The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms

^10. Execute mercy to the wicked, not as being wicked. Do not receive the wicked, in so far forth as he is wicked: that is, do not receive him as if from inclination towards and love for his iniquity. For it is forbidden to give unto a sinner, and to receive sinners. Yet how is this, “Give unto every man that asks of you”? And this, “if your enemy hunger, feed him”? This is seemingly contradictory: but it is opened to those who knock in the name of Christ, and will be clear unto those who seek. “Help not a sinner:” and, “give not to the ungodly;” and yet, “give unto every man that asks of you.” But it is a sinner who asks of me. Give, not as unto a sinner. When do you give as unto a sinner? When that which makes him a sinner, pleases you so that you give....Let those who give to a man who fights with wild beasts, tell me why they give? Why does he give to this man? He loves that in him, in which consists his greatest sin; this he feeds, this he clothes in him, wickedness itself, made public by all witnessing it. Why does the man give, who gives to actors, or to charioteers, or to courtesans? Do not these very persons give to human beings? But it is not the nature of God's work that they attend to, but the iniquity of the human work....When therefore you give, you give to infamy, not to bravery. As then he who gives to the fighter of beasts, gives not to the man, but to a most infamous profession; for if he were only a man, and not a fighter of beasts, you would not give; you honour him in vice, not nature: so on the other hand, if you give to the righteous, if you give to the prophet, if you give to the disciple of Christ anything of which he is in want, without thinking that he is Christ's disciple, that he is God's minister, that he is God's steward; but art thinking in that case of some temporal advantage, for instance, that when perchance he shall be needful to your cause, he may be bought for you, because you have given him something; you have no more given to the righteous, if you have thus given, than he gave to the man, when he gave to the beast-fighter. The matter, then, most beloved, is quite open to us, and I conceive, that although it was obscure, it is now clear. It was to this that the Lord bound you, when He said, “He who has received the righteous man.” That were enough. But as the righteous may be received with another intention,...He says, “He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man:” that is, receiving him in consideration of his righteousness:...that is, because he is Christ's disciple, because he is a steward of the Mystery: “Verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” So understand, he who receives a sinner in the name of a sinner shall lose his reward.

11....On this account therefore be merciful without fear, extend love even unto your enemies: punish those who chance to belong to your government, restrain them with affection, with charity, in regard to their eternal salvation; lest while you spare the flesh, the soul perish. Do this: and though thou have to endure many, over whom you can not exercise discipline, because you have no lawful authority over them; bear their injuries; be without apprehension. He will show mercy unto you if you shall have been merciful: you shall be merciful, without the injuries you suffer losing their punishment; “To Me belongs vengeance, I will repay,” says the Lord.

12. “He made His ways known unto Moses”....For the Law was given with this view, that the sick might be convinced of his infirmity, and pray for the physician. This is the hidden way of God. You had long ago heard, “Who heals all your infirmities.” Their infirmities were as yet hidden in the sick; the five books were given to Moses: the pool was surrounded by five porches; he brought forth the sick, that they might lie there, that they might be made known, not that they might be healed. The five porches discovered, but healed not, the sick; the pool healed when one descended, and this when it was disturbed: the disturbance of the pool was in our Lord's Passion....Since therefore this is a mystery there, he teaches that the Law was given that sinners might be convinced of their sin, and call upon the Physician in order to receive grace....Therefore, as I had begun to say, because this is a great mystery in the Law, that it was given with this view, that by the increase of sin, the proud might be humbled, the humbled might confess, the confessing might be healed; these are the hidden ways, which He made known to Moses, through whom He gave the Law, by which sin should abound, that grace might more abound....“He has made known His good pleasure unto the children of Israel.” To all the children of Israel? To the true children of Israel; yea, to all the children of Israel. For the treacherous, the insidious, the hypocrites, are not children of Israel. And who are the children of Israel? “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.”

13. “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: long-suffering, and of great mercy”. Why so long-suffering? Why so great in mercy? Men sin and live; sins are added on, life continues: men blaspheme daily, and “He makes His sun to rise over the good and the wicked.” On all sides He calls to amendment, on all sides He calls to repentance, He calls by the blessings of creation, He calls by giving time for life, He calls through the reader, He calls through the preacher, He calls through the innermost thought by the rod of correction, He calls by the mercy of consolation: “He is long-suffering, and of great mercy.” But take heed lest by ill using the length of God's mercy, you store up for yourself, as the Apostle says, wrath in the day of wrath....For some there are who prepare to turn, and yet put it off, and in them cries out the raven's voice, “Cras! Cras!” The raven which was sent from the ark, never returned. God seeks not procrastination in the raven's voice, but confession in the wailing of the dove. The dove, when sent forth, returned. How long, Tomorrow! Tomorrow!? Look to your last morrow: since you know not what is your last morrow, let it suffice that you have lived up to this day a sinner. You have heard, often you are wont to hear, you have heard today also; daily you hear, and daily you amend not....

14. “He will not always be chiding: neither keeps He His anger for ever”. Since it is in consequence of His anger that we live in the scourges and corruption of mortality: we have this in punishment for the first sin....Is it not through His anger, my brethren, that “in the sweat of your face and in toil you shall eat bread, and the earth shall bear thorns and thistles unto you”? This was said to our forefathers. Or if our life is different from this; if you can, turn unto some pleasure, where you may not feel thorns. Choose what you have wished, whether you are covetous or luxurious; to name these two alone; add a third passion, that of ambition; how great thorns are there in the desire of honours? In the luxury of lusts how great thorns? In the ardour of covetousness how great thorns? What troubles are there in base loves? What terrible anxieties here in this life? I omit hell. Beware lest you even now become a hell unto yourself. The whole of this, my brethren, is the result of His anger: and when you have turned yourself unto works of righteousness, you can not but toil upon earth; and toil ends not before life ends. We must toil on the way, that we may rejoice in our country. He therefore consoles by His promises your toil, your labours, your troubles, saying to you, “He will not always be chiding.”