Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 2 · Psalm 49
PSAL. XLIX. foreign.
AND the Doctrine it teacheth, is, That rich men be not proud of their wealth, nor poor men dejected and troubled at their mean eſtate, ſince all men are mortal, and it is not the wealth of the one can make them happy, nor the mean eſtate of the other can make them unhappy, there being another life, by which the condition of both is to be judg'd.
Three parts of the Pſalm.
1. An Exordium or Preface, from verſ. 1. to 5.
2. The matter propoſed, debated and argued, from verſ. 5. to 16.
3. An Advice or Admonition given, from verſ. 16 to 20.
1. The Exordium artificial.In the Exordium he
1. Calls together his Auditory, viz. All people. All Nations of the world, men of all conditions, high, low, rich, poor, The firſt part.becauſe what he is to ſpeak of concerns All. Vers. 1
2. Then he calls to them to be Attentive. Hear, give ear.
3. He labours to make them docile, and Benevolous, by commendation of the matter of which he is to treat. Speak he would not of light or vain things, but of a weighty, wiſe matter, of that which he had ſeriouſly thought.
1. My mouth ſhall speak of wiſdom, and the meditation of my heart ſhall be of underſtanding: that which I underſtand, and is fit for others to underſtand.
2. Then that to which I will be obedient. I ſhall teach you no leſſon, but that I teach my ſelf. I will encline my ear.
3. 'Tis a Parable, 'tis a dark ſpeech I am to deliver, and ſuch wiſe men are delighted to hear.
4. Laſtly, That it may be brought to your ear with more delight, I have ſet it to the Harp: I will open my dark ſaying upon the Hart.
2. And thus having aſſembled his Auditory, and made them Attentive, The ſecond part. A debate, who is the happy man. Fig. foreign.Docile, and Benevolous, he propounds his Parable and dark ſaying, and it is done with much Art and Rhetorique. For he firſt ſeems to prevent an Objection which might be thus read. David, we ſee you are troubled much at the proſperity of the wicked. To which he returns his anſwer by a quick E…oteſis, Wherefore ſhould I fear in the dayes of evil? when the wicked prosper, and I am under the croſs? and when the wickedneſs of my heels ſhall compaſs me about? when they, who inſidiantur calcaneo, compaſs me about to deſtroy me. Or elſe: Why ſhould I unjuſtly ſeek after wealth, honour, &c. which would make me fear in the day of vengeance, and when the wickedneſs, that is, the puniſhment which follows all iniquity at the heels, would overtake me?
There is no reaſon of this fear to me, to the wealthy, ambitious there is: They that truſt in riches, not happy.And this he demonſtrates two wayes, foreign & foreign, for he takes away Happineſs from the one, from verſ. 6. to 15. and places Happineſs in the other, verſ. 15.
1. They that truſt in their wealth, Vers. 6 and boaſt themſelves in the multitude of their riches, are not happy, verſ. 6. For wealth will not deliver in the evil day.
1. 'Twill ſave no mans life. None of them, theſe rich men, The reaſons.can redeem his brother, nor give to God a ranſome for him. God will not be brib'd to ſave any mans life.
2. 'Twill ſave no mans ſoul. For it coſt more to redeem aſoul, 'tis a precious thing, money is no foreign for it. 'ſis a work he muſt let alone.
3. Yea, be it that he be wiſe, and a long-lived man. Though he live long, and ſee not the grave, yet dye he muſt. For he ſeeth, that wiſe men dye, likewiſe the fool and the bruitiſh perſon periſh.
4. And which ſufficiently ſhews the vanity of their riches. 1. They leave them. 2. They leave theſe great riches. 3. They leave them to others, they ſuppoſe to their heirs, children, but it often falls out, that ſtrangers, others they thought not of, enter into their labours. They leave their riches aliis, alienis, ſuch as they thought ſhould never enter upon their labours.
5. Farther yet, Their thoughts are vain. The vain thoughts of rich men.For
1. Their inward thoughts are, that their houſes ſhall continue for ever, and their dwelling-places to all generations.
2. To this end, they call heir lands after their own names. They ſtudy not only to be rich, but are vainglorious alſo.
But this their ſtudy is, Vers. 12 Firſt, Vanity. Secondly, Folly.
1. Vanity it is. Nevertheleſs, man being in honour, abideth not, for Summis stare din parcarum lege negatur. A change there will be, and the moſt glorious man, will be like the beaſts that periſh, an eternal Oblivion will be brought upon his name. The man no more remembred than a beaſt.
2. This is Folly. This their way is but fooliſhneſs, a great foolery to place their chief good in riches, and honours; and yet, Their poſterity are guilty of it, as great fools as their fore-fathers. For their posterity praiſe, approve, and applaud their ſayings, follow their way, magnifie their thoughts, tread in their ſteps, and gape after Riches and Honour.
That then, Conſiderations fit for rich men.if it be poſſible, I may take down theſe high, vain, and ambitious thoughts, and remove them from thoſe inordinate ſtudies, and immoderate deſires of Wealth and Honour, I ſhall propoſe unto them theſe conſiderations touching their future condition.
1. Like ſheep they are laid in the grave. That's their common condition, for as ſheep they are, but fatted for the ſlaughter.
2. Death ſhall feed on them. The ſecond death, for with Dives, they ſhall be buried in Hell, and the fire that cannot be extinguiſhed, ſhall feed upon their ſoul and body.
3. In the morning of the Reſurrection the upright ſhall have dominion over them. The righteous ſhall ſhine like the Sun when it ariſeth in the morning, when they ſhall be made Chriſts foot-ſtool. They ſhall ſee the godly placed on the right-hand, and ſeated on Thrones to judge them, when they ſhall be ſet on the left, to be judg'd and condemn'd. And this to their great grief, read the fifth Chapter of Wiſdome.
4. And their beauty ſhall conſume in the grave from their dwelling, their riches, their power, their glory which accrued from theſe, veteraſcet, ſhall waſte, wax old, as doth a garment. For the figure of this world paſſeth away.
Happy then the Rich of this world, 2Who the happy man.and the poſſeſſors of great Glory and Honour are not. But now foreign, or rather foreign, He ſet down the Happy man. 'Tis true, that he, walking in his integrity, is ſubject to many croſſes, and oppreſſed with many miſeries, but look upon his end, and you muſt needs judge him happy. For whereas the wicked ſhall live in torment, he ſhall be freed from eternal death, and gifted with eternal life.
But God will redeem my ſoul from the power of the grave, for he will receive me.
1. He ſhall redeem my, and all good mens ſouls.
2. Not from the grave, for dye we muſt: but from the hand, the power, the dominion of death. Death ſhall not reign over them.
3. And the reaſon is, Becauſe he ſhall receive me with favour; adopt me, and make me capable of all the promiſes made over to me by Covenant.
3. The third part. The advice to good men.Upon theſe conſiderations, viz. The different conditions of good and bad men, he gives forth his prohibition, and admoniſheth the good, that they be not troubled at the proſperity of the wicked. Ne trineas. Be not afraid. Let not your heart betroubled.
1. That they be not troubled at the proſperity of the wicked.Not at the great wealth of the rich. Be not thou afraid, when one is made rich.
2. Not at the glory and honour of the mighty. Nor when the glory of his houſe is increaſed.
And he repeats the former reaſon. For when he dyeth, he ſhall carry nothing away: His glory ſhall not deſcend after him. Their happineſs was then but Momentary.
This he amplifies by a bitter Epitrope. Eſto. Be it they flatter themſelves, and are flatter'd by others.
1. Though while he liv'd, he bleſsed his ſoul. Soul, thou haſt many goods for many years.
2. Though men will praiſe thee, and ſound in thy ears, Euge, bene, Vers. 18 rectè, ſo long as thou doeſt well to thy ſelf; i. e. provideſt for me, heapeſt up Riches, and gapeſt after Honour. Think to be Semi-deum.
1. A mortal thou art, ſhort-liv'd as all that went before thee were. Vers. 19 Thy life no longer dated than theirs. He ſhall go to the generation of his fathers. And
2. If wicked, be caſt into utter darkneſs. They ſhall never ſee light.
3. Surely any man, how rich ſoever, how great ſoever, who underſtands not thus much, beaſts himſelf. Vers. 20 For with this Epiphonema he concludes the Pſalm, which is doubled, that it may be remembred. Man being in honour, and underſtands not, is like the beasts that periſh. Even while he lives, he is but like a beaſt.
The Prayer collected out of the forty ninth Pſalm.
O God of my fathers, and Lord of mercy, who haſt created man through wiſdom according to thy likeneſs, giving him a capacity to know, and a will to chuſe the true way to Happineſs: Give me Wiſdom that ſits by thy Throne, and reject me not from among thy children, Vers. 20 never let me ſo farre forfeit my underſtanding, being depreſſed by want, or enticed by abundance, or affected with the glory of the world, that I become like a beaſt that periſheth. But grant, that in what condition ſoever I am, whether high or low, rich or poor, I may give ear, and hearken to the inſtruction of thy Holy Spirit. O let my mouth alwayes ſpeak of wiſdom, and let the meditation of my heart be of ſuch things which may make me judge prudently, and govern my ſelf wiſely in this preſent life. Bore my ear, and make it incline to what thou ſhalt teach, and teach me with an eloquent tongue to declare to others, the Myſteries, the Parables, the dark and abſtruſe Myſteries of thy Law. Then Lord, lo, I will not refrain my lips, and that thou knoweſt.
Taught us thou haſt in thy Divine Oracles, that we ſhould not place our confidence in the vain and fading things of this life. But with ſhame and confuſion of face confeſs we muſt, that we have made the World our God, and the wedge of gold our ſtay, that we are in the number of thoſe, who have truſted in their wealth, and boaſted in the multitude of their riches. Our inward thought hath been to add houſe to houſe, and land to land, perſwading our ſelves, that our houſes ſhall continue for ever, and our dwelling places to all generations; We labour to be immortal here on earth, and to that purpoſe we call the land after our own names. We bleſs our ſelves in our abundance, and ſay to our ſouls, Eat, drink, and be merry: Soul, thou haſt goods laid up for many years.
This is our vanity, this is our way, our folly, and yet our poſterity approve and applaud theſe our ſayings and doings, for when we do thus well unto our ſelves, they ſtand by, flatter, and praiſe us.
O good God, keep under, and ſubdue theſe immoderate affections, and teach us to number our dayes, that we may apply our hearts to wiſdom, let it never ſlip out of our memories, that we are mortal, and all the things of the world momentary, vain, fading. Dayly experience we have before our eyes, that wiſe men dye, and the fool and bruitiſh perſon periſh. Every man is but ſhort-lived, and muſt follow the generation of his fathers; and when he dyeth, he ſhall carry nothing away with him, and his glory ſhall not continue and deſcend after him. All like ſheep fatted for the ſlaughter, are laid in the grave. Our wealth in that evil day, will not profit us, our glory will no way avail us.
What wealth, what ſtrength, what ſplendour, what dignity ſoever any man may have, will not ranſome or redeem any mans life; nor at a mans own hand, nor at a mans brothers, will God receive a recompence, that he ſhould ſtill live for ever, and not ſee corruption. Make us wiſe, O Lord, to conſider theſe things, and alwayes to remember our latter end.
To the houſe of death we muſt be brought, but that is not our latter end. Of an immortal ſoul we do conſiſt, as well as of a mortal body. And will wealth or power be able to deliver that, either from the wrath of God, or the torments of hell? Vers. 8 O no! It coſt more to redeem a ſoul, ſo that he muſt that alone for ever. The redemption was a precious price, bought we were, not with gold or ſilver, but with the precious blood of the Son or God. While worldlings are buſſed then in increaſing of riches, and thirſting after honours, let us be ſtudious to ſave this, ſo that that precious blood be not ſpilt, nor that ranſome paid in vain.
The wicked ſhall be turn'd into Hell, and all the people that forget God, but thou, O Lord, wilt redeem my ſoul from the power of the grave, for I verily believe to ſet God in the land of the living. Why then ſhould I fear in the dayes of evil; why, when the wickedneſs of my heels compaſſeth round about? Surely there is a reward for the righteous, doubtleſs there is a God that judgeth the earth. Men that are in honour, and underſtand not, are like the beaſts that periſh: Vers. 20 but the ſouls of the righteous are in the hands of God, he ſhall receive them, and no torment ſhall touch them. They, the wicked, ſhall never ſee light, whereas the righteous ſhall ſhine like the Sun. Death, eternal death, and the fire that never ſhall be quench'd, ſhall feed on them: whereas the righteous ſhall enjoy everlaſting life. At the general reſurrection thoſe goats ſhall be ſet on the left-hand, and the other ſheep honoured with the right. While they liv'd they trampled upon, and oppreſſed the righteous, but in that morning the upright ſhall have dominion over them. They and their beauty ſhall conſume together in the grave, when the Lord ſhall exalt his Servants to eternal Glory.
Good God, when thou haſt bleſſed us with wealth, and when we abound in honour, give us underſtanding hearts, that we think on theſe things; that our time is ſhort, our riches vain, our houſes frail, our honours fading, that there is a life after this, in which we muſt be happy, or miſerable, ſo then let us ſet our hearts upon theſe tranſitory advantages, that we never forget the deſire of that life to come, ſo uſe this World, as if we uſed it not, making it a paſſage to the celeſtial Canaan. Amen.