2. And as he says this we must enquire
concerning what man we are to understand him to be speaking. He
says: Happy is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of
the ungodly nor stood in the way of sinners, and hath not sat in the
seat of pestilence. But his will hath been in the Law of the
Lord, and in His Law will he meditate day and night. And he shall
be like a tree planted by the rills of water, that will yield its fruit
in its own season. His leaf also shall not wither, and all
things, whatsoever he shall do, shall prosper. I have
discovered, either from personal conversation or from their letters and
writings, that the opinion of many men about this Psalm is, that we
ought to understand it to be a description of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and that it is His happiness which is extolled in the verses
following. But this interpretation is wrong both in method and
reasoning, though doubtless it is inspired by a pious tendency of
thought, since the whole of the Psalter is to be referred to Him:
the time and place in His life to which this passage refers must be
ascertained by the sound method of knowledge guided by
reason.