What is the meaning of "praising on the
harp," and praising on the psaltery? For he does not always do so with the
harp, nor always with the psaltery. These two instruments of the musicians have
each a distinct meaning of their own, worthy of our consideration and notice.
They are both borne in the hands, and played by the touch; and they stand for
certain bodily works of ours. Both are good, if one knows how to play the
psaltery, or to play the harp. But since the psaltery is that instrument which
has the shell (i.e. that drum, that hollow piece of wood, by straining on which
the chords resound) on the upper part of it, whereas the harp has that same
concave sounding-board on the lower part, there is to be a distinction made
between our works, when they are "upon the harp," when "on the
psaltery:" both however are acceptable to God, and grateful to His ear.
When we do anything according to God's Commandments, obeying His commands and
hearkening to Him, that we may fulfil His injunctions, when we are active and
not passive, it is the psaltery that is playing. For so also do the Angels: for
they have nothing to suffer. But when we suffer anything of tribulation, of
trials, of offences on this earth (as we suffer only from the inferior part of
ourselves; i.e. from the fact that we are mortal, that we owe somewhat of
tribulation to our original cause, and also from the fact of our suffering much
from those who are not "above"); this is "the harp." For there
rises a sweet strain from that part of us which is "below:" we
"suffer," and we strike the psaltery, or shall I rather say we sing
and we strike the harp.…
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