Davids Music, Title page – Dedication
DAVIDS MVSICK:
Or PSALMES OF THAT Royall Prophet, once the ſweete Singer of that Jſrael:
VNFOLDED LOGICALLY, EXpounded paraphraſtically, and then followeth a more particular explanation of the words, with manifold Doctrines and vſes briefly obſerued out of the ſame.
By R. B. and R. A. Preachers of Gods word in Somerſetſhire.
ZACH. 4. 10.
Who hath deſpiſed the day of ſmall things?
Vt olim quidam, ſic & nos.
Scripta tibi leuia haec, & ceu vulgaria ſordent;
At leuia haec fuerint, ſigrauiora dabis.
Tu, quamuis, ſubtilia dic, ſubtilia prome,
Vtilia at nobis planáque ſcripta placent.
AT LONDON Imprinted by FELIX KYNGSTON. 1616.
THE EPISTLE TO the Chriſtian Reader.
IT is a ſtraight charge, which that maiſter giueth to his ſeruants in deliuering to them his money, foreign, Negotiamini donec veniam, The conſideration whereof as it hath ſet all Gods ſeruants formerly on worke, in their times to turne & put forth their talents, that they might giuegive account with gain: ſo the great vantage that they hauehave already gotten, cannot excuſe after ſeruants, in after times from this ſpirituall traffique: what though their receipts be leſſe? yet they carefully imploy what they hauehave▪ that their maister alſo may receiue of them an anſwerable increaſe.
And this is the cauſe, why we in like ſort, in conſcience of this charge, at this time put our one talent into the banke, which we hauehave heeretofore (for the moſt part) imployed in our priuate Miniſtery; and would now with the fiſhers, when fiſhes waxe ſcant at the ſhore, launch a little further into the deepe; and with the Marchants, thriuing a little at home, aduenture further abroad, to try in other coaſts how wee can make our markets. In this our preſent trauell, wee hauehave followed the manner of ſuch Traders, making proofe with theſe new wares, what hope there will be of venting abroad more of the ſame kind, which we are very ready to doe, and that with ſpeed, if we may know them for the profit ſaleable; but if otherwiſe, as we may ſaue further labor in this courſe, ſo our loſſe ſhall not be much by ſo little: yea heereby we ſhall gaine ſomewhat to our ſelues, euen a comfortable anſwere to make at that day of account, that whatſoeuer our ſucceſſe is, yet ſuch hauehave our endeuours beene, heereby to doe the beſt good we can to the Church of God, and with the conſcience of this wee hauehave hardened our foreheads againſt the many cenſures of men, and ſet it as a brazen wall againſt them; chooſing rather to be accounted of ſuch, fooliſh, vaineglorious, affecting bookiſhnes, or any thing elſe, as pleaſeth them in their ſalt humour to vtter, then that not doing the good wee might, our owne conſciences ſhould condemne vsus, yea, God himſelfe, for euill and vnprofitable ſeruants.
Now we hauehave entred vponupon the book of the Pſalms, drawn on hitherto by the great variety of documents and inſtructions, ſutable to all eſtates of men moſt plentifully contained heerein, ſo that wee may boldly ſay, there is no condition of any in proſperity or aduerſity, peace or warres, health or ſicknes, inward or outward distreſſe, with many particular caſes in all theſe kinds, but he ſhall finde ſome Pſalmes, which he may thinke almoſt to hauehave beene compoſed vponupon his owne occaſion, wherin he may praiſe God, pray vntounto him, complaine and open his particular griefes.
And for direction heerein, wee referre thee to the diuers Prefaces both of ancient and late writers, chiefly of Athanaſius, Baſil the great, Auguſtine and ſome others, who hauehave commended this booke vntounto vsus, as a ſtorehouſe of inſtruction, and as an Apothecaries ſhop richly furniſhed with all variety of ſpirituall medicines, by which we may hauehave remedy againſt all and eueryevery our ſeuerall diſeaſes and infirmities. And ſurely, as when Saul was troubled with an euill ſpirit, by aduiſe of his ſeruants, he ſought out one that might play on the Harpe, and they found Dauid the ſonne of Iſhai, who plaied with his hand, and Saul was refreſhed, and had eaſe, the euill ſpirit departing from him: ſo hath God giuen vntounto his Church the ſame Dauid ſtill, euen the ſweet ſinger of Iſrael, to modulate, as on his harpe, theſe heauenly ditties, wherunto if we reſort, to heare, read, ſing and meditate therein, our restleſſe perturbations, inordinate affections and paſsions whatſoeuer; which as ſo many euill ſpirits doe vexe vsus many times, ſhall thus depart from vsus, and wee ſhall bee caſed and refreſhed thereby.
If any ſay now to vsus, that very many hauehave moſt profitably ſpent their trauell heerein, making expoſitions, annotations, gloſſes, paraphraſes, enarrations, yea iust and compleat comments already, in which reſpect what vſe therefore is there of further labours, heereby rather to ouerloaden the ſtudious, than to profit them? We anſwer, that moſt true it is, not only for this booke, but all parts almoſt of holy writ, God (his name be bleſſed) hath ſtirred vp the harts of many his ſeruants, to bestow their ſtrength, time, learning and meanes, not onelyonly to profit the preſent ages wherein they liued, but by their writings alſo, like carefull Fathers to prouide for poſterity. Concerning all which,Epiſt. lib. 8. epi. 65. as Seneca to his Lucilius, veneror inuenta ſapientiae, Inuentoreſ que adire tanquam multorum haereditatem juuat: ſo doe wee honour their wiſe inuentions, and induſtrious paines, and praiſe God for it, that others hauing laboured we are entred into their labours: ſed nobis iſta acquiſita, nobis laborata ſunt. This is no thanks to vsus, who hauehave theſe as an inheritance already prouided and gotten to our hands. Agamus igitur (ſaith the ſame Author) bonum patrem familias, faciamus ampliora quae accepimus, major iſta haereditas à nobis ad poſteros tranſcat. Wee ſhall not proue our ſelues good huſbands, if hauing ſuch a rich patrimony left vntounto vsus, we ſpend onelyonly on the ſtocke, and ſeeke not to leaue it ſomewhat augmented to our poſterity after vsus. May we not ſay as it there followeth: Multum adhuc reſtat operis, multá que reſtabit, nec vlli nato poſt mille ſecula praecludetur occaſio aliquid adijciendi? There is yet a great deale of this ſpirituall worke vnperfected, and ſo will be left by vsus to after-generations, neither is it the current of a thouſand yeares (ſhould the world ſo long endure) which ſhall preuent the last man of all occaſions to bring ſomething to the perfecting heereof. Or be it that all things are already found out of the ancient, in ſuch compleat manner, that they can admit no additament, hoc tamen ſemper novum erit, vſus, et Inuentorum ab alijs ſcientia et diſpoſitio: this ſhall alwaies be new and helpfull in all ages, euen the vſe, methodicall diſpoſition, & fit application thereof to the preſent times.
And this is that which we hauehave ſpecially endeuoured vntounto in this buſineſſe: not ſo much to trye what wee could ſay more, as out of that ſmall treaſury that God hath put into our earthen veſſels, to propoſe what we hauehave, whether old or new, in that method and forme, which may be beſt & moſt handy to the readers vſe. For this purpoſe, to the Argument, the vſe of the Pſalme, and the reſolution thereof prefixed in a table, we hauehave ſubioyned a Paraphraſe with the text, and quotation of other Scriptures ſeruing for the explanation thereof, noted in the margines: wherein ſo neere as we could, we hauehave endeuoured to expreſſe the meaning of the holy ghoſt, with his owne more plaine phraſes and ſpeeches in other places; not ſo much ſtudying to find out pleaſant words, as an vpright writing,Eccleſ. 12. 10. euen the words of truth. Alſo to the explanation of the words, are annexed the obſeruation of doctrines with the ſeuerall vſes, that any one may ſee from what fountaine they flow, and how thence deriued, And theſe are briefly ſet downe without any further enlargement, more then the quotations of proofes, out of the holy Scriptures, and that to auoid tediouſneſſe,Pinedae praefat. in Io. ca. 8. ſect▪ 8. becauſe as one ſaith, Ingenia non deſiderant repletionem veluti vaſa, ſed accendi volunt ſeu materia, quo vis inueniendi ſimul cum appetentia veritatis incitetur. Mens wits do not craue repletion, as veſſels, but rather a fit matter to ſet on worke their owne inuention, and to kindle in them a deſire of further ſearching after the trueth.
Now for theſe three firſt Pſalmes,Pſal. 119. 130. of them it may be ſaid, as Dauid elſwhere ſpeaketh of Gods word, that the entrance into the ſame ſheweth light, ſo theſe the very entrance to this booke,Aug. tract. 1. in Pſal. 68. light and comfort. For whereas Adam dum raperet diuinitatem, perdidit foelicitatem, while hee proudly did catch after deity, to be like God in the knowledge of good and euill, lost that felicity wherein he was made: ſo heere are we directed the meanes, how we may recouer the ſame againe, and this is, rapere ſanctitatem vt inueniā foelicitatē, euen earneſtly to ſeeke to be like God in holineſſe,2. Pet. 1. 4. and to be partakers of the diuine nature, by flying the corruption that is in the world through luſt, ſo ſhall we indeed find true happines.
And further, leſt the oppoſition againſt Chriſt & his kingdome, and the many enemies that we ſhall here meet withall, ſhould either ſuddenly moue vsus from all ſtedfastnes, or draw vsus away with the error of the wicked, we may in the ſecond Pſalme ſee Chriſts kingdome by Gods will and power establiſhed, and the enemies confounded; and alſo in the third, behold the Lords taking part with his; and making theirs his owne quarrell, maintaining his Church againſt their hoſtility, defending his ſeruants againſt their violence, and in the middeſt of dangers compaſsing them with deliuerances, that ſo with confidence,Deut. 33. 29. and tranquilly of minde, they can repoſe themſelues vponupon his aid, who is the ſhield of their helpe, and the ſword of their glory, ſubduing their enemies. To theſe therefore doe we ſend thee; to finde heere bleſſedneſſe againſt thy miſeries, to ſeeke ſafeguard againſt thine aduerſaries, to gather comfort againſt thy ſorrowes, and to lay thee as it were aſleepe in godly ſecurity againſt all terrors and feares.
And briefly for all the reſt,Aug. confeſ. lib. 8. ca. 1. as Auguſtine reſorted to Simplicianus deſiring him, vt proferret ſibi conferenti ſecum aeſtus ſuos, quis eſſet aptus modus ad ambulandum in via Domini; ſo do you much more reſort hither to this booke: by theſe impart vntounto God thy troubles, thine anguiſhes and boyling affections: by theſe hee will reioyce thy ſoule: put thy hand in frame, ſay to thy-paſsions as Chriſt did to the ſea,Mark. 4. 39. foreign, ceaſe and bee ſtill, and there will bee tranquillitas magna, a great calme. For the Lords grace ſhall be with thee,Pſal▪ 32. 8. and 43. 3. hee will inſtruct and teach thee the way that thou ſhalt goe, he will guide thee with his eye, and he will ſend forth his light and his truth, that hee may lead thee and bring thee into his holy mountaine, and to his Tabernacle. As wee hope, ſo the Lord guide our hearts to the honouring of his name, to the louelove of him, and the waiting for of Ieſus Chriſt, Amen.