Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 45
PSAL. XLV.
UPon Shoſhannim] The name of an Inſtrument with ſix ſtrings, faith Kimchi. Or,Cant. 2.1, 2. Steph, de urb. concerning the Lillies, that is, the Meſſiah and his people, faith Kabuenaki. The City Shuſan had its name from Lillies there plentifully growing; as Rhodos from Roſes, Florence from flowers, &c.
Maſchil] It is not ſaid (as elſewhere) of David; and yet ſome will have him to have been the penman; others, Salomon; epitomizing his book of Canticles; with which indeed it is of the ſelf-ſame argument, viz.
Aſong of loves] An Epithalamium or nuptiall verſe, made at the marriage of Solomon and the Shulamite. As for Pharaohs Daughter, diverſe good Divines are of opinion, that neither here, nor in the Canticles any reſpect is had, or alluſion made to that match of Salomon with her, ſo expreſly condemned by the Holy Ghoſt, 1 King. 11. ut perabſurdum mihi videatur, illud matrimonium exiſtimare fuiſſe tante rei typum, faith learned Beza. Ainſworth rendreth it, A ſong of the well-beloved Virgins, friends of the Bridegroom and Bride, verſ. 9.14. to ſet forth Chriſt in his glory, and his Church in her beauty. So when Hieron had freed the Locrians from the tyranny of Anaxilas and Cleophron, the Virgins ſang his praiſe, as is to be read in Pindarus his Odes; which Politian preferred before Davids Pſalmes, auſu nefario, Pind. Pi. 2.like an Atheiſt as he was.
Verſ. 1.Exordium ut vocant floridum. My heart is enditing a good matter] Heb. Fryeth, ſicut qua in ſartagine friguntur, as things are fryed in a frying-pan, Levit. 7.9. The Prophet, being to ſing of ſuch a ſublime ſubject, would not utter any thing but what he had duly diſgeſted, throughly thought upon, and was deeply affected with. What an high pitch flieth St. Paul, whenever he ſpeaketh concerning Chriſt? See Epheſ. 1.6. & 2.4, 7. & 3.19. The like is reported of Origen, Nuſquam non ardet, faith Eraſmus; ſed nuſquam eſt ardentior quam ubi Chriſti ſermones actuſ que tractet; that he was ever earneſt;Praefat. ad Origen. opera. but moſt of all, when he diſcourſed of Chriſt. Of Johannes Mollias a Bononian it is ſaid,Act. & Mon. ſol. 855. that whenſoever he ſpake of Jeſus Chriſt, his eyes dropped; for hee was fraught with a mighty fervency of Gods holy Spirit; and like the Baptiſt, he was firſt a burning (boyling or bubling) and then a ſhining light. Ardor mentis eſt lux Doctrinae.
I speak of the things which I have made touching the King] Or, I will ſpeak in my works, that is in this Pſalm, concerning the King, viz. Salomon, and Him that is greater than Salomon in all his glory, Chriſt the King of the Church. Works he calleth this Poem, not for the greatneſſe, but for the exquiſiteneſſe thereof; it being breve & longum plane que aureum; utpote in quo univerſa pane ſalutis noſtrae myſteria continentur, as containing almoſt all the myſteries of mans ſalvation.
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer] i. e. I will roudly and readily relate what I have ſo well ruminated; and dexterouſly deliver my moſt mature meditations concerning the myſtical marriage of Chriſt and his Church. This is a good preſident for Preachers. Demoſthenes would have ſuch a one branded for a pernicious man to the Common-wealth, who durſt propoſe any thing publickly, which hee had not before-hand ſeriouſly pondered. And Ariſtides being preſſed to ſpeak to ſomething propounded ex tempore, anſwered; propound to day, and I will anſwer to morrow; for we are not of thoſe that ſpit or ſpue up things, &c.
Verſ. 2.Valde palchiui…i. Vat. Thou art fairer than the Children of men] Heb. Thou art double-fairer; the Hebrew word is doubled, ad corroborandum, faith Kimchi. It may very well be, that Salomon was, for his beauty, another Nireus; and for his eloquence, another Neſtor; Lentulus ad Senat. ap. Magdeb. cent: 1.wiſdom might make his face to ſhine. Of Chriſt we are ſure, that his body being of the fineſt temperament, and no way diſeaſed, could not be but very beautifull. The Roman regiſter reporteth him to have been of a reverend countenance, his ſtature ſomewhat tall, his hair after the colour of the ripe hazel-nut, his forehead ſmooth and plain, his face without wrinkle, mixt with moderate red, his eyes gray, various, and clear, &c. Surely if Stephens face was as the face of an Angel, and if with his bodily eyes he could peirce the heavens, and ſee there what he would; How much more could the Lord Chriſt, whoſe very manhood came the neareſt unto God of any that ever was or could be? His very countenance did expreſſe a divinity in him. And what if to the Jews, who eſteemed him not, but maligned him, and crucified him, he had neither form nor beauty, Iſa. 53.2? what if he were ſo broken at thirty three years of age, with continuall paids and grief for them, that they judged him wel-nigh fifty, Job. 8.57? yet he was every way compleat and comely above all the Children of men; yea above all the Angells in heaven: for in him the Godb…d dwelt bodily, Col. 2.9. and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and tru…h, Joh. 3.14. His ſoul was like a rich pearl in a rough ſhell; like the Tabernacle, Goats-hair without, but gold within; or as Erutus his ſtaff, enjus insue ſoliduns aurum …ernto vilabatur cortice. He was all glorious within; had a fullneſs of grace above that of Adam, Joh. 1.16. as much as a Creature was capable of;Plutarch. and more near familiarity with the Godhead, than any creature.
Grace is poured into shy lips] So that thou canſt gracefully deliver thy ſelf in a ſet ſpeech. Solomen could, no doubt, as another Phacion or Pericles; in whoſe lips, foreign (ſaid Eupolis) ſat a ſtrange perſwaſive faculty; ſo that he could prevail with the people at his pleaſure. Jeſus Chriſt could much more do ſo; for together with his words there went forth a power; he ſpoke as never man ſpake he ſpoke with authority, and not as the Scribes; all that heard him wondred at; the words of grace that proceeded out of his mouth, Luk. 4.22. Iſa. 50.4.
Therefore God bath bleſſed thee] Or better, becauſe that God hath bleſſed thee, and endowed thee with ſuch gifts and graces.
Verſ. 3. Gird thy ſword upon thy thigh, O moſt mighty] This is one of Chriſts titles, Iſa. 9.6. the Giant, or the mighty ſtrong God, O Heros…the valliant Champion of his Church. And his ſword is the word of his mouth, Rev. 1.16. Heb. 4.12. Iſa. 49.2. All the wars in the conqueſt of Canaan were types of the ſpirituall wars under the Goſpel, whereby the Nations were ſubdued to the obedience of the faith, 2 Cor. 10.4. Epheſ. 6.11. Chriſt hath his ſword then, a two-edged ſword; and he is here called upon to gird it to his thigh (after the manner of thoſe Eaſterlings, as we do our skeans, bangers, woodknives) that is, to take unto him his authority, and to exerciſe it for the converſion of his people, and confuſion of his enemies. Additur …i gladius quem non oſtentet velut foreign, ſed quem etium deſtring at. A ſword hee hath, not for ſhew, but for ſervice; whence it is added, with thy glory and thy Majeſty.Equita ſuper verbum verit… tis.
Verſ. 4. And in thy Majeſty ride proſperouſly] Heb. Proſper thou, ride thou upon the Word of truth, of meekneſſe and of Righteouſneſſe. q. d. Ride thou in thy triumphant Charret, as it were drawn by thoſe three glorious graces, Truth, Meekneſſe, and Righteouſneſſe; and governed by the Word, as by the Charter-man; Cui diviniſſim a allegorie explicand a pro rei gravisate ac dignitate integro volumine opus eſſet, ſaith B…za, For the explaining of which moſt divine allegory, according to the worth of it, a whole volume might well be full written. The Kings of the earth for moſt part have their Charrets drawn by other horſes, viz. Pride, Ambition, Cruelty, &c. as Seſoſtres King of Egypt, Qui Pharios currus regum cervicibus egit.
And thy right hand ſhall teach thee terrible things] i. e. Shall inable thee to perform them. Chriſt riding on his white horſe (his Apoſtles and Preachers) went forth conquering, and to conquer, Rev. 6.2. Salomon was no ſuch ſword-man as was Jeſus Chriſt.
foreign
Verſ. 5. Thine arrows are ſharp, &c.] Peters converts were pricks at heart; Act. 1. Act. 7.54.and Stephens heaters were cut to the heart; Chriſt can fetch in his rebelts afarre off; he hath arrowes as well as a ſword, to wound them; that men may either bend or break, yeeld, or become his footſtool; One way or other he will ſurely have the better of them.
Verſ. 6. Thy throne, O God] Here the Prophet directe…h his ſpeech not to Solomon (who never took upon him the name of God, as did Soſoſtris King of Aegypt, Antiochus, foreign Caligula, and ſome other proud Princes) but to Chriſt, Heb. 1.8. who is God, bleſſed for ever, foreign, not ſo called by an excellency only, as the Angels are, Pſal. 8.9. with Heb, 2. not by Office and Title only, as Magiſtrates are gods… Pſ. 82.16. nor Catachreſtically and Ironically ſo called, as the Heathen gods, nor a diminutive god, inferiour to the Father, as Arrius held, but God by nature, every way Co-eſſential, Co-eternal, and Co-equal with the Father, and the Holy Choſt, Joh. 1.1. Phil. 2.6. 1 Joh. 5.20. Hold this laſt; for it is the Rock, Mat. 16.16. it is of the very foundation: ſo that if we beleeve it not, there is no heaven to be had, 1 Joh. 5.20. As for his Kingly Office here deſcribed, it belongeth to him as Mediator, and what is here ſpoken of him is to be underſtood of his whole perſon; for ſo is he Head of the Church, and King of Iſrael, for ever.
The ſcepter of thy Kingdom, &c.] Thy government is not with rigour, but with righteouſneſs, thou cameſt rightly by it, caſting out Satan the Uſurper, Mat. 12.29. Heb. 2.14. and doſt moſt righteouſly adminiſter it, Deut. 4.8.
Verſ. 7.Haec verè heroica eſt nemeſis. Thou loveſt right eouſneſs; and hateſt wickedneſs] Salomon did ſo for a great while (may Nero's firſt five years were ſuch, that Trajan was wont to ſay, that none ever attained to the perfection of them) but Chriſt continually; neither can hee do otherwiſe. See Matth. 3.10, 11, 12. Joh. 5.30. Matth. 12.18, 19, 20.
Therefore God thy God hath anoynted] i.e. For which purpoſe God hath anoynted thee his Meſſiah, or Chriſt, Pſal. 2.2.
With the oyl of gladneſs] Quia totus mundus in unctione Chriſti & ejus miſſione letabitur, ſaith Kimchi; ſo called, becauſe the whole World ſhould bee cheared up by the Unction and Miſlion of Meſſiah; he received the Spirit without meaſure, that of his fulneſs we might all receive and grace for grace, righteouſneſs and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoſt.
Above thy fellows] i.e. Exreliquorum regum numero eximendus, above all earthly Potentates;Beza. the beſt whereof (as David, …o ſish) had their faults, and flaws; or rather above thy Saints, thy fellow-brethren by grace, and Co-heirs of glory; they have Plenitudinem V aſis, but thou, Fontis; neither only art thou anointed Pre conſortibus, above thy fellows, but Pro conſortibus, for thoſe thy fellows, as ſome render it,Dioſcor. l. 1. c. 67. & l. 3. c. 82: & lib: l. 12 Lib. 1. Antidot. and it is very comfortable.
Verſ. 8. All thy garments ſmell of myrrbe, aloes and caſſia] Things not only of good ſavour, but of great price, Myrrbe ſome take to be Musk, Aloes Amber, Caſſia, a kind of Ginnamon, which in Galeas time was very rare and hard to bee found, except in the ſtore-houſes of great Princes. And Pliny reporteth, that a pound of Cinnamon was worth a thouſand Denarii, that is, an hundred and fifty Crowns of our …. This deſcription then of Chriſts cloathing, doth allegorically ſet forth the ſweetneſs and pleaſure that the Father findeth in him (foreign, Mat. 3.17.) and that we alſo finde, whilſt he is made unto us of God, Wiſdom, Righteouſneſs, Sanctification, and Redemption, 1 Cor. 1.30. (Confer 2 Cor. 2.14.) and that out of his Ivory palaces, i.e. his heavenly habitation, from which he beholdeth us, and raineth down righteouſneſs upon us.
Whereby they have made thee glad] i.e. Servi & ſodales tui, thy fellow friends and ſervants, who ſtand and hear the Bridegroom, and rejoyce greatly by reaſon of his voyce, Joh. 3.29. yea make him glad by their ready obedience, ſetting the Crown upon his head, and adorning him as it were with all his bravery in the day of his eſpouſals. Cant. 3.11. and making him ſay, How fair, how pleaſant art thou, O love, for delights! Cant. 7.6.
Verſ. 9 Kings daughters were among thine honourable women] Thy Ladies of honour attending upon thy royal Conſort (for after the deſcription of Chriſt, the Bridegroom, followeth another of the Queen, his Bride, and of the royal Nuptials) Or, Kings daughters are in thy preciouſneſſes, that is, in thy comlineſs that thou haſt put upon them, Ezek. 16.14. for all the Churches bravery is borrowed, and all her Daughters, i.e. Members, are adorned not with their own proper attire, Sed regio mundo & ornatu, out of the King Chriſts Wardrobe; this is the righteouſneſs of the Saints, Rev. 19.8. viz. imputed, and imparted.
Upon thy right band] Which is a place of Dignity and Safety. As Chriſt is at the Fathers right hand; ſo the Church is at Chriſts right hand; where, as his wife, ſhe ſhineth with her Husbands beams. This is very comfortable.
Did ſtand the Queen] Heb.Augusta. the wife, adjutorium illi exacts respondens, as Gen. 2.18. ſaith …, that hee was happy in his wife, a Lady of excellent vertue, who drew evenly with him in all the courſes of honour that appertained to her ſide;Daniels hiſt. and ſeemed a peece ſo juſt cut for him, as anſwered him rightly in every joynt.
Verſ. 10. Hearken O Daughter, and conſider, incline thine ear] The Prophets, or rather Chriſts Counſell to the Church, and each Member thereof, wholly to deny ungodlineſſe and wordly luſts, and to live ſoberly,Tit. 3.12. righteouſly and godly in this preſent World; to leave all, and to cleave to Chriſt. This, becauſe it is ſoon ſaid, but not ſo ſoon done, He preſſeth in many words all to one purpoſe, Hearken, ſee, incline thine ear. Self-denyall is a moſt difficult duty, and yet ſo neceſſary, that if it be not done, we ſhall be undone.
Forget alſo thine own people, &c.] All evill opinions muſt be unlearned, and all evill practices abandoned, and all our love transferred, and transfuſed upon Chriſt; or we cannot be a fit Spouſe for him. Chriſts Spouſe muſt (as Deut. 21.11, 12, 13.) ſhave her head, pare her nails, and bewail her Father and Mother, that is, her naturall inbred evills and corruptions.
Verſ. 11. So ſhall the King greatly deſire thy beauty] If thou deny thy ſelf and forgo all others to pleaſe him alone, he ſhall ſet his whole heart upon thee, and be raviſhed with thy love, as Prov. 5.19. How could that Perſian Ladies Husband do leſſe than love her, who having been at Cyrus his wedding, and asked how ſhe liked the Bridegroom? Like him, ſaid ſhe? I know not how I like him; for I looked upon no man there, but mine own Husband. Aſpaſia Mileſia was very dear to Cyrus, becauſe ſhe was foreign, Fair, and withall Wiſe.Aelian.
For he is thy Lord] And therefore not to be ſlighted by thee, for his great love, as many of the Perſian Monarchs were (Ahaſhueroſh for inſtance) but reverenced and obeyed, as Auguſtus was by his wife Livia.
Verſ. 12. And the Daughter of Tyre ſhall be there With a gift] Iſa. 23.18. The Tyrians, that wealthy people, when once converted (think the ſame of other Nations) ſhall leave hoarding and heaping; and find another manner of Merchandiſe and imployment of their ſubſtance, viz. to feed and cloath Gods Saints, and maintain his Miniſters.
Verſ. 13. The Kings Daughter is all glorious within] In the Inner-man, Epheſ. 3.16. the hidden man of the heart, 1 Pet. 3.4. Great is the glory of the new Creature; but not diſcerned by the World, through which the Saints muſt be content to paſſe as concealed perſons; and not think much to have the greater part of their warein the inner part of their ſhop, and not all on the board or ſtall.
Her cloathing is of wronght gold] ex veſtibus auro ocellatis. Cloathed ſhe is with humility, and other golden graces; as with that party-coloured garment, whereby Kings Daughters, as Tamar, were anciently diſtinguiſhed from others.
Verſ. 14. She ſhall be brought] See the Note on verſ. 13. ſhe ſhall be preſented to Chriſt a glorious Church, not having ſpot, wrinkle, or any ſuch thing, Epheſ. 5.27. Rev. 21.2.
Verſ. 15. With gladneſſe and rejoycing] As at marriages is uſuall. Sampſons wife, ſoleciſed in weeping at ſuch a feaſt. Oh the joy! the joy! ſaid that dying Saint. But what in the mean-while?
Verſ. 16. In ſtead of thy Fathers, &c.] The Church ſhall ſtill bring forth Children to her Husband Chriſt, and there ſhall bee a ſucceſſion of his name, Pſal. 72.17.
Whom thou maieſt make Princes] The Saints are Kings in Righteouſneſſe, though ſomewhat obſcure ones as was Melchiſcdech.
Verſ. 17. I will make thy name, &c.] This is a ſecond benefit promiſed to the Church, viz. everlaſting renown, with higheſt eſtimation and imitation, to the Worlds end.