Boldness and the Childlike State

Through the vote and judgment of providence, some things are made manifest and others are not. The fate of John became manifest after his death, but of others before death, such as Susanna and Joseph. Even if vengeance occurs here or not, no one seeks whether it is thus or not here; for the judgments of God happen this way; for 'his judgments are unsearchable' (Ps 18:25). Guard my soul and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I have hoped in you (Ps 94:19). If you guard my soul without harm or injury, I know that I shall be rescued; for indeed I am rescued from the evildoers or I receive a crown because of having been afflicted. The guileless and the upright clung to me, because I endured you, Lord. Not only did I profit myself by enduring, endurance which brings salvation—for 'the one who endures will be saved unto the end' (Jas 1:12)—but I profited many because I endured you, and I had many friends. But he speaks of the guileless here as those being crushed by malice, not the well-behaved. Thus the upright were joined with them. According to the reception of malice they are guileless, but according to the taking up of virtue they are upright. For example, one who turns away from evil so as to no longer practice it has become guileless. And since after the turning away from evil he receives the doing of good, the one who turns away from evil becomes upright. It is therefore possible to call the same people guileless and upright according to one thought and another. And it is also possible thus: those who are guileless according to practice being outside of malice, while the upright are those who think the things of piety.

Redeem, O God, Israel from all his afflictions. Since He Himself has attained the petition concerning Himself, He wills also for Israel—for every discerning one and possessing mind—to have the same salvation, to become outside of the afflictions through God having redeemed. It is not out of place, then, to take these things also concerning the man of the Lord. Beginning from where we began the psalm, if we have spoken, it is because the things said concerning the man according to the Savior are common to all the righteous, only His being His own in the theological sense. Judge me, Lord, for I have walked in my guilelessness. The voice is very bold toward God. But he has boldness toward God, whose heart does not condemn, as the great disciple and evangelist John writes in the epistle: 'if... (1 Jn 3:20)'.

"Our heart does not condemn us; we have boldness toward God." Thus the whole psalm is sent up from much boldness. He speaks of some things as if already accomplished, and of others as present and active, and some things signify a prayer of the speaker; for he says: "Judge me, Lord, for I have walked in iniquity" (Ps 51:3). He did not say "I shall walk," but "I have walked." And here "iniquity" means guilelessness. He who has turned according to the instruction of Jesus and has become as children, he has become in guilelessness, and such a person is perfect in mind, but a child in wickedness, as the apostle writes: "Be perfect in mind, and a child in wickedness" (1 Cor 14:20).

He who is a child in wickedness does not ignore it—for how could he be a child in it if he ignored it?—but he does not act upon it. This is indeed what he says: "In my iniquity I have walked." Thus, here it is different. In both cases the guileful means what was previously said, "turned according to the children." Therefore, he who has turned according to the teaching of Jesus and has become as children does not lack sense. He does not mean the foolishness of infants, but the immobility toward evils. It was said, therefore, that a child sleeping with a woman does not accept her desire. So when someone, having become perfect, has such a state of being without desire for debauchery, he is a child in guilelessness and has become as children having turned. For observe that these children, according to their age, are not such as to be foolish or easy-going. But the perfect one has become such that it is a matter of choice to be thus a child and thus without guile. Regarding infants, this does not appear; it is not a matter of choice, but of an age that does not permit having a perfect intellect.

The "I have walked" here does not speak of an interruption or a stopping, but that I began this way from a long time ago, or I began this way from the womb; for he says: "Upon you I have been leaned from the womb, from my mother's womb you are my covering" (Ps 71:6). And the saints, concerning whom it is said: "Whom he foreknew and predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Rom 8:29), belong to this boldness. And hoping in God, I shall not be weak. He no longer says "having hoped," as with "I have walked." But the hope toward God makes one strong and very capable. Since, therefore, I hope in you, "I am not weak." Concerning this...