Psalmist speaking of himself may be taken from Prov. 2.8 For as here the prayer to God to keep or preserve his soul is backt with this motive for I am 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so there the aphorisme is delivered expresly for he will preserve the way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his pious ones which the LXXII render there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of them that revere or fear or worship him In this sense it is used Psal 32.6 For this shall every 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pious godly man that fears or worships God pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found A promise again of Gods being found granting the requests of such of these when they pray to him And in this notion of the word for one that fears and reveres and humbly addresseth his prayers to God there will be no more difficulty for the Psalmist to say this of himself than that he trusteth in him in the end of the verse cries daily to him v. 3. lifts up his soul unto him v. 4. calls upon him v. 5. and 7. or that he prayes and supplicates to him v. 6. And thus Psal 116.15 speaking of himself pretious saith he in the sight of the Lord is the death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his holy ones those who depend and wait and rely on him in the former verses Nor can it be strange that any or all of these should here be introduced with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for as the grounds of his begging an audience to his prayers when God who though he be not obliged by the merits of our performances is yet by the force of his own promise hath promised to hear the prayers of such as come thus qualified to him The Jewish Arab renders it Preserve my soul and I shall be pure V. 8. The Gods That by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 high angels are to be here understood is the gloss of the Targum and so the word frequently signifies see note on Ps 82. b. yet the mention of all nations immediately following and those evidently in the notion of the heathen Idolaters of the world or whom it is said that they shall come and worship thee O Lord i. e. forsake their Idols and become proselytes to the true God makes it reasonable to understand it here of those whether good Angels or Devils which are by those nations adored and prayed to and depended on that so the connexion may be evident Among those Gods none is like to thee O Lord and consequently All nations shall forsake them and become worshippers of thee V. 11. Vnite For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unite retained also by the Chaldee the LXXII read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let my heart rejoyce reading it seems 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to rejoyce as when Job 3.6 we read in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let it not rejoyce the Chaldee read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let it not be united when yet the next verse determines it to the sense of joy let no joyful voice come therein Here the points differing the rendring must in reason be as from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 univit and note the contrary to hypocrisie or unsincere partial obedience ordinarily exprest by the double heart V. 14. Violent From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to fear or be frighted is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here and therefore is most literally to be rendred terrible or formidable Yet Abu Walid and Kimchi among the significations of it put fortis potens and accordingly the LXXII renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 powerful men and the Chaldee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which as it signifies potent so also cruel oppressing men from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fortis durus fuit The Eighty Seventh Psalm A Psalm or Song for the sons of Corah Paraphrase The eighty Seventh Psalm is a brief comparison first betwixt Sion the place of Gods Worship and all Judaea besides and then betwixt it and all other heathen people particularly in respect of the numerousness of eminent persons in the one above what was to be found in all the others It seems to have been composed as a prophetick scheme to foretel the return of the Jews captivity as Isa 54.1 c. and the great prosperity of Jerusalem consequent to it and was designed to be sung by the posterity of Corah 1. His foundation is in the holy mountain 2. The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Paraphrase 2. The Lord of heaven hath chosen one place on all the earth wherein he is pleased to reside in a peculiar manner to exhibit himself to his people that call upon him there and as this he hath by promise determin'd to the Cities of Judah rather than any other nation upon the earth so hath he now of all them chosen out Jerusalem and on the north side thereof Psal 48.2 the hill of Sion and there he appointed the Temple to be sumptuously and magnificently built and many Schools of learning to be erected there 3. Glorious things are spoken of thee O City of God Selah Paraphrase 3. This then is the place of Gods residence the embleme of his future incarnation or inhabitation of his glorious Majesty among â—n as also of the Christian Church wherein God by his grace exhibits and presentiates himself and all that ever have spoken of this place have given it huge elogies for the beauty of the situation beyond all other places Psal 48.2 4. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me behold Philistia and Tyre with Aethiopia this man was born there Paraphrase 4. And if it be compared with all other nations Aegyptians Babylonians Philistims Tyrians and Arabians the difference will be found very great especially in respect of the number of eminent pious men produced by the one much greater than in all the other To which also must be added one supereminent advantage viz. that the only true God by his special presence and providence will continue this flourishing condition to this place above all others 5. And of Sion it shall be said this and that man was born in her and the highest himself shall establish her 6. The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people that this man was born there Selah 7. As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there all my springs are in thee Paraphrase 6 7. Among the nations very few can be found considerable for piety and those discernible only by God who exactly knows and considers every man living whereas through Gods special favour to the Jews in taking such care for the instructing them in his will and ingaging them to his service the number of eminent knowing and pious men is so great that the burthen of the song by which they are praised and celebrated sounds to
those which the dedication or consecration brings into them and causes to dwell in their graven images And so Proclus de Sacrif Mag. mentions it as their common opinion that the Gods were by their favour and help present in their images And therefore the Tyrians fearing that Apollo would forsake them bound his image with golden chains supposing then the God could not depart from them The like did the Athenians imagine when they clipt the wings of the image of Victory and the Sicilians in Cicero de Divin who complain that they had no Gods in their Island because Verres had taken away all their statues and so we know Laban when he had lost his Teraphim tells Jacob Gen. 31.30 that he had stollen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Gods And so of the Golden calf after the feasts of consecration proclamation is made before it These be thy Gods O Israel But this of the animation and inspiriting of images by their rites of consecration being but a deception and fiction of their Priests the Psalmist here discovers it and assures all men that they are as inanimate and senseless after the consecration as before bare silver and gold with images of mouths and â—ars c. but without any power to use any of them and consequently most unable to hear or help their votaries V. 7. Speak they What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here signifies will be concluded by the context which immediately before had mentioned their having mouths and not speaking Here therefore as there the proper action of the mouth was speech the proper action of the throat or larynx seems to be intended and that is to breath So when Psal 90.9 he saith we consume our days 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Targum reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a vapour i. e. breath of the mouth in winter If it be not this then sure 't is an inarticulate sound contradistinct from speaking So Kimchi and Aben Ezra state it and quote Isa 38.14 where the word is applied to the murmuring of the dove V. 9. Trust thou For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the imperative trust thou the LXXII appear to have read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the praeter tense and so render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath hoped and so in v. 9 and 10. And so the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they of the house of Israel trust And if that were the true reading the sense would well accord in opposition to what went before The idol-worshippers that hope in their gods are most senseless persons lose all their prayers that are poured out to them receive no aid or relief from them but the house of Israel trust in the Lord of heaven make their addresses to him and they receive the benefit of their trusts and prayers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is their help and their shield he actually defends and assists them when they thus depend on him But the Hebrew reading is to be adhered to and the sense is the same either way The Jewish Arab altering the signification from the imperative paraphraseth and as the house of Israel hath trusted in the Lord because he c. v. 12. so the Lord will be mindfull of us and will bless us c. The Hundred and Sixteenth PSALM The hundred and sixteenth is a gratefull acknowledgment of God's seasonable deliverances and gracious returns to the prayers of his afflicted distressed servant which are to be answered with vows of new obedience and intire affiance in God It is thought to have been composed by David upon his delivery from the rebellion of Absolom after which he immediately had the liberty to return to the sanctuary and publick assembly at Jerusalem v. 14. and 18 and 19. but may possibly and not unfitly belong to the return from the captivity see note a 1. I Love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplications 2. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me therefore will I call upon him as long as I live Paraphrase 1 2. I made my prayer to the Lord the God of heaven that he would in his good time give audience to my cryes which I daily poured out before him that he would at length be graciously pleased to consider my distress When calamities approach or seize upon me I have nothing to apply my self to but my prayers to heaven and those I shall not fail to pour out before God 3. The sorrows of death compassed me and the pains of hell gate hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow 4. Then called I upon the name of the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soul Paraphrase 3 4. At this time my dangers were very great I was pursued close and incompassed with my enemies who were purposely sent as the messengers of death unto me and having no way of rescue from any humane means I then addrest my self to the over-ruling help and providence of God and to him I humbly and importunately came beseeching this seasonable deliverance from him 5. Gracious is the Lord and righteous yea our God is mercifull Paraphrase 5. And thus I concluded with my self that whatever my pressures were yet God was both mercifull and faithfull and would certainly make good his promised mercy to me 6. The Lord preserveth the simple I was brought low and he helped me Paraphrase 6. That 't was his proper attribute to be the supporter of the weak the reliever of them that are in distress and accordingly so hath he dealt with me in my greatest destitution 7. Return unto thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee 8. For thou hast delivered my soul from death mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling 9. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living Paraphrase 7 8 9. And now being thus rescued by him and delivered out of the sad condition that incompassed me I have nothing to doe but to serve God in all sincerity and integrity of conversation chearfully and constantly all my days which God shall afford me in this world at the present devoutly return to the Ark the place where God is pleased to presentiate himself and there in great tranquility to celebrate that mercy which hath afforded me this signal deliverance 10. I believed therefore have I spoken I was greatly afflicted 11. I said in my haste All men are liars Paraphrase 10 11. I had a full trust and repose and affiance in God and therefore I did and spake thus When my afflictions were at the greatest see 2 Cor. 4.13 when I was in my flight I was sufficiently convinced that the arm of flesh was unable to yield me any relief Psal 108.12 men might promise and either prove false as those how did that David had most reason to depend on his own son Achitophel c. or impotent there was I know but one sure hold to which it is tolerably
Creation Christ must not be excluded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods in the Plural all the Persons of the Deity in the whole work and peculiarly in the Faciamus hominem are adumbrated if not mentioned by Moses And therefore God is said to have made all by his Word that inward eternal Word in his bosome an articulation and as it were incarnation of which was that fiat factum est which the Heathen Rhetorician so admired in Moses for a magnificent sublime expression Yet in this Creation and consequently this donation of natural strength peculiarly imputed to the first Person of the Trinity because no personal act of Christ either of his satisfaction or merit of his humiliation or exâ—ltation did conduce to that though the Son were consulted about it yet was it not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 delivered to us in the hand of a Mediator Our natural strength we have of God without respect to Christ incarnate without the help of his Mediation but that utterly unsufficient to bring us to Heaven 2 Cor. iii. 5 Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing i. e. saith Parisiensis any thing of moment or valor according to the Dialect of Scripture that calls the whole man by the name of his soul so many souls i. e. so many men and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Pythagoreans word thy soul is thou counts of nothing but what tends to the salvation of that But then our supernatural strength that which is called Grace and Christian strength that is of another date of another tenure of another allay founded in the promise actually exhibited in the death and exaltation of the Messias and continually paid out to us by the continued daily exercise of his Offices 1. The Covenant sealed in his Blood after the manner of Eastern Nations as a counterpart of Gods to that which Abraham had sealed to before in his Blood at his Circumcision 2. The Benefits made over in that Covenant were given up in numerato with a kind of Livery and Seisin at his Exaltation which is the importance of that place Ephes iv 8 out of the lxviii Psalm Thou hast ascended on high there is the date of it upon Christ's inauguration to his Regal Office Thou hast led captivity captive there is the evidence of conveyance unto him as a reward of his victory and part of his triumph Thou hast given gifts or as the Psalm received Gifts for men both importing the same thing in divers relations received from his Father all power is given to me that he might give dispense convey and steward it out to men and so literally still 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the hand of a Mediator And then that which is thus made over to us is not only the gift of Grace the habit by which we are regenerate but above that account daily bublings out of the same Spring minutely rayes of this Sun of Righteousness which differ from that gift of Grace as the propagation of life from the first act of Conception conservation from Creation that which was there done in a minute is here done every minute and so the Christian is still in fieri not in facto esse or as a line which is an aggregate of infinite points from a point in suo indivisibili the first called by the Schools Auxilium gratiae per modum principii the other Per modum concursus And this is noted by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 givings Jam. i. 17 neither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Heathen called their vertues as habits of their own acquiring nor again so properly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 giftâ— because that proves a kind of tenure after the receit Data eo tempore quo dantur fiunt accipientis saith the Law but properly and critically 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 givings Christ always a giving confirming minutely not our title but his own gift or else that as minutely ready again to return to the crown all our right and title to strength and power is only from Gods minutely donation And the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Present tense implies all depending on the perpetual presence and assistance of his strength Hence is it that Christ is called the Father of Eternity Isai ix 6 i. e. of the life to come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the LXX the age to come the state of Christians under the Gospel and all that belongs to it the Father which doth not only beget the Child but educate provide for put in a course to live and thrive and deserves far more for that he doth after the birth than for the being it self and therefore it is Procâ—us his observation of Plato that he calls God in respect of all Creatures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Maker but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Father in respect of Man And this the peculiar title of Christ in respect of his Offices not to be the Maker only the Architect of that age to come of grace and glory but peculiarly the Father which continues his Paternal Relation for ever yea and the exercises of Paternal Offices by the pedagogy of the Spirit all the time of non-age minutely adding and improving and building him up to the measure and pitch of his own stature and fulness And so again that soveraign Title of his Jesus i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matt. i. 21 this title and office of Physician is peculiar to the second person to repair the daily decays and ruines of the Soul and not only to implant a Principle of health but to maintain it by a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and confirm it minutely into an exact habit of Soul and therefore that Sun of righteousness is said to have his healing in his wings i. e. in those rayes which it minutely sends out by which as on wings this fountain of all inherent and imputed righteousness of sanctifying and justifying Grace takes its flight and rests upon the Christian Soul and this still peculiarly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not in God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Christ In Christ that strengthneth The not observing or not acknowledging of which difference between the gifts of God and the gifts of Christ the endowments of that first and this second foundation the hand of God and the hand of a Mediator is I conceive the ground of all those perplexing controversies about the strength of nature and patrimony of grace Pelagius very jealous and unwilling to part with his natural power lest any thing in the business of his Salvation should be accounted due unto God they are his own words if Jerom may be credited Mihi nullus auferre poterit liberi arbitrii potestatem ne si in operibus meis Deus adjutor extiterit non mihi debeatur merces sed ei qui in me operatus Socinus again denying all merit and satisfaction of
the meer eating of an apple In the next place as Adam was no private person but the whole humane nature so this sin is to be considered either in the root or in the fruit in its self or in its effects In its self so all mankind and every particular man is and in that name must humble himself as concerned in the eating of that fruit which only Adams teeth did fasten on is to deem himself bound to be humbled for that pride that curiosity that disobedience or whatsoever sin else can be contained in that first great transgression and count you this nothing to have a share in such a sin which contains such a multitude of Rebellions 'T is not a slight perfunctory humiliation that can expiate not a small labour that can destroy this monster which is so rich in heads each to be cut off by the work of a several repentance Now in the last place as this sin of all mankind in Adam is considered in its effects so it becomes to us a body of sin and death a natural disorder of the whole man an hostility and enmity of the flesh against the spirit and the parent of all sin in us as may appear Rom. vii and Jam. 1.14 Which that you may have a more compleat understanding of consider it as it is ordinarily set down consisting of three parts 1. A natural defect 2. A moral affection 3. A legal guilt i. e. a guiltiness of the breach of the Law for these three whatsoever you may think of them are all parts of that sin of our nature which is in and is to be imputed to us called ordinarily original sin in us to distinguish it from that first act committed by Adam of which this is an effect And first that natural defect is a total loss and privation of that primitive justice holiness and obedience which God had furnisht the Creature withal a disorder of all the powers of the Soul a darkness of the understanding a perverseness of the will a debility weakness and decay of all the senses and in summ a poverty and destruction and almost a nothingness of all the powers of Soul and Body And how ought we to lament this loss with all the veins of our heart to labour for some new strain of expressing our sorrow and in fine to petition that rich grace which may build up all these ruines to pray to God that his Christ may purchase and bestow on us new abilities that the second Adam may furnish us with more durable powers and lasting graces than we had but forfeited in the first The following part of this sin of our nature viz. A moral evil affection is word for word mentioned Rom. vii 5 For there the Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ordinarily translated motions of sins and in the margin the passions of sins are more significantly to be rendred affections of sins i. e. by an usual figure sinful affections That you may the better observe the encumbrances of this branch of this sin which doth so over shadow the whole man and so fence him from the beams and light of the spiritual invisible Sun I am to tell you that the very Heathen that lived without the knowledge of God had no conversation with and so no instruction from the Bible in this matter that these very Heathens I say had a sense of this part of original sin to wit of these evil moral lusts and affections which they felt in themselves though they knew not whence they sprang Hence is it that a Greek Philosopher out of the antients makes a large Discourse of the unfatiable desire and lust which is in every man and renders his life grievous unto him where he useth the very same word though with a significant Epithet added to it that S. James doth c. 1. ver 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 infinite lust with which as S. James saith a man is drawn away and enticed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so saith he that part of the mind in which these lusts dwell is perswaded and drawn or rather fall backward and forward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which lust or evil concupiscence he at last defines to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an unsatiable intemperance of the appetite never filled with a desire never ceasing in the persecution of evil and again he calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our birth and nativity derived to us by our parents i. e. an evil affection hereditary to us and delivered to us as a Legacy at our Birth and Nativity all which seems a clear expression of that original lust whose motions they felt and guest at its nature Hence is it that it was a custom among all of them I mean the common Heathen to use many ways of purgations especially on their children who at the imposition of their names were to be lustrated and purified with a great deal of superstition and ceremony such like as they used to drive away a plague or a cure for an House or City As if nature by instinct had taught them so much Religion as to acknowledge and desire to cure in every one this hereditary disease of the soul this plague of mans heart as 't is called 1 Kings viii 38 And in summ the whole learning of the Wisest of them such were the Moralists was directed to the governing and keeping in order of these evil affections which they called the unruly citizens and common people of the soul whose intemperance and disorders they plainly observed within themselves and laboured hard to purge out or subdue to the government of reason and virtue which two we more fully enjoy and more Christianly call the power of grace redeeming our Souls from this Body of sin Thus have I briefly shewed you the sense that the very Heathen had of this second branch of original sin which needs therefore no farther aggravation to you but this that they who had neither Spirit nor Scripture to instruct them did naturally so feelingly observe and curse it that by reason of it they esteemed their whole life but a living death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and their body but the Sepulchre of the soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both which together are but a periphrasis of that which S. Paul calls in brief the body of death And shall we who have obtained plenty of light and instruction besides that which nature bestowed on us with them shall we I say let our Eyes be confounded with abundance of day shall we see it more clearly to take less notice of it Shall we feel the stings of sin within us which though they do but prick the regenerate prove mortal to the rest of us and shall we not observe them Shall we not rather weep those Fountains dry and crop this luxury of our affections with a severe sharp sorrow and humiliation Shall we not starve this rank fruitful Mother of
this it remains that we return to that which was first said that the difficulties of this kind are inexplicable And this may stop though not satisfie our curiosities V. 3. When I consider 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place is by the Chaldee rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because or for and by the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because and so in the rest of the Antient Interpreters this being the most frequent use of it Yet 't is certain the Hebrew particle hath four significations and in one of them denotes a condition and is best rendred If and also time and is fully rendred when So Gen. iv 12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Chaldee read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if or when thou tillest the ground and so 2 Sam. 7.1 It came to pass 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when the King sat in his house for which 1 Chron. 17.1 they read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we render as i. e. when he sate And thus the context inclines it here When I consider What is Man i. e. I have then by that consideration all reason to cry out by way of admiration What is man And thus the Jewish Arabick Translation renders it When I see the heavens c. I say What is Man The Ninth PSALM TO the chief Musitian upon Muth-Labben A Psalm of David Paraphrase The ninth Psalm is a solemn thanksgiving for Gods deliverances and by the Title may be thought to reflect on the death of Goliah of Gath the great Champion of the Philistims vanquisht and killed by David but the Psalm made some space afterwards when the Ark was placed in Sion and the Philistims were utterly destroyed v. 6. and yet in some other time of distress v. 13. and of absence from Sion v. 14. and committed to the prefect of his Musick 1. I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart I will shew forth all thy marvellous works Paraphrase 1. O Lord of all power and mercy which art pleased to interpose thy omnipotence for me and thereby to inable thy feeble servant to pass through many great difficulties I do with all the devotion of my soul acknowledge and proclaim this and all other thy great mercies 2. I will be glad and rejoyce in thee I will sing praises to thy name O thou most Highest Paraphrase 2. This is matter of infinite joy and transporting delight unto me without the least reflection on my self who am meer nothing to magnifie thy sublime and most powerful Majesty and attribute all my successes unto thee 3. When mine enemies are turned back they shall fall and perish at thy presence Paraphrase 3. By thee are our enemies put to flight and flying they meet with gall-traps in their way and so are lamed overtaken and killed in the pursuit This befell the Philistims on the discomfiture of their proud Champion 1 Sam. xvii 51 52. And to thee only is it to be ascrib'd 't is thy Majesty that hath done the whole work intirely for us thou foughtest against them and thereby they were thus worsted and put to flight and destroyed 4. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause thou sattest in the Throne judging right Paraphrase 4. When in the duel between that Champion and me and so in many other battels with my Enemies the cause was committed to thy sacred judgment thou wert pleased to take my part to defend me and to judge on my side and with perfect justice to plead and decide the controversie betwixt us give the victory to thy servant 5. Thou hast rebuked the heathen thou hast destroyed the wicked thou hast put out their name for ever and ever Paraphrase 5. By the death of the impious profane Goliah the Philistims Champion thou hast put their whole host to flight and made this victory a foundation of utter extirpation to that Nation of the Philistims 6. O thou enemy destructions are come to a perpetual end and thou hast destroyed Cities the memorial is perished with them Paraphrase 6. They are now finally destroyed their Cities rased to the ground and unless it be in the stories of their ruine no remainders of them discernable and all this must be attributed to thee O Lord. 7. But the Lord shall indure for ever he hath prepared his throne for judgment Paraphrase 7. A signal evidence of thy power and immutability of thy sitting in heaven as on a Throne or Tribunal of judicature 8. And he shall judge the world in righteousness he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness Paraphrase 8. From whence thou shalt from time to time dispense and administer and dispose of all things here below with all exact justice and uprightness 9. The Lord also will be a sure refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble Paraphrase 9. And this as to the punishing of the proud obdurate oppressor so to the seasonable support of all that are not able to relieve themselves when their tribulations and so their exigences are greatest then have they in thee a sure sanctuary to which they may opportunely resort and be confident to receive relief from thee 10. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee Paraphrase 10. And accordingly all that know any thing of Religion that have either learnt from others or experimented in themselves these thy faithful all-righteous dispensations in the oeconomy of the World those glories of thine resulting from the conjuncture of all thy attributes of power and justice and wisdom and mercy c. will thereby be firmly grounded in their trusts and reliances on thee without applying themselves to any of the sinful aids and policies of the World for succour laying this up for an anchor of hope that God never forsook or failed any pious man in his distress that by prayer and faith made his humble and constant applications to him 11. Sing praises to the Lord which dwelleth in Sion declare among the people his doings Paraphrase 11. Let us therefore all joyn in magnifying the power and mercy of God and to that end assemble to the Sanctuary where he is pleased to presentiate himself giving all men knowledge of the wonderful acts he hath wrought for us 12. When he maketh inquisition for blood he remembreth them he forgetteth not the cry of the humble Paraphrase 12. The Blood of humble pious helpless men that is shed by oppressors hath a cry that goes up to heaven Gen. 4.19 and is most pretious with God he will never suffer it to go unpunisht but will act severe revenges for it pursue and find out the guilty persons and pour his plagues upon them 13. Have mercy upon me O Lord consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me thou that liftest me up from the gates of death Paraphrase 13. On these grounds I continue to
or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometimes in schemes or figures sometimes without as we see in Solomons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proverbs or Parables many of them are plain moral sayings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without any figure or darkness or comparison from whence yet they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in them as The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom c. and so 1 Sam. 24.13 as saith the Proverb of the Antients Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked Of this sort is that which is here spoken of a moral sentence not much veiled with figures nor so concise as ordinarily Proverbs are but a larger declaration of this wise Ethical maxime the vanity of all wicked mens prosperity and this is by the LXXII rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies literally a comparison but is more loosely taken for any moral sentence as is also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Hesychius fully defines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a saying profitable for mens lives and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exhortations advises admonitions for the rectifying of manners and passions so called indeed as being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beside the ordinary road in figures or artificial schemes or poetical and so not vulgar expressions many of which will be discovered here in this Psalm but used more loosely also and indifferently for those which have no figure in them And of the same kind is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my riddle that here follows from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to speak acutely or darkly used for a riddle in the story of Samson Jud. 17. for questions of some difficulty such as the Queen of Sheba askt Solomon 1 King 10.1 and accordingly 't is here rendred by the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my Problem or difficult question which yet is not only the asking of such a question which is here done v. 5. but the answering of it also as 't is there in the following words and so the stating or resolving or giving an account of any difficulty as we know those of Aristotle and Aphrodisaeus were and some of them moral as well as natural and then it belongs very fitly to the matter in hand the wise moral 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here delivered but somewhat obscurely in the rest of the Psalm V. 5. Iniquity of my heels What is meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 evill of my heels will be best judged by taking the words asunder And first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies evil both of fault and punishment frequently in the former but sometimes in the latter also So 1 Sam. 28.10 when Saul sware to the witch that no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that must be punishment should happen to her for this So Isa 53.11 he shall bear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their iniquities we read it must be the punishments of their iniquities and so v. 6. The Lord hath laid on him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not the iniquity but the punishment of us all and so Psal 31.10 my grief and my sighing and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my not iniquity but punishment belong to the same matter and interpret one the other And thus most probably 't is taken here Then for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my heels 't will best be understood in the notion which Aben Ezra and Jarchi have of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my heels saith Sol Jarchi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my latter end and so it frequently signifies in Arabick and then the evil of my heels saith Aben Ezra is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the days of old age called the evil days Eccl. 12.1 and to this the Chaldee here may seem to refer adding in their paraphrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my end And this evil of our heels is said to incompass us when old age and approach of death surround us on every side and so is ready inevitably to seize upon us This therefore is no obscure interpretation of the question-part of this probleme or parable on the understanding of which all the subsequent part of the Psalm depends Why should I fear in my decrepit age in sickness or in death Is there any reason for a pious man to apprehend death with any disquiet when it begins its close approaches and is most unavoidably ready to seize on him V. 6. Trust 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 confidit signifies confident secure men such was he that said he had goods laid up for many years and thereupon gave himself up to enjoy the pleasures of this life to eat drink and he merry Of these saith the Psalmist here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they will glory triumph or applaud themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 over or for or in their wealth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in the strength or multitude of their riches This is the most literal importance of the verse making of it self a complete proposition Confident men boast themselves in their wealth c. and then follows with good connexion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a brother by redeeming shall not redeem i. e. no man shall in any wise be able to redeem either another or himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. a man shall not give his ransome to God i. e. no meer man shall ever be able to pay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a price of equal value to rescue one sinner from the power of death to which he is sentenced This the LXXII seem to have thus read though now in the copies it is much deformed 'T is now thus read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But with a light change of the punctation and of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 't is exactly consonant to the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. A brother shall in no wise redeem a man shall not give c. Then follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the redemption of their soul or life shall be pretious i. e. of a great and high rate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and ceaseth for ever shall be a high-prized redemption which costs very dear but then it is also a singular eternal redemption that being once wrought shall need never to be repeated again whereon it follows and he shall yet live for ever so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is literally to be rendred and so the Chaldee paraphrases it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he shall yet live an eternal life never dying any more death having no more dominion or power over him And thus it belongs expresly to Christ of whom the Apostle resolves for in that he died he died unto sin or to put away sin once or but once but in that he liveth he liveth unto God And so certainly the next words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall not see corruption are peculiarly applyed to Christ Psal 16.10 and in that sense frequently appealed to by the Apostles Act.
morning in the resurrection in which the just shall judge the world and so subjugate the wicked wordlings to all eternity Then follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and their beauty or form or figure so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 effinxit formavit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being a contraction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which being an imperfect sense must be supplied from that which went before and their form i. e. so likewise shall their form do as the upright shall in the resurrection have dominion over the wicked rise and raign joyfully so likewise shall their form or figure referring to the restauration of their bodies they shall rise again in their old shapes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the failing of Hades from an habitation to it i. e. where Hades shall fail to be an habitation to it i. e. when the grave or common repository of the dead in which their beauty form and figure was consumed shall it self decay and lose its strength death having forfeited her sting and the grave her victory no longer to be a mansion to the bodies of the just And this being here spoken in general of all just men is by David particularly applied to himself v. 15. But God will deliver my soul from the power of the grave c. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the LXXII read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their help as from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 petra a rock and by metaphore strength refuge and so help and the Latine follows them but Syriack reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their form or image And so this is the interpretation of this whole verse the principal part of difficulty in this parable or dark saying for which this Psalm was designed V. 15. Receive me God 's receiving here is to be understood in the same sense as Enochs being received or taken by God Gen. 5.24 or as we find Psal 73.34 thou shalt after receive me to glory Thus Jonah 4.3 he prays take I beseech thee my life And then it will signifie Gods future receiving him to glory V. 18. Though whilst he lived The Hebrew of the 18. verse is thus literally and clearly rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for in his living or life time he blest his soul the impious worldling applauded much his own present state 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but men shall praise thee or thou shalt be praised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if or when thou dost well to thy self i. e. for doing well to thy self for doing that which may tend really and eternally to thy good and not for saying well for applauding thy present felicity V. 19. Shall go To go or to be gathered to the fathers is a known expression of dying in peace and the same is the importance of the phrase here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall go to the generation of his fathers So the Chaldee read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the memory of the just shall come and be added to the generation of their fathers but the wicked shall never see light The Fiftieth PSALM A Psalm of Asaph Paraphrase The Fiftieth Psalm is a solemn magnifying of Gods power and majesty and a description of the calling of the Gentiles and of the true Evangelical way of worshipping God It was composed probably by David and appointed to be sung by Asaph a Levite appointed by David to attend the Ark and to record and to thank and to praise the Lord God of Israel 1 Chron. 16.5 1. The mighty God even the Lord hath spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof Paraphrase 1. The decree is gone out from the Omnipotent God of heaven the supreme eternity Lord and Judge over all the world that he will assemble and convocate the whole Nation of the Jews from Dan to Bersheba from sea to sea from East to West to reduce and take them off from their hypocritical and abominable practises and bring them to the due acknowledgment and pure worship of the true God and the practise of all virtue 2. Out of Sion the perfection of beauty God hath shined Paraphrase 2. To this end as God hath fixt his Tabernacle on Mount Sion presentiated himself as illustriously there as he did at the giving the Law on Mount Sinai so shall the Son of God in the fulness of time descend to this earth of ours the true light John 1.9 shall shine forth the Messias shall be born of our flesh of the seed of David and having preacht repentance to the Jews and being rejected by their Sanhedrim and Crucified by them he shall rise from death and ascend to his Father and then send his Spirit on his Apostles thereby commissionating them to reveal his Gospel to all the world beginning from the place where God hath been pleased in a special manner to reside this most beautiful mount of Sion there he now presentiates himself and from thence he shall then begin to shine forth and inlighten the heathen world the preaching of his Gospel to all the world shall commence and proceed from thence 3. Our God shall come and shall not keep silence a fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him Paraphrase 3. What is thus decreed shall certainly come to pass in its appointed time and be lookt on as an extraordinary and signal work of Gods power wherein much of his divine presence shall be discernible and the immediate attendants of it shall be very dreadful and terrible above that of the giving the Law to the Jews from Mount Sinai 4. He shall call to the Heavens from above and to the earth that he may judge his people Paraphrase 4. And it shall begin with a summons as to a solemn Assises for the examining the actions of men good and bad those that have resisted and despised the Messias and those that have subjected themselves to him All shall be judged by him the former punished and the latter rewarded And Angels and Men shall be summoned and called in to be executioners of these his judgments 5. Gather my Saints together unto me those that have made a Covenant with me by sacrifice Paraphrase 5. And the good Angels his ministers of preservation shall be appointed to take special care of all the pious believing Jews Mat. 24.31 Rev. 7.3 who have sincerely given themselves up to his service received the Christian faith and in their baptism made vow of performing it faithfully which adore and pray constantly to him and not to suffer any harm to come nigh to these 6. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness for God is Judge himself Selah Paraphrase 6. And so accordingly shall they do rescuing all faithful believers out of the calamities that attend the crucifiers A thing much to be taken notice of as an act of most
20. under the title of the beauty of his ornament delivered up by him to be polluted And that this passage in Ezechiel may possibly be parallel for the time to that which is spoken of in this Psalm see note c. To this I suppose agrees the rendering of the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy holies not as of persons as the Latine sanctos tuos but in the neuter gender as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the holies plural do frequently signifie the Sanctuary and particularly in the places of Ezechiel forecited c. 8.6 and 9.6 and so the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy holies And thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy secrets seems elegantly opposed to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foregoing they wage their secrets against Gods adyta And to this sense will the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 treasure be the rather interpreted because of the great wealth in the Temple which was that which provoked and invited the avarice of wicked men to consult and design the invading of it And to this sense it would be determined by v. 12. where they are introduced saying Let us take to our selves the beauty or ornaments of God in possession but that that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is capable of another interpretation see note f. But if it be taken in the Masculine for the people foregoing in the beginning of the verse then it must signifie the people of Israel as those which are under Gods special protection kept and in special manner tendred by him V. 6. Edom It is not resolved among Interpreters to what times this Psalm belongs and who these several people are who are here named And I suppose the former of these will be probably resolved on by the latter Of Edom and Moab and Ammon and Amalek and the Philistims and the Inhabitants of Tyre and Assur there can be no difficulty These evidently denote so many people the Edumaeans and Moabites and Ammonites and Amalekites and Philistims and Tyrians and Assyrians Then for the Ishmaelites they are the Arabians called Scenitae twelve Princes according to their Nations Gen. 25.16 And the Hagarenes the posterity of Abraham by Cetura which is supposed to be Hagar after Sarahs death were Arabians also and joyned together with the Ishmaelites into one Nation Then for Gebal that was the name of a region in Arabia if we may believe Stephanus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though out of Hecataeus he tells us that Gabala was a City of Phoenice out of Strabo of Syria from whence we have the Giblines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Stephanus 1 King v. 18. mentioned as excellent artificers and so again Ezech. 27.9 in both which places the LXXII read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lastly for the children of Lot those we know were Moab and Ben-ammi and so the Moabites and Ammonites before mentioned meant thereby Now many of these did oppose and were enemies to the children of Israel at several times and that in a signal manner To David 2 Sam. 8. who there discomfited the Philistims the Moabites the King of Zobab the Syrians of Damascus the King of Hamath the children of Ammon and Amalek and the Edumaeans So again in Jehosaphat's reign 2 Chron. 20. and to that many circumstances of this Psalm very fully accord For as here 't is said they are confederate against thee the Tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites of Moab and the Hagarens Gebal and Ammon so 2 Chron. 20.1 the children of Moab and the children of Ammon and with them other besides the Ammonites came against Jehoshaphat to battel a great multitude c. and v. 10 and 22. the inhabitants of mount Seir are distinctly named to answer the mention of the Idumaeans and Ishmaelites And whereas here the Auxiliary Nations are said to have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an arme or help to the children of Lot which very probably signifies the Moabites and Ammonites to have been the principal in the quarrel this exactly accords with that story 2 Chr. 20.1 So to the mention here v. 12. of their design of taking the houses of God of which see note f. in possession Jehoshaphat v. 11. sets the parallel Behold how they reward us to cast us out of our possession which thou hast given us to inherit Lastly as the Psalmist by praying v. 15. predicts Gods persecuting them with his tempest c. so in that chapter v. 22. the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon c. and they were smitten And it is not improbable that Jehoshaphat an eminent restorer of the Musick of the Temple who also indited a Prayer upon this exigent v. 6. c. should likewise take order for a solemn hymn on purpose for this occasion It is therefore very resonable what Kimchi positively affirms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Psalm was spoken of the war which was in the days of Jehoshaphat And herein it might not be unsafe to acquiesce Yet the circumstances of the Psalm will also well enough agree to another interpretation viz. to all the oppositions which had been made to this people from the beginning of their possessing of Canaan to that of the Assyrians inclusively For as those others Moab and Ammon especially had violently but not successfully invaded them both in David's and Jehoshaphat's time and had continually a covetous desire to get this fruitful soil into their hands and we read not that the Assyrians were their auxiliaries in any of those their assaults as here is affirmed v. 8. so when the Assyrians at last invaded this people and carried them captive to Assyria 't is evident that in doing so they did much gratifie all those other the neighbours and constant enemies of the Jews and principally the Moabites and Ammonites Of the Edumaeans 't is expresly affirmed Psal 137.7 the children of Edom in the day of i. e. this heavy visitation on Jerusalem said Down with it down with it even to the ground So it is observable of the same Edumaeans and of the Ishmaelites and the Hagarens three of those which are here named Isa 21. the first under the name of the desert of the Sea v. 1. viz. in Etham Exod. 13.20 and 15.22 Num. 33.8 the second under that of the inhabitants of Dumah v. 11. one of the sons of Ishmael Gen. 25.14 the third under the title of Arabia v. 13. For all these having joyned with the Assyrians against the Jews are foretold there the punishments which they should meet with for it as here v. 9 10 11. is likewise foretold of them and of the Edumaeans again upon the same account Isa 34.5 and 63.1 And the same must be supposed of those other people the Moabites and Ammonites c. which being neighbours and enemies to the Jews the Assyrians that came and wasted Jerusalem may not unfitly be said to have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an arme to these children of Lot i. e. to have
consideration of that great displeasure of thine to which I am to impute all these sad and direfull effects of it 11. My days are like a shadow that declineth and I am withered like grass 12. But thou O Lord shalt endure for ever and thy remembrance unto all generations 13. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come Paraphrase 11 12 13. My condition is every day worse and more hopeless than other my joyless life hastening to its fatal period and unless thou please to interpose thy sovereign power I am utterly and finally lost But herein this one great comfort remains that thy strength is beyond our weakness thy eternity is opposed to our frail transitory state thy mercy surmounts our wants and misery and on this I still found an hope and confidence that thou wilt in thy good time return the captivity of our Church and Nation restore us to the priviledges and blessings of peaceable assemblies and that it will not now be long ere that most desirable and acceptable time come 14. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones and favour the dust thereof Paraphrase 14. To this hope I am induced by thine own promise that whensoever thy people are carried captive by heathen enemies if they shall be truly sensible of thy punishments and humbled for their sins thou wilt then remember thy Covenant and restore them And this is our condition at this time Now thy Church is laid waste among us see Nehem. 1.3 we cannot choose but be sensible of our loss and our sins and with all compassion and affection be transported when we think of either At present the want of outward prosperity hath not rendred her less desirable in our eyes but rather inhansed the value of those interdicted felicities and made us vow all readiness to endeavour the repairing of those ruines whensoever thou shalt please to grant us that welcome opportunity 15. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord and all the Kings of the earth thy glory 16. When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his glory 17. He will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer Paraphrase 15 16 17. When that blessed time shall come it shall be an effectual means to bring in whole heathen nations Princes and people to thy service when they see so great a deliverance wrought for thy people their captivity returned and their Temple re-edified evidences as of the omnipotent power of God so of his readiness to hear the prayers of those that are brought to the lowest ebbe of misery and destitution 18. This shall be written for the generation to come and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. Paraphrase 18. The wonderfulness of this deliverance shall be recorded to all posterity and in probability be a means of bringing in those that have not yet any being to be proselytes to the service of so great and compassionate a God 19. For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary from heaven did the Lord behold the earth 20. To hear the groaning of the prisoner to loose those that are appointed to death 21. To declare the name of the Lord in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem 22. When the people are gathered together and the Kingdoms to serve the Lord. Paraphrase 19 20 21 22. When they hear how signally he doth exercise his power and providence in affairs of the world here below and how ready he is to relieve and rescue those that are in the greatest distress and destitution to return their captivity and restore them to their country again there to bless and praise and proclaim the power and mercy of God in his Temple making their constant solemn resort thither from all the quarters of the land at the times by God appointed 23. He weakened my strength in the way he shortened my days 24. I said O my God take me not away in the midst of my days thy years are throughout all generations Paraphrase 23 24. When I consider the sadness of our state the misery and shortness of our lives and on the other side the strength and eternity of God I cannot but address my prayers unto him with some hope that he will spare us and restore us to some prosperity and not cut us off in the most flourishing part of our lives 25. Of old hast thou laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands 26. They shall perish but thou shalt endure they all shall wax old like a garment as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed 27. But thou art the same and thy years shall have no end Paraphrase 25 26 27. 'T was he that by his almighty power at first created the whole world and all the parts thereof and though by the same he will in his due time either destroy or change them quite from the condition of their creation yet through all these transmutations he shall continue the same to all eternity 28. The children of thy servants shall continue and their seed shall be established before thee Paraphrase 28. And this irresistible power and immutable will of his is a ground of firm hope and confidence to me that there shall be a time of rest to God's faithfull servants that upon our sincere return to him and reformation of our sins he will return our captivity and if this fall not out in our days yet our children and their posterity shall receive the benefit and comfort of it and be continued a people to him and thereby for ever ingaged to serve him Annotations on Psal CII V. 3. Like smoak For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in smoak which we reade in the Hebrew the Chaldee and LXXII are thought to have read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as smoak and accordingly they render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as smoak But 't is more probable that they so express what they thought to be the meaning than that they read it otherwise than we do For the Jewish Arab though reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as smoak is consumed or vanisheth The Syriack reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in smoak and so the sense will best bear either my days or time of my life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consume and wither in smoak as Psal 1.19.83 a bottle in the smoak afflictions have had the same effect on me as smoak on those things that are hung in it dried me up and deformed me or perhaps 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 end or fail or consume in smoak as when any combustible matter is consumed smoak is all that comes from it and so it ends in that and to that the latter part of the verse may seem to incline it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and my bones or members or body
prudent to resort the never-failing omnipotent hand of God and to that I betook my self intirely and from that I received my deliverance 12. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me 13. I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. 14. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints Paraphrase 12 13 14 15. For this and all other the abundant mercies which I have received from God I am now by all obligations concerned to make my most thankfull acknowledgments and to doe it in the solemnest manner in the presence of the whole assembly by way of publick festival blessing and magnifying his holy name that he hath not permitted my enemies to have their will of me that he hath preserved my life and not delivered it up into their hands that he hath kept it as a jewel of his own cabinet as being by me humbly deposited with and intrusted to him And thus he always deals with those that rely and depend on him see note b. on Psal 86. 16. O Lord truly I am thy servant I am thy servant and the son of thy handmaid thou hast loosed my bands 17. I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon the name of the Lord. 18. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people 19. In the courts of the Lord's house in the mids of thee O Jerusalem Praise ye the Lord. Paraphrase 16 17 18 19. O blessed Lord how am I obliged to thee by all the bonds that any ingagement can lay upon me No servant bought with a price or born in a man's house can be more closely bound to him than I who have been rescued from the utmost danger by thee What remains but that I should return to thee the humblest offerings of praise and prayer spend my whole life as a vow'd oblation to thy service render thee all possible praise in the publick assembly in thy sanctuary in the solemnest manner that is possible Blessed be the name of the Lord. Annotations on Psal CXVI V. 1. I love the Lord For the right understanding of the two first verses we must observe one special use of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when it stands by it self absolutely without any noun after it as here it doth for wishing or desiring So Amos 4.5 for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye have desired So Jer. 5.31 my people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wished desired it so Thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which the LXXII render it in all these places signifies in Greek to desire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Phavorinus Hence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 't is a verb of wishing And then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will be best rendred I wisht that the Lord would hear and so I suppose the LXXII meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I desired that not because he will or would hear Accordingly the Syriack renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Chaldee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is of the same importance with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I wisht that the Lord would hear So the Jewish Arab I desire not but that the Lord would hear my voice and my supplication and that he would hearken unto me when I call in or by reason of what I find or meet with in my days And then v. 2. follows currently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he would incline his ear to me the Syriack reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that he would incline his ear to me in conjunction with the former verse Then follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in my days will I call by days I suppose signifying calamities as Psal 31.12 his day is coming i. e. his distress 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the day of his calamity saith the Targum So Obad. 12. the day of thy brother is the time of their being carried captive v. 11. So the day of Jerusalem Psal 137.7 So Isa 13.22 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his days shall not be removed far his time is come is the time of his contrition saith the Targum The Syriack indeed leave out the ד there as redundant and reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the not my day wherein I call him In which also they depart from the Hebrew punctation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Without either of those changes the rendring will be most facile I wished or desired that the Lord would hear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my voice or perhaps the voice so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be rendred the ד being oft redundant and so both the Syriack and the LXXII understands it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the voice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of my supplications in the genitive case or by apposition my voice my supplications that he would incline his ear unto me In my days will I invoke or call upon him The rendring these verses in the praeter sense he hath heard he hath inclined is quite contrary to the following verses which mention the distresses as approaching and growing still more and more upon him v. 3 4. To what times this refers and what were those his days must be uncertain and onely matter of conjecture 'T is ordinarily thought to be a Psalm of David and then it most probably belongs to the time of his flight from Absalom to which his haste or speed or flight ver 11. probably determins it and then ver 14 18 19. must refer to his return to the sanctuary at Jerusalem after the quelling of that rebellion and to this as being the most received sense I have set the paraphrase Yet some indications there are which make it probable to have been written after the Captivity and then the days here must be like the day of thy brother and of Jerusalem forementioned denoting the Captivity and so their flight also v. 9. their being carried captive and v. 14 18 19. the celebrating of their return to the service of God in the Temple viz. the Chaldee idiome observable v. 7. in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and v. 12. in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the Chaldee or Syriack suffix 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is visible V. 13. Cup of salvation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the cup of deliverances for which the Chaldee reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the cup of redemptions This was either more solemn in the Temple by the Priest or more private in the family The former the drink-offering or strong wine poured out in the holy place Numb 28.7 Of this R. Sol. Jarchi interprets it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. I will bring the drink-offering of praise which I vowed And to this of the Temple the Praise may most reasonably be
applied because as the Jewish Doctors tell us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Levites repeat not the song of the oblation but onely over the drink-offering Yet there was also the more private in their families the cup of thanksgiving or commemoration of any deliverance received This the master of the family was wont to begin and was followed by all his guests S. Paul calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the cup of blessing that which was drank as a symbol of thanksgiving and blessing and had forms of commemoration and praise joyned with it and so by the Fathers Justin Martyr c. used of the Sacrament is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wine that hath thanksgiving said over it The use of it was either daily after each meal or more solemn at a festival In the daily use of it they had this form 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blessed be our God the Lord of the world who hath created the fruit of the vine But on festival days there was joyned with it an hymn proper for the day as upon the Passeover for the deliverance out of Aegypt as we see Matt. 26.30 where the Paschal commemoration or postcoenium advanced by Christ into the Sacrament of his bloud was concluded after the Jewish custom with an hymn And so here with the cup of salvation is joyned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a calling upon the name of the Lord. And both the more private and the solemn performance of this with all the magnificent rites of solemnity belonging to it is called the paying of vows to the Lord that thanksgiving and acknowledgment which men in distress may be supposed to promise upon condition of deliverance or if they promise not are however bound to perform as a due return or payment for their deliverance V. 15. Precious The notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place for rare or precious must be so taken as not to signifie that which is spoken of to be desirable to or in the presence of the Lord for it is the life not the death of his servants that is precious in that sense to God the preserver of their lives But for their death to be precious is in effect no more than that it is so considered rated at so high a price by God as that he will not easily grant it to any one that most desires it of him Absalom here hostilely pursued David and desired his death he would have been highly gratified with it taken it for the greatest boon that could have befallen him but God would not thus gratifie him nor will he grant this desire easily to the enemies of godly men especially of those that commit themselves to his keeping as David here did and therefore is called God's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 see note b. on Psal 86. for to such his most signal preservations do belong peculiarly The Jewish Arab here reads Precious with the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the putting to death his saints or giving up to death The Hundred and Seventeenth PSALM The hundred and seventeenth is a solemn acknowledgment of God's mercy and fidelity and an exhortation to all the world to praise him for it 1. O Praise the Lord all ye nations praise him all ye people 2. For his mercifull kindness is great toward us and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever Praise ye the Lord. Paraphrase 1 2. All the heathen nations of the world and all the people dispersed over the face of the earth have a singular obligation as well as the children of Israel Abraham's seed according to the flesh to praise and magnifie the name of God see Rom. 15.11 and that especially for his great and transcendent mercy toward them in the work of their redemption and the promulgation of his Gospel to them wherein his promise of mercy to Abraham and his seed for ever i. e. to his true spiritual posterity to the sons and heirs of his Faith unto the end of the world shall be most exactly performed and therein his fidelity as well as mercy manifested Annotations on Psal CXVII V. 1. Nations That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the nations here and in the next word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all people signifie in the greatest latitude all the nations and people of the Gentile world even 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole creation and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole world Mar. 16.15 appears both by Matt. 28.19 where parallel to those phrases in S. Mark is no more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the nations here but especially by Rom. 15. where for a proof of God's purpose that the Gentiles should be received into the Church and joyn with the believing Jews in one consort of Christian love and faith and praise God together in the same congregation the proof is brought as from several other texts so from these words in this Psalm And this not onely by express citing v. 11. And again Praise the Lord all ye nations and laud him all ye people but also in the front of the testimonies by the phrases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the truth of God v. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the mercy or pity of God v. 9. both which are here mentioned v. 2. For thus the discourse there lies Christ was a minister of the circumcision i. e. was by God appointed an instrument of the Jews greatest good preaching the Gospel first to them calling them to repentance c. and this for the truth of God i. e. to make good God's fidelity or performance of covenant to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to confirm the promises made to the fathers i. e. to Abraham c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that the Gentiles for his mercy might glorifie God where though this preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles was a work of mercy not so much as promised to or lookt for by them and so there is nothing but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pity compassion toward them yet is this an effect of that ministery of Christ which was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the truth of God i. e. a completion of that promise made to Abraham that he should be the father of many nations which had never its perfect completion till the Gentiles came and sat down with Abraham became sons of this faith of Abraham in this kingdom of heaven the Church of Christ And exactly to this sense the second verse of this Psalm is to be understood as the reason why all the Gentile world is to praise and magnifie the name of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. because the mercy of God is strong upon us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was confirmed say the LXXII and Latin and the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grew strong was in full force upon us i. e. all that mercy which is promised to Abraham for his spiritual as well as carnal seed is fully made
lives are made up of receiving and celebrating mercies and deliverances from God such as his omnipotent hand worketh for them either without the assistance of humane aids or so as the success is eminently imputable to God and not to man 17. I shall not dye but live and declare the works of the Lord. Paraphrase 17. And having received this instance of his mercy at this time being now secured from my greatest dangers what remains for me but to spend my whole age in proclaiming the power and mercy and fidelity of my deliverer and call all men off from their vain and weak trusts the arm of flesh to this more skilfull and politick dependence on God 18. The Lord hath chastened me sore but he hath not given me over unto death Paraphrase 18. God hath most justly delivered me up to be severely punisht pursued and hunted by my enemies but then hath seasonably delivered me out of their hands and not permitted me to be overwhelmed by them 19. Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them and I will praise the Lord. 20. This gate of the Lord into which the righteous shall enter Paraphrase 19 20. The sanctuary of God the holy place whither all good men resort to petition mercies and to acknowledge them when they are received is that to which as I am most bound I will now make my most solemn address and there commemorate God's mercies to me Or I will make use of all occasions as may make way for the praiâ—â—ng God 21. I will praise thee for thou hast heard me and art become my salvation Paraphrase 21. Proclaiming to all the gracious returns I have received to my prayers the abundant and seasonable deliverances which God hath afforded me 22. The stone which the builders refused is become the head-stone of the corner 23. This is the Lord 's doing it is marvellous in our eyes Paraphrase 22 23. And now may all the assembly of Israel rejoyce and joyn in their congratulations that being now fallen out in King David's exaltation to the throne and much more eminently in the resurrection and ascension of the Messiah which is ordinarily said whether by way of History or Parable that the stone which in the laying the foundation of some eminent building was oft tried by the builders and as oft rejected by them as unfit for their use to any part of the fabrick and thereupon cast among and covered over with rubbish was at length when they wanted a stone for the most eminent use the coupling and joynting the whole fabrick together found most exactly fitted for the turn and so put in the most honourable place the chief corner of the building A thing so unexpected and strange that it was with reason judged as special an act of God's providence as if it had been sent them down immediately from heaven As strange was it and as imputable to God's special hand that David of no eminent family the son of Jesse and withall the youngest and most despised of his brethren should be in Saul's stead exalted by God to the regal throne and being for this driven by Saul from his court and pursued as a partridge on the mountains should yet continually escape his hand and be peaceably placed in his throne And so yet farther in the mystery that the Messiah the son of a Carpenter's wife with him brought up in the trade that whilst he made known the will of God had no dwelling-place that was rejected by the chief of the Jews as a drunkard and glutton and one that acted by the Devil as a blasphemous and seditious person and as such put to the vilest death the death of the Cross and was held some space under the power of the grave should be raised the third day from death taken up to heaven and there sit in his throne to rule and exercise regal power over his Church for ever This certainly was a work purely divine and so ought to be acknowledged and admired by us 24. This is the day the Lord hath made we will rejoyce and be glad in it 25. Save now I beseech thee O Lord O Lord I beseech thee send now prosperity Paraphrase 24 25. This day is the celebrating of a mercy wrought eminently signally and peculiarly by the Lord 't was he that exalted David to the throne and he that will advance the Messias to his regality in heaven and thereby peculiarly consecrated by God to his service and so for ever deserves to be solemnized by us being matter of the greatest joy imaginable to all subjects either of David's or of Christ's Kingdom and so this Psalm fit for a Paschal Psalm in the Church of Christ for ever Now it seasonable to use Hosannahs see note on Psal 20. d. and Matt. 21. a. acclamations and wishes of all manner of prosperity to this King exalted by God David the type of the Messiah Let us all joyn in doing it most solemnly crying people and priest together 26. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. Paraphrase 26. The Lord be praised for the great mercy of this King sent us so peculiarly by God but especially for the Messias whose coming hath been so long promised and expected see Matt. 21.9 All we that belong to the house of God the Priests that wait on his sanctuary do heartily bless God for this day and beseech his blessing on him that is now crowned and so shall all the Church of the Messias for ever celebrate him bless God for his exaltation and pray to God to prosper this regal office unto him bringing in the whole world unto his service 27. God is the Lord which hath shewed us light bind the sacrifice with cords even to the horns of the altar Paraphrase 27. Thus hath God shewed forth himself as in mercy so in power for us he hath magnified himself exercised this double act of his dominion over the world 1. in raising David from so mean an estate to the regal throne 2. in raising Christ from death to life and then assuming him to an intire dominion over the world to endure to the day of judgment And in both these he hath revived us with the most chearfull beams of his divine goodness O let us in commemoration thereof keep an anniversary sacrifical feast see v. 24. to praise and magnifie his name for these and all his mercies every man giving thanks and saying 28. Thou art my God and I will praise thee thou art my God I will exalt thee Paraphrase 28. I will laud and praise thy mercies so eminently vouchsafed unto me and in so peculiar a manner inhansed to the benefit of my soul and proclaim thy goodness and superlative divine excellencies to all the world 29. O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever Paraphrase 29. Calling unto all to
their impenitent course of sensuality and to all the most importunate calls and invitations reprehensions and denunciations of God by his Messengers his Prophets nay his own Son incarnate for this end will afford no audience or regard but reiect and frustrate all his wisest and most gracious and powerfull methods designed to work their reformation they are by law of retaliation to expect from him to be neglected and scorned reproached and frustrated in all their addresses and petitions for mercy to be delivered up a prey and laughing-stock to their enemies especially to Satan and find no relief or rescue at God's hands when calamities or dangers come upon them 27. When your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind when distress and anguish cometh upon you Paraphrase 27. And these they are without question to expect and the less beforehand they apprehend them the more suddenly and frightfully tumultuously and dismally they will seise them as an army falling in upon the unprepared with an amazing noise or a whirlwind that comes on a sudden and carries all before it giving them no space or possibility to prevent them 28. Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me Paraphrase 28. And then they that have held out against all God's importunities shall find the sad effects of it their miseries will set them a praying and importuning when 't is too late and then it shall not avail Those that have lived impenitent and obdurate till judgments surprise them the attrition the confession the sorrow or requests for pardon which the sight of their present danger extort from them cannot hope to be accepted by God their former continued obstinacy manifesting that it is not sincere contrition from which it flows 29. For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. 30. They would none of my counsel they despised all my reproof Paraphrase 29 30. For thus in the case set it was discernible that till these judgments surprized them they continued to avert and hate piety v. 22. rebell'd and stood out obstinately against heaven whilst God's proceedings were soft though never so powerfull whilst he called and advised and instructed them furnishing them with light and strength and all that was necessary onely leaving them the liberty of their choices if they would use them so perversely to their mischief setting life and death before them and in a most friendly manner advising them to choose life and the ways that lead to it and to avoid and forsake the contrary As long I say as God dealt thus treatably with them they would never be brought to piety but stood out unchanged against all his most powerfull impressions resisted and frustrated both the light and the grace the advices and the reprehensions that were afforded them And then what acceptation could that which was so far from voluntary or chosen these their extorted prayers and cries and importunities expect at God's hands Had they been earlier whilst the judgments were onely impendent and might then fitly have infused or occasioned sober counsels to them they might have been deem'd to have come from the heart as sincere and durable but having held out as long as they could and coming in onely when they could hold out no longer God that sees this cannot be imagined to be atoned with such a forced hypocritical change 31. Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices Paraphrase 31. And then it is most just that they should not be denied but granted their own choices that having the option of life and death of piety and impiety blessing and cursing set before them with sufficient instruction and strength to choose and attain the one and to avert and escape the other if they will still resist and deny their own mercy and whilst their time of choice lasteth obstinately persist in the ways of death 't is agreeable to all rules of the mildest tribunals with which nothing is deem'd injurious that is will'd or called upon a man by his own deliberate choice that they that doe thus should finally fall under the eternal wrath of God which they would not timely prevent and so be more than fill'd even glutted with their own choices come to that sad end to which they so eagerly posted and then though not till then find cause to retract and repent when they begin to taste the bitterer part to reap the fruits and receive the just rewards of their own ways and works 32. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them Paraphrase 32. Thus nothing but their own perverse obstinacy than which there can be no greater folly is to be accused for the ruine of those that perish God earnestly desired and endeavoured their reformation and salvation but they would not be rescued If any thing on God's part contributed toward it it was his long-suffering and mercy which occasionally encreased as in Pharaoh their obduration And this is of all others the most irrational folly and madness that the very blessings of heaven should enhance their hell and the tranquility and preservations of God afforded them should become so noxious in their hands as to be used for weapons to offend God and so mortally wound their own souls 33. But whoso hearkeneth to me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil Paraphrase 33. Yet thus it is with all that reject the admonitions and frustrate the methods of heaven as every obstinate impenitent sinner finally doth whereas every faithfull obedient servant of Christ shall by his spirit be furnished with sufficient strength to secure him against all danger of temptations and be either delivered from or supported under them and so hath the privilege of living cheerfully and comfortably and fiducially need never fear being forsaken by God as long as he continues carefull to keep close to him and then there is no enemy beside himself that can ever harm him As for any secular infortunities or miscarriages that can befall such a man as he hath not the privilege of exemption from them so he hath an armature that shall fortifie him against the evil of them a superiority of mind that keeps him from being concern'd in such things at least an acquiescence in the wisedom of God's choices who sees these best for him to take off his heart from any thing so gross or transitory as all worldly felicities are and so in all these he is more than conquerour by the instructions and assistance of Christ that eternal uncreated Wisedom Annotations on Chap. I. V. 2. Words of understanding The peculiar importance of the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place is fit to be considered it is literally enough rendred words of understanding or intelligent words as that signifies
that follow that we have no reason to doubt of the present reading V. 12. A froward mouth The Hebrew reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perverseness of mouth by which the Syriack understand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quarrelling strife from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 litigare jurare or as their Latin renders it detraction the cause of quarrels among neighbours the Chaldee render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to pervert deprave distort and having for the man of Belial in the beginning of the verse set 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man that is a calumniatour they seem to direct it wholly to this signification of detracting and depraving the actions of other men and so perverting all to the worst sense that is possible The LXXII reades more loosely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he goes ways that are not good But Symmachus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by distortions of the mouth i. e. either making wry mouths as detractours use to doe or by his speech distorting depraving the actions of other men This is here affirm'd of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man of Belial as that is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 profit i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an unprofitable person as that signifies a very wicked man The phrase is used of Nabal 1 Sam. 25.25 and there rendred by the Chaldee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fool as elsewhere 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sons of wickedness Deut. 13.13 But in the New Testament it is applied to the Devil 2 Cor. 6.15 who we know is styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 calumniator as here the Chaldee render it The LXXII reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a foolish man as folly and wickedness are all one The Latin homo apostata an apostate that being the notion of the word Deut. 13.13 In this place it most probably denotes an idle foolish and withall a wicked man that cares not for God's directions of his tongue or life for of such a one that is true which follows he goes about depraving and calumniating idleness folly and wickedness leads to this course see 1 Tim. 5.13 V. 30. Despise What is the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here will reasonably be resolved by the consent of all the ancient Interpreters The Chaldee reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no cause why we should be astonished or wonder and the Latin non grandis est culpa it is no grand crime But this I suppose not from any special notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for wondring but from that use of it for contumely or reproach as that notes the capital punishment of malefactours paradeigmatizing bringing exemplary punishment upon them To this sure the learned Castalio refers reading Non tractatur contumeliose he is not handled contumeliously V. 31. Sevenfold That the Law of Moses required not a sevenfold restitution is manifest by the express words Exod. 22.1 fourfold of sheep fivefold of oxen it prescribes but not sevenfold of any thing And in the New Testament when Zacheus Luk. 19. converts to Christ and proffers a full restitution for all that he had injuriously taken from any and by his abundant charity giving to the poor half that he had demonstrates his care of exact justice yet the restitution he mentions is not seven-fold but fourfold It cannot then with truth be said of the thief here that he shall restore sevenfold And when some endeavour to salve this by saying that seven is the perfect number and restoring sevenfold signifies making perfect restitution it is not reasonable to admit this Scholion because the perfect restitution being by the Law specified to be four or fivefold and not left indefinite it were strange that the legal definite proportion should be omitted and another definite proportion that of sevenfold named when but four or five at most was intended It is therefore much more reasonable what the learned Franzius from Martin Luther observes that the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to be rendred seven times not seven fold so the word is used and rendred by us Psal 12.6 And then the meaning will be evident he that steals if he be found shall restore according to the legal rate of amercement and if he steal again so shall he suffer again if he steal seven times he shall be forced to restore seven times yea though it amount to all the substance of his house all that he is worth And then the comparison in the Text betwixt the Thief and the Adulterer lies thus The Thief pays dear for his stoln goods sometimes whatever he is worth but these other sort of stoln goods which to some men are the sweetest prize that of his neighbour's wife this costs him much dearer even the loss of his life and soul The Thief as oft as he stole so oft had he ways of redeeming himself but the Adulterer cannot ransome himself by any price his life is forfeit to the Law nay if by secresie he avoid that he oft brings foul and destructive diseases upon himself and his soul is in the same danger as his life see Note g. V. 32. He that doeth it destroyeth his own soul The Hebrew setting of this passage is most fully expressed by the Chaldee The Hebrew literally sounds thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that corrupteth his soul or destroyeth his life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall doe this And the Chaldee reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he that seeks to corrupt his own soul or destroy his life he will doe this All the difficulty is whether it be to be rendred of destroying the life or corrupting the soul the words signifying both indifferently If the latter then it signifies this sin of adultery to be against the notions of common ingenuous nature and founded in a corruption of those principles of right judgment as Aristotle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pleasures are corruptive of principles and this foul sin is an effect of that corruption which was noted before when it was said of him that commits adultery that he is destitute of a heart But it is more probably interpretable of destroying the life either by bringing diseases and so death it self or by calling down capital punishment on the malefactour that so it may be here fitly opposed to theft in the comparison here made theft being punished by the Law with restitution but adultery with death V. 6. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 behold and be wise the LXXII reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seeing imitate and become wiser than he An usefull paraphrase V. 8. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gathereth her food they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 maketh great provision by way of paraphrase also But after this they add another example agreeable to the Ant that of the Bee in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or go to the bee
made a most excellent sanctified use of these Times I confess I am glad to see such quarrels glad that any thing can allay that mad passion that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Isidor calls it that fury of love and doting on our earthern Gods glad that they that have been so long tormented in their own Gallies suo calculo damnati ad metalla by their own tyrannical covetous minds condemn'd to that old Roman punishment a digging and hewing in the Minerals for ever are by the bounty of these ill Times return'd from their thraldom their captivity before their year of Jubilee expell'd from these Gallies banish'd out of this Inquisition glad that the World 's forsaking of us can work any degree of cure on our fits of spleen our hypochondriack passions to the World 'T is possible that the man thus dispossest of his old Familiar may at length have hospitable thoughts for some nobler guests that the ill usage from the Harlot may bring the Spouse into favour again that the sense of the ill Master that we have drudg'd under so long may make us seek out some more gainful service that the unprosperousness of the arm of flesh the several failings of the Second causes which we have idolized so often the many delusions and ill successes we meet with in the world may make some forsake those Atheistical colours and bring in Proselytes to Heaven and so this contempt of the World may be a piece of prooemial piety an usher or Baptist to repentance but till it be thus improv'd and built upon till this excellent piece of Philosophy be as Clemens saith of the Pagan School 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 baptized by that Baptist christianiz'd by the addition of Repentance till the thorns that are now in the flesh enter to the pricking and wounding of the heart to the letting out all worldly trusts and aiery hopes out of it till he that is fallen out with this world and his Aegyptian Master there come with him in the Gospel unto Christ in quest after the blessed heavenly Master running and kneeling and asking Good Master what shall I do to get my portion in another World and pursue Christ's directions to the utmost in that design that contemner of the World must still know he hath not yet taken out the Baptist's Copy not made such use of the Doctrine of the Rod as is expected from him he is not yet advanced so far as to John's Baptism to that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the so much as almost a Christian which the Baptist could have made him O then let him go on to the perfection of the Text not satisfie himself with that use of it In another perhaps the complexion of the Times have had a yet nobler influence inspired him with a perfect valour an athletick habit of Soul a contempt of Life it self brought him to a dreadless approach of that supreme terrour and that not only the martial man whose calling is to heard that Lion but even the soft Courtier who had imbibed no such bold principles 't is now no news to hear Death kindly treated We can think of Death as of a Preferment of the Grave as one of the greatest Dignities in the Church and not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bless this enemy when we have not so much meekness or charity for any other count them happiest and blessedest that come earliest to it each discontented Jonah hath his Take I beseech thee my life from me the whole Kingdom is become wilderness a many prickly Juniper-trees scattered every where in that wilderness and an Eliah sate down under every one of those Juniper-trees a sighing cut his request for himself that he may die It is enough now O Lord take away my life and I see this passeth with some for a special piety and mortification which let me tell you considered aright is an act of the sullenest Atheism a fellonious intent against themselves which because like Saul they are too cowardly to execute with their own hands God must supply the Armour-bearer's place be call'd in to do it for them But I am not so uncharitable to think that all our thoughts of kindness to death are the congelation of such black melancholick vapours 't is I hope in some an obedience to Plato's precept the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the endeavouring to behave ones self comely in whatever fortune a Christian submission to God's will in either of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which way soever the oeconomy of providence disposes us even as far as to death it self no hatred or satiety of Life but an indifference to either lot the hating Life only as we are commanded to hate our Parents not with an absolute but comparative hatred the denotation of the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only chusing the rest preferring the dormitory the being asleep in Christ in Paradise with Christ rather than to be in those uneasie postures laborious marches that an Hell on earth provides for us And then I shall commend your righteous judgment but yet still not flatter you that this is a sufficient Use of this Baptist's Sermon of the present impendency of God's punishments Thou may'st not only be content but wish to die and be with Christ which is far better more desirable even to the carnal man most gladly exchange the torments of a brittle life for the joys of an Eternity and yet not have deposited the lusts and basenesses of this nauseated life the former is but an act of the Judicative faculty a conclusion that such premisses once considered cannot chuse but extort from us but the other is an act of the Will which is not so easily brought to perform its duty to mortifie the flesh with the affections and lusts the work of Repentance here required of us And I beseech you let us not be too confident that we have performed our task though we could resolve to be content nay glad to die with Christ for so you know Peter could do and deny and blaspheme him after it unless we have that second Martyrdom that Cyprian or some body in his disguise hath wrote a Book of that vital Martyrdom of our exemplary saintly penitent lives to improve and consummate t'other and so still we are not got so far as Repentance we require more storms more thunderbolts more rouzing tempests more pressing calamities yet to drive us thither A third sort may have arrived to a third and greater degree of proficiency yet in the School of Judgments to a resolution and practice of Patience under God's hand how heavy soever it prove and yet let me tell you come short of Repentance still for I beseech you observe there is a double submission unto God to his will and to his wisdom that to his will reveal'd as well as secret reveal'd for the duties secret for the sufferings of this life the first in an active the second in
who can dwell with everlasting burnings and all little enough to rouze you out of that dead prodigious sleep of sin to retrench the fury of one riotous lust I beseech you tell me is there ever a judgement to come ever an account to be given for moral vertues Do you so much as fear that for every unclean embrace or dalliance every shameless loud riot for every boisterous rage or execration that I may not add for every contumelious rude address to the throne of grace every base contempt of that majesty that fills this place God shall one day call you into judgement if you do and yet go on in these believe me you are the valliantest daringst persons in the world and if death be not more formidable to you than hell you are fit for a reserve or forlorn hope for the Cannons mouth for Cuiraisiers for fiends to duel with and let me for once set up an infamous trade read you a Lecture of cowardise and assure you that a judgment to come may be allow'd to set you a trembling that it may be reconcilable with Gallantry to fear him that can cast both body and soul into hell and put you in mind of that which perhaps you have not considered that you are not Atheists enough to stand out those terrours when they begin to come close up to you in a death-bed-clap of thunder Cain that was the first of this Order was not able to bear that near approach he went out from the presence of the Lord and the Rabbins have a fansie of Absalom that when he was hang'd by his hair in the midst of his rebellion he durst not cut it because he saw hell below him but chose to die rather than adventure to fall into that place of horrour that his attached conscience had prepared for him They are believe it such unreformed Atheistical hights as these that have made it so indifferent a choice Whether the kingdom be destroyed or no whether it be peopled with Satyrs or with wilder men become all desart or all Bedlam This heaviest judgment that ever fell upon a Nation extream misery and extream fury is I confess a most direful sight but withall a more inauspicious prognostick a sound of a Trumpet to that last more fatal Day with an Arise thou dementate sinner and come to judgment When all our most bloudy sufferings and more bloudy sins got together into one Akeldama or Tophet shall prove but an adumbration of that heavier future doom after which we shall do that to some purpose which we do now but like beginners by way of essay curse God and die suffer and blaspheme blaspheme and suffer for ever But then secondly this doctrine of justice and continence and judgement to come is most necessary as to awake the courtly Governour Felix so in the next place to convert the unbelieving heathen Felix Will you see the first principles of the doctrine of Christ when they are to be infused into such an one or as the Original hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 6.1 the doctrine of the beginning of Christ the laws of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or initiation of a heathen Convert the elements of his Catechism they are in that place Heb. 6.2 1. Repentance from dead works And 2. Faith towards God 3. Resurrection And 4. Eternal judgment and believe me for him that thus comes unto God out of his animal heathen unregenerate life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Catalogue of the necessariò credenda is not over large he must believe that God is and that he is a rewarder Heb. 11.6 this and it seems no more but this is the minimum quod sic the summ of the faith without which 't is impossible to please him and therefore perhaps it was that Ammianus Marcellinus expresses his wonder that Constantius should call so many Councils whereas before Christian Religion was res simplicissima a plain Religion without contentions or intricacies and Epiphanius of the primitive times that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 divided the Church into its true and erroneous members Impiety the only Heretick good life the orthodox professour Next the acknowledgment of the one God and his eternal Son the crucified Messias of the world and the Holy Ghost those one and three Authors of our Religion into which we are baptized and those few other branches of that faith the judgment to come and the practice of Christian vertues in the elevated Christian pitch is the prime if not only necessary And though there be more to be known fit to exercise his industry or his curiosity that hath treasur'd up these fundamentals in an honest heart yet sure not to serve his carnal mind to purge his spleen to provoke his choler to break communions to dilapidate that peace that charity that Christ beyond all other inheritances bequeathed to his disciples Let us but joyn in that unity of spirit in those things which we all know to be Articles of Faith and the precise conscientious practice of what we cannot chuse but know to be branches of our duty and I shall never lead you into any confounding depths or mazes divert you one minute by a walk in the gallery from that more Christian imployment and task in the workhouse And that will be the improvement of the second particular Lastly as the Felix was guilty of those sins which those vertues did reproach to him This Felix is to be met with in our books presented to us on a double view of Tacitus and Josephus Tacitus renders him an Eques Romanus that Claudius had sent Procurator of Judaea to manage it for a time and saith he did it per omnem saevitiam libidinem in the most cruel arbitrary manner and then see the difference of an Apostolick Preacher from Tertullus the Rhetor the one at his humble address and acknowledgment of the obligations that the whole Nation had received from this most excellent Felix ver 2. But Saint Paul in a pricking close discourse of justice and upon neglect of it judgment to come Josephus he looks nearer into his actions and finds him a tyrannical usurper of another mans wife Drusilla seduced to his bed from her husband Azys the King of the Emessâ—ni And then the Sermon of the faith on Christ presently lets loose at this adulterous couple and so you have the seasonableness of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too of chastity to the unchaste Felix and of judgment to come on such wasting sins This will certainly teach the Preacher the combatant of the Lord the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the regular manner of his duelling with sin not the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wounding the empty air lashing those sins or sinners that are out of reach of his stripes but the closer nearer encounter the directing his blows at those crimes that are present to him most culpable and visible in his Auditory and thus grasping with the Goliah
Martyr and directed to the Philippians 't is observed that whilst he was at a pretty distance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Devil hastned the structure of Christs Cross as much as he could set Judas and all the Artificers of Hell about the work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but when all was even ready Christ for the Cross and the Cross for Christ then he began to put i◠demurs shews Judas an Halter frights Pilar's Wife in a dream she could not sleep in 〈…〉 and in summ uses all means possible to prevent Christs Crucifixion Yet this saith Ignatius not out of any repentance or regret of Conscience but only being started with the foresight of his own ruine by this means Christ's suffering being in effect the destruction of his Kingdom his death ou◠Triumph over Hell and his Cross our Trophy By this you may discern what a miracle of God's love was this giving of his Son the conceiving of which was above the Devil's reach and wherein he was providentially ingaged and if we may so speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 carried blindfold by God to be an Instrument of his own ruine and in a kind be a Co-worker of our Salvation Not to inlarge or expatiate upon Circumstances Man being thus involved in a necessity of damnation and no remedy within the sphere either of his power or conceit left to rescue him nay as some have been so hold to say that God himself had no other means besides this in his Store-house of miracles to save us without intrenching on some one of his Attributes for God then to find out a course that we could never prompt him to being solicited to it by nothing in us but our sins and misery and without any interposition any further consultation or demur to part with a piece of himself to redeem us Brachium Domini The Arm of the Lord as Isaiah calls our Saviour Isa liii Nay to send down his very Bowels amongst us to witness his compassion to satisfie for us by his own death and attach himself for our liberty to undergo such hard conditions rather than be forced to a cheap severity and that he might appear to love his Enemies to hate his Son In brief to fulfil the work without any aid required from us and make Salvation ready to our hands as Manna is called in the sixth of Wisdom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bread baked and sent down ready from Heaven Wisd xvi 20 to drop it in our mouths and exact nothing of us but to accept of it this is an act of love and singleness that all the malice we carry about us knows not how to suspect so far from possibility of a treacherous intent or double dealing that if I were an Heathen nay a Devil I would bestow no other appellation on the Christians God than what the Author of the Book of Wisdom doth so often 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the friend or the lover of Souls But this is a vulgar though precious subject and therefore I shall no longer insist on it Only before I leave it would I could see the effect of it exprest in our Souls as well as acknowledged in our looks your hearts ravished as thorowly as your brains convinc'd your breasts as open to value and receive this superlative mercy as your tongues to confess it then could I triumph over Hell and death and scoff them out of countenance then should the Devil be reduced to his old pittance confined to an empty corner of the World and suffer as much by the solitariness as darkness of his abode all his engines and arts of torment should be busied upon himself and his whole exercise to curse Christ for ever that hath thus deprived him of Associates But alas we are too sollicitous in the Devil's behalf careful to furnish him with Companions to keep him warm in the midst of fire 't is to be feared we shall at last thrust him out of his Inheritance 'T is a probable argument that God desires our Salvation because that Hell wheresoever it is whether at the Center of the Earth or Concave of the Moon must needs be far less than Heaven and that makes us so besiege the gate as if we feared we should find no room there We begin our journey betimes lest we should be forestall'd and had rather venture a throng or crowd in Hell than to expect that glorious liberty of the Sons of God 'T is to be feared that at the day of Judgment when each Body comes to accompany its Soul in torment Hell must be let out and inlarge its territories to receive its Guests Beloved there is not a Creature here that hath reason to doubt but Christ was sent to die for him and by that death hath purchased his right to life Only do but come in do but suffer your selves to live and Christ to have died do not uncrucifie Christ by crucifying him again by your unbelief do not disclaim the Salvation that even claims right and title to you and then the Angels shall be as full of joy to see you in Heaven as God is willing nay desirous to bring you thither and Christ as ready to bestow that Inheritance upon you at his second coming as at his first to purchase it Nothing but Infidelity restrains Christs sufferings and confines them to a few Were but this one Devil cast out of the World I should be straight of Origens Religion and preach unto you Universal Catholick Salvation A second Argument of God's good meaning towards us of his willingness that we should live is the calling of the Gentiles the dispatching of Posts and Heralds over the whole ignorant Heathen World and giving them notice of this treasure of Christ's blood Do but observe what a degree of prophaneness and unnatural abominations the Gentile World was then arrived to as you may read in all their stories and in the first to the Romans how well grown and ripe for the Devil Christ found them all of them damnably Superstitious and Idolatrous in their Worship damnably unclean in their lives nay ingaged for ever in this rode of damnation by a Law they had made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 never to entertain any new Laws or Religion not to innovate though it were to get Salvation as besides their own Histories may be gathered out of Act. xvii 18 And lastly consider how they were hook'd in by the Devil to joyn in crucifying of Christ that they might be guilty of that bloud which might otherwise have saved them and then you will find no argument to perswade you 't was possible that God should have any design of mercy on them Peter was so resolv'd of the point that the whole succession of the Gentiles should be damned that God could scarce perswade him to go and Preach to one of them Act. x. He was fain to be cast into a Trance and see a Vision about it and for all that he is much
thy self to God might recover you to Heaven O then what power and energy what force and strong efficacy would there be in this voice from God Why will you die I am resolved that heart that were truly sensible of it that were prepared seasonably by all these circumstances to receive it would find such inward vigor and spirit from it that it would strike death dead in that one minute this ultimus conatus this last spring and plunge would do more than a thousand heartless heaves in a lingring sickness and perhaps overcome and quit the danger And therefore let me beseech you to represent this condition to your selves and not any longer be flattered or couzened in a slow security To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts If you let it alone till this day come in earnest you may then perhaps heave in vain labour and struggle and not have breath enough to send up one sigh toward Heaven The hour of our death we are wont to call Tempus improbabilitatis a very improbable inch of time to build our Heaven in as after death is impossibilitatis a time wherein it is impossible to recover us from Hell If nothing were required to make us Saints but outward performances if true repentance were but to groan and Faith but to cry Lord Lord we could not promise our selves that at our last hour we should be sufficient for that perhaps a Lethargy may be our fate and then what life or spirits even for that perhaps a Fever may send us away raving in no case to name God but only in oaths and curses and then it were hideous to tell you what a Bethlehem we should be carried to But when that which must save us must be a work of the Soul and a gift of God how can we promise our selves that God will be so merciful whom we have till then contemned or our souls then capable of any holy impression having been so long frozen in sin and petrified even into Adamant Beloved as a man may come to such an estate of grace here that he may be most sure he shall not fall as St. Paul in likelihood was when he resolved that nothing could separate him So may a man be engaged so far in sin that there is no rescuing from the Devil There is an irreversible estate in evil as well as good and perhaps I may have arrived to that before my hour of death for I believe Pharaoh was come to it Exod. ix 34 after the seventh Plague hardning his heart and then I say it is possible that thou that hitherto hast gone on in habituate stupid customary rebellions mayst be now at this minute arrived to this pitch That if thou run on one pace farther thou art engaged for ever past recovery And therefore at this minute in the strength of your age and lusts this speech may be as seasonable as if death were seizing on you Why will you die At what time soever thou repentest God will have mercy but this may be the last instant wherein thou canst repent the next sin may benumb or fear thy heart that even the pangs of death shall come on thee insensibly that the rest of thy life shall be a sleep or lethargy and thou lie stupid in it till thou findest thy self awake in flames Oh if thou shouldst pass away in such a sleep Again I cannot tell you whether a death-bed repentance shall save you or no. The Spouse sought Christ on her bed but found him not Cant. iii. 1 The last of Ecclesiastes would make a man suspect that remembring God when our feeble impotent age comes on us would stand us in little stead Read it for it is a most learned powerful Chapter This I am sure of God hath chosen to himself a people zealous of good works Tit. ii 14 And they that find not some of this holy fire alive within them till their Souls are going out have little cause to think themselves of God's election So that perhaps there is something in it that Matth. iii. 8 the Exhortation Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance is exprest by a sense that ordinarily signifies time past 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have brought forth fruits It will not be enough upon an exigence when there is no way but one with me to be inclinable to any good works to resolve to live well when I expect to die I must have done this and more too in my life if I expect any true comfort at my death There is not any point we err more familiarly in and easily than our spiritual condition what is likely to become of us after death Any slight phansie that Christ died for us in particular we take for a Faith that will be sure to save us Now there is no way to preserve our selves from this Error but to measure our Faith and Hopes by our Obedience that if we sincerely obey God then are we true believers And this cannot well be done by any that begins not till he is on his Death-bed be his inclinations to good then never so strong his faith in Christ never so lusty yet how knows he whether it is only fear of death and a conviction that in spight of his teeth he must now sin no longer that hath wrought these inclinations produced this faith in him Many a sick man resolves strongly to take the Physicians dose in hope that it will cure him yet when he comes to taste its bitterness will rather die than take it If he that on his Death-bed hath made his solemnest severest Vows should but recover to a possibility of enjoying those delights which now have given him over I much fear his fiercest resolutions would be soon out-dated Such inclinations that either hover in the Brain only or float on the Surface of the Heart are but like those wavering temporary thoughts Jam. i. 6 Like a wave of the Sea driven by the wind and tost they have no firmness or stable consistence in the Soul it will be hard to build Heaven on so slight a foundation All this I have said not to discourage any tender languishing Soul but by representing the horrors of death to you now in health to instruct you in the doctrine of Mortality betimes so to speed and hasten your Repentance Now as if to morrow would be too late as if there were but a small Isthmus or inch of ground between your present mirth and jollity and your everlasting earnest To gather up all on the Clue Christ is now offered to you as a Jesus The times and sins of your Heathenism and unbelief God winked at Acts xvii 30 The Spirit proclaims all this by the Word to your hearts and now God knows if ever again commands all men every where to repent Oh that there were such a Spirit in our hearts such a zeal to our eternal bliss and indignation at Hell that we would give one heave and
and much followed by the youth till he perswaded them from admiring such unprofitable professors and these are observed by Plutarch to be meer hucksters of vain glory getting great store of money and applause from their auditors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 silver and popularity but had no manner of profitable learning to bestow upon them as Plutarch dooms them in his Platonick questions and Socrates in his Dialogues in confutation of them and certainly by their very profession 't is plain that these men had no God to know or worship except their gain But not to insist on these or other their Professors of more curious trim polite learning as their Philosophers Grammarians and Rhetoricians it will be more seasonable to our Text to examine St. Pauls auditors here the great speculators among them 1 the deepest Philosophers and there where you expect the greatest knowledge you shall find the most barbarous ignorance in the midst of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Grecians the Philosophers saith Clem. and 't is plain by their writings finding out and acknowledging in private this multitude of Gods to be a prodigious vanity and infinitely below the gravity and wisdom of their profession took themselves off from this unreasonable worship and almost each of them in private worshipped some one God And here you would think that they jump'd with the Jews of that time in the acknowledging an unity but if you mark them you shall find that they did not reform the popular Atheism but only varied it into a more rational way Thales would not acknowledge Neptune as the Poets and people did but yet he deifies the water as Clem. observes another scorned to be so senseless as to worship wood or stone and yet he deifies the earth the parent of them both and as senseless as them both and does at once calcare terram colere tread on the earth with his feet and adore it with his heart So Socrates who by bringing in morality was a great refiner and pruner of barren Philosophy absolutely denying the Grecian Gods and thence called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is yet brought in by Aristophanes worshipping the clouds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. and by a more friendly Historian described addressing a sacrifice to Aesculapius being at the point of death So that in brief the Philosophers disliking the vulgar superstition went to School saith Clem. to the Persian Magi and of them learnt a more Scholastick Atheism The worship of those venerable Elements which because they were the beginnings out of which natural bodies were composed were by these naturalists admired and worshipped instead of the God of nature From which a man may plainly judge of the beginning and ground of the general Atheism of Philosophers that it was a superficial knowledge of Philosophy the sight of second causes and dwelling on them and being unable to go any higher For men by nature being inclined to acknowledge a Deity take that to be their God which is the highest in their sphere of knowledge or the supremum cognitum which they have attained to whereas if they had been studious or able by the dependence of causes to have proceeded beyond these Elements they might possibly nay certainly would have been reduced to piety and religion which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the knowledge and worship of God but there were many hindrances which kept them groveling on the earth not able to ascend this ladder 1. They wanted that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Aphrod on the Topicks speaks of that kindly familiar good temper or disposition of the soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which the mind is able to find out and judge of truth they wanted either that natural harmony or spiritual concord of the powers of the soul by which it is able to reach those things which now in corrupt nature are only spiritually descerned For it is Clem. his Christian judgment of them that the Gentiles being but Bastards not true born sons of God but Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel were therefore not able to look up toward the Light as 't is observed of the bastard-brood of Eagles or consequently to discern that inaccessible light till they were received into the Covenant and made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 true proper Children of light A second hindrance was the grosseness and earthiness of their fancy which was not able to conceive God to be any thing but a corporeous substance as Philoponus observes in Schol. on the books de anima 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. When we have a mind to betake our selves to divine speculation our fancy comes in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 raises such a tempest in us so many earthly meteors to clog and over-cloud the soul that it cannot but conceive the Deity under some bodily shape and this disorder of the fancy doth perpetually attend the soul even in the fairest weather in its greatest calm and serenity of affections 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. saith Plato even when the soul is free from its ordinary distractions and hath provided it self most accurately for contemplation Philoponus in this place finding this inconvenience fetches a remedy out of Plotinus for this rarifying and purifying of the fancy and it is the study of the Mathematicks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Let young men be brought up in the study of the Mathematicks to some acquaintance with an incorporeous nature but how unprofitable a remedy this study of the Mathematicks was to the purpose of preparing the soul to a right conceit of God I doubt not but he himself afterwards found when he turned Christian and saw how far their Mathematical and Metaphysical abstractions fell below those purest Theological conceits of which only grace could make him capable So that in brief their understanding being fed by their fancies and both together fatned with corporeous phantasms as they encreased in natural knowledge grew more hardned in spiritual ignorance and as Clem saith of them were like birds cram'd in a Coop fed in darkness and nourished for death their gross conceits groping on in obscurity and furnishing them only with such opinions of God as should encrease both their ignorance and damnation That I be not too large and confused in this discourse let us pitch upon Aristotle one of the latest of the Ancient Philosophers not above 340 years before Christ who therefore seeing the vanities and making use of the helps of all the Grecian learning may probably be judged to have as much knowledge of God as any Heathen and indeed the Colen Divines had such an opinion of his skill and expressions that way that in their tract of Aristotles Salvation they define him to be Christs Praecursor in Naturalibus as John Baptist was in gratuitis But in brief if we examine him we shall find him much otherwise as stupid in the affairs of 1. God 2. the Soul 3. Happiness as any
passion are exprest in Scripture by the word knowing so to know sin is to commit sin to know a Woman and the like So Peter to the Maid Math. xxvi 70 I know not what thou saist i. e. I am not guilty of the doing what thou imputest to me According to which Hebraism to know God and his Laws is to worship him and perform them and consequently to be ignorant of both is neither to worship God nor practise any thing which his Laws command and so knowledge shall contain all piety and godly obedience or love of Gods Commandments as God is said to know those whom he loves and ignorance all prophaneness and neglect yea and hatred either of God or goodness According to which Exposition are those two sayings the one of Hermes in his tenth Book called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ignorance of God is all manner of sin the other of Pastor in Clemens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 repentance is a great piece of knowledge or wisdom So that briefly the recovering of the Soul to the pure knowledge of God and goodness the worshipping loving and obeying of God is the thing here meant by repentance which yet we may press into a nearer room into one single duty the directing all our actions to his glory for this is in effect to worship to obey to love God to worship for obedience sake because he commands it to obey him for love's sake because we desire he should be glorifyed in our obedience And this is the excellency and perfection of a Christian infinitely above the reach of the proudest Moralists this is the repentance of a Christian whereby he makes up those defects which were most eminently notorious in the Heathen this is the impression of that humbling spirit which proud Heathen nature was never stamp't with for 't was not so much their ignorance in which they offended God though that was also full of guilt as hath been proved as their misusing of their knowledge to ungainly ends as either ambition superstition or for satisfying their curiosity as partly hath and for the present needs not farther to be demonstrated Only for us whom the command doth so nearly concern of repenting for and reforming their abuses how shall we be cast at the Bar if we still continue in the same guilt The orderly composition of the World saith Athenagoras the greatness complexion figure and harmony of it are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 engagements to us and pawns to oblige us to a pious worship of God For what Philoponus observes of the doctrine of the Soul is in like manner true of all kind of learning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they extend and have an influence over all our conversation and if they be well studied and to purpose leave their characters and impressions in our lives as well as our understandings and from thence arose the Gentiles guilt who did only enrich their intellectual part with the knowledge and contemplation of them no whit better their lives or glorify God which made them But for us whose knowledge is much elevated above their pitch who study and ordinarily attain to the understanding of those depths which they never fathom'd the reading of those Riddles which they never heard of the expounding of those mysteries which they never dream't of for us I say who have seen a marvellous light thereby only to enlighten our Brains and not our hearts to divert that precious knowledge to some poor low unworthy ends to gather nothing out of all our studies which may advance Gods Kingdom in us this is infinitely beyond the guilt of Heathenism this will call their ignorance up to judgment against our knowledge and in fine make us curse that light which we have used to guide us only to the Chambers of Death Briefly there was no one thing lay heavier upon the Gentiles than the not directing that measure of knowledge they had to Gods glory and a vertuous life and nothing more nearly concerns us Christians to amend and repent of For the most exquisite knowledge of nature and more specially the most accurate skill in Theological mysteries if it float only in the Brain and sink not down into the heart if it end not in reformation of erroneous life as well as doctrine and glorifying God in our knowledge of him it is to be reputed but a glorious specious Curse not an inriching but a burthening of the Soul Aurum Tholosanum an unlucky Merchandise that can never thrive with the Owner but commonly betrays and destroys all other good affections and graces in us Socrates was the first that brought Morality into the Schools ideoque ad hominum salutem natus est said an old Philosopher and that made the Oracle so much admire him for the wisest man in the World At any piece of speculation the Devil durst challenge the proudest Philosopher amongst them but for a vertuous life he despaired of ever reaching to it this set him at a gaze this posed and made a Dunce of him and forced him to proclaim the Moralist the greatest Scholar under Heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Hesychius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the making use of knowledge to ambition or puffing up is a dangerous desperate disease and pray God it be not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also in its other sence a Disease that attends our holiest speculations even our study of Divinity For as Arrian saith of those who read many Books and digest none so is it most true of those who do not concoct their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and turn it into spiritual nourishment of the Soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they vomit it up again and are never the better for it they are opprest with this very learning as a stomach with crudities and thereby fall many times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into vertigoes and catarrhes the first of which disorders the Brain and disables it for all manner of action or if the more classical notion of the word take place it disaffects the bowels entangles and distorts the entrails and as St. Paul complains on this occasion leaves without natural affection and then 2. by the defluxion of the humours on the breast clogs and stifles the vital parts and in fine brings the whole man to a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or corruption of all its spiritual graces Thus have you at once the doctrine and the use of my second part the nature of that repentance which is here meant in opposition to the Gentiles fault which we have shewed to be the directing of our knowledge to a sober pious end Gods glory and our own edification together with the danger and sinfulness attending the neglect of these ends both which are sufficient motives to stir you up to awake and conjure you to the practice of this doctrine To which you may add but this one more that even some of the Heathen were raised up by the study of the creatures to an
and void Gen. i. 2 or like that at Lots Door among the Sodomites or that of Aegypt thick and palpable and this have we created to our selves a sky full of tempestuous untamed affections this cloud of vapours have we exhaled out of the lower part of our Soul our sensitive faculty and therewith have we so fill'd the air within us with sad black meteors that the Sun in its Zenith the height or pride of its splendor would scarce be able to pierce through it So that for to make a search for this light within thee before thou hast removed this throng and croud of passions which encompass it and still to complain thou canst not meet with it were to bring news that the Sun is gone out when a tempest hath only masked it or to require a Candle to give thee light through a Mud-wall Thou must provide a course to clear the Sky and then thou shalt not need to entreat the Sun to shine on thee especially if this Cloud fall down in a showre if thou canst melt so thick a viscous meteor as those corrupt affections are into a soft rain or dew of penitent tears thou mayest then be confident of a fair bright Sun-shine For I dare promise that never humble tender weeping Soul had ever this light quite darkned within it but could at all times read and see the will of God and the law of its Creation not drawn only but almost engraven and woven into its heart For these tears in our Eyes will spiritually mend our sight as what ever you see through water thought it be represented somewhat dimly yet seems bigger and larger than if there were no water in the way according to that rule in the Opticks Whatever is seen through a thicker medium seems bigger than it is And then by way of use shall we suffer so incomparable a mercy to be cast away upon us Shall we only see and admire and not make use of it Shall we fence as it were and fortify our outward man with Walls and Bulwarks that the inner man may not shine forth upon it Or shall we like silly improvident Flies make no other use of this Candle but only to singe and burn and consume our selves by its flame receive only so much light from it as will add to our hell and darkness 'T is a thing that the flintiest heart should melt at to see such precious mercies undervalued such incomparable blessings either contemned or only improved into Curses Arrian calls those in whom this light of the Soul is as I shewed you clouded and obscured 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dead trunks and carkasses of flesh and to keep such men in order were humane laws provided which he therefore calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 miserable hard laws to keep dead men in compass and again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Earth and Hell the places to which dead bodies are committed And certainly if so then by way of contrary all the life that we possess is but by obedience to this law within us and 't is no longer to be called life but either sleep or death or lethargy every minute that we move out of the circle of its directions There is not a step or moment in our lives but we have a special use and need of this law to manage us every enterprize of our thoughts or actions will yield some difficulty which we must hold up and read and judge of by this Candle nay sometimes we have need of a Glass or instrument to contract the beams and light of it or else 't would scarce be able to get through to our actions passion and folly and the Atheism of our lives hath so thickned the medium Wherefore in brief remember that counsel Mal. ii 15 Take heed to your spirit and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth the Wife of his youth i. e. saith Jeroms gloss legem naturalem scriptam in corde the law of nature written in his heart which was given him in the Womb as a Wife and help to succour him Let us set a value on this polar Star within us which hath or should have an influence at least directions on all our actions let us encrease and nourish and make much of the sparks still warm within us And if Scholars and Antiquaries prize nothing so high as a fair Manuscript or ancient Inscription let us not contemn that which Gods own Finger hath written within us lest the sin of the contempt make us more miserable and the mercy profit us only to make us unexcusable And so I come to my second part the sin of contemning or rejecting this law For this cause he gave them up i. e. because the contempt of his law thus provoked him The guilt arising from this contempt shall sufficiently be cleared to you by observing and tracing of it not through every particular but in general through all sorts of men since the fall briefly reducible to these three heads First The Heathens Secondly The Jews Thirdly Present Christians and then let every man that desires a more distinct light descend and commune with his own heart and so he shall make up the observation The Heathens sin will be much aggravated if we consider how they reckon'd of this law as the square and rule and canon of their actions and therefore they will be inexcusable who scarce be ever at leisure to call to it to direct them when they had use of it The Stoick calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the promise that every man makes the obligation that he is bound in to nature at his shaping in the Womb and upon which condition his reasonable Soul is at his conception demised to him so that whosoever puts off this obedience doth as he goes on renounce and even proclaim his forfeiture of the very Soul he lives by and by every unnatural that is sinful action 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 destroys the natural man within him and by a prodigious regeneration is in a manner transubstantiate into a Beast of the Field Which conceit many of them were so possest with that they thought in earnest that 't was ordinary for souls to walk from men into Cocks and Asses and the like and return again at natures appointment as if this one contempt of the law of nature were enough to unman them and make them without a figure comparable nay coessential to the beasts that perish 'T were too long to shew you what a sense the wisest of them had of the helps that light could afford them so that one of them cryes out confidently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. If all other laws were taken out of the world we Philosophers would still live as we do those directions within us would keep us in as much awe as the most imperious or severest Law-giver And again how they took notice of the perversness of men in refusing to make use of it for who saith
coals of fire which hath a vehement flame She had before often lost her beloved which made her so fiercely fasten on him for having roused him ruit in amplexus she rusht into his embraces she held him and would not let him go Thus you see the jealousie and eagerness of love produc'd by either a former loss or present more than ordinary want of the object both which how pertinent they are to the regenerate man either observing his past sins or instant temptations this Discourse hath already made manifest The Vse of this Thesis to wit that the greatness of ones sins makes the regenerate man apply himself more fiercely to Christ is first by way of caution that we mistake not a motive for an efficient an impulsive for a principal cause For where we say It makes him apply himself c. we mean not that the encrease of sin produces faith formally but only inciteth to believe by way of instruction by shewing us what distress we are in and consequently in what a necessity of a deliverer The meditation of our sinful courses may disclose our misery not redress it may explore not mend a Sinner like a touchstone to try not any way to alter him It is the controuling spirit which must effectually renew our spirits and lead us to the Christ which our sins told us we had need of The sense of sin may rouze the Soul but it is the spirit of God that lays the toils the feeling of our guilt may beat the Waters but it is the great Fisher of our Souls which spreads the Net which entraps us as we are in our way to Hell and leads us captive to salvation The mere gripings of our Conscience being not produced by any Pharmacon of the spirit but by some distemper arising from sin what anxiety doth it cause within us What pangs and twinges to the Soul O Lord do thou regenerate us and then thy holy spirit shall sanctifie even our sins unto our good and if thy grace may lead us our sins shall pursue and drive us unto Christ Secondly By way of character how to distinguish a true convert from a false A man which from an inveterate desperate malady shall meet with a miraculous unexpected cure will naturally have some art of expression above an ordinary joy you shall see him in an ecstasie of thanksgiving and exultancy whilst another which was never in that distress quietly enjoys the same health and gives thanks softly by himself to his preserver So is it in the distresses of the Soul which if they have been excessive and almost beyond hope of recovery as the miracle must so will the expression of this deliverance be somewhat extraordinary The Soul which from a good moral or less sinful natural estate is magis immutata quam genita rather chang'd than regenerate into a spiritual goes through this business without any great noise the spirit entring into it in a still small voice or at a breathing but when a robustous obdurate Sinner shall be rather apprehended than called when the Sea shall be commanded to give up his ship-wrack't and the Sepulchre to restore her dead the Soul surely which thus escapeth shall not be content with a mean expression but will practise all the Hallelujahs and Magnificats which the triumphant Liturgies of the Saints can afford it Wherefore I say if any one out of a full violent course of sinning conceive himself converted and regenerated let him examine what a degree of spiritual exultancy he hath attained to and if he find it but mean and flight and perfunctory let him somewhat suspect that he may the more confirm the evidence of his calling Now this spiritual exultancy of the regenerate consists both in a solemn humiliation of himself and a spiritual rejoycing in God his Saviour both exprest in Maries Magnificat where she specifies in the midst of her joy the lowliness of his handmaid and in S. Pauls victory-song over Death So that if the conversion of an inordinate Sinner be not accompanied with unwonted joy and sorrow with a godly sense of his past distress and a godly triumph for his delivery if it be not followed with a violent eagerness to fasten on Christ finally if there be not somewhat above ordinary in the expression then I counsel not to distrust but fear that is with a sollicitous not suspicious trembling to labour to make thy calling and election sure to pray to that Holy Spirit to strike our hearts with a measure of holy joy and holy sorrow some way proportionable to the size of those sins which in our unregeneracy reigned in us and for those of us whom our sins have separated far from him but his grace hath called home to him that he will not suffer us to be content with a distance but draw us close unto himself make us press toward the mark and fasten our selves on that Saviour which hath redeemed us from the body and guilt of this so great death The third Vse is of comfort and confirmation to some tender Souls who are incorporate into Christ yet finding not in themselves that excessive measure of humiliation which they observe in others suspect their own state and infinitely grieve that they can grieve no more Whereas this Doctrine being observed will be an allay to their sorrow and wipe some unnecessary tears from their Eyes For if the greatness of sin past or the plentiful relicks of sin remaining do require so great a measure of sorrow to expiate the one and subdue the other if it be a deliverance from an habituate servitude to all manner of sin which provokes this extraordinary pains of expression then certainly they who have been brought up with the spirit which were from their baptism never wholly deprived of it need not to be bound over to this trade of sorrow need not to be set apart to that perpetual humiliation which a more stubborn sin or Devil is wont to be cast out by I doubt not but a soul educated in familiarity with the spirit may at once enjoy her self and it and so that if it have an humble conceit of it self and a filial of God may in Earth possess God with some clearness of look some serenity of affections some alacrity of heart and tranquillity of spirit God delights not in the torment of his children though some are so to be humbled yea he delights not in such burnt-offerings as they bestow upon him who destroy and consume and sacrifice themselves but the Lords delight is in them that fear him filially and put their trust i. e. assurance confidence in his mercy in them that rejoice that make their service a pleasure not an affliction and thereby possess Heaven before they come to it 'T is observed in husbandry that soyl laid on hard barren starved ground doth improve it and at once deface and enrich it which yet in ground naturally fruitful and kept in heart and good case
aggravation of each particular guilt in and against it self that so having sufficiently loaded it self and being tyred with the weight and burthen of its sins it may in some measure perform the condition which Christ requires of them which come to him and be prepared to receive that ease which Christ hath promised to the weary and heavy laden So then if the tender Conscience doth never repell or reverberate any mention of sin but doth draw out the sting of it to its length if it be much affected with the least atome of sin and therefore meets with frequent disorders if lastly it make its imployment to gather out of all the Scripture those places which may advantage her in the sight and sense of her sins then certainly doth she never hear of the name of sinner but straight she applies it to her self which was the point we undertook to shew The direct use of this Proposition is for a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or judgment of our estate 'T is observed in the body that the rest of the senses may be distempered and lost without impairing of it but only the touch cannot which therefore they call the sense of life because that part or body which is deprived of feeling is also at Deaths Door and hath no more life in it than it hath reliques of this sense So is it also in spiritual matters of all other symptomes this of senselesness is most dangerous and as the Greek Physicians are wont to say of a desperate Disease 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very very mortal This feeling tenderness is necessary to the life of grace and is an inseparable both effect and argument of it Wherefore I say for the judgment of your selves observe how every piece of Scripture works upon you If you can pass over a Catalogue of sins and judgments without any regret or reluctancy if you can read Sodom and Gomorrha Babylon and the Harlot Jerusalem and not be affected with their stories if thou canst be the Auditor of other mens faults without any sense or griping of thine own if the name of sin or Sinner be unto thee but as a Jest or Fable not worthy thy serious notice then fear thy affections want of that temper which the softning spirit is wont to bestow where it rests and accordingly as thou findest this tenderness increasing or waining in thee either give thanks or pray either give thanks for the plenty of that spirit which thou enjoyest or in the sense of thy wants importune it that God will give us softned relenting hearts that the recital of other mens sins may move us other mens judgments may strike us other mens repentance melt us with a sense with a confession with a contrition of our own But above all O Holy Spirit from hardness of heart from an undiscerning reprobate spirit from a contempt nay neglect a not observing of thy Word as from the danger of Hell Good Lord deliver us And thus much of this point of this effect of a tender heart noted to you out of the cadence of the words I now come to observe somewhat more real out of the main of the words themselves Of whom c. We find not our Apostle here complementing with himself either excâ—sing or attenuating his guilt but as it were glorying in the measure of his sins striving for preeminence above all other Sinners challenging it as his right and as eager upon the preferment as his Fellow-Labourer Peter his Successor for a Primacy as he professes of all Bishops yea the whole Church so our Apostle here Of all sinners I am the chief The note briefly is this That every one is to aggravate the measure and number of his sins against himself and as near as he can observe how his guilt exceedeth other mens This was S. Pauls practice and our pattern not to be gazed on but followed not to be discust but imitated In the Discourse whereof I shall not labour to prove you the necessity of this practice which yet I might do out of Davids Example in his penitential Psalms especially 51. out of Nehemiahs Confession and the like but taking this as supposed I shall rather mix doctrine and reason and use altogether in prescribing some forms of aggravating our selves to our selves yet not descending to a particular dissection of sin into all its parts but dealing only on general heads equally appliable to all men briefly reducible to these two 1. Original sin or the sin of our nature of which we are all equally guilty 2. Personal sin grounded in and terminated to each mans person For Original sin it is the Fathers complaint and ought more justly to be ours of these times that there is no reckoning made of it 't is seldom thought worthy to supply a serious place in our humiliation 't is mentioned only for fashions sake and as it were to stop Gods mouth and to give him satisfaction or palliate the guilt of our wilful Rebellions not on any real apprehension that its cure and remedy in Baptism is a considerable benefit or the remanent weakness after the killing venome is abated were more than a trivial disadvantage So that we have a kind of need oâ— original clearness of understanding to judge of the foulness of original sin and we cannot sufficiently conceive our loss without some recovery of those very faculties we forfeited in it But that we may not be wilfully blind in a matter that so imports us that we may understand somewhat of the nature and dangerous condition of this sin you must conceive Adam whâ— committed this first sin in a double respect either as one particular man or as containing in his Loyns the whole nature of man all mankind which should ever come from him Adams particular sin i. e. his personal disobedience is wonderfully aggravated by the Fathers 1. From his original justice which God had bestowed on him 2. From the near familiarity with God which he injoyed and then lost 3. From the perpetual blest estate which had it not been for this disobedience he might for ever have lived in 4. From the purity and integrity of his Will which was then void of all sinful desire which otherwise might have tempted to this disobedience 5. From the easiness of both remembring and observing the Commandment it being a short prohibition and only to abstain from one Tree where there was such plenty besides 6. From the nature and circumstances of the offence by which the Fathers do refer it to all manner of hainous sins making it to contain a breach of almost each moral Law all which were then written in the tables of his heart and therefore concluding it to be an aggregate or mixture of all those sins which we have since so reiterated and so many times sinn'd over So then this personal sin of Adam was of no mean size not to be reckoned of as an every dayes offence as an ordinary breach or
of the obligation to obedience in us Christians who injoy that light and are precluded those excuses of ignorance that a Jew might be capable of From whence I may sure conclude that the Ego autem of not retaliating or revenging of injuries for that is sure the meaning of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render resist not evil the strict precept of loving and blessing and praying for Enemies and the like is more clearly preceptive and so more indispensably obligatory to us Christians than ever it was to the Jews before And there you have one part of the Spirit of the Gospel in opposition to a first notion of the legal Spirit And by it you may conclude that what Christian soever can indulge himself the enjoyment of that hellish sensuality that of revenge or retributing of injuries nay that doth not practise that high piece of but necessary be it never so rare perfection of overcoming evil with good and so heap those precious melting coals of love of blessings of prayers those three species of sacred vestal fire upon all Enemies heads Nescit qualis spiritus He knows not what kind of spirit he is of But there is another thing observable of the Law and so of the Judaical Legal Spirit to wit as it concerned the planting the Israelites in Canaan and that is the command of rooting out the nations which was a particular case upon God's sight of the filling up of the measure of the Amorites sins and a judicial sentence of his proceeding upon them not only reveal'd to those Israelites but that with a peremptory command annext to it to hate and kill and eradicate some of those Nations Which case because it seldom or never falls out to agree in all circumstances with the case of any other sinful people cannot lawfully prescribe to the eradicating of any other though in our opinion never so great enemies of God until it appear as demonstrably to us as it did to those Israelites that it was the will of God they should be so dealt with and he that thinks it necessary to shed the blood of every enemy of God whom his censorious faculty hath found guilty of that charge that is all for the fire from Heaven though it be upon the Samaritans the not receivers of Christ is but as the Rabbies call him sometimes one of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sons of blouds in the plural number and sons of fire yea and like the Disciples in my Text Boanerges sons of thunder far enough from the soft temper that Christ left them Ye know not what kind of spirit ye are of In the next place Elias Spirit was a Prophetick Spirit whose dictates were not the issue of discourse and reason but impulsions from Heaven The Prophetick writings were not saith St. Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I conceive in an agonistick sense of their own starting or incitation as they were moved or prompted by themselves but as it follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they were carried by the Holy Ghost not as they were led but carried when the Lord speaks who can but prophesie And so likewise are the actions Prophetick many things that are recorded to be done by Prophets in Scripture they proceed from some peculiar incitations of God I mean not from the ordinary or extraordinary general or special direction or influence of his grace cooperating with the Word as in the brest of every regenerate man for the Spirit of Sanctification and the Spirit of Prophecy are very distant things but from the extraordinary revelation of God's Will many times against the setled rule of duty acted and animated not as a living creature by a Soul but mov'd as an outward impellent a sphear by an intelligence and that frequently into eccentrical and planetary motions so that they were no further justifiable than that prophetick calling to that particular enterprize will avow Consequent to which is that because the prophetick office was not beyond the Apostles time to continue constantly in the Church any further than to interpret and superstruct upon what the Canon of the Scripture hath setled among Christians Christ and his Word in the New Testament being that Bath-Col which the Jews tell us was alone to survive all the other ways of Prophecy he that shall now pretend to that Prophetick Spirit to some Vision to teach what the Word of God will not own to some incitation to do what the New Testament Law will not allow of he that with the late Fryar in France pretends to ecstatical revelations with the Enthusiasts of the last age and Phanaticks now with us to ecstatical motions that with Mahomet pretends a dialogue with God when he is in an Epileptick fi◠sets off the most ghastly diseases I shall add most horrid sins by undertaking more particular acquaintance and commerce with the Spirit of God a call from God's Providence and extraordinary Commission from Heaven for those things which if the New Testament be Canonical are evaporate from Hell and so first leads captive silly women as Mahomet did his Wife and then a whole Army of Janizaries into a War to justifie and propagate such delusions and put all to death that will not be their Proselytes is far enough from the Gospel Spirit that lies visible in the New Testament verbum vehiculum spiritûs and the preaching of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is not infused by dream or whisper nor authorized by a melancholy or phanatick phansie and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knows not what kind c. In the third place Elias was the great precedent and example of sharp unjudiciary procedure with Malefactors which from the common ordinary awards on Criminals in that execution proceeded Trial and the Malefactor suffered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without attending the formalities of Law Of this kind two Examples are by Mattathias cited 1 Macab ii one of Phinces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that zeal'd a zeal and in that run thorough Zimri and Cozbi and so as the Captain once answered for the killing the drowsie Sentinel reliquit quos invenit found them in unclean embraces and so left them And the variety of our interpretations in rendring of that passage in the Psalm Then stood up Phinehas and prayed in the Old and then stood up Phinehas and executed judgment in the New Translations may perhaps give some account of that action of his that upon Phinehas Prayer for God's direction what should be done in that matter God raised up him in an extraordinary manner to execute judgment on those offenders And the other of Elias in the Text and he with some addition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In zealing the zeal of the Law called fire from Heaven upon those that were sent out from Ahazia to bring him to him And this fact of his by God's answering his call and the coming down of the fire upon
them was demonstrated to come from God also as much as the prediction of the Kings death which was confirm'd by this means It may very probably be guest by Mattathias his words in that place that there were no precedents of the zelotick spirit in the Old Testament but those two for among all the Catalogue of examples mentioned to his sons to enflame their zeal to the Law he produceth no other and 't is observable that though there be practices of this nature mentioned in the story of the New Testament the stoning of St. Stephen of St. Paul at Iconium c. yet all of them practised by the Jews and not one that can seem to be blameless but that of Christ who sure had extraordinary power upon the buyers and sellers in the Temple upon which the Apostles remembred the Psamists Prophecy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the zeal of Gods house carried him to that act of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of indignation and punishment upon the transgressors And what mischief was done among the Jews by those of that sect in Josephus that call'd themselves by that name of Zelots and withal took upon them to be the saviours and preservers of the City but as it prov'd the hastners and precipitators of the destruction of that Kingdom by casting out and killing the High-Priests first and then the Nobles and chief men of the Nation and so embasing and intimidating and dejecting the hearts of all the people that all was at length given up to their fury Josephus and any of the learned that have conversed with the Jewish Writers will instruct the enquirer And ever since no very honourable notion had of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the New Testament one of the fruits of the flesh Gal. v. of the Wisdom that comes not from Heaven Jam. iii. and in the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bitter zeal a gall that will imbitter all that come near it The short of it is the putting any man to death or inflicting other punishment upon any terms but that of legal perfectly legal process is the importance of a zelotick Spirit as I remember in Maimonides him that curses God in the name of an Idol the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that meet him kill him i. e. the zelots permitted it seems if not authorized to do so And this is the Spirit of Elias that is of all others most evidently reprehended and renounced by Christ. The Samaritans no very sacred persons added to their habitual constant guilts at that time to deny common civility of entertainment to Christ himself and the Disciples asked whether they might not do what Elias had done call for fire from Heaven upon them in that case and Christ tells them that the Gospel-Spirit was of another complexion from that of Elias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 turn'd to them as he did to Peter when he said Get thee behind me Satan as to so many fiery Satanical-spirited men and checkt them for that their furious zeal with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The least I can conclude from hence is this that they that put any to death by any but perfectly legal process that draw the sword upon any but by the supream Magistrates command are far enough from the Gospel-Spirit whatever precedent they can produce to countenance them And so if they be really what they pretend Christians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are in a prodigious mistake or ignorance They know not what Spirit they are of Yet farther it is observable of Elias that he did execrate and curse call for judgments from Heaven upon mens persons and that temper of mind in the parallel you may distribute into two sorts First in passing judgments upon mens future estates the censorious reprobating Spirit which though we find it not in Elias at this time yet is a consequent of the Prophetick Office and part of the burthen received from the Lord and layed upon those guilty persons concerning whom it hath pleased Almighty God to reveal that secret of his Cabinet but then this rigor cannot without sin be pretended to by any else for in the blackest instances charity believes all things and hopes all things and even in this sense covers the multitudes of sins Now this so culpable an insolent humour rashly to pass a condemning sentence was discernible in the Pharisees this Publican whose profession and trade is forbidden by that Law and this people that know not that Law is cursed so likewise in the Montanists nos spirituales and all others animales and Psychici so in the Romanists who condemn all but themselves and in all those generally whose pride and malice conjoined most directly contrary to the Gospel-Spirit of humility and charity doth prepare them one and the other inflame them to triumph and glut themselves in this spiritual assassinacy this deepest dye of blood the murthering of Souls which because they cannot do it really they endeavour in effigie anathematize and slaughter them here in this other Calvary the place for the crucifying of reputations turning them out of the Communion of their charity though not of bliss and I am confident reject many whom the Angels entertain more hospitably Another part of this cursing Spirit there is more peculiarly Elias's that of praying and so calling for curses on mens persons and that being upon the enemies of God and those appearing to Elias a Prophet to be such might be then lawful to him and others like him David perhaps c. in the Old Testament but is wholly disliked and renounced by Christ under this state of higher Discipline to which Christians are designed by him in the New I say not only for that which concerns our own enemies for that is clear When thine enemy hungreth feed him and somewhat like that in the Old Testament When thine enemies Ox c. But I extend it even to the enemies of God himself and that I need not do upon other evidence than is afforded from the Text the Samaritans were enemies of Christ himself and were barbarous and inhumane to his person and they must not be curst by Disciples And he that can now curse even wicked men who are more distantly the enemies of God can call for I say not discomfiture upon their devices for that is charity to them to keep them from being such unhappy Creatures as they would be contrivers of so much mischief to the world but Plagues and Ruine upon their persons which is absolutely the voice of Revenge that sulphur-vapor of Hell he that delighteth in the misery of any part of Gods Image and so usurps upon that wretched quality of which we had thought the Devil had gotten the Monopoly that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 joying in the Brother's misery but now see with horror is got loose out of that Pit to rave among us he that would mischief if it were in his power and now it is not by unprofitable