“You brought into being the everlasting structure of the world by what you did. You, Lord, made the earth. You who are faithful in all generations, righteous in judgment, marvelous in strength and majesty, wise in creating, prudent in making creation endure, visibly good, kind to those who trust in you.”

“We must consider the new heart and the new spirit that are given after the pouring and sprinkling of water. When a new heart and a new spirit are given, all hardness is taken away from the Jewish heart, which is compared with a heart of stone, and instead of a heart of stone there is a heart of flesh, soft and tender, which can receive the spirit of God within it and be written with the words of salvation. Then they will walk in the precepts of the Lord and will keep his judgments.”

“Free will is always present in us, but it is not always good. For it is either free of justice, while serving sin, and then it is evil; or it is free of sin, while serving justice, and then it is good. But the grace of God is always good and brings about a good will in a person who before was possessed of an evil will. It is by this grace, too, that this same good will, once it begins to exist, is expanded and made so strong that it is able to fulfill whatever of God's commandments it wishes, whenever it does so with a strong and perfect will.”

“God promises that he will cause them to do those things that he commands to be done. Nor indeed does he here overlook the merits, but rather the evil deeds, of those to whom he shows that he will return good things for evil, by the very fact that he causes them to have good works from that point on, when he causes them to carry out the divine commands.”

“He means by these things a change of attitude. Your heart, he says, will incline to better things, no longer following your previous preference for what is worse. That "I will give" in no way damages free will, for by words and deeds and endless miracles, not only among them but in all races, so that they start to live piously; he persuades, he does not compel. And although he does not compel but persuades, he says that he has inclined their minds toward better things.”

“These things did not happen before the coming of the Lord Christ. Since they had three prophets after the return to Jerusalem, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, they were immediately deprived of the gift of prophecy. But after our God and Savior was made man and ascended into the heavens, and the Holy Spirit came on the holy apostles, through them grace was given not only to the Jews but also to all those from the peoples who came to faith. He calls a heart of stone one that is antagonistic and rebellious, and a heart of flesh, one that is compliant and obedient to what it is told, and is able to draw out the meaning of the divine writings … this is the mark of a spirit of grace, which assists our free will and ensures that what has been said proceeds in due course.”

“John who had been exiled by the Emperor Marcion, said, 'One day we went into Syria to see Poemen for we wanted to ask him about hardness of heart. But he did not know Greek and we did not have an interpreter. When he saw we were embarrassed, he began to speak in Greek saying, 'The nature of water is soft, the nature of stone is hard; but if a bottle is hung above a stone letting water drip down, it wears away the stone. It is like that with the word of God; it is soft and our heart is hard, but if a man hears the word of God often, it will break open his heart to the fear of God.'”

“"The one who says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, in him the love of God has been truly perfected. By this we know that we are in him; he who says that he abides in him ought himself also to walk as he walked." My reason for telling you, little children, that everyone who is born of God does not sin, is that you should not sin and that you should know that as long as you do not sin you abide in the birth that God has given you. Truly, they who abide in that birth cannot sin. "For what does light have in common with darkness? Or Christ with Belial?" As day is distinct from night, so righteousness and unrighteousness, sin and good works, Christ and Antichrist cannot blend. If we give Christ a lodging place in our hearts, we banish the devil therefrom. If we sin and the devil enters through the gate of sin, Christ will immediately withdraw. Hence David after sinning says, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation," that is, the joy that he had lost by sinning.”

“"Give back to me the exultation of Your salvation" [Psalm 51:12]. "Give back" what I had; what by sinning I had lost: to wit, of Your Christ. For who without Him can be made whole? Because even before that He was Son of Mary, "In the beginning He was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;" [John 1:1] and so, by the holy fathers a future dispensation of flesh taken upon Him, was looked for; as is believed by us to have been done. Times are changed, not faith. "And with Principal Spirit confirm me." Some have here understood the Trinity in God, Itself God; the dispensation of Flesh being excepted therefrom: since it is written, "God is a Spirit." [John 4:24] For that which is not body, and yet is, seems to exist in such sort as that it is spirit. Therefore some understand here the Trinity spoken of: "In upright Spirit," the Son; in "Holy Spirit," Holy Ghost; in "Principal Spirit," Father. It is not any heretical opinion, therefore, whether this be so, or whether "upright Spirit" He would have to be taken of man himself (when He says, "An upright spirit renew in my inner parts"), which I have bowed and distorted by sinning, so that in that case the Holy Spirit be Himself the Principal Spirit: which also he would not have to be taken away from him, and thereby would have himself to be confirmed therein.”

“But see what he annexeth: "With Principal Spirit," he saith, "confirm Thou me." Wherein "confirm"? Because Thou hast pardoned me, because I am secure, that what Thou hast forgiven is not to be ascribed, on this being made secure and with this grace confirmed, therefore I am not ungrateful. But I shall do what? "I would teach unrighteous men Thy ways" (ver. 13). Being myself of the unrighteous (that is, one that was myself an unrighteous man, now no longer unrighteous; the Holy Spirit not having been taken away from me, and I being confirmed with Principal Spirit). "I would teach unrighteous men Thy ways." What ways wilt thou teach unrighteous men? "And ungodly men to Thee shall be converted." If David's sin is counted for ungodliness, let not ungodly men despair of themselves, forasmuch as God hath spared an ungodly man; but let them take heed that to Him they be converted, that His ways they learn. But if David's deed is not counted for ungodliness, but this is properly call ungodliness, namely, to apostatize from God, not to worship one God, or never to have worshipped, or to have forsaken, Him whom one did worship, then what he saith hath the force of superabundance, "And ungodly men shall to Thee be converted." So full art thou of the fatness of mercy, that for those converted to Thee, not only sinners of any sort, but even ungodly, there is no cause for despair. Wherefore? That believing on Him that justifieth an ungodly man, their faith may be counted for righteousness.”

“And what Christ worked in Paul, making him from a persecutor into a preacher, how much this may contribute to human salvation, let the Apostle himself speak that no one conscious of great sins may despair of God's mercy. Human speech, he says, is worthy of full acceptance, because Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, among whom I am the first. But for this reason, I received mercy, that in me first Christ Jesus might show all long-suffering, as a pattern for those who are going to believe in Him for eternal life. Who, then, being inspired by such a great example, could despair of salvation under the hand of the Almighty Physician, considering that he who once ravaged the faith he now preaches, not only escaped the punishment of the persecutor but also deserved the crown of the teacher, and whose blood he sought in his members to shed in his rage, he poured out his own blood in faith for His name? Therefore, Rome has the head of the nations, two lights of the nations kindled by Him who illuminates every man coming into this world: one, in which God elevated humble weakness; the other, in which He healed condemnable sin. In the one, let us learn not to boast; in the other, not to despair. How briefly the great examples set before us teach, how beneficial they are; which we should always remember, and in their praise magnify the true light. Therefore, let no one exalt himself in the lofty status of this world: Peter was a fisherman. Let no one flee from God's mercy by thinking of their own sinfulness: Paul was a persecutor. The former says: The Lord became a refuge for the poor; the latter says: I will teach the wicked Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.”

“"Deliver me from bloods, O God, God of my health" (ver. 14). The Latin translator hath expressed, though by a word not Latin, yet an accuracy from the Greek. For we all know that in Latin, sanguines (bloods) are not spoken of, nor yet sanguina (bloods in the neuter), nevertheless because the Greek translator hath thus used the plural number, not without reason, but because he found this in the original language the Hebrew, a godly translator hath preferred to use a word not Latin, rather than one not exact. Wherefore then hath he said in the plural number, "From bloods"? In many bloods, as in the origin of the sinful flesh, many sins he would have to be understood. The Apostle having regard to the very sins which come of the corruption of flesh and blood, saith, "Flesh and blood shall not possess the kingdom of God." For doubtless, after the true faith of the same Apostle, that flesh shall rise again and shall itself gain incorruption, as He saith Himself, "This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality." Because then this corruption is of sin, by the name thereof sins are called. In like manner as both that morsel of flesh and member which playeth in the mouth when we articulate words is called a tongue, and that is called a tongue which by the tongue is made, so we call one tongue the Greek, another the Latin; for the flesh is not diverse, but the sound. In the same manner, then, as the speech which is made by the tongue is called a tongue; so also the iniquity which is made by blood is called blood. Heeding, then, his many iniquities, as in the expression above, "And all my iniquities blot out," and ascribing them to the corruption of flesh and blood, "Free me," he saith, "from bloods:" that is, free me from iniquities, cleanse me from all corruption. ...Not yet is the substance, but certain hope. "And my tongue shall exult of Thy righteousness."”

“"O Lord, my lips You shall open, and my mouth shall tell of Your praise" [Psalm 51:15]. "Your praise," because I have been created: "Your praise," because sinning I have not been forsaken: "Your praise," because I have been admonished to confess: "Your praise," because in order that I might be secured I have been cleansed.”

“See who this is: David as one man was seeming to implore; see ye here our image and the type of the Church. "Deal kindly, O Lord, in Your good will with Sion" [Psalm 51:18]. With this Sion deal kindly. What is Sion? A city holy. What is a city holy? That which cannot be hidden, being upon a mountain established. Sion in prospect, because it has prospect of something which it hopes for. For Sion is interpreted "prospect," and Jerusalem, "vision of peace." You perceive then yourselves to be in Sion and in Jerusalem, if being sure ye look for hope that is to be, and if you have peace with God. "And be the walls of Jerusalem built." "Deal kindly, O Lord, in Your good will with Sion, and be the walls of Jerusalem built." For not to herself let Sion ascribe her merits: do Thou with her deal kindly, "Be the walls of Jerusalem built:" be the battlements of our immortality laid, in faith and hope and charity.”

“"Then Thou shalt accept the sacrifice of righteousness" (ver. 19). But now sacrifice for iniquity, to wit, a spirit troubled, and a heart humbled; then the sacrifice of righteousness, praises alone. For, "Blessed they that dwell in Thy house, for ever and ever they shall praise Thee:" for this is the sacrifice of righteousness. "Oblations and holocausts." What are "holocausts"? A whole victim by fire consumed. When a whole beast was laid upon the altar with fire to be consumed, it was called a holocaust. May divine fire take us up whole, and that fervour catch us whole. What fervour? "Neither is there that hideth himself from the heat thereof." What fervour? That whereof speaketh the Apostle: "In spirit fervent." Be not merely our soul taken up by that divine fire of wisdom, but also our body; that it may earn their immortality; so be it lifted up for a holocaust, that death be swallowed into victory. "Oblations and holocausts." "Then shall they lay upon thine altar calves." Whence "calves"? What shall He therein choose? Will it be the innocence of the new age, or necks freed from the yoke of the law? ...”

“"Restore to me": for grace does two things in a person. One is in respect to higher things, namely, it gives delight, because he who has grace has charity, and he who has charity loves God and possesses him; and he who possesses what he loves rejoices. Therefore, where there is charity, there is joy. Rom. 14: "The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but joy in the Holy Spirit." The Psalmist had lost this joy; and therefore he asks for it to be restored to him when he says, "Restore to me the joy" -- not of worldly things, but "of your salvation," that is, of your saving act. Another text has, "the joy of Jesus," namely of the Savior, through whom the remission of sins is accomplished. Hab. 3: "I will exult in God my Jesus." The other effect is in respect to lower things; and this effect is confirmation in grace, which is accomplished through the Holy Spirit: "and confirm me with a sovereign spirit." The Holy Spirit strengthens in two ways: in one way, against evils. Is. 8: "With a strong hand he instructed me." In another way, in good. Is. 40: "Those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength." This strength is had through the Holy Spirit; for the body is not firm for enduring or for acting except through the strength of spirits; so also a person is not strong without the Holy Spirit. But he would not provide strength unless he were a sovereign spirit; because an inferior power is not sufficient to provide aid against a superior one. But the power of the Devil is great. Job 41: "There is no power on earth that can be compared to him." Therefore, against the Devil, a person needs to be aided by a sovereign spirit, namely one that is princely and has dominion over all things. And a person needs this spirit against the spirit of the flesh. Num. 16: "Most mighty God, God of the spirits of all flesh." Also, against the spirit of the world. 1 Cor. 2: "But we have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit who is from God." Also, against the spirit of the Devil. 1 Sam. 18: "An evil spirit of the Lord came upon Saul." It should be noted that in this reading there is a threefold mention of "spirit": for there is mentioned a right spirit, a holy spirit, and a sovereign spirit. And according to the Gloss, some take "spirit" as said essentially, insofar as everything that is not a body is a spirit. Hence the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are called spirit. But it is better to take it personally. Now the Holy Spirit does three things in a person. First, rectitude of intention. Ps. 142: "Your good spirit," etc. Also, he sanctifies us. Rom. 1: "According to the spirit of sanctification." Also, he ennobles us and makes us princes. Gal. 4: "Because you are sons of God, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts."”

“"I will teach." Above, the Psalmist set forth his petitions to God; here he promises recompense. And first, he promises what he will do for God in the present. Second, in the future, at "deal favorably." Regarding the first, he does two things. First, he promises God certain spiritual sacrifices. Second, he excuses himself from the offering of carnal sacrifices, at "for if you had desired sacrifice." He promises God a twofold spiritual sacrifice: namely, of teaching, through which the neighbor is instructed. Second, he promises the spiritual sacrifice of praise, through which God is praised, at "deliver me." He says therefore, "I will teach the unjust your ways." And it should be noted that above, in another Psalm (49), it was said, "But to the sinner God said: Why?" etc., through which he shows that it does not befit a sinner to pour forth teaching. And therefore, as long as he felt himself to be a sinner, he did not promise to manifest teaching; but after God restored to him the sovereign spirit, and such as these it befits to have teaching and to teach others. Jer. 3: "I will give you a shepherd after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and doctrine." And of Christ it is said in Acts 1: "Jesus began to do and (afterward) to teach." Now the fruit of this teaching is not merely the speculation of truth for the purpose of blessed contemplation, but its intended end is the conversion of sinners; and therefore he says, "and the wicked shall be converted to you." Jer. 15: "They shall be converted to you, and you shall not be converted to them." Ps. 21: "All the nations shall be converted to the Lord." And according to the Gloss, he calls the wicked and the unjust the same; although David understands that the unjust are those who sin against God; and therefore he pointedly says, "I will teach the unjust"; as if to say: some, even if they revere God, nevertheless act against their neighbor and unjustly; and these I will teach your ways, namely, so that they may not offend their neighbor. 1 Jn. 4: "We have a commandment from God, that he who loves God should love his brother also."”

“"Deliver me from bloodguilt." Here he promises the sacrifice of praise; and there are two impediments to this sacrifice. One is the guilt of sin; the other is an interior defect. First, therefore, he asks for the removal of the first impediment. Second, he asks for the removal of the second, at "O Lord, you shall open my lips." He therefore asks for the removal of the impediment and promises the sacrifice of praise. The impediment to divine praise, as has been said, is the guilt of sin. Sir. 15: "Praise is not seemly," etc. Now David was guilty of grave sin; and therefore he asks to be freed from it; and therefore he says, "Deliver me from bloodguilt." According to the Gloss, this noun "blood" is not declined in the plural number; nevertheless, the translator wished to use it to express the sin. And this refers to the concupiscence of the flesh, which is flesh and blood. Mt. 16: "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you," etc.; as if to say: deliver me from sins committed through flesh and blood. Or it must be said that David had committed the sin of adultery and homicide; and in both there is blood, because in homicide blood is shed. Ps. 5: "The man of blood and deceit," etc. But adultery proceeds from the fervor of blood; and therefore he says, "from bloodguilt." Hos. 4: "Blood has touched blood." O God, deliver me therefore from bloodguilt, because you alone can. Is. 43: "I am he who blots out your iniquities for my own sake," etc. "And because you are the God of my salvation," that is, who can save me. "And my tongue shall exult," namely with delight and with interior joy of heart, "I will declare your justice." Is. 30: "You shall have a canticle as in the night of a sanctified solemnity." Also, ibid. 35: "They shall come to Zion with praise, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads." Ps. 41: "With the voice of exultation," etc.”

“"O Lord, you shall open my lips." It should be known that sometimes a person is impeded from teaching even by an interior impediment to speaking; and this happens sometimes because of the fault of the hearers. Ezek. 3: "I will make your tongue cleave to your palate, and you shall be mute." And below: "Because the house is exasperating." And because of his own sin. Ps. 106: "All iniquity shall stop its mouth." Because therefore God alone made the tongues of infants eloquent, Wis. 10, he therefore asks: Lord, remove the impediments which I have incurred through sin from my lips. And you, "open my lips." Eph. 6: "That speech may be given me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with confidence the mystery of the Gospel." It should be noted that in the opening of the mouth, the depth of teaching is understood wherever it is found in the Scriptures, as Job 3: "After this, Job opened his mouth." And Mt. 5: "Jesus, opening his mouth," namely in the depth of Scripture. "And then my mouth shall announce your praise"; as if to say: what I have in my heart, I will confess with my mouth.”

“The kingdom of heaven, in respect of Him who reigns there, is like a king; in respect of Him who shares the kingdom, it is like a king’s son; in respect of those things which are in the kingdom, it is like servants and guests, and among them the king’s armies. It is specified, A man that is a king, that what is spoken may be as by a man to men, and that a man may regulate men unwilling to be regulated by God. But the kingdom of heaven will then cease to be like a man, when zeal and contention and all other passions and sins having ceased, we shall cease to walk after men, and shall see Him as He is. For now we see Him not as He is, but as He has been made for us in our dispensation.”

“Or; The servants who were first sent to call them that were bidden to the wedding, are to be taken as the Prophets converting the people by their prophecy to the festival of the restoration of the Church to Christ. They who would not come at the first message are they who refused to hear the words of the Prophets. The others who were sent a second time were another assembly of Prophets.”

“Or; The dinner which is prepared is the oracle of God; and so the more mighty of the oracles of God are the oxen; the sweet and pleasant are the fatlings. For if any one bring forward feeble words, without power, and not having strong force of reason, these are the lean things; the fatlings are when to the establishment of each proposition many examples are brought forward backed by reasonable proofs. For example, supposing one holding discourse of chastity, it might well be represented by the turtle-dove; but should he bring forward the same holy discourse full of reasonable proof out of Scripture, so as to delight and strengthen the mind of his hearer, then he brings the dove fatted.”

“Let those who sin against the God of the Law, and the Prophets, and the whole creation, declare whether He who is here called man, and is said to be angry, is indeed the Father Himself. If they allow this, they will be forced to own that many things are said of Him applicable to the passible nature of man; not for that He has passions, but because He is represented to us after the manner of passible human nature. In this way we take God’s anger, repentance, and the other things of the like sort in the Prophets.”

“Or otherwise; I suppose this first bidding to the wedding to have been a bidding of some of the more noble minds. For God would have those before all come to the feast of the divine oracles who are of the more ready wit to understand them; and forasmuch as they who are such are loth to come to that kind of summons, other servants are sent to move them to come, and to promise that they shall find the dinner prepared. For as in the things of the body, one is the bride, others the inviters to the feast, and they that are bidden are others again; so God knows the various ranks of souls, and their powers, and the reasons why these are taken into the condition of the Bride, others in the rank of the servants that call, and others among the number of those that are bidden as guests. But they who had been thus especially invited contemned the first inviters as poor in understanding, and went their way, following their own devices, as more delighting in them than in those things which the King by his servants promised. Yet are these more venial than they who ill-treat and put to death the servants sent unto them; those, that is, who daringly assail with weapons of contentious words the servants sent, who are unequal to solve their subtle difficulties, and those are illtreated or put to death by them. The servants going forth are either Christ’s Apostles going from Judæa and Jerusalem, or the Holy Angels from the inner worlds, and going to the various ways of various manners, gathered together whomsoever they found, not caring whether before their calling they had been good or bad. By the good here we may understand simply the more humble and upright of those who come to the worship of God, to whom agreed what the Apostle says, When the Gentiles which have not the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law, they are a law unto themselves. (Rom. 2:14.)”

“The marriage-feast of Christ and the Church is filled, when they who were found by the Apostles, being restored to God, sat down to the feast. But since it behoved that both bad and good should be called, not that the bad should continue bad, but that they should put off the garments unmeet for the wedding, and should put on the marriage garments, to wit, bowels of mercy and kindness, for this cause the King goes out, that He may see them set down before the supper is set before them, that they may be detained who have the wedding garment in which He is delighted, and that he may condemn the opposite.”

“He who has thus insulted the marriage feast is not only cast out therefrom, but besides by the King’s officers, who are set over his prisons, is chained up from that power of walking which he employed not to walk to any good thing, and that power of reaching forth his hand, wherewith he had fulfilled no work for any good; and is sentenced to a place whence all light is banished, which is called outer darkness.”

“He sent his servant, without doubt Moses, by whom I le gave the Law, to those who had been invited. But if you read servants as most copies have, it must be referred to the Prophets, by whom they were invited, but neglected to come. By the servants who were sent the second time, we may better understand the Prophets than the Apostles; that is to say, if servant is read in the first place; but if ‘servants,’ then by the second servants are to be understood the Apostles;”