The prophet describeth the wicked malice of obstinate sinners 6. Against which he opposeth Gods infinite goodnes, 9. with his prouident mercie towards the worst, and iust reward of the good; 12. praying to escape the dangerous gulfe of pride.
1Unto the end, for the servant of God, David himself.Salmo dello stesso Davidde servo del Signore.Vnto the end, to the seruant of our Lord Dauid him selfe.In finem. Servo Domini ipsi David. 2The unjust hath said within himself, that he would sin: there is no fear of God before his eyes.Discorre l'iniquo dentro di se stesso di far del male: il timore di Dio dinanzi agli occhi di lui non è.THE vniust hath said within him selfe, that he would sinne: there is no feare of God before his eiesDixit injustus ut delinquat in semetipso: / non est timor Dei ante oculos ejus. 3For in his sight he hath done deceitfully, that his iniquity may be found unto hatred.Perocché nel cospetto di lui egli ha agito con frode, onde odiosa diventi la sua iniquità.Because he hath done deceitfully in his sight: that his iniquitie may be found vnto hatred.Quoniam dolose egit in conspectu ejus, / ut inveniatur iniquitas ejus ad odium. 4The words of his mouth are iniquity and guile: he would not understand that he might do well.Le parole della bocca di lui sono ingiustizia, ed inganno: non volle intendere per bene operare.The wordes of his mouth are iniquitie, and guile: he would not vnderstand that he might doe wel.Verba oris ejus iniquitas, et dolus; / noluit intelligere ut bene ageret. 5He hath devised iniquity on his bed, he hath set himself on every way that is not good: but evil he hath not hated.Meditò nel suo letto l'iniquità: qualunque via non buona gli piacque, e non ebbe nissun raccapriccio della malvagità.He hath meditated iniquitie in his bed: he hath set himselfe on euery way not good, and malice he hath not hated.Iniquitatem meditatus est in cubili suo; / astitit omni viæ non bonæ: / malitiam autem non odivit. 6O Lord, thy mercy is in heaven, and thy truth reacheth even to the clouds.Signore, nel cielo è la tua misericordia, e la tua verità fino alle nubi.Lord thy mercie is in heauen: and thy truth euen to the clowdes.Domine, in cælo misericordia tua, / et veritas tua usque ad nubes. 7Thy justice is as the mountains of God, thy judgments are a great deep. Men and beasts thou wilt preserve, O Lord:La tua giustizia è come gli altissimi monti; abisso grande i tuoi giudizj. E gli uomini, e i giumenti tu salverai, o Signore;Thy iustice as the hilles of God: thy iudgementes are great depth. Men & beastes thou wilt saue ô Lord:Justitia tua sicut montes Dei; / judicia tua abyssus multa. / Homines et jumenta salvabis, Domine, 8O how hast thou multiplied thy mercy, O God! But the children of men shall put their trust under the covert of thy wings.Tanto si stende, o Signore, la tua misericordia. Ma i figliuoli degli uomini all'ombra dell'ali tue spereranno.as thou hast multiplied thy mercie ô God. But the children of men, shal hope in the couert of thy winges.quemadmodum multiplicasti misericordiam tuam, Deus. / Filii autem hominum in tegmine alarum tuarum sperabunt.
9They shall be inebriated with the plenty of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure.Saranno inebriati della opulenza della tua casa, e al torrente di tue delizie darai loro da bere.They shal be inebriated with the plentie of thy house: and with the torrent of thy pleasure thou shalt make them drinke.Inebriabuntur ab ubertate domus tuæ, / et torrente voluptatis tuæ potabis eos: 10For with thee is the fountain of life; and in thy light we shall see light.Perocché presso di te è la sorgente della vita, e nel lume tuo vedrem la luce.Because with thee is the fountaine of life: and in thy light we shal see light.quoniam apud te est fons vitæ, / et in lumine tuo videbimus lumen. 11Extend thy mercy to them that know thee, and thy justice to them that are right in heart.Spandi la tua misericordia sopra coloro, che ti conoscono, e la tua giustizia a prodi quelli, che hanno cuor retto.Extend thy mercie to them that know thee, and thy iustice to them, that are of a right hart.Prætende misericordiam tuam scientibus te, / et justitiam tuam his qui recto sunt corde. 12Let not the foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the sinner move me.Non venga contro di me il pie del superbo, e non mi smuovano i tentativi del peccatore.Let not the foote of pride come to me: and let not the hand of a sinner moue me.Non veniat mihi pes superbiæ, / et manus peccatoris non moveat me. 13There the workers of iniquity are fallen, they are cast out, and could not stand.Ivi andaron per terra quelli, che commettono l'iniquità: furon cacciati fuora, e non poteron tenersi in piedi.There haue they fallen that worke iniquitie: they were expelled, neither could they stand.Ibi ceciderunt qui operantur iniquitatem; / expulsi sunt, nec potuerunt stare.
35:1
Haydock
Himself. Psalm is understood. It is expressed in St. Ambrose and St. Jerome, (Calmet) and in the Alexandrian Septuagint. (Haydock)
Theodoret
Eusebius improperly assigns the cause of the omission to the piece being of a moral nature. Many suppose it refers to Saul, who had promised that he would give ear no more to the detractors of David, when the latter restored to him his spear and cup, 1 Kings xxvi. (Theodoret, etc.)
Calmet
But it seems rather to express the sentiments of the captives at Babylon, like the Psalms x., xi., xiii., and lii. (Calmet)
Menochius
David gloried in the title of servant of the Lord, though he bore the sceptre, Psalm xvii., (Berthier) and Psalm 115:16. (Menochius)
Worthington
He applies this instruction to himself, and to all in the lowest stations. (Worthington)
35:2
Calmet
Himself. Hebrew libbi, "in my heart." But this is visibly incorrect, and we should substitute lobu, as St. Jerome, Chaldean, Syriac, etc., have done. (Calmet)
Haydock
Yet Symmachus translates, "concerning the disorder of the impious within, my heart has said, there," etc. Hebrew may also signify, "the transgression of the wicked saith within my heart." (Protestants) (Haydock)
Berthier
I am inwardly convinced how great the malice of the wicked may be. It touches me to the very heart. Both senses are good. The wicked are bent on evil, and this fills the virtuous with grief. (Berthier)
Menochius
Eyes. They sin publicly, (Psalm 13:1.; Calmet) and on purpose, preferring vice before virtue, (Worthington) and constantly bent on doing evil, so that they become odious to all. (Menochius)
35:3
Berthier
Unto hatred. That is, hateful to God (Challoner) and man; (Haydock) or that he may be able to hurt, as Hebrew also may insinuate. (Berthier)
St. Augustine
Septuagint, "to find and hate his iniquity." But he acts not with sincerity. He wishes to defend his evil ways. (St. Augustine, etc.)
Calmet
He still flatters himself with impunity, Psalm 9:25., or 10:11. To find, often means to punish, Genesis 44:16., etc. (Calmet)
Worthington
God frequently abandons those who sin through malice. (Worthington)
35:4
Calmet
Well, to those in distress, Psalm 40:2. Though wise enough in worldly concerns, he seemed quite ignorant when any virtuous actions were proposed. (Calmet)
Worthington
Sometimes ignorance is excusable when a person does his best to obtain knowledge. But when he is negligent, the ignorance is gross, and sinful in proportion to the importance of the thing. If one desire to be ignorant to prevent remorse, this only increases the guilt, and God often leaves such destitute of the ordinary graces which he gives to others; so that they fall into a reprobate sense, and into more horrible sins. (Worthington)
35:5
St. Augustine
Set himself, "persevering" in wickedness. (St. Augustine)
35:6
St. Clement of Alexandria
Clouds. The mercy of God is great, and his fidelity indisputable. Some think these were concealed till the coming of the Messias; (Psalm 84:11.; St. Bernard) and many of the Fathers accuse Aristotle of confining Providence to the regions above the moon, by perverting this text. (St. Clement of Alexandria, strom. 5., etc.)
Calmet
But Gesner has produced 30 passages from that author which prove both a general and particular Providence. (Calmet)
Worthington
God does not leave the most wilful sinner without some good motions, and sufficient grace, that they may repent if they do not harden their own hearts. He has promised such helps, and is most faithful and desirous to receive again the penitent sinner. (Worthington)
35:7
Of God. A title which is often given to things of superior excellence. So divina condimenta of Plautus, (Pseudol.) denote ragouts or sauces of the best quality; (Haydock) and sacra fames of Virgil, means great hunger. See Jonas 3:3., Canticle of Canticles 8:6.
Calmet
Deep. After praising the mercy of God, the psalmist expresses his admiration of his inscrutable justice, Romans 11:33. (Calmet)
Haydock
Preserve, salvabis. The latter are designed only for man's benefit, and will end with time. (Haydock)
Calmet
But man is destined for eternal happiness, ver. 9. (Calmet)
35:8
Haydock
O how. So the Hebrew and Septuagint read; quemadmodum may also (Berthier) signify "as." God has given such proofs of his great mercies to all. (Haydock)
Worthington
Of men. People must lay aside their stupidity and resemblance with brutes, to obtain the eternal joys which are prepared for men. (Worthington)
35:9
St. Ambrose
House. In the temple, (Calmet) or in the Church of God. (St. Ambrose)
Calmet
The pleasures enjoyed by this communion of saints, (Haydock) is but a foretaste of what may be expected in heaven. (Calmet)
35:10
With thee, Lord, is the fountain of life, Jesus Christ.
Theodoret
See light, or the Holy Ghost. (St. Ambrose) (Theodoret)
Calmet
We shall see thee, Father of light, in thy Son. (Origen, Prin. 1:1.) (Calmet)
Haydock
The saints behold in the light of God all that they can desire to know; and of course they will not be unacquainted with our wants and petitions, though they have not the asses' ears of Calvin. (Haydock)
Calmet
Light and life denote all happiness. (Calmet)
Berthier
The psalmist might have a sublime idea of these pleasures. (Berthier)
Haydock
But none will presently understand their excellence till they are put in possession of them. (Haydock)
35:11
Calmet
Deliver us from captivity, and extend thy mercies to all thy people. (Calmet)
Berthier
Heart. Many who have sufficient learning, are destitute of this better quality. The right of heart are always more knowing than those who are only learned in speculation, and puffed up with pride. (Berthier)
35:12
Berthier
Sinner. Hebrew and Septuagint, "sinners," who are always striving to supplant the just by pride and evil example. (Berthier)
St. Augustine
Let me not listen to their wicked advice. (St. Augustine)
Calmet
Let not the enemy invade our country any more. (Calmet)
Worthington
The just may pray that no bad example or pride may place an obstacle to his salvation. (Worthington)
35:13
Worthington
There. The devil fell by pride, and man by his persuasion. Neither could escape punishment. (Worthington)
St. Ambrose
There, in heaven, (St. Jerome) and in paradise, pride proved fatal; (Calmet) while it will be punished in hell. (St. Ambrose)
Calmet
Pride and injustice will entail destruction upon our persecutors. Babylon shall shortly fall a prey to Cyrus. (Calmet)
Menochius
Stand. Hebrew kum, "rise again." The proud are seldom converted, (Berthier) and the rebel angels had no redress. (Menochius)
35:3
Unto hatred.... That is, hateful to God.
35:1
More specially describing the state of men in the new testament, then in the old.
instruction for Dauid not as a king, or a prophet, but as the poore seruant of God.
35:2
wittingly and resolutely preferring wicked life before vertuous.
35:3
God so •ateth sinne committed of meere malice, that he commonly reiecteth such sinners, and more often offereth new grace to those, that sinne of frailitie, or ignorance.
35:4
Some ignorance is inuincible whē one hath a good wil to lerne, doing his endeuour to knovv the truth in doctrin, & his dutie in manners, but can not get knowlege therof, and then he is excused before God; though he erre in opinion, or in fact: others are negligent to lerne, and their error is grosse ignorance and is a sinne, greater or lesse, according to the importance of the thing, which they ouhgt to knovv. Others are more vvilful, desiring to be ignorant; that they may sinne vvith the lesse remorse, or repining of their ovvne conscience, and this is affected ignorance, and most hainous, and odious sinne. For which God often leauing them destitute of ordinarie grace, which he geueth to others, they fal into reprobate sense, and into more horrible sinner.
35:6
God doth not vtterly shut vp his mercie from the most wilful & wicked sinners, but geueth them sometimes good motions, and sufficient helpe, that they may repent, be i• stified & saued, if they do not wittingly harden their owne hartes, and stil wilfully repel Gods grace.
For so God pomiseth (vvho is most faithful) that he vvil forgeue sinners, and receiue them into his fauoure againe, when so euer they resoluing to serue him, repent and cease to sinne.
35:7
Thou ô God that hast care of al creatures, not only of men but also of brute beastes, art euer readie of thy part to saue both moderate men, in vvhom the light of reason remaineth, and also grosse senseles persons, vvhich are become brutish like horse and mule or other beastes.
35:8
For so our Lord multiplieth his mercie.
Yet with condition that sensles or brutish men, must become reasonable men, the children of men, not coltes, whelpes, pigges &c.
Sinners thus conuerted shal not only haue al necessaries in this life, as al liuing creatures haue in this world, but also shal hope of spiritual, heauenly, & eternal glorie prepared for Angels, and children of men: as in the verses folovving.
35:12
Le•t anie impediment hinder the obtayning and possession of eternal revvard, the iust must specially pray not to be infected vvith pride:
nor be ouercome by the forcible tentations of other sinners, by persvvasion, not euil example.
35:13
The first sinne, tovvit of diuels, vvas pride, and mans sinne vvas by persvvasion of the diuel.
neither of which could escape punishment.
35:1
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Defence of His Flight. (Apologia de Fuga.) 24
… Now I considered that it would be unreasonable in me to desert the people during such a disturbance, and not to endanger myself in their behalf; therefore I sat down upon my throne, and desired the Deacon to read a Psalm, and the people to answer, ‘For His mercy endureth for ever
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on Ephesians 13
… “There is no fear of God,” it saith, “before his eyes” (
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 6
… xii. 4 ); and again “Wherefore hath the wicked man provoked God to wrath?” ( Ps. x. 13 ); and again, “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God; they are corrupt and become abominable in their doings.” ( Ps. xiv. 1 .) “There is no fear of God before his eyes, for he was deceitful before Him, to find out his iniquity and to hate.” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.1
1. …“The ungodly hath said in himself that he will sin: there is no fear of God before his eyes” (
Giovanni Cassiano † 435 d.C. The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults 12.6
… humbly minded;” and again, “He that worketh pride shall not dwell in the midst of my house;” yet, as he knew how hard is that watchfulness even for those that are perfect, he did not so presume on his own efforts, but prayed to God and implored His help, that he might escape unwounded by the darts of this foe, saying, “Let not the foot of pride come to me,”
35:2
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 1.34
… We shall yet venture, such as we are, to stand still a little at this point, and to make some observations on the matter. There are some gods of whom God is god, as we hear in prophecy,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 8.7
… And I beheld and loathed myself; and whither to fly from myself I discovered not. And if I sought to turn my gaze away from myself, he continued his narrative, and Thou again opposedst me unto myself, and thrustedst me before my own eyes, that I might discover my iniquity, and hate it.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.2
2. “For he hath wrought deceitfully in His sight” (
35:3
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Of the Work of Monks 3
… not fearing that which is written, “He would not understand that he might do good.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on Grace and Free Will 4
… understanding;” and, “Reject not the counsels of thy mother;” and, “Be not wise in thine own conceit;” and, “Despise not the chastening of the Lord;” and, “Forget not my law;” and, “Forbear not to do good to the poor;” and, “Devise not evil against thy friend;” and, “Give no heed to a worthless woman;” and, “He is not inclined to understand how to do good;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on Grace and Free Will 5
… And yet we must not on this account betake ourselves for refuge to the shades of ignorance, with the view of finding our excuse therein. It is one thing to be ignorant, and another thing to be unwilling to know. For the will is at fault in the case of the man of whom it is said, “He is not inclined to understand, so as to do good.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.3
3. “The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he would not understand, that he might do good” (
35:4
Eusebio di Cesarea † 339 d.C. The Church History of Eusebius 10.4.8
… not only one by one, but all together, with one spirit and one soul, honor him and cry aloud, saying, ‘Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.’ For he is truly great, and great is his house, lofty and spacious and ‘comely in beauty above the sons of men.’ ‘Great is the Lord who alone doeth wonderful things’;
Eusebio di Cesarea † 339 d.C. The Church History of Eusebius 10.4.9
… he that worketh miracles, he that doeth great things, the Master of all, the Creator of the whole world, the omnipotent, the all-merciful, the one and only God. To him let us sing the new song, supplying in thought, ‘To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth forever’;
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.4
4. “He hath meditated iniquity on his bed.” What said He, “On his bed?” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 52.6
… compare and choose. But perchance thou hast an eye wherewith thou seest malignity, and hast no eye wherewith thou seest benignity. Woe to the iniquitous heart. What is worse, it doth turn away itself, that it may not see what it is able to see. For what of such hath been said in another place? “He would not understand that he might do good.”
papa san Leone I Magno † 461 d.C. Letters 28
… from which it is shown that Eutyches, who used to seem worthy of all respect in virtue of his priestly office, is very unwary and exceedingly ignorant, so that it is even of him that the prophet has said: “he refused to understand so as to do well: he thought upon iniquity in his bed
35:5
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.15
… because Thou hast appointed them above this firmament, which Thou hast made firm over the weakness of the lower people, where they might look up and learn Thy mercy, announcing in time Thee who hast made times. “For Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.6
6. “Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, and Thy truth reacheth even unto the clouds” (
35:6
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. On the Psalms 6
… Beware, then, lest, being found in the flock of Jesus, you be set apart when gifts are sent to Esau, and be given over to Esau as reprobate and unworthy of the spiritual Jacob. The single-minded are the sheep of Christ, and these God saves according to the word: “O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 1.29
… of the Father Himself, so the Saviour has the inscription “The Door.” And as He is a lover of men, and approves the impulse of human souls to better things, even of those who do not hasten to reason (the Logos), but like sheep have a weakness and gentleness apart from all accuracy and reason, so He is the Shepherd. For the Lord saves men and beasts,
san Dionigi di Alessandria † 265 d.C. Exegetical Fragments 1.2
… for He Himself has said, “I am the way.” On this account, then, it becomes the wise man always to keep the eyes of his mind directed toward Christ Himself, in order that he may do nothing out of measure, neither being lifted up in heart in the time of prosperity, nor becoming negligent in the day of adversity: “for His judgments are a great deep,”
san Gregorio Taumaturgo † 270 d.C. Four Homilies 4
… and how shall I dare to touch Thy stainless head? How can I stretch out the right hand upon Thee, who didst stretch out the heavens like a curtain, and didst set the earth above the waters?
san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 16.4
… Give a lesson, to me in the Pastor’s art, to this people of obedience. Discourse awhile on our present heavy blow, about the just judgments of God, whether we grasp their meaning, or are ignorant of their great deep.
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. Against Eunomius 2.10
… For the great David calls righteousness the “mountains of God
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. Against Eunomius 3.2
… when this has come to pass, to the end that in each individual believer may be wrought the divine decrees of the Gospel law, and the varied gifts of the Holy Spirits—(all which the divine Scripture figuratively names, with a suitable significance, “mountains” and “hills,” calling righteousness the “mountains” of God, and speaking of His judgments as “deeps
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Treatise Concerning the Christian Priesthood 4
… Others again demand from God an account of his judgments, and force themselves to sound the depth of that abyss which is unfathomable. “For thy judgments,” saith the Scriptures, “are a great deep,”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 9.7
… And whence does this appear, that the earth is borne upon the waters? The prophet declares this when he says, “He hath founded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon the floods.” And again: “To him who hath founded the earth upon the waters.”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on First Corinthians 29
… What again could be the reason, that among the prophets also one was afflicted more, and another less? Because so it was expedient for each. Wherefore upon each our remark must be, “Thy judgments are a great deep.” (
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on 2 Timothy 3
… And is the inquisition for justice here thus spread through cities, through houses, and among individuals; and is there no regard for what is justice there, where “the right hand of God is full of righteousness” ( Ps. xlviii. 10 .), and “His righteousness is as the mountains of God”? (
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 39.2
… For all the day long have I been plagued.” Yet when I have thought of these things, like the prophet I have learned to say: “When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.” Truly the judgments of the Lord are a great deep.
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 108.25
25. Moreover, if you ask how it is that a mere infant which has never sinned is seized by the devil, or at what age we shall rise again seeing that we die at different ages; my only answer—an unwelcome one, I fancy—will be in the words of scripture: “The judgments of God are a great deep,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 4.4
8. “Who can show forth all Thy praise” which he hath experienced in himself alone? What was it that Thou didst then, O my God, and how unsearchable are the depths of Thy judgments!
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.12
… Yea, and our earth, before it received the “form of doctrine,” was invisible and formless, and we were covered with the darkness of ignorance. For Thou correctest man for iniquity, and “Thy judgments are a great deep.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.21
… for it is not such that, unless it shall have seen signs and wonders, it will not believe, when now the faithful earth is separated from the waters of the sea, rendered bitter by infidelity; and “tongues are for a sign, not to those that believe, but to those that believe not.” Nor then doth the earth, which Thou hast founded above the waters,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 21.2
… For among the secret things, which contain the righteous principles of God’s judgment, there is a secret which determines that the minds of some shall be blinded, and the minds of some enlightened. Regarding this, it is well said of God, "Thy judgments are a great deep."
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants 1.29
… For “is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.” But we must first bend our necks to the authority of the Holy Scriptures, in order that we may each arrive at knowledge and understanding through faith. For it is not said in vain, “Thy judgments are a great deep.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount 1.1.2
… Nor is it surprising that the greater precepts are given for the kingdom of heaven, and the lesser for an earthly kingdom, by that one and the same God, who made heaven and earth. With respect, therefore, to that righteousness which is the greater, it is said through the prophet, “Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God:”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 3.15
… “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor?” and, “Thy judgments are as a great depth.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 52.6
… as it is written, “Judge me, O God, and plead [discern, discriminate] my cause against an unholy nation.” And many are the judgments of God; as it is said in the psalm, “Thy judgments are a great deep.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 53.6
… let us not take upon ourselves to pass judgment on the judgment of so mighty a judge, but tremblingly exclaim with the apostle, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” As it is also said in the psalm, “Thy judgments are as a great deep.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 3.4
… For it was just that He should raise again from the dead the Innocent who was slain, and to whom evil had been recompensed for good, and that He should render to the persecutor a meet reward, who repaid Him evil for good. For we read, “Thy justice is as the mountains of God.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 8.10
… But the sons of men shall put their trust in the covering of Thy wings. They shall be inebriated with the richness of Thine house, and of the torrent of Thy pleasures Thou shalt make them drink. For with Thee is the fountain of life, and in Thy light shall we see light. Extend Thy mercy to them that know Thee.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 8.13
… For the field is also “the broad way, that leadeth to destruction:” and in a field is Abel slain. Wherefore there is cause to fear, lest one coming down from the mountains of God’s righteousness (“for thy righteousness,” he says, “is as the mountains of God”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.8
8. “Thy Righteousness is like the mountains of God: Thy Judgments are a great deep” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 42.12
… Justly, because the “understanding” spoken of is an “abyss.” For an “abyss” is a depth that cannot be reached or comprehended; and it is principally applied to a great body of water. For there is a “depth,” a “profound,” the bottom of which cannot be reached by sounding. Furthermore, it is said in a certain passage,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 125.6
6. But love such mountains, in whom the Lord is. Then do those very mountains love thee, if thou hast not placed hope in them. See, brethren, what the mountains of God are. Thence they are so called in another passage: “Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God.”
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san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 28
… disclosed to him (O marvel, that I have a like experience), he closes his discourse with astonishment, and calls this the riches of God, and the depth, and confesses the unsearchableness of the judgments of God, in almost the very words of David, who at one time calls God’s judgments the great deep whose foundations cannot be reached by measure or sense;
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on Philippians 4
… xl. 15 .) It were as easy for Him to destroy all things, and to make them again, as for us to turn the balance. He then who has such power over us, and sees us sinning every day, and yet punishes us not, how is it but by mercy He bears with us? Since beasts too exist by mercy: “Thou, Lord, wilt preserve both men and beasts.” (
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 48.14
… And I added: “I call virginity fine corn, wedlock barley, and fornication cow-dung.” Surely both corn and barley are creatures of God. But of the two multitudes miraculously supplied in the Gospel the larger was fed upon barley loaves, and the smaller on corn bread. “Thou, Lord,” says the psalmist, “shalt save both man and beast.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 11
This holy meditation preserves “the children of men, who put their trust under the shadow of God’s wings,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 25.11
11. Therefore “this meat, not that which perisheth, but that which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you; for Him hath God the Father sealed.” Do not take this Son of man as you take other sons of men, of whom it is said, “And the sons of men will trust in the protection of Thy wings.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 30.3
… “But the sons of men shall put their trust under the cover of Thy wings. They shall be fully satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt give them drink from the torrent of Thy pleasure. For with Thee is the fountain of life; and in Thy light shall they see light.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.10
10. Because he said, Thy Mercy is in the Heavens, that it may be known to be also on earth, he said, “O Lord, Thou savest man and beast, as Thy Mercy is multiplied, O God” (
Giovanni Cassiano † 435 d.C. The Conferences of John Cassian 8.3
… viz., plain and simple narratives of history, by which simple folk, and those who are incapable of perfect and sound understanding (of whom it is said “Thou, Lord, wilt save both man and beast”)
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san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 6.8
“Let them be for days” says Scripture, not to produce them but to rule them; because day and night are older than the creation of the luminaries and it is this that the psalm declares to us. “The sun to rule by day…the moon and stars to rule by night.”
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 17.19
… Drunken they are, not however as ye suppose, but according to that which is written, They shall be drunken with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the torrents of thy pleasure
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Letters of St. Augustin 130.27
… because with Him is the fountain of life, and in His light we shall see light,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Letters of St. Augustin 145.7
… we feel ourselves to be poor and destitute of that love by which the law is most truly fulfilled, we ought not to expect and demand its riches from our own indigence, but to ask, seek, and knock in prayer, that He with whom is “the fountain of life” “may satisfy us abundantly with the fatness of His house, and make us drink of the river of His pleasures,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 11
… For with Him is the fountain of life, and in His light shall they see light. For He extendeth His mercy to them that know Him, and His righteousness to the upright in heart.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 25.17
… Show that therefore he went out. “And let not the hands of sinners move me;” because of the foot of pride. Why sayest thou this? “They are fallen, all they that work iniquity.” Where are they fallen? In their very pride. “They were driven out, and they could not stand.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 26.4
… If the mind has no pleasures of its own, how is it said, “The sons of men shall trust under the cover of Thy wings: they shall be well satisfied with the fullness of Thy house; and Thou shalt give them drink from the river of Thy pleasure. For with Thee is the fountain of life; and in Thy light shall we see light”?
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 4.9
… “From the time of His corn, of wine, and oil, they have been multiplied.” For the addition of His, is not superfluous. For the corn is God’s: inasmuch as He is “the living bread which came down from heaven.” The wine too is God’s: for, “they shall be inebriated,” he says, “with the fatness of thine house.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 11.11
… For this is the portion of their cup: as of the righteous, “Thy cup inebriating how excellent is it! for they shall be inebriated with the richness of Thine house.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.12
12. “They shall be satiated with the fulness of Thy House” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 74.14
… but others hearing the Word, and not so keeping it as that they live well, yet not keeping silence with tongue, they become torrents. For they are properly called torrents which are not perennial: for sometimes also in a secondary sense torrent is used for river: as hath been said, “with the torrent of Thy pleasures Thou shalt give them to drink.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 123.8
… Let us only desire to be filled with the full fountain of righteousness, let us long to be filled with that abundant richness, of which it is said in the Psalm, “They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of Thy house: and Thou shalt give them drink out of the torrent of Thy pleasure.”
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Origene † 254 d.C. Origen De Principiis 1.1.1
… as John writes in his Epistle, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Truly He is that light which illuminates the whole understanding of those who are capable of receiving truth, as is said in the thirty-sixth Psalm , “In Thy light we shall see light.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen Against Celsus 6.5
… “The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear?” and, “Thy law is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path;” and again, “The light of Thy countenance, O Lord , was manifested towards us;” and, “In Thy light we shall see light.”
san Metodio d'Olimpo † 311 d.C. Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna On the Day that They Met in the Temple 1
… But by means of that light, which is of one substance with Thee, Thou hast given light to those that sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, in order that in Thy light they might see the light of knowledge;
sant'Alessandro di Alessandria † 326 d.C. Epistles on the Arian Heresy and the Deposition of Arius 1.9
… For when he said, “Show us the Father,” He answered: “He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father,” since the Father was Himself seen through the spotless and living mirror of the divine image. Similar to which is what the saints say in the Psalms: “In Thy light shall we see light.”
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. De Decretis. (Defence of the Nicene Definition.) 3
… knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him ,’ therefore the sacred writers to whom the Son has revealed Him, have given us a certain image from things visible, saying, ‘Who is the brightness of His glory, and the Expression of His Person ;’ and again, ‘For with Thee is the well of life, and in Thy light shall we see light
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 2.18
… Father, nor reverenced the Saviour’s words, nor trusted the Saints, one of whom writes, ‘Who being the Brightness of His glory and the Expression of His subsistence,’ and ‘Christ the power of God and the Wisdom of God ;’ and another says in the Psalm, ‘With Thee is the well of life, and in Thy Light shall we see light,’ and ‘Thou madest all things in Wisdom
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 3.30
… Son;’ and by David He said, ‘My heart uttered a good Word;’ and John He bade say, ‘In the beginning was the Word;’ and David says in the Psalm, ‘With Thee is the well of life, and in Thy light shall we see light;’ and the Apostle writes, ‘Who being the Radiance of Glory,’ and again, ‘Who being in the form of God,’ and, ‘Who is the Image of the invisible God
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Synodal Letter to the Bishops of Africa. (Ad Afros Epistola Synodica.) 6
Such was the corrupt mind of the Arians. But here too the Bishops, beholding their craftiness, collected from the Scriptures the figures of brightness, of the river and the well, and of the relation of the express Image to the Subsistence, and the texts, ‘in thy light shall we see light
san Basilio † 379 d.C. De Spiritu Sancto 18
… “No man knoweth the Father save the Son.” And so “no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost.” For it is not said through the Spirit, but by the Spirit, and “God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth,” as it is written “in thy light shall we see light,”
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 14
… And aiming well at these, one saith, and in rest Thou shalt judge them . But who is the fountain that is sealed, or who is interpreted as being a well-spring of living water ? It is the Saviour Himself, concerning whom it is written, For with Thee is the fountain of life
san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 32
… The Son was the True Light which lighteneth every man coming into the world. The Other Comforter was the True Light which lighteneth every man coming into the world. Was and Was and Was, but Was One Thing. Light thrice repeated; but One Light and One God. This was what David represented to himself long before when he said, In Thy Light shall we see Light.
san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 34
XIII. To sum up my discourse:—Glorify Him with the Cherubim, who unite the Three Holies into One Lord, and so far indicate the Primal Substance as their wings open to the diligent. With David be enlightened, who said to the Light, In Thy Light shall we see Light,
san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 40
… If you were deaf and dumb, let the Word sound in your ears, or rather keep there Him Who hath sounded. Do not shut your ears to the Instruction of the Lord, and to His Counsel, like the adder to charms. If you are blind and unenlightened, lighten your eyes that you sleep not in death. In God’s Light see light,
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. Against Eunomius 9.4
… so that there is no necessity to suppose, when the Only-begotten Light was not, the existence of that darkness which is His corresponding opposite.” But this is just what I say, that darkness never was; for the light never “was not,” for “the light,” as the prophecy says, “is always in the light
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. Answer to Eunomius' Second Book 1
… What, then, saith David, and of whom? “The Lord shepherds me.” “Thou Who shepherdest Israel, give ear .” What difference does it make whether He is spoken of as shepherding, or as a Shepherd? And again, “With Thee is the Well of life
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. On the Holy Spirit 1.14
162. And you find elsewhere that the Son of God is Light: “The people that sat in darkness and in the shadow of death have seen a great light.” But, which is still more clear, it is said: “For with Thee is the fount of Life, and in Thy light we shall see light,”
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. On the Holy Spirit 1.15
172. Learn now that as the Father is the Fount of Life, so, too, many have stated that the Son is signified as the Fount of Life;
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. Exposition of the Christian Faith 1.7
49. The prophets say: “In Thy light we shall see light;”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 15
… And that you may see that such is the point he is aiming at, after first saying, that He “is at the Right Hand,” he next proceeds to say, that He “maketh intercession for us,” when he had shown an equality of honor and rank, so that hence it may appear that the Intercession is not a sign of inferiority, but of love only. For being Life itself ( αὐτοζωή ) (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 9.10
… But yet we opened wide the mouth of our heart, after those supernal streams of Thy fountain, “the fountain of life,” which is “with Thee;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.4
… for which it remaineth to be converted unto Him by whom it was made, and to live more and more by “the fountain of life,” and in His light to “see light,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.16
… Therefore unto Thee is my soul as “land where no water is,” because as it cannot of itself enlighten itself, so it cannot of itself satisfy itself. For so is the fountain of life with Thee, like as in Thy light we shall see light.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 7.3
… as He is light of the Father, who is light, and the fountain of life with God the Father, who is Himself assuredly the fountain of life. For “with Thee,” He says, “is the fountain of life, and in Thy light shall we see light.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On Patience 22
22. But the pleasure of the Creator, of which is written, “And from the river of Thy pleasure wilt Thou give them to drink,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 19
… thanks, but became vain in their imaginations.” Vanity is a disease especially of those who mislead themselves, and “think themselves to be something, when they are nothing.” Such men, indeed, darken themselves in that swelling pride, the foot of which the holy singer prays that it may not come against him, after saying, “In Thy light shall we see light;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 37
… “It is good for me to hold me fast by God.” “I will be,” says God, “their God, and they shall be my people.” What is better than this good, what happier than this happiness,—to live to God, to live from God, with whom is the fountain of life, and in whose light we shall see light?
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 65
… and to forgive, that it may be forgiven him; and whatever righteousness he has, not to presume that he has it of himself, but from the grace of God, who justifies him, and still to go on hungering and thirsting for righteousness from Him who is the living bread, and with whom is the fountain of life;
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 3.4
… For filled we shall be with that for which we hunger and thirst. Let our inner man then hunger and thirst, for it hath its own proper meat and drink. “I,” saith He, “am the Bread which came down from heaven.” Here is the bread of the hungry; long also for the drink of the thirsty, “For with Thee is the well of life.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 63.6
… And why? Because thou livest by it. For when thou dost highly praise thine estate, thou sayest thus, “It finds me food, I live by it.” Consider whereby thou dost really live. He by whom thou livest, is He to whom thou sayest, “With Thee is the fountain of life.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 15.16
… For how shall they thirst, who “shall be drunk with the fatness of Thy house”?
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 99.4
… truth,—is said both to see the light, whereof it is said, “That was the true light;” and to hear the word, whereof it is said, “In the beginning was the Word;” and to be susceptible of smell, of which it is said, “We will run after the smell of thy ointments;” and to drink of the fountain, whereof it is said, “With Thee is the fountain of life;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.13
… “For with Thee,” saith he, “is the fountain of Life.” What is the fountain of Life, but Christ? He came to thee in the flesh, that He might bedew thy thirsty lips: He will satisfy thee trusting, who bedewed thee thirsting. “For with Thee is the fountain of Life; in Thy Light shall we see light” (
Teodoreto di Cirro † 458 d.C. The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret 1.3
… The same idea is conveyed in the Psalms, where the saints say, ‘ In Thy light we shall see light
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Origene † 254 d.C. Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 2.18
… We may learn, perhaps, in a more suggestive manner, how the Father and the Son are two lights, from David, who says in the thirty-fifth Psalm,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Letters of St. Augustin 27.4
… For in all that shall, if observed, justly displease you, I myself am seen; but in all which in my books is justly approved by you, through the gift of the Holy Spirit bestowed on you, He is to be loved, He is to be praised, with whom is the fountain of life, and in whose light we shall see light,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants 2.10
… but in as far as we are unlike Him, in so far are we the children of the flesh and of the world. On the one side, we cannot commit sin; but, on the other, if we say that we have no sin, we only deceive ourselves,—until we pass entirely into the adoption, and the sinner be no more, and you look for his place and find it not.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 11
… For “that was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Therefore, in the same psalm, after saying, “Extend Thy mercy to them that know Thee, and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.14
14. “Show forth Thy Mercy unto them that know Thee; Thy Righteousness to them that are of a right heart” (
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sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Of Holy Virginity 53
… follow ye the Lamb, whithersoever He shall have gone. But first come unto Him, Whom ye are to follow, and learn, in that He is meek and lowly of heart. Come ye in lowly wise unto the Lowly, if ye love: and depart not from Him, lest ye fall. For whoso fears to depart from Him asks and says, “Let there not come to me foot of pride.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 12.13
… Only when a Jew comes over to Christ, he is no longer Cain, nor goes out from the presence of God, nor dwells in the land of Nod, which is said to mean commotion. Against this evil of commotion the Psalmist prays, "Suffer not my feet to be moved;" and again, "Let not the hands of the wicked remove me;"
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 11
… There have fallen all the workers of iniquity: they are cast out, and are not able to stand.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 19
… God, they glorified Him not as God, nor gave Him thanks, but became vain in their imaginations.” Vanity is a disease especially of those who mislead themselves, and “think themselves to be something, when they are nothing.” Such men, indeed, darken themselves in that swelling pride, the foot of which the holy singer prays that it may not come against him,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 1.4
… “From the face of” which “earth the wind casteth forth the ungodly,” that is, pride, in that it puffeth him up. On his guard against which he, who was inebriated by the richness of the house of the Lord, and drunken of the torrent stream of its pleasures, saith, “Let not the foot of pride come against me.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.15
15. “Let not the foot of pride come against me” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 132.7
… “He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth.” The feet of the devil therefore stood not. Also what saith he of the proud? “O let not the foot of pride come against me; and let not the hand of the ungodly cast me down. There are they fallen, all that work wickedness: they are cast down, and were not able to stand.”
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san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 42.5
… Who lifteth up the meek on high, and bringeth the ungodly down to the ground; since God said to Himself, I have surely seen the affliction of Israel; and they shall no longer be further vexed with clay and brick-making; and when He spake He visited, and in His visitation He saved, and led forth His people with a mighty hand and outstretched arm,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.16
16. But wherefore so greatly fearest thou this? Because it is said, “Thereby have fallen all that work iniquity” (
Giovanni Cassiano † 435 d.C. The Conferences of John Cassian 10.10
… “O God, make speed to save me: O Lord, make haste to help me.” I have gained the grace of humility and simplicity, and by continually mortifying my spirit have got rid of the swellings of pride: In order that the “foot of pride” may not again “come against me,” and “the hand of the sinner disturb me,”
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In praecedenti Psalmo Psalmista imploravit Dei auxilium contra persecutiones peccatorum; hic autem describit peccatorum nequitiam. Titulus, in finem servo Dei. Et est novum hoc quod dicit, servo Dei. Ille est fidelis servus, qui bona domini sui non usurpat sibi, et mala sua non retorquet in dominum. Quidam enim sunt, qui peccata sua in Deum retorquent, dicentes quod necessitate peccant: et bona sua sibi vindicant, dicentes quod habent ea ex virtute propria. E contrario facit David: et circa hoc duo facit. Primo facit mentionem de malis quae sunt in nobis ex nobis. Secundo de bonis quae sunt in nobis a Deo, ibi, domine in caelo. Circa primum duo facit. Primo ponit radicem mali. Secundo ponit processum mali ex illa radice, ibi, verba oris. Radix mali est propositum. Primo ergo proponitur malum propositum. Secundo ponit causam, ibi, non est timor. Tertio probat, ibi, quoniam dolose. Sicut dicit philosophus in 3 Ethic., hic aliquis facit injustum, et non injustificat; aliquis facit et injustificat, sed non est injustus: aliquis facit et injustificat, et est injustus. Primum facit ille qui retinet rem alterius quam credit suam. Secundum facit ille qui non secundum habitum, sed ex passione facit injustum, qua passione cessante reddit rem alienam. Tertium facit ille qui ex proposito facit injustum; et ideo dicit, dixit injustus, idest ex proposito deliberavit, ut delinquat in semetipso: quia in ejus potestate est ut proponat peccare, non in fato stellarum: Eccl. 15: Deus ab initio constituit hominem, et reliquit eum in manu consilii sui; sed processus irrefraenatus peccandi est ex eo quod removetur impedimentum peccati. Dicitur autem quod peccatum in spiritum sanctum est, quando ex certa malitia peccatur; et hoc quando removetur impedimentum. Hoc ergo impedimentum removet timor domini: Prov. 16: in timore domini declinatur a malo: Job 15: quantum in te est evacuasti timorem, et tulisti preces et cetera.
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Et ideo dicit, non est timor Dei ante oculos eorum. Timor est in affectu; sed causa timoris est in oculis, ex hoc quod non considerant judicium Dei: Dan. 13: averterunt oculos suos, ne viderent caelum: sed causa est, quoniam dolose egit. Quando aliquis in oculis regis facit aliquid regi odiosum, signum est quod non timet eum; sic peccator quando facit peccatum coram Deo, qui omnia videt, signum est quod non timet Deum, quia in conspectu suo, scilicet Dei, egit dolose, idest fecit dolum: Hebr. 4: omnia nuda et aperta sunt oculis ejus. Et dicit, dolose, quia aliud profert extra, aliud simulat: Psal. 5: virum sanguinum et dolosum abominabitur dominus: Job 36: simulatores et callidi provocant iram Dei. Et ideo, inveniatur iniquitas ejus ad odium, idest talis sit iniquitas ejus quod Deus habeat eam odio. Et hoc est signum quod Deus tales simulatores odit, quia in Evangeliis multum invehitur Deus contra simulatores. Alia littera habet, in conspectu suo, ut videret iniquitatem suam, et odisset. Contingit quod aliquis discutit conscientiam suam ut inveniat iniquitatem suam et odiat. Frequenter in hoc fraudulenter agit, quia non discutit bene, sed gravia leviat, et levia aggravat.
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Et ideo dicit, dolose egit in conspectu suo, idest in conscientia; quia si fideliter suam odisset iniquitatem, discussisset. Vel secundum eumdem sensum, in conspectu suo, scilicet Dei, idest in sacra Scriptura, quam non attendunt secundum veritatem suam, et spiritus sancti, sed agunt dolose; et hoc ideo, quia non inveniunt iniquitatem. Consequenter ponit processum radicis. Et primo ponit peccata oris. Secundo cordis et operis. Homo committit peccatum ore dupliciter: vel per apertam malitiam, cum aperte mentitur; et hoc est quod dicit, verba oris ejus iniquitas: Job 6: non invenietis in ore meo iniquitatem. Vel per occultam fraudulentiam; et hoc est dolus: Hier. 9: sagitta vulnerans lingua eorum dolum locuta est. In corde peccat quis dupliciter: per contemptum boni, et per studium mali. Contingit, quod aliquis peccat per infirmitatem, aliquis ex ignorantia. Sed quando est ignorantia. Affectata, tunc est grave peccatum: Job 21: scientiam viarum tuarum nolumus.
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Et ideo dicit, noluit intelligere ut bene ageret, unde voluit intelligere curiosa, et non ut bene operaretur: Hier. 4: sapientes sunt, ut faciant mala: bona facere nescierunt.
35:5
Item aliquando facit homo peccatum ex studio malitiae; unde dicit, iniquitatem meditatus est in cubili suo, idest in corde suo. Vel in cubili, idest quando stat in secreto: Prov. 24: cogitatio stulti peccatum est et abominatio. Astitit. Hic ponit quod committitur opere. Et primo ponit coadjuvationem ad malum. Secundo, quod non impedit malum. Quantum ad primum dicit, astitit omni viae non bonae, idest vivit et favit omni malae viae, vel malae operationi: Ps. 2: astiterunt reges terrae. Quantum ad secundum dicit, malitiam autem non odivit: Ps. 51: dilexisti malitiam super benignitatem, iniquitatem et cetera. Job 20: cum dulce fuerit in ore ejus malum, abscondit illud sub lingua sua.
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Domine. Hic ostendit quae recepit a Deo. Et primo numerat ipsa bona. Secundo petit ea sibi dari, ibi, praetende. Circa primum duo facit. Primo proponit causam bonorum quae recepit a Deo. Secundo enumerat ipsa bona, ibi, homines et jumenta. Et primo ponit commendationem causae. Secundo proponit profunditatem effectuum, ibi, judicia tua. Quidquid Deus facit in nobis, vel est ex justitia, vel ex misericordia, vel ex veritate. Ex justitia, quando reddit pro meritis. Ex veritate, quando reddit quod promisit. Ex misericordia, quando excedit merita et promissa. Probemus haec tria. Justitia Dei alta est, quia nullus tantum meretur quin Deus plus reddat. Veritas est altior, quia Deus promittit et solvit quae nunquam meruimus, sicut incarnationem, et alia quae pertinent ad mysterium redemptionis. Sed misericordia est altissima: quia ea quae cogitare non possumus, largitur: 1 Cor. 2: oculus non vidit et cetera. Et ideo justitiam comparat montibus, veritatem nubibus, quae altiores sunt, misericordiam caelis, qui sunt super omnia. Dicit, domine, in caelo misericordia tua, quae est causa omnium bonorum meorum est in caelo: Ps. 144: miserationes ejus super omnia et cetera. Isa. 63: miserationum domini recordabor. Et veritas tua usque ad nubes.
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Justitia tua sicut montes Dei. Haec omnia dicuntur secundum effectus, quia secundum essentiam idem sunt. Mystice per haec tria intelliguntur justi, quia in ipsis justis inveniuntur justitia, veritas et misericordia. Justi signantur per caelum propter retributionem et caritatem: Matth. 5: merces vestra copiosa est in caelis. Item in illis maxime relucet misericordia, quia omnino sunt ab omni tribulatione liberati. Nos autem sumus adhuc in calamitatibus. Per nubes intelliguntur doctores: Isa. 5: mandabo nubibus meis, ne pluant super eam imbrem. Et in eis relucet veritas quam manifestant. Per montes intelliguntur sancti viri. Et quid sequitur ex omnibus istis? Quod haec judicia sunt abyssus multa, idest incomprehensibilia: Rom. 2: quam incomprehensibilia sunt judicia ejus et cetera.
Homines. Supra commendavit Psalmista Dei justitiam, veritatem et misericordiam, et judicia, ex quibus nobis bona proveniunt; hic autem enumerat illa bona: et circa hoc duo facit. Primo commemorat bona quae communiter largitur omni creaturae. Secundo bona propria quae confert rationali creaturae, ibi, filii autem hominum. Circa primum duo facit. Primo commemorat quae communiter proveniunt a Deo. Secundo consurgit in admirationem divinae misericordiae, ibi, quemadmodum multiplicasti. Dico ergo, quod misericordia tua est magna, et ex hac salvas homines et jumenta, idest rationales et irrationales creaturas. Vel per homines intelliguntur justi, per jumenta ipsi peccatores, qui temporali salute salvantur a Deo: Matth. 5: pluit super justos et injustos: Ps. 48: homo cum in honore esset non intellexit et cetera. Et haec salus communis est omnibus in duobus: scilicet in salute corporis: Eccl. 30: non est census super censum salutis corporis: et in rerum provisione: 4 Reg. 6: salva me rex. Qui ait, non te salvet dominus. Unde salvare te possum? De arca, an de torculari? Consequenter admiratur divinam misericordiam, ibi, quemadmodum multiplicasti. Scilicet quam multum multiplicasti misericordiam tuam, scilicet quod salvas non solum homines, sed et jumenta. Vel quod est tibi curae non solum de justis, sed etiam de peccatoribus, quantum ad bona temporalia quae in eis multiplicas: Hieronymus habet, quam pretiosa et cetera. Magna est enim misericordia Dei, quod omnes salvat: magna etiam, quia unicuique plus dat quam meruit: Ps. 85: misericordia tua magna est super me.
35:8
Filii autem. Hic ponit bona spiritualia, quae sunt tria: fiducia, spiritualis refectio, et intelligibilis cognitio: et haec respondent gradibus entium. Entium quaedam sunt tantum, quaedam sunt et vivunt, quaedam cum hoc etiam intelligunt; et inter entia rationalis creatura quamdam aeternitatem participat, quia anima rationalis non perit. Et ideo dicit, filii hominum, idest filii Dei Christi: vel filii hominum generaliter omnes homines intelliguntur. Sperabunt in tegmine alarum tuarum. Et loquitur metaphorice. Gallina protegit pullos suos alis ne occidantur; ita ipse Deus spirituali protectione protegit rationalem creaturam ne deficiat specialiter in anima: Matth. 23: quoties volui congregare filios tuos et cetera. Isa. 49: sub tegumento manus suae protexit me. Vel, in tegmine, idest in protectione spirituali. Et sic duae alae sunt doctrina novi et veteris testamenti. Item quae hic inferius vivunt, speciali cibantur refectione. Et primo ponit ipsam refectionem. Secundo ponit ejus causam, ibi, apud te. Refectio spiritualis in duobus consistit: scilicet in donis Dei, et in ejus dulcedine. Quantum ad primum dicit, inebriabuntur ab ubertate domus tuae. Domus est Ecclesia: 1 Tim. 3: ut scias quomodo oporteat te conversari in domo Dei. Et haec domus, quae modo est in terris, quandoque transferetur in caelos: Ps. 121: in domum domini laetantes ibimus. In utraque est ubertas donorum Dei; sed in hac Ecclesia est imperfecta, sed in alia est perfectissima abundantia omnium bonorum, et hac satiantur spirituales viri: Psalm. 64: replebimur in bonis domus tuae. Et quod plus est, inebriantur, inquantum supra omnem mensuram meriti desideria implentur: ebrietas enim excessus quidam est: Isa. 64: quod oculus non vidit et cetera. Cant. 5: inebriamini carissimi. Et qui sunt ebrii, non in se sunt, sed extra se. Sic qui repleti sunt spiritualibus charismatibus, tota eorum intentio fertur in Deum: Phil. 3: nostra conversatio in caelis est. Et non solum donis reficientur, sed etiam dilectione Dei: Job 22: tunc super omnipotentem deliciis afflues, et elevabis ad Deum faciem tuam.
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Et ideo dicit quantum ad secundum, et torrente voluptatis tuae potabis eos. Hic est amor spiritus sancti, qui facit impetum in anima, sicut torrens: Isa. 59: quasi fluvius violentus, quem spiritus domini cogit. Et videtur voluptatis, quia voluptatem et dulcedinem in anima facit: Sap. 12: o quam bonus et suavis est spiritus tuus domine in nobis. Et hoc potu potantur boni: 1 Cor. 10: eundem potum spiritualem biberunt. Vel torrente voluptatis tuae, scilicet Dei, quae dicitur torrens: Prov. 18: torrens redundans, fons sapientiae: quia voluntas ejus sic efficax est, ut ei resisti non possit, sic nec torrenti: Rom. 9: voluntati ejus quis resistit? Materia autem talis refectionis est, quia conjunguntur fonti: et sicut qui tenerent os suum ad fontem vini, inebriarentur; sic qui tenent os suum, idest desiderium, ad fontem vitae et dulcedinis, inebriantur: 1 Cor. 2: alius autem ebrius est. Et sic inebriantur, quia apud te est fons vitae. Si referatur ad Christum, sic est sensus, apud te etc. idest tu es fons vitae. Si autem referatur ad patrem, sic est sensus, apud te est fons vitae, idest verbum tuum vivificans omnia. Est apud te. Jo. 1: verbum erat apud Deum: Hier. 2: me dereliquerunt fontem aquae vivae et cetera. Qui vere est fons vitae, idest spiritualium bonorum, ex quibus omnia vivificantur. Secundum est cognitio intelligibilis, quam homines, sive rationales creaturae participant. Ideo dicit.
35:10
Et in lumine. Duo sunt privilegia rationalis creaturae. Unum, quod rationalis creatura videt in lumine Dei, et quia alia animalia non vident in lumine Dei, ideo dicit, in lumine tuo. Non intelligitur de lumine creato a Deo, quia sic intelligitur illud quod dicitur Gen. 1: fiat lux. Sed in lumine tuo, quo scilicet tu luces, quod est similitudo substantiae tuae. Istud lumen non participant animalia bruta; sed rationalis creatura primo participat illud in cognitione naturali: nihil enim est aliud ratio naturalis hominis, nisi refulgentia divinae claritatis in anima: propter quam claritatem est ad imaginem Dei: Psalm. 4: signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui domine. Secundum est lumen gratiae; Eph. 5: exurge qui dormis et cetera. Tertium est lumen gloriae: Isa. 60: surge, illuminare Jerusalem, quia venit lumen tuum et cetera. Vel, in lumine tuo, idest in Christo, qui est lumen de lumine: et sic est lumen quod est verus Deus. Est ergo lumen Christus, inquantum procedit a patre: est fons vitae, inquantum est principium spiritus vivificantis. Aliud privilegium est, quia sola creatura rationalis videt hoc lumen: unde dicit, videbimus lumen. Hoc lumen vel est veritas creata, idest Christus, secundum quod homo; vel est veritas increata, qua aliqua vera cognoscimus. Lumen enim spirituale veritas est: quia sicut per lumen aliquid cognoscitur inquantum lucidum; ita cognoscitur, inquantum est verum. Animalia bruta bene cognoscunt aliqua vera, puta hoc dulce: sed non veritatem hujus propositionis hoc est verum: quia hoc consistit in adaequatione hujus intellectus ad rem, quod non possunt facere bruta. Ergo bruta non habent lumen creatum. Similiter nec lumen increatum, quia solus homo factus est ad videndum Deum per fidem et per spem: et sicut nunc videmus per fidem in lumine, sic videbimus eum in specie, quando erimus in patria.
35:11
Praetende misericordiam. Hic convertit se ad orationem, et petit misericordiam Dei. Et primo petit petitionem quantum ad alios. Secundo quantum ad se, ibi, non veniat mihi. Duo petit, secundum duo genera hominum, qui conversantur in domo domini: quidam enim cognoscunt Deum per fidem; quidam etiam justificati inhaerent ei. Qui ergo non cognoscunt Deum, non sunt in ejus domo; sed qui habent fidem, possunt subjacere peccato, et ideo petit eis misericordiam: ideo dicit, o domine scientibus te, per fidem scilicet, et vocat cognitionem scientiam propter certam inhaesionem: his praetende, idest amplia, extende ad eos misericordiam tuam miserando peccatis eorum: Isa. 27: non est populus sapiens: Jer. 9: in hoc glorietur qui gloriatur, scire et nosse me. Sed, his qui recto sunt corde, idest qui habent rectum cor et sunt confirmati tibi per caritatem, praetende eis, idest amplia justitiam, idest coronam quam meruerunt, quia isti jam merentur coronam: 2 Tim. 4: in reliquo reposita est mihi corona justitiae et cetera. Et ideo petit eis justa. Pro se duo petit. Primo petit conservari a peccato, et hoc, removendo duas causas peccati.
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Una est interior: et haec est superbia, quae est initium omnis peccati; unde dicit: non veniat mihi pes superbiae, idest affectus superbiendi removeatur a me; Eccl. 23: extollentiam oculorum meorum ne dederis mihi. Alia causa est exterior, quando incitatur ab aliquo ad peccandum: Ps. 18: et ab alienis parce servo tuo. Et ideo dicit, manus peccatoris non moveat me, idest inductiones et promissiones et blandimenta non inducant me ad peccandum.
35:13
Ibi ceciderunt. Hic ponitur petitionis ratio: et est duplex. Primo, quia ex hoc pede est casus: sicut quando quis cadit propter pedem quem habet malum: et ideo dicit, ibi, idest in pede superbiae. Ceciderunt. Ecce initium omnis peccati superbia, Eccl. 10. Homo enim ex hoc peccat, pro eo quod non continetur sub regula legis divinae. Sed ex superbia exit arrogantia: 1 Cor. 10: qui se existimat stare, idest per superbiam, videat ne cadat. Et dicit, qui operantur, non qui operati sunt, quia aliquis aliquando ex infirmitate peccat, vel ignorantia, et iste non permanet; sed qui peccat ex superbia, hic persistit: quia Prov. 2: laetantur cum male fecerint, et exultant in rebus pessimis. Item alia causa est alieni impulsus; unde dicit, expulsi sunt, idest impulsi dum inaniter se efferunt, sicut Lucifer de caelo, et homo per superbiam de Paradiso expulsi sunt. Nec potuerunt stare: Job 18: expellet eum de luce in tenebras et cetera. Sed humilitas facit stare: Ps. 121: stantes erant pedes nostri et cetera.
35:10
… Deus illuminabit illos» (Apoc. 21, 23); «Similes ei erimus, quoniam videbimus eum sicuti est» (I Io. 3, 2); si allude ad una deiformitas (similes erimus) come disposizione elevante l'intelletto alla v. dell'essenza divina videbimus sicuti est; furono molto sfruttati dai Padri e dagli Scolastici i Ps. 35, 10 (in lumine tuo videbimus lumen) e Ps. 55, 13 (ut placeam coram Deo in lumine viventium).
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… 409-14; 520-23; 523-30; s. Gregorio Magno, Mor., 21, 16-17: PL 76, 204-205; Clemente Alessandro, Paedag., 3, 6: PG 8, 603-607; Stromata, 2, 18: PG 8, 1015-39; s. Cirillo Gerosolimitano Catech., 15, 26: PG 33, 907; s. Gregorio Nazianzeno, De pauperum amore: Ps. 35, 858-910. Per i Pontefici si vedano soprattutto le encicli. …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · Douay-Rheims originale (Douai 1609-10), trascrizione EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Pubblico dominio.