Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, Apology for the Prophet David, to Emperor Theodosius.

Latin Text from public domain Migne Editors, Patrologiae Cursus Completus.

Translated into English using ChatGPT.

Table of Contents Chapter I. Chapter II. Chapter III. Chapter IV. Chapter V. Chapter VI. Chapter VII. Chapter VIII. Chapter IX. Chapter X. Chapter XI. Chapter XII. Chapter XIII. Chapter XIV. Chapter XV. Chapter XVI. Chapter XVII.

Chapter I.

Why Ambrose undertakes to write a defense of David. The history of the deed is set forth. Then it is shown that the one whom God has justified is not to be judged; on the contrary, he is even to be praised, for in such power he did not commit more sins.

We have taken up the task of writing an apology for the present style of the prophet David, not because he needs this gift, who has excelled in such great merits and flourished in virtues, but because many people, reading the sequence of his deeds without considering the power of the Scriptures or the hidden mysteries, wonder how such a great prophet did not avoid the contagion of adultery first and then of murder.

Therefore, it was our desire to review the history itself, which seems to have been exposed to sin. For in the second book of Kings (2 Samuel 11:2-27), we read that while David was walking in his royal palace, he saw a woman bathing (her name was Bathsheba), of remarkable beauty and grace, with a very attractive face, and he was overcome by the desire to possess her. However, the woman was married to a man named Uriah, and the scene of his death was arranged by royal command. For although it had no effect on his desire, yet it was considered to greatly impede his sense of shame for adultery.

Therefore, let us begin with the most obvious, whom God justified, so that you may not judge. 'For it is of little concern to me,' says Paul, 'that I should be judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself' (1 Corinthians 4:3). Even though he was still in the body and subject to temptation, he did not judge himself because a spiritual person is not judged by anyone but God alone. Finally, he added, 'The one who judges me is the Lord' (1 Corinthians 4:4). Therefore, do not judge anything before the appointed time (ibid., 4 and 5). But David has already fulfilled his time and has earned grace, and he is justified by Christ; since David himself rejoiced in being called the son of the Lord, and those who confessed him in this way were enlightened. Why do you call a man of God from a reward to judgment? The Lord has already judged him, of whom he said to Solomon: If you walk before me as your father David walked in the holiness of heart and righteousness, in order to do everything I commanded him (3 Kings 9:4). Is he worthy of judgment or reward, who has done everything according to heavenly commands, walking in holiness and righteousness of heart? Where the vices and sins of others are hidden, there David receives divine testimony of his virtue and glory. And we discuss his sin in vain, for it is through his merit and grace that the sins of others have been revealed. For when Solomon sinned by not keeping the Lord's commands and God intended to divide his kingdom into many parts, He said to him: However, I will not do this in your days because of your father David. I will take it from the hand of your son. However, I will not take the whole kingdom; I will give him one scepter because of my servant David (3 Kings 11:12-13). Therefore, since the Lord justifies, who is there to condemn? What God has cleansed, you must not call common (Acts 10:15).

Nevertheless, with due regard to heavenly judgment, in which you honor the prophet even more, enter into his actions and behaviors. Do not marvel at the man, and do not judge him to be equal to the angels, because he has spent most of his life, even from childhood, dwelling in riches, honors, and positions of power, and has been subjected to many temptations. He has only once given in to error, and it is through this error that even the angels of heaven, as Scripture recounts (Genesis 6:2), were cast down from their virtue and grace. Indeed, another error of his is mentioned, that he caused the people to be counted.

Chapter II.

David is praised for the humility of his confession; and three reasons are given why it is useful for saints to fall into sin, and God allows it.

Each one of us sins many times throughout the day, and yet each one of the common people does not think that they should confess their own sin. That king, so great and powerful, did not let the consciousness of his sin remain with him even for a brief moment; but by confessing early and with immense sorrow, he gave his sin back to the Lord. Now tell me, can you easily find someone who is honored and wealthy, who would not be greatly distressed if they were accused of some wrongdoing? But that region, famous for its empire, proven by so many divine oracles, when it was rebuked by a private man for having committed a serious offense, did not become indignant, but groaned, confessing with sorrow for the fault. Finally, the Lord, moved by the pain of intimate affection, prompted Nathan to say: 'Because you have repented, and the Lord has forgiven your sin.' Therefore, the maturity of forgiveness declared that the king's repentance was deep, which had brought the offense of such a great error.


Others, when they are rebuked by priests, aggravate their sin by desiring to deny or defend it; and in this way their fall is greater where correction is hoped for. But the holy servants of the Lord, who strive to complete the righteous struggle and run the race of salvation, if perhaps they stumble due to the weakness of human nature rather than a desire to sin, rise up with greater fervor to continue running, repairing greater battles with the spur of modesty; so that not only is it considered that their fall has brought no impediment, but also that they have accumulated incentives for swiftness. Therefore, if the course of those who are running is not disrupted, when perhaps some fall, it is not a contention of those who mourn, but rather harmless competitions; indeed, many even after one or two falls have won with greater grace: how much more should those who have entered the race of piety not be considered offended by a single stumble, seeing that blessed is he who can restore himself after a fall; since even after death, the gift of resurrection belongs to the blessed.

Moreover, we can understand that sin can also be advantageous, and that the providence of the Lord allows the saints to be overtaken by faults. For their purpose is to serve as examples for us to imitate; and therefore it has been arranged that they themselves should sometimes stumble. For if they had completed the course of this slippery world without being beset by vices, they would have given us an opportunity to think of them as having possessed a certain superiority of nature and divinity, so that they could not receive sin or have a share in guilt. What opinion indeed, so that, having been freed from that substance, it would call us back from impossible imitation. Therefore, for a short while, by the grace of God, those [saints] passed by; so that their life might become discipline for us to imitate; and just as we would accept the instruction of their innocence, so also of their repentance from their actions. Therefore, while I read about their failings, I also recognize them as partners in weakness; while I believe in them as partners, I presume that they are to be imitated.

The apostle Paul also warns (2 Cor. 7:7) that our Lord God foresaw that, due to the height of revelations and the ongoing progress of his works, even human emotions might be exalted in the saints and they might ascribe to themselves and attribute to their own virtue what was given to them by divine operation. Therefore, in order to prevent them from falling into such great prejudice and sinking into the pit of unfaithfulness, the Lord allowed them to be confronted with guilt, so that they themselves might recognize the need for divine assistance and understand that they should seek the leader of their salvation. Finally, Paul testifies that weakness has been beneficial to him, with the Lord saying to him, when he asked that the stimulus of his flesh depart from him: My grace is sufficient for you; for power is made perfect in weakness (Ibid., 9). And rightly he boasts in weaknesses; for he knew that the abundance of virtue caused many even holy ones to fall without remedy. How much more advantageous, then, to have given place to one or two reproofs than to have incurred the eternal offense of the divinity?

Chapter III.

It is said that David was exposed to temptation because athletes are trained in various competitions and God wants to serve as an example to us. Furthermore, the adultery of David is portrayed in a figurative manner, with various allegories being used to explain it.

What shall I also add, which we can deduce from the very use of the world, that when we have found many to be diligent and active in one duty, we want to test the same ones as industrious and energetic in another task? How many athletes, when they have excelled in that type of competition, are called to another type of contest! What if the Lord your God also wants to test you in another type of virtue, when you have shown a certain example of your virtue? Though he remained unharmed during the current of his holy work, he was nevertheless tested by the death of his sons and afflicted with sores all over his body, so that even in this he might prove his virtue, that he would not diminish his devotion to God either through injuries or harshness. It is clear that even the holy David, renowned for his faith and most outstanding in gentleness, wished to prove himself strong in hand, so that he might cover up a fault and correct a fall, and thus teach us how we might conceal a sin once committed.


Unless it seems a cheap excuse to someone that the prophet would err so greatly because of our correction, since Christ has taken upon himself our weaknesses for the redemption of all, who became sin for us though he did not know sin. And it is considered unworthy and not credible that David would fall into disgrace for the sake of future generations; when the Lord himself became a disgrace for us, as he himself says: But I am a worm, not a man; scorned by mankind, and despised by the people (Psalm 22:6). And elsewhere: And the reproaches of those who reproached you fell upon me (Psalm 68:10). Therefore, he foreshadowed the mystery of the future dispensation in his own precepts. And indeed, the servants of their own condition bore the sins, therefore they could not themselves be free from sin: but the Lord took on the burden alone, therefore he alone was without the fellowship of offenses.

In conclusion, with the Apostle also teaching, we have learned that many things were done in figure which were done in former times. For when he said that the fathers who were bitten by serpents in the desert could not be healed in any other way except that Moses hung up a brazen serpent, and when this was seen, those deadly bites and injurious effects of the poison were cured, he added: But these things were done in figure to instruct us (1 Corinthians 10:6). In the image, a bronze serpent was placed on a cross; because the true one to be crucified was announced to the human race, who would empty the venom of the devilish serpent, cursed in its image, but in truth, would erase all curses of the world. He also said elsewhere, that is, to the Galatians: Because Abraham had two sons, one from a slave woman, and one from a free woman (Galatians 4:22). And he added: But the one born of the slave woman, according to the flesh; and the one born of the free woman, through the promise; which things are said by allegory (ibid., 23). He clearly explained what is meant by the allegory in the following, saying that those two generations, one born of a slave woman and the other of a free woman, represent two covenants: one indeed from Mount Sinai, which gave birth to slavery, in which Mount Moses received the Law from the Lord; but the other from Jerusalem, which is free, which gave birth to sons through Isaac, that is, in the freedom of grace, not the slavery of the law. For punishment is imposed on slaves, while grace is bestowed on the free. Did not the patriarch Jacob take two wives in a double marriage, from whom he produced different offspring? Why is it read that after the death of his son, the patriarch Judah sought to have sexual relations (Gen. XXXVIII, 16), from which the birth of twins occurred, unless to foreshadow both the Old Testament and the New Testament of Jesus the Lord: one of which is hidden in the figure of his future death, the other in the truth of the Gospel, that two peoples would be generated, of which the latter would fall under the sign of the cross, breaking down all the walls and fortifications of the former people? Here is the people with a prior hand, later in birth. Perhaps because the Lord Jesus himself, born from the tribe of Judah, sent his works before he was born to us from the Virgin.

What can I say about Joseph, who, driven by his brothers' envy, stripped of his father's clothing, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, clearly expressed a sign of the Lord's Incarnation? Because he, beloved of his father, was in the image of God, he did not consider equality with God as something to be seized, but rather he emptied himself; taking the form of a servant, he came and humbled himself even to the death of the cross. By the price of his blood, he both bought and sold and thus redeemed the human race from his own brothers. In whose type David, the lesser chosen from among the brothers, anointed as king, alone, with great danger of war, saved the entire people through a singular contest, triumphed over ten thousand; so that the girls would play the tambourines and sing: Saul has triumphed over thousands, but David over ten thousand (1 Samuel 18:7). What figure in those young men, if not the souls who sing the triumphant psalm to Christ? He gave birth to sons from himself, one incestuous, the other a parricide; because the incestuous and parricidal people would violate the flesh of their own author affixed to the gibbet of the cross. Finally, in the third psalm, the title 'Absalom' is given, and the passion of the Lord is prophesied.

What can I say about the holy Solomon, whose later actions, though not without serious error, the Jewish people still believe he came for the Christ? And how many people did his offense of serious error turn away? Therefore, the greater fault was more beneficial so that he would not be believed to be above a human who was not free from human vice. Therefore, there was envy in his wisdom and persuasive fault that confirmed the man.

So what prevents Bathsheba from being believed to have been associated with the holy David in figure, in order to signify the gathering of nations, which was not connected to Christ by a legitimate bond of faith, which would enter before the Law through certain vestibules set for its sake, in which the naked sincerity of the mind, and the open simplicity of the justifying mystery of baptism, would lead, provoke the mind of the true David and eternal king, and stir up charity? He came rightly hidden, who deceived the prince of the world, like Uriah who is called my light by interpretation, transforming himself into an angel of light. He came, I say, into this world, and he came hidden, like an adulterer who entered, to claim his rightful authority.

Chapter IV.

By praising the repentance of David in a more detailed manner, he openly declares that no one is found to be immune from falling through the example of the most holy men.

We have distinguished valid allegations, as we believe, and have shown in detail the text of this history: now let us repeat what has been said before, and let us examine the error as if it were stripped of its spiritual clothing. David sinned, as kings often do: but he repented, he wept, he groaned, which kings do not usually do. He confessed his fault, begged for forgiveness, lay prostrate on the ground lamenting his misery, fasted, prayed, and transmitted the testimony of his confession through eternal ages with the publication of his pain. What private individuals are ashamed to do, the king is not ashamed to confess. Those who are bound by laws dare to deny their own sin, disdain to ask for forgiveness, which he who is bound by no human laws sought. What he sinned, belongs to his condition: what he begged for, belongs to his correction. A common, but special confession. Therefore, it is the nature to have committed fault: it is the virtue to have washed it away. Who boasts, he says, to have a clean heart? The world is declared to be no more than a day old, according to the testimony of Scripture (Job 14:5).

Give me someone without the fault of sin. Samson is read as the strongest of all (Judges 14 and following), who even strangled a lion with his own hands; but if only he could have suffocated his love. He set fire to the harvests of the Allophylians, and he himself burned with the spark of a single woman. Jephthah returned as the victor from the enemy: but carrying back triumphal flags, he was defeated by his own oath, considering that he should reward the piety of his daughter who met him with the act of a parricide. First of all, what need was there to swear so easily, and to make uncertain vows in place of certain ones, of which the outcome was not known? And then, why does he render sad sacraments to the Lord God, in order to fulfill his bloody vows with funerals?

Nor do I think we should remain silent about the priests, lest it seem that we are concealing our own crimes. Aaron himself, the high priest (under the leadership of Moses, when the Hebrew people crossed the Red Sea on foot), when asked by the people to make gods for them to worship, demanded gold, threw it into the fire, and a carved calf's head was formed, to which sacrifices were offered. By this indication, it became clear that the desire for gold is the source of treachery, and that sacrilege is accustomed to be produced by the greed for wealth. Once again, such a priest encounters a place of offense with his sister Miriam. For while both of them slander their brother because he had taken a foreign wife, immediately Miriam broke out in the contagion of blemished flesh.

It was in this visible place that there was a representation of the mystery, which that priestly people of the fathers belittled in later times to the brotherly people, unaware of that Ethiopian's sacrament. For if he had known, he would not have criticized it, because it was in agreement with the ancient mystery. Therefore, when the Jew declares him who believed from the Gentiles to be common, and desires to separate him from the Law, he has leprosy, which he will not be able to escape unless the spiritual recognition of the law has secured pardon for him.

Therefore even David, who knew himself to be born for the fall, sought forgiveness; but he did not despair of the Lord's mercy.

Chapter V.

The parable that Nathan proposed to David is explained; and it is applied to Christ, and the human flesh assumed by Him.

Nor does the parable seem to differ from the mystery. For who is rich, except our Lord Jesus, who said of Himself, as it is read today, that a certain man who was rich went to a far country to receive a kingdom and to return (Luke 19:13). And truly He was rich in the riches of His majesty, and in the fullness of His own divinity, to whom the Angels and Archangels, the Virtues and Powers, the Principalities and Dominions, the Cherubim and Seraphim served with unwearied obedience. But despite being wealthy, he left ninety-nine sheep in the mountains, and one sheep that had become tired, he sought after. The ruler of this world, poor and needy due to the contemplation of that rich man, nourished her as if she were his own daughter with his own provisions. Indeed, she had rightfully failed, for her sustenance was the food of the world. This sheep had wandered in Adam, enticed by the deceit of the serpent.

And not a bad sheep, which was full of the Word, namely the rational daughter of the week, and the holy gift of the author; nevertheless, it was nourished not by any precious things, but by the cheap resources of the poor for a long time. Finally, it is said that he ate of her bread and drank of her cup, and slept in her bosom (2 Samuel 12:3). Ethiopian food is not good, the harmful golden cup of Babylon that intoxicates nations: sleep is not beneficial to those who sleep, it is better to be awake. Finally, all the foolish ones were disturbed in heart, they fell into their sleep, and found nothing. Therefore, out of hospitality, because he had taken in a guest in order to provide him with a meal, he took away that poor sheep. For, if he were to sacrifice any animal from his own flocks or herds, he would not have been able to benefit us, whom he would not have redeemed unless he had sacrificed.

Therefore, due to the weaknesses of our fragile nature, he assumed a certain compassionate affection in his flesh, for the purpose of alleviating or rather restoring it; and he offered his flesh to that saving passion, so that he might provide us with the food of eternal life. And the Scripture well calls him a lamb, because he was born of a Virgin. This rich man is rightly pronounced worthy of death by the prophetic judgement; for even Caiaphas prophesied, saying: It is expedient that one man should die for the people. But only the Lord Jesus was worthy and chosen for such a death, by which he would take away the sin of the world. He also beautifully added: 'He shall restore the lamb' (2 Samuel 12:6); because he raised his own flesh, he restored that flesh to its virginal integrity. Nor is it idle what he says: 'He shall restore fourfold.' For the resurrection of the dead is quadrupled, as the Apostle teaches, saying: 'It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body' (1 Corinthians 15:42 and following). He shall undoubtedly restore fourfold the lamb even in the way that a man can now say: If I have taken anything from anyone, I will repay fourfold (Luke X, 8). Appropriately, he also added: Because he did not spare (2 Samuel XII, 6); for Christ did not spare himself in order to help everyone.

Therefore, it was said by the Lord Jesus Christ to his servant David, in order to declare the mystery: 'For you have done this in secret, but I will do this word before all Israel, and in the sight of this sun' (2 Kings 12:12). And at first, not knowing the sacrament, David was moved by indignation, but he did not err in his affection. But afterwards, when he understood the great mystery, the great sacrament of Christ and the Church, seeing the future forgiveness of all sins, foreseeing the brightness of grace through the washing of regeneration, and the infusion of the Holy Spirit, he confidently confessed his sin to the Lord, so that he could come into the fellowship of those to whom the remission of guilt would come. Who would wonder that he has been forgiven, considering how deeply he has lamented his own sin?

Chapter VI.

To differentiate between the good and the bad, it is because the former are followed by sins, while the latter are preceded by them; and to those works through which David covered up his sin.

Now let us consider his works by which he was able to cover sin. For, because human weakness cannot exist without sin, care must be taken that there be not more sins than works of virtue. This was expressively stated by Saint Paul, the holy one of great wisdom, saying: The sins of some men are, before hand, manifest, going before to judgment, and some men they follow after (1 Timothy 5:24), that is to say, no one is found free from fault; someone has good merits, and also has vices and sins. Therefore, all our actions are weighed as if on a balance scale: if good deeds outweigh sins, they go before judgment; for sins tend to sink like a weight, particularly those that are evident in severity or quantity. But, he says, some come after, that is, those who have conducted themselves with moderation but have occasionally succumbed to the frailty of their condition and allowed room for error. Good deeds come before, and evil deeds follow. Hi honestiores, sed tamen homines lapsi levioribus vitiis et erratis. Ergo justos sequuntur peccata, non praeeunt; injustos praecedunt. Praeponderant peccata quae vergunt; sequuntur autem si quae recte facta sunt, quasi quodam praejudicio peccatorumpraeeuntium praegravata. Similiter et facta bona manifesta sunt. Lucent enim opere virtutum, et splendore meritorum; et quae aliter se habent, abscondi non possunt. Therefore such things are not concealed, the charity which covers a multitude of sins does not overshadow them, the grace of good works does not cover them, the multitude of virtues is not hidden, but they are exposed as if naked and uncovered. For there is not in them who says: Protect me under the shadow of your wings (Psalm 16:8). For the cross of the Lord blots out and hides all errors.

Who then has covered and concealed more than the holy David, who also says elsewhere: And under the shadow of thy wings I will hope, until iniquity pass away (Ps. LVI, 2); and thus he loved the Lord, so that he covered and hid every sin with excessive charity. For even if the holy apostle Peter abolished his fall by the confession of his love, and he was asked by the Lord three times: Simon son of John, do you love me (John XV, 16)? That he who denied three times, would confess three times, and thus hide his triple denial under the cover of triple love: if because Peter wept once, he obtained forgiveness, how much more so David, who washed his bed with tears every night, and soaked his couch with tears; whose tears were his bread day and night; who ate ashes like bread, and mixed his drink with weeping? For if Jesus had mercy on him who groaned in repentance; if he looked at Peter, and he wept: how much more so for him who wept for a long time, did he not depart from the sight of the Lord? Petrus denied, and did not weep, because he had not looked at Jesus; he denied a second time, and did not weep, because he had not looked at the Lord; he denied a third time, Jesus looked at him, and immediately he wept, and he wept bitterly. Therefore David, who always wept, said: My eyes are always toward the Lord (Psalm 25:15). He who always saw Christ, said: My eyes shed streams of tears (Psalm 119:136).

But now let us also consider his accomplishments. Who would not overshadow the envy of such great virtues with one crime? Chosen by divine examination, he immediately proved himself unworthy of such a judgment. He went into battle, and while the others were trembling, he alone, with the throwing of words like Goliath and the terrifying force of his immense body, overcame his opponents with both faith and courage. His bravery became the victory of all. Let it be conferred, if it pleases, a private crime and the triumph of all: the death of one, and the life of the many whom he freed from death.

Let us move on to other things. He suffered from the plots of the king, who sought to extinguish his life. But by divine arrangement, the king was placed under his power, and when he was completely exposed to attack, David, the holy one, intervened and turned away the deadly wound from his body, saying: 'Do not touch the anointed one of the Lord.' (1 Samuel 24:7). Furthermore, the enemies of David avenged his death and mourned his end with great sorrow. He postponed the authority that was rightfully his for a long time, knowing it was owed to him by God. By this alone he taught all men not to seize power, even if it is deserved; but to wait for it to be handed to them in due time. If only future generations had imitated this man, we would not have suffered such bitter calamities of war! You criticize that he has killed one man, but you do not consider that he has taught how peace can be preserved for the Roman world. How heavily we still pay for the devastation, how we have paid with the death of a king, sought by the public as if it were the death of the whole world. Alas, terrible punishments! From then onwards, the barbarous enemy insults us, while weapons prepared against them are turned against us. Thus, the strength of the state has fallen, Roman virtue has been weakened by its own movements, while it is seized by public parricide, which is undertaken with the religious concern of paternal care. And he has so far provided for this, that when he discovered that Adonias, his son, was plotting to usurp the kingdom for himself, he chose to sow discord, not with the one who desired to seize it, but with the one who was awaiting it.


The most powerful of kings was dancing in front of the ark of the Lord, and when he was rebuked by his own wife for being naked in front of the maidens, he replied: I will dance before the Lord even more, and I will be even more playful before your eyes; for, he said, it is to honor the Lord who has chosen me over your father to be king (2 Samuel 6:21), teaching that royal power should not be considered when showing devotion to religion. It is indeed honorable to act for religion, even if it may be incongruous with power.


Look at another memorable spectacle. The son of a parricide violently seized the paternal kingdom, at first his father yielded to his madness and avoided a place of battle, so that perhaps the impious one would come to his senses from his fury. He also did not want to participate in the war, he asked those going to battle to spare his son. He was confident of victory, since he asked for mercy: nor was he devoid of piety, since he did not believe that even an impious son should perish. He wept and mourned the death of the parricide with great sorrow, saying: 'My son, Absalom, who will give me death for you, my son Absalom?' (2 Kings 18:33). He considered that the one who had killed out of filial duty deserved to be vindicated.

But how patient he was of injuries and grief! He yielded, as I said, to the madness of his son Absalom, surrounded by strong warriors on the right and left. A man named Shimei cursed him, calling him a bloody man and a man of blood, and claimed that he had been deposed from the kingdom by the just judgment of the Lord. But he was not even moved by such insults; however, his companions were. Finally, one of his associates (a man named Abishai) threatened to take his head as the price of the injuries. But the king turned to Abishai and said, What is it to me and to you, O son of Zeruiah? Therefore he curses me because the Lord has commanded him to curse (2 Kings 16:10). He morally teaches that the times of our injuries or dangers, the struggles of temptations, and the trials of tests are meant to be punished by divine judgment. The good athlete is trained through insults, is trained through labors and dangers, so that he may be worthy of receiving the crown of righteousness. Therefore, the things that are considered adverse must be endured patiently. Finally, the divine Scripture also teaches you this elsewhere, with the righteous person saying: If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, why should we not endure bad things? (Job 2:10).

And the holy Prophet added, saying: Behold my son, who came out of my womb, seeks my life. But if Jemineus curses me, let him curse; for the Lord has commanded him to see my humility; and the Lord will repay me for this curse. O height of prudence! O sign of patience! O great discovery of devouring insults! You are moved, Abessa, that a stranger curses me, whom the son seeks with patricide; the Lord has commanded him to curse me. But the Lord is not malicious, nor does He delight in insults.

See how carefully he guards each one. He does not accuse the Lord as if he were the author of the injury, but rather praises Him because he allows us to suffer lesser things so that we may obtain forgiveness for greater sins. Behold, the insult of words has lifted the burden of parricide, absolving the insolent one, whose curses are more beneficial, as they are rewarded by divine retribution. Who would not compensate for such an injury within himself, so that the one whom a man has harmed may be comforted by the superior retribution of God?

Chapter VII.

From the fight of David against the giants, and the pouring of water on the lake of Bethleem; from which and other illustrious deeds it is concluded that his sin was covered by him: especially since he committed it without a bloody emotion, and afterward preferred to entrust himself to God rather than to men; and he himself taught that the crime was forgiven to him.

Let us also consider his other exploits. He fought against the offspring of the giants, when one of them almost killed the king with a spinning javelin in battle, but the enemy, daringly, paid the price of death for his rescue.

After achieving victory over a ferocious tribe, he undertook another massive war in the valley of the Titans, not only against the enemy, but also against nature. For while he was fighting, he was thirsty and had nothing to drink. He said, 'Who will give me water from the well that is in Bethlehem, near the gates? (2 Samuel 23:15)' However, the enemy was situated between the well and the sacred place of David, and there were enemy encampments surrounding the area. Three men cut down a multitude of enemies and filled water from the lake in Bethlehem, and offered it to the king to drink. But the king refused to drink and poured it out to the Lord. For it was worthy of such a great gift that the emblem of living virtue became a sacrifice of piety. And he said a fitting sentence in the spirit of prophecy: Let me not do this; let me not drink the blood of the men who departed from their souls. Therefore, he conquered nature by not drinking when thirsty; and he set an example for all the army to endure thirst. He also trained his subjects in the duty of virtue, so that even voluntary soldiers would obey royal command through danger. But the fact that he did not want to drink, he declared was because of the grace of testing the soldiers, not the necessity of satisfying thirst. He also foresaw that the use of drinking by kings should not be sought through the dangers of others. Finally, the wound of a guilty conscience entreated, since she could not have the pleasure of drinking the water sought with the blood of so many men, which was determined by the horror of the proposed death.

But if you desire to contemplate more deeply and penetrate the mystery, David did not thirst for water from the lake in Bethlehem, but in his spirit, he foresaw Christ arising from the Virgin. Therefore, he desired to drink not the water of a river, but the drink of spiritual grace. That is, he did not thirst for the element of water, but for the blood of Christ. In the end, he did not drink the offered water, but poured it out to the Lord, signifying that he thirsted for the sacrifice of Christ, not for the flow of nature. He thirsted for that sacrifice in which there is remission of sins, he thirsted for that eternal fountain, not one that is sought through others' dangers, but one that wards off others' dangers.


Therefore, do we not believe that the blood of one covered by such marvelous works? Justly the voice of the blood of Abel cried out to the Lord; for Cain, the wicked one, was not covered by any good works because he was a murderer, because he did not confess his crime, but denied it. However, David had indeed killed a man who was not at all guilty; but he killed him not out of a desire for cruelty, but to overshadow shame, to cover the shame of lust. I dare not say that he was oppressed by force of crime (for he who knew how to lift himself from the ruin of that sin was not oppressed), but I say that he was swayed by the force of temptation. For he had said above: Test me, O Lord, and try me; burn my kidneys and my heart (Psalm 25:2). And elsewhere: But I said in my abundance, I will not be moved forever (Psalm 29:7). And: You have tested me with fire, and no iniquity has been found in me (Psalm 16:3). The Lord wanted to subject Himself to temptation, so that He would not arrogate anything above mankind; for strength is perfected in weakness. He did not act out of cruel affection: nothing can be attributed to the holy Prophet that is less sanctified, who even in the last moments of his life called upon Solomon his son, to take away his innocent blood, which his commander-in-chief Joab had shed, when Abner, while negotiating a partnership, fell victim to the ambush of an enemy force, although he desired to lie with him. He wept for him, and after mourning for him, he walked with the insignia of power taken off, and attended to the proper funeral rites. Having taught, moreover, that a promised faith must be kept, he also showed that honor and virtue should be respected even in an enemy. Did he not, with the gentleness of his own inherited piety, also remove the stain of this error?

How excellent, however, that he chose whichever of the three conditions offered to him he wanted, when, with the people having been counted, he incurred offense, since he had proposed either whether he wanted a famine to happen over the land for three years, or to flee from the face of his pursuing enemies for three months, or to die in the land for three days; he chose the third, because he preferred the power of the Lord, rather than the power of men! For the Lord would quickly have mercy and forgive. Thus he says: I am greatly distressed in these three things, but I will fall into the hands of the Lord (for his mercy is very great) rather than fall into the hands of men (2 Kings 24:14). With this humility, prudence, and gentleness, he caused, to use the words of Scripture, the Lord to have repentance for his own disturbance. Finally, it is written: Because the Lord had repentance for the evil (Jeremiah 16:19).


But truly that is also admirable (Of Penance, dist. 3, cap. That truly), when he offered himself to the angel striking the people, saying: This flock, what has it done! Let your hand be upon me, and upon the house of my father (2 Samuel 24:17). By this action, he was immediately judged worthy of sacrifice, who was considered unworthy of forgiveness. And it is not surprising that through such an offering for the people, he obtained forgiveness for his own sin, since Moses, by offering himself to the Lord for the error of the people, also erased the sins of the people.


Therefore, should one confess their sins or not? But who would deny this, when the Prophet himself has taught that sins be forgiven, crimes be covered, and not be imputed by the Lord? He himself has taught the remission of sin, as it is written: I acknowledge my offense, and I have not hidden my injustice. I said, I will disclose my injustice to the Lord, and You have forgiven the impiety of my heart (Psalm 32:5). If he said, I will disclose, and he deserved forgiveness before he disclosed; how much more when he spoke of himself saying: I acknowledge my iniquity (Psalm 50:5), was all his sin forgiven? It is especially permissible that Nathan the prophet responded: And the Lord has taken away your sin (II Sam. XII, 13).

Therefore, he earned the forgiveness of his iniquity, and he covered it with charity and concealed his sins, and he covered them with good works. No sin was imputed to him, because there was no malicious intent in him, but rather a slip of error. Furthermore, it was not a wave of wickedness, but rather a shadow of mystery. And yet, he confessed his offense, acknowledged his wrongdoing, saw the cleansing, and saw, and believed. He loved greatly, so that he could cover any error with excessive charity.

Chapter VIII.

Why is Psalm 50 placed before some other compositions and what mysteries are contained in its fiftieth number? How does the example of David teach us to perform penance and how can one be cleansed from wickedness in various ways?

But now let him defend himself, for he has written the fiftieth psalm about this story. And when he has included the history of his previous actions, such as the treachery of Doeg the Syrian, which is the title of the fifty-first psalm, and the attacks of the Ziphites, which seems to be included in the title of the fifty-third psalm; he has included this history that comes later, when Doeg had betrayed before, or the Ziphites, before the prophet David assumed his kingdom. Since he, fleeing King Saul, was still wandering in various hidden places as an exile; but when Bathsheba began to reign, he acquired it.

Why, then, does the order of the psalms not match the order of the events? Because it was intended to match not the order to the order, but the mystery to the events; and therefore, it wanted to assign the number of remission to this history. For the number fifty is the number of remission, as the Lord himself taught us in the Gospel, saying: There were two debtors to a certain moneylender; one owed five hundred denarii, the other fifty; since they had no way of repaying, he forgave both. Who then loves him more (Luke 7:41 and 42)? And in the Law you have (Leviticus 25:10 and following), because the jubilee is called the recurrence of fifty years, to be celebrated in a very special way, by which debts are canceled, the liberties of the Hebrews are confirmed, and possessions are restored. We celebrate this number joyfully after the Lord's passion, with the complete forgiveness of all guilt, and also with the cancellation of the handwriting, we are set free from every bond; and we receive the coming grace of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost: fasting is set aside, praise is given to God, and alleluia is sung. Finally (36, quaest. 2, cap. Finally), and the father of the girl who, by force, having been betrothed to no one, endured fifty silver didrachms, she herself, however, will remain in marriage (Deut. XXII, 29). Therefore, by this number, even vices are transformed into favor. Therefore, a great psalm, by which we are taught how repentance should be practiced.

Have mercy upon me, O Lord, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my iniquity. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my iniquity, and my sin is always before me. Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight; that thou mayest be justified in thy words, and overcome when thou art judged. For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive me. (Psalm 50:3 and following) Who among us, even if he confesses his sin, would rather not be reproved than repeated? Who would repent a second or third time? See how the great Prophet echoes his own sin in so many verses, how no verse is without the confession of a transgression. He confesses everything together, his iniquities and injustice, by personifying them, linking his sins to sins; and by frequently repeating them, he rightly demands great mercy; not only great mercy, but also a multitude of mercies. Therefore, does not such lamentation wash away sin, which kind of supplication does not cleanse guilt? He prays for the multitude of sins for one offense: we, for many sins, can scarcely believe that his mercy is to be besought even once. Then we read (Psalm 135:11 and 12) that in his great power and his exalted arm he delivered his people from the land of Egypt, when he led them across the Red Sea, in which was a figure of baptism. Therefore, if great virtue was in the form of the sacraments, how much greater is their mercy in truth? Also, rightly is there a multitude of mercies sought where there is a multitude of sinners.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin (Psalm 50:4). He seeks to be washed not so much often as completely, so that he may wash away the accumulated filth. He knew that according to the Law there were many means of cleansing, but none that were full and perfect. Therefore, he hastens with his whole intention to that which is perfect, where all righteousness is fulfilled, which is the sacrament of Baptism, as the Lord Jesus himself teaches. For when he came to John, John said to him: I ought to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me (Matthew 3:14). Jesus answered: Let it be so for now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness (ibid., 15). But after Christ was baptized, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and the Father sealed the Son from heaven, all righteousness was fulfilled. Therefore the Prophet says: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. For great filth and stain are removed not by a small, but by a large lavacro.

But if someone wants to receive it differently, they can shape their understanding in this way; divine speech purifies, our confession purifies; while it is heard, while it is uttered; good thought purifies, honest action purifies, good use of conversation also. Each person, purified by these things, more easily drinks them in and as if draws into themselves the splendor of spiritual grace. In the end, not by one infusion does the precious juice immediately radiate from the fleece, but first the fleece is stained with unholy juice; then it frequently washes away its natural appearance with other and other juices, and is often changed by different colors; and thus afterwards it is applied as a more complete dye, so that the truer and more perfect brilliance of purple may burst forth. Just as in the infection of purple, there is a multitude of thorns, so in the bath of regeneration, there is a multitude of heavenly mercies, so that wickedness may be removed. Therefore, one who is deeply washed is cleansed from injustice and from sin, and sets aside a certain inclination to sin in thoughts and habits, and forgets its nature. And one is cleansed well from injustice or iniquity, which is greater: one is also cleansed from sin, which is lesser.

Chapter IX.

Few admit their own sins like David, rather many of them boast about them; the wise never forget the memory of their wrongdoing; and how powerful is the conscience? There is a difference between sin and iniquity: and by what means are they erased, being joined together by baptism and repentance.


Therefore he added: Because I acknowledge my iniquity, and my sin is always against me (Psalm 50:5). It is no small thing for each person to acknowledge their sin. Therefore, it also says above: Who can understand his errors? (Psalm 19:13) That is, who is so great that they can understand? How is it said: Who shall dwell in your tabernacle, or who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord? (Psalm 15:1) Certainly not no one, but few. For whoever can recognize, can decline, can choose what to follow. Many boast in their own faults, and they think that those things which are a disgrace are praiseworthy. If he defiles another's bed, and overpowers the virtue of a chaste woman, if he alters the intention of a widow through some deceit: another thinks that to live by the plundering and killing of men is virtue: some believe that to deceive and cheat is wisdom. Of these, no one can say: Since I acknowledge my iniquity, but he who can grieve for what he has done, condemn himself for what he has committed, whom his own vices torment. Hence the Prophet says, What you say in your hearts, and are pierced in your beds (Psalm 4:5). Many horses, when they fall, are accustomed to boast; and those whom misfortune has not harmed, weaken and break themselves by boasting. Others, of the nature of Greek horses, when they have been knocked down either in a chariot race or by chance, are accustomed not to move at all, and hold a certain discipline of calmness and patience. If a misfortune has not harmed him, calm is beneficial; surely offense does not embitter. Are not mute animals to be considered worse, those who boast about their own sins and think it is a mark of virtue when a crime has been committed? That is why it is said to the dumb beast: You have sinned, be still (Gen. IV, 7).

Hence he added beautifully: And my offense against me is always present. For the foolish take delight in their errors and, by shading the old with the new, consider themselves helped by their sins; therefore, they rejoice in their crime. But the wise judge their offense to be against themselves and, just as if they were opposing lines of battle, they think that the slips of their faults are resisting them. Whatever may have shone forth, whatever may have resounded, his own fault always comes to mind; whatever may have been said or read, he thinks was said about himself; whatever he may have intended, he thinks was marked by his nod, by his glance. If he worries, if he thinks, if he prays and beseeches, before his eyes there is always his own error, and at every moment guilt strikes his conscience, and it does not let him rest or forget, as if a harsh censor torments himself with perpetual terror. Therefore, he has all things against him who displeases himself, who is his own accuser, who is his own witness, and he does not find where to flee, who himself scourges and provokes himself. But this is of a noble mind, to feel the wound of sin. For those who are unfamiliar with pain, they do not feel the bitterness of injury, which is the incurability of illness. However, those who are stung by some pain, just as they do not lack the sensation of pain, they also do not lack the progress of health. For where there is the sensation of pain, there is also the sensation of life; for to feel is a sign of vitality and function. Hence, he who does not recognize his own error, is insane, rages, is foolish; but he who does recognize it, certainly repents, does not reject the remedies of health, but restrains himself, regrets his fault, always thinks about it, and by thinking, condemns himself. For in the beginning of his sermon, he is the accuser of himself. He who accuses himself is just; he who is just is sober, sane. The just man does not know how to favor himself, does not know how to bend the strictness of judgment even towards himself, dreads the remembrance of his own mistakes, and is ashamed of the error he has committed, fears, dreads, shrinks from every memory of it; he judges himself to be severe to himself, he flees from himself as judge, and does not dare to entrust himself to himself; which he thinks is no heavier burden for himself than that he cannot hide from himself, deceive himself, or escape and avoid himself, except to deny himself and take up the cross of the Lord.

Great is the power of a guilty conscience, great are the torments. Adam and Eve were afraid; and when they heard the voice of the Lord walking in paradise, they desired to hide themselves, whom no one was seeking. Cain also feared lest anyone who found him would kill him: thus he carried within himself the judgment that he was deserving of no forgiveness. Hence it is well said: And my sin is always against me, that is, the constant memory and the very image of my error assail me. Consider how it confuses us when we have done something wrong, how it makes our eyes cast down, how it always comes back to our memory. One who is ashamed of what they have done does not know how to commit such an act again, and thus feels the same embarrassment.

However, injustice precedes, sin follows. Injustice is the root, but the fruit of the root is guilt. Hence, injustice seems to refer to the wickedness of the mind, sin to the downfall of the body. Injustice is more serious as the material of sins, sin is lighter. Finally, injustice is forgiven through baptism, sin is covered by good deeds, and is overshadowed by other works. Hence, he himself rightly says earlier: Blessed are those whose injustices are forgiven, and whose sins are covered (Psalm 32:1). For charity hides errors and covers a multitude of sins. Charity also forgives many sins itself, as it is written about the woman who poured ointment on the Lord: Her many sins have been forgiven, because she loved much (Luke 7:47).

There are also those who take the first verse to be about baptism, the second about penance. By this grace also, Peter, who had been previously baptized, is questioned after seeing the Lord and denies: Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said to Him: Of course you know, Lord, that I love you (John 21:15 and following). And he is questioned again: Simon, son of John, do you love me? And he responds again: You know that I love you. And he is questioned a third time: Simon, son of John, do you love me? And he was grieved because he said to him for the third time, 'Do you love me?' And he spoke to him: 'Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you.' And it was said to him three times: 'Feed my sheep; follow me' (John 21). He, as if he had covered his sin with excessive love, is commanded to govern the people after his confession of excessive love, who had not even lost his troubled state, as to how he should govern himself. We have mentioned these things for the sake of the grace of love, because it covers sin. Finally, some have said that the triple interrogation of love was made because there was a triple negation; so that the repeated profession of love could erase the triple fall of denial.

Chapter X.

David, though free from human laws, nevertheless subjected himself to God, to whom alone he sinned; and in how many ways can this be understood? It is a great crime to sin in the presence of God. He who denies himself as a sinner accuses God of lying, whose patience and moderation is commended. In addition, God is justified by him who repents of his error.

It follows, 'To you alone have I sinned' (Ps. 50:6). He was certainly a king, not bound by any laws, for kings are free from the bonds of sins. They are not called to punishment by any laws, being safe under the power of their rule. Therefore, he did not sin against man, to whom he was not bound. But although he was safe under the rule, he was still subject to God by devotion and faith. Knowing himself to be subject to His law, he could not deny his sin; but as a guilty person, he confessed with bitterness, knowing that he was held by greater bonds, because he owed greater things. For more is demanded from him to whom more has been entrusted. We can also receive it in this way. Who judges me, when all are under sin? Lastly, the Lord about that adulterer: He who is without sin, he says, let him be the first to stone her (John 8:7). And no one stoned her. Therefore the Prophet says: I have sinned against you alone, who alone are without sin. But he who is subject to sin cannot judge as a sinner. For every man is inexcusable who, in condemning another for the same things he himself does, condemns himself; for in judging another, he judges himself. I have sinned against you, he said, and done evil in your sight; so that you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you judge (Psalm 50:6). I have sinned against you, who have provoked me to the pursuit of virtue, who have instructed me in your law. I have sinned against you alone, whom alone the secret thoughts and hidden intentions of the mind do not deceive.

And I have done evil before you, whom only sanctification befits. We reject the testimony of man, and in your sight we commit things unworthy. It is a wrong to mankind to witness wicked deeds. We know that God is the judge of all, and by that very witness, we sin. And yet in these things, our Lord God is even more justified; for our injustice commends the justice of God, and our lies celebrate the truth of God. For God is true, but every man is a liar.

In order that you may be justified in your words. The words of God are full of truth and justice, and therefore whatever the Lord has spoken about the frailty of human nature is true, because their hearts are inclined to wickedness and they lean towards deceit; and because it has been determined that there is no man who does not sin: for all have turned away and have become useless (Psalm 14:3). Therefore, He triumphs even when He is judged, because by the fall of all, He has proven whatever falsehood He has judged in us. Therefore, if we say that we have committed iniquity, we justify God in His words; but if we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us: but it is evident that we are all under sin.

Therefore, how can a person deny themselves as a sinner when it seems to undermine and refute the truth to the utmost extent in God Himself, who is so moderate and patient that He prevails even when judged? For God comes to judgment and says: My people, what have I done to you, or how have I grieved you, or how have I been a burden to you? For I brought you out of the land of Egypt, and delivered you from the house of slavery, and sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before your face. My people, have in mind what Balach has thought of you (Micah 6:3 and following). He places his individual benefactions before your eyes, as if you were the judge of what you should have preserved, so that you may be all the more guilty for not being able to uphold divine benefactions. 'What have I done to you?' he says, as if he were setting himself up as the accused and you as the judge. 'Or how have I caused you sorrow?' He does not deny that his offended countenance is a crime, if you are saddened by God's prompting. But why was I a bother to you? He confesses the offense of interruption, if it was regarded as more annoying: he adds the favors for which he was not ashamed, who turned out ungrateful. In this case also consider how the Lord presented Himself to be judged by David, in order to conquer; for Nathan says: Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I anointed you as king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul, and I gave you all that belonged to your master, and his wives I put into your arms, and I gave you the house of Israel; and if these things are little, I will add to you. And why have you despised the Lord, doing evil in his sight (2 Samuel XII, 7 and following)? In remembrance of these things, when he saw himself to be inferior and judged, he said: I have sinned against the Lord (Ibid., 13). Thus, he justified the Lord, who dared not deny his own sin.

We can accept it in this way: the Lord is justified by the one who confesses his sin. Finally, in the Gospel (Luke 7:29), you have that the publicans justified God, being baptized with John's baptism. But John the Baptist performed a baptism of repentance. However, those who practice repentance do not deny their sins. Therefore, since David always acknowledged his sin against himself, he surely did not deny it and was ashamed, and he surely did not deny it and confessed it. However, by not denying, he certainly carried out the repentance of his mistake; and thus, by confessing the offense, he justified the Lord, and he himself was justified by the Lord. For the Lord is justified when his righteousness is proclaimed, and forgiveness is sought from him. At the same time, he justifies the one confessing and is justified in his words, as it is written: Declare your iniquities, so that you may be justified (Isaiah 43:26).

Chapter XI.

The prophets teach, by their words, that there is no one who is not conceived in sin. Whether this sin belongs to parents or to offspring, from which only Christ is shown to have been immune.

Thus it follows: For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins my mother bore me (Psalm 50:7). Who acts with such fervor in repentance? He lay prostrate on the ground, poured out in tears, did not taste food, renounced bathing. What more shall I say that he abstained from the adornment and grooming of a king (Confessions of Saint Augustine, Book IV Against Two Letters of the Pelagians, Chapter 11)? He added a confession of his sinfulness and transmitted it to be sung throughout the eternal ages in the whole world. Behold, I am conceived in iniquities, and in sins my mother bore me. Turn away your face from my sins: and blot out all my iniquities. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation. Before we are born, we are stained by sin; and before we enjoy the light, we receive the injustice of our origin, conceived in iniquity: it does not specify whether of our parents, or ours. And in their sins each mother brings forth her own child: nor did he state clearly whether the mother gives birth in sin, or if sins are already present in the unborn. But see that both interpretations are not to be understood. Nor is the concept of iniquity free, because parents themselves are not free from fault. And if an infant is not without sin even for a day, much less are the days of maternal conception without sin. Therefore, we are conceived in the sin of our parents, and we are born in their sins. But childbirth itself also has its contagions, and nature itself has not only one contagion. Indeed, marriage is good, a holy union; but those who have wives should live as if they did not. The marriage bed is defiled, and no one should defraud the other, unless perhaps for a limited time, to devote themselves to prayer. However, according to the Apostle, one should not engage in prayer at the time when they engage in physical union, and when a woman is menstruating, the cloth is defiled, and during those days of purification she cannot offer her sacrifice. And the woman who gives birth, and many others who are exempted from sacrifice, are forbidden until the woman is purified by the prescribed rite.

The Lord said to him: Before I formed you in the womb of your mother, I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you, and made you a prophet unto the nations (Jer. 1:5). Who is so great, to whom such things are bestowed? Is it Jeremiah, perchance? But he was not set forth as a prophet unto the nations, but unto Judea at that time; whereas now also unto nations which have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. See, however, lest it be said of him who, before he was born of a Virgin, already existed, and always was, and even operated while still in the womb of Mary; and so holy was he, that he sanctified his own prophets: in whom alone both the virginal conception and birth were without any mortal taint of origin. For it was fitting (Conf. S. Aug. lib. IV cont. duas epist. Pelag., cap. 11) that he who was not going to have the sin of the fall in his body would not experience any natural contamination of generation. Therefore, David rightly mourned deeply within himself the very stains of nature, that the blemish would appear in man before life.

Chapter XII.

The heavenly sacraments are revealed to those who confess their sins: when these uncertain things are said in the psalm, it is signified that they are not made manifest; but especially in this place, the washing of baptism is prefigured.

While she was saying these things, and confessing the filth of special and common sins, suddenly the splendor of truth and the brightness of spiritual grace shone upon her. Having surpassed the shadow, by the prophetic spirit she herself saw the sacraments of celestial mysteries, of which Moses had foreshadowed in the Law (Exod. XXIV, 7 and following). Therefore, wounded by the wound of charity, and captured by the desire to investigate truth, she extended the gaze of her mind to higher things, and foreseeing future things, she saw treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ, she foreknew the sacrament of baptism and, amazed, she suddenly exclaimed, saying: Behold, for you have loved truth: you have revealed to me the uncertain and hidden things of your wisdom (Psal. L, 8). The mysteries are not uncertain, because they are certain; nor are the secrets and hidden things of wisdom uncertain, but not yet revealed. For this signifies that they have not yet been made clear. For eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him. Therefore, seeing these things, He says: 'Behold, now no longer in shadow, nor in figure, nor in type, but in truth the open light shines forth: behold, now I see the truth, I acknowledge the splendor of truth: now I worship You, O Lord our God, with greater devotion.' For behold, you have loved the truth, not by mirror, not in an enigma, but face to face you have shown yourself to me, O Christ; in your sacraments I find you. These are the true sacraments of your wisdom, by which the hidden aspects of the mind are cleansed.

Therefore, now happy and secure, because the fullness of wisdom had been revealed to him, he says to the Lord: You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; you will wash me, and I will be made whiter than snow (Psalm 50:9). And indeed, it does not empty the sacraments of the Old Testament, but it teaches that the mysteries of the Gospel are to be preferred; it demands to be cleansed with hyssop according to the Law (Exodus 12:22); it desires to be washed according to the Gospel; and it considers itself to be made whiter than snow if it has been cleansed. He was sprinkled with a bundle of hyssop with the blood of the lamb (Lev. 14:6), who desired to be cleansed by a symbolic baptism. But the one who is washed is cleansed by the flowing waters of the eternal font, and is made white as snow, and their guilt is forgiven. Finally, it is said of the soul itself: 'Who is she that ascends, purified?' (Song of Sol. 8:5). Before being baptized, she is the one who says: 'I am black but beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem' (Song of Sol. 1:4). For she was black, dark, and disfigured by the horror of sins; but after being cleansed through baptism, she merits the forgiveness of her offenses and ascends to Christ, made white. Then the Lord spoke through Isaiah, saying: 'If your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow' (Isaiah 1:18), meaning, if they are bloody, if they are foul, I will cleanse them. This is the intelligible snow, of which it is said that the garments of the Lord Jesus shone like snow in the Gospel (Matthew 17:2), because sin did not know Him. For the flesh He put on was free from all defilement. Why do you marvel that He saw the sacraments of baptism, when He said above, in describing the Lord's passion: 'The Lord feeds me, and I lack nothing; He has placed me in a green pasture, and He has led me by the water of refreshment' (Psalm 23:2). And elsewhere: The voice of the Lord is upon the waters, the God of majesty hath thundered (Psalm 28:3). And concerning the same sacrament, He hath spoken more fully: Thou hast prepared a table before me, thou hast anointed my head with oil, and thy chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it! (Psalm 22:5).

Chapter XIII.

David, refreshed by the hearing of future forgiveness, predicts that the lowly bones will exult; but what are they? We must ask God to turn his face away from our sins, and to turn it towards us; likewise, just as sin, so also the iniquity that is its origin, is removed in three ways, which are explained.

Therefore, rightfully and joyfully, he also says: You will give joy and gladness to my hearing, and the humiliated bones will rejoice (Psalm 50:10). You have proven, Lord Jesus, that your words never pass away (Matthew 24:35). You have proven that Gospel statement when you said: Many prophets and righteous people desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it (Matthew 13:17). Look, David rejoices merely at the hearing, because the forgiveness of sins would be forthcoming; and he prophesies that the humiliated bones will rejoice. Just as all the bones of the righteous will say: O Lord, who is like you; so will the humbled bones exult, that is, the soul of the righteous who humbles itself. Therefore, the bones are called virtues; they are called bones like certain movements of the soul or of the mind, which are humbled by sins and exult in the gift of heavenly grace. And the bones are also called the people of the Churches; hence you have the saying in the psalm: My mouth shall not be hidden, which you have made in secret. He said that the Church is His own, and the sacred assembly of devoted people; for we are members of the body of Christ, of His flesh and bones. He therefore says this, that the Church of the Lord will know all divine works, and will receive the faith of the resurrection.

It follows: Turn your face away from my sins, and erase all my iniquities (Psalm 50:11). It is customary in prayer that we ask to forget the offense of those we have harmed. Therefore, the Prophet morally asks God to turn his face away from his sins and to assume them as though forgetting sins. But because God sees everything and nothing escapes him, he cannot forget like us, whose memory slips away from what we have known after a short period of time. Therefore, he rightly says that he should turn his face away, not from himself, so that he does not fail without support: but from sins, so that they do not have the power of his sins. For those whom the Lord looks upon, he enlightens, and in the face of the Lord there is mercy and indulgence. Therefore, he himself says here: Let my judgment come from your face (Psalm 16:2), for from the face of the Lord comes forgiveness, not punishment. Therefore, we should ask that he looks upon us, but turns his face away from our sins, so that he may destroy them. For what it does not see, it destroys; and what it has destroyed, that will be buried in memory, just as the Lord himself says: I am, I am the one who blots out your iniquities, and I will not remember: but you remember, and let us be judged (Isaiah 43:25).

However, sin is either forgiven, or deleted, or covered up: it is forgiven by grace, deleted by the blood of the cross, covered up by charity. Similarly, iniquity, which is considered the disposition of an unjust mind. Although John said in his epistle that whoever commits sin also commits iniquity, as it is written: Everyone who commits sin also commits iniquity (1 John 3:4), sin is iniquity, because in the very sin there is iniquity; however, as it seems to us, sin is the work of iniquity, and iniquity is the agent of guilt and fault. Therefore, it is necessary that wickedness itself be eradicated, the root and seedbed of sins be cut off; let the root of evils be removed, lest it produce evil fruits; let all inclinations for error be abolished, let all types of wickedness be removed.

Therefore, just as discipline in the soul removes ignorance, and knowledge removes ignorance: so perfect virtue removes wickedness, and forgiveness of sins removes all sin. Hence the Apostle rightly says: Because the Lord Jesus has forgiven us our sins, wiping out the handwriting of the decree that was against us, and has taken it away, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14). He has erased with his own blood the writing of Eve, he has erased the obligation of inherited guilt. Therefore, faith diminishes sin. And for this reason, the Lord, when forgiving sins, said: \"Let it be done to you according to your faith.\" (Matthew 8:13).

Chapter XIV.

To have a pure heart is to be renewed by the sun; and within it, what are the organs, what is the spirit, of which the holy Prophet speaks? The averted face of the Lord is like a place of severe punishment; and how does He cast the same away from His presence? Who are subjected to this most dreadful punishment? After this, there is some discussion about freedom and unity of will in the Trinity.

Following: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:12). Above, it seeks to be cleansed from hidden faults (Psalm 19:13); here, it asks for a clean heart to be created for itself, which comes to one who is renewed in spirit. For in the new person, the heart is clean, in which the filth of past sins has been washed away, and no trace of iniquity remains inscribed. But it is indeed a great gift to have a clean heart. Where beautifully Solomon: Who will boast of having a pure heart? And the Lord in the Gospel: Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God. The prophet David also desired to have a pure heart, so that he would not be cast away from the face of the Lord.

However, when the heart is clean, the spirit is renewed in its inner self. For just as the internal organs are the inner parts of the body, so are the intellectual organs of the soul, such as the organs of mercy (Colossians 3:12), as are the inner parts that bless the Lord, of which it is said: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all my inmost being, bless his holy name (Psalm 103:1). But the organs of the soul are the inventions of the senses, the pursuit of good thoughts, the perseverance of virtues, and finally those things that are called εὐνομίαι in Greek.

However, the straight spirit that directs well, that leads on the straight path, this is the spirit of truth; or certainly the straight conscience of a person unswayed by any sins, or the spirit that is in a person. We do not disregard what others may think; however, it seems to us that the reading speaks about mysteries and expresses the grace of future renewal, and the infusion of the Holy Spirit is required.

Then follows: Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me (Ps. L, 13). If someone offends us servants, we tend to turn our face away from them. However, many rich people are accustomed to send away their slaves and exile them to small farms, and this punishment is considered more severe. Finally, they tend to offer themselves to beatings. If this is considered serious among humans, how much more so in the sight of our Lord God. As though from this point forward parricidal grief did not burst forth (indeed, it would have been curbed if piety could have tempered it), because God turned his face away from Cain’s offerings; however, He looked upon Abel’s offerings. Therefore, with a silent countenance, He pronounced one innocent, the other guilty. Therefore, as if the lowest servant, he humbles himself; and as if caught in sin and deserving of offense, he beseeches that he be whipped rather than cast out from the face of the Lord.

How does God cast out from his presence, hear him saying: Cast him into outer darkness, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 22:13). Whoever is not corrected, is placed in darkness before his face. Therefore, so that the righteous does not suffer darkness, he says: Your face, Lord, I will seek (Psalm 26:8). For where the Lord's face is, there is light, as it is written: Make your face shine upon your servant (Psalm 119:35). Finally, when he saw Peter for the first time, he enlightened him.

Therefore, a great punishment is to be cast away from the face of God. Adam was cast away when he left paradise, and not unjustly; for he had hidden himself from the face of God. Cain also went away from the face of God, not only after committing the act of parricide, but also because he thought he could deceive God and deny the crime. Therefore, the sinner is excluded from the face of God; but the righteous person says: Behold, here I am (Isaiah 6:8). Finally, David himself, when he saw the people perishing, offered himself, saying: It is I, I have sinned, and I have done evil as a shepherd (2 Kings 24:17); and thus the anger of the Lord was mitigated, and forgiveness was granted.

At the same time, it shows that the saints remain, while the guilty are cast out. Therefore, we must preserve spiritual grace, so that it is not taken from us because of our sins. For the one in whom the Holy Spirit resides is not cast out, but rather, with the unimpeded fruit of his calling, seeks to always offer himself to the Lord, like the one who, when the Lord said, 'Do you also want to go away?' responded, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we believe' (John 6:68-69).

Furthermore, it must be considered that the Holy Spirit is not taken away except by the will of the Lord, just as it is not given except by the will of the Lord. And when it is given, it does not operate as if compelled, but rather is divided according to its own will, as it is written, with the Apostle saying: 'But all these things one and the same Spirit works, dividing to each one as He wills' (1 Corinthians 12:11). Therefore, since it is not taken away except by the will of the Lord, it is evident that there is one will of the Trinity.

Chapter XV.

The rational nature is capable of experiencing the joy of health alone; and it is strengthened by the guiding spirit; but who is that spirit?

Give me the joy of your salvation: and strengthen me with a principal spirit (Psalm 50:14). To whom it is owed, and to whom it is returned: it is returned to the rational nature by the joy of salvation. Joy and gladness, however, are the fruits of the Spirit. The firmament of our principal spirit is also firm. Finally, he who is confirmed by the principal spirit is not subject to servitude, does not know how to serve sin, does not waver, does not wander, nor does he vacillate with uncertainty; but being strengthened in the rock, he is firmly established in a solid footing.

Whom do we think is called the principal spirit? Many think that the right spirit refers to the Lord Jesus, who has taken away the sin of the world and has renewed the whole human race by the shedding of his own blood. And therefore it is said: Renew a right spirit within me. But they understand the holy spirit of truth: but the Holy Spirit, they believe, is the principal one, God the Father. However, it is said morally: Do not cast me away from your face. He faithfully fears to be deprived of the grace he has received; therefore, he says elsewhere: My eyes are always looking to the Lord (Psalm 24:15). And in the following: Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hands of their masters, and as the eyes of a maid look to the hands of her mistress, so our eyes are fixed on the Lord our God, until he has mercy on us (Psalm 123:2). Indeed, this is the guiding and principled Spirit who rules the mind, strengthens the affection, draws it to where he wants, and directs it to the higher life.


There are also those who receive the spirit of man, which is in him. Therefore the Apostle says: For who knows the things of a man, but the spirit which is in him (I Cor. II, 11)? He who can know all things, whom the hidden things of man do not deceive, can have dominion over man.

Chapter XVI.

The skilled doctor is to teach the unjust ways of the Lord. How does this apply to both the character of Christ and David; or what does the Prophet pray to be delivered from bloodshed?

Sequitur: Docebo inequos vias tuas, et impii ad te convertentur (Psal. L, 15). Ille praecipuus est gubernator, qui scopuloso in littore navim gubernat: ille doctor bonus, qui duriora acuit ingenia ad eruditionis profectum: ille bellator egregius, dux mirabilis, qui timidiores accendit in praelium, exploratisque locorum ingeniis, fulcit; ut infirma virium commoda stationis opportunitate compenset: ille similiter magnus etiam fidei zelator, qui iniquos docet. Where he beautifully says: I will teach the wicked. He did not say: I will teach the righteous; for the righteous already know the ways of the Lord. But, he says, I will teach the wicked. Finally, the author of wisdom and master of all says: I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners (Matthew 9:13). And that divine physician says: It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick (Ibid., 12).

Therefore, whether it be from the perspective of the one who called the nations or from his own, he has well said: I will teach the wicked your ways, because corrupt affections can be changed, and heavenly doctrine can convert the wicked purpose, and divine operation can infuse the desire for piety into sacrilegious hearts, so that those who were living without law may be converted to the true Lord, whom they were previously turning away from. Also, by the example of royal repentance, let those who commit injustices and cruel crimes be corrected, and when converted in faith and action, let them receive the healing remedy of doctrine and enter the ways of the Lord, in which they will not encounter any winding paths of error or any dangerous deviations that lead to a fall. For just as there are men who have traversed the blameless seasons of their life as an example of good living and a model of virtue, so those who have renounced their past wickedness or errors of cruelty and have corrected the course of their later years are set before us as objects of imitation by those who are either slipping or stumbling in action or thought.

It follows: Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, God of my salvation (Psalm 50:16). And it can be attributed to the death of Uriah, that he who is conscious of the commanded murder seeks forgiveness for such a great offense, and although the king is absolved by the law, he is still guilty in his conscience; desiring to be released from these bonds, he prays for divine assistance, so that he may be cleansed from all the stain of the committed crime. And truly, since the holy Prophet, who is meek and gentle in heart, has always displayed the striking insignia of his gentleness and piety, forgiving his adversaries frequently and believing that he should abstain from their destruction; it is not surprising that he grieves so deeply that the sin of shedding innocent blood has crept upon him. Therefore, he asked to be freed from the blood, that is, from mortal sins. He praised his Lord God, proclaimed the justice of the Lord, and therefore added: My tongue will rejoice in your justice.

Chapter XVII.

David's words indicate that sin is forgiven, when God closes the mouth of the sinner. These same words also apply to Christ, who is the true David, from whom the future gathering of the nations and the foundation of the Church are foreshadowed, ultimately encompassing the sacrifice of Christ and the offering of Martyrs.

O Lord, you will open my lips, and my mouth will proclaim your praise (Psalm 50:17). Whoever praises the Lord will be saved from their enemies, as it is written (Psalm 18:4). And certainly, he had said earlier in the forty-ninth psalm: But to the sinner, God has said: Why do you declare my justices (Psalm 49:17)? Therefore, when he said with his own mouth that God had prohibited the sinner from declaring his justices, certainly by proclaiming the justice of God, he declared that this sin was by no means imputed to him.


And he added: You will open my lips, and my mouth will proclaim your praise. God closes the mouth of the sinner, so that he may not speak the righteousness of God; but he opens the mouth of the righteous, so that he may speak. Therefore, the one whose lips he opens, he absolves from the guilt of sin. But the Lord opens the lips of him who receives the word in the opening of his mouth. Hence, the Apostle asks to be helped by the prayers of the people, that the door of the word may be opened to him to speak the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:3). But we truly receive language for speech from him who exults in the praises of God. Therefore, it is also valued as such: My tongue is the pen of a swiftly writing scribe (Psalm 45:2), a speech infused to the Prophet.

But if we accept it as being spoken by the person of Christ, let us take care that the scribe is not one who quickly writes the Word of God, which passes through and penetrates the depths of the soul, and inscribes on it either the gifts of nature or of grace; but the tongue to be that holy body derived from the Virgin, which has been purged from the venom of the serpent, and the works of the Gospel have been spread throughout the entire world. It also serves to empty sin, which it has taken upon itself with humility; it has broken its heart, which the Lord has chosen as a sacrifice more than the holocausts for sins which were accustomed to be offered according to the Law. Finally, he says above: 'You did not desire a holocaust and a sin offering; then I said, Behold, I come' (Psalm 29:7-8), that is, I did not consider it robbery to be equal to God, I come taking the form of a servant; I come in the likeness of human acceptance, in the reality of the cross, to prove obedience with the humility of death; that disobedience may be abolished.

Therefore, rightly does he say here: For if you had wanted, I would have given a sacrifice, but you will not be delighted with holocausts. A sacrifice to God is a spirit crushed: a broken and humbled heart, O God, you will not disdain (Psalm 50:18-19). And as I said earlier, it is certain that it agrees with the mystery that the Lord Jesus himself seems to speak here also in his own person, who above expressed it through clear testimony of his person. For He Himself, the true David, strong in hand, true in humility, and gentle, first and last, first in eternity, last in humility: through whose obedience the fault of the human race has been wiped away, and justice has been rejected. He, I say, Jesus, the end and fulfillment of the shadows and the Law, came as the teacher of humility to teach the proud that they must pass from arrogance and the swelling of the heart to gentleness and simplicity. Therefore, how can sin be imputed in the type of His mystery, when in the very mystery there is the forgiveness of sins? Unless perhaps David confessed his own wickedness and the sin he committed, so that he himself might obtain forgiveness of sin and the grace of the mystery.

For what does a man who confesses his sin desire, that he sings from Zion and Jerusalem, saying: Do good, O Lord, in your good will to Zion, so that the walls of Jerusalem may be built (Ibid., 29); unless it is because he is pleased to hasten the gathering of the Church through the call of the Gentiles, which, as a free Jerusalem that is in heaven, would spread the lineage of its faith throughout the whole world and establish the spiritual walls of the doctrine of the apostles by its proclamation?

Therefore, the walls of Jerusalem are fortresses of faith, defenses of debates, and peaks of virtues; the walls of Jerusalem are the gatherings of Churches founded throughout the entire world. For the Church says: 'I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers' (Song of Solomon 8:10). And indeed, the walls of Jerusalem are the assemblies of Churches; for whoever enters the Church with good faith and works becomes a citizen of that heavenly city and a dweller of the city that descends from heaven. This structure builds walls of stones for the living.

Therefore, seeing Jerusalem, the true and Zion, He said: 'When you bless Jerusalem and Zion in your good will, then you will accept the sacrifice of justice' (Psalm 50:21), that is the sacrifice of the body of Christ, who, when speaking of His own passion, said: 'Open to me the gates of justice, and entering through them I will confess to the Lord' (Psalm 117:19). And in the Gospel He said to John: 'Allow it for now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all justice' (Matthew 3:15). And below: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake (Matt. 5:10). Righteousness is Christ. Therefore, he asserts that the sacrifice of Christ will be acceptable to the Father. This is what he also says above: Sacrifice the sacrifice of righteousness, and hope in the Lord (Psalm 4:6). This is the spiritual offering of righteousness, and the burnt offering of fervent devotion, and the infusion of the Holy Spirit, which he says will happen when the souls of the believers begin to approach that spiritual altar of the Lord, renouncing pleasures and delights, and leading them as a plow in their own hearts, so that they may be able to bear the fruits of piety.

Certainly, when you bless the Church acquired from the Gentiles and the spiritual sacrifice of righteousness begins to be celebrated, then the holy martyrs who offered their bodies for Christ are to be commemorated, as if they were offered as sacrificial calves on the sacred altars; just as we find written in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 6:9), 'Under the altar were the souls of those who had offered their bodies for the name of the Lord Jesus by martyrdom, in order to obtain his grace for themselves'; to whom is honor and glory, praise, perpetuity with God the Father and the Holy Spirit from ages past and now and always, and unto all ages of ages. Amen.