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
themselves that they shall perpetuate the wealth and greatness which they have gathered but are very wide of their expectations find themselves foully deceived and frustrated And yet they that succeed them in their estates go after them in the same track imitate that folly which was so fatal to them and think themselves happy that they shall enjoy the fruits of it 14. Like sheep they are laid in the grave death shall feed on them and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling Paraphrase 14. But then death comes upon them all and defeats all their expectations As sheep or other such creatures they die remove from all their splendid possessions to those dark invisible plains where they continue as a flock in a pasture till that great morning of the resurrection when the righteous shall be assumed by God to assist in judicacature and so shall arise in their old shapes when the earth shall give up her dead and the grave wherein their beauty strength and form decayed and was consumed shall at length it self decay and lose its strength death having lost its sting and the grave its victory and so being no longer the mansion for the bodies of just men 15. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave for he shall receive me Selah Paraphrase 15. And accordingly my comfort is that God will after my death one day restore me again to life into his hands I commend my spirit not doubting but he will hereafter receive me to glory And so for all others that constantly adhere to and wait on God whatever terrors they meet with here they have this full matter of confidence that God hath particular care of them and will either deliver them out of their dangers or convert them to their greatest good rewarding them abundantly in the resurrection 16. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich when the glory of his house is increased Paraphrase 16. It is therefore most unreasonable to be troubled at or to envy the increase of wordly riches or honour or any kind of greatness or prosperity to the worldly man 17. For when he dyeth he shall carry nothing away his glory shall not descend after him Paraphrase 17. For death will soon overtake him and then he cannot carry his wealth with him his present glory and greatness shall not then yield him the least advantage 18. Though whilst he lived he blest his soul and men will praise thee when thou dost well to thy self Paraphrase 18. Indeed might his own word be taken he were an happy man for so he flattereth himself that he hath goods laid up for many years and as long as this life lasts he entertains no other thoughts But when death comes all these flattering fallacies vanish 'T is not thine own mouth but anothers whose commendation will be worth the having and that will not be had but for the real kindnesses and good turns thou dost unto thy self in doing that which will prove thy durable good and not in saying magnificent things of thy present state applauding thy temporal felicities 19. He shall go to the generation of his fathers they shall never see light Paraphrase 19. The just shall be gathered to their fathers in peace die indeed as their fathers did before them but the wicked shall be destroyed for ever their death shall be their entrance into endless unexpressible darkness and misery and to that they shall be for ever confined 20. Man that is in honour and understandeth not is like the beasts that perish Paraphrase 20. The conclusion then is There is not a more brutish creature more fit to be pitied than envied than a worldly wicked man advanced to greatness in this world and pleasing himself in it he doth not at all understand his own condition he triumphs and thinks himself very happy and whilst he doth so death unexpectedly seises upon him and confutes him sweeps him away helpless and friendless as a beast of the field that just now took himself for one of the greatest men in the world just as they perish and leave all behind them so doth he Only the wise and virtuous the upright v. 10 14. have better hopes and shall not fail of atteining them Annotations on Psalm XLIX V. 2. Low and high The difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may here briefly be noted The former is taken for a great or eminent person in any respect of virtue extraction strength c. So 1 Sam. 26.15 Art thou not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man is expounded by what follows and who is like thee in Israel signifying there the military valour and reputation of Abner and many the like Whereas as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 earth signifies an earthy or frail mortal mean man And so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here sons of this mean man are the lower and ordinary sort of men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sons of the earth say the LXXII not that they read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 earth for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but because they would in their reading allude to the original of the word as oft they do And then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the contrary to these persons of the higher quality The Chaldee express the former phrase by the sons of old Adam the latter by the sons of Jacob making this difference between the rest of mankind and the people of Israel and giving the latter the preeminence over all other and so they make them comprehensive words containing Gentiles and Jews i. e. all the men in the world and that very fitly the Psalm following being the equal concernment of them both But 't is more likely that the phrases denote only the several conditions of men of the lower and higher rank for so the consequents interpret it rich and poor the former according to the sacred style frequently observable explicative of the latter of those and the latter of the former by way of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 V. 4. Dark saying The Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a proverb or parable is of great latitude signifies primarily any similitude by which another thing is exprest thence a figurative speech either by way of fiction and fable such are riddles or significant apologues as that of Jotham Jud. 9.7 and many others in Scripture both in the old and new Testament or by way of application of some true example or similitude as when the sluggard is bid go to the ant the impenitent sinner to the swallow and crane which return at their certain seasons and so are fit to preach returning or repentance to sinners And finally it belongs to all moral doctrine either darkly or only sententiously delivered because the wise men of the world were wont to deliver that in short concise sentences
the trouble to mortifie his own unruly appetites is soon overrun and laid waste by them All these sorts of misery though he expects them not but in confidence of safety goes on in his idle slothfull course will when he little thinks of it knock at his door as a traveller or way-goer to an host that knows nothing of his coming and when it comes it comes with a vengeance there is no way of resisting and as little of supporting it This traveller is stout and armed and will force his entrance and lay all waste where he enters 12. A naughty person a wicked man walketh with a froward mouth Paraphrase 12. Among other most noxious effects of idleness and unprofitableness one deserves to be taken notice of and most carefully avoided that of whispering and backbiting calumniating and detracting labouring nothing so much as to deprave and defame the actions of other men This is an eminent fruit of sloth and wickedness combin'd together and a most diabolical sin 13. He winketh with his eyes he speaketh with his feet and teacheth with his fingers Paraphrase 13. Such an one when he hath nothing of weight to say against a man will by significative gestures of all sorts give intimations of some grand matters and so perswade others without laying any particular to his charge that he is a most pestilent fellow 14. Frowardness is in his heart he deviseth mischief continually he soweth discord Paraphrase 14. His thoughts which have no good business to take them up are continually imployed in projecting what mischief he may doe and are never more gratefully busied than when he is a causing debate among neighbours One such person in a City is enough to embroil the whole and put it into a tumult 15. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly suddenly shall he be broken without remedy Paraphrase 15. And as to idle persons v. 11. so to this above all a proportionable vengeance is to be expected He that is of this temper seldom fails to be met with in his kind to fall unexpectedly by some secret hand parallel to the secrecy of his detracting whispering humour and when he falls he can never be recovered again he perishes unpitied unregarded 16. These six things doth the Lord hate yea seven are an abomination to him 17. A proud look a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood 18. An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations feet that be swift in running to mischief 19. A false witness that speaketh lies and him that soweth discord among brethren Paraphrase 16 17 18 19. And there is all reason for this for as there be seven sins which be very hatefull to God so this is a compound of five if not of all seven of them The seven are these 1. pride or haughtiness 2. lying or fraudulence 3. guilt of blood 4. malice or projecting of evil 5. a pleasure in mischieving any 6. false witness or calumny 7. causing of discord or debates among those that live friendly together Of these the second the fourth the fifth the sixth and seventh are evidently in this of the detractour or calumniatour see v. 12 14. And that pride is the root of it and blood-guiltiness the effect of it cannot be doubted the pride and high opinion of our selves and desire to be esteemed above all constantly inciting us to defame others and the debates and discord which are caused by back-biting ending generally in feuds and the bloodiest murthers And this is a competent indication how odious this sin is and how punishable in the sight of God 20. My son keep thy father's commandment and forsake not the law of thy mother 21. Bind them continually upon thy heart and tie them about thy neck 22. When thou goest it shall lead thee when thou sleepest it shall keep thee and when thou awakest it shall talk with thee 23. For the commandment is a lamp and the law is light and reproofs of instruction are the way of life 24. To keep thee from the evil woman from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman Paraphrase 20 21 22 23 24. In the next place a principal caution there is for all young men of which they are to take an extraordinary care 'T is that which all parents timely warn their children of and it concerns them to lay it up and never forget it to carry it continually about with them as the Jews do their Phylacteries that it may be a perpetual memorative never out of their sight If they doe so they will have the comfort and benefit of it at home and abroad sleeping and waking in all the varieties of their life they will see and discern that timely which they that discern not run into all the most noxious and ruinous courses And what is this so important a caution thus pompously introduced Why onely this that thou be sure to keep thee from that horrible sin of fornication or adultery and not suffer thy self by whatsoever flatteries and deceits by soft and fair speeches the common address of whores to be seduced and ensnared in it 25. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart neither let her take thee with her eye-lids 26. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life Paraphrase 25 26. Whatever allurement is in her beauty that may warm and attract thy love whatever invitation in her behaviour and amiableness of her looks or address thou art most nearly concerned to guard and fortifie thy self that thou beest not captivated thereby that thou permit not any unclean desire to kindle so much as in thine heart for as that is adultery in the eyes of that God that requires purity of the heart as well as actions see Matt. 5.8 28. so most sad and dismall are the effects of this passion as by many thousand examples hath been evidenced both in relation to mens estates and also their lives Many great estates have been utterly ruin'd and brought to the smallest pittance by that sin and many bodies have been exhausted and brought to noisome diseases and untimely death the very life and soul and whatsoever is most precious is the prey that this vulture gorges herself on 27. Can a man take fire in his bosome and his clothes not be burnt 28. Can one go on hot coals and his feet not be burnt 29. So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent Paraphrase 27 28 29. It is as imaginable that a man shall put fire in his bosome or walk upon live coals and receive no harm from them either to his garments or his flesh as that a man shall adventure on this sin of adultery and not exhaust and ruine himself by that course A fire in his bones and a wasting to his estate are the regular natural inevitable attendants of this sin But that is not all The wrath
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
Melchizedeck who brought forth bread and wine unto Abraham and blessed him but the mystical interpretation and importance thereof the offering up his body on the cross for us the onely sacrifice that under the New Testament was to succeed all those of the Old and supersede them and thereby obteining for us grace and pardon strength and refreshment which are exhibited by this Sacrament and so secured to us on condition we utterly forsake our sins and folly and be docible and patient of being made wise by him i. e. in an honest heart receive and observe his instructions sincerely and so live and persevere in the ways of vertue and piety that true and divine wisedom which alone tends to render this life of ours a life indeed or worthy any man's enjoying the course of sin being but a continual death and to qualifie us for eternal never fading life and bliss to all eternity 7. He that reproveth a scorner getteth himself shame and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot 8. Reprove not a scorner lest he hate thee rebuke a wise man and he will love thee 9. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser teach a just man and he will encrease in learning Paraphrase 7 8 9. And when this eternal wisedom should come on this errand of sovereign mercy 't is sad to think what use of it should be made by the proud and obdurate sinners of the world the obstinate impersuasible Jews They should be so far from reforming on his advice that they should despise and reproach and put him to a contumelious death set themselves in most hostile terms of opposition and mortal hatred against him Onely the meek and humble the onely temper for true wisedom to be rooted in such as are convinced of their sins and sincerely obey his call to repentance lay it up in an honest heart they should come in to him enter in his discipleship and there improve in all spiritual solid wisedom to the greatest height of sanctity and purity mortifying all their earthy and sensual affections contemning the world and even life it self so they may approve themselves unto him So that though by his coming some men should become much worse adding their pride and self-conceit the greatest impiety and sacrilege yet many others even a multitude both of Jews and Gentile Idolaters should eminently reform by the coming and revealing his Gospel to them 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisedom and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding 11. For by me thy days shall be multiplied and the years of thy life shall be encreased 12. If thou be wise thou shalt be wise for thy self but if thou scornest thou alone shalt bear it Paraphrase 10 11 12. And to receive this benefit from the Gospel to be of the number of those who are thereby made truly wise unto salvation there is no so proper preparative as humility and docibleness a readiness to receive and lay up the dictates of this eternal wisedom of God in a lowly and honest and obedient heart see ch 1.3 and Note d. there being no true knowledge or which deserves that title but the practical which as it hath the promises of another life an eternal reward attending it so hath it also the promises of this life all manner of felicity in this world length of days and that in a Canaan So that the pious man shall himself have the fruit of his piety and the wicked be punish'd in his very sin if there were no other arere of punishment behind for him in another world The end of Christ's coming into the world being on no design of advantage to himself but onely to shew us the way of true wisedom and durable happiness that if we will be his disciples and doe what he directs us it may be well with us here and to all eternity If we will not we shall have the smart of it our selves as being the onely authours and obstinate contrivers of our own misery 13. A foolish woman is clamorous she is simple and knoweth nothing 14. For she sitteth at the door of her house on a seat in the high places of the city 15. To call passengers who go right on their ways 16. Whoso is simple let him turn in hither and as for him that wanteth understanding she saith to him 17. Stoln waters are sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant 18. But he knoweth not that the dead are there and that her guests are in the depths of hell Paraphrase 13 14 15 16 17 18. But now as Christ this wisedom hath his calls and invitations on one side so hath folly sin and carnality on the other you may discern it by an ordinary emblem an unchaste woman earnest and importunate to call in as many passengers as she can promises them great advantages but if she prevail ensnaring them to their ruine Just so many allurements and temptations there are to circumvent seducible persons but all directly contrary to true wisedom and the care but of our own safety and well-being and such as betray both the seducer and seduced to utter ruine The whore indeed that is set upon this sin so frequently styled folly being so eminently such is very bold and busie never quiet at home but still running abroad see ch 7.11 12. incited by her own impatient lust Her whole behaviour is most extremely sensless and impudent she is folly in the abstract most scandalously removed from all that is sober or decent She setteth herself like a shameless prostitute person in some place of greatest advantage to seduce and invite passengers even those that are otherwise imploy'd and come not with any evil design and by her cunning and flatteries and especially by that enhancement of the unlawfull pleasure which the phancies of wicked men set upon it because it is gotten by stealth and deceit and so gratifies their pride as well as their lust by the cunning and subtlety of compassing it by these I say and other the like means she gains on fools such as have not the laws of true wisedom inscribed on their hearts for those would competently avert them from the least beginning of this sin and infuse into them the utmost aversion to it and so leads them blindfold into utter perdition and irreversible destruction And thus is it in all other sinfull courses to which men are seduced by some fallacious bait which hath some kind of gratefulness to the phancy but really carries a barbed hook under it the smart and danger of which is soon felt by them that swallow it but then 't is too late to prevent it This shews the infinite mercy of God in Christ whom he sent from heaven on purpose to teach us true wisedom betimes absteining from all beginnings of sin all purity of the very heart and calling to speedy repentance all those that have need of it Annotations on Chap.
that piercing Sun every atoâ—e of that flaming Sword as the word is phrased shall not though it be rebated vanish the day of Vengeance shall instruct your Souls that it was sent from God and since it was once refused hath been kept in store not to upbraid but damn you Many other petty occasions the Spirit ordinarily takes to put off the Cloud and open his Face toward us nay it were not a groundless doubt whether he do not always shine and the cloud be only in our hearts which makes us think the Sun is gone down or quite extinct if at any time we feel not his rays within us Beloved there be many things amongst us that single fire can do nothing upon they are of such a stubborn frozen nature there must be some material thing for the fire to consist in a sharp iron red hot that may bore as well as burn or else there is small hopes of conquering them Many men are so hardned and congealed in sin that the ordinary beam of the Spirit cannot hope to melt them the fire must come consubstantiate with some solid instrument some sound corpulent piercing judgment or else it will be very unlikely to thrive True it is the Spirit is an omnipotent Agent which can so invisibly infuse and insinuate its virtue through the inward man that the whole most enraged adversary shall presently fall to the earth Act. ix the whole carnal man lie prostrate and the sinner be without delay converted and this is a Miracle which I desire from my heart might be presently shewed upon every Soul here present But that which is to my present purpose is only this That God hath also other manners and ways of working which are truly to be said to have descended from Heaven though they are not so successful as to bring us thither other more calm and less boysterous influences which if they were received into an honest heart might prove semen immortalitatis and in time encrease and grow up to immortality There is no such encumbrance to trash us in our Christian Progress as a phansie that some men get possessed with that if they are elected they shall be called and saved in spight of their teeth every man expecting an extraordinary call because Saul met with one and perhaps running the more fiercely because Saul was then called when he was most violent in his full speed of malice against Christians In this behalf all that I desire of you is First to consider that though our regeneration be a miracle yet there are degrees of miracles and thou hast no reason to expect that the greatest and strongest miracle in the world shall in the highest degree be shewed in thy Salvation Who art thou that Gâ—â— should take such extraordinary pains with thee Secondly To resolve that many precious rays and beams of the Spirit though when they enter they come with power yet through our neglect may prove transitory pass by that heart which is not open for them And then thirdly You will easily be convinced that no duty concerns us all so strictly as to observe as near as we can when thus the Spirit appears to us to collect and muster up the most lively quick-sighted sprightfullest of our faculties and with all the perspectives that spiritual Opticks can furnish us with to lay wait for every glance and glimpse of its fire or light We have ways in nature to apprehend the beams of the Sun be they never so weak and languishing and by uniting them into a Burning-Glass to turn them into a fire Oh that we were as witty and sagacious in our spiritual estate then it were easie for those sparks which we so often either contemn or stifle to thrive within us and at least break forth into a flame In brief Incogitancy and inobservance of Gods seasons supine numbness and negligence in spiritual affairs may on good grounds be resolved on as the main or sole cause of our final impenitence and condemnation it being just with God to take those away in a sleep who thus walked in a dream and at last to refuse them whom he hath so long sollicited He that hath scorned or wasted his inheritance cannot complain if he dies a bankrupt nor he that hath spent his candle at play count it hard usage that he is fain to go to bed darkling It were easie to multiply arguments on this theme and from every minute of our lives to discern some pawn and evidence of Gods fatherly will and desire that we should live Let it suffice that we have been large if not abundant in these three chief ones First The giving of his Son to the World Secondly Dispatching the Gospel to the Gentiles And lastly The sending of his Spirit We come now to a view of the opposite trenches which lie pitched at the Gates of Hell obstinate and peremptory to besiege and take it Mans resolvedness and wilfulness to die my second part Why will you die There is no one conceit that engages us so deep to continue in sin that keeps us from repentance and hinders any seasonable Reformation of our wicked lives as a perswasion that God's will is a cause of all events Though we are not so blasphemous as to venture to define God the Author of sin yet we are generally inclined for a phansie that because all things depend on God's decree whatsoever we have done could not be otherwise all our care could not have cut off one sin from the Catalogue And so being resolved that when we thus sinned we could not chuse we can scarce tell how to repent for such necessary fatal misdemeanors the same excuses which we have for having sinned formerly we have for continuing still and so are generally better prepared for Apologies than Reformation Beloved it will certainly much conduce to our edification instead of this speculation whose grounds or truth I will not now examine to fix this practical theorem in our hearts that the will of man is the principal cause of all our evil that death either as it is the punishment of sin eternal death or as it is the sin it self a privation of the life of grace spiritual death is wholly to be imputed to our wilful will It is a Probleme in Aristotle why some Creatures are longer in conceiving bringing forth than others and the sensiblest reason he gives for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the hardness of the Womb which is like dry earth that will not presently give any nourishment to either seed or plant and so is it in the spiritual conception and production of Christ that is of life in us The hardness and toughness of the heart the womb where he is to be born that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that dry Earth in the Philosophers or that way-side or at best stony ground in Christ's phrase is the only stop and delay in begetting of life within us the only cause of either barrenness or hard
Mistress of their actions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a creature sent on purpose to preserve them and these saith he deserve not to be chid but pitied for nature at first appointed them this condition of life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 't is their birthright and inheritance and therefore no body will be angry with them for living on it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. But for them who were made Creatures of light and had it not been for their wilfulness had still continued light in the Lord who are altogether encompast and environed with light light of nature light of reason light of religion nay the most glorious asterism or conjunction of lights in the World the light of the Gospel to walk in for these men meerly out of perverseness of wilful hearts to hate and abjure and defy this light to run out of the World almost for fear of it to be for ever a solliciting and worshipping of darkness as Socrates was said to adore the Clouds this is such a sottishness that the stupidst Element under Heaven would naturally scorn to be guilty of for never was the earth so peevish as to forbid the Sun when it would shine on it or to sâ—ink away or subduce it self from its rayes And yet this is our case beloved who do more amorously and flatteringly court and woo and sollicite darkness than ever the Heathens adored the Sun Not to wander out of the sphere my Text hath placed me in to shew how the light of the Gospel and Christianity is neglected by us our guilt will ly heavy enough on us if we keep us to the light only of natural reason within us How many sins do we daily commit which both nature and reason abhor and loath How many times do we not only unman but even uncreature our selves Aristotle observes that that by which any thing is known first that which doth distinguish one thing from another à priore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to be called the beginning or cause of that thing and that the light of reason distinguishing one action from another being the first thing that teaches me that this is good that otherwise may from thence be termed the beginning of every reasonable action in us and then where ever this cause or beginning is left out and wanting there the thing produced is not so called a positive act or proper effect but a defect an abortion or still-born frustrate issue and of this condition indeed is every sin in us Every action where this Law within us is neglected is not truly an action but a passion a suffering or a torment of the Creature Thus do we not so much live and walk which note some action as ly entranced asleep nay dead in sin by this perverseness 't is perpetual night with us nay we even dy daily our whole life is but a multiplyed swoon or lethargy in which we remain stupid breathless senseless till the day of Death or Judgment with a hideous Voice affrights and rouses us and we find our selves awake in Hell and so our dark Souls having a long while groped wilfully in the Sun are at last lead to an Everlasting inevitable darkness whither the mercy or rays of the Sun can never pierce where it will be no small accession to our torment to remember and tremble at that light which before we scorn'd Thus I say do we in a manner uncreature our selves and by the contempt of this Law of our Creation even frustrate and bring to nothing our Creation it self and this is chiefly by sins of sloth and stupid sluggish unactive Vices which as I said make our whole life a continued passion never daring or venturing or attempting to act or do any thing in Church or Commonwealth either toward God or our Neighbour and of such a condition'd man no body will be so charitable as to guess he hath any Soul or light of reason in him because he is so far from making use of it unless it be such a Soul as Tully saith a Swine hath which serves it only instead of Salt to keep it from stinking For 't is Aristotles observation that every one of the Elements besides the Earth was by some Philosopher or other defin'd to be the Soul Some said the Soul was fire some that 't was air some water but never any man was so mad as to maintain the earth to be it because 't was so heavy and unweildy So then this heavy motionless unactive Christian this clod of Earth hath as I said uncreatured himself and by contemning this active reason within him even deprived himself of his Soul Again how ordinary a thing is it to unman our selves by this contempt of the directions of reason by doing things that no man in his right mind would ever have patience to think of Beloved to pass by those which we call unnatural sins i. e. so in the highest degree as too horrid for our nature set down in the latter end of this Chapter for all Christian Ears to glow and tingle at and I had hoped for all English spirits to abhor and loath To pass these I say our whole life almost affords minutely sins which would not argue us men but some other Creatures There be few things we do in our age which are proper peculiar acts of men one man gives himself to eating and drinking and bestows his whole care on that one faculty which they call the vegetative growing faculty and then what difference is there betwixt him and a Tree whose whole nature it is to feed and grow Certainly unless he hath some better imployment he is at best but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a plant-animal whose shape would perhaps perswade you that it hath some sense or Soul in it but its actions betray it to be a mere plant little better than an Artichoak or Cabbage another goes a little higher yet not far doth all that his sense presents to him suffers all that his sensitive faculties lust and rage to exercise at freedom is as fierce as the Tyger as lustful as the Goat as ravenous as the Wolf and the like and all the Beasts of the Field and Fowls of the air be but several Emblemes and Hieroglyphicks concurring to make up his character carries a Wilderness about him as many sins as the nature of a sensitive Creature is capable of and then who will stick to compare this man to the beasts that perish For 't is Theophilus his note that the Cattle and Beasts of the Field were created the same day with man Gen. i. 25 to note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the brutish condition of some men and that therefore the blessing was not bestowed on them but reserved for the man which should have the dominion over them Verse 26 28. In summ every action which reason or Scripture or Gods spirit guides not in us is to be called the work of some other Creature
Vipers by denying it all nourishment from without all advantages of temptations and the like which it is wont to make use of to beget in us all manner of sin let us aggravate every circumstance and inconvenience of it to our selves and then endeavour to banish it out of us and when we find we are not able importune that strong assistant the Holy Spirit to curb and subdue it that in the necessity of residing it yet may not reign in our mortal bodies to tame and abate the power of this necessary Amorite and free us from the activity and mischief and temptations of it here and from the punishment and imputation of it hereafter And so I come to the third part or brach of this original sin to wit its legal guilt and this we do contract by such an early prepossession that it outruns all other computations of our life We carry a body of sin about us before we have one of flesh have a decrepit weak old man with all his crazy train of affections and lusts before even infancy begins Behold saith the Psalmist Psal li. 5 I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me as if guilt were the plastick power that formed us and wickedness the Minera and Element of our being as if it were that little moving point which the curious enquirers into nature find to be the rudiment of animation and pants not then for life but lust and endless death So that the saying of St. James c. i. 15 seems a description of our natural birth When lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death Nor does this hasty inmate leave us when grown up no it improves its rancour against God and goodness mixes with custom passion and example and whatever thing is apt to lead us unto mischief somenting all the wild desires of our inferiour brutal part till it become at last an equal and profest Enemy making open hostility setting up its Sconces fortifying it self with munition and defence as meaning to try the quarrel with God and pretending right to man whom God doth but usurp Thus shall you see it encampt and setting up its banners for tokens under that proud name of another law Rom. vii 23 I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and as if it had got the better of the day bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in the members i. e. unto its self And shall we feel such an Enemy within us laying siege at God and grace in us and fiercely resolving whether by deceit or battery to captivate us unto himself and shall we not take notice of him Shall we not think it worthy our pains and expence to defeat him or secure our selves Beloved that will be the best stratagem for the taking of this Enemy which is now adays most ordinary in Sieges to block up all passages and hinder all access of fresh provision and so by denying this greedy devourer all nourishment from without to starve and pine him into such a tameness that he may be taken without resistance which how really you may perform by these means of mortification and repentance prescribed you in Scripture you shall better learn by your own practice than my discourse The fourth aggravation of this guilt is that its minera and fewel lurks even in a regenerate man wretched c. and enforceth Paul into a conflict a War against himself And is it possible for one otherwise happy as the regenerate man inwardly surely is to sleep securely and never to try a Field with the Author of its so much misery or finding it to be within its self part of it self not to think it a sin worthy repentance and sorrow by which Gods Holy Spirit is so resisted so affronted and almost quelled and cast out Fifthly and lastly the guilt of it appears by the effects of it 1. inclination 2. consent to evil for even every inclination to sin without consent is an irregularity and kind of sin i. e. an aversion of some of our faculties from God all which should directly drive amain to him and goodness That servant which is commanded with all speed and earnestness to go about any thing offends against his Masters Precept if he any way incline to disobedience if he perform his commands with any regret or reluctancy Now secondly consent is so natural a consequent of this evil inclination that in a man you can scarce discern much less sever them No man hath any inordinate lust but doth give some kind of consent to it the whole will being so infected with this lust that that can no sooner bring forth evil motions but this will be ready at hand with evil desires and then how evident a guilt how plain a breach of the Law it is you need not mine eyes to teach you Thus have I insisted somewhat largely on the branches of Original sin which I have spread and stretcht the wider that I might furnish you with more variety of aggravations on each member of it which I think may be of important use for this or any other popular Auditory because this sin ordinarily is so little thought of even in our solemnest humiliations When you profess that you are about the business of repentance you cannot be perswaded that this common sin which Adam as you reckon only sinned hath any effect on you I am yet afraid that you still hardly believe that you are truly and in earnest to be sorry for it unless the Lord strike our hearts with an exact sense and profest feeling of this sin of our nature and corruption of our kind And suffer us not O Lord to nourish in our selves such a torpor a sluggishness and security lest it drive us headlong to all manner of hard-heartedness to commit actual sins and that even with greediness And so I come briefly to a view of each mans personal sins I am the chief where I might rank all manner of sins into some forms or seats and then urge the deformity of each of them single and naked to your view but I will for the present presume your understandings sufficiently instructed in the heinousness of each sin forbidden by the Commandments For others who will make more or less sins than the Scripture doth I come not to satisfy them or decide their Cases of Conscience In brief I will propose to your practice only two forms of confessing your sins and humbling your selves for them which I desire you to aggravate to your selves because I have not now the leisure to beat them low or deep to your Consciences Besides original sin already spoken of you are to lay hard to your own charges first your particular chief sins secondly all your ordinary sins in gross For the first observe but that one admirable place in Solomons Prayer at the dedication of the Temple If there be
Chaldee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the prayer the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prayer the Latine deprecationem and so the Arabick and the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the cry and so the not despising or abhorring or casting ouâ— will best agree with it and the subsequents also when I cryed unto him he heard And so the word will well enough bear from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to speak as that is here applyed to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the poor of whom the wise man saith the poor man speaketh supplications V. 2â— Keep alive Where the Hebrew reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he hath not quickened his soul the LXXII and Syriack Latine Arabick Aethiopick render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and my soul lives to him for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his soul reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my soul for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him and then joyning the masculine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the foeminine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the Chaldee rendring it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the soul of the wicked he shall not enliven do evidence our vulgar reading of the Hebrew to be that which they then used and so the LXXII to have mis-read it The literal meaning of it is somewhat difficult Castelliâ—'s conjecture is not unfit to be taken notice of who joyns it with that which follows thus and he that hath not quickened his soul i. e. who is dead his seed shall serve him Eorum progonies quorum vita non perdurat cum colont the pâ—â—gony of them whose life continues not shall serve or worship And thus may the ellipsis be well enough supplied and with as little violence as any other way Yet because both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are in the singular not plural number and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seed without any affix of any number must agree with those it will be more reasonable to change his plural eorum and quorum into ejus and cujus and then reteining that his way of interpretation the rendring will be literally this and for him who doth not enliven his soul i. e. who dies his seed or posterity shall serve him i. e. God This may have a commodious meaning in respect of David himself that when he is dead and so can praise God no longer himself for these his mercies yet his posterity shall praise God for them and by that ingagement be moved to undertake and adhere to his service But in respect of Christ the completion is more signal that though he dye yet he should have a numerous posterity and those begotten as it were by his blood-shedding as Isa 53.10 when he hath made his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed and this seed of his shall serve him viz. the multitude of Christians that adore the crucified Saviour of whom it very agreeably follows that they shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation being the men that make up the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the future age as Christianity is called of which Christ is stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the father in the LXXII their rendring of Isa 9.6 If this be not the meaning of the place then taking the words by themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and enlivens not his own soul must probably be thus supplied as our English hath it and none can keep or more literally to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath kept alive his own soul i. e. in relation to David 't is God that hath delivered and preserved him and none else could have done it being destitute of all worldly aides and the same by way of pious aphorisme is appliable to all others all deliverance from the least to the greatest streight or danger is totally to be imputed to God But most eminently and signally to Christ who being dead in the flesh was quickened by the spirit being put to that shameful death of Crucifixion in his humane nature was raised again by the power of his divine nature and in that was founded the propagation of the Christian Religion as the interpretation of that which follows His seed shall serve him and be numbred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or accounted to God for a generation V. 31. That he hath done this Where the Hebrew hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that or because he hath done it the Chaldee renders paraphrastically and in sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the miracles which he hath wrought The LXXII applying it to the people that should be born reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Lord hath made and so the Latine and Aethiopick and the Syriack also save that they read it in the future That which is most exact and according to the letter will be to render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he hath wrought it by it meaning the righteousness praecedent so Castâ—llio renders it ut exponant quâ— sit usus justitiâ— that they may shew what righteousness he hath wrâ—ghâ— by righteousness meaning either fidelity and perâ—ce of promise or more fitly in the sacred notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 benâ—gnâ—y or beneficence The Twenty Third PSALM A Psalm of David Paraphrase The Twenty Third Psalm was composed by David and is a most passionate expression of Gods abundant care and providence toward all those that faithfully depend on him And hath its most eminent completion in Christ the great shepheard and Bishop of our souls of whom that this Psalm is a Prophecy see Maximus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 3. c. β. and l. 2.55 c. 1. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want Paraphrase 1. The Lord my God is to me and all that diligently wait on him as a Pastor is to his flock of sheep though it be in a wilderness he is able to provide for me I shall not be left destitute 2. He maketh me to ly down in green pastures he leadeth me beside the still waters Paraphrase 2. He provideth abundantly both for my food and refreshment 3. He restoreth my soul he leadeth â—he in the paths of righteousness for his names sake Paraphrase 3. He revives and refreshes and comforts me by his spirit affords me a full and plenteous baite and thereby enables me for the hardship of a journey as he did Elias 1 King 19.8 and then leads me forth in the even paths of pious duties gently and carefully as I am able to goe by this means directing me to that true felicity even of this life the exercising my self and guiding my steps by his excellent laws and rules of living and this out of his free mercy to me the greatest and most valuable that any mortal is capable of 4. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shaddow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me Paraphrase 4. And though this course should engage me
womb opens and they bring forth presently This seems to be the meaning of the LXXII also that render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preparing the binds viz. to bring forth This is here set poetically to express the great consternation that the Moabites and Edomites intimated in the former verse were in V. 10. The floud That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wither signifies a floud of waters or deluge that layes all wast is certain Such was that in Noahs time vulgarly and by way of eminence thus stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the deluge and of that the Chaldee understands this place God say they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the generation of the deluge sat in judgment and the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God shall make the deluge to be inhabited or make the world habitable after it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called back the deluge saith the Syriack restrained it saith the Arabick rendering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sits in the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habitavit And thus it may properly be understood here the only place where the word is used save in the story of Noah as reflecting on the great judgments of God on the old heathen sinful world which he still continues although not in the same way of execution upon the heathen Princes Davids and his enemies But it is also possible that as waters and many waters signifie no more then the clouds see note c. so here the floud which is still but a multitude of waters may be taken for those waters above the firmament the clouds or watery meteors which when they were let loose upon the old world the windows of heaven were said to be opened But these withall very fit poetically to signifie the armies of David and Gods enemies which also if not represt lay wast as a flood and come in like a deluge So a flood of mighty waters signifies Isa 28.2 and the enemies coming in like a flood Isa 59.19 See Jer. 46.7 8. and 47.2 Dan. 9.26 and 11.22 Am. 9.5 Nah. 1.8 And in the like though nor the same style David speaks of his enemies Psal 6◠2 and Psal 124.4 And then Gods sitting on them will be his judging and executing punishments upon them i. e. these heathen people here formerly mentioned The Thirtieth PSALM A Psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David Paraphrase The Thirtieth Psalm was composed by David to accompany the festival at the dedication of his house the building whereof is mentioned 2 Sam. 5.11 soon after the end of his war with Sauls house and his being anointed King over Israel and is the commemoration of his own great troubles and dangers and Gods rich mercy in delivering him out of them 1. I will extol thee O Lord for thou hast lifted me up and hast not made my foes to rejoyce over me Paraphrase 1. I will magnifie thy mercy O Lord who hast restored me peaceably to the throne out of a very low and well-nigh lost condition When I was made like water spilt upon the earth and not only so but as such water again sunk into the pit v. 3. thou wert then pleased as it were to let down the pitcher into that pit and from those many waters that there are lost to recover and gather up one who could not deserve to be esteemed as a drop of the bucket and so to lift me and to draw me out of that pit to enable me to overcome all difficulties and not suffer mine enemies to prevail against me who would have triumpht abundantly if thou hadst not rescued and delivered me out of their hands 2. O Lord my God I cryed unto thee and thou hast healed me Paraphrase 2. When I was in distress I addrest my prayers to thee and thou gavest me release 3. O Lord thou hast brought up my soul from the grave thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit Paraphrase 3. It was thy continued aid and protection that still supported me without which I had certainly been destroyed 4. Sing unto the Lord O ye Saints of his and give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness Paraphrase 4. O let this be matter of rejoycing and blessing God to all pious men let it excite all such to knowledge and commemorate his fidelity and mercy to all that wait on him 5. For his anger endureth but a moment in his favour is life weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Paraphrase 5. When he chastiseth his servans for their sins this endureth but for a small time but the effects of his favour never have any end he exerciseth them with sadness and light affliction for some small space but then presently follow solid and durable joys 6. And in my prosperity I said I shall never be moved 7. Lord by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled Paraphrase 6 7. When Saul was dead and I was crowned both over Judah and Israel in Hebron and the Ark the pledge of Gods presence and powerful assistance placed and setled in the hill of Sion I deemed my quiet and prosperity so compleat that I needed not to fear removing out of it Gods special favour to me had exalted me to the throne and as I thought now secured me in it But he was pleased for some time to withhold my rest For as after my first crowning I was seven years together exercised by enemies of the house of Saul 2 Sam. 5.5 so after this second other troubles assaulted me thereby to instruct me by what tenure it was that I held my security meerly by his continued favour and mercy toward me 8. I cryed to thee O Lord and unto the Lord I made supplication 9. What profit is there in my blood when I go down into the pit shall the dust praise thee shall it declare thy truth Paraphrase 8 9. In this estate I made my moan to God and besought him that he would not give me up to the malice of mine enemies to be destroyed and slaughtered by them but magnifie in me at once his mercy and his fidelity the one in preserving my life and restoring me to peace the other in performing those promises which would seem to have been frustrated by my death 10. Hear O Lord and have mercy on me Lord be thou mine helper Paraphrase 10. And to that end that he would now seasonably interpose his hand for my assistance 11. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing thou hast put off my sack-cloth and girded me with gladness Paraphrase 11. 〈◊〉 at length my 〈…〉 been heard and all my sorrow and affliction exchanged for joy and a most prosperous condition and establishment in the Kingdom 2 Sam. 5.12 which is now the more glorious by comparison with my former sadness 12. To the end that
it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corruption as Psal 16.10 they do as from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corruptus fuit and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being the known word for a net or snare or toyle to catch beasts or birds or fish in and not improbably from it the Latine rete This the LXXII here render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ginn or snare and so the Syriack and Latine and Arabick And then the whole phrase denotes the manner of toyles among the Jews digging a hole and slight covering it over and hiding it and setting a snare in it that they that not seeing prest the clod and fell therein might be caught and held from getting out again To this also belongs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that follows from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to dig which the Chaldee therefore renders Paraphrastically 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they insnared or laid wait for but the LXXII from another notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exprobravit render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reproacht and so the Latine and Arabick from them V. 12. Spoiling The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 orbitas deprivation most frequently applied to loss of children and so here rendred by the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 childlessness being applied as here it is to the soul signifies the loss or deprivation of life the soul being then deprived when it is by death separated from the body the only companion which it hath And accordingly as the Chaldee renders it more literally they seek to deprive my soul so the Syriack expresseth the sense more paraphrastically they destroyed my soul from among men and so the Arabick they destroyed my soul i. e. indeavoured to do so But the Latine from the LXXII read sterilitatem barrenness and the Aethiopick they deprive my soul of the births thereof V. 14. Behaved my self From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to walk is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here in Hithpael I have walked or made my self to walk the mourner discovering his passion as by his dress so by his gate Thus Ahab walked sofuly and Isaiah expresseth mourning by bowing down the head like a bulrush This the LXXII according to their wont render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I pleased So Gen. v. 22 24. and 6 9. and 17.1 and 24.40 and 48.15 Psal 26.3 and 115.9 they render the same word and from them the Apostle Heb. 11.5 But here the context confining the discourse to mourning wearing sackcloth and fasting going before v. 13. and bowing down and mourning following after it is in reason to be taken in that sense and so 't is expresly used Psal 38.6 I walked mourning and so Eccles 12.5 the mourners are said to go about the streets I walked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if it were a friend or brother of mine that had fallen into some mischief But then in that which follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I bowed down as a mourner bewailing his mother or as the Jewish Arab joyning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a mourning mother expressing saith he his sorrow by the sorrow of a mother for her child which indeed is the fittest instance of a passionate sorrow the LXXII have omitted the word mother and render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as one mourning and sore lamenting so was I humbled or bowing down And thus the Syriack and Arabick and Latine follow them But the Chaldee read the mother with the Hebrew as a mourner that mourneth for his mother V. 15. In mine adversity From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 latus a side is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inclinatio ad latus going down on one side being lame falling calamity adversity and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will best be rendered at my fall see Psal 38.17 the Chaldee read in my tribulation the Syriack in my suffering but the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against me V. 15. Abjects From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 percussit is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any base or vile or wicked person So the Chaldee here renders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wicked men and so the Arabick in the sense that Deut. 25.2 of a wicked man 't is said if he be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filius percussionis a son of beating i. e. worthy to be scourged a vile person The LXXII here render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if it were from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 flagella scourges i. e. men fit to be scourged and so the Latine flagella I suppose in this figurative use of the word In the end of the verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they tare or used me reproachfully Abu Walid conjectureth it to signifie speaking lies or false things and ceased noâ— is by the LXXII rendered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were divided the passive for the Active 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and had no compunction for which the Arabick they repented not All the difficulty is to what belongs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and I knew not in the midst And the resolution will be most reasonable that we learn the meaning of it from v. 11. where the same phrase is used for those accusations whereof he was no way conscious Thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fitly signifies to know having oft the notion of being conscious of So 1 King 2.44 Thou knowest all the evill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which thy heart knows i. e. is conscious of And so here the abjects gathered themselves together against me laid reproachful things to my charge tare my good name and ceased not used me most contumeliously and did so continually and all this was without any cause or provocation on my part I knew not I was not conscious or guilty of any thing just as v. 2. without cause they hid their pit without cause they digged for my soul V. 16. In feasts From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bake comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a cake 1 King 17.12 and so here it may signifie a cake or any kind of meat as that which Parasites and trencher-friends buffones and scoffers desire to gain by scoffing at others and making mirth a meals-meat is their best reward This verse the LXXII seem to have rendered onely Paraphrastically for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the hypocrites of mockings or hypocritical mockers or jesters for a cake reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they tempted me they jeered or laughâ— at me and so the Latine Arabick and Aethiopick but the Chaldee neerer the original with words of flatteries jeering and deriding where the words of flattery seem to be set to interpret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For those that flatter according to the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—able-friends or Parasites do it on purpose to gain some such reward and nothing more common with such kind of flatterers than by deriding and scoffing of others to intertain them who give them their meat
inhabitants of Canaan ejected by Josuah and retired up to the Sea side to Tyre and Sidon and setting up for Navigation and Merchandize made their very successful Voiages thither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Diodorus Siculus out of Posidonius buying Silver at the very cheap rate of other mean Commodities which they carried with them The one known place in Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will make all farther Testimonies unnecessary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They say the first Phoenicians which he carefully by the word first distinguishes from those which in the following words he styles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Phoenicians that inhabit Gadir or Gades i. e. Cades for this was after these first Phoenicians made these successful Voiages sailed to Tartessus and brought back their Ships fraught with so much Silver which they bought for Oil and other such mean lading that they could neither carry nor would receive any more but were forced at their departure to make all their Vtensils of Silver and even their very Anchors This which hath been said as it gives a clear account of that Character of Tarshis given Ezech. 27.12 Tarshish was thy merchant with whom thou i. e. Tyre or Phoenice tradedst by reason of the multitude of all kind of Riches with Silver Iron Tin and Lead they traded in thy Fairs so it renders us the reason of this phrase here the Ships of Tarshis viz. those that the Phoenicians or Tyrians the next borderers on Israel used in fetching in all their wealth from those remote parts and therefore were excellently well built by those great Navigators 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Homer Odys 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Dionysius the Phoenicians famous for shipping who first exercised that trade of Navigation and so of merchandise by Sea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These Ships of theirs the only tools and instruments of their wealthy trading God when he pleases splits upon a rock tosseth and breaks to pieces by a contemptible despicable means by a winde which no man knows whence or on what errand it comes which there is no preventing or appeasing or flying from but comes of a sudden and shatters the Ships doth great execution among them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the LXXII a violent blast such it seems the East wind was wont to be in those parts so we have Exod. 14.21 a strong East wind such as made the Sea go back and turned the Channel into dry land as there it follows And Job 27.21 with the tempests and storm hurling him out of his place is joyned the East wind carrieth him away and he departeth So Jer. 18.17 I will scatter them as with an East wind to note a most violent scattering as Isai 27.8 the day of the East wind is a terrible day and Hab. 1.9 they shall come all for violence they shall sup up as the East wind All evident testimonies that the LXXII their paraphrase was very reasonable whilst for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the East wind they read a violent blast the means by which God thus disappoints the greedy Phoenician merchants V. 9. Have thought The Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 belong all to the same signification of quiet rest silence patient expecting thinking considering and must be determined to any of these senses by the context And here that of expecting or patient waiting with affiance in him and without all distrust or repining at his delays seems to be most proper for it For coming to the Sanctuary to pray for mercy 't is most agreeable to say we wait for it there as in the place where he hath promised to afford it in return to prayers The Syriack renders it we hoped the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we expected What follows in their ordinary Coples 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the midst of the people and so is followed by the Arabick and Aethiopick is doubtless an errour of the Scribe for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sanctuary and so appears by the Latine and Syriack who both seem to follow the LXXII and yet render it Temple V. 10. Righteousness The acception of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 righteousness for charity and mercy and loving kindness is so ordinary that it needs only to be mentioned here for the clearing the sense of this verse which then flows currently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 righteousness fills thy right hand or consecrates thee for so filling the hand constantly signifies in the Hebrew idiome from that ceremony in the Law at the consecration of a Priest to fill his hands with parts of the sacrifices and is oft rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to consecrate Exod. 29.9 and 35. and elsewhere V. 13. Consider The Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to exalt but in the Chaldee notion of it to divide or distinguish and so the LXXII here render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 distribute separate each from other which in things that cohere is necessary to be done or else it will be impossible to number them exactly V. 14. Vnto death There is little reason to doubt but the right reading here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 till death Yet 't is probable the Chaldee who render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the days of our childhood did read it in one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies childhood But the dividing it into two words which is exactly rendred to or till death is acknowledged by Kimchi among the Jews and followed by S. Jerome and best accords with the antecedent he is our God for ever and 't is possible the Chaldee being not a version but a paraphrase might from the affinity of these two 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make choise of this expression not as a literal rendring of the word but as that which competently secured the sense from our youth signifying from the beginning to the end of our life and so likewise that the LXXII who read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did not read either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 secula as 't is conceived or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the faeminine to that sense but indeed rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 till death by that other phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ages or for ever the end of our life being the conclusion of our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our age or our ever Yet after all this the Jewish Arab Interpreter doth profestly take it for one word deriving it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and renders the paraphrase he shall reduce or restore us to the state 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of childhood or youth i. e. return us to the condition from whence we are fallen But the whole Psalm being an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or song of triumph and having nothing of sadness in it cannot so fitly end with such hopes
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
O Gracious Father I have no other sanctuary but thee I will make all speed to implore thy mercy my condition is most sad and deplored the wide and squalid desert in which now I am is the liveliest emblem of it O that thou wilt please to succour and relieve me 2. To see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary Paraphrase 2. To restore me to that dignity and comfort of serving thee in the Sanctuary where the Cherubims spreading abroad their wings for a covering are a signal emblem of thy presence 3. Because thy loving kindness is better than life my lips shall praise thee Paraphrase 3. That mercy of thine which gives a value to life it self and without which that which is most pretious and desirable is nothing worth For this I that have so often tasted and so know the value of it shall be for ever obliged to magnify thy blessed name 4. Thus will I bless thee while I live I will lift up my hands in thy name Paraphrase 4. And this will I do constantly and continually to the end of my life and in the experience of thy past mercies make my humblest addresses to thee for all that I can want for the future 5. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips Paraphrase 5. And thus by thy great mercy shall my life be divided betwixt imploring thy aids and receiving abundant satisfaction to all my wants and paying my chearfullest acknowledgments to so liberal a donor 6. When I remember thee in my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches Paraphrase 6. And for this beside the offerings of the day frequently repeated the several divisions or watches or hours of the very night shall afford me fit seasons when after a little repose and sleep I frequently rouse my self and divert to that more divine and chearful imployment the meditation of thy manifold mercies toward me 7. Because thou hast been my help therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoyce Paraphrase 7. And thus conclude to my own unspeakable comfort and thy honour that that God which hath thus constantly relieved and supported me will for ever continue his watchful providence over me from which as I receive all security so I am in all reason to return him continual praise 8. My soul followeth hard after thee thy right hand upholdeth me Paraphrase 8. As I have cordially adhered to my obedience and faithful performance of all duty to thee so hast thou with thine especial care and providence supported me in all my distresses 9. But those that seek my soul to destroy it shall go into the lower parts of the earth Paraphrase 9. As for my enemies that pursue me with mortal hatred and desire to take away my life they themselves shall fall into the destruction they designed to me 10. They shall fall by the sword they shall be a portion for Foxes Paraphrase 10. They pursue me to death as hunters do their game and they shall fall by the sword and be devoured by those wild beasts that others hunt and pursue or they shall be driven to desolate places as the most noxious beasts the foxes and wolves are when they are hunted and pursued 11. But the King shall rejoyce in God every one that sweareth by him shall glory but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped Paraphrase 11. Mean while I shall have all cause to bless and magnifie the name of God and not I only but every truly pious man who as he swears by the name of God so is most strictly careful to perform his oaths whereas on the other side all false perjurious men shall be destroyed Annotations on Psal LXIII V. 1. Longeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not elsewhere used in the Bible 't is here by the Chaldee paraphrastically rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desireth by the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intuitus est expectavit expecteth The LXXII read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quantum The fullest rendring of it may be had from the Arabick use of it among whom saith Golius 't is used not only for the dimness of the eyes which the Arabick Grammarians especially interpret of one born blind but also for faintness so when Kamus explains it by changing of colour mutabit colorem and abiit vel defecit intellectus his understanding was gone or failed both which change of colour and failing of understanding are tokens of faintness and being in ill condition for want of due nourishment And so it will here most fitly be rendred with analogy to the thirsting of the soul foregoing my flesh fainteth in a dry and thirsty land c. But from that other signification of blindness or dimness it may also here be taken according to that translations use mentioned by Alzamach-shari of being in a maze erring so as not to know whither to go or what to do The Jewish Arab here renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which agrees with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the notion of changing colour growing wan as also of great anguish being sick at heart V. 2. Sanctuary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holiness is evidently used for the Ark or Sanctuary 1 King 8.8 compared with a Chron. v. 9. And therefore the thing so vehemently here desired by David is to see and serve God in the Sanctuary And the same is the importance of seeing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy strength and glory for so both those words are used for the Ark Psal 78.61 he delivered his strength into captivity and his glory into the enemies hand V. 10. Fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fluxit effusus est signifies in Hiphil they shall cause to be poured out or shall poure out The word is ordinarily applied to water 2 Sam. 14.14 Lam. 3.49 But here by the immediate mention of the sword it is restrained to the effusion of blood and being in the third person plural in the active sense it is after the Hebrew idiome to be interpreted in the passive sense they shall poure out by the hand of the sword i. e. they shall be poured out by the sword the hand of the sword being no more than the edge of the sword As for that which follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it may possibly be rendred the portion of foxes they shall be i. e. they shall be that which so frequently befalls foxes viz. hated and pursued and destroyed that which befalls that subtle and noxious creature shall befall them to perish by their wickedness or they shall be in the same condition with them driven forth into desolate places such as foxes use to walk in so Lam. v. 18. the mountain of Zion is laid desolate the foxes walk on it so Jarchi here
this occasion but then piety soon gives a check to them as prophane and blasphemous the denying of the divine providence and downright apostacy from all profession of piety 16. When I thought to know this it was too painful for me Paraphrase 16. I resolved therefore more accurately to weigh this that was matter of so much disquiet and trouble and tempation to me 17. Until I went into the Sanctuary of God then understood I their end Paraphrase 17. And as soon as I made my resort to thy sanctuary entring into a sober consideration of Gods counsels and providence I discerned what was the ordinary conclusion of these mens felicities 18. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places thou castedst them down into destruction Paraphrase 18. The same that of those that are exalted to the top of an hill and when they are there have no firm footing but slip and fall and then by the highness of the ground are more sorely bruised even killed outright by this their fall 19. How are they brought into desolation as in a moment they are utterly consumed with terrors Paraphrase 19. So doth it befall wicked men when they are arrived to the height of their secular prosperity they suddenly fall into a most terrible amazing destruction 20. As a dream when one awaketh So O Lord when thou awakest thou shalt despise their image Paraphrase 20. And so their prosperity is no more but like that of a dream whilst it lasts it is but imaginary not real the gaining of the honours or pleasures or riches of the world which are themselves but splendid nothings meer phasmes and when they are unlawfully gotten or injoyed are far from being any solid prosperity and then within a very little while they are lost or taken away from them lost by some turn or change here in time of life or else seised on by God and taken from them by death and so this very shadow of prosperity vanishes presently is of a very inconsiderable duration 21. Thus my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reins Paraphrase 21. It was therefore a stupid and bestial ignorance and folly in me thus to be disquieted and troubled with the sight of the prosperous successes that wicked men meet with and to have anâ—â—mptation to repine and murmur at my own afflictions as if those were a mark of my being neglected by thee 22. So foolish was I and ignorant I was a beast before thee 23. Nevertheless I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by my right hand Paraphrase 23. When all this while I have been particularly considered and cared for and in a special and eminent manner supported by thee 24. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me with glory Paraphrase 24. And have assurance that thy providence shall conduct me safe through all my afflictions and at length deliver me out of them and bring me to an honourable condition here and eternal rest with thee hereafter 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee Paraphrase 25. Lord there is none in heaven or earth except thee only no creature in the world to whom I have any inclination to address my self to seek their aid or to have any dependance on them I have a full security in relying and waiting on thee 26. My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Paraphrase 26 Though never so great afflictions befall me what perplexities and destitutions soever Hab. 3.17 yet thou O God art my sure defence thou shalt never fail me and all the prosperities in the world are comprised in this and insured on me that thou art pleased to be my God and continually to yield me all that which others in vain seek for from their worldly succours 27. For lo they that are far from thee shall perish thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee Paraphrase 27. For nothing is more visible and frequently experimented than that they that forsake God and apply themselves to any other hold that are guilty of this adulterous falseness unto him using him as those wives who prefer any other before their own husband are frustrated and disappointed in their Atheistical designes and signally punished brought to nothing and destroyed by God as it is just for the injured husband to bring the adulterous wife to open punishment 28. But it is good for me to draw neer to God I have put my trust in the Lord God that I may declare all thy works Paraphrase 28. On the contrary there is no such advantageous and politick course even in respect of the injoyments of this life as that of a close and constant adherence to God without ever falling off from him to any unlawful worldly trusts or refuges And this shall be my course to him I will address my self for the supply of all my wants and beside the benefit of having them richly supplyed to me I shall be ingaged also in that most honourable imployment of proclaiming Gods gratious acts of wisdom and admirable providence and exciting all men to adore and bless his holy name for them Annotations on Psal LXXIII Tit. of Asaph How 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should rendred here and in the following Psalms may be matter of some question For as the preposition ל is sometimes a note of the genitive case and so an intimation of the Author of the Psalm and accordingly Davids Psalms are generally thus entitled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of David so it is also a note of the dative case and then refers to the Musitian that was to sing or order the singing of it as when the Psalm is committed to the Praefect of the Musick the style is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Praefect But the former notion is to be imbraced both because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is so perfectly proportionable to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that as David was known to be Author of the Psalms which were so inscribed so Asaph is in reason to be believed the Author of these other and also because in diverse of them Psal 75 76 77. as in Davids there is express addition of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the praefect which will not permit Asaph to be the singer but in all reason the Author of them What Asaph this was whether he in Davids time 1 Chron. 16.5 or some other in after-times must be uncertain and consequently whether those Psalms under his name which refer to latter times as Psalm 74 76 77. but especially Psalm 79. which by the vastation of Jerusalem seems to refer to the time of Nebuchadonosor be to be looked on as Historical or Prophetical only The Chaldee there say of the 79. Psalm that it was on the destruction of the house of the Sanctuary and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he spake by the
spirit of Prophecy Yet it may have been Historical and so it is most probable by the stile and then it must have been composed by some of that name of after-times and if so then there is no reason to doubt but the rest which bear Asaphs name were so also V. 4. Bands What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here signifies will be hard to define it being uncertain from what root it comes and there being but one place more of Scripture wherein 't is used Isa 58.6 There 't is by all the antient interpreters rendred knots or bonds and so 't is generally expounded by Grammarians 't is saith David de Pomis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tantamount to the word which from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to binde signifies bonds and to the same effect saith Kimchi in his Roots But this doth not secure us of the importance of the word in this place there being many possible rendrings of it to each of which this of bands will be appliable For 1. the word bands in Hebrew stile oft signifies child-bed pangs so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which seems to be the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is indifferently used for bands or pangs and so is rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pangs Acts 2.22 see note c. on that chapter and this because the child-bed pangs are caused by the breaking of those ligatures which joyn the infant to the wombe which consisting of a texture of nerves and membranes parts of a most accurate sense cannot be severed without causing intolerable pains Hence therefore the notion of bands may here fitly be ingredient in the expression of pains or agonies especially when all pain of what kind soever is some degree of solutio continui a rupture at least straining of those fibers of which the sensible parts of our bodies are composed and accordingly pain is either more or less in proportion to this breach of union the torments of abortions greater than those of regular births and those of an untimely violent death exceed the pains of a natural where age is the only sickness where there are no bands to be forced asunder but the ripe fruit drops willingly from the tree men come to their grave in a full age like as a shock of corn comes in in his season in Jobs language ch v. 26. whereby he concludes his description of a prosperous life Upon these grounds this seems to be the most probable signification of the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there are no pangs because no ligaments in their death their death is not caused by those violent and painful assaults as other mens frequently are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they dye with ease as Kimchi speaks and to the same purpose Abu Walid who renders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 difficulties hardships molestations To this notion the Syriack seem to have particular respect rendring it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Latine interpreter translates terminus as from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 omnino prorsus from whence saith Ferrarius is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 finis terminus but then likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies chordae and fides strings to which most probably that translator had an eye and withal it signifies apostemata suppurationes apostems or boils according to the Oriental way of expressing all pain and torment by bands and ligatures Secondly therefore and in good agreement with this first notion by hands we may understand any kind of disease or pain or pressure or heavy burthen which is wont to be bound on them on whom 't is laid so Mat. 23.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they bind heavy burthens and hard to be borne where the heavy and most unsupportable burthens are laid on them by way of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bands to which the Prophet refers when he mentions the yoke of his burthen Isa 9.4 a burthen tyed on as a yoke is wont to be And thus diseases are exprest in Scripture-style See the story of the woman which had a spirit of infirmity a sore disease Inflicted on her by an evil spirit eighteen years Luk. 13.11 to her Jesus saith v. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou art loosed from thine infirmity and loosing we know is proper to bands and v. 15. he compares her cure to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loosing or untying an oxe and v. 16. in express terms this daughter of Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whom Satan hath bound loe these eighteen years where her spirit of infirmity v. 11. is in other words exprest by Satans binding her and again in the end of that verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought she not to be loosed from this band i. e. cured from this sickness In that story this violent disease with which she was so affected that she was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bowed together is styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a band and consequently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bands here may by analogy fitly signifie violent diseases which Aquila owns in his translation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there are no diseases or hard sufferings To either of these acceptions of the word for child-bed-pangs or whatsoever other pains or pressures the use of it Isa 58.6 will well accord where to loose the bands of wickedness signifies the rescuing the oppressed from their injurious pressures that afflict them as sore as pangs or pains do those that are under them but most commodiously it will be interpreted of burthens or weights which are unjustly bound upon them and press them sore The Chaldee there have a paraphrase which will give us a third acception of the word for a bond or obligation in judicature which binds one to undergo the award of it a decree or sentence as it were for so they render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bands of wickedness by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bonds of writings of false judgments And thus among us men are said to be bound over to judgement when they are before a Tribunal to answer any thing laid to their charge and so again to be bound over to punishment when judgment is past upon them And in this sense there are no bands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to their deaths will be there are no writs signed for their execution And to this well agrees the Paraphrase of the Chaldee in this Psalm they are not frighted nor troubled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for or because of the day of their deaths as they that are sentenced or bound over to death be it by form of law in judicatures or be it by disease or any thing else as 2 Cor. 1.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having the sentence of death signifies being in imminent danger of it are supposed to be And the phrase being here poetically used may reasonably be extended to all other ways of death disease slaughter in the field as well as that by judicature and any kind of danger to the life be thus exprest by bands or obligations to their
it appears by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or application of the similitude v. 15. so persecute them with thy tempest and terrifie them with thy storme or whirl-wind which hath no propriety to any other notion of the words but that of winnowing V. 18. Whose name is Jehovah The construction of the words in the close of the Psalm lyes most probably thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they shall know i. e. it shall be known by this means 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou art thy name Jehovah i. e. that thou art what thy name Jehovah imports and what that is is expounded in the remainder of the verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou only the high over all the earth that being indeed the meaning of Jehovah the infinite eternal and so only supreme power over all the world But it is possible that before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy name some preposition as 't is ordinary is understood and so it will be rendred more expresly to the same sense that thou according to thy name Jehovah art only c. Or because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 name is among the Rabbins ordinarily used for God himself therefore it will not be remote from Hebrew style if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be resolved to signifie no more than Jehovah and then this will be the rendring that thou Jehovah art alone the most High The Eighty Fourth PSALM TO the chief Musitian upon Gittith A Psalm for the sons of Coreh Paraphrase The eighty fourth Psalm is the panting of a pious soul toward God a pathetical expression of the benefits and joy of his publick service and an encouragement of the people to make the ways of passage thither from all quarters fair and passable It seemeth to have been composed in some time of detention from and deprivation of those advantages and priviledges It was set to the tune called Gittith see note on Psal 8. a. and committed to the Praefect of the Musick to be sung by the posterity of Coreh see Psal 42.1 1. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of hosts Paraphrase 1. O omnipotent Lord thou that rulest and dispensest all things by thine own power and wisdom yet usest the ministery of thy celestial Angels herein and hast whole armies of them perpetually ready for thy service and most peculiarly makest use of their ministery in the place of thy publick worship there to presentiate and exhibit thy self to thy servants to testify by them that thou residest there as it were in thy Majesty to set up a glorious tent among us a type of thy promised Incarnation inhabiting and pitching thy tent in humane flesh John 1.14 what condition can be so desirable or valuable so honourable or joyous as this to be thus admitted unto thy presence and injoy the divine effects and benefits of it 2. My soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God Paraphrase 2. Of this none is more sensible than those which are deprived of these felicities and this is our portion at this time which raiseth our desires to an holy impatience and vehement panting thirst see Psal 42.1 a most earnest pursuit of this so great a dignity of being after so long an exclusion admitted to this thy throne of grace thy divine most comfortable presence without which we faint and are ready to die our life is no life but a melancholy image of death without it To this therefore we aspire with all our most ardent affections and as with a shout or jubilation excite one another to the most passionate pursuit of it 3. Yea the sparrow hath found an house and the swallow a nest for her self where she may lay her young even thy altars O Lord of hosts my King and my God Paraphrase 3. Now that we are deprived of this felicity the silly birds whose happiness we have reason to envy are permitted to inhabit there no place that they seem so ambitious to choose to build their nest and lay their young ones in as those which were wont to be honoured with thy presence among thy servants as if the protection which was wont to be afforded us upon our addresses to God were by them especially hoped for there O that thou wouldest be pleased of thine infinite power and goodness to afford us that dignity which those little birds the sparrow and swallow are now principally partakers of 4. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they shall be still praising thee Selah Paraphrase 4. O what a blessedness do they enjoy that are allowed those celestial priviledges of thy constant solemn service to divide their years betwixt praying and praising petitioning and receiving thy mercies and then returning their devoutest acknowledgments to thee at the solemn festivals 5. Blessed is the Man whose strength is in thee in whose heart are the ways of them Paraphrase 5. Who place all their trust and confidence in thy aids and seek them from thee in thy Temple the place of thy peculiar residence who are always full of devout thoughts of going up thither to the sacred solemnities and of fitting the high ways for commodious passage to themselves and others or that have free liberty to resort thither 6. Who passing through the valley of Bacha make it a well the rain also filleth the pools Paraphrase 6. Which by trenching and draining the most wet and watery valleys make the way very passable in the moistest season from every corner of the land to Jerusalem 7. They go from strength to strength every one of them in Sion appeareth before God Paraphrase 7. And so go up cheerfully and unanimously and devoutly on their road from one stage to another and at length come to that amiable and desirable place where God is so graciously pleased to exhibit and presentiate himself And so in the antitype of the Sanctuary the Christian Church there is no doubt but he will give grace and that abundantly to all that ask and knock and persevere in an holy obedience to his directions to seek and beg it of him in Christ 8. O Lord God of hosts hear my prayer give ear O God of Jacob Selah Paraphrase 8. Thou therefore that fittest and rulest in the midst of all thine armies of Angels and by them sendest down thy blessings as oft as they bear up our prayers to thee that hast obliged thy self in a peculiar manner to protect this thy chosen people and in token thereof vouchsafest to be called their God I beseech thee to hearken to and grant this prayer of mine for the free and cheerful return of thy people to the place of thy solemn and holy worship 9. Behold O God our shield and look upon the face of thine Anointed Paraphrase 9. Thou art our onely God our onely protector and defender we beseech thee in mercy to behold and receive the petition to grant the prayer of our
up the right hand of his adversaries thou hast made all his enemies to rejoyce Paraphrase 42. And now their enemies and assailants are as continually prosperous as David himself was wont to be 43. Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword and hast not made him to stand in the battel Paraphrase 43. Their weapons that were for ever victorious by thy forsaking them have quite lost their keenness they that were never accustomed to defeats in their fights are now subdued and unable to make any farther resistance 44. Thou hast made his glory to cease and cast his throne down to the ground Paraphrase 44. The great fame and renown and power which they had among all men is now utterly lost 45. The days of his youth hast thou shortned thou hast covered him with shame Selah Paraphrase 45. Our Princes slain and their people subdued and captivated and contumeliously handled 46. How long Lord wilt thou hide thy self for ever shall thy wrath burn like fire Paraphrase 46. This is a most sad estate and if we be not speedily rescued out of it we shall all be finally destroyed and the people and d seed of David to whom those illustrious promises were made utterly consumed 47. Remember how short my time is hast thou made all men in vain 48. What man is he that liveth and shall not see death shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave Selah Paraphrase 47 48. Our age and space of life here is very transient and flitting and is soon and certainly concluded in the grave that inevitable lot of all mankind And in this state of captivity we have little joy or comfort in that life which is afforded us we are born miserable and pass through a succession of miseries here and are shortly scised with death And this is far distant from the purport of that Covenant made with David the benefits of which we it seems by our sins have as to this age of ours utterly forfeited 49. Lord where are thy former loving kindnesses which thou swarest unto David in thy truth Paraphrase 49. O blessed Lord be thou at length pleased to be propitiated to pardon these our provoking sins to remember and resume thy methods of mercy and by what wayes thine own wisdom shall best choose to perform the purport of thy Covenant so long since ratified to David In this thy fidelity is concerned and this we are sure will be made good in the eyes of all O that it might be thy good pleasure to manifest it at this time by the restoring of Davids posterity our Monarchy Temple and People to the former dignity 50. Remember Lord the reproach of thy servants how I do bear in my bosome the reproach of all the mighty people 51. Wherewith thine enemies have reproached O Lord wherewith they have reproached the foot-steps of thine anointed Paraphrase 50 51. Till thou please thus by some means to rescue us we are likely to be the reproach of all the heathen people about us who will now object the evacuation and frustration of our faith and hopes founded on thy promises to David's seed and say by way of derision that our Messias is very long a coming 52. Blessed be the Lord for evermore Amen and Amen Paraphrase 25. But whatever their contumelles or our sufferings are they shall not discourage or take us off from Blessing and Praising thee and steadily relying on thee whatsoever desertion our soul provoking sins have most justly now brought upon us yet upon our reformation thou wilt certainly return in mercy to us and whatsoever interruptions thy promised Mercies may seem to have in respect of our captive Prince and People the present posterity and Kingdom of David yet 't is most certain the Promises made for sending the Messias whose Kingdom and redemption is not of this world but spiritual and eternal the erecting of his Throne in his servants hearts and the redeeming them from Sin and Satan shall in due time be performed in Christ that most illustrious son of David to whom and none else belonged the promise under the oath of God And in this completion of Gods Covenant with David his servant of which all Gods faithful servants shall have their portions we securely and with full confidence acquiesce and all joyn in an ardent and most devout celebration of God's fidelity his constant performance of all his promises and so conclude So be it Lord and So certainly it shall be Annotations on Psalm LXXXIX V. 2. I have said That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have said belongs to God and not to the Psalmist appears v. 3. where in connexion with this is added I have made a Covenant with my chosen I have sworn unto David my servant When the LXXII therefore and Syriack and Latine c. read it in the second person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou hast said it is to be lookt on as their paraphrase to express the meaning and not that they read it otherwise than the Hebrew now hath it and this the rather because of the great affinity betwixt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the second and the first person But when it follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy faithfulness shalt thou establish these again as those of v. 1. are the words of the Psalmist speaking unto God And of such permutation of persons God saying the former part and the Psalmist by way of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answering God in the latter there are many examples One follows here in the next words the third and fourth verses being evidently spoken by God I have made a Covenant Thy seed will I establish But the fifth by way of answer by the Psalmist And the heavens shall praise thy wonders O Lord. The Jewish Arab who seems with some other Interpreters to refer it to the Psalmist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as I have known or made known though being without vowels it may be read in the second person as thou hast declared adds in the beginning of v. 3. who hast said I have made a Covenant c. V. 6. Mighty As of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath been shewed note on Psal 82.6 so of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here is to be resolved that it signifies Angels even those that are in heaven in the beginning of the verse the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is applied to God being communicated also to them there being no more difference between those two phrases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in heaven and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among the sons of God than there is betwixt compared in the former and likened in the latter part of the verse where we read can be compared the Hebrew hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is ponere disponere there to set himself in aray to enter the lists Job 6.4 and thence 't is to dispute to aray
helper of my salvation i. e. he which helps and rescues or delivers me Or else taking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rock in the notion of strength as oft 't is used it is then as the Chaldee renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strength of my redemption i. e. he from whose strength all my deliverance proceeds The Syriack expression of it is most facile 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my most potent deliverer V. 49. Former From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 head or beginning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here must signify primitive or primordial and so the Chaldee reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to begin and so the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 old or primitive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the beginning From the importance of this word St. Augustine argues that this Prophecy was to be fulfilled in the Christians in respect of whom the time when the promise was made viz. David's age might be truly called tempus antiquum the antient time But it must be considered that not at the time of the completion but at the time of writing these words by the Psalmist it was an antient time and that indeed proves that this Psalm was penned long after Davids time probably under the Captivity to which all this complaint from v. 38. doth evidently belong Meanwhile it cannot be denied what that Father conceived that the full completion of that promise to David was reserved to the days of the Messiah V. 51. Footsteps From the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heel many other acceptions there are of the word first for paths or ways or actions Psal 77.19 Secondly for the end of any thing Psal 119.33 Thirdly for a reward Psal 19.11 there rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 retribution and here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commutation by the LXXII Besides these there is a notion of the verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Piel in Syriack and Chaldee for delaying or deteining Job 37.4 and from thence the Chaldee here rightly deduces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and accordingly renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the slowness of the footsteps of the feet of thy Messiah or Anointed And that may most reasonably be pitcht on as the true importance of the word which by the dagesch in ק appears to be deduced from the verb in Piel and then that will be the denotation of the sort of the reproaches of their Atheistical enemies that the promises the Jews so firmly depended on had now failed them their Messias whom they expected to rescue and redeem them out of their captivity had now deceived them So saith Kimchi the delays of the Messiah the discourse saith he being of those who say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he will never come A style taken up in the times of the Gospel against the Christians by the scoffing Gnosticks Where is the promise of his coming and he is slack in coming in opposition to which the Apostles tell them that he will come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and will not tarry Heb 10.37.37 2 Pet. 3.9 the Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness The End of the THIRD BOOK THE FOURTH BOOK OF PSALMS The Ninetieth PSALM A Prayer of Moses the Man of God Paraphrase The Ninetieth being the first of the Fourth Book of the Collection of Psalms is a complaint of the afflictions and shortness of life together with a prayer for the return of mercy composed either by Moses that eminent Prophet which in Gods stead governed the people of Israel and conducted them out of Egypt or else as in his person by some other with reflexion on those times wherein Moses lived when the children of Israel in the Wilderness were sorely afflicted and great multitudes of them untimely cut off for their provocations 1. Lord thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations Paraphrase 1. Blessed Lord we have never had any helper but thee any other to whom we might resort for aid and relief from time to time Thou hast been our only protector and defender O do not now forsake and destroy us utterly 2. Before the mountains were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God Paraphrase 2. Before any part of this world was formed by thee thou hadst an infinite incomprehensible being a power by which this whole Orb wherein we move was at first created and thou remainest immutably the same almighty power and so shalt do to the end of the world O let us thine afflicted creatures receive at this time the benefits and auspicious effects of this thy both power and mercy 3. Thou turnest man to destruction and sayest Return ye children of men Paraphrase 3. Thou art the great Ruler and most just Disposer of all events when those whom thou of thine infinite power and goodness didst create fell off and made defection from thee 't was then just with thee to punish them for their sins and return them back to the earth that lowest and vilest condition from which man was first brought forth by thy creative power This was the sentence against Adam and thus thou art at this time justly provoked to deal with great multitudes of us 4. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past and as a watch in the night Paraphrase 4. And if in the old world such as had thus offended were permitted some of them even Adam himself to whose sin death was awarded by God to live near a thousand years after it yet alas what is that compared with thy infinity Thou art without all beginning O blessed Lord most absolutely eternal a thousand years being considered in thy duration are but as a drop spilt and lost in the Ocean no more than the shortest time among men but a day and that past and gone or but the sixth part of that the space of four hours in the night see note on Psal 130. b. which is insensibly past over in sleep 5. Thou carriest them away as with a flood they are as a sleep in the morning they are as grass which groweth up 6. In the morning it flourisheth and groweth up in the evening it is cut down and withereth Paraphrase 5 6. As for us men we are naturally frail and short-lived our whole age is instantly at an end by the course of nature But then when thy wrath also breaks forth against us death comes as a torrent and sweeps us away in the midst of our strength our life then is but as a dream when one awakes out of sleep but a phansie at first and that soon vanisht whilst we live we do but seem to live and straight death comes and that phasm vanishes Our condition here is no more stable and durable than that of the flower or grass of the field which when it flourishes most is subject
Arab which looks to the former notion and renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a place of abode yet gives a reason of his version in a note to this purpose The meaning is Thou hast born or supported as much and held our hands or held us by the hand and been to us as a place to bear us in our reliance on thee To the same purpose Abu Walid having interpreted the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for an habitation place or place of abode makes mention afterwards of this verse and some others in which the word might seem not so exactly to bear that signification and saith that it is attributed as an Epithet to God from the notion of a place which remaining bears or sustains him that is in it Though God be the Creator both of place and time and the destroyer of them yet figuratively it is attributed to him so that according to their understanding of it it should be literally a place but in signification a support to us Kimchi mentions another interpretation of his Fathers who would have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an eye as if it were our respect or whom we respect on whom our eyes are set but he himself puts for explication of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a place and refuge The LXXII both here and Psal 91.9 render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 refuge which being applied to a person as 't is here to God must needs signifie one from whom he that flies to him expects help and so helper will be the best rendring of it V. 2. Thou hast formed the earth The phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will best be rendred and thou earth wert in travail or taking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the third person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being most usual in the faeminine gender and the earth was in travail so the Syriack sets it more plainly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before the earth fell in travail By this phrase is poetically meant the the earths bringing forth the mountains when from the first round or globular form of it some parts were lifted up above the rest the high rising whereof became the mountains which therefore may be called the issue of the earth and then as they are said to be brought forth in the former part of the verse so by analogy the earth must be said to travail and bring them forth And this to express the very first minute that there was time to compute from and so as far as our expessions can go the infinity of God The Jewish Arab version hath respect to another notion of the word for beginning and renders it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before thou broughtest forth the mountains and begannest or first createdst the habitable with the rest of the earth or else as being without vowels it may be read before the mountains grew up or were brought forth and the habitable with the rest of the earth began V. 3. Turnest man The LXXII begin this v. 3. with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not either taking the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God from the end of v. 2. and converting it into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not and prefixing it to this v. 3. or else reading the Hebrew by way of interrogation which they therefore think fit to interpret by the negative wilt thou turn man c. by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 turn thou not Which the Latine follow in the form of a prayer Ne avertas Turn not man to humility The word which they render humilitatem from the LXXII their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bruise or beat to pieces By this destruction or dissolution of parts in death and the resolution of the body to dust may be fitly exprest and accordingly the Chaldee read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to death and to that the insuing part of the Psalm may seem to apply it treating of short life and speedy death and if so then to this sense we must also with the learned Schindler understand the immediate consequents 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sayest Return ye sons of Adam i. e. return to the earth from whence Adam had his name and from whence he first came according to that of Gen. 3.19 Out of the ground wast thou â—uken for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return So Psal 146.4 His breath goeth forth he returneth to his earth And Eccles 12.7 then shall the dust return to the earth as it was But it is possible that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may signifie no more than bringing low by punishment and that in order to amendment according to the importance of Psal 51.17 and Isai 57.15 and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 return ye sons of men must be meant of returning by repentance and thus indeed generally the Imperative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taken by it self signifies To this those words of the Chaldee which are inserted in the beginning of the second verse but somewhat out of their place seem to refer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. When it was revealed before thee that thy people would sin thou preparedst repentance according to that tradition of the Jews that repentance was one of the seven things created before the world And thus the Arabick reads it more expresly in the LXXII their form of deprecation Bring not men back to destruction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 since thou hast said Come back ye children of men he that hath promised to forgive upon repentance defeats his own act of grace if he cut off the transgressor in his sin Thus Jarchi interprets the bringing to destruction to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 near to death and the returning to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from evil ways But still the context seems to authorize the former interpretation of destruction and speedy returning to the earth which is evidently the subject of the fifth and sixth verses And for verse the fourth it seems to be the preventing of an objection ready to offer it self from the long lives of the Patriarchs who lived near a thousand years but those saith the Psalmist are in Gods sight or in respect of his infinity but a very unconsiderable time The number saith Jarchi hath a peculiar respect to Adam to whom God had said thou shalt die in the day that thou eatest and yet he lived nine hundred and thirty years V. 5. Carriest them away To set down the shortness of mans life the comparison is here made between God and us A thousand years which is longer than Adam or Methuselah lived and since those days as long as many ages of men bears not the least proportion with Gods eternity v. 4. whereas here v. 5. mens years are presently at an end 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to overflow and sweep and carry away thou i.
he the way of patience or enduring and calling out on thee and we being in captivity our strength is weakned from or by it or from bearing it by reason of the length of it The Hundred and Third PSALM A Psalm of David Paraphrase The hundred and third Psalm is a solemn acknowledgment of the great and abundant mercies and deliverances of God especially that of pardoning of his sin and not exacting the punishments due to it which must interweave in every mercy or deliverance which is bestowed on sinfull men whose demerits have so much provoked the contrary It was composed by David as 't is thought on a recovery from sickness and is also a prophetick description of the state of Christians under the Gospel 1. Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name 2. Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Paraphrase 1 2. When I behold God in himself and his glorious divine attributes but especially in his works of mercy toward me I am obliged with my whole heart and all my most ardent affections of devotion to bless and praise his name for all the mercies and favours which in great bounty he hath afforded me 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases 4. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies 5. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things so that thy youth is renewed like the Eagles 6. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed Paraphrase 3 4 5 6. Particularly that for some time having corrected me for my good to bring me to repentance he hath now returned to me in mercy pardoned my sins which most justly deserved this his wrath and withdrawn his punishments from me and not onely rescued me from the greatest dangers hanging over my life out of the bowels of his compassion to his distressed creature but restored me to a perfect health and to a most prosperous condition a confluence of all mercies to surround me and satisfie all my desires and so made my old age like that of the Eagle when she hath moulted the old and comes out furnished and adorned with new young plumes as fresh and flourishing as in youth it ever had been hereby exercising that signal property of his to vindicate the cause of all those that suffer injuries to punish the oppressor and relieve those that are not able to defend themselves 7. He made known his ways unto Moses his acts unto the children of Israel 8. The Lord is mercifull and gracious slow to anger and plenteous in mercy Paraphrase 7 8. Thus did he once proclaim his name to Moses and the Israelites Exod. 34. and therein his glorious nature and the manner of his dealing with men all exactly according to the rules of the most abundant mercy in giving and forgiving and sparing long and never sending out his thunderbolts or destructions till our provocations continued in impenitently extort and force them from him 9. He will not always chide neither will he keep his anger for ever 10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities Paraphrase 9 10. And this is God's constant course though he rebuke and express his just displeasure and punish us for our sins yet upon our reformation and serious return to him he takes off his punishing hand again and will not proceed with us according to that measure that our sins might justly expect from him 11. For as the heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy toward them that fear him Paraphrase 11. On the contrary to them that love and fear and serve him faithfully his mercy is most abundantly poured out as much above the proportion of their services as heaven is above the earth nay infinitely more there being indeed no proportion between them 12. As far as the East is from the West so far hath he removed our transgressions from us Paraphrase 12. And by that mercy of his it is that at this time he hath so perfectly reconciled himself to us and freed us from the punishments due to our sins 13. Like as a father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him Paraphrase 13. And so he constantly will deal with all that sincerely return from their sins to new obedience having the bowels of a father to all such which will never permit him to be wrath with penitents to scourge but rather compassionate that child that reforms that for which the punishment was sent 14. For he knows our frame he remembreth that we are dust Paraphrase 14. For he knows and considers the frailness and fickleness and great infirmities of our lapsed sinfull nature our first original out of the dust of the earth an emblem of our meanness and vileness to which the corruption introduced by Adam's first sin see note on Psal 51.3 and hereditarily derived to us hath added wicked inclinations which oft betray us to actual sin if we do not strictly watch and guard our selves and such is our weakness in this lapst state that the most perfect being not able to keep always upon so diligent and strict a watch do oft slip and fall All which God is graciously pleased to weigh and not to deal in rigour with us to punish us or to cast us out of his favour or withdraw his grace from us for every sin that we commit through this weakness but in all his proceedings with us to make an allowance for such sins as are committed through infirmity sudden surreption continual incursion of temptations c. and for these to afford his mercy in Christ to all that sincerely endeavour his service and do not indulge themselves to any deliberate sin 15. As for man his days are as grass as a flour of the field so he flourisheth 16. For the wind passeth over it and it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more 17. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his righteousness unto childrens children 18. To such as keep his covenant to those that remember his commandments to doe them Paraphrase 15 16 17 18. Man is a pitifull weak feeble frail creature fit to be compared with the most short-lived herb or flour which in its height of flourishing is suddenly blasted and destroyed and gone never to return again And herein is the infinite mercy of God toward his servants to be seen that it is much more durable than their lives If they adhere faithfully to him in constant loyalty to his precepts perform their part of the Covenant made with him that of uniform sincere though not of never-sinning obedience his mercies shall continue to them even after death and then what matter is it how short their present life is to their persons in eternal
the moon the fit seasons of husbandry and other humane actions are measured and directed according to the different quarters thereof on this depend the stationary returns of tides the growth of plants the increase and decrease of humours in the body even of man and peculiarly his brain the seat of his understanding is much concerned in it In all which respects it is that the sun which hath so much to do in the governing and blessing every part of the world doth not always keep up in any horizon but leaves some part of every natural day to that other luminary to manage 20. Thou makest darkness and it is night wherein all the beasts of the forrest creep forth 21. The young Lions roar after their prey and seek their meat from God Paraphrase 20 21. And as between these the day and the night are divided so there are evidences of God's wisedom in each of these special uses for each The dark of the night is useful to beasts of prey which are pursued by mankind and are fain to keep in their holes and caverns all day when if they should come abroad they would much disturb the quiet of men but then by advantage of the darkness of night are inabled to ravage and feed and sustein themselves and though the Lions for want both of swiftness and of scent be ill qualified to provide for themselves yet hath divine providence taken care of them directed them to make use of another creature which is swift and of a quick scent and that joyns in league with them and having sâ—ised the prey stands by till they have filled themselves A wonderfull dispensation to which and to the hand of God in it they owe their food as discernibly as they would do if God in answer to their roaring as by way of return to our prayers immediately power'd down or bestowed their food upon them 22. The sun ariseth they gather themselves together and lay them down in their dens 23. Man goeth forth to his work and to his labour untill the evening Paraphrase 22 23. And the day is more eminently usefull for other offices the doing all the works incumbent on us for the culture of the earth c. and for this a fair space is assigned from sun-rise till sun-set all which space those beasts of prey lie close in their dens to which they gather themselves in companies though by the same providence it is ordered that they go not out in herds if they did there would be no resisting them and thither they betake themselves at the same time that men rise to their labour i. e. constantly every morning 24. O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisedom hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches 25. So is this great and wide sea wherein are things creeping innumerable both small and great beasts 26. There go the ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein Paraphrase 24 25 26. Thus hath God created and disposed not onely these but all things else in all variety of excellencies his wisedom and his bounty is seen in all things and not onely in the earthly part of the globe but in the other as to appearance barren and destructive element that most vast and spacious ocean furnished with such a multitude of fishes of all sorts and sizes usefull also to the benefit of men by navigation and famous for the great sea-dragon the whale which is fortified against all force and art so as to contemn all assaults of men 27. These wait all upon thee that thou mayest give them their meat in due season 28. That thou givest them they gather thou openest thy band they are filled with good Paraphrase 27 28. And for all these hath God made abundant provision of food to support and refresh them when they stand in need of it and that by ways of his own wise dispensing without any care or solicitude of theirs requiring no more of them than to partake of that festival entertainment which he hath prepared for them 29. Thou hidest thy face they are troubled thou takest away their breath they die and return to their dust 30. Thou sendest forth thy spirit they are created and thou renewest the face of the earth Paraphrase 29 30. And from him their very life and all the joys and comforts thereof every minute depend The withdrawing his favour and benign aspect and concurrence and sustentation is the cause of all their misery of all the strokes and judgments that light upon any part of this lower world and of their present death and return to the elements whereof they are compounded when he sees fit to summon them And as at first by his bare will and command as by a breath and word of his mouth all these were created out of nothing so by the same omnipotent creative power and wise disposal of his own meer will and pleasure he continues the species of each by seed and succession by which as by a natural stock of supply to all that decays and departs he doth yearly and daily renew the world and keep it up as full as if nothing ever perished in it an emblem of his future dealing with us men in the resurrection 31. The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever the Lord shall rejoyce in his works Paraphrase 31. This method and course of Gods for the setting out and illustrating the glory of his infinite power and providence shall thus last as long as this world continues and as God in the first creation had his rest and sabbath took delight in his own work lookt on it altogether and behold it was exceeding good the same complacency hath he in the continuance and managery of it ever since O let not us men be the onely ungratefull part of his creation let us for ever praise and glorifie his name transcribe that festival Sabbath of his and return him the tribute of our obedience and our most pious acknowledgments for these and all his abundant mercies afford him that equitable content and delight of not pouring out his benefits on such unworthy receives as we men most frequently are and as we shall be if we live not in uniform obedience in all works of piety before him 32. He looketh on the earth and it trembleth he toucheth the hills and they smoak Paraphrase 32. And as his providence so his sovereign power and dominion is continued over all the creatures in the world As one breath or act of his will created all so one look of his one least expression of his displeasure is enough to set the whole earth a trembling and the loftiest parts of it the mountains a smoaking and so to cast the stoutest proudest sinner into an agony of horrour and dread 'T is a most formidable thing to fall into the hands of the living Lord. As the Law was given on Sinai with thundrings and lightnings
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It must be that he reign By this 't is evident that in this verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord at thy right hand must be understood of the Messias instated in his regal power at the right hand of his Father and not of the Father as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to back and help him as Psal 16.8 and elsewhere the phrase is used For of the Son thus exalted we know it is that we reade Joh. 5.22 that the Father hath committed all judgment to the Son Agreeable to which it is that this Adonai or Lord at Jehovah's right hand here shall strike through Kings in the day of his wrath i. e. shall act revenges most severely on the opposers of his Kingdom which revenges in the New Testament are peculiarly attributed to Christ and called the coming of the Son of man coming in the clouds coming with his Angels and the approaching or coming of his Kingdom V. 7. Brook of the way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies any hollow place or vale a receptacle of waters and from thence a small river or brook which hath not its original from any spring but is filled with rain-waters and so is full in the winter but in the summer dried up So Gen. 26.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the valley of Gâ—rar Joel 3.18 a fountain shall come forth and water 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the valley of Shittim and 2 King 3.16 make this valley full of ditches and v. 17. ye shall not see rain yet that valley shall be filled with water And being here joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the way it seems to signifie no more than those plashes of water which in the winter are frequent in highways from the fall of much rain These first from the places where they are collected no pools on purpose provided for the receit of waters but every little cavity in the way which is thus filled by rain and secondly by the stagnancy or standing still of these waters and thirdly by the frequency of passengers fouling them are to be concluded very unfit for the use of men very inconvenient for drinking and would never be used for that purpose were it â—ot by him that hath no other or that so far intends the haste of his way and so far despises or neglects himself as to content himself with the worst and meanest sort of accommodation that which will just satisfie the necessities of nature This is most observable of souldiers in an hasty march that are thirsty but will not make stay at an Inn to refresh themselves with wine or so much as go out of their way to make choice of or seek out for wholsome water but insist on their pursuit and satisfie their thirst at the next receptacle of waters the next puddle or trench or ditch or brook they meet with This is a sign of great alacrity in a souldier and withall of great humility and contempt of hardship and difficulties of submitting to any the meanest and most servile condition and may well here be used poetically to express the great humiliation and exinanition of the Messias assuming the real form and all the mean offices of a servant pursuing the work to which he was sent with all alacrity counting it his meat and drink to doe the will of him that sent him and finish his work Joh. 4.34 and in fine laying down his life suffering as willingly a most bitter contumelious death which being by him exprest by drinking of a cup and that a special sort of cup such as others would not probably be content with Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of Matt. 20.22 and that an insupportable bitter cup Matt. 26.39 42. Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me it may very fitly be extended to his death as well as to all that was preparative and in the way to it And to this the lifting up his head reigning victoriously over all his enemies being constituted Judge of quick and dead is here justly apportioned according to that of Phil. 2.8 9. He made himself of no reputation but humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross Wherefore God hath highly exalted him Another notion there is of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a torrent or river Prov. 18.4 a flowing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 torrent or river and so Am. 6.14 unto the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we render it river of the wilderness If it be here taken in that notion then drinking of it may be a proverbial speech to express victory as Isa 37.25 when Sennacherib is boasting of his conquests he thus speaks I will enter into the height of his border and the forrest of his Carmel I have digged and drunk water and with the sole of my feet I have dried up all the rivers of the besieged places Where the former part being an expression of victory and forcible seisure and so the latter also of blocking up and close siege the middlemost may probably be to the same sense and the rather because of the custom of Eastern Princes who in token of dedition exacted from subjugated Provinces Earth and Water Judith 2.7 In reference to which the digging up Earth and drinking Water will signifie a forcible entry a method of battery where the milder summons have not prevailed thereby to take livery and seism of an hostile Countrey And if that be the notion here then the phrase signifies Christ's victory atchieved by his death over Satan Sin and Hell Which being wrought upon the Cross is fitly precedaneous and preparative to the lifting up of his head The Hundred and Eleventh PSALM Praise ye the Lord. The Hundred and eleventh Psalm is one of those whose Title see Note a. on Psal 106. is Hallelujah and is accordingly spent in praising and magnifying the name of God for all his works of power and mercy It is composed in twenty two short Metres each beginning with the several Letters of the Hebrew Alphabet 1. I Will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation Paraphrase 1. From the bottom of my soul and with the full quire of all the faculties thereof I will acknowledge and bless the name of God This I will doe more privately in counsel of all pious men the true Israelites when ever any transaction of concernment is to be advised on by those that make strict conscience of their duty and this will I doe in the most publick and solemn assembly No juncto is too close no congregation too wide for such a most due performance 2. The works of the Lord are great sought out of all them that have pleasure therein Paraphrase 2. Marvellous are the works of God and of all other sorts of study most worthy to be the exercise and imployment of all pious men who can entertain themselves with more
that is wisedom and to depart from evil is understanding that by way of eminence the most excellent wisedom and understanding The Jewish Arab reads The first thing that wisedom gives in command is the fear of the Lord and a goodness of understanding is to all that doe that The Hundred and Twelfth PSALM Praise ye the Lord. The hundred and twelfth Psalm is a description of the present employments and felicities of the truly pious wan such as do much tend to the honour and praise of God who is so exceeding gracious unto all his servants that there cannot be a greater freedom and bliss than to be in the number of them And therefore the Psalm which describes this is by the Hebrews intituled Hallelujah though there be no other express praising of God in it It is composed like the former the several short metres beginning with the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet 1. BLessed is the man that feareth the Lord that delighteth greatly in his commandments Paraphrase 1. There is no true felicity but that which consists in a most carefull performance of all the commandments of God strictly abstaining from all that may displease him and chearfully practising all that he requires of us And indeed there is no such security of all true durable delight and pleasure as this the present gratefulness and the succeeding comforts of such practices to any truly vertuous mind are a continual feast of all others the most exceeding and all other pleasures in respect of this are nothing worth 2. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth the generation of the upright shall be blessed Paraphrase 2. And as this is the most pleasurable so is it the most thriving skilfull method to bring all greatness and flourishing upon any family to advance and inrich the posterity For as long as God hath the disposing of the good things of this world honour and wealth c. 't is unreasonable to imagine that any subtleties or policies projects or ambitions of ours which have impiety in them and thereby forfeit all title to God's benedictions shall be near so successfull toward our present worldly interests as a strict piety and constant adherence to the ways of God 3. Wealth and riches shall be in his house and his righteousness endureth for ever Paraphrase 3. The promise of the greatest abundance and confluence of earthly felicities being by God intailed on the persons and families of such men as well as the eternal rewards in another world See 1 Tim. 4.8 4. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness he is gracious and full of compassion and righteous 5. A good man sheweth favour and lendeth he will guide his affairs with discretion 6. Surely he shall not be moved for ever the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance Paraphrase 4 5 6. And if any affliction at any time befall such as the promises of felicities in this world are always to be taken with the exception of the cross some mixtures of afflictions for gracious and wise ends the punishing our sins here that they be not punisht hereafter the curing our spiritual maladies and exercising our graces yet are there such allays joyned with it such strengths to support and such seasonable and oft unexpected issues and deliverances out of it that this cannot be lookt on otherwise than as a special work of his mercifull providence toward them And which is oft to be observed this supply from God of allays and comforts in affliction together with timely deliverances out of it shall certainly be performed unto good men not onely because 't is promised them and therefore shall not fail them but also because 't is made over to them from God's special providence as a reward most fitly apportioned to several graces in them as 1. to their charity and bounty and compassion to others giving and lending to all that are in distress God hath promised such by way of proportionable reward that they shall receive mercy as the wages of their mercifulness and not onely in another world but in this they shall be blessed on earth Psal 37.25 So 2. to discreet moderation and temper both of their words and actions Good men if they be throughly sincerely such are meek and not apt to be impatient in words or deeds and so they contribute much to the allaying of their afflictions and softening their persecutors both which ragefull and impatient behaviour is wont to exasperate And then 't is over and above a reward of their patience and meekness and discretion which God hath allotted them to temper and sweeten and timely to remove their sufferings who bear them so well at least to afford them strength to make them very supportable By these means whatever misadventures they may for a time meet with here God will assuredly provide for them yea and for their posterity if they go on constantly in their steps he will give them stability in the prosperities of this life and because a good name after death is as great a blessing as wealth or honour in this life that proportion shall be secured to them also their memory shall be fresh and flourishing among all posterities when their bodies are rotten in their graves and by their example they shall benefit many when by their actions they can no longer oblige them 7. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings his heart is fixt trusting in the Lord. 8. His heart is established he shall not be afraid untill he see his desire upon his enemies Paraphrase 7 8. Another special privilege there is that belongs to every pious man His adherence to God and dependence on him is an amulet against all worldly fears or apprehensions when the news of danger or misery the one imminent the other already present assaults him it is not able to disquiet or disturb him The reason is he hath resigned his whole being into God's wisest disposal and is assuredly perswaded that his divine choices are to be preferred that what he sends or permits to fall is fitter for his turn than any thing else that he could chuse for himself and consequently that if God sees it not good for him he will avert it before it come or remove it speedily and by this one assurance he is compleatly fortified not onely for a patient but chearfull entertainment of all that is or shall come remains unmoved and well pleased with God's present dispensations whatsoever they are and so constantly continues till the same hand that sent them give him release and deliverance out of them which in God's good time shall be done also 9. He hath dispersed he hath given to the poor his righteousness endureth for ever his horn shall be exalted with honour Paraphrase 9. As for his charity and constant liberality to the poor which is a special piece of piety and interpreted by God as if it were done to himself it never goes unrewarded One crown is reserved
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
generation and generation i. e. to all generations which are exactly parallel Then the latter parts of the verses lye thus Thy word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stands or is settled in the heavens v. 89. i. e. whatsoever thou commandest in heaven doth certainly come to pass and Thou hast established the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it shall stand or abide i. e. the earth and all things in it are by thee most firmly establisht And then as the parallel will be exact so the sense will flow most currently The parallel will be exact for as v. 89. his word is said to stand or be settled in heaven so v. 90. his faithfulness shall be said to abide or stand in the earth as stedfast as the earth it self or ever since the creation and establishment of the earth And then the sense will be that as God is eternal so his word and faithfulness remains constant and never fails in heaven above or here below on earth where from the afflictions of good men there is more shew of objection against God's making good his promise to them Now as his word and faithfulness though severed in place are to be united in sense and signifie his faithfull performance of his word so the heaven and earth are in sense to be joyned also and signifie by a frequent Hebraism see note on 2 Pet. 3. e. the whole world in his constant governing of which this his fidelity is as illustriously visible as in the creation of them Accordingly v. 91. they are joyned together They continue this day or They have continued to this day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they in the plural and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either adverbially as the Chaldee reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this day or understanding the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 untill this day not as the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the day continues but they i. e. the heaven and the earth foregoing and consequently all things therein comprehended for so it follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for all things serve thee V. 96. End of all perfection The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render end signifies limit or boundary or extreme part and is most ordinarily applied to places or regions so the LXXII who render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bound And if in this sense it be here used then 't is not amiss to take notice of the Syriacks rendring of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfection by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which their Latin translatour Sionita renders regioni region I have seen that there is a bound to every region for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a bound or end and is here by the Chaldee used to render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is there rendred a region and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Arabick is space or place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the common style of a region So saith Sionita in a note on this his version in the margin of his edition in quarto Propriè terminum significat saepe tamen pro regione seu parte mundi sumitur It properly signifies bound limit yet 't is oft taken for a region or part of the world To this the latter part of the verse well accords of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the exceeding width or amplitude of God's commandments not having such bounds as each region hath And to this perhaps the Chaldee lookt which paraphrastically expresseth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of all that I have been solicitous of or beheld This carries that probability with it that it deserved to be mentioned And if it be not accepted then still 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the ordinary signification of perfection or universality as a comprehensive word must denote the greatest latitude or amplitude whether qualitative or quantitative of vertue or of space and so still 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be the bound or utmost extent of it The Jewish Arab renders it To every kind an end Abu Walid I have seen the uttermost of every end or uttermost extent but the extent of thy judgment commandment law or wisedom for that is wider and deeper than that the uttermost of its extremity or end may be attained to V. 109. My soul is in my hand The meaning of this phrase is obvious I am in danger of my life See Jud. 12.3 I put my life in my hands and passed over against the children of Ammon i. e. I fearlesly adventured my life So 1 Sam. 19.5 he put his life in his hand and slew the Philistims i. e. by adventuring his own life he killed the other and ch 28.21 I have put my life in my hand and hearkened to thy words i. e. run the hazard of my life to obey thee and Job 13.14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hand The onely difficulty is what is the original of this proverbial style This Pat. Cockburne hath proposed as an instance of the interpreting scripture from vulgar speech making this to be the meaning of it that he hath no aid now left him but from his own hand as being left destitute of all other help or auxiliaries And thus indeed the place in Judges seemed to suggest When I saw that ye delivered me not I put my life in my hands and passed over against the children of Ammon you gave me no aid and so I was fain to go over my self without you and so likewise of David who without any help smote Goliah to which there Jonathan refers 1 Samuel 19.5 But the other places of the witch of Endor and Job will not bear this sense and therefore this is not to be pitcht on but rather this That as what is in a man's hand is easily parted with easily lost and as easily taken from him so a man's life is said to be in his hand when there is but little distance betwixt him and death and so the Chaldee interprets it by way of paraphrase my soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in danger from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in Hebrew is to profit but in the Chaldee language to periclitate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the back of my hand which consequently he hath no hold of it may depart at pleasure So the Jewish Arab thus paraphraseth it Although my soul be as it were in my hand continually through danger And this is the most allowable original of the phrase The LXXII have here varied the phrase and reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my soul is in thy hands and so the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in thy hands not so probably misreading the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as expressing it by way of pious paraphrase our lives being then certainly in God's hands to save if he please when they are in humane sight in greatest danger and so by every pious man to be deposited in God's hands V. 113.
attempt toward him yet calumniators have made other representations of me that I seek his life c. and so have incited him to pursue me to death But how low soever my condition at present be I am confident they shall not prevail against me to my final ruine Against their bitterest and most poisonous calumnies their most mischievous attempts against me my prayers are a sufficient antidote and will I doubt not avert the mischief from me When Saul went into the cave and left his Commanders and followers without by the sides of the cliff they were witnesses of my dealing with Saul and the signal evidences I gave him of mine integrity sufficient to convince the most inveterate malice and most obstinate calumny and accordingly so it wrought on Saul himself 1 Sam. 24.16 17 18 19. 7. Our bones are scattered at the graves mouth as when one cutteth and heweth wood upon the earth Paraphrase 7. We have been terribly harrast and opprest and persecuted and now are every minute ready to be destroyed 8. But mine eyes are unto thee O God the Lord in thee is my trust leave not my soul destitute 9. Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me and the grins of the workers of iniquity 10. Let the wicked fall into their own nets whilst that I withall escape Paraphrase 8 9 10. But O Lord on thee is our full affiance and confidence thy power and thy mercy is our sure refuge to thee we address our humblest requests that thou wilt not cast us out of thy care but preserve us from all the ambushes and treacherous designs that wicked men have laid against us And this I have full confidence thou wilt doe bringing mischief on them that design mischief and by the same means deliverance to us who are injured by them Annotations on Psal CXLI V. 2. Evening sacrifice The reason why the Evening sacrifice is here named is rendred by Kimchi because that supposeth and comprehends the morning sacrifice but by R. Saadiah because there is no sin-offering brought after that all things being then atoned The Jewish Arab reads as an accepted or acceptable oblation V. 3. Door From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to draw up is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here and so signifies the lifting up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Chaldee elevation and so the Jewish Arab the lifting up of my lips making it to be of the same root that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 38.14 which according to him must bâ—â— Mine eyes are lifted up on high from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so Kimchi saith his father interpreted it that the meaning should be the words which I take into my lips So Abu Walid seems to have taken it From the root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a door and that metaphorically applied to the lips Job 41.14 Who shall open 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the door of his face i. e. his lips and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is thought here to be used by Apocope But although the lips are fitly styled the door of the face or the mouth yet they will not so commodiously be styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the door of the lips especially when that other rendring of the Chaldee is so much more agreeable the lifting up as that signifies the opening of the lips or mouth which is the most obvious and frequent Periphrasis of speaking Job 11.5 O that God would speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and open his lips against thee and so Job 32.20 I will speak that I may be refresht I will open my lips and Psal 51.15 Open thou my lips And therefore as the Syriack omits the rendring of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and onely reads set a guard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on my lips so the LXXII that have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a door do use that with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 joyned with it for a Periphrasis of the guard the rendring of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set O Lord a watch on my mouth and a door of guard about my lips and so the Latin and Arabick ostium circumstantiae and ostium munitum a guarded door to my lips where 't is evident the lips are not lookt on as the door but the guard the grace of vigilance and circumspection that is to be set upon them and is usefull as a door to keep all close to keep any thing from coming out that ought to be kept in V. 4. To practise wicked works The Hebrew here reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to machinate machinations in evil the LXXII reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to pretend pretences in sins and so the Jewish Arab that I should pretend causes with the people that work deceit noting this to be the manner of wicked men when they project or contrive iniquity to project also some specious pretences of doing it whereby they much facilitate the practice of it and hope to gain impunity if they prosper not in it And thus indeed doth the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used signifie seeking occasions pretences of doing any thing But the Chaldee interprets it here by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thinking contriving and the Syriack by speaking and committing iniquity and so 't is not amiss exprest by our English to practise wicked works In the end of the verse for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eat of their dainties from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pleasant delightfull the LXXII reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 combine or as the Latin communicabo communicate with their chosen things i. e. certainly with the best or fattest of their diet as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a cram'd foul and as the LXXII Gen. 49.15 render the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fat The Chaldee reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will not be fed with the song of the house of their feasts from a notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which the Rabbins use it for Musick or Song and because Musick was a festival ceremony But the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will not joyn or mix or from the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for salt I will not eat salt with them as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 1.4 to eat salt with is to converse familiarly with them The onely difficulty in this verse is whether it be a prayer or a resolution and indeed the words will bear either sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being interpretable in accord with the former verse in form of a prayer Incline not my heart and yet as beginning this period they may as fitly be rendred my heart shall not incline and to this the design of the following verses seems to exact it The occasion of the Psalm seems to have been that eminent passage of David's story to which the title of the next Psalm refers when he was in
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
is that as men that walk in the dark and see nothing constantly stumble and fall and bruise themselves but know not what it is they stumble at and so could not possibly prevent it so these in the roads of their sins continually stumble and fall into misery and sad ruines and discern not by what means they thus fall and so cannot possibly prevent it A secret vengeance finds them out coming they know not from whence an invisible worm bred from their sin gnaws and devours their estate good name and oft their very flesh and like the flowing roll in Zachary ch 5.14 entring into the house and remaining in the midst of it and consuming it with the stones and timber is hardly ever gotten out of the family of unjust and violent men 20. My son attend to my words encline thine ear to my sayings 21. Let them not depart from thine eyes keep them in the midst of thy heart 22. For they are life unto those that find them and health to all their flesh Paraphrase 20 21 22. All this and much more which shall be added may very reasonably engage every son of wisedom every man that is not utterly void of all even secular prudence or care of his own safety to remember and practice all the wholsome admonitions that are given him and never to indulge himself the least liberty to deviate from them in the actions of his life considering that all the ease and pleasures and comforts of life depend upon this that the life of wicked men is a continual disease and misery and a kind of death save onely that in death there is no sense of that wretched condition but in a wicked life there is torments and smart in great abundance and on the contrary the practice of piety brings joy which is the onely true life and health with it the good conscience is a continual feast ch 15.15 and doeth good as a medicine ch 17.22 and both in that and many other respects such is the exercise of all pious duties here abstracted from the endless reward in another world 23. Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life Paraphrase 23. This therefore renders it a most seasonable admonition that every man be strictly mindfull to guard and fortifie his heart his will or elective faculty the principle of motion and action from all prohibited objects that he beg God's continual restreining preventing and assisting grace and make most diligent use thereof to keep that from all consent to any sin fencing himself with all the steddiest resolutions and prayers for strength to make them good and wakefulness over all temptations and courage and constancy for resistance these so many sorts of the surest ammunition and armour of proof knowing and considering that as the heart is the spring or original of life in the body so the will or consent is the fountain from whence all life springs whether that signifie vital gracious actions instead of which if it be not diligently guarded springs up all impiety or whether the joys and comforts of this life present all depending upon a right ordering of our choices or whether everlasting life and continuance in bliss The guarding of the will or elective faculty from all consent the flying from and detesting all evil and the vigorous choosing and pursuing of all good enters men upon such a life of grace here which is an inchoation of endless glory and shall be swallowed up in it hereafter 24. Put away from thee a froward mouth and perverse lips put far from thee Paraphrase 24. And as the heart must be most strictly guarded so must the mouth or tongue The next care is due to that to keep it from all malicious words lying whispering detraction contumely that sword of the tongue which when it is managed by a malicious heart doth wound most sadly commits the most intolerable fatal riots of any thing 25. Let thine eyes look right on and let thy eye-lids look straight before thee Paraphrase 25. And so in like manner must the eyes be guarded also not permitted to stray to any forbidden objects but fixed on that which is perfectly upright and commendable and made use of to direct and manage all the actions of our life seeing and considering beforehand where dangers lie that they may be avoided and what means may most happily contribute to our spiritual ends that we may make use of them 26. Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established Paraphrase 26. Lastly for the feet by which are signified all the actions of our lives they must be kept close to the commands of God and all consideration and foresight made use of to that purpose minding always and pondering what is best and never entring on any way that is unsafe or slippery And this beyond all other things shall tend to the confirming our prosperity to the preserving us from sin first and then from all mischief attending it 27. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left remove thy foot from evil Paraphrase 27. In a word let no temptation either of hope or fear passion or interest be able to seduce or divert thee from the straight and even path of vertue but exactly and precisely preserve thy self from every thing that is evil And nothing shall so certainly tend to thy peace and happiness Annotations on Chap. IV. V. 2. Doctrine The Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies properly to receive thence to acquire or get thence by a metaphor to learn or receive doctrine From hence the noun 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is by us with the authority of the Chaldee and Syriack read doctrine but the LXXII reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a gift and so the Latin with the Arabick donum and so the circumstances encline it the foregoing giving and good for so the instructing men not to forsake his law though it be capable of the style of giving them a good lesson or doctrine yet it is surely as if not more agreeable to call it the giving a good gift and thus indeed the teachings and descent of the Holy Ghost called God's giving gifts unto men are Psal 68.18 exprest by receiving gifts for men Thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a taking and a gift are with the Greeks all one differing onely by the relation that one hath to the receiver tother to the donor In either of these interpretations the sense is much the same for supposing it a doctrine the attribute of goodness intimates it to be a favour and so a benefaction or gift to him who is willing to be taught V. 3. In the sight It is not amiss here to note what the Jews observe that in this and one other place of the Bible the rendrings differ and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the sight is written for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among the
thy estate and enrich her own family with the spoils of thine 11. And thou mourn at the last when thy flesh and thy body are consumed 12. And say how have I hated instruction and my heart despised reproof 13. And have not obey'd the voice of my teachers nor enclined mine ear to them that instructed me 14. I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly Paraphrase 11 12 13 14. Thus is it evident before hand what cause of repentance and indignation at himself and his own folly this sin if indulged to is sure to bring upon any man when he hath exhausted and rotted his very flesh and brought himself to utter ruine he will too late to mend his temporal condition most sadly bewail and lament his madness wish every vein of his heart that he had taken the advice I now give him betimes that he had believed the serious and sad truth of such documents as these by despising of which and so adventuring on some beginnings and degrees of this sin he at last comes to be a most scandalous spectacle of misery and woe to all the people marked and pointed at for a wretched sottish creature that hath brought himself to the brink of endless ruine by his own imperswasible folly and obstinacy 15. Drink waters out of thine own cistern and running rivers out of thine own well Paraphrase 15. Having thus represented to thee the dangers and wasting miseries of incontinence the advice will be but seasonable and necessary that every man resolve to satisfie himself with his own wife and most strictly abstain from wandring lusts 16. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad and rivers of waters in thy streets Paraphrase 16. This shall beside all other felicities yield thee the comforts of a numerous and flourishing offspring which as streams or rivers from a fountain shall flow from a chast conjugal bed 17. Let them be onely thine own and not strangers with thee Paraphrase 17. This shall give thee assurance that the children thou ownest are truly thine whereas those which come from the strange woman and call thee father 't is very uncertain whose they are she being no enclosure of thine but common to others also 18. Let thy fountain be blessed and rejoyce in the wife of thy youth Paraphrase 18. This shall secure God's blessing of fruitfulness to thy wife and that flourishing state to thy offspring which bastard slips cannot pretend to This shall yield thee a constant never fading pleasure in the love and embraces of her whose purity and loyalty thou hast so long been acquainted with and the longer thou art afforded this blessing the more pure unallayed satisfaction thou wilt find in it when wandring lusts end in satiety and misery and being thus furnished by her thou hast no temptation to aliene thy self from her and take any other into thine embraces 19. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe let her breasts satisfie thee at all times and be thou ravisht always with her love Paraphrase 19. Thou mayst alwaies find matter of pleasure and kindness in her the same that the stag or rain-deer doth in his beloved mate which he hath long associated with and so perfectly confine thy love to her and never wish for the society of any other or be weary of hers 20. And why wilt thou my son be ravisht with a strange woman and embrace the bosom of a stranger 21. For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings Paraphrase 20 21. If all this be not sufficient to engage thee to a constancy to thine own wife and an exact abstinence from all others if the true joy and delights resulting continually from the one ballanced with the consequent satieties and miseries of the other be not competent motives effectually to prevail with thee then sure this one determent may work on thee the consideration of the law of marriage made by God in Paradise that every man shall forsake all others and cleave to his own wife and the severe judgments threatned against the violaters of this obligation and the no possibility that be it never so close it should be kept secret from God's all-seeing eye which discerns and observes and will severely avenge all such enormous sins in all that are guilty of them 22. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins 23. He shall die without instruction and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray Paraphrase 22 23. And an eminent act of his vengeance and providence it is that this sort of sinners seldom goes unpunished in this life His sin without any other aid constantly brings sore punishments upon him seises on him as the Hound or Vulture on its prey or as the Lictor and Serjeant on the malefactour lays him under the custody of some noisome disease His unnurtured unsavoury life his disobedience to the laws of marital chastity and continence is the exhausting his body and perhaps estate and good name and all that is valuable and brings him to a scandalous death he goes out unpittied and scorned as guilty of the highest folly and mistakes as well as injustice and such like enormous crimes against his wife and others and himself he thought he had pursued his pleasure and at least gratified his senses but in the end he finds it quite contrary he acquires nothing but loathsome maladies and untimely death and so appears cheated of all that he projected to gain by his sin beside the yet sadder losses and pains both of body and soul to all eternity Annotations on Chap. V. V. 6. Lest thou shouldest ponder That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is here to be rendred not and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 applied to the strange woman whose feet and steps are mentioned v. 6. is agreed on by all ancient Interpreters and there is no cause of doubting it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she goes not in the paths of life saith the Chaldee and so the Syriack in the same words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she enters not on the ways of life say the LXXII and the Latin applying it to her feet precedent per semitam vitae non ambulant they walk not by the path of life Which agree also to give us the right notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here for directing the steps i. e. walking or going which it is acknowledged to signifie as well as pondering and which properly belongs to it in this place the steps being mentioned in the former verse To this interpretation agrees that which follows her paths are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wandring vagi saith the Latin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dangerous say the LXXII because they that wander run into danger but unstable saith the Chaldee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 literally not to know i. e. either thou canst not know them non scies
observed in all their actions and imprinted in their very hearts as the Law by the finger of God was engraven in the tables of stone No more genuine branch of true saving knowledge that more nearly allies us to the purity and wisedom of God than is a constant and obstinate chastity that will never be ensnared with the most liberal promises and invitations of the most pleasant sin or by the most cunning and flattering soliciter drawn into any unlawfull embraces 6. For at the window of my house I looked through the casement 7. And beheld among the simple ones I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding 8. Passing through the street near her corner and he went the way to her house 9. In the twilight in the evening in the dark and black night 10. And behold there met him a woman with attyre of an harlot and subtil of heart Paraphrase 6 7 8 9 10. And certainly there is great need of caution to be timely given to all young men and sadly considered by them there being nothing of more ordinary experience and observation than the seduction of such to this wasting sin He that shall but look out of his window into the streets where the young men resort shall ever and anon see some such unwary seducible person thus ensnared If he have any design or project that way and discover it but by walking toward that part of the city where any such a Merchant dwells either in the dark of the night or the shutting of the evening he shall be sure to meet with this game without much seeking If any man be discern'd to be of such inclinations she is ready for him prevents his enquiries or solicitations comes out in a dress which tells him what she is and addresseth her self to him with her artifices besiegeth and takes him presently 11. She is loud and stubborn her feet abide not in her house 12. Now is she without now in the streets and lieth in wait at every corner Paraphrase 11 12. By this you may know her she is extremely bold and forward to talk runneth about from place to place never keeps within doors as all sober and chast persons are wont to doe but intrudeth her self into all company is in all places of publick resort and where any prey can be hoped for there she lies in ambush to seise on it and in order thereto chooses out the corners of the street for her station from whence she hath the fairer prospect sees and hath the command of all that pass through either of the streets which thus meet in that corner see Matth. 6.5 13. So she caught him and kissed him and with an impudent face said unto him 14. I have peace-offerings with me this day have I paid my vows 15. Therefore I came out to meet thee diligently to seek thy face and I have found thee 16. I have deckt my bed with coverings of tapestry with carved works with fine linnen of Aegypt 17. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh aloes and cinnamon 18. Come let us take our fill of love till the morning let us solace our selves with loves Paraphrase 13 14 15 16 17 18. And generally the first of her address is with great familiarity of kindness then with great constancy of look as if she were in great earnest she invites him home to an entertainment at her house pretends she had received some mercy from God for which she had vow'd a sacrifice of thanksgiving and this being the day of paying her vow she had consequently a sacrifical feast at home and she could not satisfie her self to eat it without his company and to be sure of it she would not trust to the care of a messenger to invite him but came out her self to make diligeâ—â— inquisition for him to carry him home with her And having put on this mask of piety to introduce it she proceeds to downright bare-fac'd solicitation tells him how she hath adorned and perfumed the very bed with all costly furniture and incense and by these and the like advantageous allectives she attracts him to her embraces 19. For the good man is not at home he is gone a long journey 20. He hath taken a bag of money with him and will come home at the day appointed Paraphrase 19 20. Then lest he should be deterred by the danger of the sin and the effects of the husband's rage she assures him he is gone a long journey and taken provision with him for a competent space and will not return again till the next month 21. With much fair speech she caused him to yield with the flattering of her lips she forced him Paraphrase 21. And by these and the like artifices she prevails with him and carries him with a kind of violence to his ruine 22. He goeth after her straight way as an oxe goeth to the slaughter or as a fool to the correction of the stocks Paraphrase 22. By such fair promises of sensual pleasures and security in the enjoying them he is led on as insensibly and unconcernedly as the Oxe that is led crown'd to the place of slaughter and knoweth not nor suspecteth any such danger and not onely unconcernedly but gladly danceth as it were to his execution as a fool which is pleased and gratified with his tinkling ornaments when indeed he is led to punishment in them On these motives he goes on confidently and chearfully to the commission of this sin which costs him so dear at last 23. Till a dart strike through his liver as a bird hasteth to the snare and knoweth not that it is for his life Paraphrase 23. And thus he goes on without dread or hesitancy till he be wounded as a deer by the arrow of the hunter or engaged like a bird in the fowler's snare one such act of sin introduced with those flattering invitations becomes such a wound and snare to his soul such a wasting of all grace and even common notions of piety and justice and purity in his heart that he seldom gets out again and so though his expectations of carnal pleasure and no apprehensions of any farther inconvenience made him greedily to take down this morsel it proves to his dammage most poisonous and mortiferous and so his case when he is thus seduced and ensnared though to him it seem very desirable is most sadly to be compassionated and averted as being that which betrays all the joys and comforts of his life delivers him up to all noisom effects beggery reproach diseases and even to death it self 24. Hearken to me now therefore O ye children and attend unto the words of my mouth 25. Let not thy heart decline to her ways go not astray in her paths Paraphrase 24 25. This most sad but true and obvious representation so frequently experimented among men may render it a very necessary and seasonable advice to all that pretend to
simple or simplicity in the abstract they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she becomes to want a piece of bread by this paraphrasing her simplicity that her course of idleness and impudence brought her to extreme want and in the end of the verse for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she knows not what or any thing they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she understands not shame merely as a scholion of what else seemed obscure or imperfect for which the Chaldee reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 goodness V. 14. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the high places of the city they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 visibly in the streets merely by way of paraphrase to express the sense not the words V. 17. They invert the order of the words without any considerable change paraphrastically 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 take the secret loaves pleasantly and the sweet waters of stealth V. 18. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dead or carcases see Note on Psal 88. d are there they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the giants or those that are born of the earth perish by her referring to the double notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for those that are in the earth as the dead are or those that come out of the earth as giants were believed to do In the end for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 her guests they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he meets as if it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies so And this also without any considerable change of the sense for this simple one being one of her guests her guests being in the depths of scheol and his meeting or going to meet her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the depth of hades are equivalent After this comes a very large insertion merely as a scholion of some learned man an exhortation to avoid the forementioned danger which in some but not in the Complute Editions is crept into the Text and retein'd also by the Syriack and Arabick but neither in the Chaldee nor Latin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But leap back stay not in the place nor cast thine eye upon her for so thou shalt pass over the strange water But abstein thou from the water of another's fountain that thou mayst have a long time and that the years of life may be added to thee CHAP. X. 1. THE Proverbs of Solomon A wise son maketh a glad father but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother Paraphrase 1. After the general preparatory exhortations to the care and practice of piety enlarged on in the former chapters by way of foundation and introduction now follow the King his divine sentences some plain and yet weighty and important but the most by way of parable or aenigmatical allusion fit to affect the reader and to have a deep impression on him and commodious for memory also see Note on Chap. 1. a And the first recommends true wisedom the exercise of all vertue and piety to all young men and women as an act of necessary gratitude to their parents as well as of kindness to themselves for this certainly is the ensuring on them all manner of prosperity and felicities and flourishing condition in this life and as that is their own nearest interest so is it the parents greatest joy the whole comfort of whose lives extremely depends as upon the thriving and prospering so upon the pious sober humble pure behaviour of their children If they thrive and prosper in the world much more in those ways of divine vertue which hath the promise of all secular prosperity annext to it this must needs be matter of most ravishing delight to their parents This is an aphorism of so general observation that when the parents themselves are not so pious and gracious as they ought yet they rejoyce to see their children such And on the contrary if they miscarry and prove vitious in any kind there is no such cause of trouble and grief to the parents especially to the mother whose love is most tender and passionate and cannot choose but bewail it as the most unsupportable affliction of her life that she hath with so much pains and care brought forth a child to dishonour God to disgrace and despise his parents and to accumulate upon himself the direfullest woes of this and another life 2. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing but righteousness delivereth from death 3. The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish but he casteth away the substance of the wicked Paraphrase 2 3. This you may discern in several branches of wisedom as that is opposed to the different sorts of folly that are observable among men The first and most principal notion of wisedom is that of all true and divine vertue and of this it is manifest that nothing can secure any man of any ordinary degree of happiness in this world but this one tenure of piety and justice and charity and all manner of vertue This is the one way of secular prudence and policy the most certain thriving course quite contrary to the worldlings measures He thinks the devil's arts are likeliest to thrive in this world injustice oppression deceit covering and griping gaining as much as he can and parting with as little and by these ways sometimes he fills his coffers possesseth himself of vast treasures On the contrary he cannot believe that justice and charity which holy writers style righteousness see Note on Psal 37. h and affirm them both to be ingredients of that righteousness which God's Law exacteth from men will ever tend to any man's worldly advantages but will be sure to keep him low and improsperous and hinderly that binds himself strictly to the exercise of them But herein the love of the world hath strangely blinded and infatuated men the truth of God's word and fidelity of his promises being engaged on the contrary observation that the greatest riches either unlawfully acquired or illiberally possest bring not the least advantage or benefit to the owner whilst he possesseth them his covetousness suffers him not to enjoy them himself much less to make himself capable of that future reward which is laid up for the charitable and mercifull and besides they are sure to meet with blasts from God and so not long to be held by him or his posterity Whereas on the other side the constant exercises of exact justice and the most diffusive charity which are so deeply under the worldlings prejudices have the blessings of God even those of this life entailed on them are so far from impoverishing or undoing any man that they are the most auspicious means to enrich and enlarge both his days and his plenty and rescue him from all the calamities to which this life is subject or the malice of wicked and covetous men could design to bring upon him And thus certainly it will be as long as God hath the disposing of the things of this world his providence being obliged to secure and
prosper them which observe his directions and to confute defeat and dissipate the atheistical enterprises of those who will owe their enriching either to Satan or their own evil arts 4. He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand but the hand of the diligent maketh rich Paraphrase 4. So in another branch of wisedom viz. diligence and industry making carefull use of that strength which God bestows on men in order to their thriving in their callings or in their spiritual state He that is truly industrious and withall applies himself faithfully to God and so renders himself capable of his blessing shall never fail of all prosperous successes diligence makes rich in this world and to the carefull use of God's talent of Grace more shall certainly be given and he shall have abundance Matt. 25.29 whereas on the contrary sloth is sure to betray to beggary and from the unprofitable servant that talent which he already hath shall be taken away 5. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame Paraphrase 5. The like is observable of providence another special sort of wisedom For as in worldly affairs he that observes not the seasons of the year and industriously makes use of them that doth not plow and sow in seeds time and reap and carry into the barn at harvest that takes not his advantage of the warm summer season to make provision for the necessities of the winter or when God's providence hath blessed him with a good crop indulges so far to his own sloth as not to gather in and secure what is thus reached out to him is a strange stupid insensate person comes to distress and starving unpitied and is not onely himself under the reproach of a scandalous fool but brings a blot on that family of which he is a member on his parents especially who should have educated him better So they that make not use of those opportunities and graces which God furnishes them with for their eternal well-being that by despising the space given for their repentance and the manifold preventions and excitations of God's spirit to bring them to it or by egregious sloth and idleness betray all those precious advantages must expect the portion and reward of fools that shame and confusion of face that utter darkness apportion'd to that which justly awaits the unprofitable servant Such children as these are a reproach to the Church that hath educated them and even to God himself who is extremely dishonoured and his Spirit grieved by such unnurtured obstinate non-proficients whereas he that humbly begs carefully observes and receives and industriously makes use of and so improves his gifts both secular and spiritual shall be sure to thrive here and have all abundance and receive the benediction of the beloved child and faithfull servant in another world 6. Blessings are upon the head of the just but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked Paraphrase 6. So likewise for justice and charity as that concerns not onely the actions but the words they which keep a strict guard over their tongue that speak no evil wrong not nor calumniate any shall not miss to have the proportionable reward the good word and benedictions and prayers of others and the prospering hand of God call'd down upon their affairs by those prayers when on the contrary the contumelious and calumniatour and curser c. brings down all plagues and miseries on himself the just reward of his malice to others all his curses rebound and fall on himself his mouth is full of bitterness and as long as it is so he may know that poison lies concealed there the efficacy whereof he will sadly find not so much on others at whom he aims his imprecations but on himself 7. The memory of the just is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot Paraphrase 7. And beside the benedictions good words and praises which good men meet with here and enjoy the benefits thereof another portion of the like remains even after this life whensoever a mercifull-minded man is mention'd either in discourse or history by after-times it is with liberal commendations eulogies and encomiums whereas the wicked and unmercifull that are hated while they live are by all detested after death If their name be not drown'd and overwhelm'd in absolute oblivion it remains noisome and odious If it perish not so as to be extinguished yet it putrifies so as to stink and then if parents be accounted happy that leave prosperous children behind them this must be addition of woe to deceased parents v. 1. to be thus unhappy in their posterity 8. The wise in heart will receive commandments but a prating fool shall fall Paraphrase 8. Another part of wisedom it is to moderate the tongue to open the ear and heart to all good advises especially to the commandments of God but to restrein and keep close the lips Jam. 1.19 and he that doeth so shall receive the benefit of it whereas on the contrary those that keep no guard on their tongues do frequently discover those things which bring mischief and ruine on themselves 9. He that walketh uprightly walketh surely but he that perverteth his ways shall be known Paraphrase 9. He that keepeth an exact watch over all his thoughts words and actions regulates all his life by the Commandments of God and will not stray from them willingly on the intuition of whatsoever advantage may enjoy himself cheerfully and confidently fear no mischief either from God or man but depend on God's protection to secure him from all evil whereas the subtle deceitfull manager that steers his course by any other châ—rd that especially of worldly disguises and artifices as he is never secure but always dreads being discovered or found out so shall he by God's judgment at some time or other be delivered up to reproach and confusion which he seldom misseth to meet with in this world and must certainly expect it in another 10. He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow but a prating fool shall fall Paraphrase 10. Two sorts of deriding and scoffing reproach and contumely there are the one secret and clancular the other open and avow'd the one by winking or nodding writhing the mouth or other such like signs of mocking behind a man's back the other by letting loose a malicious tongue audibly and in a man's presence Both these are very disingenuous wicked qualities the former the more wary and cowardly and is oft joyned with flattering to the face Ecclus. 27.23 the latter the more bold-faced and impudent and he that is given to either of these will have little joy in either The first will at some time be discovered be it never so cunningly carried and then brings mischievous effects after it the latter never fails of bringing those effects quarrels and blows and blood the due rewards of that folly 11. The mouth of the
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to doe mischief And then first the notion of ו in the latter part must be observed not as a bare copulative and but as a note of an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or second part of a similitude so Thus v. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the passing of a whirlwind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we duly render so the wicked is no more and so the Chaldee and Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so Secondly to make the latter part of the verse bear analogy with the former the word mirth must be again repeated there viz. that wisedom is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mirth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to a man of understanding Thus the Antithesis is exact for as to a fool in the former is opposed a man of understanding in the latter so to doing mischief in the former is wisedom piety practice of vertue eschewing evil doing good in the latter and then the כ and ו as and so being exactly answerable one to the other the first word of the verse mirth is common to them both as doing mischief is mirth to one so is wisedom to the other The first part of the verse the LXXII and other ancient Interpreters competently render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with or in laughter a fool doth evil the latter they have not so fully interpreted for want of resuming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mirth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say they but wisedom begets prudence to a man V. 29. The way of the Lord In this verse are several difficulties which deserve to be taken notice of First what is meant by the way of the Lord whether that which respects God or us that wherein God walks or that wherein we are appointed to walk the former is the way of his providence the latter of his commandments In this place as in most other it seems to be determined to the latter by the mention of the upright who walk in this way of the Lord and the workers of iniquity which forsake that way Secondly what is meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies either strength or courage or a fort or strong hold Any of these three senses it will well bear here but especially the second that of courage or fortitude if we will judge it by its opposition to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which that it signifies fear and consternation as well as destruction or confusion hath been shewed Note g. Lastly it is doubtfull whether in the second part of the verse the phrase the way of the Lord be again to be repeated or no for if it be then the rendring must be not destruction shall be but fear to the workers of iniquity and thus indeed the rendring is most literal The way of the Lord is courage to the upright but fear to the workers of iniquity by the contrary tempers of men it is of very distant and contrary effects like as when Christ is said to be for the fall and rising of many in Israel and the Gospel the savour of life to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 escapers or penitent and the savour of death to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the lost or impenitent And as all the rendrings of the Ancients being literal are capable of this sense so the learned Castalio hath particularly exprest it Et integris firmamento maleficis detrimento est Jovae institutio God's law or institution is both a firmament to the upright and a loss to the evil-doers V. 5. The LXXII have in this verse much mist the sense for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that gathereth in summer they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath been delivered or saved from the heat taking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to gather in the notion of gathering what is designed to secure or save from mischief and that in a passive sense and then using ב according to the promiscuous acception of prepositions for from And so in the latter part of the verse for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 snorting or sleeping they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blasted by the wind or stricken partly from the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for stupor which they elsewhere render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ectstasie partly to hold up the opposition betwixt the former and the latter part of the verse that as the wise is preserved from the scorching of the Sun so the foolish or wicked is blasted by the wind but especially because they that sleep in the harvest abroad on the ground as slothfull workers use to doe are oft blasted by some wind or vapour that comes out of the earth and so much mischiev'd Accordingly their rendring of the whole verse is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A wise or knowing son is delivered from scorching but a wicked son is blasted by the wind in harvest V. 13. The two branches of this verse are by the LXXII and therein they are followed by the Syriack compounded into one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that bringeth forth wisedom out of his lips smites with a rod the heartless man Hereby they seem to point out what is meant by this rod viz. no other but the wise and prudent discourse of pious men which is a reproof and so metaphorically a chastisement to the impious for such is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which they fitly render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that wants an heart Aquila Theodotion and Symmachus are more literal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the lips of the wise wisedom shall be found and the rod on the back of him that wants an heart V. 21. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall feed or teach as when Jer. L. 6. it is said their pastours i. e. teachers have seduced them they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 know high things questionless mistaking ד for ר and so reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 know So Hos 9.2 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 feed them they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 know them In the latter part of the verse for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by want of heart they reade no more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in want the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being omitted by some Scribe or perhaps 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being taken for folly by force of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fools foregoing V. 23. To 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the blessing of the Lord they adde by way of paraphrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on the head of the just and in the end for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with it they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the heart V. 24. The LXXII no way render the words which are plain yet the sense they express paraphrastically 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 frequent with them for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wicked is hurried to destruction which is exactly equivalent to his fear coming on him destruction being that which he feared and not the affection but the object being here and frequently
vital energy of the Gospel God of his infinite mercy grant us all even for the sake and through the operation of his Son Jesus Christ that wonderful Counsellor that mighty God that Father of this Evangelical state that Prince and that God of peace to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be ascribed as is most due the honour the glory the power praise might majesty and dominion which through all ages of the world hath been given to him that sitteth on the Throne to the Holy Spirit and to the Lamb for evermore Amen The II. SERMON MATTH 11.30 My yoke is easie and my burthen is light THat the Christian's Heaven should be acknowledged his only blissful state and yet they which pant for bliss never think fit to enquire after it That Christ the way to that heaven should be truly styled by one Prophet the desire of all Nations and yet they that look on him be affirm'd by another Prophet to see nothing in him that they should desire him That a rational creature should be made up of such contradictions as to desire life most importunately and yet as passionately to make love to death to profess such kindness to immaterial joyes and yet immerse and douz himself in carnal to groan and languish for Salvation i. e. an eternal state of purity and yet to disclaim and flie it whensoever any impure delight is to be parted with might have leave to exercise and pose a considering man were there not one clear account to be given of this prodigy one reason of this fury the many evil reports that are brought up of the way to this good land the prejudices fatal prejudices infused into us the vehement dislikes and quarrels to all Christian practice that only passage to our only bliss We have heard of an Angel with a flaming Sword at the gate of Paradise which our poetick fears and fancies have transformed into a Serpent at the door of the Hesperides garden that Angel fallen and turned into a Devil we have heard of the Cannibal Anakims in the confines of the promised Land that devour all that travel toward that Region and our cowardly sluggish aguish fancies have transplanted all these into Christendom made them but emblems of Christ's duri sermones the hard tasks unmerciful burthens that he laies on his Disciples yea and conjured up a many spirits and Fairies more sad direful apparitions and sent them out all a commanded Party to repel or to trash us to intercept or incumber our passage toward Canaan to pillage and despoil the Soul of all Christian practice of all that 's duty in Discipleship Three of these prejudices our Saviour seems to have foreseen and prevented in the words of this Text. 1. That there is no need of doing any thing in Discipleship Christ came to free from yokes to release from burthens the Gospel's made all of promises Obedience to precepts is a mere unnecessary And for the preventing of that prejudice you have here as a yoke and a burthen so both of Christ's owning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my yoke and my burthen A second prejudice of them that being forc'd to confess the necessity of Christian obedience do yet resolve it impossible to be perform'd discerning the burthens in my Text must have them unsupportable burthens no hope no possibility for us to move under them and then studium cum spe senescit their industry is as faint as their hope Desperation stands them in as much stead as Libertinism did t'other they are beholden to the weight of their burthens for a supersedeas for taking them up And for the preventing of that prejudice you have here this character of Christ's burthen not only supportable but light my burthen is a light burthen A third prejudice there is yet behind of those that having yielded the both necessity and possibility of Christian obedience are yet possest of the unpleasingness and bitterness of it like those in the Prophet cry out The burthen of the Lord the burthen of the Lord the yoke a joyless melancholick yoke the burthen a galling pinching burthen and to them hath our Saviour designed the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here as the most significative epithet to express the nature of the Christian yoke We have rendred it but imperfectly my yoke is easie it signifies more richly my yoke is a benign yoke all pleasure and profit made up in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord is gracious 1 Pet. 2.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.4 signifies the bounty we render it the goodness of God that which immediately before is the riches of his bounty and proportionably the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a gracious bountiful yoke a mine a treasure of bounty a good a joyous and a gainful yoke And he that is thus answered in all his objections confuted in all his fears and prejudices and excuses for Libertinism if he do not acknowledge the reasonableness of Christ's advice take my yoke upon you take it for its own sake though it were not laid upon you by Christ my necessary my light my gracious yoke he that will not accept of some office in the house of so good a Master I know not what kind of address to make to him I must leave him to Pythagoras's Sponde's that could cure a Mad man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rectifie the errours of his appetite first and then his mind first of his spleen and then his brain before any portion of this bread of life will be diet for him I have drawn you the lines which lie folded up in this Text the filling each up with colours in the shortest manner I could devise would prove a work of more time than is now my portion The expedient I have resolved on is to leap over the two former and only fasten on my last particular as that which includes and supposes the two former as that which will bring its reward with it invite and feed your patience and in all probability obtain your belief because there is never an interest never a passion about you that it contradicts Your patience being thus armed with a fight of the guesses but one stage and that the smoothest you ever pass'd I shall presume you ready to set out with me and it is to consider that anticipation of the third prejudice in the Epithet affixt to Christ's yoke in the fulness of its significancy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my yoke is a benign a gracious a pleasant a good and a gainful yoke Yea and that in this life at the taking the yoke upon you a present gooodness in it here though there were never a treasure of rewards never a heaven after it at least as the present paradise of a true Disciple is considered apart abstracted from that future expectation my yoke is a good yoke is for the present the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is hath an influence on the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
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
there were no Competition as it might be Chance so it might be Necessity too Thou art fain to be vertuous because thou canst be nothing else goodness must go for thy refuge but not thy choice were there no rival sin no competitor lust to pretend for thee 'T is therefore not only an act of wisdom but of goodness too observable in Gods wonderful dispensation of things under the Gospel to leave the Christian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the confines of two most distant people improveable into good and capable of evil like Erasmus's Picture at Rome or that vulgar Lie of Mahomet's Tomb at Aleppo betwixt two Load-stones 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Synesius calls it a stake between God on one side and all the Devils in Hell on t'other made up of a Canaanite and an Israelite a law in the members as well as a law in the mind or as Antoninus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perswasions in the members many Topicks of Rhetorick many strong Allectives to evil in the lower carnal part of the man as well as invitations and obligations to good in the upper and spiritual Thus did God think fit to dispose it even in Paradise it self the flesh tempted with carnal objects even before the first sin had disordered that flesh A Palate for the sweetness of the Apple to please and an eye for the beauty to invite as well as an upper Masculine faculty a Reason for commands to awe and threats to deter yea and it seems in Heaven it self and the Angels there where is no flesh and blood that officina cupidinum shop or workhouse of desires yet even there is an inlet for Ambition though not for lust a liableness to the filthiness of the spirit though not of the flesh or else Lucifer had still stood Favourite could never have forfeited that state of bliss And so 't is ever since in this inferiour Orb of ours Behold I set before thee life and death blessing and cursing on one side all the joys of Heaven to ravish and enrap thee the mercies of Christ to draw thee with the cords of a man with the bands of love to force and violence thy love by loving thee first by setting thee a copy of that heavenly passion to transcribe but then withal death in the other scale death which it seems hath something amiable in it too it would not be so courted else a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Macarius styles it a gallantry of Hell a purple garment of darkness that such sholes of men and I tremble to think and say so large a quantity of baptized Christians are so ambitious of sell all that 's comfortable and valuable in this life to purchase it And were there not both these set before us by God life on one side and death on t'other blessing on one side and cursing on t'other a double canvass for thy soul a rivalry a competition and somewhat on both sides amiable to somewhat in thee life to the immortal death to the perishing part of thee blessing to the rational divine cursing to the bedlam brutish part of thee the man of God could not go on as he doth in that place Deut. 30.19 therefore chuse life that thou and thy sons may live Were there but one in our reach 't were necessity still and not choice and that most absolutely destructive of all judgment to come Hell might be our Fate but not our Wages our Destiny but not our Reward and Heaven any thing more truly than a Crown of righteousness A Piece of the Philosopher there hath been a long while in the world that hath had a great stroke in debauching the Divine that the Understanding doth necessarily and irresistibly move the Will that whatever hath once passed the judicium practicum got not only the assent of the Judgment that 't is true but the allowance also that 't is good and fit to be chosen cannot chuse but be desired and prosecuted by the Will from whence the Divine subsumes that where Faith is once entered though that but a Speculative I wish it were not sometimes but a Phantastical Faith there Works must and will infallibly follow I confess it were admirable news if this were true if all that knew these things were sure to do them if there were no such thing possible as Sin against Light Sin against Gospel Sin against Conscience if the lives of Believers could not prove infidel the actions of those that acknowledge God that make no doubt of the truth of Christianity could not avoid or escape being Godlike and Christian if 't were but a flash of S. Augustin's wit that the wicked Infidel believes contrary to Faith the wicked Believer lives contrary to it There were then but one care left a Christian to be catechiz'd aright which the Solifidian calls Faith or to be confident of his own Election which the Fiduciary calls Faith and then Quis separabit any thing else will be wrought in me by Christ or that any thing else will be unnecessary to be wrought Instead of this Pagan Principle that ties up all in the chains of inevitable Fate if it be examin'd give me leave to mention to you one Aphorism of Christian Philosophy which is but the interpretation of the competition that now I speak of that the Will is no more necessitated to obey the suggestions of Reason than of the Sensual Appetite of the upper than the lower Soul that 't is an indifferent middle Faculty able to chuse the evil and refuse the good or to satisfie the Philosophers importunity which resolves it impossible to chuse the evil unless under the appearance of good you may take it in a clearer notion able to chuse the pleasant and refuse the honest to chuse the sensual carnal and refuse the intellectual spiritual good And that you may see the ground of this observe that the whole Man is made up of three parts Spirit Soul and Body 1. The Body or Flesh lusting against the Spirit And 2. the Spirit again lusting against the Flesh Those two Extremes perfectly contrary one to the other in their appetites and therefore called by the Ancients 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one the Masculine t'other the Feminine part one the Monarch in the Soul t'other the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Commonalty one the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Master t'other the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Child one the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the voice and image of God in us t'other the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bestial part one the Man t'other the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the four-footed creatures in us And these are contrary the one to the other so that you cannot do or as the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so that you do not this is a consequent of that Contrariety you do not the thing that you would i. e. perhaps perfectly purely without some tack or mixture however I am sure not
quietly stilly without some opposition of the other And then comes in in the third place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Soul the Elective Faculty i. e. the Will betwixt them courted and sollicited by both as that which hath the determining casting voice if the beast can carry it if the sensual suggestions get the consent of the Will obtain the embrace have its carnal proposals yielded to then in the Apostles phrase lust conceives and within a while proceeds from consent to act bringeth forth sin but when the Spirit prevails when the Reason the Conscience the God within the is allowed to be heard when that chaste sober matronly Spouse gets the embraces the consent of the Will then the Spirit conceives and from thence spring all the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Scripture speaks of the fruits and productions of the Spirit You see now the competition the constant importunities and sollicitations the rivalry for thy soul not an action of moment or importance in thy life but the house is divided about it the spirit for one way and the flesh for another and that that prevails i. e. gets the Will of its side denominates the action and the action frequently and indulgently reiterated denominates thee either flesh or spirit either captive to the law of sin or obedient to the commands and dictates of Christ a carnal sinner or a spiritual disciple And then my brethren by way of Use 1. You see the answer to that hard probleme what is the reason and ground of the infiniteness of those punishments that await sinners in another world Here you have the oyl that maintains that accursed Vestal fire so much beyond Tulliola's or Pallas's Lamp in Licetus burning so many Ages under ground and not consumed I mean this competition in this Text the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which of the two infinites will you and that other we mention'd of life and death blessing and cursing set before us by God the leaving to our option whether of the two infinites we will have This and nothing but this hath made it most perfectly reasonable that Despisers should perish eternally that he that will contemn immortal life that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Clemens St. Pauls contemporary calls it that eternity put into our hands by Christ and make his deliberate covenant with death that his immortal part may die eternally should be thought worthy as the Book of Wisd hath it to take his portion or part with it And then 2. O how much the more care and caution and vigilance will it require at our hands to keep guard over that one faculty that spring of life and death that fountain of sweet and poysonous water that of chusing or rejecting willing or nilling never to dispense those favours loosly or prodigally never to deny them rashly or unadvisedly but upon all the mature deliberation in the world Keep thy heart with all diligence the heart this principle of action keep it above all keeping for out of it are the issues of life Prov. 4.23 That when I would do good evil is present with me temptations of the carnal appetite to the contrary it matters little so I hold off my consent resist their importunity and that all the Devils in Hell are a whispering blasphemy within me it matters as little so I reject the suggestions Resist and he shall flie that he is loose to tempt this is my infelicity perhaps but not my guilt I and that mishap improved into a blessing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this tempter a kind of donative of Heaven to busie my patience and exercise my vigilance to set out my Christian valour to make me capable of the victory first and then the crown the nations left to prove Israel Jud. 3.1 yea and to teach them war verse 2. at least such as before knew nothing thereof Only be sure that those Nations get not the upper hand to that purpose that they be not pamper'd and fed too high till they grow petulant and unruly that this jumentum hominis as St. Jerom calls it this Ass or beast-part of the man prove not the Rider's Master this is the greatest danger first and then reproach in the world which you will more discern if you proceed from the competition to the Competitors and consider who they are in us spirit and flesh God and Devil as in the Jews Barabbas and Christ my second particular 'T is none of the least of God's mercies among his dispensations of providence that the competition falls to be betwixt such persons so acknowledgedly distant and hugely contrary a Christ and a Barabbas the one so pretious and the other so vile the Prince of Peace and the Author of an Insurrection a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Saviour and a Destroyer had it been betwixt a Christ and a Nicodemus a Carpenters Son and a Rabbi or Ruler in Israel the choice might have been more difficult or the mistake more pardonable But so God loved the world such were the riches of his goodness to an infatuated rebellious people he sets before them a beautiful Christ and an odious foyl to make him more beautiful to make it impossible for them to be so mad as to refuse and finally to reject Christ that was on such grounds and in such company a suing and importuning for their favour none but a Barabbas to pretend against him that that notion had of him might serve instead of the fishes gall to recover the blind Tobits sight help the blindest natural man to discern somewhat tolerable if not desirable in the Christ that in so poor a choice an undervalued prejudg'd scandalous Jesus might have leave to be considered and owe a preferment aliâ—nis vitiis to the faults of the other though not virtutibus suis to any thing amiable or esteemable in himself The same oeconomy you may generally observe even from the first of Paradise to this day When our first Parents were the prize the Competitors were of somewhat a distant making God and the Serpent not the King of Heaven and one of his chief Courtiers God and an Archangel of light but God and a damned Spirit a black Prince and he but in very homely disguise but of a Serpent which though he were then a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Cedrenus out of some of the Antients will have it somewhat a taller and goodlier creature than now the Serpent is that his Legs be cut off yet the Text saith a beast for all that I and that beast branded for craft infamous for the subtilest creature and so not likely to prove the most honest and solicitous of their good and this cunning Pytho had made friends to speak contrary to his kind there was sure some sorcery in that and all this one would think was enough to have added authority to God by such a prejudg'd Competitor And just so was it to the Israelites at their coming out
custom what indulgence in sin i. e. what Tophet what Hell shall be able to separate us from the love the favour the heaven of God He that hath Christ the Priest hath all he that believes in the sufferings hath Christ the Priest though not the King hath the faith though not the works i. e. the righteousness though not the Heathenish morality the Protestant Orthodox part though not the Popery the Antichristianism of a Christian and so is but the richer for that want hath the greater portion in the sufferings of Christ by the abundance of those sins he suffered for the more of the Priest is ours by how much the less of the King is discernible in us Having driven our unchristian lives to this principle this solemn conceit of ours that the Priestly office of Christ to which if rightly understood we owe all our salvation is nothing but the death of that Christ methinks 't were now possible to convince the secure Fiduciary of the error and sophistry of his former way to rob him of his beloved cheat now that we have prov'd so clear that Christ commenc'd his eternal Priesthood that on which all our blessedness depends from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not till after his resurrection For Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth and mourneth and bleedeth for in secret thou carnal confident that hast wearied thy self in the greatness of thy way thy profane wild-goose chase of sin and yet hast not said there is no hope thou that wilt profane and be saved too riot and be saved too reconcile faction rebellion sacrilege oppression oaths carnality all the unchristian practices in the world the confutation of the whole Gospel with salvation Tell me I say what Christ it is thou wilt be tried or saved by by Christ the King I am confident thou wert never so impudent to venture thy rebellions to that cognizance Well it is Christ the Priest thou so dependest on and â—y Christ the Priest Why because he hath sacrificed himself for thee Now let me tell thee 1. That some have guest shrewdly that though Christ died for all the sinners and sins in the world yet his sufferings being but finite in duration though infinite in respect of the person of the sufferer will not prove a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a proportionable ransom for thy sins I mean the impenitent sinners sins in duration infinite being as they are undetermin'd uncut off by repentance Thou must return reform confess and forsake or else thou hast out-sinn'd the very sufferings of Christ out-spent that vast ransom out damn'd salvation it self that may be a conviction ad hominem perhaps and therefore I mention'd it in the first place But then 2. Thou art it seems all this while mistaken in thy Priest thou art it seems all for the Aaronical and hast not yet thought of the Melchisedech-Priest thou art all for the sacrificer and never dream'st of the blesser Thou layest all thy weight on the Cross of Christ and art ready to press it down to hell with thee with leaning onely but not crucifying one lust on it never thinkest of being risen with Christ the condition so indispensably necessary to give us claim to the benefit of his death and so in effect thou leavest Christ in the grave and thy self in that mournful case of the despairing Disciples speraveramus we had hoped but never look'st after a resurrection 'T was Saint Pauls saying If in this life only we have hope in Christ we were of all men most miserable I suppose it is in this life only not of us but of Christ on this earth for it is brought to prove Christs resurrection there and it follows immediately but now is Christ raised 1 Cor. 15.20 and if that be the sense of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there the this life of Christ contains also his death under it for both those together it is that must make up the opposite to the resurrection And then I shall enlarge the Apostles words though not sense If in the earthly life and death of Christ we had hope only a sad life and a contumelious death if there were no such thing as a resurrection to help bless us we were of all men the most miserable hadst thou no other Priest but the Sacrificer the mortal finite Aaronical-Priest nothing but the ransom of Christs death which though it be never so high a price is yet finally unavailable to many for whom it was paid he bought them that are damn'd for denying him 2 Pet. 2.1 the wilful sinner treads under foot the Son of God profanes the blood of the covenant by which he is sanctified Heb. 10.29 and so there 's destruction enough still behind for the impenitent wretch after all that Christ hath suffer'd for thee what forms of ejulation and lamentation were enough for thee Alas my Brother ah Lord or ah his glory what mourning or wailing were thy portion Tell me wilt thou be content to leave thy Father before he hath blessed thee Jacob would not do so with the Angel but would wrestle his thigh out of joynt rather than thus part with him and even the profane Esau will run and weep bitterly for it and then art thou more nice and tender than that smooth Jacob wretchless than that profane Esau if thou content'st thy self only to have brought Christ to the grave that state of curse and never look'st out for the blessing provided for thee in the resurrection Mistake me not I would not drive you from this Cross of Christ discourage you from that most necessary act of faith the apprehending the crucified Saviour No if my lot had fallen on a Good-friday I would have spent my whole hour on that one theme and known nothing among you but Jesus Christ and him crucified Only my desire is that you will not allow one act of faith to turn Projector to get all the custom from the rest that you will permit Christ to live in you as well as to die for you to bless as well as to satisfie to rise again for your justification as well as to be delivered up for your offences that you will attend him at Galilee as well as at Golgotha think of the triumphant as well as the crucified Saviour the Melchisedech as well as the mortal Aaron-Priest And not only to think of his rising I must tell you but count of a work a mighty important necessary work that of turning in this Text to be wrought on us and in us by that resurrection now after the pardon impetrated by his passion I say not only to think of and believe him risen the Devil hath as much of that thought as frequent repeated acts of that belief as you and there is not such magick in that faith or phansie as to bear you to Heaven by meditating on his journey thither to elevate you by gazing on his ascension No that faith must be in our hearts too that
may do so here of this there is no doubt but it belongs to charity or duty toward men in its latitude of which alms giving is one most special part and except our righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees we shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven the text on which that heavenly Gospel-Sermon was preach'd upon the Mount If we have any design toward Evangelical perfection toward the Christian pitch the abundance of goodness and mercifulness as that is improved by Christianity then this third years tithing will prove but a beggarly thin proportion that that a Jew if he were a religious one would have been ashamed of But be our aims never so moderate if a door-keepers place will serve our turn to be one of the Nethinim of the meanest rank in the kingdom of heaven yet still we must exceed that proportion of the Jews righteousness their third years tithe that they were bound to or else we are strangely mistaken in Christianity I am unwilling to descend to the arraigning or indicting or so much as examining any man here for the omissions of his former life in this kind my humble lowliest request is that you will do it your selves and if either through ignorance you have not reckoned of it as a duty or through desire to thrive in the world you have omitted to practise it heretofore you will now at last at this instance take it into your consideration and remember that there is such a thing as charity a pale wan despised creature commended to Christians by Christ not to suffer it any longer to go for one of those Magicians Serpents which faith like Moses's rod is appointed to devour if it do know this that that rod is the verier serpent of the two and for the quickning that resolution in you I shall proceed unto the third particular the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to consider it as a duty and so to make an end of my first general In this slothful but confident age of the world 't were admirably worth ones pains to instruct men what duty is now under the Gospel what the very word signifies in a Christian Nomenclature There are so many descants of fantastical brains on that plain song of the Apostles We are not under the law but under grace that 't is scarce agreed on among Christians what 't is to be a Christian nothing more unresolved than what 't is that 's now required under the second Covenant as necessary to salvation One thinks that the believing all fundamentals is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the only qualification for a Christian and what hath duty to do with that Another makes the Gospel consist all of promises of what shall be wrought in us and on us by Christ and so gives an absolute supersedeas for duty a◠a legal out-dated thing that is utterly antiquated by grace Another contents himself with purposes and resolutions thin airy inclinations to duty and is utterly indifferent for any performance doubts not but to pass for a Christian as regenerate as S. Paul when he wrote c. 7. to the Romans though he never do the good that he resolves live and die carnal and captived and sold under sin A fourth dissolves all to a new-found faith A full perswasion an absolute assurance that he is one of Gods elect is abundantly sufficient to estate himself in that number a piece of magick or conjuring that will help any man to heaven that will but phansie it enrol their names in the book of life in those sacred eternal diptycks by dreaming only that they are there already Others there are that seem kinder unto duty are content to allow Christ some return of performances for all his sufferings yet you see in the Gospel 't is in one but the patience of hearing him preach A Lord thou hast taught in our streets we have heard so many Sermons passes for a sufficient pretension to heaven in another the communicating at his table We have eat and drank in thy presence a sufficient viaticum for that long journey a charm or amulet against fear or danger in a third the diligence of a bended knee or solemn look of formal-outside-worship must be taken in commutation for all other duty and all this while religion is brought up in the Gentlemans trade good clothes and idleness or of the Lillies of the field vestiri non laborare to be clothed and not labour Duty is too mechanical a thing the shop or the plough the work of faith or labour of love are things too vile too sordid for them to stoop to heaven will be had without such sollicitors Shall I instance in one particular more That Satan may be sure that duty shall never rescue any prey out of his hands one thing you may observe that most men never come to treat with it to look after to consider any such thing till indeed the time comes that no man worketh till the tokens be out upon them till the cry comes that the bridegroom is ready to enter that judgment is at the door and then there is such running about for oil as it 't were for extreme Vnction and that a Sacrament to confer all grace ex opere operato on him that hath scarce life enough to discern that he received it the soul sleeps in it's tenement as long as its lease lasteth and when 't is expired then it rouseth and makes as if 't would get to work the Christian thinks not of action of duty of good works of any thing whilst life and health lasteth but then the summons of death wake him and the prayers which he can repeat while his cloaths are putting off shall charm him like opium for a quiet sleep Thus doth a death-bed repentance a death-bed charity a parting with sins and wealth when we can hold them no longer look as big in the Calenders of Saints stand as solemnly and demurely in our diptycks as judgment and mercy and faith that have born the heat and burthen of the day Our hearts are hardned while it is to day against all the invasion of Law or Gospel judgments or mercies threats or promises all Christs methods and stratagems of grace and just at the close of the evening the shutting in of night we give out that the thunderbolt hath converted us the feaver came with its fiery chariot and hurried us up to heaven Surdus mutus testamentum facit quite against Justinians rule he that hath sent out most of his senses before him and retains but the last glimmering of life is allowed to make his Will and reverse all former acts by that one final Satan hath all the man hath to give under hand and seal all his life time the spring especially and verdure of his age the children pass through the fire to Moloch and just as he is a dropping out of the world he makes signs of cancelling that will and by a
of a Woman in my Text a poor cowardly pusillanimous part that any body else any one that had but the least spark of valor or manhood in him would scorn to be guilty of an argument of one that hath suffered all his parts and gifts to lie sluggish and unprofitable and at last even quite perished by disusing As the weakness of Women below Men proceeds not only from their constitution and temper but from their course of life not from want of natural strength but of civil manlike exercise which might stir up and discipline and ripen that strength they have For if their education were as warlike and their strength by valiant undertaking so set out Virago's and Amazons would be well-nigh as ordinary as Soldiers And so will the comparison hold of those womanish sluggish abusers of Gods graces Then in the first words of this Verse How weak is thy heart noting it to be a degree of weakness below ordinary as we call one a weak man that hath done any thing rashly or unadvisedly which if he had but thought on he could never have been so sottish his ordinary reason would have prompted him to safer counsels In brief Any frequent indiscreet actions argue a weak fellow Not that he wants strength of discretion to do better but that he makes no use of it in his actions Thirdly How weak is thy heart Thy heart i. e. the principal part of the Man as the Brain is the speculative the fountain of good and evil actions and performances Now the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Original signifying the heart being naturally of the Masculine Gender is here set in the feminine out of order perhaps emphatically to note an unmanlike impotent effeminate heart all its actions are mixt with so much passion and weakness they are so raw and womanish that it would grieve one to behold a fair comely manlike Christian in shew betraying so much impotency in his behaviour even like the Emperour a spinning one who had undertaken to be a Champion for Christ led away and abused and baffled by every pelting paultry lust 'T is lamentable to observe what a poor cowardly degenerous spirit is in most Christians with how slender assaults and petty stratagems they are either taken captive or put to flight how easily in their most resolute undertakings of piety or vertue they are either vanquisht or caught The ordinariest coursest hard-favouredst temptation that they can see affects and smites them suddenly they are entangled before they are wooed and the least appearance of any difficulty the vizard or picture of the easiest danger is enough to fright them for ever from any thought of Religion or hope of Heaven For a meer natural man that hath nothing but original sin or worse in him that hath received nothing from God and his parents but a talent in a broken Vessel a soul infected by a crazy body diseas'd as soon as born for an Heathen that hath nothing to subsist on but a poor pittance of natural reason but one eye to see by and that a dim one for a meer Barbarian or Gentile to be thus triumphed over by every Devil as an Owl by the smallest Bird in the air might be matter of pity rather than wonder and yet few of them were such cowards those very weapons that Nature had furnished them with being rightly put on and fitted to them stood many of them in very good stead There were few passions few sins of an ordinary size but a Philosopher and meer Stoick would be able to meet and vanquish and therefore 't is not so much natural as affected weakness not so much want of strength as sluggishness and want of care not so much impotency as numbness and stupidity of our parts which hath so extremely dis-abled those that take themselves to be the weakest of us The truth is we are willing to conceive that our natural abilities are quite perisht and anâ—ibilate and that God hath no ways repaired them by Christ because we will not be put to the trouble of making use of them we would spare our pains and therefore would fain count our selves impotent as sluggards that personate and act diseases because they would not work or the old Trâ—gedians which could call a God down upon the Stage at any time to consummate the impossiblest Plot and therefore would not put their brains to the toil of concluding it fairly Certainly the decrepitest man under Heaven if he be but a degree above a Carkass is able to defend himself from an ordinary Flie 't is one of the Devils titles to be Beelzebub the Prince of Flies and such are many of his temptations he that hath but life in him may keep himself from any harm of one of them but the matter is they come in flocks and being driven once away they return again Musca est animal insolens and the Devil is frequent in these temptations and though you could repel them as fast as they come yet 't would be a troublesom piece of work it will be more for your ease to lie still under them to let them work their will so in time Fly-blows beget noysomness and vermine in the soul and then the life and death of that man becomes like that of the Egyptians or Herod and no plague more finally desperate than those two of Flies and Lice I am resolv'd there be many temptations which foil many jolly Christians which yet a meer natural man that never dream't of Scripture or Gods Spirit might if he did but bethink himself resist and many times overcome Many acts of uncleanness of intemperance of contempt of superiours of murther of false-dealing of swearing and prophaning that cheap unprofitable that untempting and therefore unreasonable sin Many acts I say of these open abominable sins which either custom or humane Laws make men ashamed of and the like the very Law of Reason within us is able to affront and check and conquer That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Methodius calls it that Law born with us Naturale judicatorium saith Austin against Pelagius Lux nostri intellectûs say the Schoolmen out of Damascen nay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Stoick the promise that every one makes to nature the Obligation that he is bound in when he hath first leave to be a man or as Hierocles on the Pythagorean Verses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That Oath that is coaetantous and co-essential to all reasonable natures and engages them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. not to transgress the Laws that are set them This is I say enough to keep us in some terms or compass to swathe and bind us in to make us look somewhat like men and defeat the Devil in many a skirmish But how much more for a Christian who if it were by nothing but his Baptism hath certainly some advantages of other men for one that if he acknowledge any worships the true God never went a
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
mis-shapen horrid monstrous Vices have so framed and fashioned the whole fabrick of their lives without any blush or lineament of God in them that they are afraid ever to mention him in earnest for fear of putting them out of their course they dare not believe too much of God lest it should be their undoing a little sense of him would take off many of their tricks of sinning and consequently spoil their thriving in the world like Diana's Silversmith Act. xix 24 for by this craft they have their wealth The least glimpse of God in these mens hearts nay one solemn mention of him in their mouths were enough to bring them into some compass to upbraid their ways and reprove their thoughts Were these men taken to task according to the Canon Laws of our Kingdom and not suffered to live any longer amongst Christians till they understood clearly the promise of their Baptism till they durst come and make the same Vow in their own persons before all the Congregation which in their infancy their Sureties made for them were our Canon of Confirmation duly put in execution and every one as soon as he were capable either perswaded or forced to fit himself for the receiving of it as it is severely required by our Rubrick though much neglected in the practice I doubt not but there would be fewer sins amongst us much more knowledg of God and mentioning of his Name without the help of Oaths and Blasphemies to which God now is in a kind beholding that ever he comes into our mouths But now men having a great way to go in sin and nothing in the world to stop them begin their journey as soon as they are able to go and make such haste like the Sun or Gyant in the Psalmist to run their course are so intent upon the task the Devil hath set them that they can never stay to see or hear of God in their lives which yet is legible and palpable in every syllable of the World If they are so well brought up as to have learned their Creed and Catechism they have no other use for it but to break jests and swear by and would soon forget God's very Name or Attributes did they not daily repeat them over as School-boys their Parts and often comment on them by Oaths and Prophanations and these are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Apostles phrase Ephes ii 12 without God in the world Others there are of a prouder loftier strain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that pitch Camp and arm and fortifie themselves against God that would fain be a forging some other Religion they are so weary and cloy'd with this Thus have I heard of some that have sought earnestly for an Alcoran and profess an opinion that all true Divinity lies there and expect to be esteemed great Wits of a deep reach for this supposal Others that have not skill enough to understand Turcism yet have lusts enough to admire it and the brave carnal Paradise it promises and if they cannot perswade themselves to believe in it yet they phansie it notably and because they cannot expect to have it in another life they will be sure of it in this Hence do they advance to such a pitch of sensuality as Heathenism was never guilty of their whole life is a perpetual study of the arts of death and their whole Souls an Holocaust or burnt Sacrifice to their fleshly lusts It were an horrid representation but to give you in a diagram the several Arts that the god of this World hath now taught men to vilifie and reproach the God of Heaven Profest Atheism begins to set up it comes in fashion and then some Courtiers must needs be in it Prophaning of Scripture and making too cheap of it was never so ordinary that holy Volume was never so violently and coursly handled even ravished and defloured by unhallowed lips 'T is grown the only stuff in request and ordinariest garment to cloth a piece of scurrilous Wit in and the best of us can scarce choose but give it some applause Beloved there is not a sin in the World that sticks closer to him that once entertained it the least indulgence in it is a desperate sign 'T is called the chair of scorners Psal 1. a sin of ease and pleasure a man that uses it that is once a merry Atheist seldom if ever proves a sad sober Christian Julian and many others have gone scoffing to Hell like men whose custom of mocking hath made wry mouthed scarcely composing themselves to a solemn Countenance till horrour either of Hell or Conscience hath put smiling out of date And if any of these sins are but crept in amongst you it will be worthy our enquiry and examination and God grant your own impartial Consciences may return you Not guilty However this will but prove you no worse than Jews for they here acknowledg God in their brain and tongues they said The Lord liveth Your second Interrogatory must be Whether whilst you thus profess you do not also swear falsly And then 't is to be feared that every action of your lives will bring in an Evidence against you 'T were an accusation perhaps that you seldom hear of to be challenged for Hypocrites to be turned Puritans and pretenders to Holiness yet this is it my Text must charge you with professing of Religion and never practising it assenting to the truth of Scripture in your brain but not adhering to it in your hearts believing in Christ and yet valuing him beneath the meanest sin you meet with Look over your Creed and observe whether your lives do not contradict every word in it and is it not Hypocrisie and Perjury or if you will have it high Complementing with God to be thus profuse and prodigal in our professions which we never mean to perform Then is it to be called belief when it is sunk down into our hearts when it hath taken root in a well-tempered soil and begins to spring above ground and hasten into an ear That which grows like Moss on the tiles of an house which is set no deeper than the phancy will never prove either permanent or solid nourishment to the soul 'T were a new hours work to shew every defect in our Faith by our defections and desertions of God in our manners yet if you will be in earnest with your selves and apply the grounds premised to your serious Examination your meditations may throughly make up what here is likely to be omitted One thing take home with you for a Rule to eternity That every indulgence in any sin is a sure argument of an Infidel be you never so proud and confident of your Faith and Justification by it be you never so resolute that the Lord liveth yet if your obedience be not uniform if you imbrace not what you assent to surely you swear falsly Your particular failings I am not knowing enough to
represent to you your own Consciences if they be but called to cannot choose but reflect them to your sight Your outward profession and frequency in it for the general is acknowledged your Custom of the place requires it of you and the example of Piety that rules in your Eyes cannot but extort it Only let your lives witness the sincerity of your professions let not a dead Carcass walk under a living head and a nimble active Christian brain be supported with bed-rid mentionless Heathen â—imbs Let me see you move and walk as well as breath that I may hope to see you Saints as well as Christians And this shall be the summ not only of my advice to you but for you of my Prayers That the Spirit would sanctifie all our hearts as well as brains that he will subdue not only the pride and natural Atheism of our understandings but the rebellions and infidelity and heathenism of our lusts that being purged from any reliques or tincture or suspicion of irreligion in either power of our Souls we may live by Faith and move by Love and die in Hope and both in Life and Death glorifie God here and be glorified with him hereafter SERMON VIII LUKE XVIII 11 God I thank thee that I am not as other men extortioners c. or even as this Publican THAT we may set out at our best advantage and yet not go too far back to take our rise 't is but retiring to the end of the 8. Verse of this Chapter and there we shall meet with an abrupt speech hanging like one of Solomon's Proverbs without any seeming dependance on any thing before or after it which yet upon enquiry will appear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faln down from Heaven in the posture it stands in In the beginning of the Eight verse he concludes the former Parable I tell you that he will avenge them speedily and then abruptly Nevertheless when the Son of man comes shall he find faith upon the earth And then immediately Verse 9. he spake another parable to certain that trusted in themselves where this speech in the midst when the Son of man comes c. stands there by it self like the Pharisee in my Text seorsim apart as an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or intercalary day between two months which neither of them will own or more truly like one of Democritus his atomes the casual concurrence of which he accounted the principle and cause of all things That we may not think so vulgarly of Scripture as to dream that any title of it came by resultance or casually into the world that any speech dropt from his mouth unobserved that spake as man never spake both in respect of the matter of his speeches and the weight and secret energie of all accidents attending them it will appear on consideration that this speech of his which seems an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a supernumerary superfluous one is indeed the head of the corner and ground of the whole Parable or at least a fair hint or occasion of delivering it at that time Not to trouble you with its influence on the Parable going before concerning perseverance in prayer to which it is as an Isthmus or fibula to joyn it to what follows but to bring our eyes home to my present subject After the consideration of the prodigious defect of faith in this decrepit last age of the world in persons who made the greatest pretences to it and had arriv'd unto assurance and security in themselves he presently arraigns the Pharisee the highest instance of this confidence and brings his righteousness to the bar sub hac formâ There is like to be toward the second coming of Christ his particular visitation of the Jews and then its parallel his final coming to judgment such a specious pompous shew and yet such a small pittance of true faith in the world that as it is grown much less than a grain of mustard-seed it shall not be found when it is sought there will be such giantly shadows and pigmy substances so much and yet so little faith that no Hieroglyphick can sufficiently express it but an Egyptian temple gorgeously over-laid inhabited within by Crocodiles and Cats and carcasses instead of gods or an apple of Sodom that shews well till it be handled a painted Sepulchre or a specious nothing or which is the contraction and Tachygraphy of all these a Pharisee at his prayers And thereupon Christ spake the parable verse 9. there were two men went up into the temple to pray the one a Pharisee c. verse 10. Concerning the true nature of faith mistaken extreamly now adays by those which pretend most to it expuls'd almost out of mens brains as well as hearts so that now it is scarce to be found upon earth either in our lives or almost in our books there might be framed a seasonable complaint in this place were I not already otherwise imbarked By some prepossessions and prejudices infus'd into us as soon as we can conn a Catechism of that making it comes to pass that many men live and die resolv'd that faith is nothing but the assurance of the merits of Christ applied to every man particularly and consequently of his salvation that I must first be sure of Heaven or else I am not capable of it confident of my salvation or else necessarily damned Cornelius Agrippa being initiated in natural magick Paracelsus in mineral extractions Plato full of his Idea's will let nothing be done without the Pythagoreans brought up with numbers perpetually in their ears and the Physicians poring daily upon the temperaments of the body the one will define the soul an harmony the other a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Philoponus And so are many amongst us that take up fancies upon trust for truths never laying any contrary proposals to heart come at last to account this assurance as a principle without which they can do nothing the very soul that must animate all their obedience which is otherwise but a carcass or heathen vertue in a word the only thing by which we are justified or saved The confutation of this popular error I leave to some grave learned tongue that may enforce it on you with some authority for I conceive not any greater hindrance of Christian obedience and godly practice amongst us than this for as long as we are content with this assurance as sufficient stock to set up for Heaven there is like to be but little faith upon the earth Faith if it be truly so is like Christ himself when he was Emmanuel God upon the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an incarnate faith cut out and squared into limbs and lineaments not only a spiritual invisible faith but even flesh and bloud to be seen and felt organiz'd for action 't is to speak and breath and walk and run the ways of God's Commandments An assent not only
by which to make a judgment of Gods decree concerning us I say if we will believe God hath elected us 't is impossible any true Faith should be refused upon pretence the person was predestined to destrustion and if it were possible yet would I hope that Gods decrees were they as absolute as some would have them should sooner be softned into mercy than that mercy purchased by his Son should ever fail to any that believes The bargain was made the Covenant struck and the immutability of the Persian Laws are nothing to it that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. iii. 15 Wherefore in brief let us attend the means and let what will or can come of the End Christ is offered to every soul here present to be a Jesus only do thou accept of him and thou art past from death to life there is no more required of thee but only to take him if thou art truly possessor of him he will justify he will humble he will sanctifie thee he will work all reformation in thee and in time seâ—l thee up to the day of redemption Only be careful that thou mistakest not his Person thou must receive him as well as his promises thou must take him as a Lord and King as well as a Saviour and be content to be a subject as well as a Saint He is now proclaimed in your ears and you must not foreslow the audience or procrastinate To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts He holds himself out on purpose to you and by the Minister wooes you to embrace him and then it nearly concerns you not to provoke so true so hearty nay even so passionate a friend if he be not kissed he will be angry Lastly if in this business of believing so vulgarly exposed there yet appear some difficulties in the practice to be overcome before it prove a possible duty If self-denial be incompetible with flesh and blood if delights and worldly contentments if an hardned heart in sin and a world of high Imaginations refuse to submit or humble themselves to the poverty of Christ if we cannot empty our hands to lay hold or unbottom our selves to lean wholly on Christ then must we fly and pray to that spirit of power to subdue and conquer and lead us captive to it self to instruct us in the baseness the nothingness nay the dismal hideous wretchedness of our own estate that so being spiritually shaken and terrified out of our carnal pride and security we may come trembling and quaking to that Throne of Grace and with the hands of Faith though feeble ones with the eye of Faith though dimly with a hearty sincere resigning up of our selves we may see and apprehend and fasten and be united to our Saviour that we may live in Christ and Christ in us and having begun in the life of Grace here we may hope and attain to be accomplished with that of Glory hereafter Now to him which hath elected us c. SERMON XII ACTS XVII 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men every where to repent THE words in our English Translation carry somewhat in the sound which doth not fully reach the importance of the Original and therefore it must be the task of our Preface not to connect the Text but clear it not to shew its dependence on the precedent words but to restore it to the integrity of it self that so we may perfectly conceive the words before we venture to discuss them that we may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Aristotle phrases it first represent them to you in the bulk then describe them particularly in their several lineaments Our English setting of the words seems to make two Propositions and in them a direct opposition betwixt the condition of the ancient and present Gentiles that God had winked at i. e. either approved or pitied or pardoned the ignorance of the former Heathens but now was resolved to execute justice on all that did continue in that was heretofore pardonable in them on every one every where that did not repent Now the Original runs thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that is in a literal construction God therefore passing over the times of ignorance as if he saw them not doth now command all men every where to repent Which you may conceive thus by this kind of vulgar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or sensible proceeding in God God always is essentially and perfectly every one of his Attributes Wisdom Justice Mercy c. but yet is said at one time to be peculiarly one Attribute at another time another i. e. to be at one time actually just at another time actually merciful according to his determination to the object As when God fixes his Eyes upon a rebellious people whose sins are ripe for his justice he then executes his vengeance on them as on Sodom when he fixes his Eyes upon a penitent believing people he then doth exercise his mercy as on Nineveh Now when God looks upon any part of the lapsed World on which he intends to have mercy he suffers not his Eye to be fixed or terminated on the medium betwixt his Eye and them on the sins of all their Ancestors from the beginning of the World till that day but having another account to call them to doth for the present 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 look over all them as if they were not in his way and imputing not the sins of the Fathers to the Children fixeth on the Children makes his Covenant of mercy with them and commandeth them the condition of this Covenant whereby they shall obtain mercy that is every one every where to repent So that in the first place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must not be rendred by way of opposition he winked then but now commands as if their former ignorance were justifiable and an account of knowledge should only be exacted from us And in the second place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word read but this once in all the New Testament must be rendred not winking at but looking over or not insisting upon as when we fix our Eyes upon a Hill we suffer them not to dwell on the Valley on this side of it because we look earnestly on the Hill Now if this be not the common Attical acception of it yet it will seem agreeable to the penning of the New Testament in which whosoever will observe may find words and phrases which perhaps the Attick purity perhaps Grammar will not approve of And yet I doubt not but Classick authorities may be brought where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall signifie not a winking or not taking notice of but a looking farther a not resting in this but a driving higher for so it is rendred by Stephanus Ad ulteriora oculos convertere and then the phrase shall be as proper as the sense the Greâ—k as authentical as
Orpheus the inventer of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 professing and worshipping 365. Gods all his life time at his death left in his will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that however he had perswaded them all the while there was indeed but one God And lastly how these two affections in them admiration and gratitude admiration of men of extraordinary worth and gratitude for more than ordinary benefactions done either to particular men or Nations were the chief promoters of idolatry making the Heathens worship them as Gods whom they were acquainted with and knew to be but men as might be proved variously and at large If I could insist upon any or each of these it would be most evident what I hope now at last is proved enough that the ignorance of those times was not simple blind ignorance but malign perverse sacrilegious affected stubborn wilful I had almost said knowing ignorance in them which being the thing we first promised to demonstrate we must next make up the Proposition which is yet imperfect to wit that ignorance in these Heathen in Gods justice might have provoked him to have pretermitted the whole world of succeeding Gentiles which I must dispatch only in a word because I would fain descend to Application which I intended to be the main but the improvident expence of my time hath now left only to be the close of my discourse The ignorance of those times being of this composition both in respect of the superstition of their worship which was perverse as hath been proved and the prophaneness of their lives being abominable even to nature as might farther be shewed is now no longer to be called ignorance but prophaneness and a prophaneness so Epidemical over all the Gentiles so inbred and naturalized among them that it was even become their property radicated in their mythical times and by continual succession derived down to them by their generations So that if either a natural man with the eye of reason or a spiritual man by observation of Gods other acts of justice should look upon the Gentiles in that state which they were in at Christs coming all of them damnable superstitious or rather idolatrous in their worship all of them damnable prophane in their lives and which was worse all of them peremptorily resolved and by a law of homage to the customs of their fathers necessarily ingaged to continue in the road of damnation he would certainly give the whole succession of them over as desperate people infinitely beyond hopes or probability of salvation And this may appear by St. Peter in the 10. of the Acts where this very thing that the Gentiles should be called was so incredible a mystery that he was fain to be cast into a trance and to receive a vision to interpret it to his belief and a first or a second command could not perswade him to arise kill and eat verse 16. that is to preach to Gentiles he was still objecting the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the prophaneness and uncleanness of them And at last when by the assurance of the spirit v. 15. and the Heathen Cornelius his discourse with him he was plainly convinced what otherwise he never dreamt possible that God had a design of mercy on the Gentiles he breaks out into a phrase both of acknowledgment and admiration Of a truth I perceive c. verse 34. and that you may not judge it was one single Doctors opinion 't is added verse 45. And they of the Circumcision which believed were astonished because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost Nay in the 3 to the Ephesians verse 10. it is plain that the calling of the Gentiles was so strange a thing that the Angels themselves knew not of it till it was effected For this was the mystery which from the beginning of the world had been hid in God verse 9. which was now made known by the Church to principalities and powers verse 10. The brief plain meaning of which hard place is that by St. Pauls preaching to the Gentiles by this new work done in the Church to wit the calling of the Gentiles the Angels came to understand somewhat which was before too obscure for them till it was explained by the event and in it the manifold wisdom of God And this Proposition I might prove to you by many Topicks 1. By symptoms that their estate was desperate and their disease 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very very mortal as that God when he would mend a people he punisheth them with afflictions when he intends to stop a current of impetuous sinners he lays the ax to the root in a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or total subversion of them but when his punishments are spiritual as they were here when he strikes neither with the rod nor with the sword but makes one sin the punishment of another as unnatural lust of idolatry and the like when he leaves a nation to it self and the very judgement laid upon them makes them only less capable of mercy then is it much to be feared that God hath little mercy intended for that people their desertion being a forerunner of judgment without mercy 2. I might prove it ab exemplo and that exactly with a nec datur dissimile in Scripture that the nine Monarchies which the learned observe in Scripture were each of them destroyed for idolatry in which sin the Heathen now received to mercy surpass all the precedent world and for all their many destructions still uniformly continued in their provocation These and the like arguments I purposely omit as concerning St. Peters vision mentioned before out of the 10 of the Acts sufficiently to clear the point and therefore judging any farther enlargement of proofs superfluous I hasten with full speed to Application And first from the consideration of our estate who being the off-spring of those Gentiles might in the justice of God have been left to Heathenism and in all probability till St. Peters vision discovered the contrary were likely to have been pretermitted eternally to make this both the motive and business of our humiliation for there is such a Christian duty required of us for which we ought to set apart some tithe or other portion of time in which we are to call our selves to an account for all the general guilts for all those more Catholick engagements that either our stock our nation the sins of our progenitors back to the beginning of the world nay the common corruption of our nature hath plunged us in To pass by that ranker guilt of actual sins for which I trust every man here hath daily some solemn Assizes to arraign himself my text will afford us yet some farther indictments if 1700 years ago our father were then an Amorite and mother an Hittite if we being then in their loyns were inclosed in the compass of their idolatry and as all in Adam so besides
that we again in the Gentilism of our Fathers were all deeply plunged in a double common damnation how are we to humble our selves infinitely above measure to stretch and rack and torture every power of our souls to its extent thereby to enlarge and aggravate the measure of this guilt against our selves which hitherto perhaps we have not taken notice of There is not a better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the world no more powerful medicine for the softning of the soul and keeping it in a Christian tenderness than this lading it with all the burdens that its common or private condition can make it capable of this tiring of it out and bringing it down into the dust in the sense of its spiritual engagements For 't is impossible for him who hath fully valued the weight of his general guilts each of which hath lead enough to sink the most corky vain fluctuating proud stubborn heart in the world 't is impossible I say for him either wilfully to run into any actual sins or insolently to hold up his head in the pride of his integrity This very one meditation that we all hear might justly have been left in heathenism and that the sins of the Heathens shall be imputed to us their children if we do not repent is enough to loosen the toughest strongest spirit to melt the flintiest heart to humble the most elevated soul to habituate it with such a sense of its common miseries that it shall never have courage or confidence to venter on the danger of particular Rebellions 2. From the view of their ignorance or impiety which was of so hainous importance to examine our selves by their indictment 1. For our learning 2. For our lives 3. For the life of grace in us 1. For our learning Whether that be not mixed with a great deal of Atheistical ignorance with a delight and aquiescence and contentation in those lower Elements which have nothing of God in them whether we have not sacrificed the liveliest and spritefullest part of our age and souls in these Philological and Physical disquisitions which if they have not a perpetual aspect and aim at Divinity if they be not set upon in that respect and made use of to that purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Clement their best friend they are very hurtful and of dangerous issue Whether out of our circle of humane heathen learning whence the Fathers produced precious antidotes we have not suckt the poyson of unhallowed vanity and been fed either to a pride and ostentation of our secular or a satiety or loathing of our Theological learning as being too coarse and homely for our quainter palates Whether our studies have not been guilty of those faults which cursed the Heathen knowledge as trusting to our selves or wit and good parts like the Philosophers in Athenagoras 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. not vouchsafing to be taught by God even in matters of religion but every man consulting and believing and relying on his own reason Again in making our study an instrument only to satisfie our curiosity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only as speculators of some unknown truths not intending or desiring thereby either to promote vertue good works or the Kingdom of God in our selves or which is the ultimate end which only commends and blesses our study or knowledge the glory of God in others 2. In our lives to examine whether there are not also many relicks of heathenism altars erected to Baalim to Ceres to Venus and the like Whether there be not many amongst us whose God is their belly their back their lust their treasure or that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that earthly unknown God whom we have no one name for and therefore is called at large the God of the world Whether we do not with as much zeal and earnestness and cost serve and worship many earthy vanities which our own phansies deifie for us as ever the Heathen did their multitude and shole of gods And in brief whether we have not found in our selves the sins as well as the blood of the Gentiles and acted over some or all the abominations set down to judge our selves by Rom. i. from the 21 verse to the end Lastly for the life of grace in us Whether many of us are not as arrant heathens as mere strangers from spiritual illumination and so from the mystical Commonwealth of Israel as any of them Clem. Strom. 2. calls the life of your unregenerate man a Heathen life and the first life we have by which we live and move and grow and see but understand nothing and 't is our regeneration by which we raise our selves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from being still mere Gentiles and Tatianus farther that without the spirit we differ from beasts only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the articulation of our voice So that in fine neither our reason nor Christian profession distinguisheth us either from beasts or Gentiles only the spirit in the formalis ratio by which we excel and differ from the Heathen sons of darkness Wherefore I say to conclude we must in the clearest calm and serenity of our souls make a most earnest search and inquest on our selves whether we are yet raised out of this heathenism this ignorance this unregeneracy of nature and elevated any degree in the estate of grace and if we find our selves still Gentiles and which is worse than that still senseless of that our condition we must strive and work and pray our selves out of it and not suffer the temptations of the flesh the temptations of our nature the temptations of the world nay the temptations of our secular proud learning lull us one minute longer in that carnal security lest after a careless unregenerate natural life we die the death of those bold not vigilant but stupid Philosophers And for those of us who are yet any way Heathenish either in our learning or lives which have nothing but the name of Christians to exempt us from the judgment of their ignorance O Lord make us in time sensible of this our condition and whensoever we shall humble our selves before thee and confess unto thee the sinfulness of our nature the ignorance of our Ancestors and every man the plague of his own heart and repent and turn and pray toward thy house then hear thou in Heaven thy dwelling place and when thou hearest forgive remember not our offences nor the offences of our Heathen Fathers neither take thou vengeance of our sins but spare us O Lord spare thy people whom thy Son hath redeemed and thy spirit shall sanctifie from the guilt and practice of their rebellions Now to God who hath elected us hath c. Pars Secunda SERMON XIII ACTS XVII 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men every where to repent THey which come from either mean or dishonoured Progenitors will desire to make up their Fathers defect by
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
whensoever this light shall fail that it cannot guide us or our Eyes dazle that we cannot follow let us pray to the Father of lights and God of Spirits that he will shine spiritually in our hearts and fulfil us with his light of grace here which may enable us to behold him and enjoy him and rejoice with him and be satisfied with that eternal light of his Glory hereafter Now to him that hath elected us hath created redeemed c. SERMON XV. GAL. VI. 15 But a new Creature AMongst all other encumbrances and delays in our way to Heaven there is no one that doth so clog and trash so disadvantage and backward us and in fine so cast us behind in our race as a contentedness in a formal worship of God an acquiescence and resting satisfied in outward performances when men upon a confidence that they perform all that can be required of a Christian they look no farther than the outward work observe not what heart is under this outside but resolve their estate is safe they have as much interest in Heaven as any one Such men as these the Apostle begins to character and censure in the twelfth Verse of the Chapter As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh c. They that stand only on a fair specious out-side and think all the sap and life of Religion lies in the bark they do this and this these will have you circumcised and constrain you to a many burthensom Ceremonies measuring out Religion to you by the weight thus much is required of you to do as Popish Confessors set their deluded Votaries their task of Ave Maries and Pater nosters by tale and thus you may be sure to be saved In brief the Apostle here shews the unprofitableness of all these and sets up the inward sanctity and renewedness of heart against them all as the only thing that will stand us in stead and appear to be of any weight in the balance of the Sanctuary If you observe all the commands and submit your selves to all the burden of both Law and Gospel and bear it upon your shoulders never so valiantly if you be content to be circumcised as Christ was or because he hath now abrogated that make use of Christian liberty and remain uncircumcised notwithstanding all inducements to the contrary In brief be you outwardly never so severe a Jew or Christian all that is nothing worth there is but one thing most peremptorily required of you and that you have omitted For neither circumcision availeth any thing neither uncircumcision but a new Creature The particle but in the front of my Text is exclusive and restrictive it excludes every thing in the World from pretending to avail any thing from being believed to do us any good For by circumcision the Church of the Jews and by uncircumcision the whole profession of Christian Religion being understood when he saith neither of these availeth any thing he forcibly implies that all other means all professions all observances that men think or hope to get Heaven by are to no purpose and that by consequence it exactly restrains to the new creature there it is to be had and no where else thus doth he slight and undervalue and even reprobate all other ways to Heaven that he may set the richer price and raise a greater estimation in us of this The substance of all the Apostles Discourse and the ground-work of mine shall be this one Aphorism Nothing is efficaciously available to salvation but a renewed regenerated heart For the opening of which we will examine by way of doctrine wherein this new Creature consists and then by way of use the necessity of that and unprofitableness of all other plausible pretending means and first of the first wherein this new creature consists 'T is observable that our state of nature and sin is in Scripture exprest ordinarily by old age the natural sinful man that is all our natural affections that are born and grow up with us are called the old man as if since Adams fall we were decrepit and feeble and aged as soon as born as a Child begotten by a man in a Consumption never comes to the strength of a man is always weak and crazy and puling hath all the imperfections and corporal infirmities of age before he is out of his infancy And according to this ground the whole Analogy of Scripture runs all that is opposite to the old decrepit state to the dotage of nature is phrased new The new Covenant Mark i. 27 The language of believers new tongues Mark xvi 17 A new Commandment John xiii 34. A new man Ephes ii 15 In summ the state of grace is exprest by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all is become new 2 Cor. v. 17 So that old and new as it divides the Bible the whole state of things the World so it doth that to which all these serve man every natural man which hath nothing but nature in him is an old man be he never so young is full of Years even before he is able to tell them Adam was a perfect man when he was but a minute old and all his Children are old even in the Cradle nay even dead with old age Eph. ii 5 And then consequently every spiritual man which hath somewhat else in him than he received from Adam he that is born from above John iii. 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it may be so rendred from the original as well as born again as our English read it he that is by Gods spirit quickned from the old death Ephes ii 5 he is contrary to the former a new man a new creature the old Eagle hath cast his beak and is grown young the man when old has entred the second time into his mothers Womb and is born again all the gray hairs and wrinkles fall off from him as the Scales from blind Tobits Eyes and he comes forth a refin'd glorious beauteous new Creature you would wonder to see the change So that you find in general that the Scripture presumes it that there is a renovation a casting away of the old Coat a Youth and spring again in many men from the old age and weak Bed-rid estate of nature Now that you may conceive wherein it consists how this new man is brought forth in us by whom it is conceived and in what Womb 't is carried I will require no more of you than to observe and understand with me what is meant by the ordinary phrase in our Divines a new principle or inward principle of life and that you shall do briefly thus A mans Body is naturally a sluggish unactive motionless heavy thing not able to stir or move the least animal motion without a Soul to enliven it without that 't is but a Carcass as you see at Death when the Soul is separated from it it returns to be but a stock or lump of flesh the
accomplish't defer all our happiness to be performed to us at the Resurrection and though God kill us yet trust in him and be able to see through Death in a trust That our Redeemer lives and that with these eyes we shall behold him then may we chear up and perswade our selves on good grounds that our hearts and lives do assent to the Resurrection which our tongues brag of Take no heaviness to heart but drive it away and remember the end But if this consideration cannot digest the least oppression of this life cannot give us patience for the lightest encumbrance but for all our Creed we still fly out into all outrages of passion and ecstacies of impatience we plainly betray our selves men of this present World whose happiness or misery is only that which is temporary and before our Eyes are not able by the perspective of faith to behold that which easily we might all our wants relieved all our injuries revenged all our wounds bound up in the day of the Resurrection but all our life long we repine and grumble and are discontented as men without hope and whilst we do thus what do we but act the part of these Atheists here in my Text scoffing and saying Where is the promise â—f his coming in the next Verse to my Text. This very impatience and want of skill in bearing the brunts of this our warfare is but a piece of cowardly Atheism either a denying or mocking at the Resurrection Every sigh is a scoff every groan a gibe every fear a sly art of laughing at the stupidity of those who depend upon the fulfilling of the promise of his coming Lastly say we what we will we live as if there were no Resurrection as Sadduces if not as Atheists all our designs look no further than this life all our contrivances are defeated and frustrate in the Grave we mannage our selves with so little understanding that any Spectator would judge by our actions that 't is no injury to compare us to the beasts that perish and never return again Certainly if we had any design upon Heaven or another life we would here make some provision for it Make our selves friends of our unrighteous Mammon that when we fail they may receive us into everlasting habitations i. e. use those good things that God hath given us with some kind of providence that they may stand us in stead when we have need of them i. e. not only as instruments to sin for that is to get us more Enemies but as harbingers to be sent before us to Heaven 'T was a bitter sarcasm of the fool to the Abbot on his Death-Bed that the Abbot deserved his staff as being the verier Fool of the two that being straight to die to remove his Tent to another World he had sent none of his houshold-stuff before him The truth is we live generally as men that would be very angry much displeased if any should perswade us there were a Resurrection the very mentioning of it to us might seem to upbraid our ordinary practices which have nothing but the darkness of death and silence of the Grave to countenance them I may justly say that many ignorant Heathens which were confident there was nothing beyond this life expected certainly with death to be annihilated and turn again into a perpetual nothing yet either for the awe they bore to vertue or fear of disgrace after death kept themselves more regularly lived more carefully than many of us Christians And this is an horrid accusation that will lie very heavy upon us that against so many illuminated understandings the ignorance of the Gentiles should rise up in judgment and the learned Christian be found the most desperate Atheist I have been too large upon so rigid a Doctrine as this and I love and pray God I may always have occasion to come up to this place upon a more merciful subject but I told you even now out of Lev. xix 17 that 't was no small work of mercy 't was the most friendly office that could be performed any man to reprehend and as the Text saith Not to suffer sin upon thy neighbour especially so sly a covert lurking sin as this of Atheism which few can discern in themselves I shall now come to Application which because the whole Doctrine spoke morally to your affections and so in a manner prevented Vses shall be only a recapitulation and brief knitting up of what hitherto hath been scattered at large Seeing that the Devils policy of deluding and bewitching and distorting our Vnderstandings either with variety of false gods or Heresies raised upon the true is now almost clearly out-dated and his skill is all bent to the deforming of the Will and defacing the character of God and the expression of the sincerity of our Faith in our lives we must deal with this Enemy at his own Weapon learn to order our munition according to the assault and fortify that part most impregnably toward which the tempest binds and threatens There is not now so much danger to be feared from the inrode of Hereticks in opinion as in practice not so much Atheism to be dreaded from the infidelity of our brains as the Heathenism and Gentilism of our Lusts which even in the midst of a Christian profession deny God even to his Face And therefore our chiefest Frontiers and Fortifications must be set up before that part of the Soul our most careful Watch and Sentinel placed upon our affections lest the Devil enter there and depopulate the whole Christian and plant the Atheist in his room To this purpose we must examine what Seeds are already sown what treachery is a working within and no doubt most of us at the first cast of the Eye shall find great store unless we be partial to our selves and bring in a verdict of mercy and construe that weakness which indeed signifies Atheism When upon examination we find our lives undermining our belief our practices denying the authority of Scripture and no whit forwarder to any Christian duty upon its commands When we find God's Essence and Attributes reviled and scoffed at in our conversation his omnipresence contemned by our confidence in sinning and argued against by our banishing God out of all our thoughts his all-sufficiency doubted of by our distrusts and our scorn to depend upon it When we perceive that our carriages do fall off at this part of our belief in Christ that he shall come again to be our Judge and by our neglect of those works especially of mercy which he shall then require of us shew that indeed we expect him not or think of him as a Judge but only as a Saviour When we observe our Wills resisting the gifts and falsifying the Attribute whilst our Creed confesses the Person of the Holy Ghost and see how little how nothing of the sanctifying spirit of the earnest of our Regeneration is in our hearts and we still
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
death as among us apprehending or taking or seizing on being phrases primarily used in judicature for the Officers apprehending of malefactors are vulgarly used of diseases and death it self A fourth interpretation of the word the LXXII on that place of Isaiah do suggest rendring it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we know signifies a conspiration or conjunction of many and with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iniquity is used of Simon Magus when he would have bought the gifts of the spirit of God out of a Satanical design the more advantageously to oppose and set up against Christ see note on Acts 8. e. This is the frequent importance of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ligae colligationes conspirationes to which David de Pomis told us the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here is equivalent and that the sense may possibly bear also there are no conspiracies for their deaths wicked men being of all others the safest in this respect good men being hated and conspired against by evil men but good men conspire not against evil Of these four possible senses the first and second together seems most probable that the wicked men have no pangs or assaults of pains and torments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bringing them to their deaths Castellio renders it in Latine stile non sunt necessitates quae eos enecent there are no necessities to cut them off no fatal destinies to bring them to their end such were diseases and the rest which the Poets feign'd to come out of Pandora's box Our vulgar hath not mistaken the sense when they read they are in no peril of death To this accords what here follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in our rendring of it their strength is firm or fat as Eglon Jude 3.17 is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a very fat man noting an athletick health and habit of body that is the firmest and most robustious farthest removed from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consumptive or emaciating sicknesses and so from all danger of death The LXXII render the verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no rest so the Arabick understands it and so saith Hesychius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it signifies rest and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Lucian is to ly upon the back and look up the posture of rest in their death and firmament in their scourge and the Latine non est respectus mortâ— eorum firmamentum in plagâ eorum there is no respect to their death and firmament in their plague 'T is not easie to divine what they meant by these expressions unless perhaps reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the notion of renitence refusing denying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Hesychius it signifies to deny refuse not to consent the meaning may be that they have no aversion to or at their death they die in a good old age without any violent disease to bring them to it nor is there any firmness in their scourge the diseases or afflictions that befall them are quickly over again continue not long upon them But the Latine will not be brought to this sense It may be non est respectus morti eorum may signifie they do not think of dying and then that will not be far from the sense though with the words it have no affinity Our former English which most frequently follows them hath here happily departed from them and rendred it fully to the sense they are in no peril of death but are lusty and strong But still it must be acknowledged there is great difficulty in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whether × be radical or no. If it be not and if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hebrew may be thought to have the like notion to what it hath in Arabick to signifie first then very agreeably to what went before it would thus be rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the former part of their life is healthy free from diseases or maladies according to the usual notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Arabick Or if it be radical and have any affinity with the Arabick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pain or grief then it would be in consort with the former still but it i. e. their death is free from pain But these conjectures are without authority Abu-Walid then makes × radical and takes it to signifie porticus the porch or as some times it doth the whole temple and then understanding ב the note of comparison he renders it they are firm and sound as the porch or temple i. e. as such a strong building as Psal 117. he prays that their daughters may be as corner-stones polished after the similitude of a palace This interpretation is mentioned as by Aben-Ezra so by Kimchi in his Commentary and also in his Roots in the name of R. Jonah i. e. Abu-Walid without any censure though he bring also the other interpretation making × an affix and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie strength as also Aben. Ezra doth The Jewish Arab interpreter making × an affix takes the other for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perhaps thus rendring the verse there are no bonds of or from their destruction nor danger but they say perhaps they shall recover or be in health as if it were literally healthful is their perhaps or that which they perswade themselves of not thinking themselves in danger of death Aben-Ezra also hath another rendring taking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a palace and understanding ב they or every of them is in health in his palace In this variety it may be best to adhere to that of our English reading × as an affix and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for strength of body V. 5. Men In this verse the critical difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seems to be respected The former from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doluit aeger fuit signifies a painful sickly calamitous estate and accordingly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the labour from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doluit male habuit denotes sickness or pains or other such kinds of misery which bring anguish and faintings with them which the LXXII fitly express by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lassitudes used also for diseases or sickness But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a more general word for any sort of man any son of Adam any mortal which by bearing sinful flesh is subject to afflictions of all sorts noted here by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to strike or scourge which the LXXII fitly express by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latine by flagellari And so as the former phrase denotes the sorrow or pain or sickness of the diseased or weak so this latter to be stricken or scourged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with man signifies all other kind of afflictions which befall men