Ps 39:5

“We will give him other sights in exchange for such sights as these. And what sights shall we present to the Christian, whom we would fain divert from those sights? I thank the Lord our God; He in the following verse of the Psalm hath shown us what sights we ought to present and offer to spectators who would fain have sights to see? Let us now suppose him to be weaned from the circus, the theatre, the amphitheatre; let him be looking after, let him by all means be looking after, some sight to see; we do not leave him without a spectacle. What then shall we give in exchange for those? Hear what follows. "Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which Thou hast made" (ver. 5). He used to gaze at the "wonderful works" of man; let him now contemplate the wonderful works of God. "Many are the wonderful works" that God "has made." Why are they become vile in his eyes? He praises the charioteer guiding four horses; running all of them without fault and without stumbling. Perhaps the Lord has not made such "wonderful works" in things spiritual. Let him control lust, let him control cowardice, let him control injustice, let him control imprudence, I mean, the passions which falling into excess produce those vices; let him control these and bring them into subjection, and let him hold the reins, and not suffer himself to be carried away; let him guide them the way he himself would have them go; let him not be forced away whither he would not. He used to applaud the charioteer, he himself shall be applauded for his own charioteering; he used to call out that the charioteer should be invested with a dress of honour; he shall himself be clothed with immortality. These are the spectacles, these the sights that God exhibits to us. He cries out of heaven, "My eyes are upon you. Strive, and 'I will' assist you; triumph, and I will crown you." "And in Thy thought there is none that is like unto Thee." Now then look at the actor! For the man hath by dint of great pains learnt to walk upon a rope; and hanging there he holds thee hanging in suspense. Turn to Him who exhibits spectacles far more wonderful. This man hath learned to walk upon the rope; but hath he caused another to walk on the sea? Forget now thy theatre; behold our Peter; not a walker on the rope, but, so to speak, a walker on the sea. And do thou also walk on other waters (though not on those on which Peter walked, to symbolize a certain truth), for this world is a sea. It hath a deleterious bitterness; it hath the waves of tribulations, the tempests of temptations; it hath men in it who, like fish, delight in their own ruin, and prey upon each other; walk thou here, set thou thy foot on this. Thou wouldest see sights; be thyself a "spectacle." That thy spirit may not sink, look on Him who goes before thee, and says, "We have been made a spectacle unto this world, and unto angels, and unto men." Tread thou on the waters; suffer not thyself to be drowned in the sea. Thou wilt not go there, thou wilt not "tread it under foot," unless it be His bidding, who was Himself the first to walk upon the sea. For it was thus that Peter spoke. "If Thou art, bid me come unto Thee on the waters." And because "He was," He heard him when praying; He granted his wish to him when expressing his desire; He raised him up when sinking. These are the "wonderful works" that the "Lord hath made." Look on them; let faith be the eye of him who would behold them. And do thou also likewise; for although the winds alarm thee, though the waves rage against thee, and though human frailty may have inspired thee with some doubt of thy salvation, thou hast it in thy power to "cry out," thou mayest say "Lord, I perish." He who bids thee walk there, suffers thee not to perish. For in that thou now walkest "on the Rock," thou fearest not even on the sea! If thou art without "the Rock," thou must sink in the sea; for the Rock on which thou must walk is such an one as is not sunk in the sea,”

“The wonders performed by your power, he is saying, defy counting and all description: there is no one who can do the like. While your creation is great and beautiful, what you arrange time after time in your providence surpasses human praise—in Egypt, in the wilderness, in the case of Moses, in the case of Joshua, in the case of Samuel, and earlier instances than those, having to do with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the royalty Joseph gained through slavery, not to mention all the other cases individually.”

“Hence through the Psalmist the Lord says: "I have declared and spoken, they have multiplied beyond number." For when the Lord calls, the faithful are multiplied beyond number, because sometimes even those come to faith who do not attain to the number of the elect. For here they are mingled with the faithful through confession, but because of their reprobate life they do not deserve to be numbered there in the lot of the faithful.”

“the haughty Heb. רהבים, an expression of haughtiness, as (in Isa. 3:5): “they shall behave haughtily (ירהבו), the youth”; (Song 6:5) “for they have made me haughty (הרהבותי).” and those who turn to falsehood Those who turn from the straight way to follow the falsehood of pagan deities; e tornons in Old French, and those who turn away; in modern French, et se tournant.”

“"You have done many things." Above, the Psalmist, on behalf of Christ or the Church, set forth his confidence and its effects, namely the manifold benefits of God; here, however, he shows the cause of this confidence: namely the source from which he was moved to confess and the hope arising from merits. And so the cause of confidence is the many temporal goods, which are also certain recompenses that a person renders to God for benefits: Ps. 115: "What shall I render to the Lord?" etc. And therefore it is explained in both ways: because the merit of Christ is the cause of confidence, and the recompense of merits. And this consists in the preaching of divine truth. And concerning this he does three things. First, he proposes the meritorious act, namely the proclamation of divine works. Second, he presents the reason for proclaiming, at "Sacrifice." Third, he presents the manner, at "I have proclaimed your justice." Concerning the first he does three things. First, he shows his mercy to be abundant for proclaiming. Second, he makes manifest the cause or necessity of the proclamation, at "They have been multiplied." The matter of proclamation is abundant. And first, as to the multiplicity of divine works, because "You have done many things." Both in the works of nature: Job 9: "Who does wonders and unsearchable things": Ps. 138: "Your works are wonderful," etc. And for doing wonderful things he is in himself sufficient, because he has not been instructed by another, but by his own thoughts. Hence he says, "And in your thoughts," namely through the orderings of his wisdom: Ps. 103: "You have made all things in wisdom": Job 26: "To whom have you given counsel? Surely not to God?" Rom. 11: "Who has been his counselor?" He is great in work and sufficient. Likewise, he is excellent in both, because in the work of miracles, when he made Peter walk upon the sea, and the many other wonders that can be applied here. And no one can be compared to his works or his thoughts; hence he says, "There is none like you": Ps. 85: "Who among the gods is like you, O Lord?" etc., as to the first; Is. 55: "As the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts," as to the second. Thus you have an abundant matter for preaching; hence he adds, "I have proclaimed and spoken." And he says, "I have proclaimed," in which he designates the manifestation of divine works, "and I have spoken," as if to say, I have expressed more clearly by word than by gesture. Or it designates the order of preaching. Or, "I have proclaimed," I, Christ, through the prophets, "and I have spoken," I myself in my own person: Is. 52: "I myself who was speaking, behold, I am here." The necessity of preaching was the multitude of evils, because "they have been multiplied beyond the number" of the good. And therefore, so that the wicked may be diminished and the good increased, it is necessary that the message be announced to them: Mt. 7: "Narrow is the way that leads to life, and broad is the one that leads to perdition." Or, "They have been multiplied beyond number": Eccl. 1: "The number of fools is infinite." Or otherwise, to signify the effect of preaching, that is, the good have been multiplied through preaching beyond the number estimated: Deut. 1: "May the Lord add to this number many thousands": Is. 54: "Many are the children of the desolate, more than of her who has a husband." Jerome has it differently: "You have done many things, O my God, your wonders and your thoughts for us," that is, for our salvation: Jer. 29: "I think thoughts of peace." "I have not found an order before you" (also Jerome). And this is the saying that there is none like you. And it follows: "If I wished to proclaim and recount, they are more than can be proclaimed"; as if to say, they are more than can be numbered. And thus Jerome also presents the effects of divine works when he says, "They have been multiplied beyond number."”