Psalm XXXV
Not that there was sin, I say not in the Word of God, but not even in that Holy Soul and Mind of a Man, which the Word and Wisdom of God had so joined to Himself as to be One Person. Nay, nor even in His very Body was any sin, but the likeness of sinful flesh there was in the Lord; because death is not but by sin, and surely that Body was mortal. For had It not been mortal, It had not died; had It not died, It had not risen again; had It not risen again, It had not showed us an example of eternal life. So then death, which is caused by sin, is called sin; as we say the Greek tongue, the Latin tongue, meaning not the very member of flesh, but that which is done by the member of flesh. For the tongue in our members is one among others, as the eyes, nose, ears, and the rest: but the Greek tongue is Greek words, not that the tongue is words, but that words are by the tongue.…So then the sin of the Lord is that which was caused by sin; because He assumed flesh, of the same lump which had deserved death by sin. For to speak more briefly, Mary who was of Adam died for sin, Adam died for sin, and the Flesh of the Lord which was of Mary died to put away sin. With this sackcloth the Lord clothed Himself, and therefore was He not known, because He lay hid under sackcloth. “When they,” saith He, “troubled Me, I clothed Myself with sackcloth:” that is, they raged, I lay hid.
For had He not willed to lie hid neither could He have died, since in one moment of time one drop only of His Power, if indeed it is to be called a drop, He put forth, when they wished to seize Him, and at His one question, “Whom seek ye?” they all went back and fell to the ground. Such power could He not have humbled in passion, if He had not lain hid under sackcloth.
15Again, if we have understood the sackcloth, how understand we the fasting? Wished Christ to eat, when He sought fruit on the tree, and if He had found, would He have eaten? Wished Christ to drink, when He said to the woman of Samaria, “Give Me to drink”? when He said on the Cross, “I thirst”? For what hungered, for what thirsted Christ, but our good works? Because in them that crucified and persecuted Him He had found no good works, He fasted; for they rewarded barrenness to His soul. For what a fast was His, who found barely one thief, whom on the Cross He might taste! For the Apostles had fled, and had hidden themselves in the multitude. And even Peter, who even to the death of his Lord had promised to persevere, had now thrice denied Him, had now wept, and still lay hid in the multitude, still feared lest He should be known. Lastly, having seen Him dead, all of them despaired of their own safety and despairing He found them, after His resurrection, and when He spake with them, found them grieving and mourning, no longer hoping anything.…In great fasting had the Lord remained, had He not refreshed them that He might feed on them. For He refreshed them, He comforted them, He confirmed them, and into His Own Body converted them. In this manner then was our Lord also in fasting.
16“And My prayer shall return into Mine Own Bosom.” In the bosom of this verse is plainly a great depth, and may the Lord grant that it be fathomable by us. For in the “bosom” a secret is understood. And we ourselves, Brethren, are here well admonished to pray within our own bosom, where God seeth, where God heareth, where no human eye penetrateth, where none seeth but He who succoureth; where Susanna prayed, and her voice, though it was not heard by men, yet by God was heard. …We read also that in the mount Jesus prayed alone, we read that He passed the night in prayer, even at the time of His Passion. What then? “And My prayer shall return into Mine Own Bosom.” I know not what better to understand concerning the Lord: take meanwhile what now occurs; perhaps something better will occur hereafter, either to me or to some better: “My prayer shall return into Mine Own Bosom:” this I understand to be said, because in His Own Bosom He had the Father. “For God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.” In Himself He had Him to whom He prayed. He was not far from Him, for Himself had said, “I am in the Father, and the Father in Me.” But because prayer rather belongeth to very Man (for according as Christ is the Word, He prayeth not, but heareth prayer; and seeketh not to be succoured for Himself, but with the Father succoureth all): what is, “My prayer shall return into Mine Own Bosom,” but in Me My Manhood invoketh in Me My Godhead.
17“As a Neighbour, as our Brother, so I pleased Him: as one mourning and sorrowful, so I humbled myself” (ver. 14). Now looketh He back to His Own Body: let us now look to this. When we rejoice in prayer, when our mind is calmed, not by the world’s prosperity, but by the light of Truth: (who perceiveth this light, knoweth what I say, and he seeth and acknowledgeth what is said, “As a Neighbour, as our Brother, so I pleased Him”): even then our soul pleaseth God, not placed afar off, for, “In Him,” saith one, “we live and move and have our being,” but as a Brother, as a Neighbour, as a Friend.
But if it be not such that it can so rejoice, so shine, so approach, so cleave unto Him, and seeth itself far off thence, then let it do what followeth, “As one mourning and sorrowful, so I humbled Myself. As our Brother, so I pleased Him,” said He, drawing near; “As one mourning and sorrowful, so I humbled Myself,” said He, removed and set afar off.…Did not Peter draw near, when he said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God”? And yet the same man became afar off by saying, “Be it far from Thee, Lord; this shall not be unto Thee.” Lastly, what said He, his Neighbour, as it were, to him drawing near? “Blessed art thou, Simon, Barjona.” To him afar off, as it were, and unlike, what said He? “Get thee behind Me, Satan.” To him drawing near, “Flesh and blood,” saith He, “hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father, which is in Heaven.” His Light is shed over thee, in His Light thou shinest. But when having become afar off, he spake against the Lord’s Passion, which should be for our Salvation, “Thou savourest not,” said He, “the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” One rightly placing together both of these saith in a certain Psalm, “I said in my ecstasy, I am cast off from before Thine Eyes.” In my ecstasy, would he not have said, had he not drawn near; for ecstasy is the transporting of the mind. He poured over himself his own soul, and drew near unto God; and through some cloud and weight of the flesh being again cast down to earth, and recollecting where he had been, and seeing where he was, he said, “I am cast off from before Thine Eyes.” This then, “As a Neighbour, as our Brother, so I pleased Him,” may He grant to be done in us; but when that is not, let even this be done, “As one mourning and sorrowful, so I humbled myself.”
18“And against Me they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together” (ver. 15), against Me only: they rejoicing, I sorrowful. But we heard just now in the Gospel, “Blessed are they that mourn.” If they are blessed that mourn, miserable are they that laugh. “Against Me they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: scourges were gathered together against Me, and they knew not.” Because they laid to My charge things that I knew not, they also knew not Whom they charged.
19“They tempted Me, and mocked Me with mocking” (ver. 16). That is, they derided Me, they insulted Me; this of the Head, this of the Body. Consider, Brethren, the glory of the Church which now is; remember its past dishonours, remember how once were Christians everywhere put to flight, and wherever found, mocked, beaten, slain, exposed to beasts, burned, men rejoicing against them. As it was to the Head, so it is also to the Body. For as it was to the Lord on the Cross, so has it been to His Body in all that persecution which was made but now: nor even now cease the persecutions of the same. Wherever men find a Christian, they are wont to insult, to persecute, to deride him, to call him dull, senseless, of no spirit, of no knowledge. Do they what they will, Christ is in Heaven: do they what they will, He hath honoured His punishment, already hath He fixed His Cross in the foreheads of all; the ungodly is permitted to insult, to rage he is not permitted; but yet from that which the tongue uttereth, is understood what he beareth in his heart: “They gnashed upon Me with their teeth.”