The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms

^10. Accordingly understanding now the manifest judgment, and in exultation at it, they say, “Wherefore has the ungodly angered God?”; that is, what has it profited him to do so great evil? “For he said in his heart, He will not require it.” Then follows, “For You see toil and considerest anger, to deliver them into Your hands”. This sentence looks for distinct explanation, wherein if there shall be error it becomes obscure. For thus has the ungodly said in his heart, God will not require it, as though God regarded toil and anger, to deliver them into His hands; that is, as though He feared toil and anger, and for this reason would spare them, lest their punishment be too burdensome to Him, or lest He should be disturbed by the storm of anger: as men generally act, excusing themselves of vengeance, to avoid toil or anger.

11. “The poor has been left unto You.” For therefore is he poor, that is, has despised all the temporal goods of this world, that You only may be his hope. “You will be a helper to the orphan,” that is, to him to whom his father this world, by whom he was born after the flesh, dies, and who can already say, “The world has been crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” For of such orphans God becomes the Father. The Lord teaches us in truth that His disciples do become orphans, to whom He says, “Call no man father on earth.” Of which He first Himself gave an example in saying, “Who is my mother, and who my brethren?” Whence some most mischievous heretics would assert that He had no mother; and they do not see that it follows from this, if they pay attention to these words, that neither had His disciples fathers. For as He said, “Who is my mother?” so He taught them, when He said, “Call no man your father on earth.”

12. “Break the arm of the sinner and of the malicious”; of him, namely, of whom it was said above, “He shall have dominion over all his enemies.” He called his power then, his arm; to which Christ's power is opposed, of which it is said, “Arise, O Lord God, let Your hand be exalted. His fault shall be required, and he shall not be found because of it;” that is he shall be judged for his sins, and himself shall perish because of his sin. After this, what wonder if there follow, “The Lord shall reign for ever and world without end; ye heathen shall perish out of His earth”?. He uses heathen for sinners and ungodly.

13. “The Lord has heard the longing of the poor”: that longing wherewith they were burning, when in the straits and tribulations of this world they desired the day of the Lord. “Your ear has heard the preparation of their heart.” This is the preparation of the heart, of which it is sung in another Psalm, “My heart is prepared, O God, my heart is prepared:” of which the Apostle says, “But if we hope for what we see not, we do with patience wait for it.” Now, by the ear of God, we ought, according to a general rule of interpretation, to understand not a bodily member, but the power whereby He hears; and so (not to repeat this often) by whatever members of His are mentioned, which in us are visible and bodily, must be understood powers of operation. For we must not suppose it anything bodily, in that the Lord God hears not the sound of the voice, but the preparation of the heart.

14. “To judge for the orphan and the humble”: that is, not for him who is conformed to this world, nor for the proud. For it is one thing to judge the orphan, another to judge for the orphan. He judges the orphan even, who condemns him; but he judges for the orphan, who delivers sentence for him. “That man add not further to magnify himself upon earth.” For they are men, of whom it was said, “Place a lawgiver over them, O Lord: let the heathen know that they are men.” But he too, who in this same passage is understood to be placed over them, will be man, of whom it is now said, “That man add not further to magnify himself upon earth:” namely, when the Son of Man shall come to judge for the orphan, who has put off from himself the old man, and thus, as it were, buried his father.