Psalms 149:9

"That they may bind their kings in fetters, and their nobles in bonds of iron" [Psalm 149:8]. "To execute upon them the judgment written" [Psalm 149:9]. The kings of the Gentiles are to be bound in fetters, "and their nobles in fetters," and that "of iron."...For these verses which we are beginning to explain are obscure. For for this purpose God willed to set down some of His verses obscurely, not that anything new should be dug out of them, but that what was already well known, might be made new by being obscurely set forth. We know that kings have been made Christians; we know that the nobles of the Gentiles have been made Christians. They are being made so at this day; they have been, they shall be; the "swords twice sharpened" are not idle in the hands of the saints. How then do we understand their being bound in fetters and chains of iron? You know, beloved and learned brethren (learned I call you, for you have been nourished in the Church, and are accustomed to hear God's Word read), that "God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the strong, and the foolish things of the world has God chosen to confound the wise, and things which are not, just as things which are, that the things which are may be brought to nought.". ..It is said by the Lord, "If you will be perfect, go sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and come, follow Me, and you shall have treasure in heaven." [Matthew 19:21] Many of the nobles did this, but they ceased to be nobles of the Gentiles, they chose rather to be poor in this world, noble in Christ. But many retain their former nobility, retain their royal powers, and yet are Christians. These are, as it were, "in fetters and in bonds of iron." How so? They received fetters, to keep them from going to things unlawful, the "fetters of wisdom," [Sirach 6:25] the fetters of the Word of God. Wherefore then are they bonds of iron and not bonds of gold? They are iron so long as they fear: let them love, and they shall be golden. Observe, beloved, what I say. You have heard just now the Apostle John, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment." [1 John 4:18] This is the bond of iron. And yet unless a man begin through fear to worship God, he will not attain to love. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The beginning then is bonds of iron, the end a collar of gold. For it is said of wisdom, "a collar of gold around your neck." [Sirach 6:24] ...There comes to us a man powerful in this world, his wife offends him, and perhaps he has desired another man's wife who is more beautiful, or another woman who is richer, he wishes to put away the one he has, yet he does it not. He hears the words of the servant of God, he hears the Prophet, he hears the Apostle, and he does it not; he is told by one in whose hands is a "sword twice sharpened," You shall not do it: it is not lawful for you: God allows you not to put away your wife, "save for the cause of fornication." [Matthew 5:32] He hears this, he fears, and does it not....Listen, young men; the bonds are of iron, seek not to set your feet within them; if you do, you shall be bound more tightly with fetters. Such fetters the hands of the Bishop make strong for you. Do not men who are thus fettered fly to the Church, and are here loosed? Men do fly hither, desiring to be rid of their wives: here they are more tightly bound: no man looses these fetters. "What God joined together, let not man put asunder." [Matthew 19:6] But these bonds are hard. Who but knows it? This hardness the Apostles grieved at, and said, "If this be the case with a wife, it is not good to marry." [Matthew 19:10] If the bonds be of iron, it is not good to set our feet within them. And the Lord said, "All men cannot receive this saying, but let him that can receive it, receive it." [Matthew 19:11-12] "Are you bound unto a wife? Seek not to be freed," for you are bound with bonds of iron. "Are you free from a wife, seek no