Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 14
PSAL. XIV.
VErſ. 1. The fool] That ſapleſſe fellow, that carcaſe of a man,Nabal, a foo… or a churle. Nebalah a … kaſs, Levit. 1….40. that walking ſepulchre of himſelf, in whom all Religion and right Reaſon is withered and waſted, dryed up and decayed. That Apoſtate, in whom naturall Principles are extinct, and from whom God is departed; as when the Prince is removing, hangings are taken down. That meer Animal that hath no more than areaſonable ſoul, and for little other purpoſe than as ſalt, to keep his body from putrefying. That wicked man hereafter deſcribed,foreign 1 Cor. 2.14. that ſtudieth Atheiſm,
Hath ſaid in his heart] As David proves afterward by his practice; for there are practicall Atheiſts as well as Dogmaticall. See a like paſſage, Pſal. 36.1. the tranſgreſſion of the Wicked ſaith, within my heart (that is, my mind gives mee, and I am ſtrongly perſwaded) that there as no fear of God before his eyes. This is the charge; but what proof is there? proof good enough, verſ. 2, 3, 4. For hee flattereth himſelf, &c. So here; Hee is a flat Atheiſt; for corrupt hee is, and become abominable, &c. That which Cicero ſaith of Epicurus, that leſt hee ſhould offend the Athenians, verbis reliquit deos, re ſuſtulit, De nat. Deor.in words hee affirmed there were Gods, but in deed hee denied a deity, is found true in many even at this day; for all places are full of them, and ſo is Hell too. Lucian is their old Teſtament, and Machiavell their New. Worſe they are than Agrippa, who was almoſt a Chriſtian; worſe than Protagoras with his De diis utrum ſint, non anſim affirmare. For in their hearts and lives there is heard this helliſh language,
There is no God] Oh horrible! Not that Atheiſm can ever find a perfect and continuall aſſent in mans heart: For there is no Nation under Heaven ſo barbarous, but yeelds that there is a God. When man fell from God, this Truth ſtood; as when Cities and great buildings are overthrown by war, ſome Towers, ſome Pinnacles ſurvive the violence. They lye, ſaith Seneca, whoſay that they hold there is no God;Theat. Hiſt. 127. for though to thee they ſay ſo by day, yet to themſelves and by night they doubt of it, at leaſt. And when they come to dye, they ſometimes cry out they are damned; as did Thomas Blaverus chief Counſellor ſometimes to the King of Scots; and one Arthur Miller a profeſt Atheiſt, and before them both, a certain deſperate Dean of Pauls.Sword againſt Swearer… Pa. …4.
Corrupt are they and become abominable] Or loathſome; how ſhould they bee better, that have laid hands upon al the principles in their heads, and made a clean riddancſt of them; that they may run riot in ſin without reſtraint or controule? which while others ſee, they alſo are ready to ſay with that Poet, Sollicitor nullos eſſe putare Deos.
I have read of a Woman who living in profeſſed doubt of the God-head, after better illumination and repentance,Mr. Wards Hap. of Par… did often proteſt, that the vicious life of a great Schollar in that Town did conjure up thoſe damnable doubtings in her ſoul.
There is none that doeth good] i. e. None to ſpeak of, no conſiderable number, Apparent rarinantes in gurgite vaſto.
Verſ. 2.Virgil. Ae…eid. The Lord looked down from Heaven upon the Children of men] As oppoſed to the Children of God; ſo ſome take it, as Gen. 4 26. & 6.2. As a Judge he looketh down, he vieweth, he taketh cognizance, ere hee proceedeth to ſentence: Thus he dealt with the old World, with Sodom, with Egypt, &c. to teach us not to bee over haſty. No more haſt than good ſpeed, ſaith one. The caeleſtiall Spheres, the higher they are in ſituation, the flower in their proper motion; and the ſupreme Judge of all uſeth much forbearance.
Any that did underſtand and ſeek God] Theſe only are they, whom God looketh after; not the rich, but the righteous. And becauſe Knowledge is the ground of all goodneſſe, as folly is of wickedneſſe, verſ. 1. therefore is it here ſaid, any that did underſtand and ſeek God. Loe theſe are thoſe precious ones whom God regardeth; ſuch as are full of goodneſſe, filled with all knowledge, Rom. 15.14. The Father ſeeketh ſuch to worſhip him, Joh. 4.23.
Verſ. 3. They are all gone aſide, &c.] This is Gods own report of the matter, fully anſwering to that before given in by David, verſ. 1. Good men have the mind of Chriſt, 1 Cor. 2.16. and do fully concurre with him in Judgement and affection. David was a man after Gods own heart, and the heart of Paul is the heart of Chriſt, ſaith Chryſoſtome. But why then doth not David except himſelf out of this univerſitas declinantinus, community of ſtraglers that are gone aſide? and why doth St. Paul argue from this Text, that all, both Jews and Gentiles, are ſtark naught… Rom. 3.10, 11, 12. I anſwer, becauſe by nature there is never a better of us: but foreign, as the Greek Proverb hath it. All we like ſheep have gone aſtray, ſaith the whole Church, Iſa. 53. Home eſt inverſus decalogus, we naturally all ſtand acrols to all goodneſs. The word here rendred gone aſide, ſignifieth to give back ſturdily, as a ſtubborn Heifer, that refuſeth to receive the yoke.
They are altogether become filthy] Heb. ſtinking, yeelding a worſe ſmell than Carrion doth, or than the filthy Fox doth, of whom Oppianus reporteth (and experience ſheweth it to be true) that when he is beſet on all ſides by the Doggs that hunt him, he bewrayeth his tail with urine, and dung, of a moſt loathſome ſmell,Bodin. … Nat. 352. and beſmearing therewith the Doggs Noſes, driveth them away therewith many times. But all this is nothing to the filth and ſtench of ſin, which made their very Incenſe an abomination, Iſa. 1.13. and rendreth them moſt like the Devil, that foul Spirit, that ever goeth out with a ſtench, as they ſay of him. The Hebrews have the ſame word for ſin, foreignand a dead Carcaſs; and again, the ſame word for ſin, and ſtench. Gods Vine-yard brought forth ſtinking Grapes, Iſa. 5. and the wicked utter rotten Language, Epheſ. 4. Hence Longinquus eſt Jehovah ab impiis, The Lord ſtands aloof off from the wicked, Prov. 15.29. Pſal. 5.5. that is, from all for whom Chriſt hath not given himſelf an Offering, and a Sacrifice to God for a ſweet ſmelling ſavour, Epheſ. 5.2. The Apoſtle rendreth it, They are uſeleſs: or, as he elſewhere phraſeth it, to every good work reprobate, Tit. 1. ult.
There is none that doth good] Spiritually good, andunto divine acceptation. There is many times Malum opus in bona materia. How can you that are evil do good works? Good they may be materially, but not formally and eventually; ſuch were the good parts and practices of Socrates, Ariſtides, Scipio, Atticus, Cato, and other honeſt Heathens; they were no better than ſplendida peccata, gliſtering ſins, becauſe they failed,
1 Quoad fontem, they did not out of the good treaſure of their hearts bring forth thoſe good things: they were ſtrangers to the Life of God, to the new Nature.
2 Quoad finem, they brought forth fruit to themſelves, Hof. 10.1. they had not good aims in their good actions. Now, Bonum non fit niſi ex integra cauſa; malum ex quolibet defectu, ſay the Schools.
No not one] Ʋſ que ad unum. i. c. ad Chriſtum, ſaith Auſtin, not conſidering the force of the Hebrew phraſe, which importeth an utter denial of any meer man, that of himſelf doeth good.
Verſ. 4. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?] No, not ſo much as Pilates Wife had in a Dream; for elſe they would take heed of having any thing to do with thoſe juſtmen. But they are workers of iniquity, habituated and hardned in cruelty, fleſhed in bloud; and having an hoof upon their hearts, ſo that they are Maſters of their Conſciences, and have taken a courſe with them. In this queſtion here asked, the Pſalmiſt doth not ſo much quaerere, as queri, ask, as chide, and complain.
Who eat up my people as they eat bread] That is, quotid'e, daily, ſaith Auſtin; as duly as they eat bread; or, with the ſame eagerneſs and voracity. Theſe mancaters, theſe foreign, cruel Cannibals, make no more conſcience to undoe a poor man, than to eat a good meal when they are hungty. Like Pickerels in a Pond, or Sharks in the Sea, they devour the poorer, as thoſe do the leſſer Fiſhes; and that many times with a plauſible inviſible conſumption; as the Uſurer, who like the Oſtrich can digeſt any metal; but eſpecially mony.
They call not upon the Lord] viz. for a bleſſing upon that their bread, as ſome ſenſe it; how ſhould they, ſith God abhorreth them? Pſal. 10.3. But better take it for neglect of the duty of Prayer; they rob God of his inward and outward Worſhip, and ſo deal worſe with him than Idolaters do with their Dunghildeities, whom they ceaſe not to call upon. Theſe will commit no Soleciſm in Gods Service; and be ſure that their prayer (like that of Hamaus, Eſth. 7.7.) ſhall never be turned into ſin. If they pray in extreamity (as then a Joah will lay hold on the Horns of the Altar) it is but as blinde Beggers are forced to ask, though they know not of whom.
Verſ. 5. There were they in great fear … There? and they? and in great fear? where? and who? and what kind of fear was it they were in? For anſwer; There, that is, in the generation of the righteous, in the aſſemblies of the Saints, according to that, Pſal. 76.3. There brake he the arrows of the Bow, the Shield, and the Sword, and the Battel. Selah. There, that is, in Salem, where is Gods Tabernacle; and in Sion, where is his dwelling place, verſ. 2. in the Congregation where the Saints were praying. Or, There, that is, in the very place where they oppreſſed and devoured the poor, they were ſurpriſed with a ſudden horrour; even there where they had ſaid,In locoubi opprimu…, R. David. peace and ſafety &c. and where no fear was, Pſal. 53.5. no apparent cauſe of ſuch an amazement, Iſa. 13.8. A panick terrour fell upon them; they feared a fear, as the Hebrew hath it, but could not tell why: The Hornet within ſtings them, and they have many a ſecret twinge that the World is never aware of. Saul was afraid of David, and Catiline trembled upon the leaſt noyſe made.
For God is in the generation of the righteous] And natural Conſcience cannot but do homage to the Image of God, ſtamped upon the natures and works of the godly. See it in the carriage of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius toward Daniel, ſticking ſtoutly to his Principles. The piety, patience, mercy, goodneſs, expreſt by the righteous when oppreſſed, makes the hearts of wicked men ake within them; and they are ſore afraid of the Name of God called upon by them, Deut. 38.10. Or, God is in the generation of the righteous, ſcil. Ad juvandum eum, ſaith Aben-Ezra, to ſupport and ſuccour them; and that ſtrangely many times, the enemies themſelves being Judges, to their great aſtoniſhment.
Verſ. 6. You have ſhamed the counſel of the poor] And thought to mock him out of his confidence, as Sennacherib did by Hezekiah, and the Jews by our Saviour. Religion was long ſince grown, as it is alſo at this day among many, not more a matter of form, than of ſcorn. In our wretched days, as the Turks count all fools to be Saints, ſo many with us account all Saints to be fools. He is a fool, we ſay, that would be laughed out of his Coat; but he were a double fool that would bee laughed out of his skin, that would hazard his Soul, becauſe loath to bee laughed at.
Becauſe the Lord is his refuge] Sed Jehovah Protector ejus, becauſe he runs to God by prayer, and commits himſelf wholly to him for direction and ſucceſs in all his enterpriſes; Pudefacitis, id eſt, facitis ut videatur putidum, you'jeer, and hold it an egregious ſillineſs. You reject his confidence, and relye on the arm of fleſh; which yet was never true to thoſe that truſted unto it.
Verſ. 7. O that the Salvation of Iſrael, &c.] This is the ſecond part of the Pſalm, wherein David prayeth to God to deliver his Iſrael out of the hands of thoſe Atheiſts, and Oppreſſors. The whole Church muſt be remembred in our prayers,Sanhed. c. 11. and that ancient people of God the Jews not forgotten. Many of their Rabbins make this whole Pſalm a Prophecie of their diſperſion among the Genitles their Oppreſſors; and this, a prayer for their reſtauration. For our ſins, ſay they, which are many, the coming of the Meſſiah (that Salvation of Iſrael) is deferred; the time of his coming is ſealed up, Dan. 12.4. Verum enimverò Deus nos dignabitur clariſſima viſione cum reducet Zionem; tunc intelligemus res ipſas prout ſunt, ſaith Jachiades on that Text: but God ſhall give us a clear ſight of all things, when he ſhall bring back Zion, &c. This is truth, and we muſt haſten that time by our heartieſt wiſhes for that obdurate people, that a Redeemer would come to them out of Zion. Rom. 11.26. that the covering caſt over that people might be deſtroyed, Iſa. 25.7. and a general joy conceived throughout all the Churches for their happy re-admiſſion.
Out of Zion] i.e. Out of the Church, whence all good cometh; and ſuch bleſſings as are better than all elſe that Heaven or Earth affordeth, Pſal. 134.3.