Psalm 10 [MT 11]

The soul has wings by which it can raise itself free from the earth. But this movement of the wings is not of something constructed of feathers but a continuing series of good works, like those of the Lord of whom it is well said, "And in the shadow of your wings I shall take refuge." In the first place, the hands of our Lord fixed on the cross were extended like something in flight, and, second, the actions of God are like a refreshing shadow of eternal salvation that can regulate the conflagration raging in our world.

This title does not require a fresh consideration: for the meaning of, "to the end," has already been sufficiently handled. Let us then look to the text itself of the Psalm, which to me appears to be sung against the heretics, who, by rehearsing and exaggerating the sins of many in the Church, as if either all or the majority among themselves were righteous, strive to turn and snatch us away from the breasts of the one True Mother Church: affirming that Christ is with them, and warning us as if with piety and earnestness, that by passing over to them we may go over to Christ, whom they falsely declare they have. Now it is known that in prophecy Christ, among the many names in which notice of Him is conveyed in allegory, is also called a mountain. We must accordingly answer these people, and say, "I trust in the Lord: how say ye to my soul, Remove into the mountains as a sparrow?" (ver. 1). I keep to one mountain wherein I trust, how say ye that I should pass over to you, as if there were many Christs? Or if through pride you say that you are mountains, I had indeed need to be a sparrow winged with the powers and commandments of God: but these very things hinder my flying to these mountains, and placing my trust in proud men. I have a house where I may rest, in that I trust in the Lord. For even "the sparrow hath found her a house," and, "The Lord hath become a refuge to the poor." Let us say then with all confidence, lest while we seek Christ among heretics we lose Him, "In the Lord I trust: how say ye to my soul, Remove into the mountains as a sparrow?"

In this passage, the psalmist speaks about those who are drawn off to earth's highest places by the most trivial desire. Those who turn to the most worthless proclamations because of the fickleness of their unsettled mind are rightly considered similar to them.

Even if movement is necessary, he is saying, nevertheless let it be known that I do not hope to secure safety from those with whom I am constantly in opposition except by hoping in God, who can provide me with safety in every place.

Those who trust in the things of this life are in no better situation than the sparrow, which relies on the wilderness and is prey to all. People who put their hope in money are like that. Just as the sparrow is snared by children with bird lime and trap and countless other devices, so too the wealthy by friend and foe. They are much more vulnerable than a sparrow, with many to set traps for them and, more immediately, evil tendencies of their own. They are migrants, constantly reacting to developments, fearful of the long arm of the law and the emperor's wrath, the wiles of flatterers and the deceit of friends. In time of war their fear is greater than anyone's, in time of peace they suspect treachery, their wealth never being secure of proof against loss. Hence they are always taking to flight and migrating, searching out wilderness and eyries, preferring the dark and looking for the black of night in noontime, adopting disguises to achieve it. Good people, on the contrary, are quite different. "The ways of their righteous shine like the sun," remember. I mean, far from opting for scheming and lawlessness, their souls are at rest.… How then is this darkness to be dissipated? By separating yourself from all these things and coming to depend on hope in God, sinner though you be ten times over.… This is remarkable, in fact, that even sinners who cling to this anchor are invincible. It is, you see, a particular mark of an option for God that though weighed down by such awful evils they are still buoyed up by his lovingkindness. In other words, as the one trusting in man is doubly cursed, so the one trusting in God is blessed. So tear yourself away from all these things, and cling to this anchor.… Let us come before him, and remain ever with our eyes on him.

Great is the power of hope in the Lord, invincible citadel, unassailable rampart, insuperable reinforcement, tranquil haven, impregnable tower, irresistible weapon, unconquerable power capable of discovering a refuge where none seems possible.

I have the Lord of the universe as my ally. The one who without difficulty created everything everywhere is my leader and support, and you would send me to the wilderness and provide for my safety in the desert? After all, surely the help from the desert does not surpass the one capable of anything with complete ease?

In the preceding Psalms, thanksgiving was given for deliverance from enemies; here he shows the confidence conceived from this. And he speaks in the person of a man desiring the benefits of God, who attains security. The title: "unto the end, a Psalm of David." Jerome has: "to the victor." This has been explained above. This Psalm can be expounded literally of David, but mystically of Christ, that is, allegorically. Morally, however, it concerns the just man and heretics, as the Gloss explains. First, then, David proposes his confidence: "in the Lord I trust" -- as one freed through the just judgment of God who casts down sinners and exalts the poor. Jer. 17: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence." Dan. 3: "There is no confusion for those who trust in you." Second, he sets forth the attack upon his confidence, which was made by words: "how do you say," etc. For certain people advised David as he was fleeing to go to fortified places and mountains, or to hide there as a sparrow does. "How?" "Behold, sinners," etc. And this is expounded in two ways. First, that these are not the words of David, but of others -- as if to say: therefore flee, because "they have bent the bow." Or they are the words of David, as if to say: "in the Lord I trust," because "they have bent the bow, sinners have prepared their arrows," etc. And he does three things. First he sets forth their wicked scheming. Second, their perverse intention: "to shoot." Third, their unjust action: "because what you have established." Mystically, of Christ, it is thus: I, Christ, trust in the Lord. How then do you Pharisees say, "flee to the mountain," that is, to the observances of the law given on Mount Sinai? Deut. 33: "The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir for us." And unless you do this, behold, sinners have bent the bow, etc. -- that is, they have prepared themselves to kill you and your disciples; and this, "because what you established they have destroyed," that is, they have killed. Or morally, the believer says to heretics, according to the Gloss: "in the Lord I trust," holding His faith. How then do you heretics say, "flee to us, to the mountain," that is, to Christ, whom the heretics believed they possessed? Is. 2: "The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of the mountains." 2 Sam. 1: "O mountains of Gilboa, let neither dew nor rain come upon you, nor fields of first fruits, because there the shield of the mighty was cast away" -- that is, of the Jews, or of the great heretics. Jer. 51: "Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, that corrupts the whole earth." Or the mountain signifies the loftiness of understanding which they pretend to have. But if I were to do this, I would be a light sparrow, not one with a permanent dwelling. "Because behold, sinners," that is, heretics, "have bent the bow," that is, they have drawn sacred Scripture to themselves, as those who bend a bow. "They have prepared their arrows" -- poisoned words -- "in the quiver," that is, in their memory or knowledge. Jer. 5: "His quiver is like an open tomb." Jerome has: "their arrows upon the string," that is, the bowstring -- their perverse intention being "to shoot the upright of heart," that is, the just, "in darkness," that is, deceitfully. Jer. 9: "Their tongue is a wounding arrow." Or "in darkness," that is, in the subtleties of sacred Scripture. Another reading has "in the dark moon." The moon is the Church: Song 6: "Beautiful as the moon," on account of her brightness and on account of her darkening. The brightness of the moon is from the sun; so the brightness of the Church is from Christ. Jn. 1: "He was the true light that enlightens," etc. Likewise, half the globe of the moon is bright and half is dark; so in the Church some are bright and some are dark. Now the moon is darkened, according to the Gloss, sometimes by its revolution, and thus it becomes dark; sometimes by eclipse, and then it is turned to blood; sometimes by the interposition of a cloud, and then it becomes black. So the Church becomes dark in its newness, when there are no preachers and teachers in her; blood-red through the persecution of tyrants; black through clouds, that is, through the seduction of heretics -- and then they seek to shoot. Here the unjust action is set forth: "because what you established they have destroyed." Another reading: "because whom you established." But the first is better, and according to Jerome: "because the laws which you established they have destroyed." Is. 48: "I know that you are a thorough transgressor, and I called you a transgressor from the womb." Jer. 2: "Of old you broke your yoke, you burst your bonds; you said, 'I will not serve.'" As if to say: they will destroy your law, which you commanded to be observed. Ex. 23: "The innocent and the just you shall not condemn." But these wish to kill him. Ps. 118: "The wicked have destroyed your law." And God perfected it, because He gave it. Ps. 147: "He has not done in like manner to every nation." Mt. 5: "I have not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it." If the reading is "whom you established they have destroyed," then it is understood of Christ, "whom you established."

"For, lo, sinners have bent the bow, they have prepared their arrows in the quiver, that they may in the obscure moon shoot at the upright in heart" [Psalm 11:2]. These be the terrors of those who threaten us as touching sinners, that we may pass over to them as the righteous. "Lo," they say, "the sinners have bent the bow:" the Scriptures, I suppose, by carnal interpretation of which they emit envenomed sentences from them. "They have prepared their arrows in the quiver:" the same words, that is, which they will shoot out on the authority of Scripture, they have prepared in the secret place of the heart. "That they may in the obscure moon shoot at the upright in heart:" that when they see, from the Church's light being obscured by the multitude of the unlearned and the carnal, that they cannot be convicted, they may corrupt good manners by evil communications. [1 Corinthians 15:33] But against all these terrors we must say, "In the Lord I trust."

Though the enemy is unseen, we have our faith as a strong protection, according to the saying of the apostle: "In all things taking up the shield of faith, with which you may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the most wicked one." Oftentimes a fiery dart of desire of base indulgence is discharged by the devil; but faith, representing to us the Judgment and cooling the mind, extinguishes the dart.

Sinners or rebels have ready burning arrows that must be repelled with the shield of faith. In their quivers, they carry darts to shoot at the just, not in the daytime, not in the glimmering night when the moon comfortingly tempers the darkness, but when the night is deep and the darkness groping.

Let the Catholic soul then say, "In the Lord I trust; how say ye to my soul, Remove into the mountains as a sparrow? For, lo, the sinners have bent the bow, they have prepared their arrows in the quiver, that they may in the obscure moon shoot at the upright in heart:" and from them let her turn her speech to the Lord and say, "For they have destroyed what You have perfected" [Psalm 11:3]. And this let her say not against these only, but against all heretics. For they have all, as far as in them lies, destroyed the praise which God has perfected out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, when they disturb the little ones with vain and scrupulous questions, and suffer them not to be nourished with the milk of faith. As if then it were said to this soul, why do they say to you, "Remove into the mountains as a sparrow;" why do they frighten you with sinners, who "have bent the bow, to shoot in the obscure moon at the upright in heart"? She answers, Therefore it is they frighten me, "because they have destroyed what You have perfected." Where but in their conventicles, where they nourish not with milk, but kill with poison the babes and ignorant of the interior light. "But what has the Just done?" If Macarius, if Cæcilianus, offend you, what has Christ done to you, who said, "My peace I give unto you, My peace I leave with you;" [John 14:27] which you with your abominable dissensions have violated? What has Christ done to you? Who with such exceeding patience endured His betrayer, as to give to him, as to the other Apostles, the first Eucharist consecrated with His own hands, and blessed with His own mouth. What has Christ done to you? Who sent this same betrayer, whom He called a devil, [John 6:70] who before betraying the Lord could not show good faith even to the Lord's purse, [John 12:6] with the other disciples to preach the kingdom of heaven; [Matthew 10:5-7] that He might show that the gifts of God come to those that with faith receive them, though he, through whom they receive them, be such as Judas was.

Heretics … have destroyed the law of the Lord … by false interpretations, changes resulting in the death of some, while the Scriptures were intended to serve as the Lord's prophets for our salvation.

That which you have framed they have pulled down. Those were the seeds of the best ideas grafted by nature, which God impresses on each person, placing within their spirit the knowledge that is called natural.

"The Lord is in His holy temple" [Psalm 11:4], yea in such wise as the Apostle saith, "For the temple of God is holy, which" temple "ye are." [1 Corinthians 3:17] "Now if any man shall violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy." He violateth the temple of God, who violateth unity: for he "holdeth not the head, from which the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the working after the measure of every part maketh increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love." The Lord is in this His holy temple; which consisteth of His many members, fulfilling each his own separate duties, by love built up into one building. Which temple he violateth, who for the sake of his own pre-eminence separateth himself from the Catholic society. "The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord, His seat is in heaven." If you take heaven to be the just man, as you take the earth to be the sinner, to whom it was said, "Earth thou art, and unto earth shalt thou go;" [Genesis 3:19] the words, "The Lord is in His holy temple" you will understand to be repeated, whilst it is said, "The Lord, His seat is in heaven."

He alone is judge of all, and the only true judge. What has the Lord done against the wicked who have drawn up a battle line against him, who rise up against the righteous? In his own temple, standing in the house of the heavens and sitting immovable on his royal throne, he overlooks nothing of the earthly creation with his gaze, and when he looks at the poor, he gives them the grace of his eyes. Those eyes are understood to be the merciful rewards of his gaze, through which he looks on the poor with generosity. His eyelids are the providence by which he judges, by which he discerns, by which he thoroughly searches deeds. Now since all stand in his judgment, it is said, "The Lord tries the just and unjust."

If the eyes of God look on the poor, let us be numbered among the poor, so that the eyes of the Lord may look down on us. If the rich do not become poor, very little will the eyes of the Lord look on them.

Do you see a ready ally, a well-prepared aid, present everywhere, seeing everything, gazing on all things, having as his particular role—even if no one requests it—to exercise providence and care, to pursue wrongdoers, to assist the wronged, to award recompense to the virtuous, to assign punishment to sinners? He is, therefore, ignorant of nothing; his eyes in fact look attentively on the whole world. He is not simply aware of things, however; he also wants to correct them.… If, in fact, he is righteous, he will not simply overlook these happenings. He rebuffs the wicked; he praises the righteous.

So while they practice their evil ways against me, you, the righteous Judge, seated on your heavenly throne and making your own special appearance in the temple on earth, view the whole world, though sufficient for you is a mere glance of your eyes to learn about all human affairs. You know precisely the doings of the righteous and the unrighteous, and you measure out repayment for work done.

"The just one." Here the reason for confidence is set forth. And first the question is posed. Second, the solution, at "the Lord is in his holy temple," etc. Third, the reason for the solution: "because the Lord is just, and has loved justice." He says therefore: these are what they do; but what does the just Lord, seeing this with authority, do? Jer. 33: "This is the name they shall call him: the Lord our justice." He resolves the question and sets forth what this just one does. And first, His judicial power, or the condition of the judge. Second, the examination of the judgment: "His eyes." Third, the condemnation of the wicked: "but he who loves." If a judge always punishes, he is cruel; if he always spares, he is lax. But God does both; and therefore He has a place for the tribunal of mercy, and this is the temple. Heb. 4: "Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace." And so he says, "the Lord is in his holy temple." 1 Cor. 3: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Holy Spirit dwells in you?" He also has a place of justice, from which He punishes, namely heaven; and this is also expressed: "the Lord, his throne is in heaven." Where His power is enumerated. Is. 66: "Heaven is my throne." The faithful are called a temple on account of their devotion; heaven, on account of their wisdom. Likewise heaven is called a cradle in which God sits, so as to make one a heaven, that is, one who knows secrets. Likewise the soul is called the temple of God, because in the temple God is worshiped. Similarly in the faithful soul: Mt. 6: "Enter into your room," that is, the secrets of your soul, "and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret." Likewise, sacrifices are offered there; similarly in the faithful soul: Ps. 50: "A sacrifice to God is a troubled spirit." Likewise in the temple, prayers are poured out to God; so in the soul God works: Is. 26: "All our works you have wrought in us, O Lord." Likewise, because God sanctifies the soul and descends into it as into a temple: Wis. 4: "The grace of God upon his holy ones, and his regard," etc.

"His eyes." Here he treats of the examination of the judgment. And first he sets forth the perfection of divine knowledge. Second, the diligent investigation, at "his eyelids question the children of men." Third, the equity of the judgment, at "the Lord examines the just and the wicked." By the first, no one can be hidden, because He sees the sentiment of the poor and the wicked, the sinner and the just. Sir. 23: "The eyes of the Lord are brighter than the sun, surveying all the ways of men, and the depths of the abyss, and beholding the hearts of men." Prov. 16: "All the ways of a man are open to His eyes; the Lord is a weigher of spirits," that is, of thoughts, or of souls, according to the Gloss. And so he says, "His eyes look upon the poor," to have compassion. Ps. 30: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am troubled." Likewise Ps. 27: "The Lord is my protector, and in Him my heart has hoped," etc. Also to protect by testing: Ps. 33: "The eyes of the Lord are upon the just." Likewise Ps. 31: "In this way in which you walk, I will fix my eyes upon you." And thus looking, He examines diligently. "His eyelids question," etc. By eyelids is signified discernment, because just as the eyelids direct the gaze of the eye, so discernment moderates human wisdom. Prov. 4: "Let your eyelids go before your steps." The very discernment of God therefore questions, that is, tests and examines. Wis. 1: "There shall be an examination of the thoughts of the ungodly; and the hearing of his words shall come to God." And how? Because sometimes He punishes, sometimes He spares, sometimes He gives benefits, sometimes He takes them away. Job 6: "The arrows of the Lord," etc. He also closes and opens His eyelids: Mt. 15: "I have compassion on the multitude," etc. Likewise, Mt. 21: "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you." Ps. 146: "He gives their food to the beasts," etc. "He questions the children of men," because some of them are made better by this, and some worse; or some from Scripture are made good, and some bad -- because some understand it well and are not wearied but exercised; but the wicked do the contrary. The equity of judgment is set forth: because "He examines the just and the wicked," because He sends afflictions upon the just and unjust alike, and bestows temporal goods on good and bad alike. Wis. 11: "The good you tested as a father admonishing; but the wicked you examined and condemned as a harsh king." Therefore he says, "the Lord examines the just and the wicked," that is, He tests them through tribulations. Gregory: An inflicted punishment questions whether one placed in tribulation truly loves God. The just He examines, that is, the Lord tests them, so they may be rewarded. Wis. 10: "God rendered the reward of the labors of His saints." But the wicked or sinners He examines to be condemned. Mt. 22: "Bind his hands and feet and cast him into the outer darkness."

"The Lord questions the righteous and ungodly" [Psalm 11:5]. Why then do we fear lest the ungodly should be any hurt to us, if so be they do with insincere heart share the sacraments with us, seeing that He "questions the righteous and the ungodly." "But whoso loves iniquity, hates his own soul:" that is, not him who believes God, and puts not his hope in man, but only his own soul does the lover of iniquity hurt.

I do not think that anyone who keeps precious garments locked up in a chest would agree to enclose within it either a live coal or any kind of spark. Why is this, brothers? Because he would be afraid that the clothing that he wears to a feast may be burned. I ask you, brothers, if a person does not want to put a spark of fire in his chest of clothes, why does he not fear to kindle the flame of wrath in his soul? We know clearly and plainly why this happens. We do not put fire into a chest of clothes because we love our garments; but we do not extinguish the fire of wrath because we not only fail to love our soul but even harbor hatred for it. This is according to what is written: "The lover of violence hates his own soul."

If, then, you hate your own soul by loving iniquity, do you wonder that you hate the Word of God, which wishes well to your soul?

If the one who values iniquity hates his own life, then the one who hates iniquity esteems his own life.

If a murderer is one who hates his brother, what is he who, loving iniquity, hates his own soul? And if the one who hates his brother does not have eternal life remaining in him, how will he who ends this life in the love of iniquity and hatred of his own soul be able to attain the forgiveness of sins through which one attains life?

Wickedness, after all, is the soul's enemy, its foe and ruination, and so the wicked person pays the penalty even before punishment is imposed. Do you see how he shows on every score that his adversaries … are hoisted on their own weapons by which they protect themselves, consumed by them and damaging themselves?

Here the condemnation is set forth, and concerning this he does two things: first he sets forth the guilt; second, the punishment, at "he shall rain upon sinners." He shows that as far as God's part is concerned, there is no perdition of the wicked, but it comes from our part; hence he says, "he who loves iniquity," that is, sin. 1 Jn. 3: "Everyone who commits sin commits iniquity also, because sin is iniquity." "He hates his own soul." Wis. 16: "A man by his wickedness kills his own soul." But the question arises: how can someone hate himself? It must be said that in a certain way the sinner hates himself; but simply speaking, no one does. Eph. 5: "No man ever hated his own flesh." But that the wicked in a certain way hate themselves, and that also the good in a certain way hate themselves, is explained as follows. Our soul has two faces: one toward God, according to reason; the other toward the flesh, according to the sensitive nature, which comprehends only corporeal things. And just as every thing loves its own good, so a man loves what he considers to be his soul. For sinners consider their soul to be that which they principally pursue, because everything is that which is preeminent in it, just as the king is said to be the kingdom. Those, therefore, who hold the sensitive nature as principal love it; but those who hold the intellective nature love that. No one therefore hates his soul with regard to what he considers principal. The good therefore hate themselves with regard to the sensitive nature; the wicked, with regard to the intellective nature.

"He shall rain snares upon the sinners" [Psalm 11:6]. If by clouds are understood prophets generally, whether good or bad, who are also called false prophets: false prophets are so ordered by the Lord God, that by them He may rain snares upon sinners. [Matthew 24:24] For no one, but the sinner, falls into a following of them, whether by way of preparation for the last punishment, if he shall choose to persevere in sin; or to dissuade from pride, if in time he shall come to seek God with a more sincere intent. But if by clouds are understood good and true prophets only; by these too it is clear that God rains snares upon sinners, although by them He waters also the godly unto fruitfulness. "To some," says the Apostle, "we are the savour of life unto life; to some the savour of death unto death." [2 Corinthians 2:16] For not prophets only, but all who with the word of God water souls, may be called clouds. Who when they are understood amiss, God rains snares upon sinners; but when they are understood aright, He makes the hearts of the godly and believing fruitful. As, for instance, the passage, "and they two shall be in one flesh," [Ephesians 5:31] if one interpret it with an eye to lust, He rains a snare upon the sinner. But if you understand it, as he who says, "But I speak concerning Christ and the Church," [Ephesians 5:32] He rains a shower on the fertile soil. Now both are effected by the same cloud, that is, holy Scripture. Again the Lord says, "Not that which goes into your mouth defiles you, but that which comes out." [Matthew 15:11] The sinner hears this, and makes ready his palate for gluttony: the righteous hears it, and is guarded against the superstitious distinction in meats. Here then also out of the same cloud of Scripture, according to the several desert of each, upon the sinner the rain of snares, upon the righteous the rain of fruitfulness, is poured.

"It rains" refers to the words of the preachers flowing down from heaven which are rain showers for the pious, but fiery snares for the ungodly. For the pious produce fruit based on their proper understanding of the words, but the ungodly suffocate their souls with the noose of their perversity by handling the words improperly.

Harsh punishments are often denoted in Scripture by the word cup.… So it follows that even in this place "cup" denotes the punishment to be poured out, especially, the fullness of this cup is fire, sulphur and a stormy wind, whose symbols were written in Genesis, the type of punishment inflicted by the Lord on Sodom and Gomorrah. Besides fire and sulphur, there is also in the cup the stormy wind. The fire indicates threatening flames; sulphur, the force by which more fire is burned; and, finally, the wind illustrates the certain whirlwind of temptations; chiefly we are able to learn this from the writing of Isaiah. … Let us flee impiety, so that there is no cup of this type for us, and we may live righteously; so that we may drink to drunkenness that which is the best. From which also it is said: "The Lord is my portion and my cup." Because the Lord is just and loves justice, he shows his face to the upright.

Eternal life will be given in the future only to the one to whom forgiveness of sins has been given in this world. Only he will receive the forgiveness of sins here who renounces his sins and hastens to the highest and true God with true conversion of heart. For that will not be a time of forgiveness but of retribution. There mercy will not justify the sinner, but justice will distinguish the just and the sinner. This is written in the psalm: "The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked." And, so that he might show that in iniquity lies the destruction, not the salvation, of the soul, he goes on the say, "He who loves iniquity hates his own soul." Lest they who persist in iniquity to the end of the present life promise themselves mercy, it is said subsequently concerning God: "On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulphur; a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face." … Whoever, hearing these things, is unwilling to seek the mercy of God through conversion in the present time, will never be able to find it in the future life.

Second, he sets forth the punishment. And this we can expound of the present or of the future. Of the present thus, maintaining the metaphor. He said that the Lord is in heaven, because there His throne is; but from heaven comes rain. Therefore their punishment is signified when it is said, "He shall rain upon sinners." And what? "Snares." And if this is expounded of the present, note that in sin there are four things. The first is seduction; hence he says: "He shall rain upon sinners snares." As if by just judgment He permits them to be ensnared and seduced. Is. 8: "And many of them shall stumble and fall and be broken and be ensnared and captured." The second is concupiscence; and so he says, "the fire of concupiscence." Ps. 57: "Fire fell upon them, and they did not see the sun," namely of carnal concupiscence, etc. The third is the stench of infamy; and so he says, "brimstone." Thus the Lord rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah. A fourth can be added, namely the restlessness of mind; and so he says, "the spirit of storms." Is. 57: "The heart of the wicked is like a raging sea." "This is the portion of their cup," because the cup is a certain measure, and they receive punishments according to their sins. Is. 27: "In measure against measure, when it shall be cast away, He shall judge." But if this is expounded of the future, then movements shall be punished there, because they shall be bound so that they can neither avoid evils nor attain goods. And so he says, "He shall rain upon sinners snares," that is, binding the senses. And thus brimstone is referred to the sense of smell, and fire to the sense of touch. Is. 66: "Their fire shall not be extinguished." Rev. 20: "Cast into the lake of fire." Likewise the affections, because they do not rest: because "the spirit of storms is the portion of their cup," that is, demons disturbing, troubling, and afflicting.

As to the ungodly, if you give all the world to the poor, you will not benefit him at all. For to whom the Deity was an enemy while he was alive, it is certain he will be so also when he is departed; for there is no unrighteousness with him. For "the Lord is righteous and has loved righteousness."

"Fire and brimstone and the blast of the tempest is the portion of their cup." This is their punishment and end, by whom the name of God is blasphemed; that first they should be wasted by the fire of their own lusts, then by the ill savour of their evil deeds cast off from the company of the blessed, at last carried away and overwhelmed suffer penalties unspeakable. For this is the portion of their cup: as of the righteous, "Your cup inebriating how excellent is it! For they shall be inebriated with the richness of Your house." Now I suppose a cup is mentioned for this reason, that we should not suppose that anything is done by God's providence, even in the very punishments of sinners, beyond moderation and measure. And therefore as if he were giving a reason why this should be, he added, "For the Lord is righteous, and has loved righteousnesses" [Psalm 11:7]. The plural not without meaning, but only because he speaks of men, is as that righteousnesses be understood to be used for righteous men. For in many righteous men there seem, so to say, to be righteousnesses, whereas there is one only righteousness of God whereof they all participate. Like as when one face looks upon many mirrors, what in it is one only, is by those many mirrors reflected manifoldly. Wherefore he recurs to the singular, saying, "His face has seen equity." Perhaps, "His face has seen equity," is as if it were said, Equity has been seen in His face, that is, in knowledge of Him. For God's face is the power by which He is made known to them that are worthy. Or at least, "His face has seen equity," because He does not allow Himself to be known by the evil, but by the good; and this is equity.

There were in the eighteenth century terrible theologians who held that 'God did not command certain things because they are right, but certain things are right because God Commanded them'. To make the position perfectly clear, one of them even said that though God has, as it happens, commanded us to love Him and one another, He might equally well have commanded us to hate Him and one another, and hatred would then have been right. It was apparently a mere toss-up which He decided on. Such a view of course makes God a mere arbitrary tyrant. It would be better and less irreligious to believe in no God and to have no ethics than to have such an ethics and such a theology as this. The Jews of course never discuss this in abstract and philosophical terms. But at once, and completely, they assume the right view, knowing better than they know. They know that the Lord (not merely obedience to the Lord) is 'righteous' and commands 'righteousness' because He loves it (11:8). He enjoins what is good because it is good, because He is good.

[Note: Lewis cites Psalm 11:8 from the Coverdale/BCP numbering used in Reflections on the Psalms; this corresponds to KJV Psalm 11:7, 'For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.']

The third stage in religious development arises when men identify them--when the Numinous Power to which they feel awe is made the guardian of the morality to which they feel obligation. ... Of all the jumps that humanity takes in its religious history this is certainly the most surprising. ... Perhaps only a single people, as a people, took the new step with perfect decision--I mean the Jews: ... it was the Jews who fully and unambiguously identified the awful Presence haunting black mountain-tops and thunderclouds with 'the righteous Lord' who 'loveth righteousness'.

He added: "his face beheld righteousness," namely, that righteousness that he himself graciously grants. For humanity does not have anything of worth on its own; it can only lay claim to what it has received from the Lord, the Granter of all good things.

The ultimate justice itself is Christ, "who was made wisdom for us from God, and justice, and sanctification and redemption." The justice in each person, however, is formed from that justice, so that many justices come into existence in those who are saved; wherefore it has also been written, "The Lord is just and has loved justice."

"Because the Lord is just and has loved justice," therefore nothing is to be expected from Him except justice. Jer. 9: "I am the Lord who exercises mercy, judgment, and justice on the earth." Ps. 144: "The Lord is just in all His ways." "Equity has His countenance beheld" -- or "His face" -- that is, equity has been seen by His knowledge; as if to say: to those to whom He makes Himself known and whom He loves, He shows equity.