St. Augustine, Of the citie of God vvith the learned comments of Io. Lod. Viues. Englished by I.H.

Of the fortie fiue Psalme▪: the tropes, and truths therein, concerning Christ and the Church. CHAP. 16.

FOr although there be some manifest prophecies, yet are they mixed with fi∣gures; putting the learned vnto a great deale of labour, in making the igno∣rant vnderstand them, yet some shew Christ and his Church at first sight (though we must at leisure expound the difficulties that we finde therein:) as for example. Psal. 45. Mine heart hath giuen out a good word: I dedicate my workes to the King. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer: Thou fairer then the children of men, gr•…•… is powred in thy lippes, for GOD hath blessed thee for euer. Girde thy sworde vpon thy •…•…high, thou most mighty: Proceede in thy beauty and glory: and reigne prosperouly * 1.1 because of thy truth, thy iustice and thy gentlenesse: thy right hand shall guide thee wondrously: Thine arrowes are sharpe (most mighty) against the hearts of the Kings enemies: the people shall fall vnder thee. Thy throne O GOD is euer-lasting, and the scepter of thy kingdome, a scepter of direction: Thou louest iustice, and hatest iniqui∣tie: therefore GOD euen thy GOD hath annoynted thee with oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes. All thy garments smell of Myrrhe, Alloes and Cassia, from the I•…•…ry palaces, wherein the Kings daughters had made thee gl•…•…d, in their honour. Who is so dull that he discerneth not Christ our God, in whome we beleeue, by this place? hearing him called GOD, whose throne is for euer, and annoyn∣•…•…d by GOD, not with visible but with spirituall Chrisme: who is so barba∣rously ignorant in this immortall and vniuersall religion, that hee heareth not that Christs name commeth of Chrisma, vnction? Heere wee know CHRIST, let vs see then vnto the types: How is hee father then vnto the sonnes of men? in a beauty farre more amiable then that of the body. What is his sword, his shaftes, &c. all these are tropicall characters of his power: and how they are all so, let him that is the subiect to this true, iust, and gentle King, looke to at his leasure. And then behold his Church, that spirituall spouse of his,

and that diuine wed-locke of theirs: here it is: The Queene stood on thy right hand, her •…•…lothing was of gold embrodered with diuers collours. Hea•…•…e Oh daughter, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉, attend, and forget thy people and thy fathers house. For the King taketh plea∣sure in thy beauty: and hee is the Lord thy God. The sonnes of Tyre shall adore him 〈◊〉〈◊〉 guifts, the ritch men of the people shall •…•…ooe him with presents. The Kings daugh∣ter 〈◊〉〈◊〉 all glorious within, her cloathing is of wrought gold. The Virgins shalbe brought after her vnto the King, and her kinsfolkes and companions shal follow her, with ioy and gladnesse shal they be brought, and shall enter into the Kings chamber. Instead of fathers 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shalt haue children, to make them Princes through out the earth. They shal remem∣ber thy name O Lord from (a) generation to generation; therefore shall their people giue •…•…ks vnto thee world without end. I doe not think any one so besotted as to thinke this to be meant of any personal woman: no, no, she is his spouse to whō it is said: Thy throne, O God, is euerlasting; and the scepter of thy Kingdome a scepter of direction. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hast loued iustice and hated iniquity, therefore the Lord thy God hath annointed 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ith the oyle of gladnesse before thy fellowes: Namely Christ before the christi∣•…•…▪ For they are his fellowes of whose concord out of all nations, commeth this Queene, as an other psalme saith: the Citty of the great King, meaning the spi∣rituall Syon: Syon is speculation: for so it speculateth the future good that it is to receiue, and thither directeth it all the intentions. This is the spirituall Ieru∣salem, whereof wee haue all this while spoken, this is the foe of that deuillish Ba∣bilon, hight confusion, and that the foe of this. Yet is this City, by regeneration, freed from the Babilonian bondage, and passeth ouer the worst King for the best that euer was, turning from the deuill and comming home to Christ: for which it is sayd, forget thy people, and thy fathers house, &c. The Israelites, were a part of thi•…•… •…•…tty in the flesh, but not in that faith: but became foes both to this great 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Queene. Christ was killed by them, and came from them, to (b) those 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…euer saw in the flesh. And therefore our King saith by the mouth of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in another place: thou hast deliuered me from the contentions of the people, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 me the head of the heathen: a people whom I haue not knowne, hath serued * 1.2 〈◊〉〈◊〉 assoone as they heard me, obeyed me. This was the Gentiles who neuer 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…rist in the flesh, nor hee them. yet hearing him preached they beleeued 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…astly, that he might well say: as soone as they heard me, they obeyed mee: for 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…es by hearing. This people, conioyned with the true Israell, both 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and spirit, is that Citty of God, which when it was onely in Israell, brought 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…hrist in the flesh: for thence was the Virgin Mary, from whom Christ 〈◊〉〈◊〉 our man-hood vpon him. Of this cittie, thus saith another psalme. (c) 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ll call it, our Mother Sion: he became man therein, the most high hath founded 〈◊〉〈◊〉 was this most high, but God? So did Christ found her in his Patriarchs * 1.3 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…hets, before he tooke flesh in her, from the Virgin Mary. Seing therefore 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Prophet so long agoc said that of this Citty which now we behold come 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉: In steed of fathers thou shal haue children, to make them Princes ouer all the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 so hath shee when whole nations and their rulers, come freely to con∣•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 proffesse Christ his truth for euer and euer) then without all doubt, there 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ope herein, how euer vnderstood, but hath direct reference vnto these 〈◊〉〈◊〉 stations.

L. VIVES.

〈◊〉〈◊〉 (a) generation] So read the 70. whom Augustine euer followeth, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉

and this reduplication is very emphaticall in the Hebrew. (b) To those that hee neuer] Christ while hee was on the earth neuer came, nor preached in any nation but Israell. Nor matter•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 tha•…•… some few Gentiles came vnto him, wee speake here of whole nations. (c) Men shall call it] The seauenty read it thus indeed but erroneously as Hierome noteth In Psalm 89. for they had written it, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, what is Sion? which reading, some conceyuing not, reiected, and added 〈◊〉〈◊〉 reading it, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, an other Si•…•…n, and that the rather because it followeth, hee was made man therein. But the vulgar followeth the Hebrew, and reads it with an interrogation.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psalm. 45.
• * 1.2

  Psal. 18. 43 44.
• * 1.3

  Psal 87, 〈◊〉〈◊〉