literally interpretable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for or according to their iniquity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abjection casting or vomiting out shall be to them i. e. they shall as vile persons be rejected and cast out by God And thus the Chaldee appear to have understood it who render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall be empty or vile and to this best connects that which follows in the verse In thine anger cast down the people The Fifty Seventh PSALM TO the chief Musitian Altaschith Michtam of David when he fled from Saul in the Cave Paraphrase The fifty seventh Psalm was composed by David on occasion of what happened in Sauls pursuing him 1 Sam. 24. when David finding Saul in the Cave might have killed him if he would but spared him and thereby gave him assurance of his friendship and not as he had been calumniated enmity to him It was set to the tune of a former Psalm which began with the words Destroy me not and it is as the former stiled his jewel see note on Psal 16. â— in respect of the greatness of the mercy recounted in it It was committed to the Prefect of his Musick 1. Be merciful unto me O Lord be merciful unto me for my soul trusteth in thee yea in the shaddow of thy wings will I make my refuge untill these calamities be overpast Paraphrase 1. To thee O Lord I make my most affectionate and humble address relying on thee reposing my whole trust in thee neither seeking nor projecting any means of safety to my self save that which consists in thine only aid and protection Be thou mercifully pleased to afford me this at this time and continue it till this persecution be over 2. I will cry unto God most high unto God that performeth all things for me Paraphrase 2. The Lord that hath espoused my cause is a God of might All that I ever received hath been from him my deliverances his immediate vouchsafements to him therefore now do I with all chearful confidence address my supplications 3. He shall send from heaven and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up Selah God shall send forth his mercy and his truth Paraphrase 3. When malicious-mindâ—â— men are most bitterly set against me even to devout and destroy me utterly God shall send me relief from his throne by some means which he shall think fittest to chuse for me by his Angels or by his gracious over-ruling providence disappointing those that had these bloody designs against me He hath bound himself by promise and so both his mercy and fidelity are concerned in it and he will make good both unto me 4. My Soul is among Lions and I lie even among them that are set on fire even the sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword Paraphrase 4. My life is in the same danger as if I were incompast with Lions virulent men such as are continually inflaming and inciting Saul to pursue and destroy me never say any thing but with some bloody design of bringing mischief upon me 5. Be thou exalted O God above the heavens let thy glory be above all the earth Paraphrase 5. Lord be thou pleased to rescue me out of this danger and so to magnifie thy own glory over the pride and malice of the greatest men by discomfiting and frustrating the designs of such 6. They have prepared a net for mp steps my soul is bowed down they have digged a pit before me into the midst of which they are fallen themselves Selah Paraphrase 6. They have designed very treacherously against me like fowlers that by digging holes and laying ginâ— or toils in them insnare the simple unwary bird and God hath disappointed them in all their designs brought on them what they had projected against me 7. My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise Paraphrase 7. This is enough to raise and enliven and inspirit any mans heart to praise and magnifie the mercy of so signal a deliverance And as there is nothing so fit so nothing that I shall more readily perform 8. Awake up my glory awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early Paraphrase 8. My tongue see Psal 16. note â— shall begin the hymn and the instruments of Musick shall follow in a chearful and melodious note they shall no longer lie idle when such eminent mercies exact their acknowledgments and my heart whose tribute is most due and every member of my body faculty of my soul and action of my life shall be most diligent in an early payment of it 9. I will praise thee O God among the people I will sing unto thee among the nations Paraphrase 9. My acknowledgment shall not be made to thee in private only but in the midst of the congregation with the greatest solemnity possible calling all others to assist me in so weighty a work 10. For thy mercy is great unto the heavens and thy truth unto the clouds Paraphrase 10. For thou hast in a most eminent manner made good thy great mercy most undeservedly and gratiously promised to me and thereby thy fidelity also 11. Be thou exalted Lord above the heavens let thy glory be above all the earth Paraphrase 11. Lord be thou pleased to rescue me out of this present danger and so to magnifie thy own glory over the pride and malice of the greatest men by disappointing and frustrating their designs against me see v. 5. Annotations on Psalm LVII Tit. Altaschith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perdidit is a form of deprecation destroy not It is four times used in the titles of the Psalms in this and the two next succeeding 58. and 59. and 75. This makes the Chaldees gloss improbable viz. that it was composed at a time when he said Destroy me not for that will not fitly be applicable to any much less to all of these 'T is much more probable that as many other titles of the Psalms so this was designed to denote the melody or tune to which it was set the same that had formerly belonged to some Psalm or hymn beginning with those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 destroy not V. 3. The reproach All the Antient Interpreters make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a verb and so sure it is of the preterperfect tense in Piel and apply it to God that he shall deliver David having shamed or reproached his enemies So the Chaldee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he hath reproached the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he shamed or reproached So before them the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Vulgar dedit in opprobrium he gave to reproach and accordingly the Arabick and Aethiopick And in all reason â—o we are to render it rather then imagine the prefix â— to be wanting But another rendring the words are also capable of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
that they fall not irreversibly under his vengeance 8. O bless our God ye people and make the voice of his praise to be heard 9. Which holdeth our soul in life and suffereth not our feet to slip Paraphrase 8 9. 'T is he that surrounds our lives in time of danger and preserves them from all miscarriage and accordingly is to be blest and magnified by all that have received this mercy from him to be preserved so long when if he had not supported they had each minute been cast down 10. For thou O God hast proved us thou hast tried us as silver is tried Paraphrase 10. He hath sometimes brought trouble and affliction upon us upon the same designs that metallists are wont to throw gold or silver into the fire to distern whether it be pure or no and if it be not to melt and separate all the dross and false metal from it Thus he dealt with the Israelites of old in the iron furnace of Egypt and proportionably thus he hath now dealt with us And this hath been his one gratious purpose in all his inflictions to approve our sincerity of adherence to him and to reform and purge out all that is vitious in us 11. Thou broughtest us into the net thou laidst affliction upon our loyns Paraphrase 11. One while he hath permitted us to be insnared and subdued by our enemies as in Egypt our Fathers were 12. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads we went through fire and through water but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place Paraphrase 12. Another while he hath permitted them to oppress and tyrannize over us But then as after the example of those he hath by his providence chosen to permit very sharp afflictions to befal us so hath he gratiously brought us through and out of them again As he brought our fathers to Canaan a land flowing with milk and honey after the fire of the brick-kilns and the water of the sea and the floods of the River Jordan so hath he oft delivered us out of the most pressing distresses brought us out of drowing to blessing waters to a well-watered irrigated Country and returned us to all kind of prosperity 13. I will go into thy house with burnt-offerings I will pay thee my vows 14. Which my lips have uttered and my mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble Paraphrase 13 14. When we were in any distress we made our addresses to thee besought thee to avert them and upon thy hearing our prayers promised reformation of life and voluntary oblations for the acknowledgment of that deity from whence we expected and begged our relief And now being heard and answered by thee we are under the strictest obligation of justice and gratitude and performance of promise to return our most chearful acknowledgments to thee 15. I will offer unto thee burnt-sacrifices of fatlings with the incense of â—ams I will offer bullocks with goats Selah Paraphrase 15. And this I will now do in the liberallest and most magnificent manner that can be 16. Come and hear all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my soul Paraphrase 16. And proclaim to all pious men for their incouragement â—ow gratiously God hath dealt with me all my life long 17. I cryed unto him with my mouth and he was extolled with my tongue Paraphrase 17. How as soon as I made my prayers unto him he granted them presently and gave me cause to convert them into praises 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me 19. But verily God hath heard me he hath attended to the voice of my prayer Paraphrase 18 19. Which is beside the blessing granted a farther matter of joy and comfort to me that that God which cannot patronize any sin hath been pleased to hearken to my request and so to sign unto me his approbation of my sincerity 20. Blessed be God which hath not turned away my prayer nor his mercy from me Paraphrase 20. His Name be for ever magnifies for this honour of hearing my prayers and the deliverance consequent thereto Annotations on Psal LXVI V. 2. Make his praise glorious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here the Jewish Arab renders in the notion of giving give him glory and so regularly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 posuit put is used for dedit gave and is here v. 9. joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to give as a synonymâ—n and so to put to him honour is to give it him but he as well as others avoids making 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be in regimine so as to govern the noun that follows the glory of his praise for then as in the beginning of this verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the honour of his Name the vowel should be changed from to It is then possible that the nouns should be put by apposition and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be in the ordinary notion of put or make make glory his praise i. e. either your glory as Aben Ezra would have it make your glory his praise let it be your glory to praise him or his glory make his glory his praise But 't is yet more probable that the difficulty may be best removed by understanding a preposition in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Jewish Arab supplies it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from or of his praise it may be as fitly by his praise i. e. by your praising of him To this sense the Chaldee may be interpreted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 give him glory by his praise and the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 give glory by his praise or by praising him and that seems to be the most ready rendring of it There are several ways of giving glory to God one by confessing of sins Josh 7.19 my Son give glory to God and make confession to him and tell me what thou hast done and so 1 Sam. 6.5 ye shall give glory to God peradventure he will lighten his hand and Jer. 13.16 and elsewhere And another by praising him Isa 42.12 Let them give glory to the Lord and declare his praise so Rev. 2.9 when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks And so here give him glory by what means 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by his praise or by praising him V. 7. Power for ever That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the English age signifies not only time and duration but also the men that live in any time there is no question And then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must here most properly be rendred ruling the world or over the world and so the Chaldee certainly understood who read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which exerciseth dominion over the world and so I suppose the LXXII their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having dominion over the world doth import though the Latine hath rendred it amiss and against their meaning in aeternum The Syriack by following the Hebrew and rendring it 〈◊〉
Potentates of the world and all the people thereof shall acknowledge and magnifie his government And so shall the Gentile world universally subject themselves to Christ 12. For he shall deliver the needy when he cryeth the poor also and him that hath no helper Paraphrase 12. As the government of a just and merciful Prince that is ready to relieve all that are opprest and wronged And therein a type of Christs Kingdom who never denies grace and pardon to the humble suppliant that having no trust to rely on â—n himself sees in prayer to his free grace and mercy 13. He shall spare the poor and needy and he shall save the souls of the needy Paraphrase 13. A Prince of bowels and compassion to them that are in any kind of distress to defend and deliver them out of it And so shall Christ not only not punish the lowly penitent sinner but bestow all that iâ— pretious upon him even grace here and eternal salvation hereafter 14. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence and pretious shall their blood be in his fight Paraphrase 14. To rescue them out of the hand of the injurious and oppressor and preserve their lives from the invader as those that are much valued and esteemed by him And so shall Christ redeem in the most eminent manner those that rely on him from all their spiritual enemies Sin and Satan from the power of the one and tyranny of the other and pay his own life a ransome for mankind 15. And he shall live and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba prayer also shall be made for him continually and daily shall he be praised Paraphrase 15. As long as he lives shall strangers reverence and subjects continually bless and pray for him as the Author of a peaceable and happy life to them And so shall the faith of Christ have the reverence of strangers be admired by all that hear of it as being made up of the most excellent divine doctrines of charity purity subjection c. and for all those that set themselves to the practice of his precepts they shall have cause to bless them and magnifie them as the greatest mercy that could ever have been vouchsafed them 16. There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth Paraphrase 16. In his time shall there be great abundance of all things and Gods hand very remarkable in blessing and prospering the smallest quantity of seed sown in the barrennest soile into a most plentiful harvest and this city shall thrive proportionably the number of the inhabitants shall increase as fast as the seed which is sown doth And so in the dayes of the Messiah shall Gods providence and his grace most signally evidence it self in bringing forth a multitude of believers by a little contemptible preaching of the faith among the most idolatrous obdurate Gentiles 17. His name shall endure for ever his name shall be continued as long as the Sun and men shall be blessed in him all nations shall call him blessed Paraphrase 17. And his memory and honour shall outlive his person shall never be blotted out but shall flourish and descend upon his posterity as a mark of renoun to all that shall come from him And for all others when they shall bless any Prince or royal person they shall do it in this form The Lord make thee like Solomon And in sum all the nations in the world shall look upon him as a most blessed person a most wise and a most prosperous Prince And so shall Christ pretypified by Solomon be in a most eminent manner remembred even adored and worshipped and magnified for ever All they that receive his faith shall as his sons be called by his name be known by the title of Christians and be looked upon as a most happy and blessed sort of men that they are vouchsafed that dignity of being his sons to be taught and educated by him and to transcribe his copies to be like him in all goodness 18. Blessed be the Lord God the God of Israel who only doth wondrous things Paraphrase 18. For these and all other his mercies so wonderfully wrought for his servants and which none else is able to work the eternal Lord of heaven and earth who alone is worshipped by the Jews and which hath chosen them to himself to be his people be now and ever magnified 19. And blessed be his glorious name for ever and let the whole earth be filled with his glory Amen and Amen Paraphrase 19. And O that all the men in the world would set themselves industriously and faithfully to his service that they would bless and praise him continually offer up their daily oblation of lands and thanksgiving to him and all hearts be throughly possest with his divine excellencies and endeavour to express the power thereof in all the actions of their lives in doing what he hath directed and exemplified to them O that every man would say Amen to this prayer O that God would once grant this petition 20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended Paraphrase 20. Here is the conclusion of the second Book of Psalms which were if not all composed yet perhaps all collected and put into this order by David The other Books that follow being a collection of Asaph and other men in which some there are also of Davids composing after the finishing of this collection or shutting up of this Book Annotations on Psalm LXXII V. 3. Righteousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place is by the LXXII rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in righteousness and so joyned in construction with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall judge in the beginning of the next verse and so it must be if the ב have any signification But it is not unusual for this and other prepositions to be used as expletives and accordingly the Chaldee retains it here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whilst yet both the Syriack and Latine leave it out and read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy righteousness and justitiam righteousness And so the sense is most perspicuous V. 5. They shall fear thee For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall fear or reverence thee The LXXII seem to have read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he shall prolong his life and so render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall endure as long as the Sun and so the Latine permanebit cum sole and he shall abide with the Sun But the Chaldee adhere to our reading of the Hebrew and render it both by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall fear from or be afraid of thee and again by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall pray before thee and so the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to fear or adore which the Interpreter
this sense of this verse the Apostles discourse seemeth to be framed Heb. 4 6 7. thus seeing they to whom it was first preached entred not in because of unbelief Again he limiteth a certain day saying To day c. i. e. notwithstanding all former rebellions if you will now come in the promised rest shall be made good to you Which the Apostle there applies to the Hebrews under the preaching of the Gospel not as if it had no completion in Davids time by the carrying up the Ark to Jerusalem and Gods resting and their worshipping him there but because beyond that the Psalm had a farther completion in the Messias as the Jews themselves Rab. Kimchi and others confess in whom God did much more eminently dwell than he ever did in the Ark or Temple at Jerusalem From whence therefore the Apostle concludes that there then remained a rest to the people of God the persecuted Christians and to all unbelieving Jews upon condition if they shall hearken to the voice of God in the preaching of the Gospel For then notwithstanding all their misbehaviours continued untill that time of his writting to them that warning they should yet be Gods people and enjoy the glorious promises of peace and happiness under the Messiah In which words to day if a farther offer of grace and pardon is made to those Jews on condition of timely reformation And so elsewhere according to these grounds the Apostle saith 't was necessary that the Gospel should first be preached to the Jews but they then again refusing it was to depart from them and be promulgated to the Gentiles who in the scheme here used in this verse are called by Christ other sheep Joh. 10.16 which are not of this fold taken in by God into his Church upon their hearing his voice when the Jews who if they would have heard at that time had still continued his sheep were cast out and given over as lost sheep for their not hearing The Ninety Sixth PSALM The ninety sixth Psalm is a form of common thanksgiving and praising of God for all his works of grace and mercy as the great Creatour and Preserver Redeemer and Judge of the world It was first composed by David and among others delivered into the hand of Asaph and his Brethren at the carrying up of the Ark from the House of Obed-Edom to Zion 1 Chron. 16.23 c. and afterward lightly changed and said to have been used at the reâ—building the Temple after the Captivity And is in the prophetick sense very appliable to Christ's spiritual Kingdom and the effects thereof in the conversion of the Gentiles c. see note c. 1. O Sing unto the Lord a new song sing unto the Lord all the earth 2. Sing unto the Lord bless his name shew forth his salvation from day to day 3. Declare his glory among the heathen his wonders among all people Paraphrase 1 2. O let all men in the world acknowledge and bless and magnifie the Lord of heaven and this in the utmost chearfull joyous manner every day of their lives but more peculiarly we at this time who have this present signal addition to his wonted mercies commemorating all the glorious works and mighty deliverances which he hath wrought for his people Paraphrase 3. Let this zeal of ours indeavour to extend it self to the benefit of all the heathen people in the world those that know not God and by proclaiming the glorious miraculous acts of his power and goodness to his faithfull servants invite and perswade all to become proselytes to his service 4. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised he is to be feared above all Gods Paraphrase 4. For certainly his power and goodness his majesty and his mercy is most worthy to be adored by all rational creatures and his divine vengeance so lately felt by the Philistims whose Gods were plagued by him as well as their votaries and by the Jews themselves in that breach upon Uzza 1 Chron. 13.11 ought in all reason to be admired and reverenced and trembled at by all opposers much more than all the feigned deities that are feared and worshipped among men and are not able to secure their worshippers or themselves 5. For all the Gods of the nations are idols but the Lord made the heavens Paraphrase 5. The choicest of those that the heathen people of the world have adored for Gods are but either Angels or souls of men or celestial bodies and what are these but the creatures of God who is the Creatour of the highest heavens and of all that inhabit there and are therefore in all reason to give place to the kingdom of the Messias which is to be erected in mens hearts see note c. 6. Honour and majesty are before him strength and beauty are in his sanctuary Paraphrase 6. The sanctuary or holy place appointed for the assembly to whom God will powerfully presentiate himself is the most glorious majestick place in the world the Angels those splendid ministers of his reside there and by their ministery our prayers are heard our wants supplied and so sufficiency of strength imparted to those that stand in need of it and there petition for it And this an image and imperfect type of what shall be at the coming of Christ that spiritual kingdom of his among us by the efficacy of his grace in his Church 7. Give unto the Lord O ye kindreds of the people give unto the Lord glory and strength Paraphrase 7. O let all the nations and people of the world acknowledge him the great and glorious Creatour and supreme sole Governour of all 8. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name bring an offering and come into his courts Paraphrase 8. Let them pay to him those acknowledgments which his all-wise and gracious providence and disposals and the redemption which he hath wrought for the whole world exact from all and offer up themselves and their prayers those their spiritual sacrifices together to him in his Church 9. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness fear before him all the earth Paraphrase 9. Let them magnifie and adore him in all his glorious attributes revere and obey him in all his commands and never fall off or apostatize from him 10. Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth the world also shall be established that it shall not be removed he shall judge the people righteously Paraphrase 10. Let his people of the Jews instruct the heathen world in these great Articles of their Creed not onely that the God of Israel the Creatour of the world is also the sole Governour of it but farther that the Messias his eternal Son having conquered death shall have all dominion over his Church committed to him by his Father that by his divine providence and power he shall so over-rule and settle and compose the disturbances and oppositions among men that he shall plant miraculously and
provoked his spirit so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips Paraphrase 32 33. Before this is set down Num. 20. another murmuring of our Fathers against God occasioned by some want of water at Meribah a place so called from their chiding and contending with Moses where in their rage they wished they had died in that former plague Numb 11.13 And this their peevishness was a provocation to Moses who though he were a meek man brake out into a passionate speech v. 10. Hear ye now ye rebels shall we fetch you water out of this rock Wherein as he spake with some diffidence as if it were impossible to fetch water out of the rock when God had assured him v. 8. that at his speaking to the rock it should bring forth water sufficient for them all and is accordingly challenged of unbelief v. 12. so he seems to have assumed somewhat to themselves shall we and so did not sanctifie God in the eyes of the people of Israel v. 12. did not endeavour as he ought to set forth God's power and glory and attribute all to him And this passionate speech cost Moses very dear and was punished with his exclusion out of Canaan v. 12. Deut. 1.35 and 3.26 and 4.21 and 34.4 34. They did not destroy the nations concerning whom the Lord commanded them 35. But were mingled among the heathen and learned their works 36. And they served their idols which were a snare to them 37. Yea they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto devils 38. And shed innocent blood even the blood of their sons and of their daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan and the land was polluted with blood 39. Thus were they defiled with their own works and went a whoring with their own inventions Paraphrase 34 35 36 37 38 39. After all this when at length they were come into the promised land and had received particular command Deut. 7.2 that they should utterly destroy all the idolatrous inhabitants thereof for fear they should be inveigled by them and drawn away to their idol-worship and those abominable pollutions they were infamously guilty of yet contrary to this express command of God's they did not execute this severity they spared them and drave them not out but permitted them to live amongst them Jud. 1.21 and so 't is oft mentioned through that book and by this means they were corrupted and brought into their heathen sins see Jud. 3.6.7 worshipt their Idols and false Gods and observed those abominable rites which infernal spirits had exacted of their worshippers the slaying and sacrificing of men innocent persons yea their own dearest children and so to idolatry and worship of the Devil they added blood-guiltiness of the highest degree the deepest dye even the most barbarous and unnatural and to all these yet farther adding fornication and those abominable sins that those nations were guilty of and for which the land spued them out Lev. 18.28 40. Therefore was the wrath of God kindled against his people in so much that he abhorred his own inheritance Paraphrase 40. This great sin adding to all the former provocations most justly inflamed the vehement anger and displeasure of God against this people of which he had before resolved and promised Abraham that he would own them for ever as his peculiar and so a long while he did and bare with them very indulgently but they growing still worse and worse 't was but reasonable and according to the contents of his not absolute but conditionate covenant at length to reject and cast them off or withdraw his protection from them 41. And he gave them into the hands of the heathen and they that hated them ruled over them 42. Their enemies also oppressed them and they were brought in subjection under their hand Paraphrase 41 42. And accordingly so he did he suffered the heathen nations about them to invade and overcome them the King of Mesopotamia Jud. 3.8 who had dominion over them eight years the Midianites and Amalekites Jud. 6.3 the Philistims and Amorites Jud. 10.6 the Philistims Jud. 13.1 43. Many times did he deliver them but they provoked him with their counsel and were brought low for their iniquity Paraphrase 43. In each of these destitutions and oppressions God still reteined his wonted respect to them so far as from time to time to raise them up Captains to undertake their battels and to rescue them out of their oppressors hands but then still again they fell to their sinfull idolatrous courses and again forfeited and devested themselves of God's protection and were again subdued by the same or some other of their heathen neighbours 44. Nevertheless he regarded their affliction when he heard their cry 45. And he remembred for them his Covenant and repented according to the multitude of his mercies 46. He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives Paraphrase 44 45 46. And yet then also he did not utterly destitute them but in their times of distress and flying to him for succour he looked upon them with pity again remembred the covenant made with their Fathers and in infinite mercy returned from his fierce wrath and so inclined the hearts of those that had conquered them that instead of increasing they compassionated their miseries 47. Save us O Lord our God and gather us from among the heathen to give thanks to thy holy name and to triumph in thy praise Paraphrase 47. O blessed Lord be thou now pleased to return our captivity to reduce us from the hands of our heathen enemies that we may live to enjoy those blessed opportunities of making our most solemn acknowledgments to thee and blessing and magnifying thy holy name in this or the like form 48. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting and let all the people say Amen Praise ye the Lord. Paraphrase 48. To the almighty Lord of heaven and earth that hath made good his covenant of mercy to all his faithfull servants be all honour and glory from all and to all eternity And let all the world join in this joyfull acclamation adding every one his most affectionate Amen and Hallelujah Annotations on Psal CVI. Tit. Praise the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is here no part but onely the title of this Psalm This appears by two competent evidences 1. By the joint suffrage of all the ancient Translators of which the Syriack renders it not at all but in stead of it gives as their use is a large syllabus or contents of the Psalm but the Chaldee retein it as a title and the LXXII and Latin retein the Hebrew words putting them into one in the direct form of a title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alleluja and the Arabick more expresly such a Psalm noted with the title of Alleluja 2. By express testimony of Scripture 1 Chron. 16. There we reade v. 7. On that day David delivered first not this Psalm as we
as they were first created by the command of God so have they been governed and managed ever since by the same creative omnipotent power performing a perfect constant obedience to his precepts or directions doing nothing but what he will have done and so setting forth the glory of the great Creatour and supreme Governour of the world 7. Praise the Lord from the earth ye dragons and all deeps 8. Fire and hail snow and vapours stormy winds fulfilling his word 9. Mountains and all hills fruitfull trees and all cedars 10. Beasts and all cattel creeping things and flying foul 11. Kings of the earth and all people Princes and all judges of the earth 12. Both young men and maidens old men and children Paraphrase 7 8 9 10 11 12. Lastly this earth of ours together with the vast ocean in the cavities and bowels of it both making up but one region and neither infesting nor annoying the other were certainly thus ordered and disposed and governed by the omnipotent power of God which therefore they make known and proclaim to all men in the world and preach the knowledge of this one God and ruler of all and so silently praise him and leave all men without excuse which do not so also And as the whole bodies of both these the earth and ocean so all the several creatures that are in either the whales and other great and lesser fishes in the sea the meteors that are begotten in the air and descend upon the earth the lightnings and thunder hail and snow congealed vapours frost ice and dews the violent winds and tempests every one of which are instrumental to him perform his pleasure are wholly commanded by him and doe whatever he directs them the mountains and hills and forests adorned with stately tall but fruitless trees and the valleys full of trees bearing fruit and the cattel of daily use for man to doe their work and affording them their flesh for their food and their skins for their cloathing and those also of a wilder sort which dwell in the forests and woods and mountains see note on Psal 147. b. yet are made usefull also to the benefit of men and so all that creeps or swims or flies what have all these to doe but to sing forth the glories of the Creatour and Governour and disposer of them all and so doe by being used to the ends to which he designed them Lastly all the men of the earth the greatest Potentates their subordinate rulers and all inferiour subjects of what sex or age soever 13. Let them praise the name of the Lord for his name alone is excellent his glory is above the earth and heaven 14. He also exalteth the horn of his people the praise of all his saints even of the children of Israel a people near unto him Praise ye the Lord. Paraphrase 13 14. Let them all joyn in the same quire of praises to the great and glorious and sole Creatour and Governour of the world whose mercy is such and so eminent his gracious dealing with his people the Jews and all the spiritual children of Abraham and Jacob's faith in revealing his will and giving them the Messiah and in him all things necessary to this life and another in advancing their spiritual good and rendring them acceptable to himself and to all whose approbation or praise is worth the having that they are for ever obliged to praise and adore and cleave fast unto him For ever blessed be his holy Name Annotations on Psal CXLVIII V. 4. Heavens of heavens What this phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heavens of heavens signifies here will best be gathered from the context and by comparing this place with Psal 104.3 In that place after the description of the highest heavens by the style of light covering God a luminous palace is mentioned the stretching out the heavens like a curtain which that it signifies the whole body of the air see note a. on that Psalm and laying the beams of his chambers in the waters which that it belongs to the clouds of rain in the middle region of the air see note b. And just so here after the Sun Moon and Stars of light by which the whole body and spheres of the heavens are signified there follows next the heavens of heavens and the waters above the heavens where as in all reason the heavens of heavens are but the highest of those heavens above some part of which the waters are here said to be placed so in case the waters be no higher than that regio◠of the air where the clouds are the uppermost regions of the body of the air must be resolved to be that which is here meant by the heavens of heavens and not the aethereal globe which we call heaven That this is so may be farther approved by the use of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Scripture and that cannot better be fetcht than from the first chapter of Genesis There 't is certain the word is used first more generally for all the other parts of the world beside the terrestrial globe as when v. 1. and in many other places the heaven and earth are the dichotomie by which the whole world was designed to be set down all that God created 2. 'T is as evident that the word is used for the aethereal or celestial globe as v. 14. when he saith Let there be light in the firmament of the heavens and v. 16. 't is specified what that light was the Sun to rule the day by which 't is evident that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the expansum of the heavens notes that aethereal body where the Sun and Moon c. are 3. 'T is still as manifest that the word is used also for the air v. 20 26 28 30. where the place wherein the birds fly is styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the firmament of the heavens and simply the heavens for which the Targum of Jonathan reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the air of the firmament or expansion of heavens v. 20. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the air of heavens v. 26. and simply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the heavens v. 28.30 So again when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an expansion is made in the midst of the waters that divided the waters from the waters v. 6. this expansion v. 8. is called heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in probability from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 waters in the dual number those two sorts of waters above and below the firmament which consequently must be the air that intercedes and divides betwixt the watery clouds and the waters on the face of the earth and accordingly those upper waters are affirmed by the Hebrews R. Solomon c. to be still 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pendulous in the air and that saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the word or command of the King and so when the rain came down in the Flood 't is said the windows or flood-gates or cataracts
of these words though somewhat obscured in our English reading of them Now the accepting of this righteousness is an act of ours following a proposal or offer of Christ's and consummating the match or bargain between Christ and us Christ is offered to us as an Husband in the Gospel we enquire of him observe our own needs and his excellencies and riches to supply them our sins and his righteousness and if upon advice we will take him the match is struck we are our beloved's and our beloved is ours we are man and wife we have taken him for our husband and with him are entituled to all his riches we have right to all his righteousness and enjoy by his Patent all the priviledges all the promises all the mercies of the Gospel But if the offer being thus made by God to give us his Son freely we stand upon terms we are too rich too learned too worldly-minded too much in love with the praise of men John xii 43 i. e. fixt upon any worldly vanity and resolve never to foregoe all these to disclaim our worldly liberty our own righteousness and to accept of so poor an offer as a Christ then are we the Infidels here spoken of We will not come to him that we might have life John v. 40 When he is held out to us we will not lay hold on him we have some conceit of our selves and therefore will not step a foot abroad to fetch his righteousness home to us And indeed if any worldly thing please you if you can set a value upon any thing else if you can entertain a Paramour a Rival a Competitor in your hearts if you can receive the praise of men how can you believe John v. 44 So that in brief Infidelity consists in the not receiving of Christ with a reciprocal giving up of our selves to him in the not answering affirmatively to Christs offer of himself in the not taking home and applying Christ to our souls And this is done either by denying to take him at all or by taking him under a false person or by not performing the conditions required or presumed in the making of the match They that deny to take him at all are the prophane negligent presumptuous Christians who either never hearken after him or else are so familiar with the news as to underprize him have either never cheapned Heaven or else will not come to Gods price like Ananias and Sapphira perhaps offer pretty fair bring two parts of their estate and lay them at the Apostles feet but will give no more fall off at last for a trifle and peremptorily deny Christ if they may not have him on their own Conditions Some superfluities some vanities some chargeable or troublesome sins perhaps they can spare and those they will be inclinable to part withal but if this will not serve Christ must seek for a better Chapman they stand not much upon it they can return as contentedly without it as they came And this arises from a neglect and security a not heeding or weighing of Gods justice and consequently undervaluing of his mercies They have never felt God as an angry Judge and therefore they now scorn him as a Saviour they have liv'd at such ease of heart that no legal terrour no affrightments or ghastly representations of sin can work upon them and if the reading of the law that killing letter have been sent by God to instruct them in the desperateness of their estate to humble these libertine souls to the spirit of bondage and so school them to Christ they have eyes but see not ears but hear it not they are come to this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. i. 28 a reprobate sense or as it may be rendred an undiscerning mind not able to judge of that which is thus read and proposed to it or again a sense without sense not apprehensive of that which no man that hath eyes can be ignorant of nay in Theod. phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an heart that will reverberate any judgement or terrour receiving no more impression from it than the Anvil from the Hammer violently returns it again smooth'd somewhat over perhaps by often-beating but nothing softned Nay if the law cry too loud and by an inward voice preach damnation in their bowels and resolve to be heard before it cease then do they seek out some worldly employment to busie themselves withal that they may not be at home at so much unquietness they will charm it with pleasures or overwhelm it with business as Cain when his Conscience was too rough and rigid for him Gen. iv went out from the presence of the Lord ver 16. and as 't is observed built Cities v. 17. got some of his progeny to invent Musick v. 21. perhaps to still his tumultuous raving Conscience that the noise of the hammers and melody of the Instruments might outsound the din within him as in the sacrifices of Moloch where their children which they offered in an hollow brazen vessel coâ—ld not choose but howl hideously they had tymbrels and tabrets perpetually beating whereupon Tophet where these sacrifices were kept is by Grammarians deduced from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tympanum to drown the noise of the childrens cry These I say which will not be instructed in their misery or better'd by the preaching of the law which labour only to make their inward terrors insensible to skin not cure the wound are Infidels in the first or highest rank which deny to take him at all will not suffer themselves to be perswaded that they have any need of him and therefore let him be offered for ever let him be proclaimed in their ears every minute of their lives they see nothing in him worth hearkning after and the reason is they are still at home they have not gone a foot abroad out of themselves and therefore cannot lay hold on Christ He that never went to school to the law he that was never sensible of his own damned estate he that never hated himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will never receive never accept of Christ Secondly Some are come thus far to a sense of their estate and are twing'd extremely and therefore fly presently to the Gospel hearing of Christ they fasten are not patient of so much deliberation as to observe whether their hands be empty they are in distress and Christ must needs save them suddenly they lay hold as soon as ever they hear a promise and are resolved to be saved by Christ because they see otherwise they are damned And these take Christ indeed but under a false person either they take the promises only and let Christ alone or take Christ the Saviour but not Christ the Lord Are willing to be saved by him but never think of serving him are praying for ever for Heaven and glory but never care how little they hear of grace the end they fasten on the Covenant they hug and gripe
into a most languishing terrible condition provoked thee to withdraw thy grace and give me up to the effects of thy displeasure This is a sad disease and of the worst condition even of the soul wherewith thou art pleased also that my body or outward condition should bear consent And in all this 't is I that have thus diseased my self disturbed and miserably wasted the health of my soul which consists in an exact conformity of my desires and actions to thy will And now there is no remedy left but one that of thy pardon and gratious forgiveness pouring thy wine and oile and healing balsom into my gaping wounds and this most seasonable mercy I beseech thee to bestow upon me 3. My soul is also sore vexed but thou O Lord how long Paraphrase 3. The disquiet and torment hereof doth pierce my soul there are the sharpest arrow◠of thy displeasure 〈◊〉 and afflict me exceedingly Lord that it might be at length thy season to asswage thy wrath to speak peace to 〈◊〉 to afford me some refreshing which I cannot hope from any other hand 4. Return O Lord deliver my soul O save me for thy mercies sake Paraphrase 4. Lord be thou pacified and reconciled to me and by that means rescue me out of this sad condition wherein I am involved under the weight of my sin and thy displeasure And though there be in me no means to propitiate but only to avert and provoke thee yet let thine own mercy and free bounty of grace have the glory of it reflect on that and from thence work this deliverance for me 5. For in death there is no remembrance of thee in the grave who will ‖ give thee thanks Paraphrase 5. For shouldest thou now proceed to take away my life as it were a most direful condition for me to die before I have propitiated thee so I may well demand what increase of glory or honor will it bring unto thee will it not be infinitely more glorious for thee to spare me till by true contrition I may regain thy favour and then I may live to praise and magnifie thy mercy and thy grace thy mercy in pardoning so great a sinner and then confess thee by vital actions of all holy obedience for the future and so demonstrate the power of thy grace which hath wrought this change in me Neither of which will be done by destroying me but only thy just judgments manifested in thy vengeance on sinners 6. I am weary with my groaning All the night make I my bed to swim I water my couch with my tears Paraphrase 6. The sadness of my present condition under the weight of thy displeasure and the grievous effects thereof is such as extorts those groans from me which instead of easing do only increase my torment The night which is the appointed season of rest is to me the time of greatest disquiet my agonies extort whole rivers of tears from me and the consideration of my horrible sins the causes of them gives me not one minute of intermission 7. Mine eye is consumed because of grief it waxeth old because of all mine enemies Paraphrase 7. The tears which the thought of thy continual displeasure and punishments incessantly draws from me have corroded and even exhausted the animal spirits that maintain my sight make mine eyes very dim above what is proportionable to my age and still there remains a succession of new sorrows to mind me of my successive sins one enemy after another still riseth up against me 8. Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping Paraphrase 8. Whilst I thus bemoan my self before so gracious a God I cannot but with confidence look up and expect his speedy return unto my Prayers and consequently assure my self that all the designs of my rebellious enemies shall be utterly frustrated by him 9. The Lord hath heard the voice of my supplication the Lord will receive my prayer Paraphrase 9. He that hath promised not to despise a broken heart to comfort the mourner he whose title it is to be the hearer of prayers the vindicator of the innocent will certainly make good these promises to me at this time in pardoning my sins and averting these punishments from me 10. Let all mine enemies be ashamed and ‖ sore vexed let them return and be ashamed suddenly Paraphrase 10. And therefore I am most confident that all my opposers shall be discomfited and sent back successless in their present design and how confident soever now they appear they shall very suddenly be routed and put to confusion and utterly disappointed in their enterprize Annotations on Psal VI. V. 2. My bones The chief difficulty in this verse will be removed by considering the meaning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render my bones and so indeed it often signifies from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 robustus or fortis fuit but not only so but in a greater latitude the members of the body and then the body it self nay the substance or being and not only the body as Job 11.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his bone or body is by the Chaldee rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 himself in opposition to his goods and family which had been toucht sharply Chap. 1. And so among the Rabbines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is oft used for ipsimet themselves see Note on Rom. 6. a. It being an ordinary figure among the Hebrews to express a thing by the names of the parts of it Thus Psal 35.10 All my bones shall say Lord who is like unto thee where certainly the bones which say and praise God are to signifie the Psalmist himself his tongue and heart and every part of him And so here being in conjunction with I am weak and my soul is sore vexed v. 3. it is but a Poetical expression my bones i. e. every part of my body Now the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render vexed from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Niphal signifies any sudden commotion or disturbance or trembling and so being joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 languishing from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be sick or faint and so weak in the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the New Testament See Note on Rom. viii m. and Gal. 4. a. it must signifie a sore affliction perhaps literally a disease a terrible shaking fit as of a Paralytick and this being founded in and so including also his sin the malady of the soul which is likewise called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 weakness see 1 Cor. 8. Note 6. the whole verse is the doleful description of him that hath committed any wasting sin and being cast down under Gods punishments for it is passionately suing out Gods pardon the only means possible to recover or heal him again V. 10. Let all my enemies All the Antient Interpreters understand this last verse of
word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the LXXII renders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my tongue and so the Latine and Arabick and Aethiopick and so Apollinarius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my tongue rejoyced This some learned men attribute to their reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my tongue instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my glory words which have little affinity one with another in the letters of them 'T is more reasonable to resolve that David in a Poetick writing should use the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 glory by metonymy for those parts whereby God is glorified or praised i. e. either the soul or especially the tongue So Psal 36.12 that my glory may sing praise to thee the LXXII there render literally 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my glory but sure it signifies either the soul or tongue So Psal 57.8 Awake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the LXXII render literally 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my glory but in all reason that signifies my tongue so as to connect with singing praecedent and the Harp and Psaltery following So Psal 108.1 I will give praise even with my glory i. e. my tongue and so I suppose Psal 149.5 Let the pious or holy ones rejoyce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the LXXII in glory i. e. in or with the tongue that so it may connect with what follows Let them rejoyce in their beds Let the praises of God be in their mouths And thus no doubt it signifies here and the praecedent mention of the heart restrains it in this place to the tongue And this being discerned by the LXXII it was no fault in them to render it according to the sense not letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my tongue V. 10. Hell That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the condition or state of the dead there is no question and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in or rather to that state and in that sense the leaving his soul in it or to it is applyed by the Apostle St. Peter Acts 2.27 to the abiding of Christ in the state of separation of his soul from his body from whence he arose or returned the third day and so was not left in it or to it And in this sense both 〈◊〉 Peter there v. 29. and S Paul c. 13.36 duly resolve that this verse of not being left in sâ—â—eol and not seeing corruption was not applyable to David for that he was dead and buried and his Sepulchre remained with them till that day c. 2.29 and again he fell on sleep and lay with his fathers and saw corruption This then being supposed in respect of the grand and principally designed sense the prophetical mystical completed onely in Christ and not in David there may yet be a first but less eminent sense wherein it was also true of David that his soul should not be left in scheol nor this holy one of Gods so David is oft called see 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corruption viz. so as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometimes signifies extreme distress here in this life so Psal 116. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the distresses of scheol signifies exceeding great distresses interpreted by what follows I shall find trouble and heaviness and so as in like manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render corruption from the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth sometimes signifie no more than great weakness Dan. 10.8 where 't is opposed to vigor and expounded by having no strength sometimes a pit as that differs from death Ezek. 19.4 where the Lion taken in their pit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the LXXII render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their corruption was carried into Aegypt taken but not killed and so Prov. 28.5 Jer. 15.3 And then the meaning is that he shall be certainly delivered by God from all those distresses Or again as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies death or final destruction or deprivation of that state wherein any one is as when of Capernaum 't is said thou shalt be brought down to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Greek for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render hell Mat. 11.23 the meaning is that it shall be destroyed from being a City and in proportion with that to be left 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in or to scheol and to see corruption in the sense that the word is used Psalm 107.20 when 't is said of God that he saved the Israelites 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of their corruptions or destructions will signifie to be killed by his enemies c. to be turned out of that Kingdom which God had designed him This Saul earnestly endeavoured but prevailed not the same did Absalom afterwards But Gods promise to David that he would bring him to the throne and set of his seed on the throne after him was certainly to be fulfilled and in strength of that he thus resolved that his soul should not be left in this distress to be swallowed up by it or left 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to it to be thus destroyed neither of which import either his not coming to the grave not dying at all for as St. Paul saith of David after he had served the counsel of God in his generation he fell asleep and was laid with his fathers nor that he should rise from the dead again without rotting in the grave for there he did thus continue saith the same Apostle and saw corruption and his sepulchre is with us to this day saith St. Peter Act. 2.29 And so this more eminent completion of the words respecting resurrection from the dead is reserved onely for Christ who lay not in the grave so long as that by the course of nature his body should putrifie which it would have done if it had continued in the state of death above three days according to that which Lazarus's sister saith of him by this time he stinketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for he hath been dead four days To the same purpose the last verse of the Psalm is applyed by St. Peter Acts 2.28 and so though it have one literal sense belonging to David so as the way of life may denote means used by God for his preservation and Gods presence or countenance his favour and providence and his right hand the regal power conferred on him and secured to him by God yet it must be resolved to have another more principal ultimate and withal more literal sense also respecting the raising of Christ to life ascension to Heaven the place of Gods peculiar presence and vision and the setting him at Gods right hand in equality of power and glory with him and that simply to indure for ever which cannot but in a limited sence be affirmed of David These three verses being so expresly applied by the Apostle to this prophetick sense there can be no doubt of it But the former part of the Psalm no way appearing to be throughout interpretable of Christ yet fitly belonging to David it was necessary thus to
to instant fading and withering but if the sythe or sickle come the emblem of thy judgments on sinners then it falls in the prime of its verdure In the morning it is fresh and prosperous and in its growth and the very same day it is cut down and then immediately fadeth loseth all its verdure and beauty before the night 7. For we are consumed by thine anger and by thy wrath are we troubled 8. For thou hast set our iniquities before thee our secret sins in the light of thy countenance Paraphrase 7 8. And just thus it is with us Our sins have provoked thee to cut us off in the prime and most flourishing part of our age our open and crying sins these as the Rector of the Universe thou thinkest fit to punish with excision and beside these many more secret sins there are unknown to men but most clearly discernible by thee our secret apostasies and in our hearts returning to Egypt our dislike of thy methods thy presiding and governing us and preferring the satisfaction of our lusts before the observance of thy commands and these also provoke thy wrath call forth thy vengeance against us and by this means as with a torrent v. 5. we are swept away and consumed in a visible formidable manner 9. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath we spend our years a tale that is told Paraphrase 9. Thou hast been incensed by our Atheistical murmurings thy displeasure is gone out against us and so the years that were allowed us here and might otherwise have been prolonged for some time are now suddenly cut off our race is ended in a trice we are seised on with a swift destruction 10. The days of our years are threescore years and ten and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years yet is their strength labour and sorrow for it is soon cut off and we flee away Paraphrase 10. The vast numbers of 603550. that were fit for war and so were listed at our coming out of Egypt do all drop away one after another thy oath being gone out against them that but two of that whole number shall enter into Canaan all the rest leaving their carcasses in the Wilderness By this means it comes to pass that great multitudes die before they advance to more than the seventieth year of their age viz. all that were but thirty years old at their coming out of Egypt Others that were then in their prime about forty years old are sure not to out-live eighty And for the youth that were not numbred those that were to enter into Canaan and so out-live the rest they have yet little joy in their life nothing but wearisome journeys and turmoils see Psal 78.33 and so our complaint is most just as to a vast multitude of us that our age is even as nothing in respect of true duration but a thought or breath v. 9. our most vigorous men being cut off in their prime and so there is an end of them 11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy fear so is thy wrath 12. So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom Paraphrase 11 12. Whilst thus we daily cut off the great unhappiness of it is that no man is careful to lay to heart these terrible effects of Gods heavy wrath upon us no man is so far instructed by what he sees daily befal multitudes of other men as to be sensible of his own danger and the shortness of his life so as to live well while he is permitted to live Lord be thou pleased to give us this grace so to instruct us and convince us of the shortness of our lives that we may be brought to pay that constant reverence and obedience that is due to thee and wherein true wisdom consists there being nothing so unwise as our provoking of thee and adventuring to be cut off in our sins 13. Return O Lord how long and let it repent thee concerning thy servants Paraphrase 13. And if it may be thy good pleasure O Lord reverse that sentence of excision which is gone out against us let it suffice that thy displeasure hath flamed to the devouring so great numbers of us and at length vouchsafe to be pacified and reconciled with us 14. O satisfie us early with thy mercy that we may rejoyce and be glad all our days Paraphrase 14. We have layn very long under thy wrath O Lord O delay not to afford us the full streams of thy mercy which we have thus long wanted and impatiently thirsted after that so for the remainder of our time we may have some matter of ovation and rejoycing after so much sadness 15. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us and the years wherein we have seen evil Paraphrase 15. Our afflictions and miseries have lasted long O let us have some proportion of joy to so much of sorrow 16. Let thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children Paraphrase 16. O magnifie thy glorious work of grace and mercy to us and our posterity which is most properly thine thy acts of punishments being thy strange works Isai 28.21 17. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish thou the work of our hands upon us yea the work of our hands establish thou it Paraphrase 17. Shew forth thy loving kindness and light of thy countenance toward us look graciously and favourably upon us give us thy grace to direct us in all our ways work thou in us both to will and to do and then by thy good providence prosper our designs and undertakings Annotations on Psalm XC V. 1. Dwelling From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to dwell the noun 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ordinarily signifies habitation and so the Syriack understands it here rendring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 house But the Arabick usage of the verb in another notion for aiding or protecting is a sign that thus the word antiently signified and so Deut. 33.27 the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is thy refuge we render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall cover thee say the LXXII and so indeed every house being a covert the notions of house and refuge will well agree and Aben Ezra that resolves this Psalm was written by Moses proves it among other reasons by this word being there used by Moses in Deuteronomy And then from that signification of it there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may here best be rendred protector or helper and so the Chaldee seem to have understood it who having paraphrased the word Lord with some reflexion on that notion of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their dialect wherein it signified the Temple O Lord whose habitation of the house of thy Schechina or Majestatick presence is in heaven add 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou hast been to us a helper The Jewish
the Lord call upon his name make known his deeds among the people Paraphrase 1. O let us all in our daily prayers to God confess and acknowledge and proclaim to all the world the great and gracious works which he hath wrought for his people 2. Sing unto him sing Psalms unto him talk ye of all his wondrous works 3. Glory ye in his holy name let the heart of them rejoyce that seek the Lord. Paraphrase 2 3. Let us both in his publick service and in our more private discourses and conversation indeavour to promulgate his miracles of mercy and so bring all other men that worship God to do it with all delight and joy as to him that hath most abundantly obliged and ingaged them 4. Seek the Lord and his strength seek his face evermore Paraphrase 4. And so in like manner let our prayers be constantly addrest to him in his sanctuary and all the relief and deliverance we at any time want be begged from his omnipotence 5. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done his wonders and the judgments of his mouth 6. O ye seed of Abraham his servant ye children of Jacob his chosen Paraphrase 5 6. To both these constant duties of prayer and praise the people of the Jews and all that transcribe the copy of Abraham's or Jacob's fidelity are eternally obliged by the great and miraculous mercies afforded them by God and the portentous judgments and punishments on their enemies which he by a word of his mouth by the exercise of his immediate power hath wrought for them 7. He is the Lord our God his judgments are in all the earth Paraphrase 7. By his mercy and providence and the exercise of his omnipotence it is that we have been conducted and supported and our heathen enemies wheresoever we came subdued under us 8. He hath remembred his covenant for ever the word which he commanded to a thousand generations 9. Which covenant he made with Abraham and his oath unto Isaac 10. And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a Law and to Israel for an everlasting Covenant Paraphrase 8 9 10. And all this as the exact performance of his part of that Covenant and Law which he solemnly and by oath established with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and their posterity after them that not to them onely but to all their successors to the end of the world he would be a most constant protector and rewarder in case they adhered faithfully to him and in case of their apostasie and rebellion he would yet make good that promise to all others that should come in and transcribe that copy of fidelity performed by those Patriarchs receive the faith of Christ and perform sincere uniform constant obedience to him 11. Saying Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan the lot of your inheritance 12. When they were but a few men in number yea very few and strangers in it 13. When they went from one nation to another from one kingdom to another people Paraphrase 11 12 13. The summ of this Covenant as it concerned Abraham and his seed according to the flesh was the bringing them into a most fruitfull and desirable land the land of Canaan a type and image of the state of the Gospel and joys of heaven dispossessing the inhabitants thereof and conducting them to a quiet secure injoyment of it as of an inheritance bequeathed to them by God himself and not to be acquired by any strength of their own In which respect it was that as God chose to make â—his promise to him Gen. 12.6 7. at a time when he had none but his wife and so could hardly make up a number a pitifull weak family and those but in a journey admitted but as strangers to lodge in their passage to Sichem v. 6. so that they might be obliged to acknowledge the whole work to be wrought by God in relation to his promise he so disposed it that they should not now rest but be removed out of Canaan and pass from one nation and kingdom to another from Sichem where he built one Altar to God v. 7. to a mountain on the East of Bethel where he built another v. 8. and from thence to Aegypt v. 10. 14. He suffered no man to doe them wrong yea he reproved Kings for their sakes 15. Saying Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harm Paraphrase 14 15. When they were there God was pleased to afford them one special instance and pledge of his favour to them and protection over them when the King of Aegypt took Sarah into his house Gen. 12.15 and was in danger to have defiled her and so again ch 20. in Gerar when Abimelech King of Gerar took Sarah v. 2. a like passage there was afterward betwixt Abimelech King of the Philistims and Rebecca Isaac's wife Gen. 26.8 God plagued that King Gen. 12.17 and severely threatned the other Gen. 20.3 and suffered neither of them to violate her chastity v. 6. but told Abimelech that Abraham was a Prophet v. 7. and one very highly valued by him designed to be the root of a potent Kingdom and the stock from whom the Messias should come and therefore commanded him by a most severe interdict not to doe any harm to him or his wife 16. Moreover he called for a famine upon the land he brake the whole staff of bread Paraphrase 16. After this in Jacob's time the season being not yet come of performing this promise unto Abraham's seed and that God's work of possessing them of Canaan might be the more remarkable and wholly imputable to him and not to any strength of their own or to natural proceedings or casual event God thought fit so to dispose of it that all the posterity of Abraham should be removed out of this land where yet they were but as sojourners And thus it was There fell out to be a very sore famine in all that land of Canaan so that they had not corn for the necessities of life and so Jacob was forced to send his sons down into Aegypt to buy corn for his family 17. He sent a man before them even Joseph who was sold for a servant Paraphrase 17. And herein a wonderfull act of providence was discernible Joseph one of Jacob's sons being envied and hated by the rest of his brethren had been first taken and cast into a pit then by occasion of some Ismaelite merchants coming by in that nick of time Gen. 37.25 taken out and sold to them and carried into Aegypt and there bought by Potipher for a servant 18. Whose feet they hurt with fetters he was laid in irons Paraphrase 18. Where being falsely accused by his mistress he was cast into prison and fetters and extremely injured and afflicted by this calumny 19. Untill the time that his word came the word of the Lord tried him Paraphrase 19. And so continued till God by revealing to him the interpretation of
locusts Exod. 10.4 came and swept utterly away v. 5. 36. He smote also the first-born in their land the chief of all their strength Paraphrase 36. In the last place he sent his destroying Angels in the depth of the night to kill every first-born the prime and stoutest and most valued both of man and beast through all the land from Pharaoh to the meanest person in Aegypt ch 11.5 and 12.29 37. He brought them forth also with silver and gold and there was not one feeble person among their tribes Paraphrase 37. And upon this last judgment they were urgent and importunate to have them gone Exod. 12.31 33. And the children of Israel took all the houshold-stuff that they had and God gave them favour in the sight of the Aegyptians Exod. 11.3 and 12.36 so that they lent them many rich jewels and denied them nothing that they required Exod. 12.35 36. And one circumstance more there was very considerable that at this time of their going out in this haste there was not one sick or weak person among all the people of Israel not one by impotence or sickness disabled for the march but all together and in one host or army went out from the land of Aegypt which strange remark of Gods providence though it be not exprest in the story is yet intimated Exod. 12.41 38. Aegypt was glad when they departed for the fear of them fell upon them Paraphrase 38. And now the Aegyptians were instructed by their plagues not onely to be content to lose these their so profitable servants but even rejoyced and lookt upon it as a deliverance to themselves that they were thus rid of them and so as they hoped of the sufferings which the deteining them against Gods command had brought upon them So terribly were they amated at the death of their first-born that they cryed out they were all but dead men if they did not presently atone God by dismissing them Exod. 12.33 39. He spread a cloud for a covering and fire to give light in the night Paraphrase 39. In their march God conducted them in a most eminent manner by his Angels in a cloud encompassing their hosts and that cloud so bright and shining that in the dark of the night it lighted them and gave them an easie passage Exod. 13.21 22. 40. The people asked and he brought quails and satisfied them with the bread of heaven Paraphrase 40. As they past through the wilderness of Sin and wanted food and murmured God pardoned their murmuring and furnished them with quails a most delicious sort of flesh and instead of corn for bread he sent them down in a showre from heaven bread ready drest or prepared and thence called Manna and that in such plenty that every man had enough Exod. 16.16 41. He opened the rock and the waters gushed out they ran in the dry places like a river Paraphrase 41. At Rephidim when they murmured for water Exod. 17. God appointed Moses to strike the rock in Horeb v. 6. and there came out water in such plenty that it ran along see Psal 78.20 and as the Jews relate attended them in a current or stream through the drought of the desart so that we hear no more of their want of water till they came to Cadesh see note on Cor. 10. b. and then took a contrary way in their journeying 42. For he remembred his holy promise and Abraham his servant Paraphrase 42. And all this an effect of his own free mercy in discharge of his promise made to Abraham whose fidelity to him God was pleased thus to reward upon his posterity 43. And he brought forth his people with joy and his chosen with gladness 44. And gave them the lands of the heathen and they inherited the labour of the people Paraphrase 43 44. And so at length having brought out his people with so much glory victorious and triumphant out of Aegypt he possest them of the promised Canaan cast out the old inhabitants before them for their pollutions and idolatries and planted this his peculiar people in their stead 45. That they might observe his statutes and keep his laws Praise ye the Lord. Paraphrase 45. And all this not that they should indulge to riot and imploy their plenty in lusts and pleasures or grow fat and wanton but that being thus richly supplied wanting no manner of thing that is good having nothing of encumbrance or diversion but on the contrary all kinds of encouragements to piety they should therein constantly exercise themselves according to the ingagements and obligations incumbent on those that had received such a succession of miracles of mercies from God a type of that duty now incumbent on us Christians upon far greater and more considerable obligations that especially of our redemption by Christ from the power as well as the guilt of sin and return him the tribute of sincere obedience for ever after approve themselves an holy peculiar people to him zealous of good works And in so doing let us all indeavour uniformly to praise and magnifie and glorifie the name of God Hallelujah Annotations on Psal CV V. 3. Glory ye That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the reciprocal conjugation is yet to be here rendred in the active sense is agreed on both by the Chaldee and Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the former praise in his name and the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praise to his name where as ב in so ל to is certainly a Pleonasme as v. 15. both ב and ל are in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his anointed and his prophets and the whole phrase signifies no more than the Latin of the Syriack expresses Laudate nomen sanctitatis ejus praise the name of his holiness just as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 believing God and in God are all one the preposition being abundant very frequently The LXXII indeed and the Latin reade it in the passive sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Laudamini in nomine sancto be ye praised in his holy name but this certainly without any propriety of expression the praises of God and not of our selves being the duty to which we are invited in this Psalm V. 4. His strength For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his strength the LXXII seem to have read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be strengthened and accordingly render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latin confirmamini be confirmed and so the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be strengthened and so the sense would well bear seek the Lord and be confirmed let all your strength be sought from him so the Jewish Arab Seek the Lord and seek that he would strengthen you or strength from him or you shall certainly be strengthened if by prayer you diligently seek him But we need not change the reading for the gaining this sense This Psalm was composed for the constant use of the Sanctuary and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
the poor to save him from them that condemn his soul Paraphrase 30 31. Of this I am so confident that I have nothing to doe but to provide for my thanksgiving and this will I perform in the most solemn and publick manner and proclaim his abundant constant mercies to me in taking my part most signally when I am at the lowest espousing my cause rescuing me from all the assaults of those that resolved and verily hoped to take away my life And in the same manner will he certainly deal for all those who in their greatest distresses shall faithfully adhere to him and repose their full confidence in him Annotations on Psal CIX V. 1. O God of my praise That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my praise is to be joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God is agreed on both by the Chaldee and Syriack The onely question is whether it be to be joyned by apposition and rendred O God my praise or as a genitive case following another substantive O God of my praise Of either of these the word is equally capable and the sense is either way the same being but a compellation of God as of him whom he is bound continually to praise and magnifie for espousing his cause and defending him The LXXII have joyned it to the verb and so reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latin Deus laudem meam ne tacueris But again those words are capable of a double sense for my praise may either be God's praising of David or it may be David's praising of God In the first sense 't will be O God be not thou silent of my praise whilst others reproach me v. 2. be thou my advocate plead my cause proclaim and justifie my innocence In the latter 't is be not silent to my praising of thee or silence not refuse not neglect not my praising of thee and the Aethiopick have put prayer for praising and then 't is evidently be not silent to but answer my prayer But the former is the most probable way of rendring putting it by it self hold not thy peace in the notion wherein God's holding his peace keeping silence is opposed to his interposing for the aid and defense of any So Psal 28.1 in the very same words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be not silent from me lest if thou be I become like them that go down into the pit i. e. interpose thine aid and strength for me So Psal 35.22 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be not silent remove not thy self from me O God and Psal 50.3 The Lord shall come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and shall not be silent and 83.1 in three phrases all to the same importance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let not stillness or silence be to thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be not silent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and do not thou be quiet And so here O God my glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the Chaldee or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the Syriack O God of my glory my singing my rejoycing to the very same sense Thou who art the onely authour of all the good or joyfull news that I ever receive of all the mercies in whom I glory rejoyce and take comfort to whom all my praises are due do thou interpose for my rescue and relief The Jewish Arab reads Withhold not or refrein not from my oppressor Refrein not to oppose thy self against him that oppresseth and injureth me V. 6. Set thou a wicked man over him The Latin translator of the Syriack suggests here another rendring Praecipe adversus eos iniquo give the wicked man charge against them and so the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would well enough bear against as well as over him But the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hiphil will not accord being in the Scripture used onely in these two notions either of disposing unto as a trust or setting over as a praefect and accordingly the Chaldee reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set over him and the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 constitute over him a wicked man and so the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will as readily bear set a wicked man over him The onely difficulty will be what 't is to set the wicked over him and that will best be fetcht from the forementioned notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 explicated by the context That signifies to set over as a Praefect and the context determins that Praefect to be a Judge being the description of a Judicature in which the person here spoken of is to be condemned and cut off And that will sure be done if a wicked man be set on the tribunal before which he is accused and arraigned In accordance with this follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and let the adversary or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that maintains the accusation against him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the accuser say the LXXII stand at his right hand according to the Jewish manner in judicature where the accuser he that managed the plea was set at the right hand of the accused And then it follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he shall come to receive his sentence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let him go out wicked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the LXXII and so the Chaldee and Syriack also let him go out condemned in the notion of going out as that is opposed to standing in judgment Psal 1. and of wicked as that is opposed to just in foro justified or acquitted for so that must signify condemned Now it may next be demanded who this person is that is thus to be arraigned and condemned And the story and first literal sense referring it to Achitophel or to Doeg principally and in an inferiour degree to all others the parties whether in Saul's oppression or in Absolom's rebellion and the prophetick sense to Judas principally and together with him to the Jews the crucifiers 't is yet manifest that none of these were arraigned before any humane tribunal The resolution therefore must be that the style is here poetick as well as prophetical and signifies their ruine as certain and as formidable as the arraignment condemnation and execution of a malefactor upon earth The tribunal also before which they are sentenced being first that of their own conscience remarkable both in Achitophel and Judas which died the same death probably that of suffocation of melancholy see note on Matth. 27. a. inflicted on them by their own accusing conscience and secondly that of God's just judicature before which they are sure to be cast and go out condemned And from thence it was that these signal judgments fell both upon Saul and Doeg and on Absolom and his followers in the story and on the bloudy crucifiers in the New Testament V. 7. His prayer become sin The meaning of this phrase may most probably be taken from the custom of the Jews who at their death did out of course make this prayer
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or juments for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But this of the LXXII their rendring is of no force because though they do most frequently render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet ofttimes also they render it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wild beast And generally where they do so the context shews that wild beasts are peculiarly meant by it So Deut. 28.26 thy carcass shall be food for the fouls of the air 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to the beasts of the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the LXXII that must be to the wild beasts of the earth for such onely feed on the flesh of men or other creatures So Deut. 32.24 I will send the teeth of beasts upon them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the Hebrew word and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Greek and must necessarily be interpreted not of the tame but wild beasts See 1 Sam. 17.44 Isa 18.6 Jer. 7.33.16.4.19.7 and 34.20 but especially Job 40.10 Behold now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we retain it in our English Behemoth but it is resolved to signifie the greatest of wild beasts the Elephant and then by way of interrogation will he eat grass as an oxe directly to distinguish him and so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here from the tamer beasts the one c. such as eat grass and hay whereas the Elephant is said to feed on the Palm-trees the trunk and fruits of them and when those are wanting their roots which he digs up From these evidences it is manifest that though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie not in all places peculiarly the wild beasts yet that signifying all indifferently it is by the context to be resolved to which sort it belongs either wild or tame in any particular place And then it may here be worth observing that the circumstances confine it contrary to the LXXII their rendring to the wild beasts such are those which dwell upon the mountains here as elsewhere in the woods or forest or wilderness the tamer being more properly beasts of the field And of these peculiarly is this passage of the Psalmist to be understood how God by his special providence prepares food for those which have no other care taken for them Beasts that live among men are by men taken care of they inrich the ground with manure and with water from springs and rivers and till the ground and that brings forth corn for the use of these cattel as well as men But the wild beasts that live upon the mountains and in woods and desert places are fed onely from the heavens the rain that from thence distills inricheth those dry hills and maketh grass to grow there which else would not and so God giveth to these wild beasts their food after the same manner of divine providence as in the end of the verse he is said to provide for the young ravens Of which saith Aristotle Hist Animal l. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Crow or Raven exposeth and forsakes her young ones when they are not able to help themselves and must certainly perish if God by his special care did not provide for them See Valesius de sacra Philosoph p. 317. This therefore being the clear design of these two verses 8 and 9. spent onely on these two instances the wild beasts and young ravens which agree in this that they are left destitute of all provision but what God sends them as a shower of Manna as it were immediately from heaven it is yet quite deformed by the vulgar reading of it taken out of some copies of the LXXII which at the end of v. 8. after the mention of the grass upon the mountains add 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and herb for the service of men of which there is no least footstep in the original nor place in the due rendring of the words as there they lie nor yet either in the Chaldee or Syriack and of which therefore we may certainly resolve that is was taken in by some ignorant Sciolus from Psal 104.14 where we find those words and from the copies of the LXXII once corrupted derived to the Latin and Arabick c. Of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abu Walid saith that it is spoken of four-footed living creatures yet so as that it sometimes comprehends birds also which must be discerned by the place Not unlike is the explication of the Arab. Lexicon Al Kamus of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. that it is any four-footed living thing although of such as are in the water or perhaps any living creature indifferently without distinction i. e. any irrational living creature but Bahmah from the same root is restrained to lambs and kids The Hundred and Forty Eighth PSALM Praise ye the Lord. The hundred forty eighth is a solemn invitation to all the several ranks of creatures in the world to joyn in the celebration of God's praises and is intitled Hallelujah as a form of praising God see note on Psal 106. a. 1. PRaise ye the Lord from the heavens praise him in the heights 2. Praise ye him all his angels praise ye him all his hosts Paraphrase 1 2. The majesty and power and wisedom and mercy and all other the glorious Attributes of God are such and so likewise the emanations and effluxions of all and each of these unto his creatures that they exact the united acclamations and most humble acknowledgments of all the creatures in the world and all that but a poor unsufficient tribute to be returned to the great and glorious creatour of them all And first and principally the Angels of heaven are obliged to come in and pay this tribute those blessed immortal spirits that always wait on his throne in the highest heavens those many bands of celestial souldiers regularly marshal'd in their creation one under another in several ranks and orders but all in perfect subordination to the eternal God the supreme Governour and Commander of all 3. Praise ye him Sun and Moon praise him all ye stars of light Paraphrase 3. Next to them in respect of situation are those glorious creatures the Sun Moon and Stars and the spheres wherein they move the works of his creation made by him though by ignorant men they are themselves deified and adored and so obliged in serving him to honour and glorify him 4. Praise him ye heavens of heavens and ye waters that be above the heavens Paraphrase 4. Then all the regions of the air in which are those treasuries of God placed the clouds of water which at his pleasure are distill'd down opon the earth and so by obeying him and relieving or sometimes for our sins punishing us bring in their tribute of honour and praise to their Creatour 5. Let them praise the name of the Lord for he commanded and they were created 6. He hath also established them for ever and ever he hath made a decree which shall not pass Paraphrase 5 6. All these
of the heavens were opened Gen. 7.11 as in a drought the heaven is made iron Lev. 26.19 and shut up and many the like phrases The air then being those heavens above part of which are those clouds of waters the heavens of heavens immediately foregoing cannot probably signify more than the whole body of the air all the regions of it or else the uppermost region of it as Lord of lords is the supreme or sovereign Lord of all others 'T is true when the context requires it the heavens of heavens may signify the highest heavens otherways called the highest or the height in the abstract the place of God's throne so Deut. 10.14 and Nehem. 9.6 where by the heaven and the heaven of heavens and the earth the whole creation is signified and therefore Jonathan's Targum there adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the assembly of Angels that are therein that they may be ministers before him And so I suppose 1 King 8.27 when of God's immensity 't is said behold the heaven the heaven of heavens that habitation of his throne cannot contain him and Psal 115.16 the heavens of heavens are the Lords in opposition to the earth following But that hinders not but that here the place of the Sun Moon and Stars being before mentioned and the waters above the heavens or clouds after the heavens of heavens in the midst betwixt these may be the upper region of the air And so I suppose Psal 68.33 where of God it is said that he rideth upon the heavens of heavens and sends out his voice and that a mighty voice it may well refer to the coming of God by the presence and ministery of his Angels and thundring in the air and declaring his will to his people in mount Sinai as at the giving the Law it is described and as elsewhere God is said to come in the clouds and his voice to be heard there and to ride upon the Cherub and to come flying upon the wings of the wind whereas in that Psalm the highest heavens are exprest by another style that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 4. of which see note a. on that Psalm As for any eternal or incorruptible waters which from this text some mens fansies have produced and then found a ground for their fansie v. 6. he hath established them for ever and ever that place will never be able to conclude for them the full importance whereof is no more than that all that was forenamed being the good creatures of God were by him preserved and continued also and so God to be praised for his works of preservation as well as creation and ruled and managed by him as it there follows he hath made a decree which shall not pass The Chaldee which may seem to have understood the heavens of heavens here for the aethereal globe and above the heavens for the place of God's residence have given another kind of Paraphrase of it Praise him ye heavens of heavens and ye waters that depend on the word of him which is above the heavens according to that of the Jews which acknowledge the key of rain as that of the womb to be in peculiar manner kept in God's hand But so it well may be and yet be no higher elevated than the air and there hang in clouds till God please they shall dissolve and distill upon the earth And considering how frequently the place of rain and of thunder and of all other meteors is called the heavens there is no cause to doubt but the air is here meant by the heavens above which the waters are Aben Ezra here calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sphere of fire which is above the things which are here after this recited Kimchi is observed somewhere to say that the heaven of heavens may signify the lowest heavens as a servant of servants doth the meanest of servants Gen. 9.25 The Hundred and Forty Ninth PSALM Praise ye the Lord. The hundred forty ninth is a solemn form of thanksgiving for God's people on any signal victory afforded them by him and mystically contains the eminent favour of God to his Church and the conquest of the Christian faith over the heathen Potentates It was intitled as the former Hallelujah 1. SIng unto the Lord a new song and his praise in the congregation of saints 2. Let Israel rejoyce in him that made him let the children of Zion be joyfull in their King 3. Let them praise his name in the dance let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp Paraphrase 1 2 3. Let the whole Church of God through all ages constantly frequent his publick service and therein for ever magnifie the name of God for all his mercies vouchsafed so liberally to them The people of Israel are signally obliged to this in that the omnipotent Creatour of heaven and earth is pleased immediately to preside among them to give them laws by which to live and to exhibite himself graciously to them in his Sanctuary and to fight their battels for them against their enemies having brought them out of the slavery of Aegypt into the plenty of Canaan And the Christian Church are much more obliged to this for the redemption by Christ and the regal government to which by his resurrection he was installed spiritual exercised by his word and grace in the hearts of his faithfull people O let us all with all possible exultation with all the solemnest expressions of thankfull hearts commemorate and celebrate these mercies of his 4. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people he will beautifie the meek with salvation Paraphrase 4. For those that humbly and faithfully adhere to him he will never cease to love he will delight to doe them good and be they never so low rescue and exalt them and give them illustrious deliverances from all their temporal and spiritual enemies 5. Let the saints be joyfull with glory let them sing aloud in their beds Paraphrase 5. And when they are thus rescued and injoy a quiet repose they are in all reason obliged to praise and magnifie their deliverer and so to anticipate the state of heavenly joys where being arrived at our safe harbour and rest from the pressures and sins of this life we have nothing to doe but to bless and glorifie God to rejoyce and triumph in him 6. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand 7. To execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishments upon the people 8. To bind their Kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron 9. To execute upon them the judgment written This honour have all his saints Praise ye the Lord. Paraphrase 6 7 8 9. And those that thus depend on God and thankfully acknowledge his works of mercy toward them shall be signally assisted by him as Moses and Joshua were whilst one held up his hands to pray and the other to fight Exod. 17.11
God will make use of such imploy and assist and prosper them wonderfully in executing his judgments on sinfull people when the measure of their iniquities is filled up and God's decree gone out against them as it was against the seven nations whose lands the Israelites took destroyed their Kings put some of them in gyves as Adonibezek Jud. 1.7 and eradicated the whole people And thus in a mystical sense hath the faith of Christ been assisted by God and prospered and propagated wonderfully till it subdued the greatest Princes and Empire of the world to the sceptre of Christ And this certainly is a glorious prerogative of the people and beloved of God for which they are obliged for ever to magnifie him and sing perpetual Hallelujahs to him The Hundred and Fiftieth PSALM Praise ye the Lord. The last Psalm is a solemn exhortation to all men in the world to make use of all melodious Instruments and Voices to celebrate the praises of God's power and majesty The title of it was according to the matter Hallelujah 1. PRaise God in his sanctuary praise him in the firmament of his power Paraphrase 1. O let us praise and magnifie the God of heaven that dwelleth so high in power and glory above us poor creatures on this earth and yet is pleased to exhibit and presentiate himself to us to hear and answer our prayers and accept and reward our praises in the place of the publick assembly O let us be sure constantly to meet him there and render him our humblest Eucharistical acknowledgments for all his mercies those especially vouchsafed to us in Christ 2. Praise him for his mighty acts praise him according to his excellent greatness Paraphrase 2. He hath shewed forth wonderfull acts of power toward us not once or twice but frequently reiterated his miracles of mercy O let our acknowledgments indeavour to bear some proportion with them in the ardency and frequency of our services 3. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet praise him with the psaltery and harp 4. Praise him with the timbrel and dance praise him with stringed instruments and organs 5. Praise him upon the loud cymbals praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals Paraphrase 3 4 5. All the instruments of Musick that are at any time used to express the greatest ovations to attend the noblest triumphs or festivities the trumpet the psaltery or decachord the harp the timbrel the cymbals that have the loudest sounds and are fittest for exultation and withall the attendants of musick dancings such as are customary in seasons of rejoycing Jud. 21.21 Exod. 15.20 are all very proper expressions of that thanksgiving which we owe unto God and of the delight we take in paying him that tribute There being no subject so fit for our devoutest and most vigorous affections to pour out themselves upon as this of the glorious excellencies and gracious acts of the divine power and goodness toward us 6. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Paraphrase 6. Let this therefore be part of the daily constant offices of the Church of God to sing Hosannahs and Hallelujahs Psalms and Hymns to him to frequent the blessed Eucharist the cup of blessing and rejoycing And let him be thought unworthy to live to injoy the breath of life or any of the graces of God's spirit which doth not chearfully exercise himself in this part of devotion as ready to acknowledge the receipt of mercies from God as to solicit them HALLELVJAH Annotations on Psal CL. V. 1. Firmament of his power The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expansion which by the LXXII is generally rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 firmament in respect of the firmness stability and compactedness of that vast body so distended and beaten out as it were by God after the manner of a plate of gold or any other metal is known to comprehend both the regions of the air and all the celestial orbs all that is above and surrounds the earth Here it is taken as Gen. 1.14 for the superiour part of this Expansion that which we call the heavens which being the place of God's special residence is called the expansion or firmament of his power the throne where this powerfull God of heaven dwells But then as the sanctuary or place of God's appointed solemn worship here below is by the Apostle Heb. 9.23 24. styled the figure and pattern or copy of heaven and God pleased in a singular manner to presentiate and exhibit himself there so the sanctuary in this verse exprest by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his holy or holiness but by the Chaldee exprest to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the house of his sanctuary is poetically set down by this style which belongs to heaven it self as the Church of God in the New Testament is oft styled the kingdom of heaven So Aben Ezra renders the firmament by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ark and saith the Psalm is an exhortation to the Levites to praise God who upon these ten sorts of instruments were wont to play in the Temple and accordingly all of them are distinctly reckoned up V. 3. With the sound of the trumpet The Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 undoubtedly signifying a trumpet and so interpreted by the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Chaldee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lightly varied from the Hebrew is yet rendred by the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from which the Latin cornu is but little removed an horn but this not to inject any suspicion that any other instrument is here meant but onely to refer to the ancient custom of making their trumpets of that matter the horns of beasts bored or made hollow agreeable to which is the Arabick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a trumpet and the Latin buccina hath some affinity to that from the common Hebrew verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to empty or make hollow The use of trumpets in war to celebrate a victory and not onely so but to excite their souldiers and encourage them to fight is most known and allowed by the usage of all nations to have that propriety in it and so might not unfitly be derived from the camp to the spiritual 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or warfare God's service in the Temple both to celebrate their thanksgivings with this solemnity of greatest joy and transportation and also to quicken to stir up affections in the performance of such sacred Offices The first mention we find of it in Scripture is in consort with thunder from heaven Exod. 19.16 to solemnize and signifie the presence of God on Sinai and to raise a reverence in the people and withall to assemble them thither And that use of it for the calling assemblies as it is taken from the military custom of assembling all to battel unanimously by this sound so is it of God's own appointment Numb 10.2 and to that use I suppose are the trumpets designed which
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 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
he hath no pleasure in it no joy in those daily vomits were they not Physick against something else against that burthen of time that lies so unsupportable upon his hands against Melancholy against pangs and twinges of conscience like Cain's building of Cities and his Childrens inventing of Musick that the noise of the Hammers and the melody of the Instruments might out-sound the dinne within him or at least to take up quarter before Christ to help stop the ear from that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that still whispering trumpet in Appian fit for the secret invasion of the soul to keep him from the pain or perhaps the reproach of being too precise and most other sins are of the like making we flie to them as to our refuge to save us from Christ as the horns of our Altar to keep us from that Goel which we dread as the Revenger of blood our only enemy and persecutor in the world 'T is not any prime quality any special excellence we find in our carnal entertainments those not only vanities but vexations not only unsatisfying but wounding acquisitions those gainless torments those painted flies with barbed hooks under them that makes us so passionately dote upon them the Jews were not in love with Barabbas but only our prejudices to Christ our vehement dislikes to holiness our impatience of any thing that may do us good our league with perdition our covenant with death our zeal to Hell and absolute resolvedness to be miserable eternally Such malice hath every sinner to his own soul such hating to be reformed that the painful'st uneasiest sin the most prodigal expenceful lust a very Sodom of filth and burning not only the sins of Sodom but the fire and brimstone rain'd down and mixt with the sins gotten into their composition shall be abundant pleasure and Epicurism to him that hath found no other to stay his appetite I appeal to your consciences whether many of you have not suffer'd more hardship in Satans service than any man hath in Gods whether your very sins have not cost you dearer than every any Martyr paid to get to Heaven Tell me hath not your lusts had Martyrs of you many pass'd thorow the fire to Moloch hath not your ambition had Martyrs of you many a base submission a toilsome pluck a climbing or crawling up that hill of honour Believe it the Poet jeer'd you in that not truth but irony that sarcasm and bitter taunt against you Facilis descensus Averni the descent to Hell is an easie passage If he spake what he thought I am confident you can give him the lye produce your selves so many visible demonstrations of the contrary truth that you can shew him by your scars as 't were by the Half-moon in your Breasts what a tyrannical Turkish task-master Satan hath been to you 'T is an ordinary passage in the story of Julian that when he receiv'd his deaths wound he fell a railing at Christ but Philostorgius seems to rectifie the story tells us it was his own Gods i. e. Devils that he rail'd at that he took his blood in his hand out of his wound and cast it against the Sun his deified Idol with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be thou satisfied yea and call'd the rest of his many Gods saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the Manuscript hath it evil and execrable persons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cursing and declaiming at his own Gods and not at Christ the application is plain the Devil he is the bloody Master his is the course service and sad wages not Christs none is so fit to be curst by his own Clients as that Prince of darkness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Monarch ruler of this Age of ours I have reason to believe there are no fitter Judges to appeal to in this particular than my present Auditory 'T was a French Friars conceit that Courtiers were of all men the likeliest to bear him company to his Covent not only fittest but likeliest to forsake the world and turn Penitentiaries He judg'd it because such an one of all others had most reason to be displeas'd with the pleasures of the world he hath seen to the bottom of sensual delights found the emptiness and torments of those things which the distance and ignorance that other men are kept at makes them behold with reverence and appetite the Courtier hath made the experiment and sees how strangely the world is mistaken in its admired delights and with Solomon after a glut of vexatious nothings is now fit to turn Ecclesiastes or Preacher I wish you would be but at so much leasure as to think of the Friars meditation that you would try what mortifying Sermons you could make out of your own observations concerning the vanity of sensual miscalled pleasures I am confident you would be very eloquent able to outpreach all the Orators you ever heard from the Pulpit to write more pathetical descriptions of the madness of a carnal life than from any more innocent Speculator could be hoped for That you may begin that useful edifying lasting Sermon I shall close up mine having at length run thorow the particulars of my Text shew'd you your selves in the Jewish glass if it were possible to put you out of countenance to shake you out of all tolerable good opinion of your selves And now let every man go home with a tu es homo he is the very Jew I have preach'd of all this while O that he would think fit to hate that Jew humble him labour his conversion bring him down into the dust if so be there may yet be hope And that God that can bring from the dust of death again open this door to us a forlorn destitute people so shall we see and praise the power and seasonable bounty of our Deliverer and ascribe unto him as our only tribute the honour the glory the power the praise the might the majesty the dominion which through all Ages of the world have been given to him that sitteth on the Throne to the holy Spirit and to the Lamb for ever more Amen Saint PAVL's Sermon to FELIX THE EIGHTH Being a Lent SERMON at Oxford A. D. 1645. ACTS 24.25 And as he reasoned of righteousness and temperance and judgment to come Felix trembled THE Words are the Notes taken from a Sermon of St. Pauls And the success it met with among the Auditors the trembling of one heathen Officer that was at it is intirely the consideration that commended it to me at this time in hope it might help to perform that strange work beget a spiritual palsie or soul-quake in the Christian sinner that worâ—er kind of Heathen at the repetition There 's matter enough God knows of trembling abroad though there were never a judgment to come to put us all into Belshazzars paralytick posture the countenance changed the thoughts troubled the joints or the loins loosed and the knees smiting against one
us and conceive Christ and bring forth true and saying Fâ—ith in us let all the rest of our studies be ordered in a new course let us change both our method and our Tutor and having hitherto learnt God from our selves let us be better advised and learn our selves from God Let us all study all learning from the Spring or Fountain and make him our instructer who is the only Author worth our understanding and admit of no Interpreter on him but himself The knowledge of God shall be our Vision in Heaven O let it be our speculation on Earth Let it fill every conceit or phansie that we at any time adventure on It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the last work in which all the promises all our possible designs are accomplished O let us in part anticipate that final revelation of him lest so sudden and so full a brightness of glory be too excellent for the Eyes of a Saint and labour to comprehend here where the whole comfort of our life is what we shall then possess And if all the stretches and cracking and torturing of our Souls will prevail the dissolving of all our spirits nay the sighing out of our last breath will do any thing let us join all this even that God hath given us in this real service to our selves and expire whilst we are about it in praying and beseeching and importuning and offering violence to that blessed spirit that he will fully enlighten and enflame us here with zeal as well as knowledge that he will fill us with his grace here and accomplish us with his glory hereafter Now to him that hath elected us hath created us and redeemed us c. SERMON XI MATTH X. 15 It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that City THE whole new Covenant consists of these two words Christ and Faith Christ bestowed on Gods part Faith required on ours Christ the matter Faith the condition of the Covenant Now to bring or present this Faith before you as an object for your understandings to gaze at or to go farther to dissect and with the diligence of Anatomy instruct in every limb or joynt or excellency of it were but to recal you to your Catechism and to take pains to inform you in that which you are presum'd to know The greater danger of us is that we are behind in our practice that we know what Faith is but do not labour for it and therefore the seasonablest work will be on our affections to produce if it were possible this pretious vertue in our souls and to sink and press down that floating knowledge which is in most of our brains into a solid weighty effectual Faith that it may begin to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a work of faith which was formerly but a phansie dream and apparition To this purpose to work on your wills no Rhetorick so likely as that which is most sharp and terrible no such Physick for dead affections as Corrosives the consideration of the dismal hideous desperate estate of infidels here in my Text and that both in respect of the guilt of the sin and degree of the punishment proportioned to it and that above all other sinners in the World It shall be more c. Where you may briefly observe 1. the sin of infidelity set down by its subject that City which would not receive Christ being preach't unto it v. 14. 2. the greatness of this sin exprest by the punishment attending it and that either positively it shall go very sore with it and therefore it is to be esteemed a very great sin implyed in the whole Text or else comparatively being weighed with Sodom and Gomorrha in judgment it shall be more tolerable for them than it and therefore 't is not only a great sin but the greatest the most damning sin in the world And of these in order plainly and to your hearts rather than your brains presuming that you are now come with solemn serious thoughts to be edified not instructed much less pleased or humor'd And first of the first The sin of infidelity noted in the last words that City To pass by those which we cannot choose but meet with 1. a multitude of ignorant Infidels Pagans and Heathens 2. of knowing but not acknowledging Infidels as Turks and Jews We shall meet with another order of as great a latitude which will more nearly concern us a world of believing Infidels which know and acknowledge Christ the Gospel and the promises are as fairly mounted in the understanding part as you would wish but yet refuse and deny him in their hearts apply not a Command to themselves submit not to him nor desire to make themselves capable of those mercies which they see offered by Christ in the World and these are distinctly set down in the verse next before my Text Whosoever shall not receive you i. e. entertain the acceptable truth of Christ and the Gospel preached by you as 't is interpreted by the 40. verse He that receiveth you receiveth me i. e. believes on me as the word is most plainly used Mat. xi 14 If you will receive it i. e. if you will believe it this is Elias which was for to come And John i. 12 To as many as received him even to them that believe in his name For you are to know that Faith truly justifying is nothing in the World but the receiving of Christ Christ and his sufferings and full satisfaction was once on the Cross tender'd and is ever since by the Gospel and its Ministers offered to the world and nothing required of us but an hand and an heart to apprehend and receive and to as many as received him he gives power to become the sons of God John i. 12 So that Faith and Infidelity are not acts properly determined to the understanding but indeed to the whole Soul and most distinctly to the Will whole part it is to receive or repel to entertain or resist Christ and his promises the Author and Finisher of our salvation Now this receiving of Christ is the taking or accepting of the righteousness of Christ and so making it our own as Rom. i. 17 being rightly weighed will enforce Read and mark 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in it or by it the Gospel mentioned in the former verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the righteousness of God by Faith as Rom. iii. 22 i. e. the not legal but Evangelical righteousness which only God accepts directly set down Phil. iii. 9 That righteousness which is through Faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is revealed to Faith is declared that we might believe that finding no life or righteousness in our selves we may go out of our selves and lay hold on that which is offered us by Christ and this you will find to be the clearest meaning
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
where else they dwell there So wallowing in the mire being a condition natural to the swine can never be extorted from them wash them rinse them purge them with Hyssop as soon as ever they meet with mire again they will into it Their Swinish nature hath such an influence on them that all care or art cannot forbid or hinder this effect of it So that a customary Sinner who hath as it were made lust a part of his nature hath incorporated prophaneness and grafted it into his affections can as hardly be rid of it as a subject of his property 't is possible for fear or want of opportunity sometime to keep him in and make him abstain the load-stone mayâ—ly quiet whilst no iron is within ken or it may be held by force in its presence but give it materials and leave to work and it draws incontinently So for all his temporary forbearance upon some either policy or necessity the habituate sinner hath not yet given over his habit Leave him to himself give him room and opportunity and he will hold no longer If he be once advanced to this pitch of sin to be walking after his own lusts he may possibly be driven back with a storm or thunder but he will hardly give over his walk hee 'l forward again as soon as ever the tempest is over Nay farther even when he wants objects and opportunities he will yet shew his condition he will betray the desire and good affection he bears to his old lusts his discourse or fashions argue him incontinently bent even when he is at the stanchest As Aristotle observes of the fearful man that even when no formidable object is near he falls into many frights so the voluptuous mans phancy is perpetually possest with the meditation of his own wayes when some disease or necessity will not let him walk In brief unless this second nature be quite taken out of him and another holy spiritual nature created in its room unless a stronger come and bind this Devil and dispossess him of it he hath small hopes of getting himself out of his Dominion and Tyranny there is a great deal more stir in the converting of one customary Sinner than of a thousand others 't is not to be accomplished without a kind of Death and Resurrection without a new Creation of another nature So that if we should judge of Gods actions by our own the spirit should seem to be put to more pains and trouble with this one habituate than in the ordinary business of converting many a tamer Sinner This is enough by the desperateness of the cure to move you to study some art some physick of prevention lest when it is grown upon you it be too late to enquire for remedies How should we dare to entertain and naturalize such an evil spirit within us which if ever he be ravisht out of us again cannot without tearing and torturing and rending even our whole nature in pieces If we must needs be sinful yet let us keep within a moderation let us not so follow the Devils works as to transubstantiate our selves into his nature let us not put off our manhood with our integrity and though we cannot be Saints let us keep our selves men 'T is a degree of innocence not to be extremely wicked and a piece of godliness not to be Atheists Our lust is an infinite thing said a Philosopher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jambl. and he that walks after it hath an endless journey there is no hope that he that hath so far to go will ever have leisure to sit still And therefore I say if we must needs sin yet let us not engage our selves to sin for ever if our being men lays a necessity of sinning on us let our care to stay whilst it is possible for us prove that we do not sin like â—evils whose sin is their glory and their resolution peremptory never to give over sinning and so may ours seem and in all likelihood prove to be if we give our selves liberty to walk after our own lusts Secondly If our lusts be such dangerous paths to walk in and this in that very respect as they are our own in opposition to Gods commands if they are the straight direct way to Atheism nay Atheism it self then what care and circumspection is required at every setting down of our feet at every entrance on any action lest there be a Serpent in the way some piece of prophaneness in every enterprize we enter on of our selves How ought we to fear to suspect and balk any way that is our own For where it is Atheism to walk there surely 't is a sin to tread and where we have once ventured to tread we shall be shrewdly tempted to walk every step we have safely taken being an encouragement to a second Verebar omnia opera mea saith Job I feared all my works whatever action I could entitle my self to methought there was some danger in it I was afraid it was not right as it should be I should never be able to justify it This is an excellent tryal of all our serious deliberate actions to mark whether they are our own or no whether we went about them on our own heads without our warrant or directions from God if we did 't is much to be doubted there is some poyson some guilt in them some thing that deserves to be feared and fled from This very suspecting of our own wayes will aliene us from our own lusts will bend us nearer to God and never suffer us to dare to venture where he hath not secured us will join us as it were in an Engine to God himself where the lower Wheels never begin to move without the example and government of the higher If you can but perswade your self to fear your own wayes 't will be a good stop of your progress to Atheism I am confident the Devil will never get you to walk in your own lusts Thirdly If walking in our own lusts be direct Atheism what shall we think of them who make it a piece of Religion and holy policy to do so Beloved there be some learned Catechised Atheists who upon confidence of an absolute eternal predestination of every man in the World that shall ever possibly be saved set up their rest there and expect what God will do with them 'T is to no purpose to hope God will alter the decree they are resolved to leave all to God and if they perish they perish Mark with me is not this a Religious Atheism to attribute so much to God as to become careless of him so to depend as never to think on him and by granting his Decree in our understanding to deny his Godhead in our conversation He that lives negligently on confidence that his care may be spared that if there be any salvation for him God will work it out without his fear or trembling he that believes Gods election so absolute that himself