Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 15
The Fifteenth PSALM.
A Pſalm of David.The Fifteenth Pſalm is a deſcription of a pious Man, ſuch as ſhall be admitted into Gods preſence, to ſerve him here in the place aſſigned for his Worſhip, and to be rewarded with heaven hereafter; and ſeems to have been compoſed by David in reflection on the time of his reſtitution, or coming back to the Ark, and the Tabernacle, from which he had been driven for ſome ſpace, as at other times, ſo on occaſion of Abſaloms Rebellion. See 2 Sam. 15.27.
Paraphrase. Paraphraſe.
1. Lord, who ſhall abide in thy Tabernacle? who ſhall dwell in thy holy Hill?
Paraphrase. 1. Let me take boldneſs to interrogate and demand of the Lord of heaven and earth, what kind of perſon it is, that may have aſſurance and confidence of his favour, ſo as to be accepted in the number of thoſe that perform his ſolemn Worſhip here, and rewarded with eternal bliſs in heaven hereafter. And the Anſwer will, I ſuppoſe, certainly be this.
2. He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteouſneſs, and ſpeaketh the truth from his heart:
Paraphrase. 2. He, and none but he, that is juſt and blamleſs in all his actions, that lives and goes on in a courſe of righteouſneſs, ſteddy and conſtant, neither offending againſt the rules of juſtice, nor mercy, but on all occaſions and opportunities that offer themſelves, abounding in the exerciſes of both, and withall hath care that his tongue ſhould not offend in delivering any thing, which he is not ſincerely perſwaded to have perfect truth in it.
3. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach againſt his neighbour:
Paraphrase. 3. He that makes ſtrict conſcience of detracting, or calumniating, of doing any kind of wrong, that carefully abſtains from ſpeaking or acting any reproachful word or deed againſt any.
4. In whoſe eyes a vile perſon is contemned, but he honoureth them that fear the Lord: he that ſweareth to his own hurt, foreignand changeth not:
Paraphrase. 4. He that indeavours to defame and diſcountenance all ſorts of wickedneſs, that inſtead of complying with the diſallowable practices of the world, repreſents them in their own ugly colours, and deters all men from imitating ſuch examples, and on the other ſide, deſires to bring virtue, and piety, and conſcience of all kind of duty, into a creditable eſteem and reputation, and pay… an hearty honour and reſpect, and gives all manner of incouragements to every good and godly man, and attracts all to the imitating ſuch, and that he may do ſo, demonſtrates by his own actions, how dear a price he ſets upon it; and conſequently, if by any promiſſory oath he have bound himſelf to the performance of any thing, that comes to coſt him never ſo dear (proves unexpectedly moſt miſchievous, or dangerous to his eſtate, or even his life it ſelf) he doth yet moſt ſtrictly oblige himſelf to the diſcharge of it, knowing there is no ill ſo great, as that by which his ſoul is wounded, as it is ſure to be moſt dangerouſly by any breach of oath.
5. He that putteth not out his money to uſury, nor taketh reward againſt the innocent. He that doth theſe things ſhall never fall.
Paraphrase. 5. He that hath not admitted any covetous deſires into his breaſt, that will not, for the enriching himſelf, leſſen any other Mans poſſeſſions; as doth the Uſurer, and taker of bribes in Judicature, the one grinding the face of the poor borrower, the other ſelling the right, the eſtate, perhaps the life of an helpleſs, but innocent perſon: but on the contrary, lends freely to him that wants that charity, and ſo is as helpful to him as he may, (free loanes being oft the moſt advantageous charities, aſſiſting mens wants, and obliging their diligence, that they may be able to repay) and to him that is unjuſtly aſſaulted or impleaded, gives all timely ſuccour that juſtice can afford, which juſtice in that caſe is an eminent charity alſo. Theſe few things, though they be not an enumeration of all the duties of a Man, are yet ſo comprehenſive and ſignificative, contain ſo many branches, eſpecially of our duty to our Neighbour, and that uniformly performed, is ſo ſure a ſign of faith, and love, and fear of God, and all other duties of piety, that I may conclude this mans title very good both to the priviledges and dignity of Gods ſervants here, and to the eternal reward of ſuch hereafter.
Annotations on Pſal. XV.
V. 4. To his own hurt] foreign doth certainly ſignifie to do hurt, from foreign which in Kal ſignifi… … be evil, but in Hiphil, to doe evil. To whom this evil it done, is thought fit to be expreſt by the Chaldee, he ſwears, ſaith the Targum, foreign to the afflicting or hurting himſelf. But the LXXII. inſtead of foreign to hurt, ſeem to have read foreign to his fellow, for they render it foreign to his neighbour; and ſo the Syriack and Latine and Aethiopick: which yet, ſuppoſing the oath to be a promiſſory oath, made to ſome other, (as the context inclines it, the whole Pſalm from v. 3. referring to works of juſtice toward other men) is no conſiderable change of the ſenſe: for if he do not foreign (as it follows) caſſate his oath made to his neighbour, (the word which conteins all other men (ſee Pſal. 12.2.) to whom we have any relation, Superiors as well as equals) then is he this juſt man that is here ſpoken of. Only the Hebrew reading ſets off his juſtice with ſome advantage, by mentioning the greateſt temptation to breach of oaths and promiſes to others, viz. when the performance brings miſchief on our ſelves; for then is the tryal of the mans virtue, and not when either he deſigns to gain, or not to loſe any thing by it. The particular occaſion of Davids ſpecifying in this, may, I ſuppoſe, deſerve here to be conſidered. The Pſalm was moſt probably penn'd after the quieting the rebellion of Abſalom, in relation to his return to the Ark and Tabernacle, from which he had been for ſome time ſeparated. Now in that rebellion he had taken notice of the fear of worldly ſufferings, that had ingaged many in that Apoſtaſy, (ſee Pal. 14.3. note b:) and in reference to them, that for fear of men made no conſcience of their allegiance to David, their lawful, but perſecuted Soveraign, he thus moſt fitly ſpecifies and ſets it down, as a principal part of the character of a truly pious man, that whatſoever his ſufferings by that means are likely to be, he makes conſcience of performing all oaths that ly upon him, and ſo in the firſt place that of Allegiance to his Sovereign, (which that Subjects took in thoſe days, appears by Solomons words, Eccleſ. 8.2. Keep the Kings Commandment in regard of the Oath of God) as that which is moſt ſtrictly incumbent on him, how dear ſoever it be likely to caſt him. Aben Ezra and Jarchi have another gloſs, that foreign here ſignifies to afflict the ſoul, (which the LXXII. render foreign, to hurt the ſoul, to uſe it ill) as that belongs to ſome vow of ſelf-denial, or paenance, Num. 30.13. But this is not ſo probable in this place, the antecedents and conſequents belonging to acts of Juſtice and Charity to other men.