The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms

^5. There follows then what? All your might and all your thought of iniquity all the day, and meditation of malignity in your tongue without intermission, has performed what, done what? “As with a sharp razor you have done deceit”. See what do evil men to Saints, they scrape their hair. What is it that I have said? If there be such citizens of Jerusalem, that hear the voice of their Lord, of their King, saying, “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:” that hear the voice which but now from the Gospel has been read, “What does it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and of himself make wreck:” they despise all present good things, and above all life itself. And what is Doeg's razor to do to a man on this earth meditating on the kingdom of heaven, and about to be in the kingdom of heaven, having with him God, and about to abide with God? What is that razor to do? Hair it is to scrape, it is to make a man bald. And this belongs to Christ, who in the Place of a Skull was crucified. It makes also the son of Core, which is interpreted baldness. For this hair signifies a superfluity of things temporal. Which hairs indeed are not made by God superfluously on the body of men, but for a sort of ornament: yet because without feeling they are cut off, they that cleave to the Lord with their heart, so have these earthly things as they have hair. But sometimes even something of good with “hair” is wrought, when you break bread to the hungry, the poor without roof you bring into your house; if you shall have seen one naked, you cover him: lastly, the Martyrs themselves also imitating the Lord, blood for the Church shedding, hearing that voice, “As Christ laid down His life for us, so also ought we also to lay down for the brethren,” in a certain way with their hair did good to us, that is, with those things which that razor can lop off or scrape. But that therefore even with the very hair some good can be done, even that woman a sinner intimated, who, when she had wept over the feet of the Lord, with her hair wiped what with tears she wetted. Signifying what? That when you shall have pitied any one, you ought to relieve him also if you can. For when you have pity, you shed as it were tears: when you relieve, you wipe with hair. And if this to any one, how much more to the feet of the Lord. The feet of the Lord are what? The holy Evangelists, whereof is said, “How beautiful are the feet of them that tell of peace, that tell of good things!” Therefore like a razor let Doeg whet his tongue, let him whet deceit as much as he may: he will take away superfluous temporal things; will he necessary things everlasting?

6. “You have loved malice above benignity”. Before you was benignity; herself you should have loved. For you were not going to expend anything, nor were you going to fetch something to love by a distant voyage. Benignity is before you, iniquity before you: compare and choose. But perchance you have an eye wherewith you see malignity, and hast no eye wherewith you see benignity. Woe to the iniquitous heart. What is worse, it does turn away itself, that it may not see what it is able to see. For what of such has been said in another place? “He would not understand that he might do good.” For it is not said, he could not: but “he would not,” he says, “understand that he might do good,” he closed his eyes from present light. And what follows? “Of iniquity he has meditated in his bed;” that is, in the inner secrecy of his heart. Some reproach of this kind is heaped upon this Doeg the Edomite, a malignant body, a motion of earth, not abiding, not heavenly. “You have loved malignity above benignity.” For will you know how an evil man does see both, and the former he does rather choose, from the other does turn himself away? Wherefore does he cry out when he suffers anything unjustly? Wherefore does he then exaggerate as much as he can the iniquity, and praise benignity, censuring him that has wrought in him malignity above benignity? Be he then a rule to himself for seeing: out of himself he shall be judged. Moreover, if he do what is written, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself;” and, “Whatsoever good things you will that men should do unto you, these also do ye do unto them:” at home he has means of knowing, because what on himself he will not have to be done, he ought not to do to another. “You have loved malice above benignity.” Iniquitously, inordinately, perversely you would raise water above oil: the water will be sunk, the oil will remain above. You would under darkness place a light: the darkness will be put to flight, the light will remain. Above heaven you would place earth, by its weight the earth will fall into its place. Thou therefore will be sunk by loving malice above benignity. For never will malice overcome benignity. “You have loved malice above benignity: iniquity more than to speak of equity.” Before you is equity, before you is iniquity: one tongue you have, whither you will you turn it: wherefore then rather to iniquity and not to equity? Food of bitterness do you not give to your belly, and food of iniquity do you give to your malignant tongue? As you choose whereon to live, so choose what you may speak. Thou preferrest iniquity to equity, and preferrest malice to benignity; thou indeed preferrest, but above what can ever be but benignity and equity? But you, by placing yourself in a manner upon those things which it is necessary should go beneath, will not make them to be above good things, but thou with them will be sunk unto evil things.