Psalm 31 [MT 32]

For some sins Thou dost wash away in the blood of Thy Son, others Thou dost remit unto us, that by good works and confession we may cover our errors. The expression therefore "that pardoneth iniquities", appertains to remission; because He takes them away altogether, so that the things which He remembers not are as though they did not exist.

"Blessed are they whose unrighteousness is forgiven, and whose sins are covered" [Psalm 32:1]: and whose sins are buried in oblivion.

May God at length grant you to see that night when darkness is turned into day, of which it was said "the darkness hides not from you, but the night shall shine as the day." Then let the gate of paradise be opened to each man and each woman among you. Then may you enjoy waters that bear Christ and have his sweet savor. Then may you receive his name of Christian, and the capacity for heavenly things. And even now, I pray you, lift up the eyes of your mind: take thought now of angelic choirs, and God the master of the universe enthroned, with his only-begotten Son sitting on his right hand, and his Spirit with him, while thrones and dominations do him service, and likewise each man and woman of you as being in a state of salvation. Even now imagine that your ears catch those lovely strains wherewith the angels acclaim you saved. "Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven and whose sins are covered" when, as stars of the church, you enter paradise with glorious body and radiant soul.

And again, in another place, he [David] ascribeth blessedness to the man who feareth God, and he maketh known what good things the fear of God worketh in him that feareth [Him], saying, "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord", and here the fearer of God is accounted blessed. And although our Lord ordained blessings for other things, the prophet David accounted blessed the fearer of the Lord. "Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the way of the wicked", and it is well known that he walketh not in the way of the wicked because he feareth God. And again he saith, "Blessed is the man whom Thou shalt correct, O Lord, and whom Thou shalt teach Thy law", and it is manifest that the fear of God teacheth the laws, and that the man who feareth confesseth his correction. And again he said, "Blessed are those who are without blemish in the way, and who walk in the law of the Lord", and here again the fear of the Lord preserveth [a man] from blemishes, and urgeth him to walk in the way of the law. And again he saith, "Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven, and whose sins are covered", and it is well known that here also the fear of God bringeth to repentance, through which the forgiveness of sins is given, and through the suffering and tears which are produced by the fear of God the form of a man's sins is covered before his eyes. And again he saith, "Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord, and who walketh in His ways", and here again the prophet David sheweth that a man walketh in the way of the commandments through the fear of God. And in another place he saith concerning him that feareth the Lord, "He taketh heed to the commandments which are given by the Lord."

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. [Psalms 32:1-2] Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

I class as enviable and blessed those who by the Lord's lovingkindness receive forgiveness of sins apart from their works. To them, in fact, he exercises such generosity as not only to forgive them but also cover over their sins so that no trace of them remains.

Here begins the fourth decade of the first fifty. And just as in the first decade there are Psalms in which mention is made of the persecution by Absalom, in the second of the persecution by Saul, in the third of the persecution by the people, so in this fourth decade the tribulation that the good suffer from sinners is treated: 2 Pet. 2: "Dwelling among them, he tortured his righteous soul day after day with their lawless deeds." This decade is divided into two parts. First, the dignity of the just is commended. Second, help is implored against the persecutions of the impious, in Ps. 34: "Judge, O Lord, those who wrong me." Concerning the first, he recalls two things. First, justifying grace. Second, the dignity of the just, at Ps. 32: "Rejoice, you just," etc. Third, he admonishes the just to persist in justice, at Ps. 33: "I will bless the Lord." The title of this Psalm is new, namely: "Understanding of David." Jerome has, "Instruction of David." In many of the following Psalms this title is to be found. And it is signified by this that in all the Psalms in which this title is used, some common truth is treated, pertaining not only to one person but, as it were, to the providence of God or to something else that is lofty. And although in all Psalms certain things serve for instruction, these are nevertheless principally ordered to this purpose. Specifically, this Psalm is titled from the understanding that the penitent ought to have, who should understand that he is a sinner and recognize the grace of God that liberates: Lev. 5: "If a man shall understand his offense," etc. This understanding is given by affliction, Is. 28. "Blessed are those whose." This is the second of the Penitential Psalms. In the first he treated contrition of heart; in this one, confession. And it is divided into three parts. In the first, the remission of sins is set forth. In the second, the way to remission, at "Because I was silent," etc. Third, the desire of the saints for remission, at "For this shall every holy one pray." Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he sets forth that which is on God's part. Second, that which is on man's part, at "Nor is there deceit in his spirit." For in sin there is, first, an offense against God; second, a stain; third, the liability to punishment. Against these three he directs three things: because God remits the offense, covers the stain, and removes the liability to punishment by not imputing the sin. As to the first, he says, "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven," etc. But since blessedness is twofold, namely of reality and of hope, such persons, namely those whose iniquities are forgiven, are blessed in hope, and they will ultimately be blessed in reality. For that person is blessed in hope in whom the cause and the way to blessedness -- which is virtue, and especially perfect virtue -- is present. Hence in whomever perfect virtue appears, he can be called blessed in hope, just as a tree blossoming well can be called fruitful. But after the corruption of the first man, there were no such blossoms, but thorns of sins. And therefore the blessedness of the sinner that consists in hope is not of this kind, but rather that God should remit sin, and so the sinner bears fruit: Jer. 4: "Break up for yourselves new ground," etc. "Forgiven": Is. 40: "Her iniquity is pardoned": Lk. 6: "Forgive, and you shall be forgiven." As to the second, he says, "And whose sins are covered." Sins are stains of the soul: Jer. 2: "How vile you have become," etc. When someone has something shameful in himself and it is covered, then the shameful thing does not offend the eyes of the beholder. And God covers the shamefulness of sins. But how? Totally, namely by washing the soul. For in sin there is a twofold deformity. One, namely, from the privation of grace, of which the sinner is deprived; and this is totally removed, and is not merely covered, because grace is given to him. The other stain is from the past act of sin; and this is not erased, because it is not granted to him that he never committed it, but rather that it not be imputed to him as guilt; and this is covered. As to the third, he says, "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord has not imputed sin." This is understood of the liability to punishment, because punishment is not reserved for him on account of sin: Dan. 3: "You have brought all these things upon us," etc. According to the Gloss, a threefold sin is indicated here: original sin, actual mortal sin, and actual venial sin. The first is signified by "iniquity," which is a certain inequality; and this is in original sin, inasmuch as in it the powers of the soul recede from the equality of innocence. And this is remitted and diminished, because it is taken away as to guilt but remains as to act. He says "iniquities" in the plural, because in different persons there are different original sins, and in one person, one. The second is signified by actual mortal sin. For actual mortal sins are said to be covered when they are no longer imputed to the sinner as guilt. The third is signified by venial sin, which the Lord does not impute. For venial sin is not imputed to eternal punishment. Or, the first is said on account of sin before Baptism; the second on account of sins after Baptism; the third after confession, because sin will not be imputed to punishment. But on man's part, it is required that he confess without pretense; otherwise he does not obtain grace: Wis. 1: "The Holy Spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful." And therefore, "Nor is there deceit in his spirit," so that he has one thing interiorly and pretends another exteriorly.

The person of God is one of that number of the blessed of whom it was foretold: "Blessed is the one to whom the Lord has not imputed sin, and in whose mouth is no guile." For he confesses even sins of the just, asserting that they rather put their hope in the mercy of God than trust in their own justice, and therefore there is no guile in his mouth, or, indeed, in the mouths of all those to whose truthful humility or humble truth he bears witness.

"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord has not imputed sin, nor is there guile in his mouth" [Psalm 32:2]: nor has he in his mouth boastings of righteousness, when his conscience is full of sins.

Although he is a sinner, he does not proclaim that he is entirely holy; sin is a sickness by which humanity is grievously afflicted, but instead he acknowledges his transgressions and constantly perseveres in humble satisfaction. For the one who is not pleasing to himself is pleasing to the Lord. For when we find the fault in ourselves, the truth is spoken, but when we desire to praise ourselves, we speak what is false.

"Because I kept silence, my bones waxed old:" because I made not with my mouth "confession unto salvation," [Romans 10:10] all firmness in me has grown old in infirmity. "Through my roaring all the day long" [Psalm 32:3]: when I was ungodly and a blasphemer, crying against God, as though defending and excusing my sins.

Let no one think that something that he hides away in the innermost parts of his conscience can be hidden from the Lord.

Strong spirits do not wax old from continual shouting to God, but they are renewed from day to day. From silence they wax old, entangling people who are corrupted through false desires.

"Because I was silent." This is the second part, where the way of arriving at the remission of sins is set forth. And concerning this he does three things. First, he sets forth the state of sin. Second, the conversion that is the cause of the remission of sin, at "I have made known my offense." He says therefore, "Because I was silent," etc. There seems to be a contradiction here. For while he cries out all day, he says he is silent. I respond: he was silent about what ought to have been said, but he was crying out what ought not to have been said, much less cried out. And in both there is sin. Concerning the first, Is. 6: "Woe to me, because I was silent." For the sinner ought to declare his sins: Job 16: "If I am silent, it does not depart from me; but now," etc. Therefore, "Because I was silent about my sins, my bones grew old," that is, my interior strength failed. Often in Sacred Scripture, interior virtues are understood through bodily members. Hence by "bones," in which there is strength, interior virtue is understood. And because what fails (that is, is diminished) grows old, he therefore says, "My bones grew old": Bar. 3: "What is it, O Israel, that you are in the land of your enemies? You have grown old," etc. Concerning the second, Is. 5: "I waited for him to do judgment, and behold, iniquity; justice, and behold, a cry." And this is what he says: "While I cried out all day long." For he was crying out that he was just, he was crying out about punishment, and he was silent about guilt. But what did the Lord do? He converted him by making the hand of the Lord heavy, inflicting a burden: "For day and night." Second, with the resulting conversion, "I was turned," etc. He says therefore, "Day and night," that is, continually, "your hand was heavy," etc. The hand of the Lord sometimes consoles: Ezek. 3: "The hand of the Lord was with me, strengthening me." Sometimes it makes heavy, as here: 1 Sam. 5: "The hand of the Lord was very heavy." Is. 26: "In tribulation," etc. And therefore he says, "I was turned in my wretchedness," that is, in the misery I suffer for my sins. "While the thorn is fixed" -- while the thorn, that is, the remorse of conscience, is driven into my heart. Or, as the backbone, which holds the whole person upright, "while it is fixed." And it signifies pride; when this is constrained, the person is corrected. Or, why were you crying out? On account of the heaviness, he says, of your hand. And this is because I was not turned to you, but to sin. And this while the thorn of sins is fixed, that is, is established in me; and so "thorn," that is, sin, is understood. Or while reason, which is like the spine directing the back, is pressed down. Or according to the Hebrews, "My moisture was turned into the dryness of summer," that is, from the pressing of your hand, whatever was carnal and moist in me was turned into the dryness of summer. Jerome has, "I was tossed about in my misery while the heat of harvest burns," that is, like the harvest, I dried up.

"Because day and night Your Hand was heavy upon me:" because, through the continual punishment of Your scourges, "I was turned in misery, while a thorn was fixed through me" [Psalm 32:4]: I was made miserable by knowing my misery, being pricked with an evil conscience.

The hand that applies the lashes is oppressive to the sinner, and the hand that avenges is heavy. "Day and night" indicate continuous time so that the hand which did not draw back from punishment was rightly felt to be heavy. He would not have experienced this type of humiliation with such a happy demeanor unless it had been the hand of the Godhead that had pressed upon him.

"I acknowledged my sin, and my unrighteousness have I not hid:" that is, my unrighteousness have I not concealed. "I said, I will confess against myself my unrighteousness to the Lord:" I said, I will confess, not against God (as in my ungodly crying, when I kept silence), but against myself, my unrighteousness to the Lord. "And Thou forgavest the iniquity of my heart" [Psalm 32:5]; hearing the word of confession in the heart, before it was uttered with the voice.

Just as we can never be without the wounds of sins, so we should never lack the remedy of confession. God wants us to confess our sins, not because he himself cannot know them but because the devil longs to find something to charge us with before the tribunal of the eternal Judge and wants us to defend rather than to acknowledge our sins. Our God, on the contrary, because he is good and merciful, wants us to confess them in this world so we will not be confounded by them later on in the world to come. If we confess our sins, he spares us; if we acknowledge them, he forgives.

Fools … think that God is unable to know what they are doing. In contrast, those who know that all things are known to him get down on their knees for humble confession and vows of repentance so that they may not experience a hostile Judge when they are able to have a merciful Advocate.

He suddenly absolved his sins, for he judges the devoted prayer as if the work were already carried out. The penitent resolved in his heart that what he had done not be kept silent from the Lord. And then as if he had already made all of his sins known, he received forgiveness for everything that he wanted to confess. And rightly so, for the will alone either brings someone absolution or punishment. "I will pronounce," means, "I will confess publicly" in order that my pious and faithful confession may draw others to imitate this action. From this self-accusation follows the saving remedy, since the Judge spares the defendant when he does not spare himself.

Just as I sinned and was punished, so I acknowledged it and was saved.… He wishes to bring out also the promptness of God's lovingkindness, saying, I shall confess, that is, I resolved to confess the fault to the Lord, and your pardon anticipated my confession.

A righteous person accuses himself at the beginning of his speech.

Pray first to receive tears, so that through compunction you may be able to mollify the wildness that is in your soul, and, having confessed against yourself your transgression to the Lord, you may obtain forgiveness from him.

People had evil thoughts. They were revealed to bring them into the open and destroy them. Once they had been killed and are dead, they would cease to exist. He who died for us would kill them. For, as long as such thoughts were hidden and not brought out into the open, it was quite impossible to kill them. Thus, if we ourselves have sinned, we ought to say, "I made my sin known to you, and I have not hidden my iniquity. I said, "Against myself shall I proclaim my injustice to the Lord.' "

When David said, "I have sinned against the Lord," Nathan replied, "The Lord has put away your sin, you will not die." He did, however, threaten to fill his house with calamities of all kinds; here too likewise, "You put away the impiety of my sin": immediately after perpetrating such things, he is saying, I should have been consigned to death according to the law, but you applied your lovingkindness and did not so consign me, keeping my treatment to moderate censure.

Then when he says "My offense." First, he sets forth the confession. Second, he shows its efficacy, at "I said, I will confess." But because a person ought to confess two things, namely, good things omitted and evil things committed, as to the first he says, "My offense," namely, that I omitted doing what I should have done, "I have made known to you" -- not that God does not know, but when a person acknowledges his sin, then he also wants God to know it, so that he may pardon it. As to the second, he says, "My injustice I have not hidden": Job 31: "If I have hidden my sin as a man," etc. Prov. 28: "He who hides his crimes," etc. The efficacy of confession is shown when he says, "I said, I will confess." The effect of confession is the remission of sins. He says therefore, "I said," that is, I purposed in my heart: "I will confess to the Lord," that is, for the honor of the Lord: Josh. 7: "Give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and confess," etc. "My injustice," not my good deeds; "against myself," not in my favor. Someone confesses his sin, but against his neighbor, saying, "Another led me into it." Against nature: "It happened from frailty." Against God: "I could not resist." 2 Sam. 24: "I am the one who sinned; I am the one who acted unjustly." Or "against myself," that is, against my own resolution, by which I had resolved to remain in sin. The remission follows: "And you forgave": Sir. 2: "He forgives sins in the time of tribulation." But against this: such is the efficacy of confession that not only when one actually confesses, but even while having the resolution to confess, one obtains remission. Therefore sin is remitted before one confesses: Is. 65: "And it shall be that before they cry out, I will hear." What then does confession accomplish? It must be said that the resolution to perform an action operates by virtue of the thing resolved upon, so that it may come to pass. Hence if the operation of that thing ceases, the effect ceases. And therefore it is necessary to persevere in the resolution. Nevertheless, in the actual confession of sins and in absolution by the power of the keys, part of the punishment is remitted, and on account of the shame involved, greater grace is conferred, and many good things follow.

"For this shall every one that is holy pray unto You in an acceptable time:" for this wickedness of heart shall every one that is righteous pray unto You. For not by their own merits will they be holy, but by that acceptable time, that is, at His coming, who redeemed us from sin. "Nevertheless in the flood of great waters they shall not come near him" [Psalm 32:6]: nevertheless, let none think, when the end has come suddenly, as in the days of Noah, [Matthew 24:37-41] that there remains a place of confession, whereby he may draw near unto God.

One who is no stranger to sin ought to immerse himself in prayers of supplication. O saving medicine! To counteract the diseases of all sinners, various remedies are offered to the ill. But this is a single remedy; if it is taken with a pure mind, the poisons of all transgressions are overcome.

Immediately after the sin is a fitting time for confession … since a sin that lingers is entrenched.

Here, third, he sets forth the desire of the saints for the remission of sins. And concerning this he does three things. First, the desire of the saints for this is proposed. Second, the admonition of sinners: "Do not become like the horse." Third, the Psalm concludes with thanksgiving, at "Rejoice." Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he expresses the desire of the saints for the remission of sins in general. Second, he shows his own refuge in particular, at "You are." Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he proposes the desire of the saints through the sign of prayer. Second, he shows the effect of prayer, at "Nevertheless, in the flood." He says therefore: "I said, I will confess (...) for this matter," that is, for the remission of sins. And he says three things. First, what should be prayed for, namely, that we may obtain remission; for we have all sinned: 1 Jn. 1: "If we say that we have no sin," etc. And therefore remission should be sought: Sir. 38: "Pray to the Lord, and he will heal you": Mt. 6: "Forgive us our debts." Second, who should pray, namely "every holy one": Jas. 5: "The fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much." Third, when: "In a favorable time," namely, of grace and of the present life, because at the last the door is shut, Mt. 25; 2 Cor. 6: "Behold, now is the acceptable time," etc. Jn. 9: "Night comes, when no one can work."

Then when he says "Nevertheless," the effect of prayer is shown: because "in the flood of many waters." Water can here be taken in three ways. In one way, as pleasures: Gen. 49: "You were poured out like water." In another way, as false doctrines: Prov. 9: "Stolen waters are sweeter." Third, as tribulations: Ps. 68: "The waters have come in even to my soul." There follows, "They shall not draw near to him." What he says, "to him," can be understood in two ways. In one way, so that "him" refers to the holy one; as if to say: although the holy one prays, he nevertheless endures many waters, but they do not overwhelm him, whether they be waters of pleasure, or of false doctrine, or of tribulation. Hence, "They shall not draw near": Is. 43: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and the rivers shall not cover you": Ps. 65: "We have passed through fire and water," etc. In another way, so that "him" refers to God; and thus he speaks with a change of person, because first he speaks to God, now to others. As if to say: those who are in the flood of many waters, as described above, shall not draw near to God.

He caused a light to shine at the prayer of the psalmist, who said, "My Joy, deliver me from those who surround me"; this being indeed true rejoicing, this being a true feast, even deliverance from wickedness, to which a person attains by thoroughly adopting an upright conversation and being approved in his mind of godly submission toward God.

"You are my refuge from the pressures, which have compassed me about:" You are my refuge from the pressure of my sins, which has compassed my heart. "O Thou, my Rejoicing, deliver me from them that compass me about" [Psalm 32:7]: in You is my joy: deliver me from the sorrow which my sins bring upon me.

A refuge is a place to which one flees so that dangers may be avoided. But this man did not take flight to remote and solitary places, to the fortifications of the camps or to the help provided by men, but to God who was able to scatter the spiritual enemies encircling him.

[Daniel 11:1] "And from the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up that he might be strengthened and confirmed." Daniel implies, "From the first year of the reign of Darius, who overthrew the Chaldeans and delivered me from the hand of my enemies to the extent of his ability (for even his sealing of the pit of lions with his signet ring was for my protection, lest my adversaries should slay me), I for my part stood before God, and I besought God's mercy upon him, in view of the man's love for me, in order that either he or his kingdom might be strengthened and confirmed. And since I persevered in my prayer, I was answered by God and given to understand the following information. After all, it is a customary thing with the prophets to bring in new speakers abruptly and without warning. So it is in Psalm Thirty-one: for when the prophet has petitioned God and said: "Thou art my refuge from my tribulation which compassed me about; O Thou, who art my rejoicing, deliver me from those who now encompass me," then God is abruptly brought in as the speaker, replying, "I will give thee understanding, and I will instruct thee in this way in which thou shalt go; I will fasten Mine eyes upon thee" (Psalm 32:7-8). So also here, as the prophet relates, "From the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up and interceded that he might be strengthened and that his rule might be confirmed," God suddenly responds:

Next, when he says "You are my refuge," etc., the desire of the saints is expressed in particular. And concerning this he does two things. First, he expresses the desire to be delivered. Second, the effect of that desire, at "I will give you understanding." Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he shows whence he conceives the hope of praying. Second, he adds the petition: "Rescue me from those who surround me." He conceives the hope of petitioning from two things. First, because God is the special refuge of the just. Second, because he is their special refuge in tribulation. He therefore says, "You are my refuge from the tribulation that has surrounded me." Tribulation surrounds when it oppresses on every side, so that no refuge is available from any direction: Ps. 39: "Evils without number have surrounded me," etc. But in this tribulation there is no refuge except in God: 2 Chr. 20: "When we do not know what to do," etc. Ps. 90: "He who dwells in the help of the Most High," etc. So then, he says, I have one to whom I may flee; I also have one in whom I may find consolation, because "you are my exultation": 2 Cor. 1: "Who consoles us in all our tribulation": Ps. 93: "According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, your consolations have gladdened my soul." Then he expresses what he asks, when he says, "Rescue me from those who surround me," that is, from the tribulation that has surrounded me. And since tribulation must be caused by someone, it is necessary that if tribulation surrounds, those who press upon him are surrounding him, namely demons and persecutors. And therefore he says, "From those who surround me."

Diapsalma. The answer of God: "I will give you understanding, and will set you in the way in which you shall go;" I will give you understanding after confession, that you depart not from the way in which you should go; lest you wish to be in your own power. "I will fix Mine Eyes upon you" [Psalm 32:8]; so will make sure upon you My Love.

You see here that sinners do not possess understanding except when the gracious Lord grants it to the converted, for understanding implies doing the right thing and directing one's prayers to the Lord's commands. This is the understanding which the psalm's heading indicates and that the Lord's power pours out in mercy on the penitent.

Second, when he says "I will give you understanding," he shows the effect of his prayer. It is God who speaks: "I will give you understanding," etc. As if God were saying: you ask me to rescue you, and I will do three things for you: I will give you the gift of understanding, I will instruct you, and I will guard you. For three things are necessary for a person from God. First, that he may receive the gift of grace, so that through it the person's soul may be perfected for acting promptly. But however much a person might have the gratuitous gift, unless God moves the soul to a good work, it does not suffice. Therefore it is necessary that after prevenient grace, God should work and move one toward good. But grace and the gift are received according to the mode of our nature, and not in such a way as to be able to avoid all things. And therefore the protection and defense of God is necessary beyond this. And so, first he sets forth the gift of understanding, when he says, "I will give you understanding": Sir. 15: "The Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding." And this is necessary for a person, namely, that he may recognize his sin and that he cannot be saved except through God. Second, he sets forth the proper use of this gift, when he says, "I will instruct you": Is. 54: "I will make your children taught by the Lord." Third, guardianship, when he says, "In this way," namely of the commandments, "on which you will walk, I will fix my eyes upon you," that is, I will protect you: 2 Chr. 16: "The eyes of the Lord survey the whole earth and give strength to those who believe in him with a perfect heart."

Why do you dishonor yourself by indulging in physical allurements, while serving your belly and its passions? Why do you take away the understanding that the Creator has given you? Why do you compare yourself to animals, from which God wanted you to be separate, saying: Do not become like the horse and the mule, which have no understanding?

Fools then are not free, for it is said to them, Be ye not like to horse and mule, which have no understanding, whose mouths must be held with bit and bridle lest they fall upon thee. Great plagues remain for the ungodly; for they have need of these, in order that their folly may be restrained. It is good discipline which requires this, not severity. Further, he that spareth his rod hateth his son: for a man's own sins scourge him still more severely. For heavy is the weight of crime, heavy the scourges of sin; they are heavy as a sore burthen, they inflict wounds upon the soul, and make the ulcers of the mind to stink.

He gives instruction to us, and thus he teaches us on the way by which we walk so that he may fix his eyes upon us and so that we do not become as a horse or a mule. Those reluctant to draw near will have their jaws restrained with a rein of tribulation and a curb of judgment.

"Be not ye like horse or mule, which have no understanding:" and therefore would govern themselves. But says the Prophet, "Hold in their jaws with bit and bridle." Do Thou then, O God, unto them "that will not come near You" [Psalm 32:9], what man does to horse and mule, that by scourges Thou make them to bear Your rule.

To have a soul and not to have an understanding, that is, not to use it or to live according to it, is a beast's life. For there is in us something bestial by which we live in the flesh, but it must be ruled by the understanding. For the understanding rules from above the impulses of the soul when it moves itself according to the flesh and desires to pour itself out immoderately into carnal delights.

Our Lord admonishes us through the prophet: "Be not senseless like horses or mules." … As the ass or mule is tied to a grindstone with his bodily eyes weakened or closed with rages, so the dissipated soul has the eyes of its mind put out by the filth of its life, and through the errors of its thoughts is guided, as it were, around the turning millstone through laborious compassion, without its own sight and working with that of another. [A dissipated person] stands on the road of sinners, fettered with the bonds of his passions. He is his own prison, filled with the darkness of his error, stiff with the squalor of his conscience, enduring within himself the imprisonment of a mill. He turns the rock of his heart, which has been hardened by perseverance in iniquity, like a grindstone, making flour for his enemy out of the corrupt grain of his soul.

The person with understanding and reason perceives the sin, whereas the one without understanding does not perceive it, not wanting to.

The one who was God pursued the nations who pursued gods that were not gods at all. And [using] words like bridles, he turned them away from many gods [and brought them] to one.

He calls the irrational movement of spirit "horse" and "mule." Intellect is rational thinking and judgment.

People have special need of [understanding], for when they have lost it, they become like horses and mules. Thus he says: I was turned to misery when thorns were thrust in me—that is, the sin that tormented him. On that account he says to God: I have shown you my sin, and my lawlessness I did not hide from you; and you removed my wickedness. The first duty of repentance is for a person to confess his sin, according to [the saying]: God will have mercy on him who confesses his sins and abandons them.

Next, when he says "Do not become," he turns to sinners, that they may return to penance. And concerning this he does two things. First, he sets forth the admonition. Second, the threat, at "With bit." He says therefore: God gives a person understanding, and by understanding he surpasses animals. He who makes himself unworthy of the gift of understanding, therefore, is compared to animals. And so he says, "Do not become like the horse and the mule," etc. According to the Gloss, the horse is a proud animal; the mule, a sluggish animal, and therefore it does not run. Those, then, are like horses who are puffed up with pride: Jer. 8: "All of them have turned to their own course, like a horse charging impetuously into battle." Those are like the mule who come slowly to the way of God: Prov. 13: "The sluggard wants and does not want." Or by the mule the lustful are understood. The mule is lustful, yet it does not generate; so the sins of lust are fruitless: Rom. 6: "What fruit, then, did you have in those things, of which you are now ashamed?" Or, the horse carries any rider indifferently, and the mule bears any burden whatsoever. Two things are imposed on the sinner: a rider, namely the devil, and a burden, namely sin. Do not, therefore, be like the horse, which does not distinguish among riders -- whether it be Christ or the devil. Nor like the mule, which indifferently bears any burden, namely sin.

Then when he says "With bit," the threat is set forth. And first in the manner of a prayer. Second in the manner of a prediction, at "Many." He says therefore, "With bit," etc. Speaking metaphorically: if a person conducts himself as a person, God treats him as a person, with admonitions and teachings. But when he departs from the dignity of a person, he is treated like a brute animal, which is restrained by punishments and force, namely "with bit and bridle." As if to say: I have admonished them not to become like the horse and mule; but if they do not comply, do to them as to the horse and mule, namely "with bit and bridle constrain their jaws," that is, by suppressing their talkativeness and withdrawing the foods they use for gluttony. For both speech and taste are served by the jaw: Is. 37: "I will put a ring in your nostrils and a bridle," etc. Or "with bit and bridle," that is, with greater and lesser tribulation.

Many are the punishments of sinners, but those who hope in the Lord, he will surround with his mercy.

"Many are the scourges of the sinner:" much is he scourged, who, confessing not his sins to God, would be his own ruler. "But he that trusts in the Lord, mercy compasses him about" [Psalm 32:10]; but he that trusts in the Lord, and submits himself to His rule, mercy shall compass him about.

Even if there are many scourges of the sinner, yet mercy will surround one who trusts in the Lord, and the just will rejoice because their boast is in the Lord.

All people, even if adorned with the works of virtue, stand in need of divine grace; hence the divine apostle also shouts aloud, "By grace you are saved through faith; this is not of your doing—it is God's gift."

Second, when he says "Many," he predicts. And first, what is prepared for the wicked: because "many are the scourges" -- from God: Ps. 49: "I will rebuke you and set the matter before your face." From one's own conscience: Prov. 12: "One is pierced as by a sword of conscience." From authority: Rom. 13: "He is an avenger in wrath against the one who does evil": Prov. 26: "A whip for the horse, a muzzle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools." Second, what is prepared for the good. "The one who hopes," etc. "Mercy" can be in the nominative case, so that the meaning is that mercy itself will surround the one who hopes in the Lord. Or it can be in the ablative case, so that the meaning is that the Lord with his mercy will surround the one who hopes in him. And this is when he comes to the aid of human miseries on every side: Ps. 102: "Who crowns you with mercy," etc. Finally, the Psalm concludes with thanksgiving, when he says:

You of good will come to the Lord. Rejoice and exalt in the Lord, you righteous ones, and glorify our Lord Jesus Christ in a right heart.

"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you righteous:" be glad, and rejoice, you righteous, not in yourselves, but in the Lord. "And glory, all you that are right in heart" [Psalm 32:11]: and glory in Him, all you who understand that it is right to be subject unto Him, that so ye may be placed above all things beside.

The just should "be glad in the Lord," not in themselves, for one who rejoices in himself is deceived by a false presumption … but one who finds joy in the Lord enjoys perpetual delight.

So let no one rejoice in his or her own achievements but rather exult in God and find satisfaction in that. This is in keeping with the apostolic statements, "Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord."

"Rejoice." Now it is the custom in the Penitential Psalms that they begin in weeping and end in joy, because this is what penance does. In this conclusion he exhorts the just and the upright to good action and right intention, saying, "Rejoice in the Lord and exult, you just." As if to say: two things are necessary for a person, namely, right action -- and this justice produces -- and right intention -- and this joy produces. He says therefore, "Rejoice, you just, and exult." According to the Gloss, to rejoice is to be glad with a quiet sweetness; to exult is to be glad with the fervor of an animated spirit. Hence exultation arises from interior joy. But in what? "In the Lord," he says, not in the world: Phil. 4: "Rejoice in the Lord; again I say, rejoice." There follows, "And glory, all you who are upright of heart." The upright of heart are those who conform their will to the divine will; these have cause to glory in God: 2 Cor. 10: "Let the one who glories, glory in the Lord."