A Brief Explication of the First Fifty Psalms, Psalm 14
PSAL. XIV. To the chief Musician. A Psalme of David.
David looking on the constitution of the visible Church, and seeing the great body of the people lying in their naturall state, working iniquity, and hating the truely Godly amongst them, even to the death, vers. 1, 2, 3. comforteth the Godly, first by the care the Lord hath of them, in pleading their cause against the ungodly; vers. 4, 5, 6. and next by giving hope of better daies for the godly, when after sore plagues come on that people, Christ should manifest himself unto them, vers. 7.
Vers. 1. THE fool hath said in his heart, There is no God: they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doth good.
2. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men; to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doth good, no not one.
The Prophet divideth all these who were in the visible Church, into un-regenerate men on the one hand, and Gods true people converted inwardly unto him on the other hand; and doth argue all the un-regenerate to be practically Atheists, without God in the World, by the same proof whereby the Apostle convinceth all men in nature, to be in the state of sin, Rom. 3.13. Whence learn, 1. Every man so long as he lyeth unrenewed, and unreconciled unto God (how wise so ever, or of how great parts so ever he may seem to be to himself or the world) is nothing in effect but a mad man, running to his own destruction in losing his soul and eternall life, when he seemeth most to gain the world, therefore he is called the fool. 2. It is not heeded by God what a mans mouth saith of God, or of himself, but what his heart saith. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. 3. It is not the word, or outward profession, which truely doth expone the heart, but the current of a mans life and actions; for here it is proved, that the heart is full of Atheisme, by this, that they are corrupt in their conversation, and do abominable works. 4. God is onelyonly the right Judge of regeneration and unregeneration, and the onelyonly true searcher of the heart: Its he who looketh down from heaven, to see if any of the sons of men, or any in the state of nature, have any wisdome in them, or affection after God: if any of them have understanding, or do seek after God: For he that doth not seek God, hath no understanding, nor principle of Spirituall life in him. 5. Whatsoever may be the odds among unrenewed men, some more, some lesse grosse in their out-breaking, yet God pronounceth of them all, that they are all of them gone out of the way, to wit, of holinesse and happinesse, they are altogether become filthy; that is, all their actions flowing forth from their corrupt hearts are vile and loathsome in Gods sight, and they are all in one rank in this, there is none of them that doth good, none of them, being unreconciled to God, do or can do any thing at all commanded of God, as commanded, from right principles, and for right ends.
Vers. 4. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledg? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.
5. There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
6. You have shamed the counsel of the poor; because the Lord is his refuge.
In the next place he comforteth the people of God, living in society of the visible Church, with the unrenewed multitude. First, by this, that the Lord doth plead their cause against the ungodly. Whence learn, 1. That the nature of all unrenewed men, is to bear deadly enmity against those that are really Gods people, and delight to undo the godly, as contemners of all that live not as they do. They eat up my people as they do bread, saith the Lord. 2. The Lord owns the quarrell, and wrongs done to the godly, as done to him, in whomsoever his image is hated or persecuted. They eat up my people, saith he. 3. The causelesse hatred of the godly is a most unreasonable thing, and argueth admirable stupidity in wicked men, who maligne the innocent, by whose life they are admonished of their duty, and taught the way to felicity. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? 4. The mis-kenning of God, and working of iniquity, and persecuting of the godly, are three conjunct properties of a man in nature, not reconciled to God, For to be workers of iniquity, and eaters up of Gods people as bread, and not calling on God, are put for the marks and properties of the same sort of ungodly men.
Upon the challenge of the ungodly, the Prophet inferreth the consequence of certain and sad judgements to follow on the wicked, because God is nearly concerned in the quarrell of his people. Whence learn, 5. The persecution of piety in the godly, provoketh God to inflict the most fearfull, and most suddain judgements. For therein specially were the ungodly put to fear, where they had no fear at all. 6. The near conjunction which God hath with the godly, is the reason of the greatnesse of the sin of persecution of them for godlinesse: for here it is given for a reason, why there they were in fear, why they were to tremble when God came to avenge the oppression of the godly, which the wicked feared never to be questioned; Because God is in the generation of the righteous. 7. Persecuting of a man for piety, were it but in jesting at a man, or mocking of him for piety, is the turning of piety, which is a mans glory, into a matter of reproach to him; and … means to drive him and others from seeking of God, You have shamed the counsell, or resolution of the poor, when you scorn, because he hath made God his refuge.
Ver. 7. O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion! when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Iacob shall rejoyce, and Israel shall be glad.
The next comfort of the godly, is from the hope of Christs coming, in whom the redressing of this evill, and of all other, is to be found, for whose coming he wisheth. It is true, the sending of deliverance unto the distressed people of God in Sauls time, by bringing David to the Kingdom, was worthy to be wished for: but this could not fill up the measure of the wish here stirred up by the Spirit. Therefore we must look to the substance in Christ, in whom this wish and prayer hath full accomplishment, which in effect is, O that Christ the Saviour of Israel were come out of Sion. And this same wish closeth the fifty third Psalm also; where salvations of Israel in the plurall number is set down, to note the perfection of salvation which cometh onelyonly by Christ, at whom the very forme of the …ebrew wishing doth look, as pointing at the person which shall give all sort of salvation to Israel, Who shal give; Now there was a coming of Christ in the flesh unto Sion, foretold by the Spirit, Zech. 9.9. and this is presupposed in this wish; for Christ must be in Sion before he come out of it. But not by this coming were so many Israelites saved as here is wished for: not by this coming was the body of Israel brought back from captivity here prophesied. There is also Isai. 2.3. a coming of Christ out of Sion to the Gentiles; and this coming is presupposed here, before that Israels captivity bee loosed. There is Isai. 59.20. compared with Rom. 11.26. a coming out of Sion for the bringing salvation to be body of the now mis-believing Nation of the captive Israelites, lying in captivity, scattered among the Gentiles, and this is directly prayed for, and longed after in this place. O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion, even the time when the Lord shall bring back the captivity of his people. Paul, Rom. 11.26. calleth this the Redeemers coming out of Sion, in regard of the time when, and the condition wherein Christ is to find the Israelites, to wit, out of Sion, out among the Gentiles, scattered among the Gentiles, to whom Christ came when hee left Iudea. And, Isaiah calleth it a coming to Sion, in respect of the benefit to be given to the Iewes, who are designed oft by Sion. Whence learne, 1. Christ is the salvation of Sion, both figuratively and properly called so, as well before he came, as after; for here he is looked on as the Salvation of Israel, in whom all our salvation, Iewes or Gentiles, is founded. 2. Whosoever seeth him, (from how far off soever) he cannot chuse but long for a further manifestation of him, for perfecting of the blessednesse of his people: O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion! 3. It was revealed to the Prophets, that Christ was to come to the Church of the Iewes, and from thence to manifest himselfe to the Gentiles, casting off the Israelites for a time, scattering them among the Gentiles, and then to come about again towards the Iews in their scattering and captivity, without casting off of the Gentiles; and this last turn is in the Prophets eye, and aimed at by the Spirit, when hee wisheth that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion. 4. It was revealed also to th… Prophets, and to David, that before the constitution of the Church of Israel should be freed from the persecution of domestick enemies, vexing the hearts of the godly, or delivered from such mens power, as are described, ver. 1, 2, 3. that sore plagues were to be poured out upon that people, and that the Israelites were to be driven out of their own Land, and led in captivities, as the words here, and Psalm 53.6. do import; for they who were to be brought back from captivity after Christs coming out of Sion unto the Gentiles, are presupposed to be in captivity, when Christ cometh to give salvation unto them. 5. Because of the large pouring out of the Spirit upon the body of the converted Iews or Israelites, when the time shall come of their turning Christians, prophesied of here, and Isai. 59.20. and Rom. 11.25, 26. as their mourning in repentance for the injuries done by them and their progenitors, to Jesus Christ, shall be as the mourning of Hadadrimmon, in the valley of Megiddon, Zech. 12.10, 11. So here, joy in Jesus Christ reconciled unto them, shall be greate… then any that ever that Nation saw, whether in Davids time, or Solomons: for then the Lord shall bring back the captivity of his people, here prophesied of, to be under the time of the Gospel, (whether by loosing their captivity bodily as wel as spiritual, whether they shall returne to their own Land or not, or what the Scripture doth speak to this purpose, this place is not for the determining of it.) Then Iacob shall rejoyce, and Israel shall be glad, when the Saviour of Israel shal come out of Sion to them.