Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 5 · Psalm 112
The Hundred and Twelfth Psalm.
‖Hallelujah: see note a on Psal. cxi.Praise ye the Lord. The hundred and twelfth Psalm is a description of the present imployments and felicities of the truly pious man, such as do much tend to the honour and praise of God, who is so exceeding gratious unto all his servants, that there cannot be a greater freedome and bliss than to be in the number of them. And therefore the Psalm, which describes this, is by the Hebrews intitled Hallelujah, though there be no other express praising of God in it. It is composed like the former, the several short metres beginning with the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet.
1. BLessed is the man that feareth the Lord, †be delighteth foreignthat delighteth greatly in his commandments.
Paraphrase. There is no true felicity but that which consists in a most carefull performance of all the commandments of God, strictly absteining from all that may displease him, and chearfully practising all that he requires of us. And indeed there is no such security of all true durable delight and pleasure as this, the present gratefulness, and the succeeding comforts of such practises to any truly virtuous minde, are a continual feast, of all others the most exceeding, and all other pleasures in respect of this are nothing worth.
2. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
And as this is the most pleasurable, so is it the most thriving skilfull method to bring all greatness and flourishing upon any family, to advance and inrich the posterity. For as long as God hath the disposing of the good things of this world, honour and wealth, &c. 'tis unreasonable to imagine that any subtilties or policies, projects or ambitions of ours, which have impiety in them, and thereby forfeit all title to Gods benedictions, shall be near so successefull toward our present worldly interests, as a strict piety and constant adherence to the wayes of God.
3. Wealth and riches shall be in his house, and his righteousness endureth for ever.
The promise of the greatest abundance and confluence of earthly felicities being by God intailed on the persons and families of such men, as well as the eternal rewards in another world. (See 1 Tim. iv. 8.)
4. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness; he is gratious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5. A good man sheweth favour and lendeth; he will guide his*or words foreign affairs with‖judgment foreign discretion.
6. Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
And if any affliction at any time befall such (as the promises of felicities in this world are allwayes to be taken with the exception of the crosse, some mixtures of afflictions for gracious and wise ends, the punishing our sins here, that they be not punisht hereafter, the curing our spiritual maladies, and exercising our graces) yet are there such allayes joyned with it, such strengths to support, and such seasonable and oft unexpected issues and deliverances out of it, that this cannot be lookt on otherwise than as a special work of his mercifull providence toward them. And (which is oft to be observed) this supply from God of allayes and comforts in affliction, together with timely deliverances out of it, shall certainly be performed unto good men, not only because 'tis promised them, and therefore shall not faile them, but also because 'tis made over to them from Gods special providence, as a reward most fitly apportioned to several graces in them: as 1. to their charity and bounty and compassion to others, giving and lending to all that are in distress, God hath promised such, by way of proportionable reward, that they shall receive mercy as the wages of their mercifulness, and not only in another world, but in this, they shall be blessed on earth, Psal. xxxvii. 25. So 2. to discreet moderation and temper both of their words and actions. Good men, if they be throughly, sincerely such, are meek, and not apt to be impatient in words or deeds, and so they contribute much to the allaying of their afflictions, and softening their persecutors, both which ragefull and impatient behaviour is wont to exasperate: And then 'tis over and above, a reward of their patience and meekness and discretion, which God hath allotted them to temper and sweeten and timely to remove their sufferings who bear them so well, at least to afford them strength, to make them very supportable. By these means, whatever misadventures they may for a time meet with here, God will assuredly provide for them, yea and for their posterity (if they goe on constantly in their steps) he will give them stability in the prosperities of this life; and because a good name after death is as great a blessing as wealth or honour in this life, that proportion shall be secured to them also, their memory shall be fresh and flourishing among all posterities (when their bodies are rotten in their graves) and by their example they shall benefit many, when by their actions they can no longer oblige them.
7. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixt, trusting in the Lord.
8. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, untill hea. ‖look upon his oppressors.see his desire upon his enemies.
Another special priviledge there is that belongs to every pious man. His adherence to God and dependence on him is an amulet against all worldly fears or apprehensions; when the news of danger or misery, the one imminent, the other allready present, assaults him, it is not able to disquiet or disturbe him. The reason is, he hath resigned his whole being into Gods wisest disposal, and is assuredly perswaded that his divine choises are to be preferred, that what he sends or permits to fall, is fitter for his turne than any thing else that he could chose for himselfe, and consequently that if God sees it not good for him, he will avert it before it come, or remove it speedily: and by this one assurance he is completely fortified, not onelyonly for a patient, but chearfull entertainment of all that is or shall come, remains unmoved, and well pleased with Gods present dispensations, whatsoever they are, and so constantly continues, till the same hand that sent them give him release and deliverance out of them, which in Gods good time shall be done also.
9. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor, his righteousnesse endureth for ever; his horne shall be exalted with honour.
As for his charity, and constant liberality to the poor, (which is a special piece of piety, and interpreted by God as if it were done to himself) it never goes unrewarded. One crown is reserved for it, eternal felicity in another world; which though a gift of Gods free bounty, shall then be dispersed with respect to the performances of this kinde (see Mat. xxv. 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 then to any other good works. Deut. xxvi. 11.13. Ps. xli. 2. xxxvii. 26. Prov. xi. 24, 25, 26, 27. xiii. 22. xiv. 21. xix. 17. xxii. 9. xxviii. 27. Mar. x. 30.
10. The wicked shall see it, and be grieved, he shall gnash with his teeth andb. melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish.
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 chose but see it, and secretly confess it, and repine and maligne and be disquieted at it, whilst themselves, be they never so intent and industrious in the getting and keeping of worldly wealth, doe yet sensibly decay and grow hinderly, all their designes and indirect methods of thriving are curst and blasted, and pursued with a continual improsperousness; yeeld them no kinde of fruit in this world, yet cost them full dear in another.
Annotations on Psalm CXII.
V. 8. See his desire] The phrase foreign shall see, foreignin composition with foreign on his distressers or oppressors, hath been allready explained, Note on Psal. xLiv. c. in reference to David at that time. 'Tis used again Psal. Lix. 10. foreign God shall let me see or look on mine enemies; and Psal. xcii. foreign Mine eye hath lookt on mine enemies, and mine eare hath heard of them that rise up against me, i. e. seen and heard of their destruction v. 10. and so the Chaldee reads foreign on the ruine— So Psal. cxviii. 7. foreign I shall look upon my haters: the Lxxii. read, foreign, 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 oppressers 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. xLiv. by seeing revenge, here change it into foreign redemption, deliverance from his distresse.
V. 10. Melt away] foreign here, from foreign to dissolve or melt, foreignbeing joyned with seeing, grieving and gnashing with the teeth, expr…ssions of the wicked mans envy, may be thought to belong to the same matter, consuming or melting away with grief. But the word signifying any kinde of melting, consumption, or dissolution, outward of the estate, as well as inward of the minde, 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 covetousnesse, worldly-mindedness, earnest pursuit of wealth (so foreign desire imports) comes to nought and perisheth. The Syriack therefore for melting read foreign shall be taken away or destroyed.