51. And when they persecute and
slander you, as did the Ziphites and the strangers to King David, be
not disturbed but with full confidence in God sing praise to Him, using
Psalms 53 and 55. If still the persecution follows hard on you, and he
who seeks your life enters (though he knows it not) the very cave in
which you hide, still you must not fear; for even in such extremity as
this you have encouragement in Psalm 56 and also in the 141st. The
plotter, it may be, gives orders that a watch be kept over your house,
and yet you manage to escape; give thanks to God, then, and let Psalm
58 be written on your heart, as on a pillar, as a memorial of your
deliverance. And if not only your enemies cast you in the teeth but
those also whom you thought to be your friends reproach and slander you
and hurt you sorely for a time, you can still call upon God for help,
using Psalm 54. Against hypocrites and those who glory in appearances,
say for their reproach the 57th. But against those whose enmity is such
that they would even take away your life, you must simply oppose your
own obedience to the Lord, having no fear at all but all the more
submitting to His will as they grow fiercer in their rage, and your
form of words for this will be the 61st Psalm. Should persecution drive
you to the desert, fear not as though you were alone in it, for God is
with you, and there at daybreak you may sing to Him the 62nd. And if
even there the fear of foes and their unceasing plots pursues you, be
they never so many or so insistent in their search for you, still you
must not yield; for the toy arrows of a child will be enough to wound
them, while Psalms 63, 64, 69, and 70 are on your lips.
The 64th Psalm will meet your need, whenever you desire to sing praise
to God: and if you want to teach any one about the Resurrection, sing
the 65th. When asking mercy from the Lord, praise Him with the 66th.
When you see wicked men enjoying prosperity and peace and good men in
sore trouble, be not offended or disturbed at it but say Psalm 72. When
God is angry with His people, you have wise words of comfort in Psalm
73. When you have occasion to testify concerning God, 9, 70, 74, 91,
104 to 107, 110, 125, 135, and 137 all fit the case; and Psalm 75, when
used intelligently, provides you with an answer for the heathen and the
heretics, showing that the knowledge of God is not with them at all,
but only in the Church. And when the enemy takes possession of your
place of refuge, even though sorely harassed and afflicted, do not
despair but pray: and when your crying has been heard, give thanks to
God, using Psalm 76. And if they have profaned the house of God and
slain the saints, throwing their bodies to the birds of prey, do not be
crushed or frightened at such cruelty, but, suffering with those that
suffer it, plead you for them with God, using Psalm 78.
Psalms 80 and 94 are suitable if you want to sing on a festival,
together with other servants of the Lord; and when the enemy once more
muster round you, threatening God's House and joining forces against
His holy ones, do not you be frightened of either their numbers or
their strength, for you have a very anchor of hope available in Psalm
82. If, moreover, you behold the House of God and His eternal dwelling,
and have a longing for them, as the Apostle had, then say the 83rd; and
when at length their anger is abated and you are free again, voice your
thanksgiving in the 84th and in the 114th and 115th. To see the
difference between the Church and schism and to confound schismatics,
you can say 86. To encourage yourself and others in the fear of God and
to show how fearless is the soul that hopes in Him, say 90.
Do you want to give thanks on the Lord's Day? Then say the 23rd; if on
a Monday, then the 94th; and if on a Friday, your words of praise are
in the 92nd, for it was when the Crucifixion was accomplished that the
House of God was built, for all the enemy attempted to prevent it, so
it is fitting we should sing on Friday a song of victory, such as that
Psalm is. Psalm 95 is apt, if God's House has been captured and
destroyed and then re-built; and when the land has rest from war and
peace returns, sing that The Lord is King in 96. You want to sing on
Wednesday? The Psalm then is 93; for it was on the fourth day from the
Sabbath that the Lord through His betrayal entered on His Passion, by
which He should redeem us and by the which He triumphed gloriously. So
when you read in the Gospel how on the Wednesday the jews took counsel
against the Lord, seeing Him thus boldly challenging the devil on our
behalf, sing the words of this Psalm 93. And again, when you see the
providence and power of God in all things and want to instruct others
in His faith and obedience, get them first to say the 99th Psalm. And
when you have yourself experienced His power in judgement (for always
His justice is tempered by His mercy) the next Psalm will express your
need.
If through the weakness of your nature and the strain of life you find
yourself at times downcast and poor, sing for your consolation Psalm
101 and use the two that follow it to lift your heart in thankful
praise to God, as in and through all circumstances we should always do.
Psalms 104, 106, 112, 116, 134, and 145 to 150 not only show the
reasons why God should be praised, but tell you how to do it. Have you
faith, as the Lord bade, and believe in the prayers you utter? Then say
the 115th Psalm. You feel that, like the Apostle, you can now press
forward, forgetting all the things that lie behind? Then you have the
fifteen Gradual Psalms for every step of your advance.
Another time, perhaps, you find you have been led astray by others'
arguments-well, then, the moment you perceive it, stop your sinning,
sit down and weep, as they did of old by Babylon's waters, using the
words of Psalm 136. Since it is precisely by being tempted that one's
worth is proved, Psalm 138 will meet your need when you thank God for
testing safely past. And if the enemy once more gets hold of you and
you desire to be free, then say 139. For prayer and supplication, sing
Psalms 5, 140 to 142, and 145. Has some Goliath risen up against the
people and yourself? Fear not, but trust in God, as David did, and sing
his words in Psalm 143. Then, marvelling at God's kindnesses to
everyone and mindful of His goodness to yourself and all, praise Him,
again in David's words, with Psalm 104. You want to sing to Him? Use 95
and 97. If, weak as you are, you yet are chosen for some position of
authority among the brethren, you must not be puffed up as though. you
were superior to them, but rather glorify the Lord Who chose you and
sing Psalm 150, which is especially the Psalm of David. And for Psalms
in praise of God, having some of them the title Alleluia, you have all
these, 104-106, 110-117, 134, 135, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150.
If, again, you want to sing Psalms that speak especially about the
Saviour, you will find something in almost all of them; but 44 and 109
to relate particularly to His Divine Begetting from the Father and His
coming in the flesh, while 21 and 68 foretell the Holy Cross, the
grievous plots He bore and how great things He suffered for our sakes.
The 3rd and 108th also display the snares and malice of the Jews and
how Iscariot betrayed Him; 20, 49, and 71 all set Him forth as judge
and foretell His Second Coming in the flesh to us; they also show the
Gentiles' call. The 15th shows His resurrection from the dead, in
flesh, the 23rd and 46th His ascension into heaven. And in the four
Psalms 92, 95, 97, and 98, all the benefits deriving to us from the
Saviour's Passion are set forth together.
Such, then, is the character of the Book of Psalms, and such the uses
to which it may be put, some of its number serving for the correction
of individual souls, and many of them, as I said just now, foretelling
the coming in human form of our Saviour Jesus Christ. But we must not
omit to explain the reason why words of this kind should be not merely
said, but rendered with melody and song; for there are actually some
simple folk among us who, though they believe the words to be inspired,
yet think the reason for singing them is just to make them more
pleasing to the ear! This is by no means so; Holy Scripture is not
designed to tickle the aesthetic palate, and it is rather for the
soul's own profit that the Psalms are sung. This is so chiefly for two
reasons. In the first place, it is fitting that the sacred writings
should praise God in poetry as well as prose, because the freer, less
restricted form of verse, in which the Psalms, together with the
Canticles and Odes, [the hymns of Exodus 15: 1-18, Deuteronomy 32:1-43,
and Habacuc 3] are cast, ensures that by them men should express their
love to God with all the strength and power they possess. And,
secondly, the reason lies in the unifying effect which chanting the
Psalms has upon the singer. For to sing the Psalms demands such
concentration of a man's whole being on them that, in doing it, his
usual disharmony of mind and corresponding bodily confusion is
resolved, just as the notes of several flutes are brought by harmony to
one effect; and he is thus no longer to be found thinking good and
doing evil, as Pilate did when, though saying I find no crime in Him,
he yet allowed the Jews to have their way; nor desiring evil though
unable to achieve it, as did the elders in their sin against Susanna -
or, for that matter, as does any man who abstains from one sin and yet
desires another every bit as bad. And it is in order that the melody
may thus express our inner spiritual harmony, just as the words voice
our thoughts, that the Lord Himself has ordained that the Psalms be
sung and recited to a chant.
Moreover, to do this beautifully is the heart's desire and joy, as it
is written, Is any among you happy? Let him sing! And if there is in
the words anything harsh, irregular or rough, the tune will smoothe it
out, as in our own souls also sadness is lightened as we chant, Why
then art thou so heavy, O my soul, why dost thou trouble me? and
failure is acknowledged as one sings, My feet were almost gone, and
fear is braced by hope in singing, The Lord is my helper, I will not
fear what man can do to me.
Well, then, they who do not read the Scriptures in this way, that is to
say, who do not chant the divine Songs intelligently but simply please
themselves, most surely are to blame, for praise is not befitting in a
sinner's mouth. But those who do sing as I have indicated, so that the
melody of the words springs naturally from the rhythm of the soul and
her own union with the Spirit, they sing with the tongue and with the
understanding also, and greatly benefit not themselves alone but also
those who want to listen to them. So was it with the blessed David when
he played to Saul: he pleased God and, at the same time, he drove from
Saul his madness and his anger and gave back peace to his distracted
spirit. In like manner, the priests by their singing contributed
towards the calming of the people's spirits and helped to unite them
with those who lead the heavenly choir. When, therefore, the Psalms are
chanted, it is not from any mere desire for sweet music but as the
outward expression of the inward harmony obtaining in the soul, because
such harmonious recitation is in itself the index of a peaceful and
well-ordered heart. To praise God tunefully upon an instrument, such as
well-tuned cymbals, cithara, or ten-stringed psaltery, is, as we know,
an outward token that the members of the body and the thoughts of the
heart are, like the instruments themselves, in proper order and
control, all of them together living and moving by the Spirit's cry and
breath. And similarly, as it is written that By the Spirit a man lives
and mortifies his bodily actions, so he who sings well puts his soul in
tune, correcting by degrees its faulty rhythm so that at last, being
truly natural and integrated, it has fear of nothing, but in peaceful
freedom from all vain imaginings may apply itself with greater longing
to the good things to come. For a soul rightly ordered by chanting the
sacred words forgets its own afflictions and contemplates with joy the
things of Christ alone.
So then, my son, let whoever reads this Book of Psalms take the things
in it quite simply as God-inspired; and let each select from it, as
from the fruits of a garden, those things of which he sees himself in
need. For I think that in the words of this book all human life is
covered, with all its states and thoughts, and that nothing further can
be found in man. For no matter what you seek, whether it be repentance
and confession, or help in trouble and temptation or under persecution,
whether you have been set free from plots and snares or, on the
contrary, are sad for any reason, or whether, seeing yourself
progressing and your enemy cast down, you want to praise and thank and
bless the Lord, each of these things the Divine Psalms show you how to
do, and in every case the words you want are written down for you, and
you can say them as your own.
There is, however, one word of warning needed. No one must allow
himself to be persuaded, by any arguments what-ever, to decorate the
Psalms with extraneous matter or make alterations in their order or
change the words them-selves. They must be sung and chanted in entire
simplicity, just as they are written, so that the holy men who gave
them to us, recognizing their own words, may pray with us, yes and even
more that the Spirit, Who spoke by the saints, recognizing the selfsame
words that He inspired, may join us in them too. For as the saints'
lives are lovelier than any others, so too their words are better than
ever ours can be, and of much more avail, provided only they be uttered
from a righteous heart. For with these words they themselves pleased
God, and in uttering them, as the Apostle says, they subdued kingdoms,
they wrought righteousness, they obtained promises, they stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the
sword, from weakness were made strong, waxed mighty in war, turned to
flight armies of aliens, women received their dead by resurrection.
Let each one, therefore, who recites the Psalms have a sure hope that
through them God will speedily give ear to those who are in need. For
if a man be in trouble when he says them, great comfort will he find in
them; if he be tempted or persecuted, he will find himself abler to
stand the test and will experience the protection of the Lord, Who
always defends those who say these words. By them too a man will
overthrow the devil and put the fiends to flight. If he have sinned,
when he uses them he will repent; if he have not sinned, he will find
himself rejoicing that he is stretching out towards the things that are
before and, so wrestling, in the power of the Psalms he will prevail.
Never will such a man be shaken from the truth, but those who try to
trick and lead him into error he will refute; and it is no human
teacher who promises us this, but the Divine Scripture itself. For God
commanded Moses to write the great song and to teach the people, and
him whom He had appointed leader He bade also to write Deuteronomy, to
have it ever in his hand and to meditate unceasingly upon its words;
because these are sufficient in themselves both to call men's minds to
virtue and to bring help to any who ponder them sincerely. It is a
certain fact that when Joshua, the son of Nun, entered the land of
promise and saw the ordered ranks of the heathen and the Amorite kings
all drawn up against him, in face of all these swords and weapons he
read Deuteronomy in the ears of all and reminded them of the words of
the Law, and then, having thus armed the people, he overcame the foe.
King Josiah also, when the book was found, and had been read through to
all, no longer feared his enemies. And at any time when war was
threatening Israel, the Ark in which the tables of the Law were kept
was carried out before the host, and was sufficient help against any
array, except when there was among those who bore it or, elsewhere
among the people, any prevailing hypocrisy or sin; for faith and an
honest state of mind are always necessary if the Law is to be an
effectual ally in the fulfilment of man's vows.
And I have heard, said the old man, from wise men, that in old days in
Israel they put demons to flight by reading of the Scriptures only, and
in the same way uncovered plots made by them against men.
For this reason he rebuked as being worthy of the utmost condemnation
people who neglect the Scriptures, while making use of impressive words
from other sources for the purposes of exorcism so-called. Those who
did that were playing with the sacred words, he said, and offering
themselves as to daemons, as did those Jews, the sort they tried in
that way to exorcise the man at Ephesus. On the other hand, daemons
fear the words of holy men and cannot bear them; for the Lord Himself
is in the words of Scripture and Him they cannot bear, as they showed
when they cried out to Christ, I pray you, torment me not before the
time. In the same way Paul commanded the unclean spirits, and demons
were subject to the disciples. The hand of the Lord was on Elisha the
prophet also, and he prophesied about the waters to three kings, when
the minstrel played and sang according to His bidding. So also is it
with us today: if any one have at heart the interests of those who
suffer, let him use these words, and he will both help the suffer, let
him use these words, and he will both help the sufferers more and at
the same time prove his own faith to be true and strong; thus God,
perceiving it, will grant the suppliants perfect health. Well knew the
holy Psalmist that, when he said in Psalm 118, I will meditate in Thy
judgements: and I will not forget Thy words; and again, Thy statutes
were my songs in the place of my sojourning. For with these words they
all worked out their own salvation, saying, If Thy law were not my
meditation, then had I perished in my humiliation. Paul also
strengthened his disciple with like words, saying, Ponder these things,
abide in them, that thy progress may be manifest.
And so you too, Marcellinus, pondering the Psalms and reading them
intelligently, with the Spirit as your guide, will be able to grasp the
meaning of each one, even as you desire. And you will strive also to
imitate the lives of those God-bearing saints who spoke them at the
first.
|
|
