Psalm XLV
For when he wrestled with the Angel, and “prevailed,” and had been blest by Him over whom he prevailed, his name was changed, so that he was called “Israel;” just as the people of Israel “prevailed” against Christ, so as to crucify Him, and nevertheless was (in those who believed in Christ) blest by Him over whom it prevailed. But many believed not; hence the halting of Jacob. Here we have at once, blessing and halting. Blessing on those who became believers; for we know that afterward many of that people did believe: Halting on the other hand in those who believed not. And because the greater part believed not, and but few believed, therefore that a halting might be produced, He touched “the breadth of his thigh.” What is meant by the breadth of the thigh? The great multitude of his descendants. …
19“God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee.” We have been speaking of God, who was “anointed;” i.e. of Christ. The name of Christ could not be more clearly expressed than by His being called “God the Anointed.” In the same way in which He was “beautiful before the children of men,” so is He here “anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows.” Who then are His “fellows”? The children of men; for that He Himself (as the Son of Man) became partaker of their mortality in order to make them partakers of His Immortality.
20“Out of Thy garments is the smell of myrrh, amber, and cassia” (ver. 8). Out of Thy garments is perceived the smell of fragrant odours. By His garments are meant His Saints, His elect, His whole Church, which he shows forth, as His garment, so to speak; His robe “without spot and wrinkle,” which on account of its spots He has “washed” in His blood; on account of its “wrinkles” extended on His Cross. Hence the sweet savour which is signified by certain perfumes there mentioned. Hear Paul, that “least of the Apostles” (that “hem of that garment,” which the woman with the issue of blood touched, and was healed), hear him saying: “We are a sweet savour of Christ, in every place, both in them that are saved, and in them that perish.”
He did not say, “We are a sweet savour in them that are saved, and a foul savour in them that are lost:” but, as far as relates to ourselves, “we are a sweet savour both in them that are saved, and in them that perish.”…They who loved him were saved by the odour of “sweet savour;” they who envied him, perished by means of that “sweet savour.” To them that perished then he was not a foul “savour,” but a “sweet savour.” For it was for this very reason they the more envied him, the more excellent that grace was which reigned in him: for no man envies him who is unhappy. He then was glorious in the preaching of God’s Word, and in regulating his life according to the rule of that “rod of direction;” and he was loved by those who loved Christ in him, who followed after and pursued the odour of sweet savour; who loved the friend of the bridegroom: that is to say, by the Bride Herself, who says in the Song of Songs, “We will run after the sweet savour of thy perfumes.” But the others, the more they beheld him invested with the glory of the preaching of the Gospel, and of an irreproachable life, were so much the more tortured with envy, and found that sweet savour prove death to them.
21“Out of thy ivory palaces, whereby kings’ daughters have made Thee glad.” Choose whichever you please, “ivory” palaces, or “magnificent,” or “royal” palaces, it is out of these that the kings’ daughters have made Christ glad. Would you understand the spiritual sense of “ivory palaces”? Understand by them the magnificent houses, and tabernacles of God, the hearts of the Saints; and by these self-same “kings” those who rule their flesh; who bring into subjection to themselves the rebellious commonalty of human affections, who chastise the body, and reduce it to bondage: for it is from these that the daughters of kings have made Him glad. For all the souls that have been born through their preaching and evangelizing are “daughters of kings:” and the Churches, as the daughters of Apostles, are daughters of kings. For He is “King of kings;” they themselves kings, of whom it was said, “Ye shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” They preached the “Word of Truth;” and begat Churches not for themselves, but for Him.…Therefore as “raising up seed to their brother,” to as many as they begat, they gave the name not of “Paulians” or “Petrians,” but of “Christians.” Observe whether that sense is not wakefully kept in these verses. For when he said, “out of the ivory palaces,” he spake of mansions royal, ample, honourable, peaceful, like the heart of the Saints; he added, “Whereby the kings’ daughters have made Thee glad in Thine honour.” They are indeed daughters of kings, daughters of thine Apostles, but still “in Thine honour:” for they raised up seed to their brother. Hence Paul, when he saw those whom he had raised up unto his Brother, running after his own name, exclaimed, “Was Paul crucified for you?” …No; for he says, “Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?”
“The daughters of kings have made Thee glad in Thine honour.” Keep, hold fast this “in Thine honour.” This is meant by having “a wedding garment;” seeking His honour, His glory. Understand moreover by “kings’ daughters” the cities, which were founded by kings, and have received the faith: and out of the ivory palaces (palaces rich, the proud, the lifted up). “Kings’ daughters have made Thee glad in Thine honour;” in that they sought not the honour of their founders, but have sought Thine honour. Show me at Rome a temple of Romulus held in so great honour as I can show you the Monument of Peter. In Peter, who is honoured but He who died for us? For we are followers of Christ, not followers of Peter. And even if we were born from the brother of Him that is dead, yet are we named after the name of Him who is dead. We were begotten by the one, but begotten to the other. Behold, Rome, Carthage, and several other cities are the daughters of kings, and yet have they “made glad the King in His honour:” and all these make up one single Queen.
22What a nuptial song! Behold in the midst of songs full of rejoicing, comes forth the Bride herself. For the Bridegroom was coming. It was He who was being described: it was on Him all our attention was fixed.
“Upon Thy right hand did stand the Queen” (ver. 9). She which stands on the left is no Queen. For there will be one standing on “the left” also, to whom it will be said, “Go into everlasting fire.” But she shall stand on the right hand, to whom it will be said, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” On Thy right hand did stand the Queen, “in a vesture of gold, clothed about with divers colours.” What is the vesture of this Queen? It is one both precious, and also of divers colours: it is the mysteries of doctrine in all the various tongues: one African, one Syrian, one Greek, one Hebrew, one this, and one that; it is these languages that produce the divers colours of this vesture. But just as all the divers colours of the vesture blend together in the one vesture, so do all the languages in one and the same faith. In that vesture, let there be diversity, let there be no rent. See we have “understood” the divers colours of the diversity of tongues; and the vesture to refer to unity: but in that diversity itself, what is meant by the “gold”? Wisdom itself. Let there be any diversity of tongues you please, but there is but one “gold” that is preached of: not a different gold, but a different form of that gold. For it is the same Wisdom, the same doctrine and discipline that every language preaches. In the languages there is diversity; gold in the thoughts.
23The Prophet addresses this Queen (for he delights in singing to her), and moreover each one of us, provided, however, we know where we are, and endeavour to belong to that body, and do belong to it in faith and hope, being united in the membership of Christ. For it is us whom he addresses, saying, “Hearken, O daughter, and behold” (ver. 10), as being one of the “Fathers” (for they are “daughters of kings”), although it be a Prophet, or although it be an Apostle that is addressing her; addressing her, as a daughter, for we are accustomed to speak in this way, “Our fathers the Prophets, our fathers the Apostles;” if we address them as “fathers,” they may address us as children: and it is one father’s voice addressing one daughter. “Hearken, O daughter, and see.” “Hear” first; afterward “see.” For they came to us with the Gospel; and that has been preached to us, which as yet we do not see, and which on hearing of it we believed, which by believing it, we shall come to see: even as the Bridegroom Himself speaks in the Prophet, “A people whom I have not known served me. In the hearing of me with the ear it obeyed me.” What is meant by on “hearing of me with the ear”? That they did not “see.” The Jews saw Him, and crucified Him; the Gentiles saw Him not, and believed. Let the Queen who comes from the Gentiles come in “the vesture of gold, clothed with divers colours;” let her come from among the Gentiles clad in all languages, in the unity of Wisdom: let it be said unto her, “Hearken, O daughter, and see.” If thou wilt not hear, thou shalt not “see.”…
“And incline thine ear.” It is not enough to “hearken;” hearken with humility: bow down thine ear. “Forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house.” There was a certain “people,” and a certain house of thy father, in which thou wast born, the people of Babylon, having the devil for thy king. Whencesoever the Gentiles came, they came from their father the devil; but they have renounced their sonship to the devil. “Forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house.” He, in making thee a sinner, begat thee loathsome: the Other, in that “He justifies the ungodly,” begetteth thee again in beauty.