The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms

^7. What are You doing, O Idithun, Body of Christ, leaping over them? What are You doing amid all these things? What will You do? Will you faint? Will You not persevere even unto the end? Will You not hearken, “He that shall have persevered even unto the end, the same shall be saved,” though for that iniquity abounds, the love of many shall wax cold? And where is it that You have leaped over them? Where is it that Your conversation is in Heaven? But they cleave unto earthly things, as though earthborn they mind the earth, and are earth, the serpent's food. What do you amid these things?...“Nevertheless, to God my soul shall be made subject”. And who would endure so great things, either open wars, or secret lyings-in-wait? Who would endure so great things amid open enemies, amid false brethren? Who would endure so great things? Would a man? And if a man would, would a man of himself? I have not so leaped over that I should be lifted up, and fall: “To God my soul shall be made subject: for from Himself is my patience.” What patience is there amid so great scandals, except that “if for that which we do not see we hope, through patience we look for it”? There comes my pain, there will come my rest also; there comes my tribulation, there will come my cleansing also. For does gold glitter in the furnace of the refiner? In a necklace it will glitter, in an ornament it will glitter: let it suffer however the furnace, in order that being cleansed from dross it may come into light. This is the furnace, there is there chaff, there gold, there fire, into this blows the refiner: in the furnace burns the chaff, and the gold is cleansed; the one into ashes is turned, of dross the other is cleansed. The furnace is the world, the chaff unrighteous men, the gold just men; the fire tribulation, the refiner God: that which therefore the refiner wills I do; wherever the Maker sets me I endure it. I am commanded to endure, He knows how to cleanse. Though there burn the chaff to set me on fire, and as if to consume me; that into ashes is burned, I of dross am cleansed. Wherefore? Because “to God my soul shall be made subject: for from Himself is my patience.”

8. “For Himself is my God and My Saving One, my Taker up, I will not remove hence”. Because “Himself is my God,” therefore He calls me: “and my Saving One,” therefore He justifies me: “and my Taker up,” therefore He glorifies me. For here I am called and am justified, but there I am glorified; and from thence where I am glorified, “I will not remove.” For a sojourner I am with You on earth as all my fathers were. Therefore from my lodging I shall remove, from my Heavenly home I shall not remove. “In God is my salvation and my glory”. Saved I shall be in God, glorious I shall be in God: for not only saved, but also glorious, saved, because a just man I have been made out of an ungodly man, by Him justified; but glorious, because not only justified, but also honoured. For “those whom He has predestined, those also He has called.” Calling them, what has He done here? “Whom He has called, the same also He has justified; but whom He has justified, the same also He has glorified.” Justification therefore to salvation belongs, glorifying to honour. How glorifying to honour belongs, it is not needful to discuss. How justification belongs to salvation, let us seek some proof. Behold there comes to mind out of the Gospel: there were some who to themselves were seeming to be just men, and they were finding fault with the Lord because He admitted to the feast sinners, and with publicans and sinners was eating; to such men therefore priding themselves, strong men of earth very much lifted up, much glorying of their own soundness, such as they counted it, not such as they had, the Lord answered what? “They that are whole need not a Physician, but they that are sick.” Whom calls He whole, whom calls He sick? He continues and says, “I have not come to call just men, but sinners unto repentance.” He has called therefore “the whole” just men, not because the Pharisees were so, but because themselves they thought so to be; and for this reason were proud, and grudged sick men a physician, and being more sick than those, they slew the Physician. He has called whole, however, righteous men, sick, the sinners. My being justified therefore, says that man that leaps over, from Himself I have: my being glorified, from Himself I have: “For God is my salvation and my glory.” “My salvation,” so that saved I am: “my glory,” so that honoured I am. This thing hereafter: now what? “God of my help, and my hope is in God;” until I attain unto perfect justification and salvation. “For by hope we are saved: but hope which is seen, is not hope.”...

9. “Hope ye in Him all the council of the people”. Imitate ye Idithun, leap over your enemies; men fighting against you, stopping up your way, men hating you, leap ye over: “Hope in Him all the council of the people: pour out before Him your hearts:”...By imploring, by confessing, by hoping. Do not keep back your hearts within your hearts: “Pour out before Him your hearts.” That perishes not which you pour out. For He is my Taker up. If He takes up, why do you fear to pour out? “Cast upon the Lord your care, and hope in Him.” What fear ye amid whisperers, slanderers hateful to God, where they are able openly assailing, where they are unable secretly lying in wait, falsely praising, truly at enmity, amid them what do you fear? “God is our Helper.” Do they anywise equal God? Are they anywise stronger than He? “God is our Helper,” be ye without care. “If God is for us, who is against us?” “Pour out before Him your hearts,” by leaping over unto Him, by lifting up your souls: “God is our helper.”...“Nevertheless, vain are the sons of men, and liars are the sons of men in the balances, in order that they may deceive, being at one because of vanity”. Certainly many men there are: behold there is that one man, that one man that was cast forth from the multitude of guests. They conspire, they all seek things temporal, and they that are carnal things carnal, and for the future they hope them, whosoever do hope: even if because of variety of opinions they are in division, nevertheless because of vanity they are at one. Divers indeed are errors and of many forms, and the kingdom against itself divided shall not stand: but alike in all is the will vain and lying, belonging to one king, with whom into fire everlasting it is to be thrown headlong — “these men because of vanity are at one.” And for them see how He thirsts, see how He runs in thirst.