The Lawlessness of the Inner Man

“Your mercies, Lord, for we have become extremely poor” (Ps 51:1). If the mercies are lengthened, poverty occurs. He who is guarded from that from which the mercies did not lengthen is rich; and he is rich in having received the truth and mercy. “Your mercy and your truth have taken hold of me continually” (Ps 51:1). Your mercy and your truth have taken hold of me, the one in need. “Do not lengthen” therefore “your mercies” (Ps 51:1), so that your truth, being taken hold of, and the mercy joined with it, might remain thus.

“For evils surround me, of which there is no number” (Ps 51:8). For this reason, “do not lengthen your mercies from me” (Ps 51:1), because many evils surround me, not falling under number, that is, because of multitude—if the heavy things are signified, because of multitude they do not have a number. But if the other evils, the practical ones about which it is said, “a fool does evils in laughter” (Prov 26:11), they are not in any word or number; for they are not of things that exist, they are thoughts of men, transgressions of divine laws. Therefore, take the double meaning of the evils.

“My iniquities have overtaken me, and I was not able to see” (Ps 51:13). And it is also possible to take it thus: “for evils surround me” (Ps 51:8) not falling under number—as has been said now, in two ways—for this reason: “for my iniquities have overtaken me” (Ps 51:13). But from another beginning it is to be read, joining the “for evils surround me” (Ps 51:8) to “but you, Lord, do not lengthen your mercies from me” (Ps 51:1), “for evils surround me, of which there is no number” (Ps 51:8). Let both then be considered: “your mercy and your truth have taken hold of me continually” (Ps 51:1). Here, therefore, he says this: he calls the habits iniquities, and the iniquities' powers are being brought under. “My iniquities have overtaken me, and I was not able to see” (Ps 51:13); for they are harmful to the eyes of the mind, providing blindness to the inner eye of man. Since, therefore, they have overtaken me, I am not able to see. And these habits can also be taken...

The previous explanation dealt with the active powers. And they themselves, having seized me, pursued and seized me by the hand, and because of this I am not able to see; for the lawlessnesses of the inner man are harmful to the eyes. They were multiplied beyond the hairs of my head (Ps 51:11), and my heart has forsaken me (Ps 31:10). If you wish, these sins, they seize one when someone falls by them and sins; for having suffered this, the intellect of the soul is harmed. And if also the active powers of them, they are often called similarly by the name of passion.

“And my heart has forsaken me” (Ps 31:10). Since the lawlessnesses that seized me and removed my sight “were multiplied beyond the hairs of my head” (Ps 51:11), “my heart has forsaken me” (Ps 31:10), I no longer have the heart of a wise man; for the heart of the one saying these things is fleshy. When therefore the fleshy heart forsakes someone, it becomes stony.

“Be pleased, Lord, to save me” (Ps 51:11). Since the lawlessnesses seized me and I am not able to see and they were multiplied beyond the hairs of my head (Ps 51:11), “be pleased to save me” (Ps 51:11), so that the heart may not remain forsaken. If the word was about these hairs of this head, he has spoken hyperbolically; for if lawlessnesses occur, they are not able to exceed the number of the hairs of the head. Therefore it is spoken hyperbolically.

But if not, he says this: for the hairs of my head—that is, the unfeeling movements that are not truly fitting to the mind—are hairs; for the unfeeling things in us are also hairs that touch. This therefore he says: having seized my lawlessnesses and being no longer able to see, the hairs of my head were multiplied, the things unfeelingly thought, the things thoughtlessly intended. Because of this my heart, the mind itself, has forsaken me. It is no longer my mind, being dragged down into sin. Lord, to help me.