The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms

143....He who sings this Psalm, mentions such a prayer of his own: “I have called with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord!”. For to what end his cry profits, he adds: “I will search out Your righteousnesses.” For this purpose then he has called with his whole heart, and has longed that this might be given him by the Lord listening unto him, that he may search out His righteousnesses...

144. “I have called, save me” or as some copies, both Greek and Latin, have it, “I have called to You.” But what is, “I have called to You,” save that by calling I have invoked You? But when he had said, “save me;” what did he add? “And I will keep Your testimonies:” that is, that I may not, through infirmity, deny You. For the health of the soul causes that to be done which it is known to be our duty to do, and thus in striving even to the death of the body, if the extremity of temptation demand this in defence of the truth of the divine testimonies: but where there is not health of the soul, weakness yields, and truth is deserted...

145. “I have prevented in midnight,” he says, “and have cried: In Your words have I trusted”. If we refer this to each of the faithful, and to the literal character of the act; it oft happens that the love of God is awake in that hour of the night, and, the love of prayer strongly urging us, the time of prayer, which is wont to be after the crowing of the cock, is not awaited, but prevented. But if we understand night of the whole of this world's duration; we indeed cry unto God at midnight, and prevent the fullness of time in which He will restore us what He has promised, as is elsewhere read, “Let us prevent His presence with confession.” Although if we choose to understand the unripe season of this night, before the fullness of time had come, that is, the ripe season when Christ should be manifested in the flesh; neither was the Church then silent, but preventing this fullness of time, in prophecy cried out, and trusted in the words of God, who was able to do what He promised, that in the seed of Abraham all nations should be blessed.

146. The Church says also what follows, “My eyes have prevented the morning watch, that I might meditate on Your words”. Let us suppose the morning to mean the season when “a light arose for them that sat in the shadow of death;” did not the eyes of the Church prevent this morning watch, in those Saints who before were on earth, because they foresaw beforehand that this would come to pass, so that they meditated on the words of God, which then were, and announced these things to be destined in the Law and the Prophets?

147. “Hear my voice, O Lord, according to Your loving-mercy; and quicken Thou me according to Your judgment”. For first God according to His loving-mercy takes away punishment from sinners, and will give them life afterwards, when righteous, according to His judgment; for it is not without a meaning that it is said unto Him, “My song shall be of mercy and judgment: unto You, O Lord;” in this order of the terms: although the season of mercy itself be not without judgment, whereof the Apostle says, “If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged of the Lord.”...And the final season of judgment shall not be without mercy, since as the Psalm says, “He crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness.” But “judgment shall be without mercy,” but “unto those” on the left, “who have not dealt mercy.”

148. “They draw near, that of malice persecute me:” or, as some copies read, “maliciously”. Then they that persecute draw near, when they go the length of torturing and destroying the flesh: whence the twenty-first Psalm, wherein the Lord's Passion is prophesied, says, “O go not from me, for trouble is hard at hand;” where those things are spoken of which He suffered when His Passion was not imminent upon Him, but actually realized. “And are far from Your law.” The nearer they drew to the persecuting the righteous, so much the farther were they from righteousness. But what harm did they do unto those, to whom they drew near by persecution; since the approach of their Lord is nearer unto their souls, by whom they no wise are forsaken?

149. Lastly, it follows, “You are near at hand, O Lord, and all Your ways are truth”. Even in their troubles, it has been a wonted confession of the saints, to ascribe truth unto God, because they suffer them not undeservedly. So did Queen Esther, so did holy Daniel, so did the three men in the furnace, so do other associates in their sanctity confess. But it may be asked, in what sense it is here said, “All Your ways are truth;” since in another Psalm it is read, “All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth.” But towards the saints, All the ways of the Lord are at once mercy and truth: since He aids them even in judgment, and thus mercy is not wanting; and in having mercy upon them, He performs that which He has promised, so that truth is not wanting. But towards all, both those whom He frees, and those whom He condemns, all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth; because where He does not show mercy, the truth of His vengeance is displayed. For He frees many who have not deserved, but He condemns none who has not deserved it.

150. “From the beginning I have known,” he says, “as concerning Your testimonies, that You have grounded them for ever”...What are these testimonies, save those wherein God has declared that He will give an everlasting kingdom unto His sons? And since He has declared that He will give this in His only-begotten Son, he said that the testimonies themselves were grounded for ever. For that which God has promised through them, was everlasting. And for this reason the words, “You have grounded them,” are rightly thus understood, because they are shown to be true in Christ. Whence then did the Psalmist know this in the beginning, save because the Church speaks, which was not wanting to the earth from the commencement of the human race, the first-fruits whereof was the holy Abel, himself sacrificed in testimony of the future blood of the Mediator that should be shed by a wicked brother? For this also was at the beginning, “They two shall be one flesh:” which great mystery the Apostle Paul expounding, says, “I speak concerning Christ and the Church.”