Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 4
PSAL. IV.
TO the chief Muſician] Or,… Chro. 25. 1, 2. to the moſt excellent Muſick-maſter, to the chief Chaunter Aſaph, was this, and ſome other Pſalms, committed, that they might be ſung in the beſt manner, and with greateſt care. So Alexander on his Death-bed left his Kingdom foreign, Optimatum optime, to him that ſhould be the beſt of the beſt.foreign Hoc jamdiu …onſecutus eſt Roſcius, ut in … quiſ que ar…ficio excelle…t in ſuo ge…ere Roſcius …. Cic. de Orat. foreign was Tully's Motto, that is, ſtrive to excel others, to crop off the very top of all vertues. as Scipio is ſaid to have done; to be beſt at any thing, to be careful to excel in good works, Tit. 3.8. and to bear away the bell, as we ſay, in whatſoever a man undertaketh.
On Neginoth] i.e. Inſtrumemta pulſatilia, ſtringed Inſtruments, ſuch as are to bee touched, or plaid upon with the hand. Lord, ſaith Nazianzen, I am an Inſtrument for thee to touch. Let us lay our ſelves open to the Spirits touch; and ſo make muſick.
Verſ. 1. Here me when I call, O God of my righteouſneſs] that is, O thou righteous Judge of my righteous Cauſe, and of my good Conſcience. David ſpeaketh firſt to God, and then to men: This is the right method. Wee therefore ſpeak no better to men, becauſe no more to God. It is ſaid of Charls the Fifth, that he ſpent more words with God than with men. When we are vilified, and derigrated by others, as David here was, let us make God acquainted with our condition, by his example. But why doth David beg audience, and mercy, in general only, and not lay open to God his particular grievances? Surely becauſe he looked upon the favour of God as a complexive bleſſing, that perfectly comprehendeth all the reſt; as Manna is ſaid to have had all good taſts in it. For particulars, David was content to be at Gods diſpoſe. I humbly beſeech thee, that I may finde grace in thy ſight, my Lord, O King, ſaid that falſe Ziba to David, 2 Sam. 16.4. q. d. I had rather have the Kings favour than Mephiboſheths Lands. David really had rather have Gods love and favour than all this worlds good: and therefore ſo heartily beggeth it above any thing.
Thou haſt inlarged me when I was in diſtreſs] Heb. Thou haſt made roomth for me. Hoc autem in Prophetia dictum eſt, ſaith R. David this was Prophetically ſpoken. Thou haſt, that is, thou wilt enlarge me who am now in diſtreſs. God will ſurely be neareſt unto his in their greateſt ſtraights: and becauſe they have made him the God of their Mountains, he will be the God of their valleys alſo.
Verſ. 2. O yee ſons of men] Yee Grandees. Pſal. 49.3. who think to carry all before you with thoſe big looks, and bubbles of words; yee who are potent at Court, and therefore inſolent above meaſure. David having poured out his heart to God in prayer, takes heart of grace thus freely to beſpeak theſe great ones his enemies.
How long will yee turn my glory into ſhame?] i. e. attempt to put me beſide the Kingdom, whereunto God hath deſigned and deſtined me? You think, belike, to jeer me out of my right, and by caſting upon me Cart-loads of Calumnies, and contumelies, to make me deſiſt, and hang up my hopes. But it is otherwiſe, beleeve it, Pſal. 14.6, 7. yee have ſhamed the counſel of the poor, becauſe the Lord is his refuge. But will he therefore give over praying? No, for in the next words he falls on, and ſays, O that the Salvation of Iſrael were come out of Zion, &c.
How long will yee love vanity? &c.] i. e. trouble your ſelves to no purpoſe, whiles yee plot, and plow miſchief to him who is bleſſed, and ſhall be bleſſed ingratiis veſtris? you love, you ſeek: that is, you both inwardly affect wickedneſs, and outwardly act it; but all in vain,
Verſ. 3. But know that the Lord hath ſet apart him that is godly] Quod ſeparatum aſſeruerit, that God hath deſtined mine head to the Diadem of the Kingdom, and therefore it ſhall not be in your power to hinder me: Sith voluntas Dei, neceſſitas Rei, and this I would have you to know, and reſt aſſured of. Let us be no leſs confident of the Crown of Glory, Luke 12.32. Fear not little flock, for it is your Fathers good pleaſure to give you a kingdom. And 2 Tim. 2.19. The foundation of God abideth ſure, having this double ſeal, i. e. The Lord (for his part) knoweth who are his; and we, for our parts may know, that if we but name the name of the Lord in prayer, and depart from evil, we ſhall certainly be ſaved.
The Lord will hear when I call unto him] Being that I am a godly man, a gracious Saint, one that have obtained mercy, and am thereby made merciful to others, (for ſo much the word ſignifieth) I doubt not of audience and acceptance in Heaven. God regards not the prayer, if the perſon be not right. For Witches ſome plead, that they uſe good prayers: in anſwer whereunto one ſaith well, Si magicae, Deus non vult tales: ſi piae, non per tales. God heareth not good prayers from a bad man; as that State in ſtory would not hear a good motion from an ill mouth: or, as wee cannot indure to hear ſweet words from a ſtinking breath. The bloud of a Swine might not be offered in Sacrifices, though better to look upon than the bloud of a Sheep.
Verſ. 4. Stand in awe and ſin not] Be ſtirred, or commoved, or troubled. Tremble and ſin not. But now adays the Word and the World too is altered; for men ſin and tremble not; being arrived at that dead and dedolent diſpoſition of thoſe Heathens who were paſt feeling, Epheſ. 4.18, 19. St. Paul rather alludeth to this text, Eph. 4.6. than citeth it as ſome think.
Commune with your own heart upon your bed] Adviſe with your Pillow what you have to do in a buſineſs ſo important, as the practice of Repentance, whereunto I am now exhorting you. Here then examine your ſelves, prove your own ſelves, as 2 Cor. 13.5. Sift you, ſift you, Zeph. 2.1. Recoil, turn ſhort again upon your ſelves, thruſt your hands into your boſoms, as Moſes did, and took it out again Leprous, white as ſnow. Take a review of your hearts and lives, converſe with your ſelves; a wiſe man can never want with whom to diſcourſe, though he be alone. But as it is a ſign that there are great diſtempers in that Family where Huſband and Wife go divers days together, and ſpeak not the one to the other: ſo in that Soul that flyeth from it ſelf, and can go long without Self-examination. A good mans buſineſs lieth moſt within doors, and he taketh the fitteſt time (night or day) for the better diſpatch of it, though thereby he abridge himſelf of his Natural reſt. Mr. Bradford, the young Lord Harrington, and ſundry others, kept Journals, or Day-books, and oft read them over, for an help to Humiliation.
And be ſtill. Selah] Or, make a pauſe, dwell upon the work of ſelf-examination till you have made ſomewhat of it, till you have driven it up to a Reformation; as Lam. 3.39, 40. Let us try, and turn. The word ſignifieth Be dumb; and hereupon all our Silentiaries have founded their ſuperſtitious opinions and practices; ſuch as were thoſe old Monks of Egypt, who ſaith Caſſian, were umbrarum morè ſilentes & foreign as ſpeechleſs as Ghoſts. So the Carthuſian Monks at this day, who ſpeak together but once a week. Some kind of Anabaptiſts alſo will not ſpeak a word to any, but thoſe of their own Sect.
Verſ. 5. Offer the ſacrifices of righteouſneſs] Confeſs your ſins, and ſlay them; run to him who is the propitiation, Jeſus Chriſt the righteous, preſent your bodies a living Sacrifice, bring a contrite ſpirit; to do good, and to communicate forget not, &c. elſe you offer the ſacrifice of fools, as Eccleſ. 5.1. and not of righteouſneſs, here. The Chaldee hath it, Domate concupiſcenti as, ſacrifice and ſubdue your luſts.
And put your truſt in the Lord] It is well obſerved, that God brings men home by a contrary way, to that they fell from him. We fell from him by diſtruſt, by having him in a jealouſie, as if he aimed more at himſelf than at our good. Wee return to him by having a good conceit of him, that he loves us better than we can love our ſelves, and therefore that we ought to put our truſt in him, both in life and death.
Verſ. 6. There be many that ſay, Who will ſhew us, &c.] This is Vox populi, the common cry: Studium improborum vagum, good they would have, but pitch not upon the true good. It was well obſerved, that he who firſt called Riches Bona, goods, was a better Husband than Divine; but the moſt are ſuch Husbands. O ſiquis daret ut vide…mus bonum! Who will help us to a good bargain, a good eſtate? &c. but God the chief good is not in all their thoughts; they minde not communion with him, or conformity to him, which is the Bonum hominis, Mic. 6.8. the totum hominis, Eccleſ. 12.13. the one thing neceſſary, though nothing is leſs thought upon. What are theſe outward comforts, ſo much affected, and admired, ſaith Plato, but Dei ludibria, banded up and down like Tennis Balls, from one to another? A Spiritual man heeds not wealth, or at leaſt makes it not his buſineſs. What tell you me of Money, ſaith Paul? I need it not, but to further your reckoning, Phil. 4.1. And David having ſpoken of thoſe rich and wretched people that have their portion herein all abundance, Pſal. 17.14. concludeth, I neither envie their ſtore, nor covet their happineſs: it is enough for me, that when I awake, ſo. at the Reſurrection of the juſt, I ſhall be full of thine Image, verſ. ult. Chriſt, who had all riches, ſcorned theſe Bona ſcabelli, earthly riches; he was born poor, lived poor, dyed poor; for, as Austin obſerveth, when Chriſt dyed he made no will &c. and as he was born in another mans houſe, ſo he was buried in another mans tombe; And yet he was, and ſtill is, God bleſſed for ever. Cicero indeed writing to Atticus, would have one friend wiſh to another three things only, viz. to enjoy Health, poſſeſs Honour, and not ſuffer Neceſſity. How much better Pauls with, Grace, Mercy, and Peace? or Davids deſire here?
Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us] One good caſt of Gods countenance was more to David than all this Worlds wealth than a confluence of all outward comforts and contentments. He had ſet up God for his chief good, and the light of Gods loving Countenance was the guide of that way that leadeth to that good; and hence his importunity; he cannot draw breath but in that air, nor take comfort in any thing without Gods gracious aſpect, and ſome comings in from Chriſt. It is better, ſaith one, to feel Gods favour one Hour in our repenting Souls, than to ſit whole Ages under the warmeſt Sun-ſhine that this world affordeth. Saith not David ſo much in the next words?
Verſ. 7. Thou haſt put gladneſs into my heart, more than, &c.] Joys unſpeakable, and full or glory, 1 Pet, 1.8. We read of ſome godly men that they have been overwhelmed with Spiritual joy, till they have cried out, Hold Lord, ſtay thine hand. I can bear no more: like weak eyes, that cannot endure to bear the light. Indeed,Bain. Letter… this is not every good mans caſe, witneſs that ſaying of ſweet Maſter Bain, I thank God in Chriſt, ſuſtentation I have, but ſuavities ſpiritual I taſte not any. And that of holy Rolloc, Whiles I live I never look to ſee perfect Reformation in the Church, or to feel perfect raviſhing joys in mine heart. But thoſe Gods people have, are far beyond all Carnal comforts.
Than in the time that their Corn, &c.] Theſe indeed are the precious fruits of the earth, Jam. 5.7. but they ſeal not up ſpecial favour. A man may have together with them animam triticeam, as that rich fool had. Animas etiam incarnavimus, as a Father complaineth. Theſe outward things are got within men, and have ſtolen away their warmeſt and livelieſt affections from God: Not ſo in the Saints; They muſt have God, or elſe they dye. The people mourned, and put on black, when they heard that God would not go with them himſelf, but ſend an Angel with them, Exod. 33.2, 3. And when great gifts were ſent to Luther, he ſent them back again with this brave ſpeech, I will not be put off with theſe poor things: I look for better. Let God beſtow himſelf upon me, and it ſufficeth. As with Manna there fell a dew, ſo to a good Soul, together with Corn and Wine (be it more or leſs) there is a ſecret influence of God, which the carnal heart is not acquainted with. A fly cannot make that of a Flower, that a Bee can do. The treacherous Shechemites had plenty of Corn and Wine, Judg. 9.27. but having not the grace of God withall, they were ſoon after deſtroyed by Abimelech.
Verſ. 8. I will both lay me down in peace and ſleep] Heb. In peace together will I lye down and ſleep; that is, ſaith the Syriack interpreter, Non ſolum cubabo ſed etiam Dormiam, I will not only lye down, but alſo ſleep; which many cannot do for fears and cares, thoſe Gnats that keep them waking. The Arabick hath it, I ſleep as ſecurely in adverſity as thoſe can that are in proſperity. Others thus, I wil lay me down together with the joy before ſpoken of, and confidence in God: this ſhall be my Bed-fellow; and then I am ſure to reſt ſweetly and ſafely. For, Thou Lord only makeſt, thou ſetteſt me in ſafety, thou giveſt to thy beloved ſleep, Pſal. 127.2. that is, extraordinary quiet refreſhing ſleep, as the learned note upon the Aleph quieſcent in … which is not uſual.