Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 39
PSAL. XXXIX.
Verſ. 1. I ſaid, I will take heed] He reſolved ſo Pſal. 38.13, 14. ſc. Ejuſdem … eſt hic … cum … Cimch…no continue as one deaf and dumb, to uſe Iſ…cks Apology to ſcoffing Iſmael, viz. no Apology, unleſſe it be that which is Reall; for Ʋivendo melius arguuntur obtrectatores, quam loquendo, ſlanderers and railers are beſt anſwered by ſilence.
That I ſin not with my tongue] An hard task, a long leſſon, as Pambus in the Eccleſiaſticall hiſtory, found it by experience; and after many years tryall, could not take it out. For the tongue is an unruly Member: And if any man offend not in word, the ſame is a perfect man, and able alſo to bridle the whole body, Jam. 3.2. David reſolved to temper his tongue, and to keep a bridle or a muzzle for his mouth, whiles he was in extremity of pain, and in the preſence of the Wicked, who lay at the catch, and would ſoon exclaim; but his heart deceived him, for he quickly after brake his word, verſ. 3. and made a raſh requeſt, verſ. 4. ſo great need is there that the beſt pray to God to keep the door, as Pſal. 141.3.
Verſ. 2. I was dumb with ſilence] As not willing either to open the mouthes of thoſe dead dogs; or to caſt pearles before thoſe ſenſuall ſwine.
I held my peace even from good] That good which I might have ſpoken in mine own defence, and their reproof, ne miſcerem illiud cum malo, ſaith One,Intellige … bono licito, non de bon… neceſſario … praecepto. leſt ſome evill ſhould be mingled with it; as mud and gravell is with the clear water that runs down a current.
And my ſorrow was ſtirred] Heb. Troubled; Though I had ſomewhat to do, to do it. Corruption muſt be curb'd, and kept in by violence, Jam. 1.26.
Hanc fraenis, hanc tu compeſce catenis.
Verſ. 3. My beart was hot within me] It was almoſt ſuff ocated for want of vent. By heat of heart, and fire kindled, ſaith One, the Prophet meaneth,T. W. in loc. not only the greatneſs of his grief, as they that are grievouſly ſick feel great force and power of heat; but he meaneth alſo ſome motions that he had to impatiency and fretting; to which fault they are very much ſubject, that are hot, and given to heat, Thus He. This diſtemper to prevent, God and Nature have placed the heart neer unto the lungs, ut cum irâ accenditur, pulmonis humore temperetur, that when it is heated with wrath, it may bee cooled and qualified by the allay of the lungs.
While I was muſing, the fire burnt] This ſheweth that thoughts and affections are the mutuall cauſes one of another; ſo that thoughts kindle affections, and theſe cauſe thoughts to boil. And hence it is, faith a Reverend man, that new-converts, having new and ſtrong affections, can with more pleaſure think of God, than any.
Then ſpake I with my tongue] But better he had held his tongue, according to his firſt reſolution. The Greeks have a ſaying, Let a man either keep ſilence, or ſpeak that which is better than …lence. Auſtin paraphraſeth thus; when I refrained ſo from ſpeaking, for fear of ſpeaking evill, that I ſpake no good, I was troubled at this my ſilence; leſt my ſin ſhould be counted greater for this ſilence, than my vertue in refraining from ſpeaking evill.
Verſ. 4. Lord, make mee to know mine end] This Auſt in expoundeth of Heaven the end of all his troubles, which he now ſighed after. But Vatablus, Calvin, and moſt modern Interpreters conceive that David doth here ingenuouſly confeſſe that he grudged againſt God; conſidering the greatneſſe of his grief, and the ſhortneſſe of his life.
And the meaſure of my dayes] An admalorum qua perfero compenſationem ſufficiant, whether they are likely to be enow to make mee amends for my grievous ſufferings. This hee ſeemeth to ſpeak either out of impatiency, or curioſity at leaſt.
That I may know how frail I am] How ſoon-ceaſing, and ſhort liv'd.Quam darabilis ſum. Trem… Vatablus hath it, quam mandanus ſim, how long I am like to be a man of this World, this vale of miſery, and valley of tears.
Verſ. 5. Behold, thou haſt made my dayes as an handbreadth] i. e. Four fingers broad, (which is one of the leaſt Geometricall meaſures, or a ſpan-long) as ſome interpret it. Now to ſpend the ſpan of this tranſitory life, after the wayes of a mans own heart, is to bereave himſelf of a room in that City of Pearl, and to periſh for ever. Or take it for an handbreadth; ſhould a man, having his lands divided into four parts (anſwerable to thoſe four fingers breadth) leave three of them untilled? ſhould he not make the beſt of that little time that he hath? that he be not taken with his task undone? Themiſtocles dyed about an hundred and ſeven years of age; and when he was to dye, he was grieved upon this ground, Now I am to dye faith he, when I begin to be wiſe. But Stultus ſemper incipit vivere, ſaith Seneca; and ſuch complaints are bootleſſe. O live quickly, live apace and learn of the Devil at leaſt to be moſt buſy as knowing that our time is ſhort, Rev. 12.12. To complain of the miſeries of life, and to wiſh for death, as David here ſeemeth to do (and as did Job, chap. 3.19. & 6.9. & 7.15. and Moſes, Num. 11.11, 15. Elias, 1 King. 19.4. Jeremy, chap. 20.14. Jonas 4.3.) is a ſign of a prevailing temptation, and of a ſpirit fainting under it. We muſt fight againſt ſuch impatiency; and learn to do the like by life, as we do by a leaſe, wherein if our time be but ſhort, we rip up the grounds, eat up the graſſe, cut down the copſes, and take all the liberty the leaſe will afford.
Mine age is as nothing] Heb. My world, that is my time of aboad in the World is but a magnum Nibil, as one ſaith of honour; Punctumeſt quod vivimus, & puncto minus, a meer Salve vale, a non-entity.
Verily every man at his beſt eſtate] When hee is beſt conſtituted and underlaid, ſet to live,Profecto omnimoda vani tas omnis homo eſt quantumvis conſtitutus maxime. Tremel. Kimchi. as one would think, firmus & fixus, ſetled on his beſt bottom, yet even then he is all over vanity; All Adam is all Abel, as the originall runs elegantly, alluding to thoſe two proper names, like as Pſal. 144.3, 4. Adam is Abels mate, or man is like to a ſoon vaniſhing vapour; ſuch as is the breath of ones mouth. See Jam. 4.14. a feeble flaſh, a curious picture of Nothing.
Verſ. 6. Surely every man walk…th in a vain ſhew] Heb. In an image, or, in a ſhadow, as Job 14. 2. in the ſhadow of death as ſome ſenſe it; his life is like a picture drawn upon the water, ſaith Theodoret; it paſſeth away as an haſty, headlong torrent. Verily, ſurely, ſurely, it is ſo; Selah, you may ſeal to it.
Surely they are diſquieted in vain] Heb. They keep a ſtirre, and trouble the World, as did great Alexander; who ſurfetting of his exceſſive fortunes, from the darling of Heaven,Two fits of an ague could ſhake greit Tamerlan to death. came to be the diſdain of the Earth, which hee had ſo oft diſquieted. So the Emperour Adrian, who troubling himſelf and others to little good purpoſe, dyed with this ſaying in his mouth, Omnia fui, & nibil profuit, I have tryed all concluſions, but go nothing. And ſaith not Salomon as much in his Eccleſia ſtes?
Hee heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who ſhall gather them] i.e. Enjoy them. See Eccleſ. 2.18, 19. and be moderate. Think when you lock up your mony in your cheſt (ſaith One who ſhall ſhortly lock you up in your coffin. Think how that this very night thy ſoul may he required of thee; and then whoſe ſhall thoſe things be which thou haſt provided. Luk. 12.20?
Verſ. 7.…eza. And now Lord, what wait I for?] q. d. Abſit ergo ut de iſt is quiſquiliis ſim anxius, Farre be it from mee to trouble my ſelf about theſe tranſitory trifles; I am bent to depend on thee alone, to wait for thy favour, and deſire it above all earthly felicity; to place all my hope on thee alone, who being my Lord, wilt nor, canſt not caſt off thy poor ſervant, who deſireth to fear thy Name.
Verſ. 8. Deliver mee from all my tranſgreſſions] But eſpecially from that of impatiently deſiring to dye out of diſcontent, verſ. 4. The ſenſe of this one ſin brought many more to remembrance; as a man by looking over his debt-book for one thing, meets with more. God giveth the penitent generall diſcharges; neither calleth he any to an after-reckoning.
Make m…e not the reproach of the fooliſh] Let not any Wicked one (for ſuch are all fooles in Gods dictionary) lay this folly in my diſh, that I ſo fooliſhly deſired death in a pet.
Verſ. 9. I was dumb. I opened not my mouth] Or, Better thus, I ſhould have been dumb, and not have opened my mouth, according to my firſt reſolution. I ſhould not have reaſoned, or rather wrangled with thee, as verſ. 4. but have kiſſed thy rod in an humble ſubmiſſion, and have known that the rod of Aaron, and pot of Manna muſt go together. Macrobius writeth that the image of Angeronia among the old Romans was placed on the Altar of Volupia, with the mouth cloſed and ſealed up; to ſignifie, that ſuch as patiently and ſilently bear their griefs, do thereby attain to greateſt pleaſures.
Becauſe thou didſt it] This is indeed a quieting conſideration, and will notably quell and kill unruly paſſions. Set but God before them, when they are tumultuating, and all will be ſoon huſht. This made Jacob ſo patient in the rape of his Daughter Dinah; Job, in the loſſe of his goods by the Sabaan ſpoylers; David, in the barkings of that dead dog Shim…i; that noble Lord of Pleſſis, in the loſſe of his only ſon, a Gentleman of marvellous great hopes, ſlain in the wars of the Low-Countries. His Mother more impatient, dyed of the grief of it: But his Father laid his hand on his mouth, when Gods hand was on his back; and uſed theſe very words, I was dumb, and opened not my mouth, becauſe thou didſt it.
Verſ. 10. Removethy ſtroke away from mee] Having firſt prayed off his ſin, hee would now pray off his pain; though it leſſe troubled him; and for eaſe, he repaireth, to Jehovah that healeth, as well as woundeth, Hoſ. 6.1.
nam qui tibi vulnera fecit.
Solus Achilleo tellere more poteſt.Ovid. Triſt 1.
I am conſumed by the blow of thine hand] Heb. By the conflict or buffettings. Oh keep out of his fingers; for it is a fearfull thing to fall into them, Heb. 10. Caveb is autem ſipavebis.
Verſ. 11. When thou with rebukes doeſt correct man for iniquity] Or, Shouldeſt thou but correct him according to his iniquity; correct him I ſay, or inſtruct him. Kimchi his Note here is, Morbi ſunt interpretes inter Deum & homines increpantes, ut Job 33.19. Diſeaſes are Gods chiding meſſages, or reall rebukes.
Thou makeſt his beauty] Heb. What ſoever in him is deſirable, all his prime and pride, pulchritudinem & praeſtantiam, his beauty and bravery, as that of Jonas his gourd.
To conſume away like a moth] Heb. To melt away as a moth, which is eaſily cruſht betwixt ones fingers, Job 4.19. or actively, as a moth,Quam…is … palam fulmine è … Vat. caeco morſu doth ſecretly and ſuddenly conſume the moſt precious garment, ſo doſt thou the Wicked by thy ſecret curſe, though themſelves or others little obſerve it.
Surely every man is vanity, Selah] See verſ. 5.
Verſ. 13. Hear my prayer O Lord, give ear, &c.] My prayer, my cry, my tears. See how his ardency in prayer grew by degrees, and ſo availed much, Jam. 5.16. we muſt riſe in our requeſts, pray, cry, weep, ask, ſeek, knock, let the Lord ſee that wee are in good earneſt; and then we may have any thing. Tears have a voice, and are very effectuall Oratours.
For I am a ſtranger with thee, and a ſojourner] And in that reſpect ſubject to many miſeries and moleſtations ſatanicall and ſecular, till I ſhall repatriaſſe get home (as Bernard expreſſeth it) and this was the condition of all my godly predeceſſors, who yet found favour with thee, and ſo I hope ſhall I.
Verſ. 13. O spare mee that I may recover ſtrength] Ut refociller, reficiar; Job maketh the like requeſt, chap. 10.20. Some breathing while they would have, and a time to recollect themſelves, before that laſt great encounter; They ſay in effect Differ, habent parvae commoda magna morae.
Before I go hence, and be no more] No more ſeen amongſt men. It is ſaid,Speed. 925. that Richard the third cauſed the dead corps of his two ſmothered Nephews to be cloſed in lead, and ſo put in a coffin full of holes and hooked at the ends with two hooks of Iron; and ſo to be caſt into a place called the black deeps, at the Thames mouth, whereby they ſhould never riſe up, nor be any more ſeen. Joſeph is not, and Simeon is not, Gen. 42.36. The Righteous periſh, Iſa. 57.1. when once I go hence, ſaith David here, viz. to my long home, Eccleſ. 12.5. there will be a Non ego, an end of mee as to this World; wherefore I beg a little reſpite.
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