Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Frontispiece – Dedication
Arthur Jackson
ANNOTATIONS Upon The five Books, immediately following the Hiſtoricall Part of the OLD TESTAMENT, (Commonly called the five Doctrinall, or Poeticall Books.)
To wit, The Book of Iob, the Pſalms, the Proverbs, Eccleſiastes, and the Song of Solomon.
WHEREIN Firſt, all ſuch paſſages in the Text are explained, as were thought likely to be queſtioned by any Reader of ordinary capacity: Secondly, in many places the grounds of divers Scripture-expreſſions are ſet forth, and other things noted, needfull to be known, that are not ſo eaſily at the firſt reading obſerved: And thirdly, many places, that might at firſt ſeem to contradict one another, are reconciled.
Intended chiefly For the Aſſiſtance and Information of thoſe, that uſe conſtantly every day to read ſome part of the Bible, and would gladly alwaies underſtand what they read, if they had ſome man to help them.
The third Part.
By ARTHUR JACKSON, Preacher of Gods VVord at Faiths under Pauls.
Prov. 2.3, 4, 5.
If thou crieſt after knowledge, and lifteſt up thy voice for underſtanding.
If thou ſeekeſt her as ſilver, and ſearcheſt for her, as for hid treaſures;
Then ſhalt thou underſtand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
Chryſoſt. Homil. 13. in Geneſin.
Sicut aromata quanto magis digitis teruntur, tanto majorem natura ſua flagrantiam reddunt, ita & Scripturis uſu venit, ut quanto quis illis eſt familiarior, tanto magis videre poſsit latentem in illis theſaurum, plureſque percipere infallibilium divitiarum fructus.
LONDON, Printed by ROGER DANIEL, for the Authour, and are to be ſold by ſeverall Bookſellers. MDCLVII.
To my loving and dearly Beloved neighbours and friends, the Inhabitants of the Pariſh of Faiths under Pauls.
Dearly beloved in the Lord,
HAd there been nothing elſe to have put me upon this Dedication, but the great reſpect which you ſhewed to my Predeceſſour, Reverend Mr. Geree, that alone had been abundantly enough to have commanded this Reſpect from me to you. The contributing of 30l. per annum to his widow ſo long as ſhe lived, and the raiſing of a conſiderable portion of money for one of his children, after her deceaſe, that was left without any proviſion, was ſuch a Teſtimony of the high eſteem you had of that your pious Paſtor, as is not I think to be parallelled by that which hath been done by any other Congregation. And I have purpoſely made this honourable mention of it, that when there is the like occaſion, it may be an example to many others.
But I have other inducements to move me to what I here now doe. The greateſt part of this Work, ſuch as it is, hath gone through my hands, ſince I was called by you to undertake the charge of your ſouls: and therefore, by reaſon of the ſpeciall Intereſt you now have in me, I know none that may challenge a more ſpeciall Intereſt in theſe my poor labours then you may do. The deſign indeed of the Work looks farther then you, even to the common good of all, that ſhall ſeek for ſome help herein for the underſtanding of this part of the Holy Scripture. But yet becauſe the ſupport the Author hath of late years received from you hath contributed ſo much to the carrying on of the Work, he cannot but think it moſt equall, that it ſhould tender its firſt ſervice to you; and that too the rather, becauſe many of you, by reaſon of your calling, are like to be very inſtrumentall in ſpreading it abroad into the hands of others. To you therefore, my dear Brethren, together with as many affectionate deſires of your ſpirituall good as my poor heart can hold, do I here preſent this 3. part of my Annotations; and do indeed own it as a ſpeciall mercy of divine Providence to me, conſidering how far my daies were declined ere I was called to diſpenſe the word of Grace amongſt you, that the thrid of my life ſhould be drawn out ſo far beyond mine own expectation, that I ſhould now have the opportunity of leaving behind me this pledge and memoriall of my thankfull acknowledgement of your love and kind reſpects to me, (in the extent whereof amongſt you I think I may glory as much, as can well be expected in theſe broken times) as likewiſe of the tender affection, which I bear to you all, and that continually I have you in my heart (to uſe the Apoſtles expreſſion Phil. 1.7.) that I may by all poſſible means to the utmoſt of my power advance the ſpirituall and eternall good of your ſouls.
Only now, I beſeech you, let me cloſe this tender of my ſervice herein with this Requeſt, that you would not by looking on this Dedication, and minding the Book no farther, make that a vain and empty complement, which I preſent unto you with a reall deſire of advancing the ſtock of your ſaving knowledge in the great things of Gods law, and which I hope through Gods Bleſſing may turn to profit in this regard, if you will be pleaſed attentively to read over theſe Notes together with theſe Scriptures, which their deſign is to unfold.
Oh, my Brethren, as you deſire to growingrace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Ieſus Chriſt, be much in reading the Scriptures, the Oracles of God. Hearing hath the preheminence for awakening Conſcience. But Reading (in my poor judgement) carries with it ſome kind of peculiar advantage for the edifying and eſtabliſhing of the minds of Chriſtians in point of ſolid knowledge.
As for theſe particular Books, which are here explained, I think I may ſafely ſay, without any blame-worthy reflection upon the reſt of the Scripture, that they are the choiceſt pieces of the Old Teſtament. The Scripture is the Paradiſe, the garden of God upon earth: and theſe Poeticall Books are (as I may ſay) as ſo many goodly knots in the midſt of this garden; wherein the diſcoveries that are made of divine truths are ſet forth with the intricacies and elegancies of many florid figurative expreſſions, purpoſely to render them the more delightfull to us. Solomon himſelf ſaith as much in expreſſe terms concerning his Books, Eccleſ. 12.10. The Preacher ſought to find out acceptable words; or, as it is in the Hebrew, words of delight. And this may well invite you with ſtrong affectionate deſires to ſearch into thoſe treaſures of wiſdome, which are therein ſo pleaſingly conveyed to us.
And now, my dear Friends, I have nothing farther to adde, but my prayers for you, that you may be ſtill united more and more in the way of truth, and in the bond of Chriſtian love and peace; and withall earneſtly to begge your daily prayers for me, that I may be ſtill enabled through grace ſo to hold forth the Word of life unto you, that I may rejoyce in the day of Chriſt, that, even to you-ward, I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain; which I hope you will not fail to doe for
April 21. 1658. Your ſervant in the work of the Lord, ARTHUR JACKSON.