God Is Greatly to Be Praised for the Establishment of His Church
Explanation of the Psalm
1 The prophet, being about to praise a certain edifice, commences by praising the architect, and says that in the holy city the wonderful skill and wisdom of God, who built it, is truly displayed. “Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised;” and so he is, whether we look at his essence, his power, his wisdom, his justice, or his mercy, for all are infinite, everlasting, and incomprehensible; and thus, so much is God “exceedingly to be praised,” that all the Angels, all men, even all his own works would not suffice thereto; but of all things we have revealed, there is no one thing that can give us a greater idea of his greatness, or for which we should praise and thank him more, than the establishment of his Church; and, therefore, the prophet adds, “in the city of our God, in his holy mountain;” that is to say, the greatness of God, and for which he deserves so much praise, is conspicuous in the foundation and construction of his Church, which is “the city of our God, in his holy mountain;” that is, made as perfect as possible. For, it is said in Isaias 2, “The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on top of mountains.” And the Lord himself calls his Church “a city placed on a mountain.” To touch briefly on the remarkable points of this edifice, just consider, first, the incredible variety of nations, differing in language, manners, customs, and laws, so uniting in the profession of one faith, and the use of the same sacraments, as to form one people, nay, even one family. Consider, secondly, the same Church, founded on Peter, a poor, ignorant, rude fisherman; and yet founded so firmly, that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it; for, in spite of that world in which Christ’s Church is spending its exile, in spite of all the powers of darkness, in spite of all the persecutions of the wicked, she will ultimately arrive in safety at the land of promise; and, placed, at length, above the highest heavens, will reign undisturbed in everlasting happiness. Such things, certainly, could not be accomplished, but by the great God; that is, by a most powerful and skilful architect who, therefore, “is exceedingly to be praised,” or, rather, is beyond all praise.
2 The prophet assigns a reason why God should be so “exceedingly praised” in his Church, typified by Mount Sion and the city of Jerusalem, and assigns as a reason, God’s having “founded it with the joy of the whole earth,” using the word “founded” in the present, not in the past tense; for the establishment of the Church is always going on, and never a thing of the past. Various churches are daily springing up where one never existed before. For the Church is not like a small house, that takes little time to build, but is rather a great city, spread over the world; built in various ages, by spiritual architects, successors of the Apostles, who, by their preaching, lay Christ as the corner stone, and erect a spiritual edifice thereon. That foundation is laid “with the joy of the whole earth,” because, throughout the world, the Church is established by the preaching of the Gospel, which never fails to bring the most unbounded spiritual joy and gladness to those who receive it. It is, therefore, that such knowledge is compared by the Lord to a “treasure hidden in a field, which when a man hath found he hideth, and for joy thereof, goeth and selleth all he hath, and buyeth that field;” and, in the Acts of the Apostles, when the Church was being founded in Jerusalem, it is said, “They took their meat with gladness;” and, in chap. 8, speaking of the preaching of Philip, and his establishment of the Church in Samaria, it says, “And there was great joy in that city;” and the eunuch of Queen Candace, when he heard the faith from the same Philip, and was baptized, “went his way rejoicing;” and, in chap. 13, we read that when St. Paul began to preach to the gentiles, and lay the foundation of the Church, “The gentiles hearing this were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord.” When he talks of the foundation of Mount Sion, we are not to understand him as speaking of the mountain of that name; for that was in existence from the beginning of the world; but of the spiritual mountain, of which it was the type. Mount Sion means, then, the Church of Christ, so called by reason of the eminence of doctrine, and the perfection of life, to be found in the Church. The same Church is also styled “The side of the north,” because, as Mount Sion, lying on the north side of the land of promise, protects it from the withering, bitter blasts of the north wind, so the Church of Christ is like a wall, warding off the spiritual north blast; that is, the blast of the unclean spirits; for those who nestle in the bosom of the Church, that is to say, who receive her doctrine and obey her laws, are not easily injured by the north blast, spreading its pernicious dogmas by example. Finally, the same Church is called “The city of the great king,” which tends much to ennoble it, by reason of the Church of Christ having him for its king, who is Prince of the kings of the earth, and King of kings, and Lord of Lords. All other authorities in the Church are but servants, servants, of Christ, as the Apostle says, “Let a man so look upon us as the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God.” Even the very supreme head of the Church calls himself the vicar of Christ, and not only acknowledges himself to be the servant of God, but even the servant of his servants.
3 He now assigns a second reason for the Lord being “great and exceedingly to be praised” in his city of Jerusalem, because he not only founded it well, but constantly protects and exalts it. God, who founded his Church like a royal city, will then especially “be known in her houses;” that is, by all her inhabitants, when, in time of persecution, “he shall protect her.”
5–7 The Latin fathers, Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine, explain these verses in a different way from the Greek fathers, Chrysostom, Theodoret, and Euthymius; the former apply it to the gentiles embracing the faith; the latter, to those resisting it. According to the Latins, the meaning is, The gentiles will cause God to be known in the Church. “For behold, the kings of the earth,” and their subjects, converted by the preaching and the miracles of the Apostles, assembled themselves, gathered together; that is to say, came into the one faith, out of various sects and superstitions, and became one people; so much so, “that they had but one heart and one soul,” as we read of the first Christians in the Acts, and their conversion was effected, for “they saw” the wonders and prodigies, “and they wondered;” and having come to a knowledge of the greatness of their error and their sin, in worshipping idols, instead of the true God, “they were troubled, they were moved,” by true penance; whence, also, “trembling took hold of them;” looking at the frightful risk they had so long run of eternal damnation. “There were pains,” no small or trifling ones, but smart, severe ones, like “the pains of a woman in labor;” which, however, ended in great joy. “But when she hath brought forth the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.” Thus the sorrow of the penitent terminates in the most inexplicable joy, when the grace of adoption, the seed and the pledge of eternal salvation, is poured into his heart, and then is accomplished, “With a vehement wind thou shalt break in pieces the ships of Tharsis,” for the Holy Ghost, inhabiting the soul in process of justification, and inflaming it with the vehement warmth of his charity, “breaks in pieces the ships of Tharsis;” the vehicles of pride, luxury, and avarice; for we read in Kings and Paralipomenon, of the ships that hastened to Tharsis with flowing sails, bringing gold and silver from it; the swollen sails are the type of pride; the tossing of the ship, of luxury, and the gold and silver, of avarice.
8 These are the expressions of the children of the Church in rejoicing to know, by experience, what they had heard was promised, the stability of Christ’s Church. We have more reason to rejoice thereon, for we have heard Christ say, “On this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it;” and now, after sixteen hundred years, after so many and so grievous persecutions, by pagans and heretics, we see it was impossible for the Church to have failed. The prophet then, speaking in the person of the faithful, says, “As we have heard” it foretold by the prophets and by the Apostles, “so have we seen” it accomplished in the Church, which is “the city of the Lord of Hosts,” whom all created things serve, and is, therefore, “the Lord of Hosts;” that is, of armies, “who is our God.” But what we have seen and heard is, that “God had founded it for ever,” so that there is no danger of its ever being destroyed.
9 An admission on the part of God’s people, that the great things God did, and still does for his Church, are not to be attributed to their own works or merits, but entirely to his mercy. The stability of thy Church and the other innumerable favors which we heard were promised, and we now see realized, have all come from your hands, and not from ours. We therefore acknowledge it “in the midst of thy temple;” publicly before all, that “we have received your mercy;” to it we attribute all our happiness.
10 He goes on, in the person of the same people, in praising God for the favors received from him, and as he commenced with, “Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised,” he now says, “According to thy name, so is also thy praise unto the ends of the earth;” that is to say, the measure of your praise must be coordinate with the greatness of your name. For, as the name of God was made known all over the world, by the great and wonderful things done by God, in the establishment and propagation of his Church; so also is Christ praised through the whole world, even to its very extremities: and he tells us why God will be praised for his justice, “Thy right hand is full of justice;” for God’s justice in rewarding the good, and punishing the wicked, is justly extolled all over the world. God’s hand is said to be “full of justice,” not that there is no mercy in his hand, but that there is no place or room for injustice. “For the Lord is just in all his works,” Psalm 144.
11 As “God’s right hand is full of justice,” the prophet exhorts his people to rejoice, knowing as they do, from experience, better than others, how just the Lord is. “Let mount Sion rejoice;” that is, his people signified by Mount Sion; “and the daughters of Juda be glad;” let the women unite therein with them. “Because of thy judgments;” looking at the justice with which you protected your friends, and chastised your enemies.
12–13 He now, in the end of the Psalm, exhorts them to build up and fortify the holy city of which he spoke in the second verse. Such a city is not like an ordinary material city, which is at once founded and built: the founding and building of the city intended here, will be going on to the end of the world, and must be built and renewed with living stones, that will need daily to be put in, until the perfect city shall be dedicated on the day of judgment. So the Apostle says, Ephes. 2, “In whom you are also built together into a habitation of God in the Spirit;” and in chap. 4, he says, “And some indeed he gave to be apostles, and some prophets, and others evangelists, and others pastors and teachers; for the perfection of the saints, for the work of the ministry, unto the edification of the body of Christ.” And 1 St. Peter, chap. 2, “To whom approaching the spiritual stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen and honored of God; be you also as living stones, built up, a spiritual house.” He, therefore, says, “Surround Sion, and encompass her.” Surround the holy city with walls, where they are needed. Holy souls are called the walls of a city, for they protect the rest of the people from their enemies; “Tell ye in his towers;” announce it publicly from some elevated place, (as we have already said,) the preaching of the Gospel is the instrument to found and build the city. “Set your hearts on her strength.” Think seriously on the defense of the city, that she may be in no wise exposed to the enemy; “And distribute her houses;” after the walls shall have been founded and built, set about the houses; and as a great many must needs be built, “distribute” their parts to the various workmen, that the houses may be the more quickly built, and the city be filled and increase; and thus it will come to pass “that ye may relate it in another generation;” that is, that by your having so multiplied God’s people, posterity may have the knowledge of God himself.
14 This is what is to be told to posterity, that God, who did so many wonders in his holy city Jerusalem, “He is our God unto eternity.” We will never desert him, nor will he desert us. We will be his people for ever, and “he shall rule us for evermore.”