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 ân 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in this place is by the LXXII rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in righteousness and so joyned in construction with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã shall judge in the beginning of the next verse and so it must be if the × 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã whilst yet both the Syriack and Latine leave it out and read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã thy righteousness and justitiam righteousness And so the sense is most perspicuous V. 5. They shall fear thee For ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã they shall fear or reverence thee The LXXII seem to have read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and he shall prolong his life and so render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã they shall fear from or be afraid of thee and again by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã they shall pray before thee and so the Syriack ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to fear or adore which the Interpreter
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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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
60. v. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. and iâ a solemn commemoration of God's mercies to David in the victories obtained by him over his enemies round about particularly at the taking of Rabba 2 Sam. 12.29 together with a prayer for continuance of all God's mercies 1. O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise even with my glory 2. Awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early Paraphrase 1 2. Blessed Lord how am I ingaged to bless and praise thy holy name to imploy my tongue and all the instruments of musick and every faculty of my soul in commemorating thy goodness and signal mercies to me This is the least that can be deemed incumbent on me and this I shall most readily heartily and chearfully perform see Psal 57.7 8. 3. I will praise thee O Lord among the people and I will sing praises to thee among the nations Paraphrase 3. And 't is not fit that so great dignations should be acknowledged in the closet or privacy onely 't is most decent that our tribute of praise for them should be in the midst of the assembly with the greatest possible solemnity calling all others to take part in so important an office Psal 57.9 4. For thy mercy is great above the heavens and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds Paraphrase 4. For thy mercy and fidelity have been magnified toward me in a most eminent manner and are each of them infinitely great see Psal 57.10 5. Be thou exalted O God above the heavens and thy glory above all the earth Paraphrase 5. For which therefore blessed be for ever thy glorious majesty in the highest degree that is possible for us finite and infirm creatures see Psal 57.11 6. That thy beloved may be delivered save with thy right hand and answer me Paraphrase 6. Who have received such signal assistances from thee evidences of thy special favour and interposition of thine own right hand in return and answer to the prayers which we have addrest to thee See Psal 60.5 7. God hath spoken in his holiness I will rejoyce I will divide Shechem and mete out the valley of Succoth 8. Gilead is mine Manasseh is mine Ephraim also is the strength of my head Judah is my lawgiver Paraphrase 7 8. God made me a most sure promise which he hath now most signally performed and so given me matter of all triumph and rejoycing and thanksgiving that I am not onely fully and quietly possest of all the kingdom both of Israel and Judah and delivered from the assaults which were made against me by my malicious neighbours see Psal 60.6 7. note d. 9. Moab is my washpot over Edom will I cast out my shooe over Phililistia will I triumph Paraphrase 9. But even that they that thus assaulted me are themselves brought down in subjection to me by name the Moabites the Idumaeans and the Philistims see Psal 60.8 and note d. 10. Who will bring me into the strong city who will lead me into Edom Paraphrase 10. And now let the Ammonites cast us in the teeth reproach us as if we should doe nothing of all this as if their cities were impregnable or our armies utterly unsufficient to vanquish and subdue them 11. Wilt not thou O God who hast cast us off and wilt not thou O God go forth with our hosts Paraphrase 11. That God which for our sins had formerly withdrawn his assistance and so long we must needs be improsperous having no means left to accomplish any victories hath now been graciously pleased to return to us and assist us and manage the whole business for us to give us this last victory over the Regal City and King of the Ammonites and so to testifie by this happy success his signal presence with us 12. Give us help from trouble for vain is the help of man Paraphrase 12. To him therefore alone is our resort in the greatest distress from him must come the relief or we shall be lost all other assistances beside that of heaven being utterly unsufficient see Psal 60.11 13. Through God we shall doe valiantly for it is he that shall tread down our enemies Paraphrase 13. If he interpose his power on our side no enemy shall be able to stand before us It is he and not any strength of ours that shall work all our victories for us see Psal 60.12 And on this we will confidently depend through his goodness and mercy to us Annotations on Psal CVIII V. 4. Above the heavens Among the few variations which are made in this Psalm from the several parcels of Psal 57. and 60. of which it is composed it may be observed that instead of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to the heavens Psal 57.10 't is here ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from above the heavens which being designed as an expression to set out the greatness of the extent of God's mercies First it doth that very perfectly and signifies the infiniteness of it not onely above the heavens but from thence continuedly down to us ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from above to the lowest and meanest of us and to all betwixt and Secondly it confirms our rendring ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã both there and here not clouds but skyes meaning the bodies of the heavens those pure aethereal orbs where the Sun and Moon and Stars are see note on Psal 57. c. for taking ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for the regions of the air and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for the celestial bodies these two phrases will perfectly accord ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from above the lower of them the aiery regions and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to or the higher of them the celestial orbs onely with this difference that the former phrase notes the descent from thence hither not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã above but ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from above and the latter the ascent from us ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to or as far as to that the former notes the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or depth the latter the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or height of it V. 9. Will I triumph Here is another variation betwixt this Psalm and the copy whence 't is transscribed Psal 60.8 Here 't is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã over the Philistims I will shout ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I will jubulate saith the Chaldee ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I will cry or make a noise give a shout saith the Syriack but the LXXII by way of paraphrase ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Philistims are subjected unto me the full intimation of that shouting over them But Psal 60.8 't is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Of that place we have already shewed see Psal 60. note c. that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is not to be rendred over me but simply over viz. joyned with that which next follows over the Philistims and that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã shout thou was to be applied either as speaking to himself
for it eternal felicity in another world which though a gift of God's free bounty shall then be dispersed with respect to the performances of this kind see Matt. 25.34 c. And another is presently bestowed here wealth and honour and a most flourishing condition in this world is very frequently the visible and discernible and when not so yet the secret unobservable reward of this one sort of piety being promised to it more peculiarly than to âny other good works Deut. 26.11.13 Psal 41.2.37.26 Prov. 11.24 25 26 27.13.22.14.21.19.17.22.9.28.27 Mar. 10.30 10. The wicked shall see it and be grieved he shall gnash with his teeth and melt away the desire of the wicked shall perish Paraphrase 10. To conclude the felicities of piety even in this life are such as are matter of real envy and trouble and indignation to the wicked who cannot chuse but see it and secretly confess it and repine and malign and be disquieted at it whilst themselves be they never so intent and industrious in the getting and keeping of worldly wealth do yet sensibly decay and grow hinderly all their designs and indirect methods of thriving are curst and blasted and pursued with a continual improsperousness yield them no kind of fruit in this world yet cost them full dear in another Annotations on Psal CXII V. 8. See his desire The phrase ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã shall see in composition with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã on his distressers or oppressors hath been already explained Note on Psal 44. c. in reference to David at that time 'T is used again Psal 59.10 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã God shall let me see or look on mine enemies and Psal 92. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Mine eye hath lookt on mine enemies and mine ear hath heard of them that rise up against me i. e. seen and heard of their destruction v. 10. and so the Chaldee reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã on the ruine So Psal 118.7 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I shall look upon my haters the LXXII reade ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I shall behold my enemies i. e. having God for my auxiliary I shall without fear look on them Here it is applied more generally to all pious men and must still be rendred shall behold or look upon his oppressors or distressers the meaning still being proportionable he shall behold them securely confidently look in their faces as we say as being now no longer under their power being freed from their tyranny and pressures The Chaldee which rendred it Psal 44. by seeing revenge here change it into ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã redemption deliverance from his distress V. 10. Melt away ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to dissolve or melt being joyned with seeing grieving and gnashing with the teeth expressions of the wicked man's envy may be thought to belong to the same matter consuming or melting away with grief But the word signifying any kind of melting consumption or dissolution outward of the estate as well as inward of the mind that particularly which is caused by putrefaction that may as probably be the notion of it here and so it best agrees with that which follows the desire of the wicked shall perish Whilst pious men thrive and prosper wicked men decay consume melt away and all their covetousness worldly-mindedness earnest pursuit of wealth so ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã desire imports comes to nought and perisheth The Syriack therefore for melting reade ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã shall be taken away or destroyed The Hundred and Thirteenth PSALM Praise ye the Lord. The hundred and thirteenth is a thankfull commemoration of the glory and condescensions of God and the great and signal works of his providence to the most afflicted abject creatures never more discernible than in the work of redemption and from the matter of it was by the Hebrews styled as the two former Hallelujah See note a on Psal 106. and 111. 1. PRaise O ye servants of the Lord praise the name of the Lord. Paraphrase 1. All faithfull servants of God are most nearly concerned and obliged chearfully to celebrate and commemorate the great and glorious and gracious works of God 2. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth for evermore Paraphrase 2. To him therefore be all possible praise and glory ascribed both now and to all eternity 3. From the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised Paraphrase 3. From one end of the heathen world unto the other see Mal. 1.11 his mercies and goodness to mankind especially that great Evangelical mercy the gift of Christ shall be solemnly proclaimed and promulgated 4. The Lord is high above all nations and his glory above the heavens Paraphrase 4. The power and dominion of God is paramount the greatest Empires in the world are all subordinate to him He is the one supreme Lord over all the world and not onely of this one people which is called by his name And though the highest heavens be the special place of his mansion yet his glory is infinitely greater than to be incircled or comprehended by them 5. Who is like unto the Lord our God who dwelleth on high 6. Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth Paraphrase 5 6. And above all other ways of expression herein is he most incomparable that sitting in the highest heavens in the greatest majesty he is pleased to descend to this low state of ours to visit us here below in the greatest humility not onely by overseeing overruling and governing the affairs of this lower world but by assumption of our flesh pitching his tent among us and so corporally visiting us in the incarnation of the Son of God 7. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill 8. That he may set him with princes even with the princes of his people 9. He maketh the barren woman to keep house to be a joyfull mother of children Praise ye the Lord. Paraphrase 7 8 9. And as this God of heaven hath been pleased thus to descend and humble himself to us so is he graciously pleased to exalt those that are humbled and from the lowest pitch of worldly vileness and desolation to advance sometimes to the highest dignities even to that of the royal throne 1 Sam. 2.8 at other times to dispense other seasonable mercies children to the barren Sarah and Hannah aâd many the like but especially the gift of grace and of more grace to the humble the glad tidings of the Gospel to the poor For which we are all obliged to pay him our Hallelujahs Annotations on Psal CXIII V. 5. Dwelleth on high The Syntaxis in this place is very poetical and a very discernible ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã are acknowledged to be in
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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 regioâ 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the firmament of the heavens and simply the heavens for which the Targum of Jonathan reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the air of the firmament or expansion of heavens v. 20. and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the air of heavens v. 26. and simply ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the heavens v. 28.30 So again when ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in probability from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã pendulous in the air and that saith he ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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
the Champion of the Philistims and in the Prophetical mystical sense his more admirable mercy to men in exalting our humane nature above all the creatures in the world which was eminently compleated in our Saviours assumption of our flesh and ascending to and reigning in heaven in it This Psalm he committed to the Prefect of his Musick to be sung or plaid 1. O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the earth who hast set thy glory above the heavens Paraphrase 1. O thou Lord Creator and sole Governour of heaven and earth which hast pleased to be known to us men in a peculiar relation of care and special kindness to instruct and reveal the knowledge of thy will to us How art thou to be admired and praised and magnified by men and angels and by all both in heaven and earth whose superlative greatness and super-eminent Majesty is infinitely exalted above all the most glorious creatures This is most true of thee in thy divine invisible nature true also in thy strange vouchsafements to me at this time but above all is most admirable matter of observation and acknowledgment to us vile sinners if considered in the great mystery of our redemption the descension first and then exaltation of our Saviour to which this Psalm is distinctly applied Matth. 21.16 1 Cor. 15.27 and Heb. 2.6 7 8. 2. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies that thou mightst still the enemy and the avenger Paraphrase 2. It is thy blessed and gracious will to give strength to me a Child as it were to subdue this proud Gyant and in him to discomfit the host of the Philistims As in the oeconomy of the world thou wert pleased to chuse us men which are poor mean impotent creatures to be principal instruments of thy service and glory to acknowledge thy power and magnifie thee in all thy glorious attributes and to that end to send thine eternal Son out of thine own bosom to reduce us when we were fallen and call us to this dignity of thy servants which mercy thou hast not vouchsafed to those which are much higher than we the Angels those glorious creatures who when by pride they fell were never restored by thee And in like manner among us men thou art pleased to make choice of the meanest and lowest the most humble-spirited persons and oft-times very children in age to sing Hosannahs to the Son of David See Matth. 21.16 and noted to acknowledge and promulgate thy Majesty and might when the great and wise being oft also the proudest men of the world such were the Jewish Rulers and Pharisees in Christs time are not thus chosen or honoured by thee And this hast thou done on most wise and glorious designs that they whose pride makes them resist and despise thee and thy precepts may be thus visibly punisht finding themselves despised and rejected by thee and above all the Devil that proud and rebellious enemy of God and goodness is by this means subdued and brought down first cast out of a great part of his kingdom in mens hearts none but the proud obdurate sinner being left to him and at last utterly confounded and destroyed 1 Cor. 15.27 3. When I consider the heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained Paraphrase 3. When I look up and behold those glorious Creatures the Heavens and the innumerable hosts of Angels which behold thy face and attend thee there the first fruits of thy creation and in the outworks the visible parts of those Heavens observe those radiant beauties the Sun Moon and Stars all much more excellent Creatures than are any here below set each of them in their sphere by thine eternal decree on purpose to wait on and minister to us 4. What is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him Paraphrase 4. It is in my thoughts a miracle of super-abundant mercy to poor miserable mankind that was at first formed out of the vilest materials the dust of the earth and is still of a very frail infirm mortal condition that thou shouldest thus vouchsafe to advance and dignifie and take care of it above thy whole creation And for me particularly at this time a youth of a mean parentage and the most despicable of all my brethren 't is admirable thou shouldst inable me to do so great a service for thy people But above all this is eminently applyable to Christ that mean despicable son of man scorn'd and scourg'd and crucified yet not forsaken by God or left in the grave but exalted by a glorious resurrection Heb. 2.6 9. 5. For thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels and crowned him with glory and honour Paraphrase 5. Thou hast at first created man in a lower condition than that of the Angels yet hast abundantly recompensed that lowliness of his present state whilst he lives here those glorious Spirits minister to him and at length he is assumed to participation of their glory Nay our humane nature by being assumed by Christ is thereby extolled above all Angels And for me at this time thou hast advanced me to the imployment of an Angel by thy chastising and subduing this vaunting Champion by my hands And in the diviner sense Christ the Son of God being for a while humbled to our flesh and for the space of three and thirty years submitted to a lower condition than that of Angels is yet by this diminution exalted by suffering in our flesh on earth advanced to the greatest dignities in Heaven made supreme Ruler and Judge of Men and Angels Heb. 2.7 6. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands thou hast put all things under his feet 7. All sheep and oxen yea and the beasts of the field 8. The fowls of the air and fish of the sea and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas Paraphrase 6 7 8. This vile clod of earth man thou didst at first invest with a sovereign power over all inferiour sublunary creatures Gen. 1.26 28. all beasts and fowls and fishes and plants to be commanded and injoyed by him And in the like manner thou hast given me power over the chief of these over the Lion and the Bear 1 Sam. 17.36 and over this gyantly Philistim And in the mystery thou hast given to Christ a man on earth a power over all these inferiour creatures for them all to be absolutely subject to all his commands to still the sea remove mountains c. and so likewise the victory over all his enemies over men and devils and over death it self and in thy time this victory shall be so compleated that there shall be nothing left of opposition to his Kingdom and absolute Sovereignty which shall not be wholly subdued unto him See Heb. 2.8 and 1 Cor. 15.27 9. O Lord our Lord how
this it remains that we return to that which was first said that the difficulties of this kind are inexplicable And this may stop though not satisfie our curiosities V. 3. When I consider ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in this place is by the Chaldee rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã because or for and by the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã because and so in the rest of the Antient Interpreters this being the most frequent use of it Yet 't is certain the Hebrew particle hath four significations and in one of them denotes a condition and is best rendred If and also time and is fully rendred when So Gen. iv 12 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Chaldee read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã if or when thou tillest the ground and so 2 Sam. 7.1 It came to pass ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã when the King sat in his house for which 1 Chron. 17.1 they read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and we render as i. e. when he sate And thus the context inclines it here When I consider What is Man i. e. I have then by that consideration all reason to cry out by way of admiration What is man And thus the Jewish Arabick Translation renders it When I see the heavens c. I say What is Man The Ninth PSALM TO the chief Musitian upon Muth-Labben A Psalm of David Paraphrase The ninth Psalm is a solemn thanksgiving for Gods deliverances and by the Title may be thought to reflect on the death of Goliah of Gath the great Champion of the Philistims vanquisht and killed by David but the Psalm made some space afterwards when the Ark was placed in Sion and the Philistims were utterly destroyed v. 6. and yet in some other time of distress v. 13. and of absence from Sion v. 14. and committed to the prefect of his Musick 1. I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart I will shew forth all thy marvellous works Paraphrase 1. O Lord of all power and mercy which art pleased to interpose thy omnipotence for me and thereby to inable thy feeble servant to pass through many great difficulties I do with all the devotion of my soul acknowledge and proclaim this and all other thy great mercies 2. I will be glad and rejoyce in thee I will sing praises to thy name O thou most Highest Paraphrase 2. This is matter of infinite joy and transporting delight unto me without the least reflection on my self who am meer nothing to magnifie thy sublime and most powerful Majesty and attribute all my successes unto thee 3. When mine enemies are turned back they shall fall and perish at thy presence Paraphrase 3. By thee are our enemies put to flight and flying they meet with gall-traps in their way and so are lamed overtaken and killed in the pursuit This befell the Philistims on the discomfiture of their proud Champion 1 Sam. xvii 51 52. And to thee only is it to be ascrib'd 't is thy Majesty that hath done the whole work intirely for us thou foughtest against them and thereby they were thus worsted and put to flight and destroyed 4. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause thou sattest in the Throne judging right Paraphrase 4. When in the duel between that Champion and me and so in many other battels with my Enemies the cause was committed to thy sacred judgment thou wert pleased to take my part to defend me and to judge on my side and with perfect justice to plead and decide the controversie betwixt us give the victory to thy servant 5. Thou hast rebuked the heathen thou hast destroyed the wicked thou hast put out their name for ever and ever Paraphrase 5. By the death of the impious profane Goliah the Philistims Champion thou hast put their whole host to flight and made this victory a foundation of utter extirpation to that Nation of the Philistims 6. O thou enemy destructions are come to a perpetual end and thou hast destroyed Cities the memorial is perished with them Paraphrase 6. They are now finally destroyed their Cities rased to the ground and unless it be in the stories of their ruine no remainders of them discernable and all this must be attributed to thee O Lord. 7. But the Lord shall indure for ever he hath prepared his throne for judgment Paraphrase 7. A signal evidence of thy power and immutability of thy sitting in heaven as on a Throne or Tribunal of judicature 8. And he shall judge the world in righteousness he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness Paraphrase 8. From whence thou shalt from time to time dispense and administer and dispose of all things here below with all exact justice and uprightness 9. The Lord also will be a sure refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble Paraphrase 9. And this as to the punishing of the proud obdurate oppressor so to the seasonable support of all that are not able to relieve themselves when their tribulations and so their exigences are greatest then have they in thee a sure sanctuary to which they may opportunely resort and be confident to receive relief from thee 10. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee Paraphrase 10. And accordingly all that know any thing of Religion that have either learnt from others or experimented in themselves these thy faithful all-righteous dispensations in the oeconomy of the World those glories of thine resulting from the conjuncture of all thy attributes of power and justice and wisdom and mercy c. will thereby be firmly grounded in their trusts and reliances on thee without applying themselves to any of the sinful aids and policies of the World for succour laying this up for an anchor of hope that God never forsook or failed any pious man in his distress that by prayer and faith made his humble and constant applications to him 11. Sing praises to the Lord which dwelleth in Sion declare among the people his doings Paraphrase 11. Let us therefore all joyn in magnifying the power and mercy of God and to that end assemble to the Sanctuary where he is pleased to presentiate himself giving all men knowledge of the wonderful acts he hath wrought for us 12. When he maketh inquisition for blood he remembreth them he forgetteth not the cry of the humble Paraphrase 12. The Blood of humble pious helpless men that is shed by oppressors hath a cry that goes up to heaven Gen. 4.19 and is most pretious with God he will never suffer it to go unpunisht but will act severe revenges for it pursue and find out the guilty persons and pour his plagues upon them 13. Have mercy upon me O Lord consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me thou that liftest me up from the gates of death Paraphrase 13. On these grounds I continue to
my glory may sing praise to thee and not be silent O Lord my God I will give thanks to thee for ever Paraphrase 12. And this obligeth me for ever with soul and tongue to give glory to God and never to think I have done enough in praising and magnifying his mercy This therefore shall be my continual practice O thou powerful God and to me a most gracious Father Annotations on Psal XXX Tit. Dedication The word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is generally used in the Titles of Psalms to denote the Author to be David and so here may best be joyned in construction a Psalm of David Then ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã being joyn'd and made one word by Maccaph will be a dedicatory song All the difficulty is concerning ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the house For from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to initiate to instruct and by a metaphor to dedicate a house is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the initiation dedication either the consecration of an holy house or Temple or the dedication i. e. initiation or entring on a common house new built when the owner comes first to dwell in it For this was wont to be observed and celebrated as a day of solemnity and festivity so we see Deut. 20.5 care taken for him that hath built a new house and hath not dedicated it that he shall be permitted to return from the battel as he that hath betrothed a wife and not taken her or planted a vineyard and not eaten of the fruit of it custom among the Jews having made every one of these a solemn time of rejoycing When a man first eats in a new house say the Jews he makes a feast and rejoyceth himself And thus I suppose it was with David When he was quietly seated in the Kingdom of Israel as well as Judah and after his taking of Sion and dwelling in the fort and calling it the City of David and building round about from Millo and inward 2 Sam. 5.9 at length we read that Hiram King of Tyre sent Messengers to David and cedar trees and Carpenters and Masons and they built David an house v. 11. And this being finished this Psalm may reasonably be thought to have been fitted by him for a festivity at the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã as the LXXII render it the dedication of his house Thus the succeeding Church of the Jews have made use of this thirtieth Psalm at the first injoyment of the fruits of the earth according to that festival manner prescribed Deut. 26.10 Maimonides tells us this Psalm was repeated by the Levites in the Court of the Sanctuary over those that brought their baskets on their shoulders And the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or dedication of an house was of the same kind in a solemn and religious manner of entring on the possession of it And 't is not impossible that such days might be kept yearly as the Natales of men and of cities were and then here will be place for the conjecture of those which apply this Dedicatory Psalm to Davids victorious return from the danger of Absaloms rebellion To this the mâter of the Psalm fitly agrees see v. 1 2 3 5 ãâã And the building of a Royal Palace having been the effect of his establishment in his Kingdom 2 Sam. 5. 't is not unlikely the festival remembrance of it should be in a special manner observed after such an interruption as this rebellion gave it The Chaldee indeed read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the house of the Sanctuary and to that the Emphasis in the Hebrew ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the house inclines as if David had built some such house as he designed 2 Sam. 7.2 But we know he was not permitted by God to do it v. 5. but the dignity was reserved for Solomon v. 13. Then indeed at the building of the Temple there was a feast and song of dedication Nay four such we find mentioned among the Jews the first at the building it by Solomon in Autumn 1 King 8.63 the second in the Spring at the re-edifying it by Zorobabel Ezra 6.16 the third of the Altar when Judas Maccabaeus repaired it after Antiochus's profanation in the Winter Joh. 10.22 and the fourth at Herods building the second Temple But this of Davids here cannot be thought by way of prophecy to respect that unless as Kimchi fansies taking order for the future building of the Temple 1 Chron. 28.9 and giving a model of it to Solomon he gave him also this Psalm for the dedicating it together with the silver and gold and brass and other materials for that sacred work This conjecture of his was not unfit here to be mentioned But the Psalm more probably belongs to his own house which he built new at his being peaceably setled in the Kingdom of Israel as well as Judah and as 't is probable celebrated with an Anniversary ever after V. 5. Moment From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã subito motus est is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a moment but the LXXII read it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã anger either because that is a suddain commotion of the soul or else taking it for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã anger so the Syriack reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in his anger in the latter part of the verse meaning I suppose the effects of his anger chiding increpation as the Syriack ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is rendred or other such punishments for otherwise that there should be ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã anger in his anger would have no great sense in it and yet thus hath the Latine rendred it ira in indignatione ejus V. 7. My mountain ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã mountain is literally strength in or on my mountain referring possibly to Sion the hill of David since the time of the Arks being placed there For thus is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in both the notions both for praise and strength applyed to the Schechinah or presence of God in the Ark or Temple Psal 96.6 strength and beauty are in his Sanctuary and Psal 132.8 the Ark of thy strength And then the setting or establishing strength on that mountain may be the placing of the Ark there But the LXXII for mountain read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã beauty or comeliness either reading ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which signifies that or else from the affinity of these words both in sound and signification ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã mountain and glory they thought fit to take in the sense of the one the more fully to paraphrase the other And thus if applyed only to Davids person the sense will bear being in the Hebrew figurative ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Thou hast set or establisht strength on my mountain but in the LXXII more clear ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã it should be I suppose ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã
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 âams 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 âow 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here the Jewish Arab renders in the notion of giving give him glory and so regularly ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã posuit put is used for dedit gave and is here v. 9. joyned with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to give as a synonymân and so to put to him honour is to give it him but he as well as others avoids making ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Jewish Arab supplies it by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã give him glory by his praise and the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã by his praise or by praising him V. 7. Power for ever That ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã must here most properly be rendred ruling the world or over the world and so the Chaldee certainly understood who read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which exerciseth dominion over the world and so I suppose the LXXII their ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã
ãâã ãâã ãâã the wrath of man in the beginning of the verse Mans wrath is the violence and rage and blasphemy of the oppressor upon the meek or poor man foregoing This begins goes foremost in provoking God and then ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the remnant or second part of wrath is still behind for God and with that he girds himself i. e. sets himself out illustriously and dreadfully as with an ornament and as with an hostile preparation in the eyes of men And so in this sense also it is agreeable to the context The wrath of man Rabshake's railings and blasphemies ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã shall confess or praise thee as being brought down by God and signally refuted by him for then after so eminent a vindication of Gods honour his opposition and reproaches did but illustrate that glory which he endeavoured to ecclips and become a kind of confession to him One of the Targums read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã they shall convert and confess to thy name and praise thee in reference to other men that look on and admire and give honour to God who thus seasonably interposes and girds on the remainder of wrath comes in opportunely to rescue the oppressed and execute judgment on the oppressor And so in either sense the parts of this verse are perfectly answerable the one to the other To this latter rendring of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Chaldee inclines us paraphrasing it by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã thou hast girded on or prepared or made ready the remainder of fury meaning Gods fury for the destroying of the nations And so the Interlinear residuum irarum accinges thou shalt gird on thee the residue of wraths and Castellio exuberantibus furoribus decoraris thou art adorned with exuberant furies in the notion of an ornament or festival garment to which also if the LXXII refer by their ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the remnant of wrath shall celebrate to thee a feast it will be hard to guess what they meant by it This the Latine render from them reliquiae cogitationis diem festum agent tibi the relicks of thought so interpreting ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã shall keep an holy-day to thee V. 12. Cut off ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã spirit seems here to denote the proud and cruel and fastuous spirit of oppressing Nimrods such Senacherib was lifted up with the successes of their impiety so the Chaldee ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã he shall repress the grossness or elation or pride of the spirit of the great ones so ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifies the same phrase by which they paraphrase the pride of the countenance Psal 10.4 And Gods cutting it off bringing it low so ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã minuit signifies is his not only repressing and not permitting it to proceed farther but his inflicting severe punishments upon it cutting off the tyrant in his bloody pursuits as it fared with Senacherib see note d. The LXXII as we now read it having ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã taking away the spirits of Princes may be thought by spirits to signifie no more than their lives but the Latine reading spiritum in the singular and so the Syriack ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã spirit shew that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is the right reading and then nothing hinders but that they might take it in this sense for pride and elation of spirit which as it may be taken away by other means of humbling beside that of death so it is then surely subdued and brought low when it brings destruction on him in whom it is Abu Walid here renders ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã shall exalt and hinder the enemies from them and so Kimchi in his Roots shall exalt them and strengthen them But withall he saith it may be interpreted shall cut off or bring low the radical signification being as he resolves the notion of hindering keeping in or restraining The Seventy Seventh Psalm TO the chief Musitian to Jeduthun a Psalm of Asaph Paraphrase The seventy seventh Psalm is a pious resolution of affiance in and prayer to God in all the miseries that befall us in this life by way of dialogue between diffidence and a well-grounded hope and faith It seems to have been composed by Asaph in reference to the captivity and committed to the Praefect of Musick to be sung to those instruments in which Jeduthun and his posterity were imployed 1. I cried unto God with my voice even unto God with my voice and he gave ear unto me Paraphrase 1. My distresses were great and I had none but God to fly to to him therefore I addrest my request importunately and he was pleased to relieve me out of them 2. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my sore ran in the night and ceased not my soul refused to be comforted Paraphrase 2. When any affliction came this was my constant practice never to give over praying never to take any repose by diverting from that imployment 3. I remembred God and was troubled I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed Selah Paraphrase 3. But betaking me to God and with all importunity making my requests to sound in his ears I prayed with all the ardency and devotion and affection of my spirit 4. Thou holdest mine eyes waking I am so troubled that I cannot speak Paraphrase 4. When I am in the night on my bed thou O Lord seest how I am imployed every minute of it when any matter of trouble seiseth on me I betake my self to this kind of silent meditation 5. I have considered the days of old the years of antient times Paraphrase 5. I recount all the eminent passages of thy providence toward this nation of ours beginning from the first foundation of it 6. I call to remembrance my song in the night I commune with mine own heart and my spirit made diligent search Paraphrase 6. And thus I think over my own composures in the solitudes of the night conversing silently with my self in this form of dialogue betwixt me and my own spirit And first my spirit or mind asks the question in this or the like form reflecting on the distresses that are now upon us 7. Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more Paraphrase 7. God is displeased and chastiseth us severely as if he would never be attoned 8. Is his mercy clean gone for ever Doth his promise fail for evermore 9. Hath God forgotten to be gracious Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies Selah Paraphrase 8 9. His mercies and his promises gave us ground of hope and will he never remember these Is he finally resolved never again to turn to us in mercy 10. And I said this is my infirmity but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High Paraphrase 10. The continuance and
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 reâbuilding 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
consideration of that great displeasure of thine to which I am to impute all these sad and direfull effects of it 11. My days are like a shadow that declineth and I am withered like grass 12. But thou O Lord shalt endure for ever and thy remembrance unto all generations 13. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come Paraphrase 11 12 13. My condition is every day worse and more hopeless than other my joyless life hastening to its fatal period and unless thou please to interpose thy sovereign power I am utterly and finally lost But herein this one great comfort remains that thy strength is beyond our weakness thy eternity is opposed to our frail transitory state thy mercy surmounts our wants and misery and on this I still found an hope and confidence that thou wilt in thy good time return the captivity of our Church and Nation restore us to the priviledges and blessings of peaceable assemblies and that it will not now be long ere that most desirable and acceptable time come 14. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones and favour the dust thereof Paraphrase 14. To this hope I am induced by thine own promise that whensoever thy people are carried captive by heathen enemies if they shall be truly sensible of thy punishments and humbled for their sins thou wilt then remember thy Covenant and restore them And this is our condition at this time Now thy Church is laid waste among us see Nehem. 1.3 we cannot choose but be sensible of our loss and our sins and with all compassion and affection be transported when we think of either At present the want of outward prosperity hath not rendred her less desirable in our eyes but rather inhansed the value of those interdicted felicities and made us vow all readiness to endeavour the repairing of those ruines whensoever thou shalt please to grant us that welcome opportunity 15. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord and all the Kings of the earth thy glory 16. When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his glory 17. He will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer Paraphrase 15 16 17. When that blessed time shall come it shall be an effectual means to bring in whole heathen nations Princes and people to thy service when they see so great a deliverance wrought for thy people their captivity returned and their Temple re-edified evidences as of the omnipotent power of God so of his readiness to hear the prayers of those that are brought to the lowest ebbe of misery and destitution 18. This shall be written for the generation to come and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. Paraphrase 18. The wonderfulness of this deliverance shall be recorded to all posterity and in probability be a means of bringing in those that have not yet any being to be proselytes to the service of so great and compassionate a God 19. For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary from heaven did the Lord behold the earth 20. To hear the groaning of the prisoner to loose those that are appointed to death 21. To declare the name of the Lord in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem 22. When the people are gathered together and the Kingdoms to serve the Lord. Paraphrase 19 20 21 22. When they hear how signally he doth exercise his power and providence in affairs of the world here below and how ready he is to relieve and rescue those that are in the greatest distress and destitution to return their captivity and restore them to their country again there to bless and praise and proclaim the power and mercy of God in his Temple making their constant solemn resort thither from all the quarters of the land at the times by God appointed 23. He weakened my strength in the way he shortened my days 24. I said O my God take me not away in the midst of my days thy years are throughout all generations Paraphrase 23 24. When I consider the sadness of our state the misery and shortness of our lives and on the other side the strength and eternity of God I cannot but address my prayers unto him with some hope that he will spare us and restore us to some prosperity and not cut us off in the most flourishing part of our lives 25. Of old hast thou laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands 26. They shall perish but thou shalt endure they all shall wax old like a garment as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed 27. But thou art the same and thy years shall have no end Paraphrase 25 26 27. 'T was he that by his almighty power at first created the whole world and all the parts thereof and though by the same he will in his due time either destroy or change them quite from the condition of their creation yet through all these transmutations he shall continue the same to all eternity 28. The children of thy servants shall continue and their seed shall be established before thee Paraphrase 28. And this irresistible power and immutable will of his is a ground of firm hope and confidence to me that there shall be a time of rest to God's faithfull servants that upon our sincere return to him and reformation of our sins he will return our captivity and if this fall not out in our days yet our children and their posterity shall receive the benefit and comfort of it and be continued a people to him and thereby for ever ingaged to serve him Annotations on Psal CII V. 3. Like smoak For ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in smoak which we reade in the Hebrew the Chaldee and LXXII are thought to have read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã as smoak and accordingly they render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã as smoak But 't is more probable that they so express what they thought to be the meaning than that they read it otherwise than we do For the Jewish Arab though reading ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã yet renders it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã c. as smoak is consumed or vanisheth The Syriack reade ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in smoak and so the sense will best bear either my days or time of my life ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã consume and wither in smoak as Psal 1.19.83 a bottle in the smoak afflictions have had the same effect on me as smoak on those things that are hung in it dried me up and deformed me or perhaps ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã end or fail or consume in smoak as when any combustible matter is consumed smoak is all that comes from it and so it ends in that and to that the latter part of the verse may seem to incline it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and my bones or members or body
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 âhis 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
standing still and parting of Jordan of the terrible earthquake and commotion that was of the whole mountain and parts of Sinai the account is evident God was there pleased by the ministery and guard of Angels to exhibit himself in a special manner to that people for their rescue out of Aegypt and to bring them into Canaan and to deliver his Law unto them and that presence of his was the the only cause of all these prodigious effects as at another time it was of bringing such plenty of water out of a rock of flint that it maintained a current as if it had been a notable spring some considerable time after Annotations on Psal CXIV V. 1. Of strange language The Hebrew ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is by the Chaldee here rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã barbarous and so by the Greek ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã The word among the Greeks and Latins comes from the Hebrew ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã extra redoubled and so signifies to a Jew any man of any other nation and so fitly answers to ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a stranger or alien V. 2. His sanctuary The word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã will literally be rendred to or for his holiness and being joyned with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã was will signifie that Judah the people of the Jews there spoken of was made use of by God on or among them to demonstrate his holiness in the notion wherein oft it is taken for the keeping his promise sacred or inviolate as when Psal 111.9 speaking of the firmness and immutability of his Covenant it is added ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã holy as in another respect reverend is his name The meaning then is that Judaea was a special instance of his holiness or performing his promise made to Abraham long before And then in proportion that which follows must be understood ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Israel was his power i. e. Israel was an instance of his power in his acting for Israel he declared his omnipotence most signally the LXXII literally render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his power but the Syriack ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his praise or glory i. e. in dealing with whom he set forth his glory In this as in the former verse the expression is poetical In the first verse as Israel and the house of Jacob are the same thing in several names so is Aegypt and the barbarous people And here as Judah and Israel are all one the separation being not made at that time which is here respected so ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his holiness or to his holiness and his power are joyntly attributed to the same subject Judah and Israel not that the holiness of God was shewed in one and the power in the other Another interpretation the words are capable of that as Judah marcht out of Aegypt the cloud which went before the host abode upon them and that presentiating Almighty God and still consecrating and making holy the place of his abode may found that speech that Judah was his sanctuary or place of his residence And then as Psal 136.9 the moon is said to be ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for a dominion in the night i. e. in an active sense to rule and govern so the meaning of Israel's being his dominion here may be their being impowered as a Prince by God to go out with an high hand executing justice on their enemies V. 4. Mountains Though the earthquake at the giving the Law were so remarkable that there can be no doubt of the fitness of accommodating this skipping of the mountains to it yet 't is not amiss to mention the interpretation of Kimchi who applies it to the striking the rocks in Rephidim and Cades which also hath this probability that Naturalists observe that earthquakes sometimes make eruptions of water V. 8. Standing water The ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is best rendred a lake of water to note the abundance of it accordingly the Chaldee renders it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã into a river and so the Psalmist expresly describes the gushing out of the waters from the rock that they ran in dry places like a river Psal 105.41 The Hundred and Fifteenth Psalm The hundred and fifteenth by the LXXII and Syriack and Latin and Arabick and Aethiopick annexed to the former but distinguisht in the Hebrew and Chaldee is a rendring of all glory to the true and onely God in opposition to all Idol-Deities and a calling upon all sorts of men to place their whole affiance and trust in him 1. NOT unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truths sake Paraphrase 1. O Lord we sinfull and vile men are most unable in the least degree to glorify thee we are most unworthy of the least of all thy goodness abundantly reached out unto us no strength of ours hath contributed in the least to our felicities no merit or desert of ours hath brought them down from thee by way of due or challenge thine holy blessed and most glorious name that hath wrought all in us and for us must in all reason have the intire honour and praise of all there being no other motive or impellent to excite or invite thy mercies but thine own meer grace and favour and thy fidelity and immutable constancy to thy Covenant and promises freely made to us which thou wilt never fail to perform 2. Wherefore should the heathen say Where is now their God Paraphrase 2. The heathen Idolaters round about us have not sped so well in their machinations or attempts against us as to have any temptation to reproach us of the God we worship that he is either unable or unwilling to help us 3. But our God is in the heavens he hath done whatsoever he pleased Paraphrase 3. Though the God we worship be not here in any visible shape among us as their Idols are his court of residence his palace and throne being in the highest heavens yet hereby is he not so removed from us but that he hath been always able to perform whatsoever he hath pleased as readily and effectually as if he had been always bodily present among us 4. Their Idols are silver and gold the work of mens hands 5. They have mouths but they speak not eyes have they but they see not 6. They have ears but they hear not noses have they but they smell not 7. They have hands but they handle not feet have they but they walk not neither speak they through their throats 8. They that make them are like unto them so is every one that trusteth in them Paraphrase 4 5 6 7 8. Whereas the gods falsly so called which the heathens worship and from whom they expect relief and assistance are nothing but so many liveless images of wood stone or metall conceived by them to be inspirited by the false deities to whose names
behold my condition give me for lost thinking that God himself either is not able or willing to restore me to my Kingdom again 3. But thou O Lord art a shield for me my glory and the lifter up of mine head Paraphrase 3. But thou art an Omnipotent God and hast engaged thy self for my support abundantly able to guard me from all dangers to rescue and exalt me in this my seeming forlorn condition and to restore me in thy good time to my throne again and this thou hast by thy promise assured me that thou wilt do In thee therefore is my trust and my chearful steady unshaken confidence 4. I cried unto the Lord with my voice and he heard me out of his holy hill Paraphrase 4. Whensoever I have yet been in any distress my addresses have been constant unto the Lord and my prayers fervently sent up to him And out of heaven in an eminent manner hath he relieved me interposing his gracious hand and peculiar presence such as is mystically exhibited in the Ark which is placed in Zion Gods Mount so called or his holy place Psal 2.6 5. I laid me down and slept I awaked for the Lord sustained me Paraphrase 5. Whether I slept or waked I had no reason to doubt or fear for his sacred aid and protection was ever over me effectual to my safety Of a mystical sense here applied to Christs resurrection See August de Civitate Dei Lib. 17. Cap. 18. 6. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about Paraphrase 6. The many experiments of this heavenly guard are ground of all courage and assurance to me that how great soever the number already is or ever shall advance to how industrious and diligent soever they are in their pursuits how close soever they may besiege and encompass me thou wilt yet secure and deliver me out of their hand 7. Arise O Lord save me O my God for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek-bone thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly Paraphrase 7. O let thy power interpose and check and over-rule their power let thy fatherly mercy and fidelity so often experimented by me in the persecutions of Saul and assaults of the Philistims c. work this farther deliverance for me For thus thou hast hitherto dealt with all my assailants thou hast returned them with loss and shame their strongest forces and keenest designs have been constantly discomfited by thee 8. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord thy blessing is upon thy people Paraphrase 8. All deliverance proceeds and cometh out from thee O Lord thou art the author of every good thing to those that cleave fast to thee in faithful persevering obedience and dependance on thee Annotations on Psal III. A Psalm The word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here used of this and many other Psalms cometh from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that signifieth cutting off and metaphorically singing either with the voice or instruments or both Psalmi dicuntur qui cantantur ad Psalterium quo usus David 1 Chron. 15. saith S. Augustine By this name are called those that are sung to the Psaltery which David used 1 Chron. 15. Of the rendring it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Psalm and its difference from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã hymns and songs see Annotat. on Ephes 5.3 But it seems not here to be taken in any narrow strict notion but to be a word of a very comprehensive latitude neither appropriated to any part of composition or species of Musick For indeed ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in Syriack and Arabick is generally used for Musick and so also for feasting and dancing at which Musick was used and the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Minstrels Matth. 9.23 are by the Syriack stiled ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and so ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is a Musical Instrument and all the sorts of them and not only the Psaltery which are carefully reckoned up Dan. 3.5 are there contained under that stile ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Instruments of Musick And so the Talmudists though they distinguish exactly betwixt Instrumental and Vocal Musick yet make ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the generical name to both of them ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã vocal or oral Musick and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã instrumental Musick Proportionably the Arabick and Syriack inscribe all the Psalms through the Book by this stile And the Chaldee render it by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a general comprehensive word used for singing lauding praising without any relation to either the composition or Musick Now in this Book of Psalms there is this variety sometimes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is used alone as here and in many other places sometimes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã song or canticle is added to it as Psal 30.1 and in seven others sometimes it hath ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã song going before it as Psal 48.1 and in four more And of these several complications S. Hilary in his Prologue on the Psalms hath thus exprest his sense Psalmus est cum cessante voce pulsus tantum organi 1. A Psalm is when the voice ceasing the sound only of the Instrument is heard 2. A Canticle is when the quire of Singers using their liberty and not observing the Instrument sing with loud voices 3. A Canticle of Psalm when the Instrument going before the voice of the quire follows to the same tune 4. And 4. A Psalm of Canticle when the quire of voices going foremost the Instruments follow and observe them And answerable to these four kinds of Musick are saith he the Titles of the Psalms And this interpretation is mentioned by S. Augustine on Psal 67. with an acutioribus ociosioribus relinquimus We leave it to those that are more acute and have more leisure and nescio utrum possit ista differentia demonstrari I know not whether this difference can be demonstrated It is therefore more probable that as ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã was resolved to be taken in the wider and more comprehensive sense so may ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã also and without this niceness of critical or curious observation all these four words and phrases Psalm and Canticle Psalm of Canticle and Canticle of Psalm be used promiscuously for the very same thing according to the account frequent with Kimchi that the same thing is exprest in two words by the figure very ordinary in the Hebrew idiom called ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Accordingly the Chaldee sometimes read it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Psal 48.1 A Song and Praise and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Psal 77.1 A Praise and Song i. e. a Psalm of benediction and praise to God and so the LXXII also sometimes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã A Song of Psalm sometimes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã A Psalm of song and sometimes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã A Songs Psalm All sure to signifie the same
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 arrowâ of thy displeasure ãâã and afflict me exceedingly Lord that it might be at length thy season to asswage thy wrath to speak peace to ãâã 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 â 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 â 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which we render my bones and so indeed it often signifies from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his bone or body is by the Chaldee rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã himself in opposition to his goods and family which had been toucht sharply Chap. 1. And so among the Rabbines ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which we render vexed from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in Niphal signifies any sudden commotion or disturbance or trembling and so being joyned with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã languishing from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to be sick or faint and so weak in the notion of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the LXXII renders ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my tongue and so the Latine and Arabick and Aethiopick and so Apollinarius ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my tongue rejoyced This some learned men attribute to their reading ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my tongue instead of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my glory but sure it signifies either the soul or tongue So Psal 57.8 Awake ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the LXXII render literally ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my tongue V. 10. Hell That ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifies the condition or state of the dead there is no question and so ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã Peter there v. 29. and S Paul c. 13.36 duly resolve that this verse of not being left in sââeol 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã corruption viz. so as ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã sometimes signifies extreme distress here in this life so Psal 116. 3. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the distresses of scheol signifies exceeding great distresses interpreted by what follows I shall find trouble and heaviness and so as in like manner ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which we render corruption from the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã where the LXXII render ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Greek for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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
deliver me I shall certainly be destroyed and devoured by them Be thou therefore pleased I beseech thee thus to do hasten to my defense and rescue me from these wicked men These men I say the rich and great men of the world who have all their good things allowed them by thee in this life and so here have all riches and plenty and having a numerous posterity have wealth also sufficient not only to enjoy themselves but also to leave abundantly to their children as having no care of charity or mercy to others on which to exhaust any thing 14. From men which are thy hand O Lord from men of the world which have their portion in this life and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure they are full of children and leave the rest of their substance to their babes 15. As for me I will behold thy face in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness Paraphrase 15. Meanwhile I will adhere to thee and constantly perform my duty and thus waite till thou shalt be pleased gratiously to reveale thy self unto me not doubting but thou wilt in thy good time stir up thy power for my rescue and then I shall be abundantly provided for I shall want nothing Annotations on Psal XVII V. 1. Right O God It is not agreed among the antient Interpreters to what the word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã righteousness belongs and connects The Latine reads justitiam righteousness and so the Arabick and that connects it with hear Hear the Justice or righteousness or right and so Apollinarius ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã hear my just cause But the Chaldee hath ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in righteousness and then it coheres with hear again Hear in justice or righteousness O Lord. But the LXXII joyn it with Lord ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã O Lord of my righteousness as in the beginning of the fourth Psalm where though it be ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my righteousness not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã righteousness yet these may be all one and so the LXXII might think fit to render it more explicitely not reading otherwise than we have it but thus expressing their understanding of it whereas the Syriack more exactly joyning it as they do with Lord read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã O holy Lord as Lord of righteousness is righteous Lord and righteousness in God is all one with holiness And this seems to be the fittest rendring of it according to the sense O righteous Lord or more literally but to the same purpose ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã O Lord of righteousness The Jewish-Arabick translator reads O Lord of Justice or equity V. 3. Thou hast tried me Some difficulties there are in this v. 3. First what is meant by trying But that is soon resolved viz. that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifies exploring such especially as is of metalls by fire Psal 66.10 and of men by temptations or afflictions Isai 48.10 and accordingly the LXXII here render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã hast cast into the fire in the same notion in which we have ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 1 Pet. 4.12 for tribulation or affliction and that as a special season to try the sincerity of those who have in times of prosperity made greatest professions of piety but oft fail when they meet with pressures in his service This tryall as of Gold in the Fire is here thought fit to be added to that former of visiting him in the night when the eyes of men being shut out his thoughts and actions were most free and undisguised and such as come from the very heart which cannot so surely be said of his day-actions which are oft awed by the eyes of men And God by examining him by these two wayes visiting his night-thoughts and trying him by afflictions must needs know if there be any insincerity in him The next difficulty is what is the full importance of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã thou shalt not find and that may be discerned by remembring what was noted Psal 10. note l. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to be sought and not found proverbially for that which was not at all but was lost or destroyed utterly In proportion with which for God to try and not find is a phrase to signifie sincerity and uprightness without any such mixture as is wont to be discovered by trying i. e. melting any metall without any dross i. e. hypocrisie in him This the LXXII have exprest by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã iniquity hath not been found in me and to the same sence the Syriack and Arabick and Latine not much mistaking the sense for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã iniquity is that dross which is wont to be discovered by tentation but yet probably reading the verse otherwise than now the punctation will permit and 1. taking the verb ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã cogitavi from the latter part of the verse and reading it with other points ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my thought which is oft used in the ill sense and so sometimes rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã iniquity Lev. 19.29 and 2. removing the other words ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my mouth shall not transgress with which the verse concludes to the beginning of the following verse ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that my mouth may not speak the works of men But the reading which we retein is surely the true and is so acknowledged by the Chaldee Paraphrase which explaining ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã thou shalt not find corruption renders ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I thought my mouth shall not transgress ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I have thought ill my mouth hath not transgrest This therefore being resolved to be the reading the last difficulty is what will be the meaning of the Hebrew phrase And 1. for the word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã though it be oft taken in an ill sense and so understood here by the Chaldee yet 't is sometimes in a good sense as Prov. 2.11 where ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from that verbe is by us duly rendred discretion by the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã good counsel and so by the Syriack a good mind and by the Arabick firm counsel and sometimes indifferently neither good nor bad and so in that place 't is rendred by the Chaldee ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã thought simply And thus I conceive it signifies here for if it were evil as the Chaldee supposes that he thought how could he be acquitted by Gods proving of his heart where that evil thought would have been found and have accused him rather The more certain meaning then of the words will be this I have thought and my mouth shall not transgress it i. e. my mouth and thoughts shall or as the future is oft taken for the past oft for the present do go or have gone together The deceitful man or the hypocrite thinks one thing and speaks another but the sincere
vicissitude of days and nights caused by the constant certain motions of those heavenly bodies do continually preach and instruct men in the glories of the creator of heaven and earth 3. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard Paraphrase 3. They are not furnisht with language or words or an articulate intelligible voice as we men are 4. Their line is gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world In them hath he set a tabernacle for the Sun Paraphrase 4. Yet have they ways to express themselves to make known to all the men in the world Gentiles as well as Jews the wonderful power and goodness and providence of God In the midst of them in an eminent and principal place is assigned a royal mansion for the Sun in which he moves constantly and by his motion inlivens and rejoyceth all that see him Wheresoever he comes he hath the day-Star and a streaming of light going before him as the torch-bearers before a Bridegroom when he comes out of his Bride-chamber and in his circuit he visits all the corners of the earth and drives on alacriously like a mighty invincible champion in a perpetual course or race He begins in one extreme point of the heavens and marcheth on through every part till he comes back to the very same point again and so in some part of his course or other takes in every climate of this lower World of ours there is no corner which doth not partake of the light and warmth he brings with him And in all this is there a farther mystical representation of the Gospel of Christ that Sun of righteousness with his Baptist before him to light him into the world whither when he is come he sends out his Apostles to preach the Gospel to all the dark heathen corners over all the earth and by so doing diffuseth his light and warmth the knowledge of his will and strength and grace in some measure to perform it and withall pardon and refreshment to all that do not love darkness more than light and so wilfully refuse to be inlightned by him 5. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoyceth as a strong man to run a race 6. His going forth is from the end of heaven and his circuit unto the ends of it and there is nothing hid from the heat of it 7. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple Paraphrase 7. And as Gods glories are visible in the creation and wise and gracious disposal of the heavens c. so above all in his giving us such a guide and director of life as is the law and revelation of his will unto us A law made up of such excellent praecepts that it most eminently conduceth to the satisfying and refreshing the making all men happy that obey it It prescribes us an universal adherence and dependence on God and so is proper to repair and refresh our hungry souls which being fallen off from God by sin into a most doleful state have no other means of recovery or refection but this manna from heaven this spiritual food of ours 2. It is constant and in every part agreeable to it self and consequently is a means to settle and establish and confirm him that is most unsteady and seducible and carried away with every deceit of sin 8. The statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart the commandment of the Lord is pure inlightening the eyes Paraphrase 8. As for the particular precepts and commandments thereof they are made up of perfect justice and equity so agreeable to our own reason and the souls with which we are created that the performance of them is matter of the greatest present delight and joy to a rational man Gods commands are our spiritual food and the obeying them is refection and nourishment to the soul the original of all spiritual strength and vigor to it 9. The fear of the Lord is clean induring for ever the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether Paraphrase 9. The dread of offending God keeps the man from all impure mixtures suffers not any worldly or carnal aim to have admission with him and this and nothing but this will hold out in time of temptation and consequently yield him a reward from God in another world As for the things wherein our obedience is expected by God they are in themselves most just and equitable fittest to be done by us if they were not commanded nor should ever be rewarded in us and so are acknowledged by all wise men and cannot chuse but be discerned by us to be so if we seriously weigh them and practice them 10. More to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweater also than honey and the honey-comb Paraphrase 10. And indeed when we come to make that trial of them to know their true value by practice and experiences and not to judge them by those appearances and colours that the world hath of them and such as consider them at a distance and so think them rugged and melancholy we shall find them much more priseable than the greatest wealth in the world all that amass'd together cannot yield us any true contentment or satisfaction much more delicious and pleasurable than the richest and choicest sensualities that are most eagerly pursued and gustfully injoyed by us 11. Moreover by them is thy servant warned and in keeping of them there is great reward Paraphrase 11. All the splendor and greatness and flourishing condition that I injoy at this time or ever expect in this or in another world I hold only by this tenure as long as I keep my self close to the commands of God For thus hath God pleased in his infinite goodness to deal with us he gives us most excellent precepts commanding us to do those things which are of all others most agreeable to our natures and so most valuable and pleasurable to us v. 10. and then upon our obedience to this most gracious yoak heaps all the richest rewards upon us Godliness having besides its own sweetness the promises of this life and of that which is to come 12. Who can understand his errours cleanse thou me from secret faults Paraphrase 12. But alas how imperfect hath my obedience been How many times have I transgrest these holy commands of thine Many many times which I am not now able to enumerate many which I did not observe at the time sins of ignorance and frailty no man is able to number and particularly to confess to thee O be thou pleased to seal to my soul thy free pardon and forgiveness for all these 13. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over me then shall I be upright and I shall be innocent from the great transgression Paraphrase 13. As
mercies and ascribing the glory to thee this also was fulfilled in Christ in the Apostles preaching his resurrection in all their assemblies and magnifying God for it See Acts 2.47 after this manner 23. Ye that fear the Lord praise him all ye the seed of Jacob glorifie him and fear him all ye the seed of Israel Paraphrase 23. O bless and praise the name of our gratious Lord all ye that profess to be his servants all ye whom he hath thus taken to himself to be his peculiar people and shewed such marvellous works of mercy among you let this be a perpetual obligation to you to magnifie him and perform all faithful obedience to him for ever Of this as it respects Christ see St. Peters Sermon Acts 3.26 24. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted neither hath he hid his face from him but when he cryed unto him he heard Paraphrase 24. Because he is faithful and constantly ready to hear and answer the petitions of them that are brought to the lowest condition and instantly answers them with timely relief and never finally casts out or rejects their supplications How this was fulfilled in Christ see Heb. v. 7. 25. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation I will pay my vows before them that fear him Paraphrase 25. From these gratious revelations of thy self unto me shall I fetch abundant matter of praise and thanksgiving when I come to thy holy assembly and there will I constantly offer those sacrifices which I now devote and consecrate unto thee that all thy faithful servants may joyn with me in this duty This had its completion in Christ in respect of the commemorative Eucharistical oblations offered up daily in the Church in remembrance of Christs death and resurrection 26. The meek shall eat and be satisfied they shall praise the Lord that seek him your heart shall live for ever Paraphrase 26. As remembring what certain returns thou makest to the prayers of the distressed supplyest all their wants givest them matter of thanksgiving whosoever make their addresses to thee and comfortest and revivest them with durable refreshments when their condition is most disconsolate and destitute This is also fulfilled in the Evangelizing and comforting of the poor humble Christian and in the Eucharistical spiritual food and the vital effects thereof of which Sacramentally and by faith they are made partakers 27. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee Paraphrase 27. These miracles of thy mercy shall be recounted through all the world and bring in many spiritual subjects to thy Kingdom to serve and adore thee This also was most eminently completed in the effects of the resurrection of Christ that mighty work of Gods power and mercy and fidelity when the Apostles preaching of it to all the world brought in such multitudes of proselytes to Christ 28. For the Kingdom is the Lords and he is the governor among the nations Paraphrase 28. Acknowledging that as the managery and sole government of all the nations of the world doth certainly belong to thee so all subjection and faithful uniform obedience is most due unto thee This also was an effect of the promulgation of the resurrection of Christ 29. All they that be fat on earth shall eat and worship all they that go down into the dust shall bow before him and none can keep alive his own soul 30. A seed shall serve him it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation 31. They shall come and declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born that he hath done this Paraphrase 29 30 31. And all this for the confirmation of all sorts of men in Gods service 1. Of those that enjoy prosperity in this world as knowing that they have received it from God 2. Of those that dye and live not themselves to see thy wonderful work yet shall their posterity behold and adore thee for it or all mortal men shall confess that all life and preservation and deliverance is from God and so they and their posterity shall betake themselves to thy service How this is fulfilled in Christ see note n. And so all successions of men shall declare to their followerâ those that are not yet born to those that shall come after them how richly God hath performed all his promised mercies and how seasonably and miraculously at this time of greatest need he hath granted me his protection and deliverance Annotations on Psal XXII Tit. Aijeleth For the meaning of the title of this Psalm ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the LXXII may first be considered which render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and the Latine pro susceptione matutina for the morning help This is by the Learned Grotius thought to proceed from their reading the Hebrew otherwise than now we have it not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã but ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which v. 20. is by them rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã help But that is a very remote conjecture the words having no affinity in sound or writing It is more probable that from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã robur strength which is made use of for the aid and relief of others as in that v. 20. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã thou art my strength hasten unto my help they deduced the word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and took it in the notion of relief and so render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã help Upon this conceited notion of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã it is that Psal 107.17 where the Hebrew hath ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã fools they transforming ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã fool into ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã robur do consequently render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã he helped them the Latine suscepit and the Syriack ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã helped or strengthened and then joyning ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã of the morning with it as denoting the hast or earliness of the help they render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for morning or speedy or early help From this notion of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for strength the Chaldee also paraphrase it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã c. for a strong or powerful oblation perpetual for the morning perhaps from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a ramme such as were usually offered in sacrifice pitching on the notion of oblation But the notion which the antient fathers and from thence the interlinear and most modern translations have pitcht on is that of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã an hind so Prov. v. 19. in the form wherein here 't is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã an hind and so frequently ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã an hart or stagg Psal 42.2 Gen. 49.21 Psal 18.34 Cant. 2.7 And this beast being generally taken notice of for swiftness of foot as in that Psal 18.34 thou hast made my feet like binds feeds in respect
mighty work of wise disposal and contrivance for the preservation of mankind and though once for the sins of the old World these waters were appointed to break out and so overwhelmed the whole earth yet God hath firmly promised that they shall never do so again 3. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place Paraphrase 3. But though all the whole Universe be his and he effectually present in every tââ smallest corner thereof yet in a more peculiar manner will he exhibit himself in Mount Sion at the placing the Ark of the Covenant in it that image of heaven it self the special place of his residence built on purpose for the adoring and worshipping and performing service to him And as to heaven so to this every one promiscuously is not meet to be admitted nor can expect to partake of his blessing auspicious presence there 4. He that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully Paraphrase 4. But only such as keep close to the commands of God that preserve their minds as well as their bodies their inward thoughts and consents as well as their external actions from all forbidden unlawful objects that never make use of perjurious deceitful means for the inriching themselves or depriving others but serve and worship God uprightly 5. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation Paraphrase 5. Such and none but such shall be accepted and rewarded by God at their approach to his Sanctuary when they pray unto him and when they most want and depend upon his mercy Though God in Christ be a Saviour to all sincere worshippers and servants of his none 't is sure but such shall have part in this salvation 6. This is the generation of them that seek him seek thy face O Jacob. Selah Paraphrase 6. These indeed are the men that may properly be said to pray to and worship God these are the true Israelites that are meet to appear before the God of Israel whose peculiar presence is exhibited in the Ark of his Covenant or that associate themselves and joyn with thee O Jacob in the worship of the one true God 7. Lift up your heads O ye gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting dores and the King of glory shall come in Paraphrase 7. For the admission of this Ark of the Lord to a place where it may long continue the gates of the Fort of Sion are now to be set wide open those strong invincible gates as for the cheerful hospitable reception and entertainment of that great King whose Palace it is 8. Who is the King of glory the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in battel Paraphrase 8. And if any aske what King this is the answer is ready That powerful omnipotent Lord that hath wrought all Davids victories for him 9. Lift up your heads O ye gates even lift them up ye everlasting dores and the King of glory shall come in Paraphrase 9.10 And let this be a solemnity to all Israel as for the most glorious and welcome news the placing the Ark of Gods Covenant in the Royal City and so securing to us the presence of God himself the God of all victory in war to whom we may daily assemble and make our addresses with confidence to be accepted and heard and so be for ever happy and joyful in his presence This primarily belonging to the bringing the Ark into Sion doth also literally belong to the ascension of Christ our Saviour into the highest heavens and so the antient Fathers frequently apply it 10. Who is the King of glory the Lord of hosts he is the King of glory Selah Annotations on Psal XXIV V. 4. Lift up his soul That ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to take to lift up which is used in very many senses according to the matter to which it belongs doth sometimes signifie to swear by there is no question Thus 't is in the third Commandment and generally when it is the taking Gods name for Gods name being God himself the taking of that is the swearing by God see note on Psal 16. e. And though applied to ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the soul it frequently in the Psalmist signifies somewhat else lifting it up in devotion as it were a sacrifice to God yet the consequents here belonging evidently to perjury and among the forms of swearing that by the soul or life being one ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Am. 6.8 God hath sworn by his life or soul therefore it is here most probable to be taken in that sense especially having ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in vain joyned with it which again makes it more parallel to that in the third Commandment where by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã saith our Saviour Mat. 5. perjury is denoted The only remaining difficulty is how the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is to be rendred my soul or his own soul The points direct to render it my soul and so the Interlinear reads animam meam my soul or life as if it were ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã making God the speaker of this verse and then it is God's life or soul But the the text writing × not × and the context according with it the punctation must in reason give place and accordingly all the antient interpreters appear to have read it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his soul by that meaning his own soul or the soul of the swearer And thus it may probably be And yet it is as probable also that the Lord being formerly more than once mentioned in this Psalm the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his soul or life may be the life of God by whom oaths are wont to be conceived and are then an acknowledgment of Gods vindicative power which if it be invoked ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to a vain i. e. a false thing is a huge degree of profaneness and so may here fitly be set to signifie those that are not meet to be admitted into Gods holy place where he is to be honoured and worshipt V. 5. Righteousness That ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã righteousness is oft taken for mercy is frequently observed see note on Mat. 1. g. and Mat. 6. a. and so 't is most probably to be taken here being explicative of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã blessing going before as ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the two words for blessing benefaction and benediction are frequently used for works of mercy and thus the LXXII read it here ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and the Latine Arabick and Aethiopick in like manner mercy from God his Saviour V. 6. O Jacob What ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Jacob is set to signifie here is uncertain The LXXII leaving out the affix of the former word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã thy face and reading it only ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã
Joseph and Benjamin to bless the people on the one and Reuben Gad Dan Asher Zabulon and Napthali on the other to curse six on one side and six on to'ther And being thus found so long before and so long after this time 't is the less to be doubted but it was practised now at the bringing of the Ark to Sion To which purpose 't is farther to be observed from Psal 48. written for the removal of the Arke and beginning with the solemn form Let God arise c. prescribed in the law for that occasion Num. 10.36 that the manner of this Procession is thus described v. 24. They see thy goings O God the goings of my God and King in the Sanctuary The singers went before the players on Instruments followed after amongst them were the Damsels playing upon the timbrels One ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã company or chorus of vocall Musick went before the Ark the other of Instrumental of all kinds followed it Whereon it follows Bless ye the Lord in the Congregations in the plural these two companies And then it cannot be improbable that as Neh. 12.40 So stood the two companies in the house of the Lord so here at the entry of the Ark into Sion these two chori should be drawn up at the gates on each side of it and so stand and the first be supposed to begin with the three first verses of this Psalm The earth is the Lords c. Who shall ascend c. to which the other answered in the three following He that hath clean hands c. Then the first resuming their turn in the seventh verse Lift up your heads c. the other answered in part of the eighth Who is the King of glory then the former answering The Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in battel The other resumes again Lift up your heads c. And then the first asking the question Who is c. the second concludes The Lord of hosts he is the King of Glory The Twenty Fifth PSALM A Psalm of David Paraphrase The Twenty Fifth Psalm composed by David in some time of distress is a divine mixture of Prayer for pardon of sin and deliverance from evil and also of meditation of Gods gracious dealings with his servants 1. Unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul Paraphrase 1. O Lord I have none but thee to whom to address my prayers in times of distress to thee therefore I come with the tribute of an humble heart the offering of a devout soul be thou pleased to accept it from me 2. O my God I trust in thee let me not be ashamed let not mine enemies triumph over me Paraphrase 2. In thee O my gracious God do I repose all my confidence O let me not be left destitute or forsaken by thee let not my adversaries have occasion to rejoyce and deride me as one that have been disappointed or frustrated in my dependences on thee 3. Yea let none that wait on thee be ashamed let them be ashamed that transgress without cause Paraphrase 3. Yea let all those that rely and depend on thee be constantly owned by thee let not any man that hath reposed his whole trust in thee find himself disappointed Let that be the fate of treacherous perfidious persons those that rely on their own ungodly policies let them miscarry and be disappointed of their hopes and so appear ridiculous among men The only way that may most probably work reformation in them Psal 83.16 4. Shew me thy wayes O Lord teach me thy paths Paraphrase 4. O Lord be thou pleased by thy special grace to direct me in the performance of all that may be acceptable in thy sight 5. Lead me in thy truth and teach me for thou art the God of my salvation on thee do I wait all the day Paraphrase 5. Preserve me from all straying and wandring out of the right way On thee I depend for this and every minute look up to thee for the directions and support of thy good spirit 6. Remember O Lord thy tender mercies and thy loving kindness for they have been ever of old Paraphrase 6. Lord thou hast allwayes abounded to thy servants in compassion and bounty relieved the distrest and plentifully supplyed all wants to those that have addrest their prayers to thee Be thou pleased at this time thus in mercy to deal with me 7. Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions According to thy mercy remember me for thy goodness sake O Lord. Paraphrase 7. Lord the sins of my younger dayes are many the breaches innumerable wherewith I have ignorantly or foolishly for want of knowledge or consideration offended against thee Lay them not I beseech thee to my charge but of thine own free mercy and compassion to a wretched sinner be thou pleased to be reconciled to me O Lord. 8. Good and upright is the Lord therefore will he teach sinners in the way Paraphrase 8. It is an act of the great purity and justice and rectitude of God to direct and assist toward the wayes of virtue all those that are by error and weakness fallen away and departed from it and timely to reduce them to good life 9. The meek will he guide in judgment and the meek will he teach his way Paraphrase 9. Those that are truly humbled before him for their sins and failings and de voutly address to him for pardon and grace he will never fall to allow them his assistance and direction in the wayes of virtue 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his Covenant and his testimonies Paraphrase 10. God will never fail either in mercy or fidelity any man that walks diligently and industriously in obedience to him The pardon and the grace that he hath promised to such the pardon of all their frailties and the donation of sufficient strength to support their weakness shall never fall to be performed to them that remain thus faithful to him 11. For thy names sake O Lord pardon my iniquity for it is great Paraphrase 11. I have many wayes greatly sinned against thee and have no ground of hope for mercy but only from thy free abundant pardon which I know exceedeth my sins and for which I am the more abundantly qualified by how much my state is more sadly miserable without the interposition of this mercy On that only account therefore of thy free pardon to the greatest so they be truly penitent sinners I beseech thee to be reconciled unto me who unfeignedly repent and return to thee 12. What man is he that feareth the Lord Him shall he teach in the way that he shall chuse Paraphrase 12. Where the fear of God is planted truly in the heart there God will not fall of his directions and illuminations but will certainly afford him knowledge what will be acceptable in his fight 13. His soul shall dwell at ease and his seed shall inherit
must be acknowledged to have some obscurity in them V. 16. Desolate ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã anus one oft used for unigenitus an onely son doth also signifie a solitary and desolate person so Psal 68.6 God setteth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the solitary in families i. e. gives them children that had none So Psal 22.20 deliver my soul from the sword ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my onely one i. e. my soul which is now left destitute from the power of the dog and so here as must be concluded from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and afflicted which is added to it Yet have the LXXII rendred it in the other signification ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã onely-begotten and so the Arabick onely son But the Latine more to the letter unicus pauper sum ego I am alone and poor V. 21. Integrity For ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã integrity and uprightess in the abstract and singular the LXXII read in the concretâ and the plural ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the innocent and right and then ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to keep or preserve is by them rendered ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã stuck or adhered to me as if it were from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã colligavit to be bound up in league with any But the Chaldee render it clearly Perfectness and uprightness shall preserve me And thus also 't is capable of two sences one in relation to himself the other to God If it refer to David himself then ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã will best be rendred simplicity that ingredient in Jacobs character as that is somewhat inferior to goodness which v. 8. is joyned with uprightness and both spoken of God besides whom none is good in that sense as Christ saith But it may not unfitly refer to God and then it will signifie perfectness in the highest degree and as that denotes the greatest goodness and mercy as when Christ saith be you perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect Mat. 5.48 't is Luk. 6.36 be ye merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful and then as Psal 23.6 we have Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life referring questionless to Gods goodness c. so here it may well be Perfectness and uprightness i. e. Gods perfectness and uprightness his mercy in promising his fidelity in performing shall preserve me The Twenty Sixth PSALM A Psalm of David Paraphrase The Twenty Sixth Psam was composed by David as an appeal to God to vindicate his integrity and deliver him from his enemies 1. Judge me O Lord for I have walked in mine integrity I have trusted also in the Lord therefore I shall not slide Paraphrase 1. To thee O Lord I appeal for patronage and relief and to qualifie my self for so great a dignity am able only to say this for my self 1. That I have not injured them that invade me nor by any other wilful prevarication from my duty forfeited thy protection 2. That I have constantly and immutably reposed my full trust and dependance on thee my only helper 2. Examine me O Lord and prove me try my reins and my heart Paraphrase 2. For these two I humbly offer my self to thy divine most exact inspection and examination even of my most inward thoughts and if thou seest good to thy casting me even into the furnace of affliction for the approving my sincerity herein 3. For thy loving-kindness is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth Paraphrase 3. What ever thy trials are this thou wilt certainly find that I have never failed to meditate on delight in and repose all my trust in thy mercies and that I have sincerely performed obedience to all thy commandments 4. I have not sat with vain persons neither will I go in with dissemblers Paraphrase 4. My conversation hath not been tainted with the evil examples of the world I have not been guilty either of falseness or treachery or any manner of base unworthy dealing 5. I have hated the congregation of evil doers and will not sit with the wicked Paraphrase 5. On the contrary I have detested and abhorred all assemblies of those that design such things and constantly eschewed entring into any of their consultations 6. I will wash mine hands in innocency so will I compass thine altar O Lord. Paraphrase 6. I have indeavoured daily so to prefere my thoughts and actions from all impurity that I might be duly qualified to offer my oblations to thee with confidence to be accepted of thee 7. That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works Paraphrase 7. To proclaim to all men in the solemnest manner thy abundant rich mercies to those that keep close to thee 8. Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth Paraphrase 8. O what a pleasure hath it alwayes been to me to come and offer up my prayers before the Ark the place where thou art graciously pleased to presentiate and exhibite thy self 9. Gather not my soul with sinners nor my life with bloody Men. Paraphrase 9. This I hope may be ground of assurance to me that thou wilt not deal with me as with wicked and bloody men that thou wilt not permit me to fall under their fate to perish as they do 10. In whose hand is mischief and their right hand is full of bribes Paraphrase 10. Who design and consult and contrive nothing but injustice and spare no liberalities that may be useful toward that end 11. But as for me I will walk in mine integrity Redeem me and be merciful unto me Paraphrase 11. Out of such mens power and malice be thou pleased to rescue me who have never yet forfeited mine integrity 12. My foot standeth in an even place in the congregation will I bless the Lord. Paraphrase 12. I am constant and steady in my adherence and relyance on thee thou I know wilt support me and I will make my most solemn acknowledgments of it to thee Or And now what have I to do but to offer sacrifice to thee and bless and praise thee for ever in the publick assembly Annotations on Psalm XXVI V. 1. Slide The only difficulty in this verse is in what sense ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is to be taken The verbe ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifies to trip to totter to be shaken or moved to be ready to fall inconstant or not able to stand And it may be applyed either to the subject matter of his hope that he shall not be cast down by his enemies forsaken by God and that look't on as a reward of his hope and so our English understands it and accordingly infers it with the illative therefore Or else it may be applyed to the hope it self or David hoping and then it signifies the constancy of his unshaken hope that
the Hebrew by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã draw not together add ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and destroy not together hereby evidencing 1. that the phrase here and number not Psal 26. are all one and 2. that the meaning and full importance of both is destroy me not with the wicked or in such manner as the wicked are destroyed V. 4. Desert From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to retribute or render ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here must most probably be rendred their retribution or rendering i. e. according as they have rendred to others In v. 3. 't is said they speak peace to their neighbour but imagine mischief i. e. design the hurt of them that are their neighbours and deserve no ill of them and to whom they profess great kindness This therefore is their ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã their rendring as much unkindness and rudeness as can be and that as little expected from them And then for God to render them their rendering which the LXXII exactly translate ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã render to them their retribution and so the Chaldee and Latine is to deal the like measure to them to bring mischiefs on them unexpectedly and this as the clear explication of what is in the beginning of the verse give them according to their deeds And thus it belongs to Davids argument to God in the whole Psalm that he should not be used as wicked men are used that as he hath dealt unkindly or treacherously with none so he should not be forsaken by God when he stands in most need of the completion of his promise to him V. 7. With my song In this place the Hebrew being very perspicuous and void of ambiguity the LXXII and from them the Syriack Latine Arabick and Aethiopick have very far departed from it The account of it is very hard to be given unless we suppose them to have read the words otherwise placed than now they are We now read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and my heart exults and in my song I will praise him but the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and my flesh hath reflourished and from my will I will confess unto him Here the only way of according this vast difference seems most probably this to suppose ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã transposed ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã set fore-most and lightly changed into ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and my flesh which being joyned with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã was merry and being applied to plants flourished or looke green and so metaphorically applied to a body when it returns to âerdure again ariseth that part of their rendring ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my flesh reflourished And then ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the heart being not unfitly taken for the will the other two words ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã with my heart will I praise him will be naturally enough rendered ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from my will I will confess to him ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in Hiphil which we render praise ordinarily signifying to confess and that oft taken in the notion of praising V. 8. Saving strength From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã was strong and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã strength is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a strong place or fortification So Jud. 6.26 build an altar in the top of this rock we read but in the margine strong place So Dan. 11.7 and shall enter ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã into the fortress or strong hold and so it signifies here and with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã salvations added to it must be rendered the fortress or strong hold of deliverances The Twenty Ninth PSALM A Psalm of David Paraphrase The Twenty ninth Psalm seems to have been compo-by David after his subduing the Kings and heathen people 2 Sam. 8. the Philistines Moabites Syrians c. whom he therefore inviteth to the service of God and thus bespeaketh them 1. Give unto the Lord ye mighty give unto the Lord glory and strength 2. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness Paraphrase 1 2. O ye Governors of the heathen people which have now experimented the power of God in subduing you there is nothing so reasonable to be done by you as to come in and make your oblations and homage to his sanctuary and acknowledge his supreme power and dominion over you to magnifie him in all his glorious attributes and adore him in that sacred Majesty wherein he hath revealed himself to the world but especially to the Jews his peculiar people 3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters the God of glory thundereth the Lord is upon many waters Paraphrase 3. Gods thunder in the clouds is most terrible over all the people in the world when it breaks out of them it is an emblem of his majestick presence and almighty power by which he can subdue when he pleaseth the most puissant or populous nations on the earth 4. The voice of the Lord is powerful the voice of the Lord is full of majesty Paraphrase 4. If he send out these weapons of his there is no possible resisting they bring with them an awful reverence to all creatures 5. The voice of the Lord breaketh the Cedars yea the Lord breaketh the Cedars of Lebanon Paraphrase 5. This same thunder rends the stoutest and tallest Cedarâ in pieces even those of Libanus that is famous for them an essay and evidence to all that at his pleasure the most powerful Princes are subdued as was lately exemplified in the Syrians which are near to Lebanon and were destroyed by David twenty two thousand of them that came out to succour the King of Zobah against David 2 Sam. 8.5 and became servants to David v. 6. 6. He maketh them also to skip like a calf Lebanon and Syrlon like a young Unicorn Paraphrase 6. Both these Syrians that border upon Lebanon and all the other heathen nations near Mount Hermon the Amorites c. are vanquisht and put to flight when he once appears to take the part of his anointed 7. The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire Paraphrase 7. His presence and interposition of his power signified by this terrible majestick meteor tears the air and casts out many darts or flashes of lightning with it at once a formidable sound and flames of fire and withal a succession of those flames such is the dreadful power and presence of God against his enemies 8. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh Paraphrase 8. And the same omnipotence of his hath ingaged it self for his servant David against the Moabites and Idumaeans and utterly subdued and subjected them to him 9. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve and discovereth the forrest and in his Temple doth every one speak of his glory Paraphrase 9. Puts them into that terrible fright into
which the thunder puts the hinds when it makes them calve drives them out of their holds as the same thunder frights the beasts of the forrest out of their thickets This therefore is to admonish all the whole world every man living to acknowledge his power and glorious Majesty and come in and worship him in these or the like words 10. The Lord sitteth upon the floud yea the Lord sitteth King for ever Paraphrase 10. The Lord judgeth and ruleth in the clouds and so he shall continue to do for ever and subject the proudest nations to his Kingdom 11. The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will bless his people with peace Paraphrase 11. And for those that he hath chosen and taken to himself and that live constant and faithful in his service he will protect and strengthen them and bestow upon them all the prosperity and felicity in the world subjecting all their enemies and restoring them to a durable lasting peace Annotations on Psalm XXIX V. 1. Ye mighty From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã fortitude is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã powerful strong of which see note on Psal 22. a. And though that word come to signifie many other things yet in the plural ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is sure the compellation of Princes under the phrase of son of the potent or strong Thus is Nebuchadonozar called ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Prince of the Nations or the strong among the Nations Ezek. 31.11 Thus ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Princes we render the mighty men of Moab Exod. 15.15 and those particularly in the number of those to whom David is supposed to speak in this Psalm after his subduing them 2 Sam. 8. so again 2 Kin. 24.15 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the mighty of the land The Chaldee paraphraseth this by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the assembly of Angels sons of God taking ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for Angels The Syriack read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which is rendered filios arietum young rams in that notion of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for a ram though as ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in Hebrew so in Chaldee and Syriack and Arabick ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is the mâle of any sort The LXXII at least these Copies which we have of their Translation do as it is not unusual in other places render the words twice first in the vocative case by way of compellation ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã sons of God and then in the accusative ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã young rams as doubtful which was to have place and therefore setting down both of them and in this the Latine and Arabick and Aethiopick follow them But the plain simple rendring it by ye mighty or ye Princes is most to be allowed of and to those this Psalm is an invitation that they will being subdued by Gods power come into the acknowledgment and worship of him V. 2. Beauty of holiness Where the Hebrew reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the glory or beauty of holiness from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to honour or beautifie the LXXII read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in his holy court as if it were from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã penetrale thalamus area a closet a marriage-chamber a court and so the Latine and Syriack follow them and the Arabick in his holy habitation but the Chaldee have ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the splendor or beauty of holiness or in the holy beauty or majesty as v. 4. the LXXII render the same word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã majesty meaning thereby either the Ark which the Priests and Levites with their Vrim and Thummim carried and where God was gloriously present as in the place of his worship see Ps 110. note a. or else the sacred majesty of God himself sacrâ praeditum majestate Jovam saith Castellio Jehovah indued with a sacred majesty the God of heaven and earth so glorious in all his attributes that all even heathen men ought to give all glory and honour to him This glory he here calls ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the honour of his name by which his attributes are to be understood his power and dominion over all c. which for these heathen Princes to acknowledge is in effect to become his proselytes and servants V. 3. The voice of the Lord That ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã voice in Scripture-style frequently signifies thunder there is no question and then there will be small cause of doubt but that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the voice of the Lord here signifieth the same when in the next words it follows the God of glory thundereth For this Psalm being plainly an acknowledgment of Gods majestick presence and his thunders being in those dayes 1. the instruments signally to attest that as to Joshua in the first conquest of Canaan to Samuel against the Philistims 1 Sam. 12.15 and to David also against the same enemies which therefore is called Gods rebuking the heathen and 2. the ordinary means of conveying Gods oracles to them which therefore were styled ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the daughter of thunder and 3. the ceremony of Gods giving the law from Sinai it was very fit in this Psalm to make a peculiar elogy of this Majestick meteor which is done throughout the Psalm By analogy herewith the waters upon which this voice is said to be and the many waters from which in the next words he is said to thunder or to be upon them when he thunders and the water-floods upon which he is said to fit v. 10. are still those waters Gen. 1. above the firmament the clouds agreeably to Psal 18.11 He maketh darkness his secret place with dark waters and thick clouds to cover him At the brightness that was before him the clouds passed these watery clouds hailstones and coals of fire the thunder shafts The Lord also thundered c. And these opinions and doctrines of the Jews might move the heathens to think that they did adorare nubes coeli numen adore the clouds and that Deity of heaven which is thus described in their Prophets to sit and dwell there V. 6. Lebanon Two things are here to be observed of Lebanon First that it was a very high mountain and seems thence to have taken the name from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã white in respect of the snow mentioned on Lebanon Jer. 18.14 that is always even in the summer white on the top of it Thus saith Saint Hierome on Jerem. 50.4 Nix de Libani summit atibus deficere non potest nec ullo ut ominis liquescat solis ardore superatur Snow cannot fail on the lops of Lebanon nor is it by any heat of the Sun overcome that it should melt The Chaldee Paraphrase Cant. 4.11 useth the word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Olbanem in the same notion from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Olben which is the Syriack formation of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã white And
ãâã thou hast afforded strength to my beauty made my splendor or prosperous state v. 7. firm and durable which may probably enough be the intire meaning of the phrase without referring to the Ark yet was it not amiss to mention the other in the Paraphrase as the means of his conceived safety V. 10. Hear For ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã hear thou the LXXII read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã hath heard and so for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã be thou ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã thou hast been and so convert the petition of David into a report of Gods having granted it which is the subject of the next verse V. 11. Dancing From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to bore is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a pipe or hollow musical instrument ordinarily used in singing or dancing and from thence ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here for dancing So the Chaldee renders it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã into dancing and so the Interlinear and though the copy of the LXXII antiently as well as now read it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã into joy and so is followed by the Latine Syriack and Arabick yet the conjecture of our learned Country-man Mr. Nic. Fuller is very probable that their original reading was ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to dancing not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to gladness the Hebrew word thus exacting and the conjunction with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã wailing and lamentation not unfitly agreeing thereto for to that is opposed and properly succeedeth dancing see Matth. 9.17 To this is here added ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã literally thou hast opened my sackcloth For in time of mourning the manner was to gird it on so 2 Sam. 3.3 Rend your clothes and gird you with sackcloth Joel 1.13 Gird your selves and lament and so Isa 32.11 gird upon your loyns In stead of that melancholy cincture gladness here becomes a cincture as if sorrow like a conquered enemy were to be carried in triumph adding to the glory of the victory and taken in as an ingredient in our joy V. 12. My glory What is here meant by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã glory is somewhat uncertain The Chaldee render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the honourable of the earth that they may praise thee the Syriack read it as after the verb of the first person ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I will sing to thee glory but the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that my glory may sing and so the Latine Arabick and Aethiopick in the notion of glory for the tongue or heart of man praising God as elsewhere and here the context directs to interpret it The Thirty First PSALM TO the chief Musitian a Psalm of David Paraphrase The Thirty First Psalm is an excellent mixture of prayer and praises and constant affiance in God it was composed by David and committed to the Prefect of his Musick 1. In thee O Lord do I put my trust let me never be ashamed deliver me in thy righteousness Paraphrase 1. O blessed Lord I place my whole affiance and confidence in thee do not thou forsake and disappoint me but make good thy promised mercies and deliverances unto me 2. Bow down thine ear to me deliver me speedily be thou my strong rock for an house of defence to save me Paraphrase 2. Receive my prayer and hasten to my relief be thou to me as a fortress and place of refuge whereto I may confidently resort and find safety 3. For thou art my rock and my fortress therefore for thy names sake lead me and guide me Paraphrase 3. And such indeed have I constantly experimented thee to be whensoever I have made my applications to thee thou hast succoured and secured me and so I do not doubt thou wilt still continue to do and though I have no title of claim thereto but only thy free mercy and most gracious promise direct and conduct me in all my ways 4. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me for thou art my strength Paraphrase 4. Rescue me I pray thee out of the mischief that is treacherously prepared and designed against me for thou art my only helper 5. Into thy hand I commend my spirit thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth Paraphrase 5. To thee I offer up my very soul that part which alone is worth thy having to thee I give it in pledge as to one that having already wrought so many deliverances for me hast obliged me to be wholly thine and withal ingaged thy self by those pawns of thy goodness to do the like again in all my necessities 6. I have hated them that regard lying vanities but I trust in the Lord. Paraphrase 6. I detest all the Gentile practices of consulting auguries and divinations which alas never stand them in any stead deceive and frustrate their confidences All my addresses shall be made to thee O Lord and in thee will I repose all my confidence 7. I will be glad and rejoyce in thy mercy for thou hast considered my trouble thou hast known my soul in adversities Paraphrase 7. All my delight and joy shall be in recounting thy continual goodness toward me how thou hast regard to my necessities and owned me and relieved me in my lowest condition 8. And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy thou hast set my feet in a large room Paraphrase 8. And not delivered me up into the power and malice of my adversaries but as yet preserved me in a state of liberty 9. Have mercy upon me O Lord for I am in trouble my eye is consumed with grief yea my soul and my belly Paraphrase 9. Yet are not my troubles at an end O Lord I have long waited for rest but have not yet attained to it This is very grievous unto me painful to my soul my sensitive faculty and to my bowels the seat of those affections and of most accurate sense O be thou graciously pleased to look upon me 10. For my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing my strength faileth because of mine iniquity and my bones are consumed Paraphrase 10. For the continual distresses and troubles wherewith I have been exercised have even exhausted me thy punishments for my sins have brought me very low I am ready to sink and fail under them 11. I was a reproach among all my enemies but especially among my neighbours and a fear to mine acquaintance they that did see me without fled from me Paraphrase 11. My enemies scoff at me and so also do my friends in a great degree seeing me after all my confidence to continue thus helpless This makes them from whom I have most reason to expect relief to be afraid to afford me any and so I am avoided and left destitute by all men 12. I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind I am like a broken vessel Paraphrase 12. I am no more considered or cared for by them than as a
the tribulation which incompast me my exaltation deliver me from them that incompass me And so the Arabick and Aethiopick But the Syriack are nearest the Hebrew ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã c. preserve or free me and imbrace or incompass me with glory and deliverance and the Chaldee exactly according to the Original thou shalt preserve me from tribulation with songs of redemption shalt thou incompass me i. e. with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or gratulatory songs for victory such as the joyful matrons meeting him at his return from conquest incompassing him or casting themselves into a ring chanted out unto him 1 Sam. 18.6 one side answering the other V. 8. Guide thee From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã consuluit is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here I will counsel thee i. e. direct instruct or guide thee meaning the proud and haughty sinner v. 6. exprest by the irregular overflowings of many waters I will teach thee in what channel thou shalt pass and so guide thy course To which is added ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã mine eye upon thee by way of explication of the former I will counsel or guide thee so as the eye of the rider doth the horse of the Tutor the Scholar but especially the guide of an unknown way who is instead of eyes Num. 10.31 The Chaldee read I will counsel thee and set my eye upon thee for good but the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I will confirm or strongly set my eye upon thee most probably reading it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to be firm or strong V. 9. Lest they come neer unto thee The difficulty of this v. 9. will I conceive be best explicated by observing the phrase ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which is literally not to understand being in the infinitive mood but may best be rendered in the notion of a gerund thus Be not like the horse and mule in not understanding i. e. which understand not their not understanding being the thing wherein the parallel betwixt such beasts and obstinate men exprest by inundation of many waters v. 6. consists This being observed ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the end of the verse being another infinitive mood must in reason agree with that and in like manner be rendered in not coming neer so ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifies accessit appropinquavit or they come not neer ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to thee and then that which is between ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã with bit or bridle his jaw or mouth to be held or must be held as ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã with an infinitive mood oft signifies Hos 9.13 Ephraim ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã literally ad educendum to bring forth but in sense as we render it shall bring forth must be understood not as the means to keep the beast from coming to or nigh but as the means designed to make the beast come to but when used to an obstinate unnurtured unruly beast uneffectual to that end For it must be observed what is the use of the bit and bridle when applyed to an horse c. viz. to direct and guide which way the rider or leader will have him go So Isa 30.28 the bridle in their jaws causing them to erre is a bridle to lead them into a wrong path as here to lead them into a right way v. 8. so Isa 37.29 a bridle in thy lips to turn thee back c. And so Jam. 3.3 the bit in the horses mouth is to turn about their whole body But then a sturdy untamed stiff-necked or head-strong horse will not be thus turned or lead or perswaded to do what you would have him but like the undisciplinable torrent the fury of the great waters v. 6. that would not come nigh him so these here they will not come neer to the owner or master And so this is the meaning of the whole verse some unmanaged horses and mules there are which will not be taught or instructed will not go or follow the way that you would teach or lead them and so this connects with v. 8. which hath tendered them instruction and teaching in the way that they should go and guiding are so far from being guided with the Masters eye v. 8. that his bit and bridle together the most forcible means that are ordinarily used for subduing or reducing them will not work upon them when they are a turning away and going from thee are not sufficient to compel them to come to thee But saith the Psalmist be not ye like to such stiff-neckt cattel Our English that renders lest they come neer unto thee supposeth without reason that the use of the bridle is to keep the horse and mule from doing violence to thee as if they were Bears and Tigers and the like ravenous beasts The true use is quite contrary to make them come to thee or go or turn the way that thou wouldst have them and their not doing so meant by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not come neer thee is the effect of their obstinacy and want of managery and that is it wherein we are here forbidden to be like them Thus I suppose the Chaldees ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is to be rendred not ne accedant but non accedent they will not come to thee So the Syriack expresly Be not like the horse and mule which are not wise or docile which they tame with a bridle from their youth and they come not to him And the LXXII to the same effect ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã bind their jaws with bit and bridle which come not neer to thee and so the Latine and Aethiopick But the Arabick more loosely by way of paraphrase Be not like horse and mule which have not understanding and are not drawn with the bridles that are in their mouths so do thou repress the jaws of those that come not to thee The Thirty Third PSALM THe Thirty Third Psalm is an acknowledgment of the great power and wisdom and goodness of God in his Works of Creation and Providence wherein all are obliged to sing praises to his Name and faithfully to serve and depend on him 1. Rejoyce in the Lord O ye righteous for praise is comely for the upright Paraphrase 1. O bless and magnifie the name of God all ye that apply your selves to a careful performance of all offices of Justice and goodness and herein delight and please your selves 'T is the employment of the blessed Saints in heaven to be continually singing praises to God and there can be none other more proper for Saints on earth who have innumerable obligations to it and from whom it is most graciously accepted by God and to whom it is also matter of the greatest present delight to be busied in recounting Gods glories and abundant mercies to them 2. Praise the Lord with harp sing unto him with the Psaltery and an instrument of ten strings Paraphrase 2. To this purpose those musical
how well they prosper Thus the LXXII render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã envy or emulate not so the Syriack Latine Arabick and Aethiopick The Chaldee also to the same sense ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã provoke not instigate not thy self at the wicked who succeeds in his way the man that executes or performs the counsel of the wicked And that this of envying or emulating so as to be stirred up by way of emulation to do the like is here meant appears farther by v. 8. where the same word is used again with this addition ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to do evil also ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã say the LXXII so as to commit wickedness and the Chaldee be not incited or instigated that thou do evil and the Syriack emulate him not to commit iniquity and the Arabick most expresly by way of Paraphrase imitate not the evil man And thus it was before v. 1. V. 20. Fat From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã pretiosum is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here as the pretious i. e. the fat ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã of rams or lambs the fat being most pretious and most useful in the sacrifices and that which is burnt and as here it follows ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is consumed in or into smoak Thus 't is ordinary in Scripture to resemble wicked men both in themselves and in their punishments to sacrifices or holocausts utterly burnt or destroyed before the Lord. The sacrifice is first fatted and then slaughtered and killed before the Lord and so are wicked men permitted to prosper in this world and grow rich and proud and then they are cut off and destroyed utterly and eternally The Chaldee that render it here the glory of the rams add by way of paraphrase which are first fatted and then their throats are cut adding so shall the wicked fail and be consumed in the smoak of hell And the Syriack in like manner not by literal rendring but by way of Paraphrase The enemies of the Lord being fatted are consumed and go away like smoak The LXXII render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã as soon as they are glorified and exalted taking ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the notion of being honoured and for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã of rams reading ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã as from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã exaltatus fuit and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã servile And thus also the Paraphrase is good as soon as they are honoured and exalted ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã they fail or consume as smoak and so the Arabick when they are glorious and lifted up they utterly fail as smoak when it consumes Other interpretations are given by the Hebrews Abu Walid and Aben Ezra mention the grass of the pastures or wood or bushes of the fields which being burnt are turned into smoak The Jewish Arab reads like the heavy clouds of the meadows as ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is by Abu Walid and R. Tanchum interpreted thick heavy involved clouds Zach. 14.6 which seeming to lye heavy over the earth suddenly turn into smoak and vanish This seems to have pleased R. Sol. Jarchi V. 22. Blessed ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the blessed of him is by the LXXII rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the active they that bless him according to the liberty that they fre-frequently take of paraphrasing instead of literal rendering and taking in words of affinity in order to that And thus the sense well bears Gods blessings generally belonging to those that are liberal and such being said to bless God because their liberality is an act of acknowledgment or thanksgiving and what they do to his poor servants he accounts as done to himself But the Chaldee and Syriack read it in the passive the blessed of God or those that are blessed of him V. 24. Cast down ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is variously interpreted The LXXII read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which the Latine rightly renders non collidetur he shall not be dasht to pieces as many things are by falling but the Arabick he shall not be troubled as if they read it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which thus signifies but the Syriack more singly he is not hurt the Chaldee by way of Paraphrase if he fall into infirmity he shall not dy The Hebrew ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifies in Niphal either simply to be thrown or else to be cast away as when Jon. 1.5 the wares in the ship are cast into the Sea or Jonas himself v. 12. and 15. and so it may signifie here viz. so to fall as to be cast away or lost by the fall but more probably and with more propriety to the mencion of falling to be thrown as that notes a real passive together with the effect thereof thrown to the ground so as to be dasht in pieces by the fall and to that the LXXII incline V. 25. Righteous That ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã righteous frequently in sacred style signifies a charitable or merciful man hath oft been observed see note on Mat. 1.9 And that here it must be taken in that sense appears by the context v. 21. the righteous sheweth mercy and giveth and v. 26. He is ever merciful and lendeth and then there as here after all his profusion his seed is blessed But this must be taken with one caution that this of almes-giving is but a part of the righteousness mere meant not the whole of it the word as it oft signifies the almes-giver so oft signifying other parts of our duty to God and Man and our selves and all of them comprehended under it And so the full importance of it here must be he that to the other parts of a pious and good life is observed to superadd see v. 27. a special degree of mercifulness and communicativeness to them that want though of all other virtues that be most probable to diminish the possessions yet it is the Psalmists observation that he never saw any man impoverished by the most liberal practice of it but on the contrary that his seed is blessed his posterity is the more prosperous and flourishing by it V. 28. For ever In this place there is a concurrence of two things which cast some suspicion on the Hebrew text which now we have as if it were some way altered from what the original copies read For 1. this being an Alphabetical Psalm as it is acknowledged it is yet manifest that the letter ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is omitted 2. the LXXII in this place put in two words which are not found in our Hebrew some copies read them ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the blameless shall be avenged and so the Arabick others ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã but the wicked shall be persecuted and so the Latine injusti punientur the unjust shall be punisht And then 't is the conjecture of some that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã being the Hebrew word for unjust began that verse and then there is
ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã by the LXXII so Gen. 3.8 the faces i. e. presence of the Lord as we render it so Gen. 4.16 Cain went out from the faces we duly read from the presence of the Lord and often elsewhere And so here v. 24. the hiding his faces is by the Chaldee rendred the taking away ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Schechinah or majestatick presence of his glory And so that will be the best rendring here the light of thy presence as God we know testified his presence to the Israelites by a light shining cloud going before them and conducting them and not the light of thy countenance as that is all one with his favour the mention of that following in the next words as the original and reason of this his shining presence and not as the thing it self V. 8. Boast ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in Piel signifying to praise or celebrate ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is regularly to be rendred here We have praised And the preposition × prefixt to ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã makes no difference being many times a pleonasm and then ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the future from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã will be best rendred in the future we will confess thy name for ever by the former signifying what is past as the pledge and pawn of his future mercies whereon he is resolved to depend for the future And thus in both parts the Syriack renders it we have praised and we will confess V. 12. Nought ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifies wealth or any kind of valuable possession and so fitly follows ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã i. e. literally and hast not multiplied but it must best be rendred and hast not gained or made advantage or increase as men are wont to do by the sale of those things that are any way valuable The Romane Copies of the LXXII read as 't is evident S. Augustine did ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and there was no multitude in their jubilations and Asulanus's Copy reads yet worse ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã But it is apparent both by the Latine which reads in commutationibus and so by the Syriack also that the true reading was ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã according to their use of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for a price The plain meaning is that as things that are useless and burthensome are not sold for any valuable price but allowed to be taken away by any that will have them so are they dealt with by God at this time not regarded by him and so permitted to be conquered and carried away captive by every one that will assault them The Arabick here hath contrary to use rendred it with some difference from the LXXII thou hast diminished the multitude of their numbers seeming thereby to refer to the first captivity in Aegypt where servitude encreased their numbers they multiplyed in Children as their task-masters encreased their tale of brick But here their captivity is not thus recompensed but the contrary is the effect of it The Forty Fifth PSALM TO the chief Musitian upon Soshannim for the sons of Coreh Maschil a song of loves Paraphrase The Forty fifth Psalm is thought to be an Epithalamium or marriage-song upon the nuptials of Solomon and the King of Aegypts daughter 1 King 3.1 but is withall mystically and in a most eminent manner applicable to Christ composed in the persons of her bride-maids and committed to the Praefect of the Musick to be sung by the posterity of Corch to the tune known by the name of Maschil 1. My heart is inditing a good matter I speak of the things which I have made touching the King My tongue is the pen of a ready writer Paraphrase 1. I have meditated and composed a festival nuptial hymn brought it ready prepared as an oblation Eucharistical and I will now recite it to the King as he is a type of the great God and King of heaven the King by whom Kings Reign the Messias who shall espouse a church of believers here on earth my tongue being alacriously and chearfully bent speedily to deliver it 2. Thou art fairer than the children of men grace is poured into thy lips therefore God hath blessed thee for ever Paraphrase 2. O how gloriously beautifull is this bridegroom above all the men in the world what gracious and lovely and excellent speech comes from him God having accomplishâ and adorned and blessed him in a most illustrious degree and manner And in the Mystical sense The Messias is infinitely beyond all the men in the world a divine person speaking as never man spake all the fulness of the Godhead dwelling bodily in him 3. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh O most mighty with thy glory and thy majesty Paraphrase 3. Thou art a mighty Prince it becometh thee to appear in a glorious and majestick manner as it doth any man of valour to be girt with a belt and sword In the mysticall sense O thou mighty God and Prince of Peace be thou pleased to set up thy spiritual kingdom in our hearts by the power of thy grace to rule and reign in them 4. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things Paraphrase 4. And mayst thou long and prosperously injoy this thy dignity reign successfully to the maintaining of all divine vertues such are beyond others faith and humility and aâ manner of justice and charity And making such use of thy power no doubt God will establish thee in it and give thee all manner of strange successes and make thee formidable to all about thee In the mystical sense God grant him all good success in his regal office in subjecting all mens hearts unto his spiritual regiment And as his installment shall not be by riding on the regal mule or being mounted on a proud and sprightfull horse or in any other guise of secular pompe but in a much more excellent and divine equipage all kind of the most eminent virtues drawing in his triumphal charriot and carrying him aloft to victory so may the mighty God of heaven prosper him in those great affairs on which he is imployed 1. of bringing all men to the faith 2. of subduing all the prides of the hautiest heathen obdurate hearts and making them meek and gentle and lowly humble toward God and man 3. of planting all degrees of justice and charity among Christians In the discharge and execution of this great office of spiritual sovereignty God shall be with him ânabling him to do miracles to cast out the heathen false gods or devils out of their temples out of mens hearts and out of the bodies of those that are possest with them and so to bring down all other religions wheresoever Christianity enters 5. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the Kings enemies whereby the people fall under thee Paraphrase 5. Thy power
themselves that they shall perpetuate the wealth and greatness which they have gathered but are very wide of their expectations find themselves foully deceived and frustrated And yet they that succeed them in their estates go after them in the same track imitate that folly which was so fatal to them and think themselves happy that they shall enjoy the fruits of it 14. Like sheep they are laid in the grave death shall feed on them and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling Paraphrase 14. But then death comes upon them all and defeats all their expectations As sheep or other such creatures they die remove from all their splendid possessions to those dark invisible plains where they continue as a flock in a pasture till that great morning of the resurrection when the righteous shall be assumed by God to assist in judicacature and so shall arise in their old shapes when the earth shall give up her dead and the grave wherein their beauty strength and form decayed and was consumed shall at length it self decay and lose its strength death having lost its sting and the grave its victory and so being no longer the mansion for the bodies of just men 15. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave for he shall receive me Selah Paraphrase 15. And accordingly my comfort is that God will after my death one day restore me again to life into his hands I commend my spirit not doubting but he will hereafter receive me to glory And so for all others that constantly adhere to and wait on God whatever terrors they meet with here they have this full matter of confidence that God hath particular care of them and will either deliver them out of their dangers or convert them to their greatest good rewarding them abundantly in the resurrection 16. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich when the glory of his house is increased Paraphrase 16. It is therefore most unreasonable to be troubled at or to envy the increase of wordly riches or honour or any kind of greatness or prosperity to the worldly man 17. For when he dyeth he shall carry nothing away his glory shall not descend after him Paraphrase 17. For death will soon overtake him and then he cannot carry his wealth with him his present glory and greatness shall not then yield him the least advantage 18. Though whilst he lived he blest his soul and men will praise thee when thou dost well to thy self Paraphrase 18. Indeed might his own word be taken he were an happy man for so he flattereth himself that he hath goods laid up for many years and as long as this life lasts he entertains no other thoughts But when death comes all these flattering fallacies vanish 'T is not thine own mouth but anothers whose commendation will be worth the having and that will not be had but for the real kindnesses and good turns thou dost unto thy self in doing that which will prove thy durable good and not in saying magnificent things of thy present state applauding thy temporal felicities 19. He shall go to the generation of his fathers they shall never see light Paraphrase 19. The just shall be gathered to their fathers in peace die indeed as their fathers did before them but the wicked shall be destroyed for ever their death shall be their entrance into endless unexpressible darkness and misery and to that they shall be for ever confined 20. Man that is in honour and understandeth not is like the beasts that perish Paraphrase 20. The conclusion then is There is not a more brutish creature more fit to be pitied than envied than a worldly wicked man advanced to greatness in this world and pleasing himself in it he doth not at all understand his own condition he triumphs and thinks himself very happy and whilst he doth so death unexpectedly seises upon him and confutes him sweeps him away helpless and friendless as a beast of the field that just now took himself for one of the greatest men in the world just as they perish and leave all behind them so doth he Only the wise and virtuous the upright v. 10 14. have better hopes and shall not fail of atteining them Annotations on Psalm XLIX V. 2. Low and high The difference between ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã may here briefly be noted The former is taken for a great or eminent person in any respect of virtue extraction strength c. So 1 Sam. 26.15 Art thou not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a man is expounded by what follows and who is like thee in Israel signifying there the military valour and reputation of Abner and many the like Whereas as ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã earth signifies an earthy or frail mortal mean man And so ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here sons of this mean man are the lower and ordinary sort of men ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã sons of the earth say the LXXII not that they read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã earth for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã but because they would in their reading allude to the original of the word as oft they do And then ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã are the contrary to these persons of the higher quality The Chaldee express the former phrase by the sons of old Adam the latter by the sons of Jacob making this difference between the rest of mankind and the people of Israel and giving the latter the preeminence over all other and so they make them comprehensive words containing Gentiles and Jews i. e. all the men in the world and that very fitly the Psalm following being the equal concernment of them both But 't is more likely that the phrases denote only the several conditions of men of the lower and higher rank for so the consequents interpret it rich and poor the former according to the sacred style frequently observable explicative of the latter of those and the latter of the former by way of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã V. 4. Dark saying The Hebrew ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a proverb or parable is of great latitude signifies primarily any similitude by which another thing is exprest thence a figurative speech either by way of fiction and fable such are riddles or significant apologues as that of Jotham Jud. 9.7 and many others in Scripture both in the old and new Testament or by way of application of some true example or similitude as when the sluggard is bid go to the ant the impenitent sinner to the swallow and crane which return at their certain seasons and so are fit to preach returning or repentance to sinners And finally it belongs to all moral doctrine either darkly or only sententiously delivered because the wise men of the world were wont to deliver that in short concise sentences
no cause to look upon David as a prisoner at the time which is here spoken of David indeed at Gath was afraid when they told Achish that this was the man of whom the triumphal songs were made v. 11 12. But it appears not that that speech was by the speakers intended to his disadvantage but only to represent him a considerable revolter or transfuga fled from Saul And that nothing but kindness was finally meant him may be gathered from v. 15. where Achish his words are Have I need of mad men that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence shall this fellow come into my house It seems he might have been thought fit for the Kings house and presence had he not been taken for a mad man Which is very far from a prison being designed him And 't is yet farther manifest 1 Sam. 27.1 that David soon after this returned to this place to Achish King of Gath again which is a sufficient argument that he apprehended not any real danger when he was there at the first From all which 't is consequent that as the word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã must not be rendred in the notion of captivity or imprisoment so the deliverances here recounted by the Psalmist are not to be applyed to his escape out of the hands of Achish but belong to the many rescues by God afforded him from Sauls servants and Court-Sycophants and so though the title of the Psalm looks only on the Philistim in Gath yet it takes in the passages following as Psalm 34 though by the inscription it appear to have been endited when David changed his behaviour before Achish takes in also the following story of his dismission so ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifies and is by the LXXII rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã dismist him by the Chaldee paraphrased ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and he left him and his departure and the consequents thereof being penn'd as is most probable at Adullam or some other place of his after-flight while he was persecuted by and fled before Saul V. 1. Swallow From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to draw breath is the metaphorical use of the word for gaping after desiring earnestly and so ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is here used for enemies that earnestly desire to get him into their hands The antient Interpreters generally render it as if it were from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã conculcare ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã say the Chaldee he hath trod me under foot and so the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã The same word is again repeated in the same sense v. 2. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my observers or those that watch as spies upon me gape V. 4. In God That ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in Piel signifies to praise there is no doubt and if it do so here it will be necessary to soften the phrase which otherwise sounds some-what rough and in stead of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which we render literally In the Lord I will praise his word to read The Lord his word will I praise which is easily done if only × as oft it is be reckoned as a pleonasm But the word signifies also to glory or boast as Psal 10.3 the wicked ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã boasts the Targum reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã rejoyceth or glories in his own hearts desire and this notion seems better to belong to it here where it is joyned with putting trust in God for so to glory and boast in God is to profess dependance on him and none else and so the Syriack hath distinctly rendred it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in God will I glory The LXXII seems to have read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my words for they render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã In the Lord I will praise my words and so the Latine and Arabick and Aethiopick follow them In Deo laudabo sermones meos it will not be easie to divine with what sense What is here said in God and again in God is with some change repeated v. 10. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in God and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the Lord. Of these two words the Rabbins observe that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã God is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the attribute of justice but ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Lord ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the attribute of compassion And accordingly the Chaldee here reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã c. in the attribute of the justice of God I will praise or rejoyce in his word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the attribute of his pity c. i. e. whether he punish or he pities I will praise him or boast or glory in him V. 5. Wrest ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifying first to grieve or be in pain is used by metonymie for any laborious framing or forming any thing Here being applied to anothers words or speeches it seems to note the depraving them labouring and using great art and diligence to put them into such a form as may be most for the disadvantage of the speaker turning and winding them to his hurt putting some odious gloss upon them and so according to sense may most fitly be rendred depraving This perhaps the LXXII meant when they rendred it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not as that signifies detesting abhorring but making them detestable putting an odious abhorred sense upon them The Syriack here read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã they took counsel against me reading ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã by taking counsel labouring and industriously contriving and consulting ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my words by me and then supposing the preposition ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã against to be wanting they thought fit to supply it and thus to paraphrase this obscure phrase and make it agree with that which follows all their thoughts or contrivances are against me for evil V. 6. Gather ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that signifies to dwell or to sojourn signifies also in the notion of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to assemble to meet together and so the Chaldee interpret it here ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã they shall assemble together but the LXXII reteining the former notion render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã they shall inhabit V. 7. Escape Of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã it is observed by Lexicographers that as in Kal it signifies to escape or go out so in Piel it is used for casting out or throwing away so saith Kimchi in his rootes adding that the noun from thence signifies an abject vile person Judg. 12.4 5. and Isa 45.20 lo Jon. 2.10 where the Hebrew hath ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the fish vomited out Jonah c. the Chaldee render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã where it evidently signifies to cast or vomit out so Levit. 18.25 and 28. the Chaldee useth it of the lands vomiting out its inhabitants and so the Rabbins use ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for vomit And then the place will be thus
literally interpretable ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for or according to their iniquity ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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-mindââ 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã destroy not V. 3. The reproach All the Antient Interpreters make ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã he hath reproached the Syriack ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and he shamed or reproached So before them the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Vulgar dedit in opprobrium he gave to reproach and accordingly the Arabick and Aethiopick And in all reason âo we are to render it rather then imagine the prefix â to be wanting But another rendring the words are also capable of ãâã ãâã
ãâã and that saith Aben Ezra because the moon is then hid from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã texit to which the Chaldee accords ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the hidden moon 't is strange the Latine should render it in mense qui coopertus est when ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifies first moon and from thence moneth to avoid tautology ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã must be rendred the new moneth i. e. the first day of the moneth Thus Num. 28.17 is rendred by the Targum ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the beginning of the moneth and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the plural ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the beginning of the moneths not of the moons The Syriack set this down here most expresly ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the beginning or first of the moneth and on the new moon which meeting alwayes together were festival among the Jews the Jewish Arab reads over the sacrifice in the dayes that his people keep the feast and so the trumpet to be sounded thereon The LXXII read the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã on an eminent day I suppose rather by way of Paraphrase for such it was than by deducing the word from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã computavit as some imagine because the festival recurs constantly on a numbred or fixt day Then for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that literally is to be rendred on the day of our feast the LXXII joynes it with the former and reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the eminent day of our feast some festival dayes being among the Jews more eminent than others the first and last dayes of those feasts which continued many dayes but this sure again by way of paraphrase not of literal rendring the preposition × on being not taken notice of in their rendring V. 6. Delivered From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã transiit to pass away or over is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here they passed i. e. went out or away to denote an escape or deliverance The LXXII read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã they served or had served as from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã serviit through the great affinity betwixt the two letters × and ר in which also the sense is not amiss exprest if only we read it as in the preterpluperfect tense they had served for that signifies that now they did not but were delivered from it As for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from which they past it signifies a pot or other utensil made of earth to be set over the fire to heat any thing and such it seems the Israelites were imployed in making when they were under the task-masters in Aegypt 7. Secret place ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is latibulum a covering or place to fly unto from any danger from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to hide protect or defend And then if thunder be joyned with it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã will be either the covering of thunder the cloud where the thunder is hid to which the story agrees where God is said to have spoken from the midst of the cloud and that with thunders Deut. v. 22. as Habak 3.4 the hiding of his power or else the covering or hiding-place from thunder That here it is to be taken in the second sense will probably be concluded from a parallel place Isa 32.2 There ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is resolved to be the covering from rain or inundation so the Syriack expresly read it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a refuge from the showre and to the same purpose the Chaldee ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã as they that hide themselves from the tempest or showre and the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã he shall be hid as from driven rain or water in like manner as in the former part of that verse ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is by us rendred a hiding place from wind the same that is elsewhere exprest by the preposition ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a protection from inundation Is 25.4 and so the Syriack reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from the wind and so all the interpreters agree there And if they there hold then by just analogy so it may be here and thereto the story also well accords The thunder was that which is set down Exod. 19. and which is there mentioned to be so terrible on mount Sinai at the giving of the Law that all the people that were in the camp trembled v. 16. and removed and stood afar off Exod. 20.18 and were afraid by reason of the fire c. Deut. v. 5. v. 23. it came to pass when you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness ye said Behold the Lord hath shewed us his glory c. Now therefore why should we die for this great fire will consume us if we hear the voice of the Lord any more then we shall die v. 25. Go thou near and speak to us v. 27. So the Apostle they intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more Heb. 12.19 And then as God was pleased to hearken to this request of theirs Deut. v. 28. The Lord heard the voice of your words when ye spake unto me and the Lord said I have heard the voice of the words of this people they have well said c. which is certainly a form of granting their requests as well as an approbation of their promise to obey so here it is said Thou calledst in trouble and I delivered thee relieved thee from that great fear of thine And then it follows I answered thee in the covert from thunder i. e. granted thy petition in delivering thee or giving thee safety from the thunder in that notion of answering for granting a request Or else I answered i. e. I spake to thee in the covert from thunder because as God thus by thunder answered them here i. e. spake to them in the words here following v. 8. Hear O my people according to the use of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã for speaking as well as answering and the Greek ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the same sense see Mar. 11. note a. so did he take special care to preserve them from receiving any hurt by it and accordingly Moses said unto the people Fear not Exod. 20.20 and I stood between the Lord and you at that time Deut. v. 5. and so is here said to have answered them ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the covering or hiding-place from the thunder ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the hiding place of or from the tempest say the LXXII defended them from it when it thundred most terribly as in a hiding-place or safe refuge That it belongs to this time of giving the Law is made evident by that which follows v. 8. Hear O my people the form of giving the Law Deut. v. 1. and I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Aegypt v. 10. the very first words of the Decalogue Exod. 20.2 This therefore of Gods speaking to them at Mount Sinai so famous
Soveraign whom thou with thine holy oyle hast inaugurated and by thy special providence appointed to be King over us 10. For a day in thy Courts is better then a thousand I had rather be a dorekeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness Paraphrase 10. It is infinitely more desirable and valuable to spend one day in thy presence and service in the place where thou art pleased peculiarly to exhibit thy self than a thousand days in any other condition deprived of this priviledge and advantage more eligible to lye at the threshold in the most abject condition of neerness to this palace of thine than to have all the pompe and glory of any the most splendid worldly condition and to be withheld from this liberty as men excommunicated and separated from thy presence 11. For the Lord God is a sun and shield the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly Paraphrase 11. For this God of ours that there exhibits himself is the spring of all light and strength directs us in our way and defends us in it he will not only pity and deliver but even advance and dignifie and heap all abundance of blessings both corporal and spiritual in this life and eternal in another life on all those that faithfully adhere to him and constantly observe his commandments Surely God heareth not sinners but him that is a worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth denyeth him no request which is truly for his avail to have granted him 12. O Lord God of hosts blessed is the man that trusteth in thee Paraphrase 12. O thou blessed omnipotent Lord of all Majesty how unspeakably great and valuable is that one felicity which consists in a constant adherence to and dependance on thee He that is thus united to the fountain of all good things can never stand in need of any thing that is truly profitable or desirable Annotations on Psalm LXXXIV V. 3. Cryeth out From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to cry aloud vociferate or jubilate is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here and it is used either for grief but especially for joy and exultation the LXXII fitly render it by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã exceeding joy And being here joyned with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to it hath a special notation such as is taken from the custom of Mariners or Soldiers or husbandmen the first of which when they loose from land into the ocean set sail with a shout the second when they assault their enemies incourage one another with a shout when they have gotten the victory express their joy with a shout the third when they conclude their harvest do it with a shout called therefore proverbially Isa 9.3 the joy in harvest And so when they went up to the feasts at Jerusalem they went with an holy jubilation or shout And this seems to be the full importance of the phrase in this place My heart and my flesh my rational and even carnal sensitive faculties shout to the living God are ardently desirous of thus going up to the Sanctuary are ready with their ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ovations and vociferations when they be allowed that favour to go up to the presence of this living God the joy of their very life whose gratious assistance and exhibition of himself is the only tenure they have in all kind of prosperity V. 5. Hearts The difficulties of this verse may possibly be removed by remembring the notion of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not only for the heart but by metaphor being oft applyed to those things that have no heart for the middle So ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Jon. 2.3 not into the heart but the midst of the Seas So Deut. 4.11 the mountain burnt with fire to the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not heart but midst of heaven 2 Sam. 18.14 Absolom was alive ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the midst of the Oake So Jer. 51.1 inhabitants of the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not heart but midst of them that rise up against me And if ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã may thus with the learned Grotius be rendred here in the midst of them then the passage will be clear Blessed is the man ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã literally strength or as the LXXII and Syriack and Latine ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã help to him in thee i. e. which hath in thee strength help or protection being allowed liberty as the former part of the Psalm determins the sense to resort to Gods Sanctuary which is sometimes called ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and from whence that protection and aid in all exigencies may be had Then follows to the same sense ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã paths or highwayes fosseways or causeys from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to raise or pave a way with stone ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ascents i. e. wayes of going up to the Sanctuary in the midst of them i. e. who have such highways free liberty to go up to the holy assembly in the midst of them or if ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã must signifie their hearts who take care and look to the maintenance of these causeys in order to the sacred assemblies which they that are deprived of that priviledge of going up to them most sadly bemoan the want of When Jerusalem became the Metropolis of Judaea the roads to it upon civil grounds were to be made large and passable but when the Temple was built there and by the Law the whole nation obliged thrice every year to resort thither this was now upon weightier reasons to be provided for Especially considering that Judaea was a mountainous uneven Countrey where the brooks in the valleys upon any fall of rain were apt to swell so as to be hardly passable And therefore among the causes for a ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã intercalation of a month and alteration of the seasons of the festivals thereby the chief that are set down by Maimonides are ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã because ãâã wayes when in respect of them occasion requires it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and because of the bridges And the same Maimonides tells us Hilch Roths c. 8. that for the maintenance of the wayes every year at the 15. of the Month Adar Commissioners were sent out to look to the repairs of bridges causeys c. This makes it not unreasonable to suppose that the wayes to the Temple should here be mentioned in reference to those sacred solemnities as when Lam. 1.4 't is said The wayes of Zion mourn because none come to the solemn feasts And then as it is a felicity to have the use of these wayes so must it also have been an act of piety in any to take care of them that they might be serviceable to this end for themselves and others And to this purpose also the next verse will be best interpreted see note c.
affairs and shut up from the conversation of men And in proportion with these they that are dead and laid in their graves are here said to be free i. e. removed from all the affairs and conversation of the World even ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from the commandments say the Jews of them that are dead Nidda fol. 76. Thus is death described Job 3. by lying still and quiet and at rest v. 13. in desolate places v. 14. where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary be at rest v. 17. where the prisoners rest together and hear not the voice of the oppressor v. 18. and where the servant is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã as here free from his master v. 19. In this verse there seems to be a gradation To be slain is more than to dye to be in the grave more than either but to dye by a ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to be cut off by excision not to have ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the remembrance of blessing to be utterly forgot and have no share in the world to come which they say every Israelite hath is the utmost pitch of misery V. 10. Dead That ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here signifies the dead those that lye in the grave there can be no question The Chaldee render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the carcasses that are putrified in the dust So Isa 26.14 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã shall not rise is but the interpretation of what went before they are dead they shall not live and so v. 19. the earth shall cast out ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the dead bodies So Prov. 21.16 the man that wandreth from the way of understanding shall remain ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the congregation of the dead the Chaldee reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã with the sons of the earth The same word is elsewhere used for gyants Gen. 14.5 and Isa 17.5 which makes it probable that the word comes from a notion of the root ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not ordinarily taken notice of by Lexicographers who generally take it for healing and curing such as may be common to these two so distant derivatives dead men and gyants The gyants we know are in most languages exprest by phrases taken from the bottom or bowels of the earth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and terrae filii born from or sons of the earth and just so the Chaldee even now rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã where 't was used for dead bodies Prov. 21.16 which gives us reason to resolve that the Radix originally signified something pertaining to the lower parts of the earth and so 't will be fitly communicated to these two which in the notion of healing it will not be And to this accords a notion of the word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã among the Hebrews for metals minerals gold silver coral c. which are digged out of the earth and from the very bottom of the Sea the abysse which is very agreeable to both these notions of the word the dead being there laid and disposed of after their departure out of this world their bodies in the grave and their animal Souls in Scheol the state of separation not otherwise capable of being described but by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã hades ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã disappearing the abyss or deep and the gyants by their great strength and exercise of it in invading and oppressing others and by being of uncertain originals phansied to have received their birth from some subterranean powers and so called by that title The LXXII deducing the word from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to heale render it here and elsewhere ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Physitians and the Latine medici but the Syriack ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã strong men or Gyants V. 18. Acquaintance From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã was darkned is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here an obscure dark place an hole or hiding-place and then ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a darke place or hole to my acquaintance signifies the lying hid and sculking of friends hiding themselves for fear they should be seen by him and called to help him The Jewish Arab reads And mine Acquaintance are become as darkness The Eighty Ninth Psalm MAschil of Ethan the Ezrahite Paraphrase The 89 Psalm is a commemoration of the mercies performed and promised to be continued to David and his posterity to the end of the world but now in the time of some great affliction on Prince and People probably in the captivity v. 38. c. see note i. seemingly interrupted by their sins and their breach of Covenant with God together with an hearty prayer for the return of them The Author of it is not known It was set to the tune of a Song of Ethan the son of Zerah called Maschil see note on Psalm 88. b. 1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations Paraphrase 1. The mercies of our God in making such gracious and glorious promises to his people and his exact fidelity in performing them is so great that it exacts all our lauds and most magnificent commemorations thereby to proclaim and divulge them to all posterity 2. For I have said Mercy shall be built up for ever thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens Paraphrase 2. God hath promised abundant kindness and mercy and that to endure to us to all our posterities and so I am most confident he will perform make good by his continual faithfulness from his seat of mercy and of justice what he hath thus promised us 3. I have made a Covenant with my chosen I have sworn unto David my servant Paraphrase 3. This promise of his was most solemnly made by way of a sworn Covenant stricken with David whom he chose to be King over his people when he rejected and removed Saul 4. Thy seed will I establish for ever and build up thy throne to all generations Selah Paraphrase 4. And the sum of his Covenant was not only that he should be King over his people but that this dignity should be continued to his posterity for many generations and that in some degree though with great disturbances which their sins should bring upon them as long as this Nation should continue and that toward the time of the destruction thereof the Messias should be born of this very race of David and erect a spiritual Kingdom in the hearts of all faithful men the only true genuine posterity of Abraham and David which should undoubtedly endure to the end of the world 5. And the heavens shall praise thy wonders O Lord thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the Saints Paraphrase 5. This is a most glorious Covenant of transcendent and wonderful mercies which as thou hast made so thou shalt exactly perform to us the glories thereof shall be admired and celebrated by all the Angels in heaven when they are met together for the praising and
vertuous or valiant act in their lives worth the commemorating and worshipped and sacrificed to them as Gods After them others arising and not knowing their predecessors intention viz. that they honoured them as their ancestours and inventours of good things with memorials onely they worshipt them as Gods of heaven and sacrificed to them And this was their form of making Gods of them After their deaths they put their names in the Books of their Priests and solemnized a feast to them at a set time saying that their souls were gone to the fortunate Islands c. In this relation thus set down in those fragments set out by Scaliger there is certainly a foul mistake an ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not left out For when of the first institutours it is here said that they honoured those Heroes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã with memorials onely how can it be imagined that in the relation of that very passage foregoing Istiaeus should say ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã they adored them as Gods and worshipt them It must therefore of necessity be thus read that Zerug did with statues of pillars honour their Captains ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and did not worship them as Gods or sacrifice to them as others arising afterward did And of these again it is as clear that these deified men who were supposed to be assumed to heaven and were no doubt many of them truly gone thither in their souls were yet but ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not Gods but creatures of that one supreme Jehovah who ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã made the heavens and those most eminent saints that dwelt there And this seems to be the fullest importance of this verse V. 7. And strength As from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã fortis fuit is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã strength so doth the same word signifie what the Greeks call ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã power dominion empire In the notion of strength or robur it may probably be used v. 6. where as beauty so strength is said to be in his Sanctuary beauty in respect of the glory of the divine presence by the guard of Angels that attend there and strength in respect of the assistance that is by God provided and furnished there to all that seek it by prayer But the latter notion is fitter for this place where it is joyned with glory and attributed to God and so 1 Pet. 5.11 which seems to be taken from hence it is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to him be glory and dominion and the Arabick there reade ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a light variation from the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here and from hence Gods title of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is best rendred not almighty or he that hath all strength but he that hath the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã dominion or empire over all And thus in the Doxology annext to the Lord's Prayer kingdom as well as power is joyned with glory when they are attributed to God And to this accord the LXXII which here render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã honor or dignity referring to the royal power to which that dignity belongs And so their giving him the power or empire here is agreeable to the proclaiming v. 10. that the Lord reigneth V. 10. Lord reigneth That the Lord in this place is the Messias is the resolution generally of the ancients both Jews and Christians Of the Jews R. Solomon affirms this is spoken of the days of the Messiah and gives it for a rule that wheresoever 't is said ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a new song 't is meant of the future age and thus indeed Rev. 5.9 and 14.3 the new songs are sung unto Christ And R. Gaon renders the reason because then there shall be a new heaven and new earth Kimchi also saith the Psalm concerns the days of the Messias And to this ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã v. 2. hath a great propriety having a particular notion of good tidings or Gospel and is duly rendred by the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Evangelize or as a piece of Gospel preach declare his salvation ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his redemption saith the Chaldee Of the Christians see Justin Martyr in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew p. 298. c. And the Psalm being as appears 1 Chr. 16.23 first composed on occasion of the bringing of the Ark to Sion though afterward lightly changed and fitted if we believe the Greek title of it to the re-building of the Temple after the captivity ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã may thus fitly be understood in its prophetical extent to embrace Christ's ascending to heaven in his humane nature By his assumption of humanity he did truly dwell among us and that much more eminently than ever he did in the Ark or Sanctuary and the carrying of this to heaven was answerable to the bringing up the Ark and placing it solemnly in Sion Now to this exaltation of his the Cross was the fore-runner and ceremony as it were of his inauguration his Kingly Office commencing at his resurrection from the grave to which the Cross conveyed him ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã God after his death upon the Cross having given him the Kingdom of all the Earth saith Justin p. 300. A. This is the meaning of the words and of that ancient Scholion which S. Augustin on the Psalms and Arnobius and others after him and of the most ancient Justin Martyr and Tertullian recite as from this place ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã The Lord hath reigned from the wood or tree i. e. from the Cross That these words ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from the wood or Cross were once in the Text and by the Jews taken out from thence though it have the authority of Justin and be eagerly defended by Lindanus hath no degree of probability in it The very LXXII which alone are concerned in the charge in the Copies which have come down to us have it not nor the vulgar Latin nor yet the Arabick nor Aethiopick which all follow the LXXII no nor the version of S. Jerom much less the Chaldee or Syriack from all which it cannot with any shew of reason be pretended that the Jews have rased or stoln it out for how was it possible for them to corrupt the Greek Bible throughout the world many of which were in the hands and Libraries of heathens or that the universal Church which for many hundred years hath allowed of and confirmed the Original Copies and all these Translations hath joyn'd with the Jews in their sacriledge and opposition to Christianity and that after it had received warning from so great a person as Justin was Many other evidences are produced to this purpose by our learned Country-man Nicholas Fuller Miscell l. 3. c. 13. and his conclusion is unquestionable that it was but a Scholion of some of the ancients written in the margin of his book as the result of his observation of the Kingdom of
praise or proclaim ye Gentiles but then again for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his people they reade ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã with his people which is the conjunction of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã both As for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã let all the Angels of God worship him it is so far from having any the least affinity with the words in the Hebrew that 't is no way probable that it was in the original Copies of the Greek but onely by some Scribe cast into the margin from this Psalm it being certain that none of those ancient Translatours which use to follow the LXXII do follow it in this This consideration therefore will render it very unreasonable to fetch those words which the Apostle citeth out of the Scripture from this place of Deuteronomy where the original Text hath nothing like it and which the Hebrews to whom the Epistle was written did know was not to be found in the Hebrew when this Text in the Psalm in the Hebrew as well as Greek did so readily afford it Secondly this citation Heb. 1. coming in consort with many other testimonies of the Old Testament 't is observable that all the rest of the testimonies save onely that of I will be to him a father and he shall be unto me a son which seems to be taken from 2 Sam. 7.14 where they are spoken of Solomon the son of David a special type of Christ are taken out of this one book of Psalms Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee v. 5. from the express words Psal 2.7 Who maketh his Angels spirits c. v. 7. from Psal 104.4 Thy throne O God is for ever c. v. 8 9. from Psal 45.6 7. Thou Lord in the beginning c. v. 10 11 12. from Psal 102.25 26. Sit thou on my right hand c. v. 13. from Psal 110.1 And therefore in all probability from the same book of Psalms and therein from the express words in this Psalm this testimony was cited by the Apostle V. 11. Light R. Solomon reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here in the notion of a plant or herb as we have it Isai 26.19 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the dew of herbs and 2 King 4.39 where the LXXII reade ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a corruption of the Hebrew ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã If this might be admitted it would be appliable to the Germen David which was to spring up as a tender plant But the conjunction with gladness here gives it the ordinary notion of light which is so gladsome and so fitly used for joy as darkness for sorrow the seed whereof is little saith Aben Ezra but the harvest great which R. Saadiah interprets the seed is in this world but the harvest in that to come The Jewish Arab reads Light is poured forth to the righteous The Ninety Eighth PSALM A Psalm Paraphrase The ninety eighth Psalm composed probably as a breviate of Moses's song at the delivery of the Israelites and destroying Pharaoh and the Aegyptians Exod. 15.1 c. is as the ninety sixth and seventh foregoing a prediction of Christ's Kingdom and the bringing the Gentile world in subjection to it it is thought to have been composed by David 1. O sing unto the Lord a new song for he hath done marvellous things his right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him the victory Paraphrase 1. It is now a most opportune season to praise and magnifie the Lord of heaven for all the miraculous deliverances which he hath wrought but especially for that glorious resurrection of the Messias out of the grave the pawn and pledge of ours a work of his omnipotent power and an evidence of his fidelity in making good his promise to him 2. The Lord hath made known his salvation his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen Paraphrase 2. This mighty work of his in raising the Messias from the dead and the exact completion of his predictions and promises therein is by God appointed to be annunciated and proclaimed to all the men in the world to the Jews first beginning at Jerusalem Luk. 24.41 see v. 3. and then through all the Gentile regions to every creature 3. He hath remembred his mercy and truth to the house of Israel all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God Paraphrase 3. And this not as a miracle onely though of a most stupendious nature but as an act of infinite goodness and promised mercy and so of fidelity in performing it the benefits whereof as they were first reached out to his own peculiar people the Jews so were they to extend and soon after to be preached and promulgate to the utmost nations of the world who have all their parts in the redemption from sin and satan atchieved and wrought by it 4. Make a joyfull noise unto the Lord all the earth make a loud noise and rejoyce and sing praise 5. Sing unto the Lord with the harp with the harp and the voice of a Psalm 6. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyfull noise before the Lord the King Paraphrase 4 5 6. This is true matter of the greatest joy and exultation to all men and deserves to be celebrated in the most solemn manner with all the instruments of musick used in the service of God and all little enough to express the glory of the work and the infinite advantages designed to us by Christ thus entring on his regal office and subduing all the world to the power of the Gospel that Scepter of his Kingdom 7. Let the Sea roar and the fulness thereof the world and they that dwell therein 8. Let the flouds clap their hands let the hills be joyfull together 9. Before the Lord for he cometh to judge the earth with righteousness shall he judge the world and the people with equity Paraphrase 7 8 9. The whole habitable world the heathen people that have been long under the servitude of their false idol worships shall now be redeemed from that slavery of sin and Satan their oracles and temples destroyed and the doctrine of the true God and practice of piety and justice and charity set up in their stead and thereby a most happy joyfull reformation wrought among men which deserves all the acknowledgments of humble and thankfull hearts See Psal 96.11 12 13. and note d. Annotations on Psal XCVIII V. 1. Victory From ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to deliver is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here in Hiphil and being in construction with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the dative case signifies to bring help or relief to any The Jewish Arab reads And his right hand and his excellent power hath holpen his people So Psal 116.6 I was brought low ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and he helped me The Chaldee ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã hath relieved or redeemed him the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã
7. where upon Samuel's burnt-offering v. 9. and prayer v. 5. and crying importunately and constantly to God for the people v. 8. the Lord heard him v. 9. and the Philistims were discomfited v. 10. 7. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar they kept his testimonies and the ordinances that he gave them Paraphrase 7. With every one of these God was pleased to commune and talk as a friend with a friend giving them vocal answers out of a bright cloud which incompassed them a wonderfull dignation of God's to those faithfull servants of his which obeyed and observed his commands 8. Thou answeredst them O Lord our God thou wast a God that forgavest them though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions Paraphrase 8. And when the people had provoked God and God's wrath was already gone out against them for their crying sins these mens prayers were so effectual with him as to avert the plagues and obtain remission for them 9. Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy hill for the Lord our God is holy Paraphrase 9. O let these unspeakable dignations of his and signal answers unto the prayers of his servants bring us all to his sanctuary on our knees to praise and adore his sacred and glorious majesty and offer up our continual and ardent prayers unto him Annotations on Psal XCIX V. 1. Tremble Of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã we have spoken before see note on Psal 4. e. and observed the notion of it as for anger so also for fear so saith Abu Walid of this root that in the Arabick it signifies trembling and commotion and is sometimes from anger sometimes from fear and other occasions the word generally signifying motion or commotion either of body or of mind and both these being equally commotions of mind Here the context may seem to direct the taking it in the notion of commotion simply as that signifies ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã sedition or tumult of rebels or other adversaries And then the sense will lye thus The Lord reigneth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã let the people be moved i. e. Now God hath set up David in his Throne and peaceably settled the Kingdom on him in spight of all the commotions of the people The LXXII render it to this sense as Ps 4.4 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã let the people be angry or regret it as much as they will The Chaldee and Syriack use the same word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to be moved which competently agrees to this notion as also the latter part of this verse for as ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the participle he that sitteth on or inhabiteth the Cherubims is all one directly with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Lord so ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which as ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã also signifies motion and agitation is exactly the same with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and accordingly the Chaldee renders it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the former word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã reduplicated and so to the very same sense the LXXII have ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã be shaken the Latin moveatur be moved the same also Yet may it also be read as in the future and in the notion of fearing and quaking The nations shall tremble and the earth shall be moved as appearances of God are wont to be received with trembling and amazement and at the giving the law the people trembled and the earth shook and this will be a fit expression of the subjecting the heathen world to Christ's Kingdom Abu Walid doubts whether ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã should be referred to ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to signifie let the earth be moved the same with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or whether to God and so be of the signification with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in Arabick to hang making the earth the accusative case he that sitteth between the Cherubims hangeth fast the earth according to that of Job 23.7 and hangeth the earth upon nothing And thus in an Hebrew-Arabick glossary it is rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã hanging V. 6. Priests ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to minister is a common title of Civil as well as Ecclesiastical Officers Hence it is that Exod. 2.16 where the Hebrew hath ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Chaldee reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Prince of Midian So Exod. 19.22 24. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã clearly signifies not the sons of Aaron but the first-born or chief of the families So 2 Sam. 8.18 David's sons were ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not Priests but Princes or chief Rulers ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã great men saith the Chaldee the same called ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã principal or chief men at the hand of the King 1 Chron. 18.17 Of which sort was Ira called ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not a Priest but a chief Ruler about David 2 Sam. 20.26 And in the more general notion of the word as it comprehends both Civil and Ecclesiastical Rulers it is evident that Moses as well as Aaron are here rightly recited ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã among God's Rulers or chief men V. 7. Cloudy pillar What ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã station or pillar of cloud here signifies as far as refers to Moses and Aaron there is no difficulty For as in their passage out of Aegypt God conducted and protected them by a bright cloud Exod. 13.21 which is there as here called ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a pillar signifying thereby the form or similitude of an hollow pillar or concave body over their heads coming down to the ground on every side of them and so like wings incompassing and shielding them see note on 1 Cor. 10. a. so when 't is added c. 14.1 that the Lord spake unto Moses saying that Lord that in the verse immediately foregoing went before them in a pillar of cloud there can be no doubt but God as here is said spake unto them in a pillar of cloud So Exod. 16.10 the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud and the Lord spake unto Moses saying so Exod. 17.6 when God saith unto Moses I will stand before thee upon the rock in Horeb and thou shalt smite and water shall come out this is again this ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã pillar or according to the notion of the theme ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã stetit standing of the cloud on Horeb. So Exod. 19.9 Lo I come to thee in a thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak with thee and believe thee for ever and so v. 16. as there were thunders and lightnings so there was a thick cloud upon the mount and the Lord descended v. 18. and answered Moses by voice v. 19. and to this commerce Aaron was admitted v. 24. So c. 20. v. 21. Moses drew near to the thick darkness all one with the cloud where God was and the Lord
the moon the fit seasons of husbandry and other humane actions are measured and directed according to the different quarters thereof on this depend the stationary returns of tides the growth of plants the increase and decrease of humours in the body even of man and peculiarly his brain the seat of his understanding is much concerned in it In all which respects it is that the sun which hath so much to do in the governing and blessing every part of the world doth not always keep up in any horizon but leaves some part of every natural day to that other luminary to manage 20. Thou makest darkness and it is night wherein all the beasts of the forrest creep forth 21. The young Lions roar after their prey and seek their meat from God Paraphrase 20 21. And as between these the day and the night are divided so there are evidences of God's wisedom in each of these special uses for each The dark of the night is useful to beasts of prey which are pursued by mankind and are fain to keep in their holes and caverns all day when if they should come abroad they would much disturb the quiet of men but then by advantage of the darkness of night are inabled to ravage and feed and sustein themselves and though the Lions for want both of swiftness and of scent be ill qualified to provide for themselves yet hath divine providence taken care of them directed them to make use of another creature which is swift and of a quick scent and that joyns in league with them and having sâised the prey stands by till they have filled themselves A wonderfull dispensation to which and to the hand of God in it they owe their food as discernibly as they would do if God in answer to their roaring as by way of return to our prayers immediately power'd down or bestowed their food upon them 22. The sun ariseth they gather themselves together and lay them down in their dens 23. Man goeth forth to his work and to his labour untill the evening Paraphrase 22 23. And the day is more eminently usefull for other offices the doing all the works incumbent on us for the culture of the earth c. and for this a fair space is assigned from sun-rise till sun-set all which space those beasts of prey lie close in their dens to which they gather themselves in companies though by the same providence it is ordered that they go not out in herds if they did there would be no resisting them and thither they betake themselves at the same time that men rise to their labour i. e. constantly every morning 24. O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisedom hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches 25. So is this great and wide sea wherein are things creeping innumerable both small and great beasts 26. There go the ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein Paraphrase 24 25 26. Thus hath God created and disposed not onely these but all things else in all variety of excellencies his wisedom and his bounty is seen in all things and not onely in the earthly part of the globe but in the other as to appearance barren and destructive element that most vast and spacious ocean furnished with such a multitude of fishes of all sorts and sizes usefull also to the benefit of men by navigation and famous for the great sea-dragon the whale which is fortified against all force and art so as to contemn all assaults of men 27. These wait all upon thee that thou mayest give them their meat in due season 28. That thou givest them they gather thou openest thy band they are filled with good Paraphrase 27 28. And for all these hath God made abundant provision of food to support and refresh them when they stand in need of it and that by ways of his own wise dispensing without any care or solicitude of theirs requiring no more of them than to partake of that festival entertainment which he hath prepared for them 29. Thou hidest thy face they are troubled thou takest away their breath they die and return to their dust 30. Thou sendest forth thy spirit they are created and thou renewest the face of the earth Paraphrase 29 30. And from him their very life and all the joys and comforts thereof every minute depend The withdrawing his favour and benign aspect and concurrence and sustentation is the cause of all their misery of all the strokes and judgments that light upon any part of this lower world and of their present death and return to the elements whereof they are compounded when he sees fit to summon them And as at first by his bare will and command as by a breath and word of his mouth all these were created out of nothing so by the same omnipotent creative power and wise disposal of his own meer will and pleasure he continues the species of each by seed and succession by which as by a natural stock of supply to all that decays and departs he doth yearly and daily renew the world and keep it up as full as if nothing ever perished in it an emblem of his future dealing with us men in the resurrection 31. The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever the Lord shall rejoyce in his works Paraphrase 31. This method and course of Gods for the setting out and illustrating the glory of his infinite power and providence shall thus last as long as this world continues and as God in the first creation had his rest and sabbath took delight in his own work lookt on it altogether and behold it was exceeding good the same complacency hath he in the continuance and managery of it ever since O let not us men be the onely ungratefull part of his creation let us for ever praise and glorifie his name transcribe that festival Sabbath of his and return him the tribute of our obedience and our most pious acknowledgments for these and all his abundant mercies afford him that equitable content and delight of not pouring out his benefits on such unworthy receives as we men most frequently are and as we shall be if we live not in uniform obedience in all works of piety before him 32. He looketh on the earth and it trembleth he toucheth the hills and they smoak Paraphrase 32. And as his providence so his sovereign power and dominion is continued over all the creatures in the world As one breath or act of his will created all so one look of his one least expression of his displeasure is enough to set the whole earth a trembling and the loftiest parts of it the mountains a smoaking and so to cast the stoutest proudest sinner into an agony of horrour and dread 'T is a most formidable thing to fall into the hands of the living Lord. As the Law was given on Sinai with thundrings and lightnings
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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the reciprocal conjugation is yet to be here rendred in the active sense is agreed on both by the Chaldee and Syriack ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã saith the former praise in his name and the other ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã praise to his name where as × in so × to is certainly a Pleonasme as v. 15. both × and × are in ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his strength the LXXII seem to have read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã be strengthened and accordingly render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Latin confirmamini be confirmed and so the Syriack ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã
down Num. 11.33 and Psal 78.30 though not in Exodus viz. that while the flesh was yet between their teeth e're it was chewed the Lord smote the people with a very great plague the judgment whereof was never the less discernible that it was an effect of their diet when even miracles admit the subserviency of usual means whereupon the place was called Kibroth hataavah because there they buried the people that lusted By this means they were deprived of the fruit of this their festival table even when he gave them what they lusted for The word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to attenuate emaciate is used also for destroying Zeph. 2.11 when God threatens that he will emaciate i. e. destroy all the Gods And then ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã may be rendred more generally destruction or plague and so R. Tanchum on Zeph. 11. renders it destruction The Hebrew Arabick Glossary interprets ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã defect The Jewish Arab version hath leanness into their body as ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is sometimes taken for the body Accordingly for sending leanness here the Psalmist Psal 78.31 useth this plainer style of slaying the fattest of them and smiting the chosen men in Israel V. 20. Glory For ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã their glory which we now reade and so is followed by some copies of the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã their glory and though others have ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his yet from the former both the Syriack have ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and the Latin gloriam suam their glory the original copies are by the Jews said to have read ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his glory What heed ãâã to be given to the Jews herein I shall not now define but onely observe that the notion of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã here being that of a thick cloud wherein God was pleased to exhibit or presentiate himself ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã their glory may well enough have been the original word meaning by it God's presentiating himself to them that when God had spoken to them out of the midst of the fire with darkness clouds and thick darkness Deut. 4.11 and they saw no similitude onely they heard a voice v. 12. they turned this majestatick presence afforded to them i. e. their glory into the similitude of a calf the image of one of their Aegyptian Gods Thus the word may be interpreted as we now have it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã their glory for which the Chaldee reade ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the glory of their Lord it being yet clear that this very thing is elsewhere in Scripture frequently styled ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his glory Deut. 5.24 the Lord hath shewed us his glory and his greatness and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire So Exod. 24.16 the glory of the Lord abode upon the mount and v. 17. the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the sight of the children of Israel So Exod. 33.18 shew me thy glory and ch 40.34 a cloud covered the tent and the glory of the Lord this bright cloud filled the Tabernacle and Numb 14.10 the glory of the Lord Thus Rom. 1.23 in the like matter and style as here they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã glory here meaning the glorious presence and exhibitions of God which he was wont to afford them which being in radient fiery clouds wherein Angels appeared God himself remaining perfectly invisible Deut. 4.15 the making and setting up any figure or image of an oxe or calf whether to signifie Apis an Aegyptian false God or the image or similitude of the true God whose voice they heard but saw no kind of similitude and the proclaiming before it These be thy God's O Israel which brought thee out of Aegypt Exod. 32.4 and these to go before them and conduct them in stead of Moses v. 1. was a great abomination and provocation That this is the meaning of God's glory see 2 Pet. 1.17 where the voice from heaven This is my beloved son is said to have come from the magnificent glory which the text tells us Mar. 9.7 came out of the cloud that overshadowed them So in those places of Exodus praemised where the glory of the Lord is certainly the thick cloud c. on the mount by which God exhibited himself called in the Targum and among the Jewish writers so frequently the majestick presence or ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã inhabitation of God of which see more Annot. on Matt. 3. k. and Rom. 1. f. one text there is that useth the word glory of the visible throne of God the Father in heaven Act. 7.55 he looked into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God by glory meaning that visible satellitium of Angels which appearing to him in a radiant manner were an evidence of God's special presence there according to which it is that among us the raies about the name ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã are ordinarily styled a glory V. 23. The breach What ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the breach or rupture here signifies must be resolved by the use of both verb and noun in other places Eccl. 3.3 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to break is applied to an house and opposed to the building of it and so evidently signifies the pulling down or ruinating it so the Chaldee renders it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to pull it down So 2 Sam. 5.20 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Lord hath broken i. e. destroyed mine enemies before me ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã according to the breaking i. e. destruction of waters which carry all away before them a sweeping destruction upon which that place was called ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the place of ruptures i. e. ruines or destructions So Exod. 19.24 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã lest he break on them i. e. destroy them ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã kill them saith the Chaldee ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã destroy the LXXII Thus is the verb frequently rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã destroying by the LXXII and the noun ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ruine Job 16.14 he breaketh me with breach upon breach one ruine and destruction on the heels of another So Jud. 21.15 God's making ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a breach in the tribes of Israel is his having destroyed one of the tribes that of Benjamin being lacking v. 3. and cut off v. 6. So Ezech. 22.30 standing as that oft signifies praying interceding with God in the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã rupture is explained by that which follows that I should not destroy it i. e. saving or rescuing it from destruction So 2 Sam. 6. God's smiting of Vzzah that he died v. 8. is called ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã God's breaking a breach upon Vzzah and from thence the place is called Perez Vzzah the breaking of Vzzah i. e.
of all piety there being no course wherein I shall more delightfully exercise my self 46. I will speak of thy testimonies also before Kings and will not be ashamed Paraphrase 46. Yea I will proclaim and boast of the excellency of thy Law and the advantages of ordering our lives by it and recommend it with confidence to the greatest Princes in the world as that which will inhaunse their crowns and make them much more glorious and comfortable to them if they will resolve to guide their lives after this model 47. And I will delight my self in thy commandments which I have loved Paraphrase 47. And for my self as in my love and value of thy precepts I prefer them before all other jewels in the world so will I entertain and recreate and gratifie my self by this exercise the meditation and practice of these rather than by any other way of divertisement which the world doth most esteem of 48. My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments which I have loved and I will meditate in thy statutes Paraphrase 48. And this pleasure shall not be an aerial idle speculative pleasure but such as shall set me vigorously about the practice of all holy obedience to thee and therein will I constantly and diligently exercise my self and thereby express the reality of my love to them ZAIN 49. Remember the word unto thy servant on which thou hast caused me to hope 50. This is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickned me Paraphrase 49 50. O Lord thou hast made me many most gracious promises and thereby given me grounds of the most unmoved hope and comfort And these are able to support and inliven me in the midst of the greatest pressures 51. The proud have had me greatly in derision yet have I not declined from thy law 52. I remembred thy judgments of old O Lord and have comforted my self Paraphrase 51 52. Atheistical wicked men when they see me in distress make a mock at my relyance and trust in God and think it ridiculous to talk of relief from heaven when earthly strength faileth But all their scoffs and bitterest sarcasms shall not discourage me or tempt me to forsake my hold I have many notable illustrious examples of thy power and goodness of the seasonable interpositions of thy reliefs to thy servants in their greatest distresses and these being laid to heart have infinitely more force to confirm my faith than all their Atheistical scoffs to shake it 53. Horror hath taken hold on me because of the wicked that forsake thy law Paraphrase 53. Nay these their heathenish discourses have been so far from working thus on me that they are matter of great disquiet and commotion and trembling to me to think of the direfull condition which they are in that have utterly forsaken God and all thought of obedience that have quite devested themselves as of all hope so of all dread of him 54. Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage Paraphrase 54. For my part what ever can befall me in this frail transitory life I can take joy in the commands and promises of God and make them true real solaces to me in whatsoever distress as knowing that I suffer nothing but what God sees to be best for me and that if I faithfully wait on him he will in his time give me a seasonable deliverance 55. I have remembred thy name O Lord in the night and have kept thy law 56. This I had because I kept thy precepts Paraphrase 55 56. With these thoughts of God I have in the solitude and darkness of the night intertained and supported my self and thereby taken up a courage and constancy of resolution never to relinquish this hold for any other Thus hath God abundantly rewarded my diligence in his service by a pleasure resulting from it v. 54. by a stedfast unmovable hope and comfort in him v. 50. and by a durable constant resolution of a persevering obedience never to depart from him CHETH 57. Thou art my portion O Lord I have said that I would keep thy word Paraphrase 57. Blessed Lord of all the possessions and comforts of the world thou onely art worth the having thy promises are precious promises thy commands most excellent divine commands I have by thy grace deliberately made my choice preferred these before all the glories of this world and resolved that thy word shall be my treasure which I will most diligently preserve 58. I intreated thy favour with my whole heart be mercifull to me according to thy word Paraphrase 58. To this thy grace is most necessary for without it I can do nothing for this therefore I make my most humble sincere passionate address to thee O be thou graciously pleased to grant my request to vouchsafe me this mercy which thou hast promised never to deny to those that ask and importunately seek and beg it of thee 59. I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Paraphrase 59. But neither have I contented my self with my bare prayers for strength and grace I have set to my part in a diligent examination of my past sins and a carefull watch over my future actions and so have forsaken my old ways and diligently pursued that course which thou hast prescribed me 60. I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandments Paraphrase 60. And to this end I did immediately set out I made no one minutes stay in so necessary a pursuit as knowing that the longer I should dally the more unlikely I should be ever to perform so great a journey 61. The bands of the wicked have robbed me but I have not forgotten thy law Paraphrase 61. In my course I have oft met with disturbances the assaults and injuries of wicked men but these how sharp soever they were have been but exercises of my patience have not provoked me to doe any thing but what best becometh thy servant 62. At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments Paraphrase 62. This and the many other benefits and advantages of thy Law and my obedience to it are such as I am bound to acknowledge all the days of my life and even to interrupt my lawfull sleep and repose to find frequent vacancies for so necessary a duty of lauding and magnifying thy mercy 63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy precepts Paraphrase 63. And for my days exercise I endeavour to associate my self with all those that serve and obey thee conscientiously by that society to excite one another and to attain to some proficiency in so good a work 64. The earth O Lord is full of thy mercy teach me thy statutes Paraphrase 64. O Lord thy goodness and mercy and grace is abundantly poured out upon the men in the world O let me enjoy a special degree of it for the sanctifying my soul
Jerusalem to set up his son after him And so here ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a lamp to mine anointed is a royal seed or posterity to rise up in stead of David and sit upon his throne The same was before meant by the budding of the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã horn of David The horn is proverbially the regal dignity and the budding thereof the bringing forth successors to the Kingdom The same is again repeated v. 18. upon him i. e. his posterity shall his crown flourish where for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã his crown the LXXII reade ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not his but my and taking ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the notion of separation or sanctification reade ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã my holiness That this doth mystically refer to Christ the Jews confess So saith R. Saadiah The lamp is the King which illuminates the nations and Kimchi that the horn of David is the Messias To whom it is farther agreeable that he is said ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to flourish or bud forth which is another of his titles and to that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã may possibly be added also The Hundred and Thirty Third PSALM A Song of Degrees of David The hundred thirty third is the magnifying the felicities of holy peaceable fraternal communion and was fitly accommodated to the return from the captivity and their uniform conjunction in the service of God 1. BEhold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity Paraphrase 1. There is nothing that is more acceptable to God and matter of greater joy and present delight to the persons themselves than a peaceable friendly conversation of pious men with a perfect union of minds and communion in devotions and joint endeavours of doing and helping one another to doe those things that are most excellent 2. It is like the precious oyntment upon the head that ran down upon the beard even Aaron's beard that went down to the skirts of his garments Paraphrase 2. It cannot be more fitly compared to any thing than to the unction of Aaron the high-priest of God the oyntment of a most precious sort very fragrant and odoriferous It was by order to be poured upon his head and in that plenty that being so poured it diffused it self not onely on his face and beard but ran down also upon the upper part or collar of his garments see note a. and this whole ceremony instituted by God himself thereby to consecrate Aaron and his successors after him to the high-priests office to offer sacrifice to God and bless the people And in all these particulars the proportion holds This of fraternal charity union and communion is 1. very precious highly valued 2. very gratefull and welcome a pleasant and refreshing spectacle to all beholders to God Angels and men 3. it is so rich and plentifull a grace that it communicates it self to all the meanest persons in the society not onely to superiour and more eminent parts but to every inferiour member of the community making supplies to all sorts of all their wants and 4. no grace or vertue more signally commanded and recomended by God or 5. more required to make our prayers acceptable to God or our offices usefull to others or our selves 3. As the dew of Hermon and as the dew that descended on the mountains of Zion for there the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore Paraphrase 3. And accordingly God hath promised abundant blessings to those that thus live all happiness here and all glory in another world And in that respect it is most fitly compared to the innumerable drops of dew that fall in a morning upon many several and distant hills Hermon on one side of Canaan and Zion on the other or to that cloud of dew which is seen hanging as such on the highest hills but dissolves in showers of rain upon the lower which cherish and refresh wheresoever they fall For so do God's blessings severally descend in great abundance upon every member of such a peaceable united community be they in their condition as distant as Hermon and Zion in place yet the goodness of God finds them out and rewards them severally bestows all benedictions upon them Annotations on Psal CXXXIII V. 3. Zion It is here thought very difficult to resolve what is the meaning of the phrase ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which descended on the hill of Zion For if it be spoken of the dew of Hermon foregoing then 't is not imaginable how that should descend on the hills of Zion Zion being very distant from Hermon Zion at Jerusalem and Hermon on the other side of Jordan on the utmost part of Canaan toward the East and so opposed to Tabor Psal 89.12 as East to West This hath put some learned men on a conjecture that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Zion here should be changed into ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Schion which is another name of Hermon But this is not found in any ancient or later copy nor yet favoured by any of the ancient Interpreters who uniformly reade it Zion and not Schion nor hath any the least ground but that of the nearness of the words and the conceited difficulty of the matter that the dew of Hermon should descend on Zion at that distance But for these 1. It is most unsafe to use that liberty of conjecture thereby to change words at pleasure into any that have affinity with them 2. By this conjecture the difficulty is but changed not taken away for it would then be still difficult and but little more reasonable to suppose that the dew of Hermon should be said to descend from Hermon upon Schion i. e. upon it self than that it should from Hermon descend upon the most remote mountain 'T is therefore most seasonable to take notice of that which hath here occasioned the difficulty or seeming improbability of interpreting the words of Zion at Jerusalem The similitude in the former verse of the oyntment falling directly and by descent from the head to the beard hath led men to conceit a falling of that in like manner from a higher to a lower place which indeed cannot in any sense be applied to mount Hermon and the hills of Zion whereas in the truth this of the dew were the hills never so near and subordinate one to the other would still be a similitude unfit for that turn for dew is not like rain which streams down from hills to valleys or from an higher to a lower hill but remains in the place where it falls be it high or low The dew therefore in this place may possibly be set to express onely the plenty of that which is spoken of as elsewhere the dew of the morning is proportionable to the sand of the sea in respect of the numerousness see note on Psal 110. a. and the blessing and refreshing quality thereof and so to usher in God's commanding a blessing and
Chaldee ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the beginning and so the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the beginning of my mirth And ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I will lift up or advance Jerusalem in the beginning of my mirth is to make that the prime or chief ingredient in their rejoycing the principal subject of their hymns V. 8. Art to be destroyed ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to lay waste or destroy in Paül instead of Poel which is frequent may be rendred vastatrix destroyer So the Chaldee ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the waster or spoiler and so the Syriack in the same word Onely the LXXII reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which as it signifies miserable so it signifies vile and wicked also and so even the Hebrew if taken in the passive will be but answerable to ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã perditus wretched wicked and so fit to be destroyed The Jewish Arab reads O thou spoiled and so 't is agreeable to the custom of the Eastern people by way of omen or presage to put with the name of a city an Epithet of Preserved or guarded if they wish well to it and so 't is proportionable it should be in the contrary signification if they wish ill to it to speak of that as done which they wish to be done The Hundred and Thirty Eighth PSALM A Psalm of David The hundred Thirty eighth is a Psalm of Thanksgiving to God for his mercies his gracious audiences afforded to the prayers of his lowly servants his powerfull deliverances of them most admirable in the sight of their heathen enemies And being first composed by David is said by the LXXII to have been made use of by Haggee and Zachary at the re building of the Temple 1. I Will praise thee with my whole heart before the Gods will I sing praise unto thee 2. I will worship toward thy holy Temple and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name Paraphrase 1 2. Blessed Lord thou hast been exceeding gracious to thy servants and never failed to answer them that rely on thee thy mercies and fidelity are much spoken of thou art known by this title of mercifull and gracious and one that never fails to perform his part of the Covenant with any But thou hast infinitely exceeded all that is or can be either said or believed of thee thou hast made us admirable divine promises that especially of giving us thy Son and in him all things and wilt certainây perform them all to the utmost importance of them And now what return shall we make unto thee for all this having nothing else we must in all equity pay thee the humblest acknowledgments of our very souls and in thy publick assembly in the presence of the holy Angels the witnesses of our performances and assistants and partners of our praises bless and laud and magnifie thy glorious name for all thine abundant mercy toward us 3. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul Paraphrase 3. Whensoever I have addrest by prayer to thee thou hast never failed to answer me and relieve me which together with thine own free promise gives me full confidence to beg and crave thy grace to strengthen and support my soul against whatsoever danger and to rest secure in thee that thou wilt grant it me 4. All the Kings of the earth shall praise thee O Lord when they hear the words of thy mouth 5. Yea they shall sing in the ways of the Lord for great is the glory of the Lord. Paraphrase 4 5. These magnificent promises of thine v. 2. shall be proclaimed and made known thy Gospel preached to all the world and thereby the greatest potentates on earth they and their kingdoms with them shall at length be brought in to worship and serve and glorifie thee and in so doing never give over singing and praising and magnifying thy great and gracious and glorious works of mercy those wonderfull dispensations of thine in the gift of thy Son and that gracious divine Law given us by him 6. Though the Lord be high yet hath he respect unto the lowly but the proud he knoweth afar off Paraphrase 6. The sum whereof is this that as the supreme God of heaven hath humbled himself to this earth and flesh of ours so he will favourably behold and deal with all lowly humbled penitent sinners but proceed most severely with all proud obdurate impenitents 7. Though I walk in the midst of trouble thou wilt revive me thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies and thy right hand shall save me 8. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me thy mercy O Lord endureth for ever forsake not the works of thine own hands Paraphrase 7 8. And as for spiritual so for temporal mercies God will not fail to perform them also to his faithfull servants whatever their distresses be he will relieve or support them repel and subdue and repress their enemies and secure them by his immediate divine interposition if humane means do fail what they are not able and what indeed belongs not to them to doe for themselves he will most certainly perform in their stead having begun a work of mercy he will not leave it imperfect he will certainly go through with it Thus doth God abound in mercies of all sorts to all his humble faithfull servants Lord be thou thus graciously pleased to deal with me and with all thy poor helpless creatures which being made by thee have none other to fly to but they self Annotations on Psal CXXXVIII V. 1. Gods Of the notion of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã first for Angels then for Magistrates Judges Kings somewhat hath been said Note on Psal 82. b. Now to which of these it shall be applied in this place is not agreed among the ancient Interpreters The Chaldee reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Judges the Syriack ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Kings the Jewish Arab the Nobles but the LXXII and the Arabick and Aethiopick and Latin follow them ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Angels And considering that in the next words v. 2. he mentions worshipping toward the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not temple if it were as the title directs composed by David but palace of holiness i. e. the Sanctuary where the Cherubims of glory representations of Angels shadowed the mercy-seat Heb. 9.5 and that in that house of God and house of prayer the Angels were present according to that of Saint Chrysostome ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã thou singest and chantest with the angels and on this place ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã I will strive to sing with the Angels contending with them in this holy strife and emulation who shall praise him loudest joyning in quire with the supernal powers 't is not improbable that this should be
a few special favourites of his but inlarged and vouchsafed to all and every man in the world upon the title of his fatherly mercy to his creature till by their impenitence persisted in against his means of grace they render themselves incapable of it 10. All thy works shall praise thee O Lord and thy saints shall bless thee 11. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom and talk of thy power Paraphrase 10 11. And proportionably according to the just merit of it all the men in the world are obliged to pay thee the acknowledgments of thy supereminent transcendent mercy but especially those that are so qualified by the power of thy grace obediently received by them as to have a more particular interest therein 12. To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts and the glorious majesty of his kingdom Paraphrase 12. These shall never satisfie themselves that they have said enough in depredicating the inward beauties and felicities and admirable excellencies of the kingdom of God in mens hearts that state of souls when by the divine and sanctifying power of his grace the dominion of sin and Satan is subdued and the kingdom of heaven erected in the stead of it and all the faculties of the soul voluntarily and chearfully and constantly subjected to it The sweetness and comforts of this shall so transport and ravish them that have a vital taste of it in their own hearts that they shall earnestly desire and endeavour to discover and recommend it to others and bring all men to a sense and acknowledgment how desirable a thing it is to be the subjects of this kingdom 13. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and thy dominion endureth throughout all ages Paraphrase 13. The magnificence and glory of any other the greatest kingdom is but finite and transitory and so oft in few years is removed and destroyed but the kingdom of God is as durable as God himself and the comforts of subjection and obedience thereto which all pious men injoy have never any end but are swallowed up in the ocean of eternal bliss and glory the never failing portion of all such 14. The Lord upholdeth all that fall and raiseth up all those that be bowed down Paraphrase 14. And one special act of this his kingdom one exercise of this power of his grace it is that those which are sincere faithfull subjects thereof shall never want a sufficient supply of strength from him for all their wants whether of souls or bodies Be they never so weak in themselves never so near falling and unable to support themselves and stand by their own strength they shall yet be sure of a sufficiency in him he will support them in the most infirm feeble tottering condition and when through humane frailty they are brought low and actually fallen he will not deny them grace to get up again but afford them effectual means of recovery if by humble confession of their lapses they beg and solicit it and industriously make use of it when it is given them And so for outward distresses he will either preserve them from them or support them under them and in his good time deliver them out of them 15. The eyes of all wait on thee and thou givest them their meat in due season 16. Thou openest thy hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing Paraphrase 15 16. This mercy and benignity of his is a spring inexhaustible of all kinds of good things a treasure of abundant supply to all the creatures in the world which consequently attend and wait his pleasure and never fail to receive from him timely and seasonably to their necessities whatsoever they really stand in need of 17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works Paraphrase 17. In sum all God's dispensations and dealings with us are made up of abundant mercy and compassion charity and liberality to all our wants and so are to be acknowledged and devoutly praised by all the men in the world 18. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him to all that call upon him in truth Paraphrase 18. Whosoever addresses his prayers to God and faithfully adheres to him that flies not to any indirect course for aids but keeps fast to him in constant obedience and waits God's time with patience and perseverance in prayer shall be sure never to fail of answers of mercy from him 19. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him he will hear their cry and will save them Paraphrase 19. If they faithfully serve and obey him he will not be wanting to them in their greatest wants but will seasonably grant them their requests and deliver them out of all dangers 20. The Lord preserveth all them that love him and all the wicked will he destroy Paraphrase 20. Those that love God and keep his commandments have by his promise a claim and right to his protections and preservations but for transgressours which are accounted haters of him he will certainly pour out his vengeance upon them 21. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever Paraphrase 21. All this exacts the most solemn acknowledgments all the praises and Hallelujahs that our hearts or tongues can express O let all the men in the world joyn to perform this duty and never give over praising and glorifying his holy name Annotations on Psal CXLV V. 7. Abundantly utter The Hebrew ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to bubble to issue to send out as a spring or fountain issues out water and though here it be metaphorically used of speaking yet it must in reason be rendred with respect to the original use of it The LXXII therefore render it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Latin eructabunt for which our English yielding no proper word we must be content with that âf issuing or pouring out or sending forth The Chaldee which reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the same word with their termination is rendred by the Latin Translator personabunt shall sound forth as if it were from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which so signifies and is by the Greek lightly changed into ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to proclaim V. 9. To all In this place the reading of the LXXII both in the Roman Edition and others is undoubtedly corrupted The Hebrew reads ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to all and so is followed by the Chaldee and Latin and Arabick the Syriack omitting it wholly and onely the copies of the LXXII and from them the Aethiopick reade ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to them that expect and others add ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that expect him But Asulanus's reading is doubtless here to be preferred which hath ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to all which being the original reading and so followed by the Latin and Arabick was changed by the scribe into ãâã ãâã ãâã
ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or juments for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã But this of the LXXII their rendring is of no force because though they do most frequently render ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã yet ofttimes also they render it by ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and to the beasts of the earth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is the Hebrew word and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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
custom what indulgence in sin i. e. what Tophet what Hell shall be able to separate us from the love the favour the heaven of God He that hath Christ the Priest hath all he that believes in the sufferings hath Christ the Priest though not the King hath the faith though not the works i. e. the righteousness though not the Heathenish morality the Protestant Orthodox part though not the Popery the Antichristianism of a Christian and so is but the richer for that want hath the greater portion in the sufferings of Christ by the abundance of those sins he suffered for the more of the Priest is ours by how much the less of the King is discernible in us Having driven our unchristian lives to this principle this solemn conceit of ours that the Priestly office of Christ to which if rightly understood we owe all our salvation is nothing but the death of that Christ methinks 't were now possible to convince the secure Fiduciary of the error and sophistry of his former way to rob him of his beloved cheat now that we have prov'd so clear that Christ commenc'd his eternal Priesthood that on which all our blessedness depends from the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã not till after his resurrection For Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth and mourneth and bleedeth for in secret thou carnal confident that hast wearied thy self in the greatness of thy way thy profane wild-goose chase of sin and yet hast not said there is no hope thou that wilt profane and be saved too riot and be saved too reconcile faction rebellion sacrilege oppression oaths carnality all the unchristian practices in the world the confutation of the whole Gospel with salvation Tell me I say what Christ it is thou wilt be tried or saved by by Christ the King I am confident thou wert never so impudent to venture thy rebellions to that cognizance Well it is Christ the Priest thou so dependest on and ây Christ the Priest Why because he hath sacrificed himself for thee Now let me tell thee 1. That some have guest shrewdly that though Christ died for all the sinners and sins in the world yet his sufferings being but finite in duration though infinite in respect of the person of the sufferer will not prove a ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a proportionable ransom for thy sins I mean the impenitent sinners sins in duration infinite being as they are undetermin'd uncut off by repentance Thou must return reform confess and forsake or else thou hast out-sinn'd the very sufferings of Christ out-spent that vast ransom out damn'd salvation it self that may be a conviction ad hominem perhaps and therefore I mention'd it in the first place But then 2. Thou art it seems all this while mistaken in thy Priest thou art it seems all for the Aaronical and hast not yet thought of the Melchisedech-Priest thou art all for the sacrificer and never dream'st of the blesser Thou layest all thy weight on the Cross of Christ and art ready to press it down to hell with thee with leaning onely but not crucifying one lust on it never thinkest of being risen with Christ the condition so indispensably necessary to give us claim to the benefit of his death and so in effect thou leavest Christ in the grave and thy self in that mournful case of the despairing Disciples speraveramus we had hoped but never look'st after a resurrection 'T was Saint Pauls saying If in this life only we have hope in Christ we were of all men most miserable I suppose it is in this life only not of us but of Christ on this earth for it is brought to prove Christs resurrection there and it follows immediately but now is Christ raised 1 Cor. 15.20 and if that be the sense of the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã there the this life of Christ contains also his death under it for both those together it is that must make up the opposite to the resurrection And then I shall enlarge the Apostles words though not sense If in the earthly life and death of Christ we had hope only a sad life and a contumelious death if there were no such thing as a resurrection to help bless us we were of all men the most miserable hadst thou no other Priest but the Sacrificer the mortal finite Aaronical-Priest nothing but the ransom of Christs death which though it be never so high a price is yet finally unavailable to many for whom it was paid he bought them that are damn'd for denying him 2 Pet. 2.1 the wilful sinner treads under foot the Son of God profanes the blood of the covenant by which he is sanctified Heb. 10.29 and so there 's destruction enough still behind for the impenitent wretch after all that Christ hath suffer'd for thee what forms of ejulation and lamentation were enough for thee Alas my Brother ah Lord or ah his glory what mourning or wailing were thy portion Tell me wilt thou be content to leave thy Father before he hath blessed thee Jacob would not do so with the Angel but would wrestle his thigh out of joynt rather than thus part with him and even the profane Esau will run and weep bitterly for it and then art thou more nice and tender than that smooth Jacob wretchless than that profane Esau if thou content'st thy self only to have brought Christ to the grave that state of curse and never look'st out for the blessing provided for thee in the resurrection Mistake me not I would not drive you from this Cross of Christ discourage you from that most necessary act of faith the apprehending the crucified Saviour No if my lot had fallen on a Good-friday I would have spent my whole hour on that one theme and known nothing among you but Jesus Christ and him crucified Only my desire is that you will not allow one act of faith to turn Projector to get all the custom from the rest that you will permit Christ to live in you as well as to die for you to bless as well as to satisfie to rise again for your justification as well as to be delivered up for your offences that you will attend him at Galilee as well as at Golgotha think of the triumphant as well as the crucified Saviour the Melchisedech as well as the mortal Aaron-Priest And not only to think of his rising I must tell you but count of a work a mighty important necessary work that of turning in this Text to be wrought on us and in us by that resurrection now after the pardon impetrated by his passion I say not only to think of and believe him risen the Devil hath as much of that thought as frequent repeated acts of that belief as you and there is not such magick in that faith or phansie as to bear you to Heaven by meditating on his journey thither to elevate you by gazing on his ascension No that faith must be in our hearts too that
is engaged in such a pile of flames If there be any Charity left in this frozen World any Beam under this cold uninhabitable Zone it will certainly work some meltings on the most obdurate heart it will dissolve and pour out our bowels into a seasonable advice or admonition that excellent Recipe saith Themist ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã That supplies the place and does the work of the burnings and scarifyings a cry to stop him in his precipitous course a tear at least to solemnize if not to prevent so sad a fate And it were well if all our bowels were thus imployed all our kindness and most passionate love thus converted and laid out on our poor lapsed sinner-brethrens souls to seize upon those fugitives as Christ is said to do ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Heb. xi 16 to catch hold and bring them back ere it be yet too late rescue them out of the hands of their dearest espoused sins and not suffer the most flattering kind of death ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in Gal. de Athl. the Devil in the Angelical disguise the sin that undertakes to be the prime Saint the zeal for the Lord of Hosts any the most venerable impiety to lay hold on them Could I but see such a new fashioned Charity received and entertained in the World every man to become his brothers keeper and every man so tame as to love and interpret aright entertain and embrace this keeper this ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã this Guardian Angel as an Angel indeed as the only valuable friend he hath under Heaven I should think this a lucky omen of the worlds returning to its wits to some degree of piety again And till then there is a very fit place and season for the exercise of the other part of the passion here that of Indignation the last minute of my last particular as the how long is an expression of Indignation Indignation not at the men for however Aristotles ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã A man ought to have indignation at some persons may seem to justifie it Our Saviour calls not for any such stern passion or indeed any but love and bowels of pity and charity toward the person of any the most enormous sinner and St. Paul only for the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the restoring setting him in joynt again that is thus overtaken in any fault but Indignation I say at the sin at the simplicity and the folly that refuse reproachful Creature that hath the fate to be beloved so passionately and so long And to this will Aristotles âeason of indignation belong the seeing favors and kindness so unworthily disâeâced the uâtarts saith he and new men advanced and gotten into the greatest dignities knowledge to be proâestly hated and under that title all the prime i. e. Practical Wisdom and Piety and simplicity i. e. folly and madness and sin to have our whole souls laid out upon it O let this shrill Sarcasm of Wisdoms the How long ye simple ones be for ever a sounding in our ears Let this indignation at our stupid ways of sin transplant it self to that soyl where it is likely to thrive and fructifie best I mean to that of our own instead of other mens breasts where it will appear gloriously in St. Pauls inventory a prime part of that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the durable unretracted repentance an effect of that godly sorrow that worketh to Salvation And if it be sincere O what indignation it produceth in us What displeasure and rage at our folly to think how senselesly we have moulted and crumbled away our souls what unthrifty bargains we have made what sots and fools we shall appear to Hell when it shall be known to the wretched tormented Creatures what ambitions we had to be but as miserable as they upon what Gotham errands what Wild-goose chases we are come posting and wearied thither O that a little of this consideration and this passion betimes might ease us of that endless wo and indignation those tears and gnashing of teeth quit us of that sad arrear of horrors that otherwise waits behind for us Lord do thou give us that view of our ways the errors the follies the furies of our extravagant Atheistical lives that may by the ãâã reproach and shame recover and return us to thee Make our faces ashamed O Lord that we may seek thy Law Give us that pity and that indignation to our poor perishing souls that may at length âwake and fright us out of our Lethargies and bring us so many confounded humbled contrite âtentiaries to that beautiful gate of thy temple of mercies where we may retract our follies implore thy pardon deprecate thy wrath and for thy deliverance from so deep an Hell from so infamous a vile condition from so numerous a tale of deaths never leave praising thee and saying Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of thy glory Glory be to thee O God most high To whom with the Son and the Holy Ghost be ascribed c. SERMON IV. MATT. I. 23 Emmanuel which is by interpretation God with us THE different measure and meanâ of dispensing Divine Knowledg to several ages of the World may sufficiently appear by the Gospels of the New and Prophecies of the Old Testament the sunshine and the clearness of the one and the twilight and dimness of the other but in no point this more importantly concerns us than the Incarnation of Christ This hath been the Study and Theme the Speculation and Sermon of all holy Men and Writers since Adam's Fall yet never plainly disclosed till John Baptist in the third of Matth. and the third Verse and the Angel in the next Verses before my Text undertook the Task and then indeed was it fully performed then were the Writings or rather the Riddles of the obscure stammering whispering Prophets turned into the voice of One crying in the Wilderness Prepare ye the ways of the Lord c. Isa xl 3 Then did the cry yea shouting of the Baptist at once both interpret and perform what it prophesied At the sound of it Every valley was exalted and every hill was brought low the crooked was made straight and the rough places plain v. 4. That is the Hill and Groves of the Prophets were levell'd into the open champain of the Gospel those impediments which hindred God's approach unto mens rebel hearts were carefully removed the abject mind was lifted up the exalted was deprest the intractable and rough was render'd plain and even in the same manner as a way was made unto the Roman Army marching against Jerusalem This I thought profitable to be premised to you both that you might understand the affinity of Prophecies and Gospel as differing not in substance but only in clearness of revelation as the glorious face of the Sun from it self being overcast and mask'd with a cloud and also for the clearing of my Text For this entire passage
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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 coâld not choose but howl hideously they had tymbrels and tabrets perpetually beating whereupon Tophet where these sacrifices were kept is by Grammarians deduced from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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
dealt well ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã God hath not the power of the Earth Chal. * Grown foure * putrid â ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã The Psalm was by the spirit of Prophecy delivered by David Chald. * They have not called ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã LXXII â They feared a fear but. â Who shall give from Sion the salvation of Israel ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã The Fifteenth Psalm is a description of a pious Man such as shall be admitted into Gods presence to serve him here in the place assigned for his Worship and to be rewarded with heaven hereafter and seems to have been composed by David in reflection on the time of his restitution or coming back to the Ark and the Tabernacle from which he had been driven for some space as at other times so on occasion of Absaloms Rebellion See 2 Sam. 15.27 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â Davids Jewel or Sculpture â or I have said * To the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent all my delight is in them â Let their Idols be multiplyed let them hasten after another or endow or present another * holdest see note f. â The portions â chastise * cast down ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or O God of righteousness or righteous God * hast not found have thought and my mouth hath not transgrest â or violent â By holding up my goings in thy paths my feet have not tript or shaken * because thou hast heard me â Magnifie thy mercies ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â the black of the apple of the eye ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â the orbicular apple which is in the midst of the eye Chald. â spoil ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * my enemies encompass against me with the soul ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â With fat have they shutâup their mouths they speak * to cast me down to the ground â His likeness is as of a Lion he desires to ravine and as of a young Lion lying in his den â prevent him â or by the sword * the men by thy hand O Lord from the men â and from thy treasure or with thy good things thou fillest their belly they have plenty of children and leave the remainder of their riches to their little ones â I will through righteousness behold thy face I shall be filled at the awaking of thy glory ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â for all the days wherein God had delivered him Chald Paraphr â refuge * my rock ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * praise and call upon the Lord so â cords â cords â See Psal 104. note c. â ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from many people Chald. â ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã pure signifies also just and faithful â or taken a fort â Gods way ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * He fitteth makes even â care or discipline â or hast thou multiplyed to me â or ly or yield feigned obedience to me â languish or consume ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * move fearfully out of their holes or fenced places â destroyeth or breaketh to pieces ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã See 2 Chr. 22.10 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â Prefect of his Musick â They have not speech nor words their voice is not heard â restoring see note e. â or seducible ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or food * truth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â dropping of the combes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â doth thy servant shine * The words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart shall be accepted in thy sight or an acceptable sacrifice ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * in Psa 136. â Meteor l. 4. c. 9. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 40. p. 428. B. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã p. 295. B. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * Ibid. A. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â Prefect of his Musick * Secure thee or set thee up on high ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â thy help ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or burn to ashes thy â recount their chariots and some their horses but we will recount â Lord save the King He will hear us in the day of our calling ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â Prefect of his Musick * ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the King Messias Chald. â pouring out or perhaps espousal * hast met him â set him blessings ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â bent or spread â they prevailed not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * set them a shoulder or make them as one shoulder on thy strings shalt thou prepare against ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â Praefect of his Musick â the Hind of the Morning * Far from my help are the words â and × â I have no rest * perseverest
holy the praises â put to shame ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * put â upon the brests of my mother ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â distress ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â bullocks ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * bulls â are parted or have separated themselves â desolate or only one ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã see note on Ps 25. c. â request â from thee ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â Miscel l. 3. c. 12. * in defens Hebr. Lect. advers Lindon â Not. Miscel c. 4. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Lord hath fed his people in the wilderness Chald. â or refresheth see note on Psal 19. c. â benignity ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or shall * for length of dayes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â taken his life to a falsity â or mercy * of Jacob or the son of Jacob that seek thy face â this the King ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â To or for David ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â deal persidiously in vain â observe take care of see note on Psalm 119. a. â abide in good ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * The Counsel and Covenant of the Lord to them that fear him is to make known or reveal to them â pressures ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â unjust ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or perfectness and uprightness shall preserve ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â Plead for or defend me ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â and in the Lord I have trusted I will not be shaken * false ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â gone in see note d. with flagitious men â have not sat see note d. â have washt â and compast * of the tabernacle of thy glory â Unite not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã LXXII â I have walkt so the Syriack and LXXII and Lat. see note d. â or in the plain or court ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã p. 890. D. p. 388. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â came neeâ upon me ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or shall Humble and fall * If an host incamp ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â If war rise ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â sweetness ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã so the Chald. and Syr. but the LXXII ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the Lat. voluptatem pleasantness * The LXXII in the Title of the Psalm add ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã before he was anointed â see Psal 26. note d. â jubilation â To thââ said my heart seek ye my face Thy â from me ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â for my ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * and the ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â injury rapine * Unless I had believed * Expect ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â Pentagl p. 1426. c. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or deaf ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â thou be silent and I be likened * Seise not on me â rendring * fortress of deliverances ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â power or empire see note on Ps 96. b. â or his holy majesty * or great ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã p. 519. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * Schindl Pentagl p. 1832. A. â De loc Hebr. De loc Hebr. p. 414. c. Ibid. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Pentagl p. 1768.1 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â A Psalm of David a dedicatory song for an house or his house â drawn me up out of the pit v. 3. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â from among the descenders into or from going down ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã life eternal Chald. â establisht strength upon my hill â opened â glory see note on Ps 16.1 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã L. 3. c. 9. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or thou shalt lead me ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â commit deposite give in pledge ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or vanitios to no purpose * and very much ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â fear on â assembled ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã note on Psal 2. c. â or the wicked shall be ashamed ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or cut off * or the lying lips shall ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â with the covering of thy countenance â flight or fear * he that doth glorious or high or excellent things rewardeth plenteously â let your heart be strengthened Psal 27.14 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã
â speak with * or who doth hear or obey ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or nations ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â His strength will I repose on thee or his strength will I ward or keep my self from at thee â or his See note b. * The sin of their mouth is the word of their lips and they shall be taken â perjury ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â and they shall know ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * they shall return ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â They shall wander ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â if they be not satisfied and continue all night * God is my mercy ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â the Hexachord of the Oracle or Testimony â Syria of the rivers * Sobah in Syria â Edom. â thou shalt turn or hast turned ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â lifted up * cast â shoot thou over Philistia â hadst â or wilt not thou O God go out * distress ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or an heritage to ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â adde days to the days of the King â generation and generation * ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã c. Cââldâ Thou shalt add days to the days of the King Messias his years shall be as the generation of this world and of the world to come â for ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â even to God is my soul silent ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * even he ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â use violence or raises tâmults or calumâââte lye â will ye ãâã or be âââtherers all of you * partition â be thou even silent to ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â even he ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã cast away before him all the elations of your hearts Chald. â the sons of Adam ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â the sons of mortal man ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * and rapine become not vain ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â fainteth grows dim-sighted is iâ anguish â So as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary to see thy strength and glory * hath adhered kept close ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â pour them out â the foxes portion shall they be ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â shoot their arrows â be their stroaks ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â And their own tongue shall cause it to fall upon them and all that look on c ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * understand ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â Praise becommeth thee â wonderful things * or of the sea of them that are afar off â or makest it thirsty â the river of God is * for so thou hast founded it â moistnest the ridges thereof thou depressest her furrows with showers thou dissolvest it thou blessest that which springs out of it â shall gird themselves with gladness ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or give him glory by his praise or by praising him â feign obedience to thee See note on Psa 1â n. â ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã by the River Jordan Chald. â over the world * restraine ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â watered ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or with us ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â salvation ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã * confess to ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â confess to â let â lead or conduct * confess to ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â confess to â The earth hath yielded her fruit * God bless us even â bless us and let fear him See note b. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â or God shall ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â shalt theâ * shall â the righteous shall â highest heaven * or his Name is Jehovah â maketh the destitute dwell at home * so the Chald. â this is Sinai before the presence â living creatures have inhabited â women that proclaimed it or to the women that published the victories of the great army * or shall ye lie among the brick-bats or rubbish ye wings â yellowness of â O God by scattering Kings on it thou wert white as snow on Salmon â the hill of Bashan became the hill of God the high hill the hill of Bashan * do ye exalt your selves â Chariot â is two myriads thousands multiplyed or iterated The Lord is among them Sinai is in the Sanctuary * carried away captives ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â taken ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â and even the rebel ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Chald. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Syr. and hast given * heapeth load upon us ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â goings forth or passages to death â even see note l. * crown of hair ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â ye of the fountain ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â was * their ruler â their governors â established ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã â lancers or archers * that tread upon pieces of silver â or Embassadors ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã LXXII â of old ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã