Psalm LXXII
as though it were said, There shall arise in His days justice, to conquer the contradiction and rebellion of the flesh, and whereby there may be made a peace so increasing and abundant, until the moon be exalted, that is, until the Church be lifted up, through the glory of the Resurrection to reign with Him, who went before Her in this glory, the first-born of the dead, that He might sit at the right hand of the Father; thus with the sun enduring before the moon, in the place whereunto hereafter was to be exalted the moon also.
11. “And He shall be Lord from sea even unto sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the round world” (ver. 8): He to wit concerning whom he had said, “There shall arise in His days justice and abundance of peace, until the moon be exalted.” If the Church here is properly signified under the term moon, in continuation he showed how widely that same Church He was going to spread abroad, when He added, “and He shall be Lord from sea even unto sea.” For the land is encircled by a great sea which is called the Ocean: from which there floweth in some small part in the midst of the lands, and maketh those seas known to us, which are frequented by ships. Again, in “from sea even unto sea” He hath said, that from any one end of the earth even unto any other end, He would be Lord, whose name and power in the whole world were to be preached and to prevail exceedingly. To which, that there might not be understood in any other manner, “from sea even unto sea:” He immediately added, “and from the river even unto the ends of the round world.” Therefore that which He saith in “even unto the ends of the round world,” the same He had said before in “from sea even unto sea.” But in that which now He saith, “from the river,” He hath evidently expressed that He willed Christ to publish at length His power from that place from whence also He began to choose His disciples, to wit from the river Jordan, where upon the Lord, on His baptism, when the Holy Ghost descended, there sounded a voice from Heaven, “This is My beloved Son.” From this place then His doctrine and the authority of the heavenly ministry setting out, is enlarged even unto the ends of the round world, when there is preached the Gospel of the kingdom in the whole world, for a testimony unto all nations: and then shall come the end.
12. “In His presence shall fall down the Ethiopians, and His enemies shall lick the earth” (ver. 9). By the Ethiopians, as by a part the whole, He hath signified all nations, selecting that nation to mention especially by name, which is at the ends of the earth. By “in His presence shall fall down” hath been signified, shall adore Him. And because there were to be schisms in divers quarters of the world, which would be jealous of the Church Catholic spread abroad in the whole round world, and again those same schisms dividing themselves into the names of men, and by loving the men under whose authority they had been rent, opposing themselves to the glory of Christ which is throughout all lands; so when He had said, “in His presence shall fall down the Ethiopians,” He added, “and His enemies shall lick the earth:” that is, shall love men, so that they shall be jealous of the glory of Christ, to whom hath been said, “Be Thou exalted above the Heavens, O God, and above all the earth Thy glory.” For man earned to hear, “Earth thou art, and unto earth thou shalt go.” By licking this earth, that is, being delighted with the vainly talking authority of such men, by loving them, and by counting them for the most pleasing of men, they gainsay the divine sayings, whereby the Catholic Church hath been foretold, not as to be in any particular quarter of the world, as certain schisms are, but in the whole universe by bearing fruit and growing so as to attain even unto the very Ethiopians, to wit, the remotest and foulest of mankind.
13. “The kings of Tharsis and the isles shall offer gifts, the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall lead presents” (ver. 10). This no longer requireth an expounder but a thinker; yea it doth thrust itself upon the sight not only of rejoicing believers, but also of groaning unbelievers—except perchance we must inquire why there hath been said, “shall lead presents.” For there are wont to be led those things which can walk. For could it by any means have been spoken with reference to the sacrifice of victims? Far be it that such “righteousness” should arise in His days. But those gifts which have been foretold as to be led, seem to me to signify men, whom into the fellowship of the Church of Christ the authority of kings doth lead: although even persecuting kings have led gifts, knowing not what they did, in sacrificing the holy Martyrs. “And there shall adore Him all kings of the earth, all nations shall serve Him” (ver. 11).
14. But while he is explaining the reasons why so great honour is paid Him by kings, and He is served of all nations: “because He hath delivered,” he saith, “the needy man from the mighty, and the poor man, to whom was no helper”(ver. 12). This needy and poor man is the people of men believing in Him. In this people are also kings adoring Him. For they do not disdain to be needy and poor, that is, humbly confessing sins, and needing the glory of God and the grace of God, in order that this King, Son of the King, may deliver them from the mighty one. For this same mighty one is he who above was called the Slanderer: whom mighty to subdue men to himself, and to hold them bound in captivity, not his virtue did make, but men’s sins. The same is himself also called strong; therefore here mighty also. But He that hath humbled the slanderer and hath entered into the house of the strong man to bind him and to spoil his vessels, He “hath delivered the needy and the poor man.” For this neither the virtue of any one could accomplish, nor any just man, nor any Angel. When then there was no helper, by His coming He saved them Himself.
15. But it might occur to one; if because of sins man was held by the devil, have sins pleased Christ, who saved the needy man from the mighty? Far be it. But “He it is that shall spare the helpless and poor man” (ver. 13): that is, shall remit sins to the man, humble and not trusting in his own merits, or hoping for salvation because of his own virtue, but needing the grace of his Saviour. But when he hath added, “and the souls of the poor He shall save:” he hath recommended to our notice both the aids of grace; both that which is for the remission of sins, when he saith, “He shall spare the poor and needy man;” and that which doth consist in the imparting of righteousness, when he hath added, “and the souls of the poor He shall save.” For no one is meet of himself for salvation (which salvation is perfect righteousness), unless God’s grace aid: because the fulness of the law is nought but love, which doth not exist in us of ourselves, but is shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which hath been given unto us.
16. “From usuries and iniquity He shall redeem the souls of them” (ver. 14). What are these usuries but sins, which are also called debts? But I think they have been called usuries, because more of ill is found in the punishments than hath been committed in the sins. For, for example’s sake, while a man-slayer killeth only the body of a man, but can no wise hurt the soul; of himself both soul and body is destroyed in hell. Because of such despisers of present commandment and deriders of future punishment hath been said, “I coming would have exacted with usuries,” from these usuries are redeemed the souls of the poor by that blood which hath been shed for the remission of sins. He shall redeem, I say, from usuries, by remitting sins which owed larger punishments: but He shall redeem from iniquity, by helping them by grace even to do righteousness. Therefore the same two things have been repeated which were said above. For in that which is above, “He shall spare the helpless and poor man,” there is understood “from usuries:” but in that which there he saith, “and the souls of the poor He shall save;” there seemeth to have been implied, “from iniquity:” so that the words “He shall redeem,” are understood with both. So when He shall spare the poor and helpless man, and shall save the souls of the poor: thus “from usuries and iniquity He shall redeem the souls of them. And honourable shall be the name of Him in the presence of them.” For they give honour to His name for so great benefits, and they respond that “meet and right it is” to render thanks to the Lord their God. Or, as some copies have it, “and honourable is the name of them in the presence of Him:” for even if Christians seem despicable to this world, the name of them in the presence of Him is honourable, who to them hath given it, no longer remembering those names in His lips, whereby before they used to be called, when they were bound fast by the superstitions of the Gentiles, or signed with names derived from their own evil deserts, before they were Christians, which name is honourable in the presence of Him, even if it seemeth despicable to enemies.