Confidence And Greatness

Hi in curribus, et hii in equis: nos etiam in nomine Domini Dei nostri magnificabimur. Fidei suae sinceritate confidens, quae muneribus erat Domini contriibuta , propheta laetatur, despiciens illos qui pomposis curribus evecti, in temporali potius dignitate praesumunt. Duo enim apud antiquos erant genera triumpborum: unum majus in curribus, quod laureatum dicebatur; aliud minus in equiis, quod ovatio nuncupabatur. Sed ista saecularibus relinqnens, in nomine Domini se magnificalum esse confirmat. Non enim currus aut equus magnificant, quamvis in hoc mundo extollere videantur honoribus; sed nomen Domini, quod ad praemia aeterna perducit. Quae figura Graece dicitur syncrisis, Latine comparatio, dum comparatione quadam justiorem causam nostram, quam adversarii demonstramus. Ipsi obligati sunt et ceciderunt; nos autem surreximus, et erecti sumus. Potenter aperuit fructum praecedentium rerum. Nam humanis honoribus praesumentes, laqueati pravis desideriis suis in mortis foveam corruerunt. Et quia dicturus erat, ceciderunt, praemisit, obligati, quod necesse est illis contingere, qui se videntur nexuosis erroribus obligare. Resurgere enim duobus modis dicitur Christianus: quando a vitiorum morte in hoc mundo per gratiam liberatus, in divinis justificationibus perseverat, sicut sapientissimus Salomon dicit Septies cadit justus, et resurgit. Dicitur et generalis illa resurreciio, in qua justi praemia aeterna consequentur. Sed hic utramque convenire manifesium est; ubi ideo posuit, erecti sumus, quia in qualibet resurrectione, fideles ab humilitate consurgunt , et ad divina praemia sublevantur. Quod argumentum in topicis dicitur a rebus ipsis, quando et adversarios corruisse dicimus, et nos erectos esse testamur. Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus XIX Source: Migne PL 70.146a-c

These in chariots, and these in horses, but we in the name of the Lord are made great. 1 Confident in the uprightness of his faith, which the gifts of the Lord have fortified, the prophet rejoices, despising those who are borne about in the pomp of chariots, and who rather have confidence in temporal dignities. Among the ancients there were two kinds of triumphs, the greater one with chariots, which was called the laureatum and the lesser one with horses which was named the ovatio. But forsaking these worldly things, he confirms himself to be made great in the name of the Lord. For it is not a chariot or a horse that makes one great, although in this world they seem to lift one up with honour, but the name of the Lord which leads to eternal rewards. This figure of speech  is named 'syncrisis' in Greek and 'comparatio' in Latin, where with a certain comparison our more righteous cause is demonstrated against an adverse one. They were bound and the fell, but we rose and stood. He forcefully reveals the fruit of the preceding speech. For confident in human honours, they tumbled down amid their degenerate desires into the pit of the snare of death. And because he has said they fell, he firstly sets down that they were bound to touch on how necessity bound them. The Christian is said to rise up in two ways, when he has been delivered by grace from the death of the vices in this world and he perseveres in the Divine justifications, as the most wise Solomon says, 'The righteous man falls seven times and he rises,' 2 and it is said of the general resurrection in which the righteous receive eternal rewards. But here it was fitting to set forth both, when it says we stand, because in either resurrection the faithful rise up from humiliation and are lifted up to the Divine reward.  Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, from Psalm 19 1 Ps 19.8 2 Prov 24.16