1 The life of man upon earth is a warfare, and his days are like the days of a hireling.
v.1
VERS. 1.-- « And like the days of a hireling. » He who wishes the day to pass quickly, that he may come to the reward of his labour, so is every just man; and as that man sweats in another's labours but prepares his own reward for himself, so let the just man sweat amid worldly evils, that he may lay hold of heavenly goods. He takes care lest the day go empty of work, and the reward be lessened. He suffers hard things, that he may be the more crowned, although the wage is already in his heart; but yet the heat is felt more heavily in the body, that afterwards there may be refreshment in rest, and this is:
2 As a servant longeth for the shade, as the hireling looketh for the end of his work;
v.2
VERS. 2.-- « As a servant. » Every elect man is rightly called a servant, so long as he is under the yoke of this corruption, before he comes into the liberty of glory. « And like a hireling. » Who chafes at the heaviness of the work, unless he were relieved by hope of the end; but when that is seen, he counts as nothing what he feels.
3 So I also have had empty months, and have numbered to myself wearisome nights.
v.3
VERS. 3.-- « Empty months. » Empty of the things of the world, because the good do not seek them through their acts; and they endure toilsome nights of adversities, when they are already in the torment of the body. Or the months are empty, because now there is labour, but not yet the reward. « Toilsome nights. » He numbers, etc., *as far as* the more he groans that he was long ignorant of what he seeks, and that he laboured in vain.
4 If I lie down to sleep, I shall say: When shall I rise? and again, I shall look for the evening, and shall be filled with sorrows even till darkness.
v.4
VERS. 4.-- « If I sleep. » According to the history, the mind of one grieving is expressed, who, sadness compelling him, wanders through diverse desires; in the night he desires the day, in the day the evening, because grief does not let what is present please him; and having now found this heavy, with desire consoling him he awaits another thing; but not even so is the grief ended, whence: « And I shall be filled with sorrows. » And the cause of the sorrow is this:
5 My flesh is clothed with rottenness and the filth of dust; my skin is withered and drawn together.
v.5
VERS. 5.-- « It is clothed. » The same things more subtly in the Church, etc., *as far as* they have not here entire health, whence he adds: « And I shall be filled with sorrows until the darkness. » Because he does not find security until he wholly leaves the time of temptation. And he adds the cause of the sorrow: « The flesh is clothed, » that is, the carnal life which I lead is either defiled by evil working, or, held back from that, is darkened out of memory by the images of sins, which rise like dust before the eyes. But the Church feels in some the rottenness of the flesh's lust, and in those who are given to earthly acts is sprinkled with dust: of both he adds: « My skin. » The skin in the Church are they who are free only for outward cares: whose hearts despair dries up, and therefore they are drawn together, not stretched out through long-suffering toward eternal life: they cling to things present: which comes about because they do not attend how fleeting this life is. But the Church on the contrary:
6 My days have passed more swiftly than the web is cut by the weaver, and are consumed without any hope.
v.6
VERS. 6.-- « My days more swiftly. » As a web grows by threads, so life advances by single days: but the more it grows, the more it tends toward the cutting. But the swiftness of life outstrips even the haste of the web, and always fails. And therefore the elect do not fix their heart in it, whence he says: « And they are consumed, » that is, I place no confidence for myself in these things: what the reprobate do, I do not.
7 Remember that my life is but wind, and my eye shall not return to see good things.
v.7
VERS. 7.-- « Remember. » That is, look kindly upon him who passes swiftly, because the consideration of human brevity is an offering pleasing to God. « Because it is wind. » Eternal life is also solid: here life is judged neither solid nor abiding. And because after life passes there is no place for meriting pardon, he adds: « And it returneth not. » That is, after death the mind, seeing its own retribution, is not called back to the performing of good works: whence the rich man, despairing of himself, which is an aggravation of the punishment, prays for his brethren. Behold, life passes; what follows abides. Afterwards also,
8 Nor shall the sight of man behold me: thy eyes are upon me, and I shall be no more.
v.8
VERS. 8.-- « Nor shall the sight of man behold me. » That is, the mercy of the Redeemer, which softens the hardness of sinners, as when he looked upon Peter; but after death it does not free him whom grace does not reform before. Not the sight of man, but, « Thine eyes upon. » That is, thou shalt see a strict judge to strike, and he who here, awaited unto repentance, stood firm, let him now not stand firm. This befits the just man, who fears everything that he does, and knows beforehand that, mercy removed, he will perish, and does not stand before those eyes, because his life is not sufficient for the punishment, if justice presses him. For neither are the stars, that is, they who shine with holiness, clean before him. And the fault and the punishment of the human race is briefly added.
9 As a cloud is consumed, and passeth away: so he that shall go down to hell shall not come up.
v.9
VERS. 9.-- « As a cloud is consumed. » A cloud is lifted on high, etc., *as far as* go into thy house.
10 Nor shall he return any more into his house, neither shall his place know him any more
v.10
VERS. 10.-- « Neither shall his place know him any more. » Man's place is God, etc., *as far as* he still feels contradiction from the corruption of the flesh.
11 Wherefore, I will not spare my mouth, I will speak in the affliction of my spirit: I will talk with the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou hast enclosed me in a prison?
v.12
VERS. 12.-- « Am I a sea. » The prison is the flesh which hinders, etc., *as far as* now he adds counsel against them.
13 If I say: My bed shall comfort me, and I shall be relieved, speaking with myself on my couch:
14 Thou wilt frighten me with dreams, and terrify me with visions.
15 So that my soul rather chooseth hanging, and my bones death.
v.15
VERS. 15.-- « Wherefore it hath chosen. » The soul is the intention of the mind, etc., *as far as* « if thou art about to do this to me, kill me. »
16 I have done with hope, I shall now live no longer: spare me, for my days are nothing.
v.16
VERS. 16.-- « Spare me, O Lord, » that thou mayest give eternal things, because by contempt of those these are the better hoped for. While he asks to be spared, he proves that he did not despair of God; which is, he chose hanging, that is, he despaired; of the same he brought in, spare: which is, death the bones: that is, let them not live further, this the third time. « For my days are nothing. » He who considers eternal things, returning to himself, rightly calls these days nothing, and dreads to be strictly judged.
17 What is a man, that thou shouldst magnify him or why dost thou set thy heart upon him?
v.17
VERS. 17.-- « What is man. » God magnifies man with much spiritual gift, and sets his heart toward him, because for what is given he judges the more strictly. But what is man? as if to say: even though magnified beyond himself by thy gifts, yet because he is flesh, if he be judged without mercy he cannot bear it; whence he further adds:
18 Thou visitest him early in the morning, and thou provest him suddenly.
v.18
VERS. 18.-- « Thou visitest him at daybreak. » Daybreak is when man comes out of the night of vices and of ignorance into the light, in which he is also straightway tested: for lest he boast that he has good things from himself, he is allowed to be shaken by temptation, that the height of God and his own weakness may be seen, as Solomon after his wisdom is tempted by harlots; all this man suffers in this mortality, whence: « How long dost thou not spare me. »
19 How long wilt thou not spare me, nor suffer me to swallow down my spittle?
v.19
VERS. 19.-- « Spittle. » Spittle slips into the mouth from the head, etc., *as far as* he who wishes to merit this confesses the evil which he has done: « I have sinned, etc. »
20 I have sinned: what shall I do to thee, O keeper of men? why hast thou set me opposite to thee. and am I become burdensome to myself?
v.20
VERS. 20.-- « I have sinned, what shall I do to thee. » As if to say: I find not what I may offer thee in recompense, because every strength of man is too weak to wash away guilt. Or, « what shall I do to thee, » as if to say: all good things profit not thee, but us. « O keeper of men. » Because he so forsook us that we cannot keep ourselves, and if we attempt anything, we are weighed down by sins, whence: « Why hast thou set me contrary. » When man believed the serpent, etc., *as far as* but he seeks mercy, whence he adds:
21 Why dost thou not remove my sin, and why dost thou not take away my iniquity? Behold now I shall sleep in the dust: and if thou seek me in the morning, I shall not be.
v.21
VERS. 21.-- « Why dost thou not take away. » Behold the desire of the Mediator, who taketh away the sins of the world. Or, then will sin be fully taken away, when man shall be changed into corruption. He desires therefore the Redeemer, or the resurrection; whence he adds both the punishment which he merited from his origin, and the judgment which he fears from his own action. Behold, it was now said to sinning man: Ashes thou art, and into ashes thou shalt return. » « Why hast thou set me contrary. » Because the lower, having been made in a manner contrary to the higher, that is to God: therefore our lower part, that is sensuality, has been made contrary to the higher, that is to the spirit, so that they always fight. « In the morning, » that is, at the coming of the judge, to whom all things are open. God's seeking is to judge strictly, before whom not even the just man stands; but this is the solace of deliverance, that the humble man says he cannot suffice for himself; he laments therefore the death which now is, he fears the judgment which is at hand.