Early Church Fathers Scripture Index : Texts

Psalms 140

There are 10 footnotes for this reference.

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 3, page 711, footnote 11 (Image)

Tertullian (I, II, III)

Ethical. (HTML)

On Patience. (HTML)

Patience Both Antecedent and Subsequent to Faith. (HTML)
CCEL Footnote 9082 (In-Text, Margin)

... on earth, because faith was not either. Of course, meantime, impatience used to enjoy the opportunities which the law gave. That was easy, while the Lord and Master of patience was absent. But after He has supervened, and has united the grace of faith with patience, now it is no longer lawful to assail even with word, nor to say “fool” even, without “danger of the judgment.” Anger has been prohibited, our spirits retained, the petulance of the hand checked, the poison of the tongue[Psalms 140:3] extracted. The law has found more than it has lost, while Christ says, “Love your personal enemies, and bless your cursers, and pray for your persecutors, that ye may be sons of your heavenly Father.” Do you see whom patience gains for us as a ...

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 7, page 466, footnote 23 (Image)

Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, 2 Clement, Early Liturgies

Constitutions of the Holy Apostles (HTML)

Book VII. Concerning the Christian Life, and the Eucharist, and the Initiation into Christ (HTML)

Sec. I.—On the Two Ways,—The Way of Life and the Way of Death (HTML)
CCEL Footnote 3390 (In-Text, Margin)

IV. Thou shall not speak evil; for says He, “Love not to speak evil, lest thou beest taken away.” Nor shalt thou be mindful of injuries; for “the ways of those that remember injuries are unto death.” Thou shall not be double-minded nor double-tongued; for “a man’s own lips are a strong snare to him,” and “a talkative person shall not be prospered upon earth.”[Psalms 140:11] Thy words shall not be vain; for “ye shall give an account of every idle word.” Thou shalt not tell lies: for says He, “Thou shalt destroy all those that speak lies.” Thou shalt not be covetous nor rapacious: for says He, “Woe to him that is covetous towards his neighbour with an evil covetousness.”

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Volume 5, page 186, footnote 9 (Image)

Augustine: Anti-Pelagian Writings

A Work on the Proceedings of Pelagius. (HTML)

The Same Continued. (HTML)

CCEL Footnote 1625 (In-Text, Margin)

... His glory on the vessels of His mercy.” Now it is on this account that, after saying, “He is my God, His mercy shall go before me,” he immediately adds, “My God will show me vengeance upon my enemies.” That therefore happens to them which is mentioned in Scripture, “God gave them up to the lusts of their own heart.” This, however, does not happen to the predestinated, who are ruled by the Spirit of God, for not in vain is their cry: “Deliver me not, O Lord, to the sinner, according to my desire.”[Psalms 140:8] With regard, indeed, to the evil lusts which assail them, their prayer has ever assumed some such shape as this: “Take away from me the concupiscence of the belly; and let not the desire of lust take hold of me.” Upon those whom He governs as His ...

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Volume 5, page 530, footnote 3 (Image)

Augustine: Anti-Pelagian Writings

A Treatise on the Predestination of the Saints. (HTML)

A Treatise on the Gift of Perseverance. (HTML)

Of His Own Will a Man Forsakes God, So that He is Deservedly Forsaken of Him. (HTML)
CCEL Footnote 3581 (In-Text, Margin)

... does not allow it to happen. For nothing comes to pass except what either He Himself does, or Himself allows to be done. Therefore He is powerful both to turn wills from evil to good, and to convert those that are inclined to fall, or to direct them into a way pleasing to Himself. For to Him it is not said in vain, “O God, Thou shalt turn again and quicken us;” it is not vainly said, “Give not my foot to be moved;” it is not vainly said, “Give me not over, O Lord, from my desire to the sinner;”[Psalms 140:8] finally, not to mention many passages, since probably more may occur to you, it is not vainly said, “Lead us not into temptation.” For whoever is not led into temptation, certainly is not led into the temptation of his own evil will; and he who is ...

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Volume 6, page 404, footnote 6 (Image)

Augustine: Sermon on the Mount, Harmony of the Gospels, Homilies on the Gospels

Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament. (HTML)

On the words of the Gospel, Matt. xxv. 1, ‘then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins.’ (HTML)

CCEL Footnote 3116 (In-Text, Margin)

... them that sell, and buy for yourselves:” ye who never were wont to live well, but because men praised you, who sold you oil. What means this, “sold you oil”? “Sold praises.” Who sell praises, but flatterers? How much better had it been for you not to have acquiesced in flatterers, and to have carried oil within, and for a good conscience-sake to have done all good works; then might ye say, “The righteous shall correct me in mercy, and reprove me, but the oil of the sinner shall not fatten my head.”[Psalms 140:5] Rather, he says, let the righteous correct me, let the righteous reprove me, let the righteous buffet me, let the righteous correct me, than the “oil of the sinner fatten mine head.” What is the oil of the sinner, but the blandishments of the ...

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Volume 8, page 46, footnote 6 (Image)

Augustine: Expositions on the Psalms

Expositions on the Book of Psalms. (HTML)

Psalm XIV (HTML)

CCEL Footnote 486 (In-Text, Margin)

4. “All have gone out of the way, they have together become useless:” that is, the Jews have become as the Gentiles, who were spoken of above. “There is none that doeth good, no not up to one” (ver. 3), must be interpreted as above. “Their throat is an open sepulchre.”[Psalms 140:3] Either the voracity of the ever open palate is signified: or allegorically those who slay, and as it were devour those they have slain, into whom they instil the disorder of their own conversation. Like to which with the contrary meaning is that which was said to Peter, “Kill and eat;” that he should convert the Gentiles to his own faith and good conversation. ...

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Volume 9, page 420, footnote 9 (Image)

Chrysostom: On the Priesthood, Ascetic Treatises, Select Homilies and Letters, Homilies on the Statutes

The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch. (HTML)

Homily XII (HTML)

CCEL Footnote 1516 (In-Text, Margin)

... knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel doth not know me.” And again; “The turtle and the swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming, but my people knoweth not the judgment of the Lord his God.” From these animals, and such as these, learn to achieve virtue, and be instructed to avoid wickedness by the contrary ones. For as the bee followeth good, so the asp is destructive. Therefore shun wickedness, lest thou hear it said, “The poison of asps is under their lips.”[Psalms 140:3] Again, the dog is devoid of shame. Hate, therefore, this kind of wickedness. The fox also is crafty, and fraudulent. Emulate not this vice; but as the bee, in flying over the meadows, does not choose every sort of flower; but selecting that which is ...

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Volume 11, page 119, footnote 1 (Image)

Chrysostom: Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans

A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles (HTML)

Homily XVIII on Acts vii. 54. (HTML)

CCEL Footnote 433 (In-Text, Margin)

... picture of Abraham, gray-headed, girded up, digging and working with his own hands? What more pleasant than such a field! Their virtue thrives. No intemperance there, nay, it is driven away: no drunkenness and wantonness, nay, it is cast out: no vanity, nay, it is extinguished. All benevolent tempers shine out the brighter through the simplicity of manners. How pleasant to go forth and enter into the House of God, and to know that one built it himself: to fling himself on his back in his litter, and[Psalms 140] after the bodily benefit of his pleasant airing, be present both at the evening and the morning hymns, have the priest as a guest at his table, in associating with him enjoy his benediction, see others also coming thither! This is a wall for his ...

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 2, Volume 7, page 116, footnote 6 (Image)

Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory Nazianzen

The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril. (HTML)

On the Article, And in One Holy Ghost, the Comforter, Which Spake in the Prophets. (HTML)

CCEL Footnote 1977 (In-Text, Margin)

6. For the heretics, who are most profane in all things, have sharpened their tongue[Psalms 140:3] against the Holy Ghost also, and have dared to utter impious things; as Irenæus the interpreter has written in his injunctions against heresies. For some of them have dared to say that they were themselves the Holy Ghost;—of whom the first was Simon, the sorcerer spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles; for when he was cast out, he presumed to teach such doctrines: and they who are called Gnostics, impious men, have spoken other things against the ...

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 2, Volume 12, page 34, footnote 6 (Image)

Leo the Great, Gregory the Great

The Letters and Sermons of Leo the Great. (HTML)

Letters. (HTML)

The first from Flavian, Bp. of Constantinople to Pope Leo. (HTML)
CCEL Footnote 226 (In-Text, Margin)

... that is in them, and seizing the weaker ones, and those who have their senses unpractised in the divine utterances, they carry them along with themselves to destruction, wresting and doing despite to the Fathers’ doctrines, just as they do the Holy Scriptures also to their own destruction: whom we must be forewarned of and take heed lest some should be misled by their wickedness and shaken in their firmness. “For they have sharpened their tongues like serpents: adder’s poison is under their lips[Psalms 140:3],” as the prophet has cried out about them.

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