Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 115
PSAL. CXV.
VErſ. 1 Not on to us Lord, not unto us] This is the godly mans …, and his daily practice. See Gen. 41.16. Act. 3.12, 16. 1 Cor. 15.10. Luk. 19.16. Nor wee, but thy Talents have gained other five,Georg. Fabr…. … vivus de ſcipſ…. and other two, &c.
Fabricius ſtuduit bene de pietate mereri;
Sed quicquid petuit, gloria, Chriſte, tua eſt.
There is no merit at all in us, faith the Chaldee here; the bowles of the Candleſtick had no oyl but that which dropped from the Olive-branches. It is therefore very good counſel that … gives his friend … illi do …; In all thy good deeds give God the glory, and take up …lowly thoughts of thy ſelf.
Verſ. 2 Wherefore ſhould the Heathen ſay] Why ſhould they thus be ſuffered or occaſioned to blaſpheme thee, and twit us with our Religion? Hence ſome conceive that this Pſalm was made in the time of the babyloniſh captivity by Daniel (ſaith one Jew-doctor) when hee expounded Nebuchadnezzars dream; by the three Worthies (ſaith Another) when they were in the fiety furnace. See Pſal. 42.10 & 79.10.
Verſ. 3 But our God is in the Heavens] Where your terricula your fray-bugmawmets never were; like as one being asked by a Papiſt, where was your Religion before Luther? anſwered, In the Bible, where your Religion never was. This But ſeemeth uttered with indiguation. foreign, ſaith Baſil, on a like occaſion; Our God is no dunghill-deity.
Hee hath done whatſoever bee pleaſed] Without either help or hinderance of any.
Verſ. 4 Their Idols are ſilver and gold] Take them at the beſt, they are no better; and what is ſilver and gold but the guts and garbage of the earth? But ſome of them might ſay as Priapus in Horace, Olim truncus eram ficulnus inutile lignum.
Herodotus telleth us,In Euterpe. that Amaſis had a large laver of gold, wherein both hee and his gueſts uſed to waſh their feet. This Veſſel hee brake and made a God of it; which the Egyptians devoutly worſhiped. And the like Idolomany is at this day found among Papiſts; what diſtinction ſoever they would fain make betwixt an Idol and an Image, which indeed (as they uſe them) are all one.
The work of mens hands] And therefore they muſt needs bee goodly gods, when made by bunglers eſpecially,Act. & Mon. fol. 1340. as was the rood of Cookram; which if it were not good enough to make a God, would make an excellent Devill, as the Maior of Doncaſter merrily told the complainants.
Verſ. 5 They have mouths, but ſpeak not] Unleſſe the Devil haply ſpeak in them, and by them, as at Delphos; or the falſe Prieſts, as here in times of Popery.
Eyes have they, But they ſee not] And yet with wires and other deviſes they were made here once to goggle their eyes,Act. & Mon. to move their chaps apace, as well a paid when ſomething of worth was preſented them; as if otherwiſe, to look at eyes end, and to hang a lip.
Verſ. 6 They have cars, but they hear not] But are as deaf as door-nails, to the prayers of their ſuppliants. The Cretians pictured their Jupiter without ears; ſo little hearing or help they hoped for from him. Socrates in contempt of Heathen Gods, ſwore by an Oak, a Goat, a Dog; as holding theſe better (gods than thoſe. Varro ſaith,Aug. de Civit. Dei.lib. 4.…2.31. They that firſt brought in pictures to bee worſhiped, Ii civitatibus ſuis & meturn dempſerunt, & errorem addiderunt, took away fear, and brought in errour.
Noſes have they, but they ſmell not] As the Painter may paint a flower with freſh colours, but not with ſweet ſavour, with this Motto, No further than colours; ſo the Carver may draw out an image, but not make it draw in the breath, with this Motto. No further than faſhion.
Verſ. 7 They have hands, but they handle not] Curious and artificiall (for Art is Natures ape) but uſeleſſe, and for ſhew only. (if Eſculapius, or the Lady of Loretto reſtore the lame or the blind, it is the Devill with his lying wonders, 2 Theſ. 2.
Feet have they, bus they walk not] As thoſe pictures in Plato made by Dedalus, which if they were not bound; would fly away; or Vulcaus three-footed ſtools in Homer, which … …eigned to have run on wheels of their own accord, to the meeting of the Gods; and after that to return in like fort back again. The Tyrians beſieged by Alexander chained up their God Hercules that hee might not go from them in that ſtrait, and yet they were not delivered.
Neither ſpeak they through their threat] They do not ſo much as chatter like a Crane, or … a Dove, Iſa. 38.14. … are … idols, as the Apoſtle calleth them. Theſe are things commonly known … thus … for the … of …; who yet are ſo bewatched that they will needs … upon theſe gods of their own making. O vanas hominum mentes, &c. — O the ſpirit of fornication, &c.
Verſ. 8 They that make them, are like unto them] Blind and blockiſh, Vervecum in patria craſſe que ſub aere nasi; given up by a juſt God to a judiciary ſtupidity. See Iſa. 44.9, 10, 11, &c. Rev. 9.20 their fooliſh hearts were darkened, and they were delivered up to a reprobate ſenſe, to an injudicious mind, Rom. 1. to ſtrong deluſions, vile affections, juſt damnation.
So is every one that truſteth in them] Idols were never true to ſuch as truſted in them; but ſuch deſerve to bee deceived, as being miſerable by their own election, Jon. 2.8.
Verſ. 9 O Iſrael truſt thou in the Lord] Whatever others do, Joſh. 24.15. and the rather, becauſe others do not, Pſal. 119. the worſe they are, the better bee yee.
Hee is their help, and their ſhield] God is ingaged in point of honour to help and protect thoſe that truſt in him.
Verſ. 10. O houſe of Aaron, truſt in the Lord] Miniſters muſt bee patterns to others of depending upon God, and living by ſaith; as did Mr. Bradſhaw, Mr. Lancaſter, and many other famous Preachers of latter times, whom god inured to a dependence from day to day upon his Providence for proviſions; and (as a grave man of God ſometimes ſaid, Whereas many others have, and eat their bread ſtale) theſe received their bread, and ate it daily new from his holy hand.
Verſ. 11 Yee that fear the Lord] Peregrini ex omni populo, ſaith Aben-Ezra, devout perſons out of every Nation dwelling among the Jews, though not abſolute Proſelytes, Act. 2.5. & 10.2. & 13 16. Such alſo fearing the Lord are heirs of the promiſes; and therefore may boldly ſay, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man ſhall do unto mee, Heb. 13.6.
Verſ. 12 The Lord hath been mindfull of us, hee will bleſſe us] God hath, God will, is an ordinary Scripture-Medium, as hath been aboye noted.
Hee will bleſſe the houſe of Iſrael] Not help and keep them only, but bleſſe them with the bleſſings of both lives; for he is no penny-Father, &c. See Epheſ. 1.3.
Hee will bleſſe the houſe of Aaron] Miniſters were ever a diſtinct order from the reſt. Note this againſt the Libertines who would gladly make a jumble,Compaſ. Samar. affirming the Miniſtry to bee as arrant a juggle as the Papacy it ſelf.
Verſ. 13 Hee will bleſſe] Such ſhall abound with bleſſings, Prov. 28.20.
Both ſmall and great] Whether in age or degree, Act. 10.34, 35.
Verſ. 14 The Lord ſhall increaſe you] Or, The Lord increaſe you (derech tephilla, prayer wiſe) as the Rabbines read it.
You and your Children] The care of whoſe welfare prevaileth far with religious Parents, and ſitteth cloſe upon their ſpirits.
Verſ. 15 You are the bleſſed of the Lord, &c. And therefore ſhall bee bleſſed, as Iſaac ſaid of his ſon Jacob, Gen. 27.33.
Which made Heaven and Earth] And will rather unmake both again, than you ſhall want help, and comfort.
Verſ. 16 The Heaven, even the heavens are the Lords] As the ſpeciall place of his delight and dwelling; yet not ſo as if hee were there cooped up and concluded; for God is immenſe and omnipreſent, yea totally preſent, whereſoever preſent. The Heavens have a large place, but they have one part here, and another there, Not ſo the Lord; hee is not commenſurable by the place, but every where all-preſent.
But the Earth hath hee given] Or, let out, as to his Tenants at will, for he hath not made them abſolute owners to do therein what they will, and to live as they liſt; Yee have lived in pleaſure on the Earth, and been wanton, Jam. 5.5. A heavy charge. Calvin tells of a looſe fellow that uſed in his cups to alledge this text.
Verſ. 17 The dead praiſe not] Therefore bee active for God while wee are upon Earth; where for this hee give thus life and livelihood. See Pſal. 6.6.
Verſ. 18 But wee will bleſſe the Lord] For if hee loſe his praiſe in us, hee will loſe it altogether; and ſo all things will come to nothing; quod abfit…