This psalm shows which is the true righteousness and which is the right people of God, against the hope of righteousness from the ceremonies, especially among the Jews.
Title: A Psalm of David.
V. 1. The earth is the Lord's, and what is in it.
2. plenitudo ejus, that is, all that is on it. With this word he immediately meets the Epicureans, of whom there are now many who do not believe that human affairs, especially the lesser ones, are under the providence of God. Therefore, in their lack and weakness, they seek everything, even devilish things, rather than God Himself, although not a leaf falls from the tree to the earth without His will. But primarily he strikes the
The Jews, who publicly believe that God takes care of them alone, thinking that all the others are only a lost bunch rejected by God. For in such a way, the Jews preferred themselves to all the peoples as a whole, as if God did not take care of the other peoples.
The ground and what dwells on it.
Here is either a tautology, that is, a repetition of the same thing, or he says what he said before about all earthly things in general, here especially about men, because they are the noblest of all things on earth. But if he speaks of the incarnate Lord, as St. Augustine understands it, the whole emphasis of the words is certainly directed against the verses.
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the Jews, as if he wanted to say: Not you alone are his people; behold, Christ, who is God, rules over the whole world, as Joseph modeled in Egypt. For he is set over all things, and all things are put under his feet. So his kingdom is not limited to your ceremonies.
V. 2. for he founded it on the seas.
4. super maria, that is, by or near the seas. The largest and most important part of the people live on the shores of the seas and rivers, near the water.
And prepared by the waters.
5. hebrew: He founded it firmly, because it is by the power of God that the seas and rivers do not turn back the cities that are situated on the shores. But those who understand this verse more according to the doctrine of nature (physice) than according to the description of the earth (cosmographice), namely that the whole earth is surrounded by the sea and floats in the water as on a wonderful foundation, let them tell us what then are the waters on which the earth is founded [2 Petr. 3, 5], not to mention that he says in the majority "the seas", so that he does not mean the ocean itself, but according to the Hebrew way the standing waters and the lakes, so that it is obvious that he understands the land and especially the inhabitable world on the shores. But the secret interpretation of St. Augustine is this: that Christ, the incarnate God, has set His Church on seas and rivers, that is, on the floods and inconstant movements of this world and the persecutions of the nations, and sustains it in the midst of them. But I do not follow this view now.
V. 3. Who will go to the mountain of the Lord?
That is, into the church of God. For this is called the mountain of God in the prophets. Isa. 2, 3. Micah 4, 1. etc.
And who will stand in its holy place?
7 A repetition of the same thing, only that the "standing" means a serving (servitutem), as if he wanted to say: Who do you think are those whom God has chosen in his holy name?
Who can truly serve the church? To this question the hopefuls quickly answer: We, we! especially the Jews. For from the beginning of the world there was a twofold generation of those who inquired after God, and remains even now until the end of the world. The first generation consists of the people who served and serve God without heart, without grace, without spirit only with outward works, customs, sacrifices, ceremonies; as once Cain offered sacrifices, but withdrew the heart and the person from it [Gen. 4, 3. ff.]. So it is said of the Jews Ps. 78, 37. 36.: "But their heart was not steadfast to God, and lied to Him with their tongue." So also now in the church everything is full of superstitious ceremonies, so much so that even the priests and the spiritual rulers of the people, who should diminish them, increase and multiply them above all others. Not as if prayers, chants, organs, church ornaments, images, lights, clothes and vestments of the body, plates, and other things that are seen everywhere were evil, but not as if through them or for their sake the people were Christ's people, or someone a member of them; rather, they can be and are without them, as the Spirit will teach hereafter, who thus answers the question:
V. 4. who has innocent hands.
8. who is undefiled, pure, without sin.
And is pure in heart.
9 That is, one who is also pure from the will and the desire for evil. He does not say: a bishop, a pope, a doctor, an apostle, a prince, a king. He does not say: a priest, a clergyman, a monk. He does not say: a man, a woman, a child, an old man, a virgin, a widow. He does not say: a Greek, a Latin, a scholar, a wise man, a powerful man, a rich man, for with God there is no esteem of such and similar persons, but also no contempt of persons opposed to these; for all this is condemned if it is alone. Yea, what is more, neither he that prays or sings so many psalms, nor he that fasts so many days, nor he that watches so many nights, nor he that distributes his own among the poor, nor he that teaches others,
nor he who is meek, gentle, and kind, nor he who has all the knowledge, all the languages, all the virtues, all the works, of which it has been written and said at any time and place, both in the secular and in the sacred Scriptures: but he alone who has these things, that he may be pure inwardly and outwardly, in spirit and in flesh, even if (if this were possible) he should have nothing of all these aforementioned things.
10. Is this not something wonderful? But hear even more wonderful things. Who then is he who is so undefiled and pure? Answer: None other than Jesus Christ alone. All others are unclean, nor can they be cleansed by their own efforts, but only by the grace poured into them through Christ. For there is no one who can boast that he is pure in hands and heart, not even the apostles and the prophets.
(11) Therefore a Christian is clean in hands and heart, that is, he begins to be cleansed, but is still unclean in many ways. Therefore Christ says [John 15:2], "Every branch of mine that bringeth forth fruit he will cleanse, that it may bring forth more fruit." For he would not bear fruit unless he were clean, and yet he that is clean is cleansed from uncleanness without fail.
He who has no desire for loose doctrine (Qui non accepit in vano animam suam).
12. in Hebrew: He who has not lifted up his soul in vain, that is, he who has not pleased himself and arrogantly presumed, but rather he who humbles and hates his soul according to the words of Christ (Matt. 16:24), holding himself in low esteem in all things. Furthermore, our [Latin] translation has not badly expressed this corruption of the hopeful, namely, that they accept their souls in vanity, that is, they choose themselves, despise other people and accept themselves, and appear to themselves in their generalities as righteous, holy and pure. Therefore, apart from themselves, nothing is pure in front of them, whatever others have done and said must stink. It is impossible to cure those of this vice, who have some special
In the above-mentioned aspects, without the grace of God, especially those who excel in the study of the Scriptures and in living a good life, have a good reputation. As the hope of these people is completely unrecognized, it is also very difficult to heal. Therefore he says beautifully: in vanity, yes, to vanity. For since that in which they accept themselves and please themselves is not God, but a creature, it must necessarily be vain to them. For [1 Cor. 1:31] "He that boasteth himself, let him boast of the Lord," and [Ps. 34:3] "Let my soul boast of the Lord," that is, let it be reproached in myself, and let it be put to shame in itself; and when it is thus depressed and humbled, it becomes worthy of God.
But I believe that he added this part of the verse mainly because those sacrilegious hypocrites are also in the habit of saying of themselves without any fear that they are pure in hands and heart. And I certainly see and hear very learned and well-practiced people who are not afraid to claim that they have a godly and good opinion (intentionem), likewise that they do not seek honor and glory, they do not desire gold, they do not seek carnal pleasure. If they knew themselves and felt the grace of God, they would be very ashamed that they had not said the opposite about themselves and lied to themselves.
(14) Therefore, by this characteristic, one can most clearly distinguish the pure from the impure: that the pure humble their souls, and see and confess their impurity, but know absolutely nothing of their purity. The impure, on the other hand, do not know their impurity, and see and boast of their purity, and so they defile themselves even more by their purity.
And do not swear falsely.
(15) The old law praises the oath, but it punishes the false oath and perjury. For it commands that one should swear in the name of the Lord (Deut. 6:13), and [Ps. 63:12], "He that sweareth by him shall be glorified." Thus he punishes false swearing here. But Christ seems to have forbidden swearing altogether in Matth. 5, 34. f., since He says:
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"But I say unto you, that ye swear not at all," that is, one shall not swear in any way. But Christ must be understood according to the will and readiness of the mind, that a Christian, as much as there is in him, by no means swears, unless he is compelled by another's slowness or weakness to comply with him, as he also commands [v. 39.] to offer the other cheeks etc. Then, of course, one may no longer say of swearing, but that he wills another out of love.
(16) And so one must swear in this life, as one must have riches, life, health, friends, honors, and other goods of this world; and yet one must not have them, but forsake and deny them all, that is, not having them in heart (affectu), and possessing them in deed (effectu). "As they that have nothing have all things" [2 Cor. 6:10.], and they that have as if they had not [1 Cor. 7:29.]; so according to the necessity of this life we are rich, healthy, honored, and yet according to the will of the Spirit poor, sick, and despised. Thus, according to the necessities of life, we must swear badly, and yet, according to the will of the heart, we must by all means not swear; and thus, when we swear, we do not swear, and while we are rich, we are poor. For Christ is a spiritual teacher, he instructs the mind and the heart; but the law and statutes of men teach outward things. For there are some who are rich according to the will of their heart, and have all the goods of the world, though outwardly they are very poor and miserable in need. There are also people who have a greater desire to swear in their heart than is outwardly necessary in their deeds. These are reproved and punished by Christ, whose words are spirit and test and judge the spirit.
(17) Hence in this verse he describes the soundness of a pious man toward his neighbor, which is chiefly in faith; for without faithfulness and faith, trade and commerce and intercourse of people among themselves cannot stand. But the Hebrew does not say [as in the Vulgate] "to his neighbor," but only, "And swear not falsely."
V. 5. He will receive the blessing from the Lord.
18 As if to say, Such a one, whoever he may be, whether Jew or Gentile, without distinction of person. And only such a one will be blessed by the Lord, that is, obtain grace, which is the spiritual blessing.
And righteousness from the God of his salvation
(Et misericordiam a Deo, salutari suo).
19 This is, from Christ, who is true God, the salvation of God. But the Hebrew text contains, as I think, something else, namely that this verse also belongs to the register of virtues that he described in the previous verses in a righteous man. For he says thus, "He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation," so that the meaning is: He shall go up to the mountain of the Lord who, besides the things already mentioned, also has this, that he alone receives righteousness and blessing from God, that is, who does not justify himself, nor ascribe righteousness to himself by his merits, but is justified by the mercy and blessing of God. For there are none righteous, except they be made righteous by mercy in vain, before (ante) all their merits. Thus it is said in the 4th Psalm, v. 6. "Sacrifice righteousness, and hope in the Lord." To hope in the Lord, and to expect everything from His hand, and to want to make nothing of one's own pleasing before God, that is, to do the truth and sacrifice righteousness. Hence the meaning of all these verses: Blessed is he who is pure, that is, poor and a sinner, and keeps faith with his neighbor, trusting only in the mercy of God. This is as follows:
V. 6: This is the generation that seeks him, that seeks your face, O Jacob. Sela. 1)
20 Here he ends the question and decides who goes to the mountain of the Lord, who is righteous, who is righteous, and who is righteous.
den. There we find this marginal gloss: The Hebrew text has tunna instead of Iwi, since it obviously indicates that Christ is God and man.
which is the people of Christ. For others also have the firm conviction that they seek the Lord, but they do not know that they also seek themselves and their own from the Lord, which is a terrible impurity.
Therefore, we must also lament our time, in which there is so much blindness even among those who are the best, that they try all other means to come to God through them, except those which they read, pray and teach daily in this psalm. Christianity is burdened with so many decrees of the popes, with so many customs, with so many prayers, with so many indulgences, with so many ceremonies, that one could be led to believe that the law of Moses has returned in twain. They cannot attain purity of heart and the death of the old man, which is required only by the law of Christ, by these superstitious things, so much so that by nothing do they produce more impurity of heart and by no way strengthen the old man more than by the very way by which they think they will attain the Lord. For one cannot find more puffed-up people, more obstinate, more wrathful, more harsh, more bitter, who judge, condemn, and despise others more easily, but exalt their own and please themselves, and, to sum it up in one word, more angry people, and who are further away from Christian humility and love than those who pray all day long. They say mass (celebrant), fast, distinguish themselves by priestly and monastic garb, and plates that build churches, hold vigils and other offices of the soul 1) (officia), namely, the abomination that is to come, and which most vexes God and man. But I do not know whether one can find anything more hopeful and annoying among people than these people who, in addition, go along in special devotions (studiis), in their self-chosen rosaries, coronas, 2) septeenths and nnglaub-
1) Cf. Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. XVIII, 899.
2) Cf. Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. XVIII, 756. idill. Vol. XXII, 1319. coroneu or crown prayers are prayers of the crown of the Blessed Virgin.- The Brigitten prayer is also called: Brigitten fifteen prayer.- The seven times are the Uoras eunonicas.
There are many superstitious prayers, such as those of St. Bridget, not to mention the prayers for the greatest indulgences. For of these Micah says [Cap. 7, 2. 4.]: "The pious people are gone in this land, and the righteous are no more among the people. The best of them is as a thorn, and the most upright as a hedge." For these people consider their doings not only lawful or harmless, but miraculous things of the greatest holiness, as the same prophet [v. 3] says: "They think they do well when they do evil."
But I want to stop here, because the lion is sitting in wait and the heretic Picard is very close to us, who takes everything we say in such a way, as if it was said for him. Now is such a difficult and dangerous time that we must either please the heretics if we rebuke the Christians, or seduce the Christians if we resist the heretics. For the heretical Picard also ridicules the superstitious ceremonies of the Catholics, but he ridicules them in such a way that he looks down on them with hope, but does not have compassion in mercy. Otherwise, he would not hide himself away, leave the erring ones and set up his own sect, but would step up, reach out his hand to the erring ones, bear the burden of the others and help them through common love. Thus it happens that when we lift up our ceremonies to refute the Picards, the simple-minded Christians (catholici) believe that the whole value of godliness lies in them, which they have long believed more than enough, so that they should rather be taught not to believe it. Again, if we do this, the heretic triumphs, and the Picard rejoices as the victor, although his and our speeches, as much as they are exceedingly similar in wording and syllables, are just as completely dissimilar in meaning. For even a picard and an ass have very great similarity, if one only regards them as living creatures (animal), but for this reason a picard would not want to be an ass. "The feathers of the ostrich," says the Lord to Job [Cap. 39, 13. Vulg.], "are like the feathers of the hawk." For he speaks of the heretics, who, the more resem-
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The more they are to true Christians, the more pernicious they are, because they are deceptive by their very good appearance.
But let us return to the Psalm. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God [Matt. 5:8], that is, they seek the face of the God of Jacob, that is, seeing. But they do not seek it otherwise than through purity of heart, without which no one will see God, says the apostle [Heb. 12:14], so much so that he calls it "sanctification," as it were, a holy purity.
V. 7: Open wide the gates.
24 [Attollite portas principes vestras, machet
open wide your gates, you princes,] that is, you priests and elders of the people, lift up your minds. But what is there for a connection? what for a suitable transition? I have not read enough about these verses to make me calm, and it would perhaps be better that I too, by my silence, let the Holy Spirit have the honor that he is Master: only that sometimes we also give and receive opportunity through an error, that one may recognize the truth through the other, yes [realize] that he cannot err who sees Christ everywhere, although he does not see the literal mind everywhere. The meaning, therefore, should be that the rulers of the Jews and all teachers of the people to the end of the world should be the first to know true righteousness, since the people cannot know it otherwise than through them, and the whole salvation of the church rests on good shepherds, and the fruit of the vineyard on its workers. For if the salt become foolish, wherewith shall the earth be salted? [Matth. 5, 13.] And if one blind man leads another, will they not both fall into the pit? [Luc. 6, 39.]
(25) Therefore, the Spirit first and foremost commands princes to raise their gates and set their minds on high, lest they be sluggish of heart, and such people who have set their minds on the temporal and are only earthly-minded, as the poet Persius also says, "You, empty of heavenly things, bow your hearts to the earth; but rather learn to be heavenly-minded and to understand heavenly things.
because faith is necessary. But faith is not present if Christ does not enter their hearts through his word; but he cannot enter if they do not allow themselves to be taught and to be drawn up and led out to the heavenly and spiritual, that is, if they do not give their minds captive to the obedience of the word and turn away their taste from the earthly things to which they are accustomed.
(26) Now if you were to ask about the aforementioned: How then do we become pure in hands and heart, and the generation that inquires after God? he answers like Moses [Deut. 30:13, 14]: "The word is almost near you," there is no need to cross the sea. Only take care that you lift up your heart and let the word of Christ come to you, and place yourself in such a way that you are taught. On the stroke also the fourth Psalm hath said [v. 7.], "Lift up over us the light of thy countenance." For the light of faith is exalted and shines only on the minds that are lifted up from the earth, because it presents only heavenly things before the eyes and hides earthly things.
And [make] the doors high in the world
(Et elevamini portae aeternales).
In a tautological way he repeats the same. But he calls them eternal gates, because the mind of man is immortal; eternally it will be a door through which God enters. For he will not enter the heart only once and then stop, but with an eternal entrance, just as the sun continuously enters a house with its rays.
That the king of honors moves in.
28 That is, Christ through the word and the faith of the heart. But this word is a rock of trouble and a stumbling block. For it has caused only a very small part of the princes to open their gates and let Christ in, just as very few let him in today. It is true that the apostles and people like them who followed them let him in, but the others were offended by him and closed their gates. For it was a very foolish thing for the Jews and the Gentiles to hear this exceedingly high title of the one of whom
They knew that he had been crucified and died, and that he was a man most desecrated. Therefore, it required a great exaltation to believe that this was the King of honors and the Lord over all things, who had become the most despised among men.
29 But even now Christ comes in his least to his greatest, he comes in his despised to his glorious, he comes in his foolish to his wise: but in all these not only do they not admit him with open doors, but even persecute and revile him. For nowhere is the truth of the gospel more detested than among the great men of the church, and those who are esteemed to govern the people. For as soon as they hear the word of the King of glory preaching in lowliness, they say to the Jews, "Is this the King of glory? Should this be true? Should Christ command this? etc.
V. 8. Who is the same king of honors?
30 Rather, this expresses contempt, not astonishment. As if they wanted to say: Rather, this crucified one, whom you preach, is a despised worm. Thus it is said in Ps. 4, 7: "Many say: How should this one show us what is good?" as if he wanted to say: What should Christ, who is full of misfortune, be able to show us good? and so they also say to him, Luc. 4, 23: "Physician, help thyself."
The Lord is strong and mighty, the Lord is mighty in battle.
This is the answer of the Spirit through the mouth of those who preach Christ. I do not know whether I am at liberty to make a distinction between fortis [strong] and potens [mighty], since the interpreters have translated these words so very differently (tanta confusione), and it cannot be denied that they have taken them to mean the same thing. But as much as I can obtain, the first, fortis, signifies the essential strength or capacity in itself; but the second, potens, signifies the power and force, as it were the use and application (impetum) of strength, so that he is "strong" who is able and has the powers to accomplish it, but "mighty" who accomplishes the thing with power and mightily. Thus says the holy Virgin, Luc. 1, 49.: "He
has done great things for me, he who is mighty," that is, he who brings all things mightily to pass. Isa. 28:2: "Behold, a strong and mighty one from the Lord, like a hailstorm, like a hurtful weather, like a water storm, mightily breaking in."
32 But now let us look at the meaning. That Christ is "strong and mighty," and what is greatest, "mighty in battle," is not evident in his own person, nor in all of his, but the opposite: powerlessness, oppression and defeat in war. Therefore this is something foolish to the fools, and it is not grasped in any other way than by faith and preaching. That is why it is only preached, not shown. But he was strong in secret, and mighty especially in the battle of suffering, which he himself and all his own endured, because by his power he overcame and still overcomes the world and the devil, as John says [1 Ep. 5:4]: "This is your victory that overcomes the world, your faith."
V. 9. Open wide the gates etc.
(33) He repeats the exhortation, for this controversy continues to the end of the world, in that lowly people always preach Christ, and the hopeful resist Christ.
34 But it must not be passed over that in the Hebrew in these verses it is written thus: Ye gates, lift up your heads, and arise, ye everlasting gates etc. But the meaning remains the same. For the princes of the nations are the gates by which the people enter into the kingdom of heaven; their heads are their minds. For thus saith the Lord [Matt. 16:18], "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against them," that is, the power of the devils that reign in the world.
V. 10. Who is the same king of honors?
35 They still resist Christ and his word, but they will not prevail until the end.
The Lord of hosts [Dominus virtutum].
That is, of the hosts. Virtutum is Zebaoth.
He is the king of honors. Sela.
37. for he remains the King of honors forever, whom the host of angels and saints on earth have served.
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