The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms

^23. “For You, Lord, have helped me, and comforted me.” “Have helped me,” in struggle; “and comforted me,” in sorrow. For no one seeks comfort, but he who is in misery. Would ye not be consoled? Say that you are happy, and you hear, “My people” (now ye answer, and I hear a murmur, as of persons who remember the Scriptures. May God, who has written this in your hearts, confirm it in your deeds. You see, brethren, that those who say unto you, You are happy, seduce you), “O My people, they that call you happy cause you to err, and disturb the way of your feet.” So also from the Epistle of the Apostle James: “Be afflicted, and mourn: let your laughter be turned to mourning.” You see what you have heard read: when would such things be said unto us in the land of security? This surely is the land of offenses, and temptations, and of all evils, that we may groan here, and deserve to rejoice there; here to be troubled, and there to be comforted, and to say, “For You have delivered my eyes from tears, my feet from falling: I will please the Lord in the land of the living.” This is the land of the dead. The land of the dead passes, the land of the living comes. In the land of the dead is labour, grief, fear, tribulation, temptation, groaning, sighing: here are false happy ones, true unhappy, because happiness is false, misery is true. But he that owns himself to be in true misery, will also be in true happiness: and yet now because you are miserable, hear the Lord saying, “Blessed are they that mourn.” O blessed they that mourn! Nothing is so akin to misery as mourning: nothing so remote and contrary to misery as blessedness: You speak of those who mourn, and You call them blessed! Understand, He says, what I say: I call those who mourn blessed. Wherefore blessed? In hope. Wherefore mourning? In act. For they mourn in this death, in these tribulations, in their wandering: and because they own themselves to be in this misery, and mourn, they are blessed. Wherefore do they mourn? The blessed Cyprian was put to sorrow in his passion: now he is comforted with his crown; now though comforted, he was sad. For our Lord Jesus Christ still intercedes for us: all the Martyrs who are with Him intercede for us. Their intercessions pass not away, except when our mourning is passed away: but when our mourning shall have passed away, we all with one voice, in one people, in one country, shall receive comfort, thousands of thousands joined with Angels playing upon harps, with choirs of heavenly powers living in one city. Who mourns there? Who there sighs? Who there toils? Who there needs? Who dies there? Who there shows mercy? Who breaks bread to the hungry there, where all are satisfied with the bread of righteousness? No one says unto you, Receive a stranger; there no one will be a stranger to you: all live in their own country. No one says unto you, Set at one your friends disputing; in everlasting peace they enjoy the Face of God. No one says unto you, Visit the sick; health and immortality abide for ever. No one says unto you, Bury the dead; all shall be in everlasting life. Works of mercy stop, because misery is found not. And what shall we do there? Shall we perhaps sleep? If now we fight against ourselves, although we carry about a house of sleep, this flesh of ours, and keep watch with these lights, and this solemn feast gives us a mind to watch; what wakefulness shall that day give unto us! Therefore we shall be awake, we shall not sleep. What shall we do? There will be no works of mercy, because there will be no misery. Perhaps there will be these necessary works which there are here now, of sowing, ploughing, cooking, grinding, weaving? None of these, for there will be no want. Thus there will be no works of mercy, because misery is past away: where there is no want nor misery, there will be neither works of necessity nor of mercy. What will be there? What business shall we have? What action? Will there be no action, because there is rest? Shall we sit there, and be torpid, and do nothing? If our love grow cold, our action will grow cold. How then will that love resting in the face of God, for whom we now long, for whom we sigh, how will it inflame us, when we shall have come to Him? He for whom while as yet we see Him not, we so sigh, how will He enlighten us, when we shall have come to Him? How will He change us? What will He make of us? What then shall we do, brethren? Let the Psalm tell us: “Blessed are they who dwell in Your house.” Why? “They shall praise You for ever and ever.” This will be our employment, praise of God. You love and praisest. You will cease to praise, if you cease to love. But you will not cease to love, because He whom you see is such an One as offends you not by any weariness: He both satisfies you, and satisfies you not. What I say is wonderful. If I say that He satisfies you, I am afraid lest as though satisfied you should wish to depart, as from a dinner or from a supper. What then do I say? Does He not satisfy you? I am afraid again, that if I say, He does not satisfy you, you should seem to be in want: and should be as it were empty, and there should be in you some void which ought to be filled. What then shall I say, except what can be said, but can hardly be thought? He both satisfies you, and satisfies you not: for I find both in Scripture. For while He said, “Blessed are the hungry, for they shall be filled;” it is again said of Wisdom, “Those who eat You shall hunger again, and those who drink shall thirst again.” Nay, but He did not say “again,” but he said, “still:” for “shall thirst again” is as if once having been filled he departed and digested, and returned to drink. So it is, “Those who eat You shall still hunger:” thus when they eat they hunger: and those who drink You, even thus when drinking, thirst. What is it, to thirst in drinking? Never to grow weary. If then there shall be that ineffable and eternal sweetness, what does He now seek of us, brethren, but faith unfeigned, firm hope, pure charity? And man may walk in the way which the Lord has given, may bear troubles, and receive consolations.