The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms

⁶ “The floods lift up their voices”. What are these floods, which have lift up their voices? We heard them not: neither when our Lord was born, did we hear rivers speak, nor when He was baptized, nor when He suffered; we heard not that rivers did speak. Read the Gospel, you find not that rivers spoke. It is not enough that they spoke: “They have lift up their voice:” they have not only spoken, but bravely, mightily, in a lofty voice. What are those rivers which have spoken?...The Spirit itself was a mighty river, whence many rivers were filled. Of that river the Psalmist says in another passage, “The rivers of the flood thereof shall make glad the city of God.” Rivers then were made to flow from the belly of the disciples, when they received the Holy Spirit: themselves were rivers, when they had received that Holy Spirit. Whence did those rivers lift their voices? Wherefore did they lift them up? Because at first they feared. Peter was not yet a river, when at the question of the maid-servant he thrice denied Christ: “I do not know the man.” Here he lies through fear: he lifts not his voice as yet: he is not yet the river. But when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the Jews sent for them, and enjoined them not to preach at all, nor to teach in the name of Jesus....For when the Apostles had been dismissed from the council of the Jews, they came to their own friends, and told them what the priests and elders said unto them: but they on hearing lifted up their voices with one accord unto the Lord, and said, “Lord, it is You who has made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is;” and the rest which floods lifting up their voices might say, “Wonderful are the hangings of the sea”. For when the disciples had lifted up their voices unto Him, many believed, and many received the Holy Spirit, and many rivers instead of few began to lift up their voice. Hence there follows, “from the voices of many waters, wonderful are the hangings of the sea;” that is, the waves of the world. When Christ had begun to be preached by so powerful voices, the sea became enraged, persecutions began to thicken. When therefore the rivers had lift up their voice, “from the voices of many waters, wonderful” were “the hangings of the sea.” To be hung aloft is to be lifted up; when the sea rages, the waves are hung as from above. Let the waves hang over as they choose; let the sea roar as it chooses; the hangings of the sea indeed are mighty, mighty are the threatenings, mighty the persecutions; but see what follows: “but yet the Lord, who dwells on high, is mightier.” Let therefore the sea restrain itself, and sometime become calmed; let peace be granted by Christians. The sea was disturbed, the vessel was tossed; the vessel is the Church: the sea, the world. The Lord came, He walked over the sea, and calmed the waves. How did the Lord walk over the sea? Above the heads of those mighty foaming waves. Principalities and kings believed; they were subdued unto Christ. Let us not therefore be frightened; because “the Lord, who dwells on high, is mightier.”

7. “Your testimonies, O Lord, are very surely believed”. The Lord, who dwells on high, is mightier than the mighty overhangings of the sea. “Your testimonies are very surely believed.” “Your testimonies,” because He had said beforehand, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation.”...He added, “but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” If then He says, “I have overcome the world,” cling unto Him who overcame the world, who overcame the sea. Rejoice in Him, because the Lord, who dwells on high, is mightier, and, “Your testimonies are very surely believed.” And what is the end of all these? “Holiness becomes Your house, O Lord!” Your house, the whole of Your house, not here and there: but the whole of Your house, throughout the whole world. Why throughout the whole of the round world? “Because He has set aright the round world, which cannot be moved.” The Lord's house will be strong: it will prevail throughout the whole world: many shall fall: but that house stands; many shall be disturbed, but that house shall not be moved. Holiness becomes Your house, O Lord! For a short time only? No. “Unto length of days.”