The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms

^24. Ill straying, ill presuming, doomed to die by withdrawing from the path of righteousness: behold he breaks the commandment, he has shaken off from his neck the yoke of discipline, uplifted with high spirit he has broken in sunder the reins of guidance: where is he now? Truly captive he cries, “O Lord, who is like You?” I perversely willed to be like You, and I have been made like a beast! Under Your dominion, under Your commandment, I was indeed like: “But a man in honour set has not perceived, he has been compared to beasts without sense, and has been made like them.” Now out of the likeness of beasts cry though late and say, “O God, who is like You?”

25. “How great troubles have You shown to me, many and evil!”. Deservedly, proud servant. For you have willed perversely to be like your God, who had been made after the image of your Lord. Would you have it to be well with you, when withdrawing from that good? Truly God says to you, if you withdraw from Me, and it is well with you, I am not your good. Again, if He is good, and in the highest degree good, and of Himself to Himself good, and by no foreign good thing good, and is Himself our chief good; by withdrawing from Him, what will you be but evil? Also if He is Himself our blessedness, what will there be to one withdrawing from Him, except misery? Return thou then after misery, and say, “O Lord, who is like You? How great troubles have You shown to me, many and evil!”