Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 49
xlix. PSALM.
The Psalmist, that what he should say might be more effectuall, and take the better impression with all sorts and conditions of men, good and bad, high and low, it being matter both of weight and difficulty, he therefore doth introduce it with a serious preamble. Of weight, both for the godly to understand, thereby to frame themselves to a patient enduring of afflictions from the wicked in this life, with assured hope of reward and deliverance in the life to come, when as their enemies shall perish, and also for the great ones of the world to know, that they may learn not to put their confidence and felicity in riches, and honour, which are transiunt, and shall perish with themselves, to the neglect of true happiness. Of difficulty, to be practised, and submitted to, both of the one, and the other, the godly being too apt to fear dissidence, and impatitiency, by reason of their present sufferings, and they that enjoy the affluence of the world, to abuse it, to their own destruction.
A Psalm committed to Heman, Psalm xlix. To the chief musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.the chief musician of the family of the Korathites, for him and them to sing.
1 THat which I am about to speak,1HEar this, all ye people, give ear all ye inhabitants of the world. in this ensuing Psalm, is of that weight and universall concernment, that I wish it may come to the knowledge of all men, that live upon the face of the whole earth, now, or hereafter, and so many as it does, I wish them to be heedfull of it.
2 Let none exempt themselves,2Both low & high, rich & poor together. for every man, let his condition be what it will, good or bad, is concerned, one as well as another, in what by the spirit of God I shall teach them.
3 It is no vain or needless thing,3My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. that I am about to utter, that which I shall speak is that wisdom, which God himself hath taught me, not any thing hatched in mine own brain nor phancy, but such understanding as God hath revealed to that end, therefore shall I from mine heart declare it to you.
4 I for my part confess my self a learner in such things as I shall teach you from God,4I will encline mine ear to a parable; I will open my dark saying upon the Harp. and therefore though I am used as Gods instrument to declare them, yet will I consider them with the uttermost care and diligence I can, for my self, as I would have you to do for your selves. And what I shall speak shall be by way of Psalm, sung to the Harp the better to affect both my self and you with it, which being of so divine a nature, is not easily understood by men that in whole or in part are flesh and bloud, as we all are, and therefore need to be the better heeded.
5Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of mine heels shall compass me about?5 Why should I (or any child of God) distrustfully lay to heart mine afflictions by wicked worldly men, yea, though God him…elf set them on work to punish me, and deservedly too for my sinfull wayes, and that in such a manner as there seems (to speak humanely) no way to escape the danger, but to perish under it.
6They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.6 For what are they that I am afraid of, but vain and foolish men, that trust not in God, but in deceiveable riches, which is all they have to glory in, knowing no other happiness.
7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.7 Which yet stands them in no stead, as to free them from death temporall, or to the obtaining life eternall, as to these they have no priviledg above those they count, and make, miserable here; for as wealthy as they are, they have their time set them by God, which they cannot lengthen a moment, neither their own life nor their friends or kinsmans, but when their hour comes, one must die as well as the other, how vain then is their confidence in riches.
8For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever.)8 For however money may buy other things, yet life (the principall of mans happiness) neither temporall nor eternall will be purchased by it, its too precious a commodity to be bought with such trash, another gets ransome is the price of that, and therefore for all their great wealth, they may be short lived, and then where is all their happiness; they, and it, ceaseth for ever.
9That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.9 Neither his own life, nor any ones else that he hath a mind should live, can he with all his wealth make to do so, if that were so, they would be sure to live always and never die, for they know no happiness, but what this world affords, on the tother side the grave, they look for no good.
10 And though this be so,10For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish. that they cannot have an everlasting happiness by the transitory and fading wealth of this world, but that they must part from it, and leave it behind them, which they see by dayly experience in others of their rank, that death makes no difference of rich and worldly wise men, from those that they count fools and brutish, and for all their wisdom in getting and fore-casting, they are not onelyonly so unhappy as to leave their estates behind them, but when they are dead, oft times they have it, that they never ment it to.
11 Yet for all they see,11Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. and cannot but know this, they are far from reflecting upon themselves, and seeing their errour, but notwithstanding it, their thoughts and minds are wholly still taken up how to greaten and perpetuate themselves, and their families, as if it were so that they should never die, nor part from that they have, and dream of an earthly immortality and felicity and none other, being ignorant of heavens.
12 But let them think what they will of this their earthly happiness,12Nevertheless man being in honour, abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. and price it never so highly, and hope to enjoy it everlastingly, yet they shall find themselves mistaken miserably; they and their contentments will not last long, much less always, be they never so highly promoted they shall stoop to death, and then for all their honour and happiness here, what difference between them and the very brute beasts, whose happiness was here also? for as the one so the other by death bids farewell to felicity, which onelyonly this life afforded them.
13 However these men applaud themselves in their worldly wisdom and happiness,13This their way is their folly; yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. and esteem other men fools that value not the things of this life at the rate they do, yet this their wisdom is but foolishness, and their confidence their deceit, and their end proves it, whereby all happiness ends with them, but as nothing is more apparent, so nor less believed, for their posterity tread in the same steps, approve of their fathers errours, and think that folly that deceived them, to be the onelyonly wisdom, and so are in like sort deceived themselves. And so let them be.
14Like sheep they are laid in the grave, death shall fe…d on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, and their beauty shall consume in the grave, from their dwelling.14 Though here on earth by their pomp and plentifull way of living, they were distinguished from other men of inferiour ranck, yet the grave will make no difference, but as sheep are put into a fold, so shall the grave receive them, like as it doth other men, and the worms there consume them; and those that here they set so light by and trampled upon, the godly and faithfull ones, after the long night of the grave is over, and that Christ in his second coming shall appear, and they with him in glory and immortality, then shall these despised righteous ones be their judges, and shall approve that to be the onelyonly true wisdom▪ which in them, they counted here to be but foolishness. Thus shall all the honour and contentment they had here on earth, end in the grave in corruption and rottenness, and they never like to see good days again.
15But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave; for he shall receive me. Selah.15 But how ever my case and the case of the children of God may here seem miserable, Lazarus like, whilst they lie under the contempt and oppression of the Dives-es of this world, yet are we sure of everlasting salvation (which they shall not partake of) for God in faithfulness and mercy will raise us up from death to life, and though our bodies have suffered in this world, our souls shall be saved in the next, for as we belong to the election of his grace, so he will be sure to receive us into glory, of this we may be confident.
16 And as I said before,16Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased. what need I, or any other child of God then fear, what man can do unto us; Though we see power put into worldly mens hands that fear not God, though wealth and honour increase upon them.
17 Let not this dismay us,17For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him. nor make us envy them, but consider such a mans end, when death comes, and die he must; then and there he shall be poor enough and low enough, neither his honour nor riches shall profit him, or disprofit thee in the grave, then is thy turn to be happy, and his to be miserable.
18 Though while he lived here in the midst of sensualities,18Though whilst he lived he blessed his soul: and m…n will praise thee, when thou dost well to thy self. and had what the world could afford to give him content, and make him happy, he flattered himself with omne bene, never once thinking of a change, but lived as if he should never die, and thought himself by reason of his worldly affluence, as much and more in favour with God, then Gods own children, that wanted what he had, and surely so think others too, the world generally believes those men onelyonly to be happy, and in a good condition, that have the world at will, and pampers themselves with that they have, these are they that are had in reputation, for the onelyonly wise and happy men.
19 But alas,19He shall go to the generation of his fathers, they shall never see light. how are they deceived, both the one and the other, for he must die as his forefathers did in their times and turns, his happiness here will have an end as theirs had, and then begins his misery, as theirs did, which will have no end, the lamp of this life shall extinguish in utter darkness.
20Man that is in honour and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.20 The sum and substance of all is this. That those men that have honour and riches, if withall they have not the knowledge and fear of God, they live like brute beasts, whose God is their belly, and shall die like them too, for they and their happiness shall perish together.