Afterwards he will rise up and reward them, and render their recompence upon their heads.
Read Chapter 17
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
"And do not let the abyss swallow me or the pit close its mouth around me." What does this mean? What is he praying for? The abyss of human iniquity is a great pit, and anyone who falls into it will fall very far down. However, if the one who has fallen confesses his sins to God, then the pit will not close its mouth around him. As it is written in the Psalms, "Out of the depths have I cried to you, Lord. O Lord, listen to my voice." But it is different if the disaster found in another Scripture has happened to the sinner: "One who is devoid of reverence sinks deep into sin and is defiant." The pit has closed its mouth on him. In what sense does it mean that it closed its mouth? It has plugged the sinner"s mouth shut. When the sinner refuses to confess his own guilt, then he is truly dead, and it has been fulfilled in him what is said elsewhere, "A confession coming from a dead person is like one who does not exist." Brothers and sisters, we must greatly fear such a disaster. If you see someone commit a sin, consider that person as though he or she were sunk in the pit. But if, at present, you point out the person"s sin and he says to you, "I have sinned. I truly confess," the pit has not yet closed its mouth on him. If instead you hear that person saying, "Is what I have done that bad?" then he has become a defender of his sin and the pit has closed its mouth. There is no way for him to be pulled back outside. Clearly if there is no confession, there is no recourse to mercy. If you defend your sin, how can God free you from it? If therefore you want him as your liberator, you must be your own prosecutor. - "Expositions of the Psalms 68.1.19"
