Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;
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Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
4. "Hear Thou, O God, my entreaty, and despise not my prayer: give heed unto me, and hearken unto me" (ver. 1). Of one earnest, anxious, of one set in tribulation, are these words. He is praying, suffering many things, from evil yearning to be delivered: it remaineth that we hear in what evil he is, and when he beginneth to speak, let us acknowledge there ourselves to be; in order that the tribulation being shared, we may conjoin prayer. "I have been made sad in my exercise, and have been troubled" (ver. 2). Where made sad, where troubled? "In my exercise," he saith. Of evil men, whom he suffereth, he hath made mention, and the same suffering of evil men he hath called his "exercise." Think ye not that without profit there are evil men in this world, and that no good God maketh of them. Every evil man either on this account liveth that he may be corrected, or on this account liveth that through him a good man may be exercised. O that therefore they that do now exercise us would be conv...
Hear me. He repeats the same petition four times, (Haydock) to testify his fervour, and humility, Ecclesiasticus xxxv. 21.
Exercise, among the wicked, (St. Augustine) or while I consider the sufferings of Christ. (Eusebius)
David was perplexed what course to take, when he first heard of his son's revolt. Our Saviour was sorrowful unto death, Matthew xxvi. 37. (Calmet)
This life is a warfare. (Worthington)
Ldoleschia. Hebrew sichi, denotes serious (Haydock) meditation, Genesis xxiv. 63. (Menochius)
