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A46807 Annotations upon the five books immediately following the historicall part of the Old Testament (commonly called the five doctrinall or poeticall books) to wit, the book of Iob, the Psalms, the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon ... / by Arthur Jackson ... Jackson, Arthur, 1593?-1666. 1658 (1658) Wing J64; ESTC R207246 1,452,995 1,192

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righteous sake God strikes them with terrours In Psal 53.5 in stead of this clause there are these words For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee that is God hath destroyed the strong enemies that had beset thee and so hath delivered thee O thou righteous servant of God thou hast put them to shame because God hath despised them which is the same in effect with that we have here Vers 6. You have shamed the counsell of the poor because the Lord is his refuge Here David turns his speech to those wicked men he had spoken of The words may be taken as spoken ironically You have shamed the counsell of the poor c. as if he had said You thought to have made frustrate the hope of the poor but in your own terrours you feel what it is come to and thus he derides them for scorning and deriding the poor But rather David doth therein expresly charge them with shaming that is with endeavouring to shame the counsell of the poor either by opposing them in their hopes and endeavours or rather by deriding them for hoping in God when the Lord seemed not to regard them as if he had said You will not call upon the Lord your selves and you deride them that do it and this he chargeth upon them as that which would farther provoke the Lord to destroy them Vers 7. O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion c. This might be meant both first of a temporall deliverance as if he had said O that the Lord who dwelleth in Sion would deliver his Israel or that from heaven whereof the Tabernacle in Sion was a type he would save his people from the tyranny of Saul and all other their proud oppressours O that he would settle me in the kingdome that he hath promised me that I might then purge out this profanenesse out of the land and if we take it thus then the following words must be thus understood When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people Iacob shall rejoyce and Israel shall be glad that is when the Lord shall thus free his people from the slavery under which they are now held then shall all true Israelites exceedingly rejoyce And if it be objected that this Psalm cannot be intended of the profanenesse of Sauls daies because of the mention that is here made of Sion the Ark not being in his daies removed thither to this it may be answered either that David might speak this by a propheticall spirit or that haply he composed this Psalm after the Ark was placed in Sion though he writes therein of former times And secondly it may he meant of the spirituall Redemption of his people Being grieved at the horrible impiety of the children of men O saith he that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion that is O that God would send his Son our Redeemer to save man from the bondage of sin and death and those words out of Sion are added because thence the Messiah was to come Rom. 11.26 There shall come out of Sion the deliverer and shall turn away ungodlinesse from Iacob and thence also the Gospel was expected Esa 2.3 Out of Sion shall goe forth the Law and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem and so then we must also understand the following words when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people c. to wit of Christs delivering his people from the bondage of sin and death the great joy of all true Israelites PSALM XV. Vers 1. LOrd who shall abide in thy Tabernacle who shall dwell in thy holy hill This Question David propounds to the Lord that the answer afterwards added might be received as a divine Oracle of unquestionable certainty Some understand it of the qualification of those that present themselves to serve God in the Tabernacle or Temple Lord who shall abide in thy Tabernacle c. as if he had said Many flock thither but who are they that have a just right to come or who are they that may expect to have this priviledge continued to them of resorting to thy house But more generally it is understood of the qualification of those that are true members of the Church here and shall live for ever in heaven hereafter Some conceive that it is the kingdome of heaven that is here called both Gods Tabernacle and holy hill and so make the summe of the whole Question to be this Who shall dwell with thee for ever in heaven But because the Tabernacle was more peculiarly a type of the Church militant and the Temple on the holy hill of Sion a type of the Church triumphant therefore more commonly Expositours understand this Question thus Who shall be acknowledged true members of thy Church on earth and who shall dwell for ever in thy Church triumphant in heaven Vers 3. Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour To wit by raising false reports or any other way of reproaching them or by hearkening to others or enduring them that doe it See the Note upon Exod. 2● 1 Vers 5. He that putteth not out his money to usury c. See the Notes Exod. 22.25 and Deut. 23.19 and under this all other unjust waies of gain are comprehended He that doeth these things shall not be moved That is He shall never be cast out as an hypocrite he shall certainly continue a true member of the Church and shall for ever live in Gods kingdome of glory PSALM XVI The Title MIchtam of David The same Title is in the 56 and the four following Psalms and the same that is said before often of others is by many said of this as that it was the name of some Musicall Instrument Song or Tune Besides some make it a word compounded of mach which signifyeth poor or afflicted and tam which signifyeth simple or sincere and so they render the Title A Psalm of David that was afflicted and sincere But it is best render'd as in the margin of our Bibles A golden Psalm of David intimating that David made precious account of it that it was to him as a chain or jewell or crown of gold Vers 1. Preserve me O God for in thee do I put my trust Because some passages in this Psalm vers 8. and 10 are by the Apostles cited as spoken by Christ Act. 2.25.31 and 13.35 therefore some of our best Expositours do understand every clause of this Psalm as uttered by Christ and accordingly they say that in these words Preserve me O God Christ prayeth to his father that he might be sustained and preserved in the time of his agony and death that he might not sink under them but might at last triumph over all his enemies and sufferings But in regard there are some passages in the Psalm that cannot so conveniently or properly be applyed to Christ as that vers 4. that he should professe that he would not partake with Idolaters in their
of our deliverances to thee without the least self-respect and 2ly with as much affection as possibly I can not praising thee with my lips when my heart is far from thee I will shew forth all thy marvellous works But how could he doe this the wonderfull works of God being infinite in number I answer Either this must be restrained to the miraculous deliverances which God had wrought for him and his people or the meaning must be that he would speak of the severall sorts of his marvellous works or else he shews hereby not what he should be able to doe but what he did desire and would endeavour to doe Vers 2. I will be glad and rejoyce in thee c. To wit as acknowledging thee the only authour of all my joy I will sing praise to thy name O thou most high that is who dost every way transcendently excell those that are highest and greatest here in this world And this title David gives God in this place because in his marvellous works for him and his people he had shown himself such Vers 5. Thou hast rebuked the heathen c. See the Note upon Psal 6.1 This implyes that his enemies were many as it were from severall nations combined together against him thou hast put out their name for ever and ever to wit either by destroying them utterly that so they may be no more named amongst the living and by degrees their very memory perish together with them or by bringing them to such a reproachfull ruine that they lose thereby all that glory and renown they had formerly gotten Vers 6. O thou enemy destructions are come to a perpetuall end c. If we read this as it is in the margin of our Bibles The destructions of the enemy are come to a perpetuall end and their cities hast thou destroyed c. the meaning seems then to be clearly this O Lord thou hast put an end to the destructions which the enemy began to make amongst thy people and thou hast destroyed their cities whereas they thought to have destroyed ours But reading it as it is in our Bibles it may be understood either to be spoken ironically O thou enemy destructions are come to a perpetuall end and thou hast destroyed cities c. as if he had said O thou enemy thou hast f●nished the ruine thou didst intend to bring upon us by destroying our cities to which then that must be opposed which follows in the next verse But the Lord shall endure for ever c. Or else it must be understood as spoken by way of insultation over the proud enemy as it he had said Whereas thou O proud enemy didst resolve never to give over destroying till thou hadst brought all to ruine destructions thou seest are come to a perpetuall end thou shalt no more for ever destroy as thou beganst to doe thou hast indeed destroyed cities c. but vers 8. the Lord shall endure for ever he hath prepared his throne for judgement that is it belongs to him to judge the world as a righteous judge and though therefore he doth it not at all times he will certainly doe it Vers 9. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed That is Such they shall esteem him and such he will be unto them Vers 10. Thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee That is those that endeavour to approve themselves to thee that they may enjoy thy favour or those that by faith do pray unto thee and indeed this last is chiefly here meant Vers 11. Declare among the people his doings That is Not only amongst the Israelites but also amongst the nations far and near Vers 12. When he maketh inquisition for bloud he remembreth them c. That is the people mentioned in the foregoing verse or the humble mentioned in the following clause he forgetteth not the cry of the humble And this phrase when he maketh inquisition for bloud implyeth first that though shedders of bloud may escape for a time yet they shall sooner or later be called to an account secondly that no excuses or pretences shall clear or secure those that are indeed guilty of bloud and thirdly that God makes precious account of the bloud of those of whom the world makes no reckoning at all Vers 13. Consider my trouble O thou that liftest me up from the gates of death That is say some Expositours from the counsels and plots of mine enemies making the ground of this expression to be the custome of all nations in making the gates of their cities the place where they sat in counsell concerning the affairs of the Common-wealth See the Note Gen. 22.17 But rather I conceive that by being lifted up from the gates of death is meant his being delivered from desperate dangers wherein he seemed to be nigh unto death from the jaws of death from the mouth and brink of the grave which indeed those words thou that liftest me up seem much to favour See the Note Job 38.17 Yet by the gates of death may be meant the power and dominion of death which agreeth with that expression of the Apostles of deaths reigning Rom. 5.14 Vers 14. That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Sion c. That is in the solemn assemblies of the inhabitants of Sion for they used to be in the gates of Jerusalem And why the inhabitants are called the daughter of Sion see in the Note upon 2 Kings 19.21 and the elegancy is observable of opposing here the gates of Sion to the gates of death mentioned in the foregoing verse God lifted up David from the gates of death that he might praise him in the gates of Sion Vers 16. The Lord is known by the judgement which he executeth c. This may be meant generally of all the judgements which God executeth on wicked men because they do all shew forth the power and holinesse and justice of God but rather here that judgement seems to be particularly intended which is expressed in the following words the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands because nothing doth more notably discover the wisedome power justice and providence of God then when he causeth wicked men to be entangled by their own cursed practises In the close of this verse these words Higgaion Selah are added Concerning Selah see the Note Psal 3.2 As for that word Higgaion it signifyeth meditation and therefore it may seem added to imply that the foregoing clause was worthy mens most serious thoughts yet some take it to be some tearm of musick Vers 17. The wicked shall be turned into hell c. By hell in the Scripture is sometimes meant the grave as Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell but if nothing else were intended here there were nothing then threatned to these wicked wretches but what is common to the godly together with them It must therefore be understood here I
that thou thy self hast cursed others That is reproached and spoken evil of others And therefore as thou wouldst have others to bear with thine infirmities so resolve thou to bear with the infirmities of others Vers 23. All this have I proved by wisdome c. Solomons drift in this and the following verse is from his own proof and experience first to assert the certainty of those precepts he had hitherto given for the remedying of those vanities as much as may be whereto men are subject here in this world and particularly of that which he had said concerning the singular protection which wisdom affords to men against their own corruptions the dangers ensuing thereupon and Secondly to set forth the difficulty of attaining this wisdom thereby to teach men not to be over ready to think upon some progresse they have made in their endeavours after wisdome and knowledge that they know as much as is to be known that because the more they know the more they will discover their want of knowledge and yet withall to content themselves with such a measure of knowledge as is attainable in this life and not to aspire after the knowledge of those things that are above their reach All this have I proved by wisdome that is by means of that wisdome which God was pleased in an extraordinary measure to confer upon me and wherein I laboured by all possible means dayly to grow and increase I did experimentally find the truth of all that which I have hitherto taught either concerning the vanity of all things here below or concerning the means prescribed whereby men may come to live with as much comfort and content as is attainable in the midst of so much vanity or particularly concerning the great advantage which true wisdom yields to men in this And yet withall he addes that after all his endeavours he came far short of that degree of wisdom which he sought to attain as is expressed in the following words I said I will be wise that is I fully determined with my self to use all means that I might atttain to perfection of wisdome and perswaded my self that by those endeavours of mine I should attain it but it was far from me that is I was still far from attaining that perfection of wisdome which I laboured for I found it still far above my reach and that because the more he searched into Gods works of creation and providence the more unsearchable depths he found therein the more knowledge he attained the clearer discovery he still made of his own wants herein and after the diligence he used in tracing all the severall wayes which men take for the attaining of true happinesse he found himself still far from attaining that wisdome thereby which he sought for Vers 24. That which is far off and exceeding deep who can find it out As if he had said As men cannot discern those things that are very far distant from them nor dive into those things that are exceeding deep so neither can they fully comprehend the works of God and the reason thereof and that because they are so exceeding mysterious and profound and so far beyond the reach of the eye of mans reason And therefore no marvel it is though wisdome be so hard to be attained Vers 25. I applyed mine heart to know c. In the Hebrew it is I and mine heart compassed to know and to search and to seek out wisdome But the meaning is this that though he found wisdome so hard to be attained yet this did not discourage him but rather made him more eager in the pursuite of it in so much that he did seriously and with all possible diligence turn himself every way and made curious search into every thing wherein any knowledge was to be gotten leaving no means unattempted whereby he might hope to attain the wisdome he sought for and the reason of things that is the nature and causes of things why things are thus and thus and why men did that which he observed they did that weighing diligently the true principles and causes of all things and comparing them with others he might be able to give a clear and distinct judgement concerning all things whatsoever and to know the wickednesse of folly even of foolishnesse and madnesse that is the exceeding wickednesse folly and madnesse that is in the wayes of ungodly men And observable it is that first he buckled himself to search out wisdome and then afterwards to discover the folly of wickednesse that so the first might be an Antidote against the second But see the Notes Chap. 1.13 17. Some conceive that Solomons drift in this verse is to shew that having found the reason of Gods works to be above his reach he addressed himself in the next place to observe the ordinary passages of mens lives But I rather conceive that Solomon intending in the following verses to set forth some other vanities observed by him besides those formerly mentioned in this book he premiseth by way of introduction thereunto that which he saith here concerning the diligent search that he had made after knowledge in the exact discovery both of good and evil Vers 26. And I find more bitter then death the woman whose heart is snares and nets c. That is the harlot or whorish woman whose heart is said to be snares and nets because her heart is continually intent upon the designe of intangling mens affections and is alwayes full of manifold cunning frauds and devices whereby to deceive insnare and destroy men and her hands as bands because by her wanton dalliances her cogging gifts and lascivious embraces she binds those to her whom she hath once insnared and holds them in bondage as her slaves triumphing and insulting over them at her pleasure Now this woman Solomon saith he had found more bitter then death because though she seemes in her words and outward carriage to be sweeter then honey and softer then oile yet indeed in regard of the miseries she brings upon men she is more bitter then death and it were better for a man to dye then to be intangled by her see the Notes Pro. 5.3 4. even in regard of the miseries she brings upon a man in this life the terrors of his conscience the ruining of his estate the scorn and reproach he endures the rotting and consuming of his body by noysome and filthy diseases he is in a worse condition then that of men that dye by an ordinary death But then besides whereas death doth only deprive men of this bodily and momentany life the harlot deprives men of life eternall and separates betwixt them and God whose favour is better then life Psal 63.3 Death in some wayes and cases may be an honour to men yea it may be so sanctified and sweetned as that it may be to men a most welcome and desirable mercy But a mans being overcome by a harlot can tend to nothing but misery shame and