30 What are you doing, O man of God? Thou, O Church of God? What are you, O body of Christ, whose Head is in Heaven? What are you doing, O man, His unity? “Man,” he says, “shall go forth to his work”. Let therefore this man work good works in the security of the peace of the Church, let him work unto the end. For sometime there will be a sort of general darkening, and a sort of assault will be made, but in the evening, that is, in the end of the world: but now the Church does work in peace and tranquillity; for “man shall go forth to his work, and to his labour, unto the evening.”
31. “O Lord, how great are made Your works!”. Justly great, justly sublime! Where were those works made, that are so great? What was that station where God stood, or that seat whereupon He sat, when He did those works? What was the place where He worked thus? Whence did those so beautiful works proceed at the first? To take it word for word, every ordained creation, running by ordinance, beautiful by ordinance, rising by ordinance, setting by ordinance, going through all seasons by ordinance, whence has it proceeded? Whence has the Church herself received her rise, her growth, her perfection? In what manner is she destined to a consummation in immortality? With what heralding is she preached? By what mysteries is she recommended? By what types is she concealed? By what preaching is she revealed? Where has God done these things? I see great works. “How great are made Your works, O Lord!” I ask where He has made them: I find not the place: but I see what follows: “In Wisdom have You made them all.” All therefore You have made in Christ....“The earth is full of Your creation.” The earth is full of the creation of Christ. And how so? We discern how: for what was not made by the Father through the Son? Whatever walks and does crawl on earth, whatever does swim in the waters, whatever flies in the air, whatever does revolve in heaven, how much more then the earth, the whole universe, is the work of God. But he seems to me to speak here of some new creation, of which the Apostle says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. And all things are of God.” All who believe in Christ, who put off the old man, and put on the new, are a new creature. “The earth is full of Your works.” On one spot of the earth He was crucified, in one small spot that seed fell into the earth, and died; but brought forth great fruit....
32. “The earth is full of Your creation.” Of what creation of Yours is the earth full? Of all trees and shrubs, of all animals and flocks, and of the whole of the human race; the earth is full of the creation of God. We see, know, read, recognise, praise, and in these we preach of Him; yet we are not able to praise respecting these things, as fully as our heart does abound with praise after the beautiful contemplation of them. But we ought rather to heed that creation, of which the Apostle says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.” What “old things have passed away”? In the Gentiles, all idolatry; in the Jews themselves, all that servitude unto the Law, all those sacrifices that were harbingers of the present Sacrifice. The oldness of man was then abundant; One came to renovate His own work, to melt His silver, to form His coin, and we now see the earth full of Christians believing in God, turning themselves away from their former uncleanness and idolatry, from a past hope to the hope of a new age: and behold it is not yet realized, but is already possessed in hope, and through that very hope we now sing, and say, “The earth is full of Your creation.” We do not as yet sing this in our country, nor yet in that rest which is promised, the bars of the gates of Jerusalem not being as yet made fast; but still in our pilgrimage gazing upon the whole of this world, upon men who on every side are running unto the faith, fearing hell, despising death, loving eternal life, scorning the present, and filled with joy at such a spectacle, we say, “The earth is full of Your creation.”
33....“So is the great and wide sea also; wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts”. He speaks of the sea as terrible. Snares creep in this world, and surprise the careless suddenly; for who numbers the temptations that creep? They creep, but beware, lest they snatch us away. Let us keep watch on the Wood; even in the water, even on the waves, we are safe: let not Christ sleep, let not faith sleep; if He has slept, let Him be awakened; He will command the winds; He will calm the sea; the voyage will be ended, and we shall rejoice in our country. For I see in this terrible sea unbelievers still; for they dwell in barren and bitter waters: but they are both small and great. We know this: many little men of this world are still unbelievers, many great men of this world are so: there are living creatures, both small and great, in this sea. They hate the Church: the name of Christ is a burden to them: they rage not, because they are not permitted; the cruelty which cannot burst forth in deeds, is shut up within the heart. For all, whether small or great, “creeping things, both small and great,” who at present grieve at the temples being shut, the altars overthrown, the images broken, the laws which make it a capital crime to sacrifice to idols; all who mourn on this account, are still in the sea. What then of us? And by what road then are we to journey unto our country? Through this very sea, but on the Wood. Fear not the danger; that wood which holds together the world does bear you up.
34. “There shall go the ships”. Lo, ships float upon that which alarmed you, and sink not. By ships we understand churches; they go among the storms, among the tempests of temptations, among the waves of the world, among the beasts, both small and great. Christ on the wood of His cross is the Pilot. “There shall go the ships.” Let not the ships fear, let them not much mind where they float, but by Whom they are steered. “There shall go the ships.” What voyage do they find tedious, when they feel that Christ is their Pilot? They will sail safely, let them sail diligently, they will reach their promised haven, they will be led to the land of rest.
Source: The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms (New Advent)