the voyce of my weping Verse 9. The Lorde hath heard my complainte the Lord hath receyued my prayer Verse 10. Let them be ashamed and mightely confounded all mine Enimies Let them be sore ashamed and confounded quickly NOw recoueringe him selfe from out of a vehement and grieuous plonge whereas no sorow may be compared he begins to render thankes to God for that he hath heard his prayer For these wordes testifie that these former sorowes and sythes proceede from a minde praying vnto God and in time of prayer resistinge the deuill which went about to distroy Dauid as he had destroyed Saule But when as faith like a sheeld is apposed against the weapons of the deuill they are repulsed because faith taketh hold vpon Gods promises and verily beleueth that we are cared for are heard and preserued of God and affirmeth that we are gouerned by the hand of the Sonne of God present with vs like as by the hand of God Moyses was led through the standing waters as saith Esayas cap. 63. And as the former verses discribe mortification So the last verses largely expresse Viuification that is Consolation which is wrought by faith For in euery sound conuertion of man God mortifyeth and reuyueth he leadeth downe vnto hell and bringeth back from thence as the example of Ionas declareth For although Ionas was swalowed in the deuouring belly of the whale he came yet to that consideration as that he was forsaken of God and cast out of his fauour notwithstanding he was within three dayes by a wonderfull meanes delyuered and safe recouered from perishing This is the scholehouse of Gods power and the wrastling place wherein the holyones are exercised tasting both death and lyfe hell and heauenly paradise But these so greate matters are not learned with a vaine knowledge or insight but with true and feruent conflictes of the conscience struglinge with the wrath of God with the lawe sinne death the deuill and hell But as the Apostle saith Thankes be vnto God which geueth vs victory against our enimies through Iesus Christ our Lord. For although bitter cogitations come into the mindes of men wherewith the deuill turneth out and plucketh away many from God yet as the Prophet saith He that is in vs is stronger then he that raigneth in the worlde with force and fraude So that we may well say with S. Iohn 1. c. This is the victorie that ouercometh the worlde euen our faith And so verily with the Apostle S. Paule Rom. 8. If God be with vs who shall be against vs The seauenth Psalme Domine Deus meus c. THE TITLE The ignorance of Dauid which he songe vnto the Lorde because of the wordes spoken against him by that Aethiopian the sonne of Ieminus HE calleth it Ignorance which the Graecians call Apologian or defence of innocencie and truth This Psalme is a learned and graue defence opposed against the slaunders of Semeus For it is farre vnlike that Dauid would staine himselfe with such wicked mischiefes as are laide against him by Semeus which he neuer once conceyued in his minde But with what wordes Semeus the Sonne of Ieminus went about to blemish or deface Dauid being in exile the historie teacheth in the 16. cap. of the second booke of Kinges So spake Semeus when he reproched the kinge Come forth Come forth thou blood sucker and childe of Beliall The Lord hath reuenged vpon thee all the blood of the house of Saule because thou hast inuaded the kingdome c. Therefore it was a two foulde slaunder which Semeus spake The one that Dauid was the causer of the destruction of Saules familie The other that he possessed by tyrannical and seditious meanes the kingdome taken from Saule But both these were notorius false and neede not longe refutation For Dauid had suffered manie and greate iniuries done by Saule who gaue his wife vnto an other man and violently droue both him and his father and mother out of his contrie and for his sake slewe the Priestes and with a greate hoste pursued him to take awaye his life from him But although Dauid wanted none occasions to destroye Saule and might iust lie haue dispatched both the ensnarer and his enimie yet he spared him least he should amongest the people of God be author of the example to put kinges to death which thinge others afterwardes through ambition would haue imitated And as touchinge the other sclaunder it was manifestly knowne amongest all men that Dauid possessed not his kingdom by sinister menes or sleights but that he was called by God beyond all hope of mans counsell and deuises vnto the kingdome of Gods people But so great is the impudencie of the deuil and of all sclaunderouse persons that they doubt not to call Light darknes and darknes light Wherefore there is no remedie against the stinging of a Sycophant but that God himselfe with horrible plagues doth stopp and shâ—â—te vp the mouthes of sclaunderers And to the end that God would administer this remedie vnto the most vyle diseases we must not onelie vse an Apology which conteyneth a testimonie of our innocencie but much more must we be earnest in prayer wherein we may craue that God for his glory sake and doctrine would vtterly vanquish and distroy such Sycophantes THE ARGVMENT ALthough the title declare the argument yet before we interpret the psalm we must speak of the apt applying thereof we must confute certaine obiections The enimies of the Gospell at this day accuse vs most cruellie and lay in our dish the most detestable crimes of all others as of mouing seditions in the Church and heresies and call vs both scismatikes and heretikes neither may it be expressed with wordes how much the honest person is vexed with these railinges who will not be seene as the plague and distruction of mankind Yet it were more easie for many to suffer most bitter tormentes of bodie and to be bereaued of life then to heare these sclaunderous speeches But least that these rumors should breake our hartes or dismay vs from profession of the truthe we must hould still true and not sophisticall causes because it is needfull that wee differ in our doinges from the defenders of vniust crueltie and erroures Let vs also against these sclaunders recyte this psalme which containeth a two foulde answere there vnto Namlie vtter denyall and prayer for deliuerance But here the ruder sorte dispute or reason touchinge patient suffering and alledge the saying of Christ If any man smite thee vpon the right cheeke turne thou also the left vnto him This saie they doth not Dauid obserue because he speketh not in silence but reasoneth the matter with Semeus the sclaunderer This cauillation will I refute because of the ruder sorte both vertues is prescribed confession and patience For as it is nede full to defend a truecause speciallie of doctrine by a cleare confession so therewith ought we to be prepared in minde to
meanes and why he is delyuered Namely calling vpon the Lord. But I wil not stay longer in this so euident playne a sentence which oftentimes elswhere is repeated Verse 8 The earth was mooued and quaked with feare And the founda ions of the hilles were troubled and did shrinke because he was angrie therewith Verse 9 There arose a smoke in his wrath and a fire from before his face burned And coales were kindled thereat Verse 10 He bowed the heauens and came down and a darkenes was vnder his feete Verse 11 And he was caried vpon the Cherubins and did flie vpon the winges of the winde Verse 12 And he made darkenes his secrete place in the compas of his Tabernacle A darke water and thicke Clowdes Verse 13 From lightning in his sight there passed away his cloudes Haile and coales of fire Verse 14 And the Lord thundered from heauen and the most highest gaue foorth his voice haile and coales of fire Verse 15 And he sent his arrowes and scattered them He increased lightninge and troubled them Verse 16 And the welspringes of waters opened aâ— the foundations of the whole world were disclosed at thy rebuke O Lord at the blast of the breath of thy wrath THese â—yne verses which follow conteyne a Figuratiue description of an horrible tempest such as is that whereof Virgill speaketh 1. Georg. Ipse pater media nymborum in nocte corusca Fulmina inolitur dextra quo maxima motu Terra tremit fugere ferae mortalia corda Per gentes humilis strauit pauor c. This Father then in stormie midnight late With his right hand gaue foorth fierce flashing fire Whereby the earth did tremble sore and quake Wilde beastes away fast runne and eke retire Mens heartes were mazed through nations far nier But when Dauid expresly saith He sent his arrowes and scattered them it appeareth sufficientlye vnto what ende this manifest description may bee referred For without all doubt he signifyeth thereby the maiestie of God whereat the enemies of Dauid were stricken with a sodaine terror And if we may be so bold as with sacred histories to confer prophane matters not vnlike vnto this case seemeth the historie of Anniball and the Romanes which Liuius speaketh of in his sixte booke and 3. Decade on this maner In the 8. yeare of the second battell fought at Carthage Anniball remooued his Tentes vnto the flood Anien three mile from the sayde citie Lastly passing ouer the Riuer Anien hee set all his hostes in battell aray Neither did Flaccus and the Consuls prolong time from fight When both their hoastes were redely prepared for the purpose vnto that hazarde of handstrokes wherein the citie of Rome might become due salarie vnto the Conquerors a great shower of rayne mixed with hayle so troubled both the hoastes that scarcely could they betake them into their Tentes with their armour and weapons in safetye nothing lesse then with feare of hostilitie And the next day euen in the same place this same tempest scattered those hostes once more prepared Who when they had goâ— to themselues againe into their Tentes there arose a marueyleus cléerenes of wether with a calmenes The matter amongest them of Carthage was turned into an Oracle or Prophesie and it was noysed that Anniball should himselfe say sometime his owne minde discouraged hiâ— and sometime his fortune fayled him to conquere the citie of Rome But what doe I recite examples of the Ethnikes when as the ecclesiasticall historie setteth down vnto vs like deliuerances For so Eusebius in his 5. booke wryteth In the dayes of Antonius the Emperor histories doe recorde that his brother Marcus Aurelius going to warres against Caesar the Germanes Sarmatyans when as with drought and exceeding heate his hoast was welneere perished being in doubt and séeking what way was needefull to worke they found in a certaine bande of men Christian Souldiers who as it is also our vse bowing their knees and praying God did vnfaynedly heare their petitions and sodenlye contrary to all their hope poured downe most large showers of raine so that the hoaste which in deede was neere peryshing and for whom the Christians prayed had their drought refreshed or allayed But the enemies which approched vpon them with deadly foade were put to flight by lighteninges and fearefull flashinge flames of fire often times sent from the heauens But touchinge the Earthquake although Phisitions doe say that vehement spirites of winde blowing in the earth are the cause yet the heauenlie doctrine of Gods worde addeth another cause for it saith That by Gods working therein this windie spirite Inflation and shaking of the earth are so wrought that they may signifie the punishmentes in the world to come Therefore it is notably saide of Plinius in his 2. lib. 48. cap. And it is not simplie an euill neither in the mouing it selfe is there so great daunger but it signifieth a like or greater wonder shortlie ensuing The citie of Rome neuer quaked that it did not foreshew some strange thing would follow So although Phisitions doe say that the windie inflations of the earth when they wrap themselues within a darke cloude and when they haue got into euery most thinne parte thereof doe deuide and burst in sunder the same and that very often and vehemently so they doe Then cause they both lightning and thunder But if out of the raâ—â—…nge of the clowdes an expresse heate doe issue that is the thunderbolt Yet vnto these Phisicall causes the Scripture adioyneth God geuing both thunder and lightening seeing it standeth not with reason that such great matters are brought to passe by the alone force of Nature Verse 17. He sent from an high and receiued me and tooke me from out of many waters Verse 18. He tooke me away from my strongest enemies and from them which hated me Because they were too mightie for me Verse 19 They preuented me in the day of mine affliction And the Lord became my Protector Verse 20. And he brought me foorth at large And saued me because he had a fauour vnto me THese Verses describe gods mightie deliuerance wherby Dauid was taken out of the handes of Saule For so is it written in the 23. Chapter and 2. Booke of the Kinges Saule sought after Dauid all his life time but the Lord deliuered him not into his handes Verse 21. And the Lord shall rewarde me according to my righteousnesse And after the puritie of my handes shall the Lord doe vnto me OF the twofolde kinde of righteousnes I suppose I haue spoken sufficiently in the 8. Psalme Verse 22. Because I haue kept the wayes of the Lord And haue not beene wicked vnto my God Verse 23 Because all his iudgementes are in my sight And I haue not repulsed his righteousnes from me Verse 24 And I shall therewith be vndefiled and will keepe me from mine iniquitie verse 25 And the Lorde shall rewarde me after my righteousnes and according to the
gates of hell grudge and repugne against it Also let vs perswade ourselues that this most sweete sermon pertaineth vnto vs and let vs include our selues into this saying Let vs know that wee also are florishing and fruitfull palmes if wee be faithfull hearers and keepers of the doctrine of the gospell In the ende he compareth the true Church with the multitude of the enemies of the gospel and of hipocrites by a contrarietie opposite and vnto this vngodlie multitude at continuall enmitie with the true church doeth hee denounce in felicitie of their counsels and euentes and an vniuersall ouerthrowe and destruction For the true Church standeth vnmoueable as the verie Rockes in the sea Vt pelagirupes magno veniente fragore Quae sese multis circumlatrantibus vndis Mole tenet scopâ—li nequicquam spumeae circum Saxafremunt laterique illisa refunditur alga As Rock or huge sea banke which sousing tide With roaring waues rush on doth firme abide Nor rock nor foming stones do fret or fume But flag or reede itost toth'shore consume Contrariwise the vngodlie enemies of the church are like vnto grasse on the house sides which before it be plucked vp withereth away as it is saide 129. Psalme And in 58. psalme the vaine enterprises of the vngodly are described in fiue similitudes 1. They shall passe away swiftlie as the water 2. They shall shoote their shaftes and not hurt 3. They shall waxe drie as snailes in the shelles 4. They shall die as the vntimelie borne fruite 5. They shall be taken away as young thornes before they be growen Or as the texte saith Before that your thornes become sharpe pricking That is ere tender thornes become greate and sharpe But the whole meaning of this Psalme is paraphrasticallie expounded excellently set forth in the 119. Psalme Therfore let the godly confer this brief example with that more ample explication there set forth that they may see what difference there is betweene a little running riuer and a mayne flood That is betweene Dialectica which is to bee thought as a briefe and stricte eloquence and that same right eloquence which they take to be Dialectica dilatata or inlarged maner of disputing Verse 1. Blessed is the man which hath not walked in the counsell of the vngodlie nor stoode in the way of sinners nor sit in the seate of scorners Verse 2 But whose delite is in the law of the Lorde and in his law will exercise himselfe day and night IT is an vsuall thing in definitions which are more ample and elegant not onelye to contein the affirmatiue sentence declaring what the thing is but also the negatiue remouing from the subiecte thinges opposite and contrarie So in this place this psalme describeth negatiuelie and affirmatiuelie the true members of the Church that the speeche might be more full and large They saith he are Citizens of the true Church and the dwelling places and temples of God whiche fall not into the furies of Epicures or into other fanaticall errours neither establishe Idolatrie nor further the crueltie of the enemies of the Gospell but with all their heart abhorring the societie or companie of the contemners and enemies of the doctrine deliuered from God doe heare the pure worde of the gospell and embrace the same with faith and good conscience and the same doe professe and aduaunce Then are not the Saduces Pharises Bishops of Rome and their champyons members of the church of God yea though they beare a Title and sway in the world which doe defende prophane and idolatrous furies such as are prayer vnto the dead a manifolde prophanation of the Supper of the Lord in their masses and the Percian pompe wherein the bread is carryed about against vsuall maner and is worshipped contrarie vnto the vse of the Sacrament The law of single life which is the originall of greatest mischiefes and which S. Paul calleth plainly The Doctrine of deuils Perpetuall doubting of remission of sinnes Wicked foule errours of contrition confession and satisfaction Pardons for money The fable of purgatorie The snares of mans traditions Finallie the cruell salaughter of honest persons whom they kill and slay onely for that they disalowe these foule and manifest errours and doe prosesse the trueth These being cleane contrarie vnto the eternall and vnmoueable rules of Gods worde Thou shalt haue none other Gods but me Also Eschew Idolatrie Againe If any man teach any other doctrine let him be holden accursed It is plaine that the defenders of those are not the members of the Church of our Lorde Jesus Christ but the instrumentes of the diuell and vesselles of wrath as Paule calleth them But because in other wrytinges the whole place touching the church is plentifully expounded I will now be content to admonishe That the beginning of this Psalme is to be adioyned vnto the other descriptions which are euery where recyted in the scripture Verse 3. And hee shall be like the tree planted by the Riuer side which shall bring foorth her fruite in due season and his leafe shall not wither away but all thinges that hee shall doe shall haue prosperous successe HItherto hath he deliuered doctrine touching the greatest matter of all namely which what maner a one and where the true Church of God is Now doth he effectually comfort vs agaynst all temptations and tryals which all the godly ones do suffer We sée the barbarous crueltie of the Turkes dayly further to spread We see hurly burlyes to arise betwixt Christian Princes amongst them selues hurtfull vnto the Church The matter itselfe doth declare that the maynteiners of Popish Idolatrie do burne with most bitter hatred agaynst the godly because they forbid the Gospell to be published and cruelly kill and slaye many honest persons What other thing in these shewes may mans reason conceiue but that shortly both the true doctrine it selfe and the studies of the same should vtterly perishe But agaynst this humane reasoning let vs oppose the moste sweete consolation which affirmeth That there shall shall alwayes some true Church remayne yea though the Diuell labour to extinguish the same And that the Sonne of God shal raigne for euer and that the labours of suche as teache and learne shall not be in vayne As elsewhere S. Paule maynely crieth out Your labour shal not be frustrate in the Lorde Which things sith they so be let euery man diligently trauell in his vocation neither let him cast it of for any terrours hatred imuries nor dangers But let him with fayth looke for helpe of God and hope for prosperous euentes according to the most sweete promise in this place deliuered He shall be like a tree planted by the riuer side which shall bring foorth her fruite in due season For where as the circumstances in this verse declare that Dauid alludeth vnto the nature of a Palme tree to the which in the 92. Psalme the Church is compared The iust shall florishe as the Palme tree vers
12. I will repeate a fewe wordes out of the 13. booke of Plinie concerning the nature of the Palme tree and I will apply the same vnto the Image of the Church The Palme sayth he groweth not but in the warme countrie and it is not fruitfull in any place but in the hotte countrie It increaseth in a lighte and grauelly grounde and for the most part in a saltie ground It also delighteth in a waterish or moyst ground and all the yere long loueth to sucke humiditie Also some thinke that doung is hurtfull vnto it We haue sayde that saltilhe ground is brooked well of this Palme tree Therefore where no suche soyle is they sprinkle salte not at the rootes but a litle from it c. These after the same maner maye be spoken concerning fayth and the Church Fayth springeth in the grauelly and saltish ground that is in a contrite or broken heart through acknowledging of sinne and as the Palme trees haue neede of warmth and moysture so sayth is kindled by the holy Ghost and is watered by the ryuers of the Gospell And it is hurte of doung that is by corruption of doctrine the woundes of the conscience Furthermore as the Palme tree is fruitfull so fayth is not fruitles but effectuall by loue And as the Palme tree beareth waighte of any thing layde vpon her the more she is borne downe so muche more hyer she ryseth agayne so fayth is the vanquisher of sorowes amidst afflictions specially shineth Finally the leaues of the Palme tree neuer fall of so the fruits of the teachers are euerlasting as in the 15. chapter of John it is most comfortably sayd In this is my father glorified if ye be made my disciples and that you beare muche fruite and that your fruite do continue Verse 4 So shall not the vngodly do but as the chaffe shall they be which the winde driues to and fro Verse 5 Therefore shall not the vngodly abide in iudgement neither shall sinners stande in the congregation of the righteous EVen as he compareth the godly ones which are the members of the true Church vnto the flourishing and fruitefull Palme tree So doth he compare the vngodly contemners or enimies of the Gospel vnto a most light and vile thing namely chaffe which is tossed with the winde But as the first figure is full of consolation so this other is fearefull And were not the multitude of the vngodly ones more sturdie then the rockes standing in the sea and not perswaded in any age although they are beaten vpon with continuall waues vndoubtedly beholding this heauy and sorowfull figure they woulde earnestly quake for feare But the prophane securitie of the vngodly is signified in the 48. chapter of Genesis Thy sinne shall lye or rest till it be reuealed For the vngodly feele not fearefulnes and humbling of themselues till beeing suppressed with plagues they fall headlong into eternall destruction and as it were vayne chaffe shall be cast into neuer ending tormentes As Saule Pompeius Crassus Cato Nero Iulianus and others innumerable had tragical endes and death is vnto them a waye vnto eternall miserie What can be imagined more dolefull then this Image And yet notwithstanding vayne chaffe do beare sway and carry stately countenaunces vntill that they be throwne headlong from the toppe of their glory into present and euerduring calamities But although Origen beeing deceiued with the subtiltie of this figuratiue speache Therefore shall not the vngodly stande in iudgement wrested these words of the Psalme vnto a straunge and false opinion touching the particuler resurrection of the dead in the vniuersal iudgement Yet we omitting to confute Origen heare which we purpose in another place to do will recite a simple and naturall interpretation of this fifth litle verse Certaine it is that the name of iudgement is often times taken for a function or office This is therfore the sense that the vngodly ones as Annas Caiphas and others which beare a sway in the world as Pharisees and Saduces euer warring with God and holding battell with the true Churche yea although they seeme notably to be sensed with princely powers agaynst all chaunces of fortune yet they shall be cast out of their stations and shall be seperated from the true Churche as those which are accursed of God And although nowe and then punishments are deferred and God doth not by and by execute this iudgement yet as it is sayd Sera tamen tacitis paena venit pedibus Although late yet punishment stealeth on For God doth at length iudge betweene the conflictes of the true Churche and hypocrites the blasphemous part extinguished as the heretikes of all ages are subuerted the Churche remayning unmoueable not shrinking out of place nor yet out of order For the peculier glory of the Church is the preseruation of the whole body yea though in some part or member she be afflicted or persecuted Verse 6 Because the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous but the way of the vngodly shall perishe MAny Psalmes are like vnto Epigrams wherein some sentence beeing propounded afterwards followe amplifications and lastly is added the conclusion So in this short Psalme after a determinate proposition which and what maner where the true Church is do folow two amplifications A similitude of the fruites and successe of the true Church and an Antithesis of the difference betweene the true Church and that furious multitude which the diuels stirre vp against the Church Therfore in the ende is added the conclusion conteining the effect of the whole Psalme The Lorde knoweth c. That is he not onely approueth but also helpeth and aydeth the vocations of the godly ones according to that saying of S. Paule God worketh in you to will and to performe That is he draweth your willes and then not only helpeth forwards those desires but also gouerneth the euentes and giueth successe therevnto So did he stirre vp in Samuel good motions and after that helpeth the same and therewith in his harde gouernment gaue vnto him force and strength that he might endure those trauels and gaue him prosperous successe Contrariwise Achas and other hypocrites not crauing nor looking for helpe from God are vnhappy and are ouerwhelmed in their course before they coulde see or attayne the hauen This is the summe of this firste Psalme whiche conteineth a description of the true Church and of all the godly But that our affection may accorde with Dauids harpe I will annexe vnto this Psalme in steade of a conclusion this prayer A prayer consonant with Dauids verse I Giue thee thanks O eternall Father of our Lorde Iesus Christ that thou hast brought me silly sinner out of the kingdome of darknes into the kingdome of the light of the sunne and hast seperated me from the company of Idolaters and manquellers whiche night and day meditate and practise this one thing to subuert the trueth and the godly ministers of the Gospell and destroy