Augustine on Scripture saying life is a tribulation
3 min • Digitized on June 14, 2024
#Bible Commentary #What the Saints Say
From Exposition on the Psalms, in file "Expositions on Psalms by St Augustine, Vol I", page 223
By St. Augustine
8. What follows then, Brethren, because the enemies have done so great things against Christians, and have exulted, and rejoiced over them? But when will it appear, that they have not really rejoiced over them? When they shall be confounded, and these shall rejoice at the coming of the Lord our God, when He shall come bearing retribution in His hand, damnation to the ungodly, a kingdom to the righteous, fellowship with the devil to the unrighteous, fellowship with Christ to the faithful.
When, I say, He shall shew this, when the righteous shall stand in great boldness, (I speak from the Scriptures; you remember the lesson from the book of Wisdom; Then shall the righteous stand in great boldness against them that have afflicted them: but they repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit shall say among themselves, What hath pride profited us? or what good hath the vaunting of riches done us? For all those things are passed away like a shadow. And what will they say of the righteous? How are they reckoned among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints!) then will the dedication of the house be, which is now being built in tribulation; then will that People rightly say, I will exalt Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast taken me up, and hast not made mine enemies to rejoice over me.
These words then will be verified in the People of God, the People that now is in straitness, now in tribulation with so great temptations, so great offences, so great persecution, so great pressure. These torments of soul he doth not feel in the Church, who maketh no progress, for he thinks all is peace; but let him begin to make progress, and then he will see in what pressure he is; for when the blade had increased and had brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also (Mat. 13, 26). And he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow (Eccles. 1, 18).
Let him make progress, and he will see where he is: let there be fruit, and tares will appear. It is a true saying of the Apostle, and cannot be destroyed from the beginning unto the end: Yea, and all, saith he, that will live godly in Christ suffer persecution. But malignant men and seducers wax worse and worse, themselves deceived, and deceiving others.
And whence are those words of the Psalm, Wait on the Lord, quit thyself like a man, and let thine heart he strengthened, yea, wait on the Lord? It were not enough once, Wait on the Lord, if it were not repeated; unless haply he might wait two days, three days, four days, and the pressure and tribulation still remain, and therefore he added, Quit thyself like a man; and again, let thine heart be strengthened.
And because it will be so from the beginning even to the end, what the sentence has in the beginning, the same it has at the end, Yea, wait on the Lord. These things which press upon thee will pass away, and He will come, on Whom thou waitest, and wipe away thy sweat: He will dry the tear, thou shalt weep no more. But now we must groan in tribulations, as Job saith, Is not man’s life upon earth a trial?
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