Mavtin Uutbtv'^

COMPLETE

COMMENTARY

FIRST TWENTY-TWO PSALMS.

NOW

FIRST TRANSLATED,

BY THE REV. HENRY COLE,

OF CLARE HALL, CAMBRIDGE,
AND LATE LECTURER OF WOOLWICH, KENT.

The memory of the just is blessed : but the name of the wicked shall rot. Pro v. x .
He being dead yet speaketh. Heb. xi. 4.

VOLUME I.

Uoittion:

PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, BY T. BENSLEY,

Crarte Court, Fleet Street.

PUBLISHED BY W. SIMPKIN AND R. MARSHALL,

stationers' hall court;

and sold by

J. EEOES, NO. 2, NEWGATE STREET.

1826.

x.^*^

THE

TRANSLATORS PREFACE.

In addition to the prefatory observations which have
been affixed to the Translation of Luther's Bondage
OF THE WiEX, and to the Selection from his Works
in Numbers, it may be proper to make a few remarks
more, as an introduction to this Translation of his Com-
mentary on the First Twenty-two Psalms as
being a work of much importance, and involving many
particulars necessary to be mentioned by a Translator,

The Hebrew words commented on in the course of
the Work, are given in the original of Luther in Roman
characters : and therefore it was deemed proper to re-
tain the Roman character in the Translation also. But
as the Greek words are in the Greek character in the
original, they are given the same in the Translation.

2. Luther's version of the Psalms, or the version
which he had before him, is necessarily given as it is in
his Commentary : because the matter of the whole
Commentary depends upon it.

3. The example of the great Translators of his
Commentary on the Galatians, and on his Psalms of
degrees, who, " having a respect unto the simple, pur-
posely sponged out and and omitted such stumbling

places (being but few) which might offend,"* has been
followed in the Translation of the present work.

It is somewhat remarkable that the present produc-
tion of Luther, together with the Bondage of the
Will, and most of his other works which have been lately
published ip the series of Numbers, have never appeared
before in the English language; though they contain mat-
ter so important and valuable. The present work, in
particular, from having remained so long buried in the
_^_ge£man^d Latin, has certainly been a loss to many of the
favourers of divine and experimental truth : and there-
fore it is hoped, that it will meet with a cordial recep-
tion from them, and be made useful unto their best
ii^terests.- — With these few observations, the Reader is
left to converse with Luther himself, in his Com-
^aaieptary.

* The Translators' Preface to the Commentary on the Galatians,

THB

PIOUS AND LEARNED
COMMENTARY

OF

jHavtin Huttetr

ON THE

FIRST TWENTY-TWO PSALMS

VOL. Ill,

v>

PREFACE.

Martin Luther, to the most illustrious Prince
AND Lord, Frederic, Archmarshal of the sacred
Roman Empire, Elector,Duke of Saxony, Marquis
OF Misnia, Landgrave of Thuringa, his most kind
Patron, sendeth greeting.

Those who dedicate their labours and the productions
of their mind to illustrious personages, and send them
forth into the world under the sanction of their names,
seem to act prudently and rightly ; because, by such
means, they procure to their works both authority, and
a protection against those aims of malignity which are
sure to be levelled at them : for such is the state of hu-
man affairs, that, the more excellent things are, the more
they are exposed to envy and to the shafts of the male-
volent. Whence it comes to pass, that laudable litera-
ture, and all the productions of genius and erudition,
(which are without doubt some of the best of things, and
things worthy the particular and serious attention oi
man,) do not a little stand in need of their Meca^nas,
their Augustus, and also of their Ulysses, who may
strike their Thyrsites with his ivory sceptre. — And some
also procure the sanction of the names of illustrious
personages, that they may thereby immortalize those
names, and hand down to the records of fame the indi-
viduals to whom they make their dedication : with the
view, that posterity may be led to love their virtues, and
that many may be animated by the examples thus held
before them in such praises. — Others again do it from
this motive, that they may thereby express their thanks,
and thus in some degree make a return for benefits re-
ceived; and leave behind them a testimony of their
gratitude to those by whom they have been treated with
kindness.

b2

But, most illustrious Prince, neither of these mo-
tives answer my design. For, in the first place, I am
aware that none of the productions which proceed
from me, deserve a patron : and so far, it is a happiness
that I know my deficiency. And, even if I could pro-
duce that which should be worthy of the sanction of a
patron's name, yet I should by no means be anxious to
put it under a patron's protection. Nay, as soon as I
learnt from the Holy Scriptures, how terror-filled and
perilous a matter it was to preach publicly in the church
of God, and to speak in the midst of those whom you
know will one day be your judges, and that in the pre-
sence of God the beholder of all things, in the sight of
angels, and in the sight and hearing of all creatures,
there was nothing that I so much desired as silence ;
wishing also, that a sponge could deface all that ever I
had in my poor foolish way published abroad. For it is
a momentous and awe-striking matter to render an ac-
count unto God even for every idle word. Nor does he
now keep me in the ministry of the Word, but by an
overruled obedience to a will above my own, that is, his
divine will : for, as to my own will, it alMays shrunk
from it, nor is it fully reconciled unto it to this hour.

And, indeed, what fame, what praise, what eternal-
izing of a name, can your most illustrious Highness
hope from me ? being yourself such a Prince, who, not
only by all those other endowments that exalt the
Prince, but also by a distinguished love of learning and
learned men, have procured to yourself that name and
glory, that, instead of wanting an Appion to immor-
tahze your name, you yourself immortalize the name of
an Appion, and of all who attempt to give you cele-
brity ? Who is there that knows not, that Prince Fre-
deric, has given an example to all princes, by his pa-
tronage and promotion of literature ! Your Wittemberg
now devotes itself to the Greek and the Hebrew with
encouragement and profit. The arts are taught with
greater success than ever they were before. The true
theology of Christ now triumphs : while the vain ima-
ginations and disputations of men have no scope for

thought or research. All these things flourish beneath
your auspices, at your expense, and under your protec-
tion. O that the ecclesiastical great ones, who ought
themselves to be the foremost in showing forth examples
in these things for the princes of the laity to imitate,
would but imitate the examples that the laity thus show
them. — But, such is the unhappily fallen state of the
ecclesiastical power and opulence !

And again, why should I attempt to render you gra-
titude for the abundant kindnesses you have heaped
upon me, when you have thrown them upon one who
never deserved them. What cares, attentions, expenses,
and indeed, perils, did that monstrous production of
mine cost your Highness which owed its birth to the in-
dulgences ! The whole of your dominion knows, that my
Prince showed a much greater concern for me, than I
did for myself. I, in my usual daring w'ay, cast the die,
being always ready to attempt and to expect extremi-
ties : for I hoped, upon that occasion, that, if I should
be removed from teaching others, I should find out some
corner of the world into which I might retire, after I had
left the public life, to which I was always averse. But
the persevering endeavours of your Highness prevailed;
and when I was willing to suffer those things which
my enemies longed to inflict upon me, neither they nor
I had our will.

But still, I am glad that such was the issue of
matters, if it w'ere only on this account: — there is not a
Christian that ought not to feel a serious grief and
concern, that the impudence of a certain set of fellows
proceeds to such a pitch of audacity in the church of
Christ, that they presume to ensure themselves success
in their filthy purposes and lusts, under cover of the
venerable name and authority of the church. And the
more kind, good, and learned the Pope happens to be,
the greater enormities these monsters promise to them-
selves, by effecting them under the cloak of his autho-
rity. For, with what numberless and manifest lies did
they profane and defile the sacred name of Leo X. in
this one little point, the indulgences, in order to terrify

6

the conscience of one poor brother, and to establish
their own horrible tyrannies ? — Though it is not a thing
so much to be wondered at, that there should be found
such characters to prostitute the name of the high
Pope, and to abuse it: for the patriarchs of such
fellows, that is, the false prophets, false apostles, and
false christs, did the same ; who made the holy name of
God and of Christ to serve their lies. — Of the holy
name of that God and Lord, I say, even our Lord
Jesus Christ ; whose are all those things which we ad-
mire in you, most illustrious Prince ; and may he ac-
knowledge, increase, and preserve the same to ail eter-
nity.— This prayer I offer up, which is all I can do, as
a return for the favours I have received at your hands.

Hence, the reason why I wished to send forth these
my productions, such as they are, (for productions they
certainly are, though I cannot find confidence enough
to call them interpretations or commentaries, from a
consciousness of my poor ability betrayed in them,)
under the sanction of the name of your most illustrious
Highness, was none other, than because I greatly love
you. For I am fully persuaded of the pure and chaste
love which your heart hath for the Holy Scriptures :
and my heart (to use the words of Deborah) " is toward"
such Princes.

And why should I not here declare at full my
thoughts concerning you, and the cause of this my love
for you, that those who boast themselves in the holy
Scriptures may see how far a hypocrite differs from a
true theologian ? — My very good and reverend father in
Christ, John Stupitius, told me, upon a certain oc-
casion, that once, while he was staying with your High-
ness, the conversation turned upon those who preach
publicly to the people ; and that, according to the won-
derful penetration of your judgment, you said, ' Those
sermons which are made up of the cunning and tradi-
tions of men, are but frigid things, and too weak and
ineffectual to persuade us to our best interests ; for
nothing of that kind can be brought forth so acute,
that may not be subverted and rooted up by the

same cunning. But the Holy Scriptures carry with them
a holy oneness, which sounds in our ears with such force
and majesty, even without any exertion of ours, that, lead-
ing captive and cutting up all the schemes of human
cunning, it urges and compels us to acknowledge
" Never man spake like this man." This is " the finger
of God," for " he teaches as one having authority, and
not as the scribes and pharisees." With which senti-
ments, when Stupitius willingly coincided, and expressed
his commendation of them, he told me, that you put
forth your hand and demanded his, and said, ' Promise
me, I pray thee, that thou wilt always think so.'

And were not this sentiment and this request such as
would become even a most holy and high Pope ? and
the more so, as it may be clearly perceived, that they
were not only expressed in word, but accompanied with a
feeling sense of heart ? Can we not, then, clearly discern
who are the true theologians? Let shame, therefore,
seize those theologians and lawyers especially, to whom
the Holy Scriptures have become almost an object of ri-
dicule, and who, tacking to them their infinite glosses,
pestilently torment those, (as Hieronymus says) who, in
every thing they say, wish to appeal to the Word of
God. As if Christ had said to Peter, ' command,' or
* lay injunctions on,' or ' teach,' and not rather, " feed,"
my sheep : that is, deliver to them that which will feed
them. And such are fed by the Word of God only, and
not by the opinions and traditions of men. And more-
over, that nothing so acute can be brought forward, (as
you justly observed,) which may not be rebutted by the
same human cunning, is abundantly shown us in that
miserable workhouse, in which the disciples of Scotus,
Thomas, Albertus, Modernus, and all those others who
have their peculiar followers, squander away their time.

I confess, most illustrious Prince, that by this sweet
account of you which I heard, I was wholly captivated, and
constrained to love you. For I know not how it is, but I
cannot help loving all whom I hear to be lovers of the
holy Scriptures ; nor, on the other hand, hating those
who are obstinate and despise them : so that, in each

respect, from the force of my feelings, I am filled with
vehemence, and, as certain of my good friends say of
me, am severe and vain-glorious. But let them criminate
me as they will : they may affix to me epithets both
good and bad, of the first, second, or third kind, and
impose them upon me, but they will never take away
from me the grand essentials of theology, nor extinguish
my love of them if Christ but continue to smile upon me.
I know what scholastic theology did for me: I know
also how much I owe to it : and I am glad that I am de-
livered from it, and give thanks for my deliverance to
Christ the Lord. I have no need that they should teach
me what it is, for I know what it is already : nor is it of
any service for thwn to endeavour to reconcile me unto
it, for I will have nothing to do with it.

Bear, therefore, most illustrious Prince, with my
desiring to send forth this little work into the world
with the name of your Highness affixed to it, and consi-
der it as a token of my love. I now, for the second
time, undertake the Exposition of the Psalms in your
Wittemberg, being requested and urged so to do by my
hearers, who are some of the best of men, and to whom
I cannot deny that I am a debtor. But I so profess to
undertake them, as being quite unwilling that any one
should presume to expect that from me, which no one
of the most holy and most learned of the fathers could
ever yet pretend to, — that I should understand and
teach the Psalms in all respects according to their real
sense and meaning. It is enough that some men under-
stand some parts of them. The Holy Spirit always re-
serves much to himself, in order that he may keep us
learners under him. Many things he only holds out in
order to allure us on : and many things he delivers to us
that they may work effectually in us. And, as Augus-
tine has greatly remarked, ' No man ever yet so spoke
as to be understood by all in all things : ' which leaves
that great truth the more manifest, that it is the Holy
Ghost alone who has the understanding of all his own
words.

Wherefore, it becomes me candidly to confess, that

9

I know not whether or not mine is, to a certainty, the
true meaning of the Psalms, though I nevertheless hold
no doubt, that what I have delivered is truth. For
what Augustine, Hieronymus, Athanasius, Hilary, Cas-
siodorus, and others, have said upon the Psalms, is truth,
though it is sometimes very far indeed from the literal
meaning. And thus, this second exposition which I have
undertaken, is very different from my first. And indeed
there is not one book of the whole Bible in which I have
been so much exercised as in the Psalms : till at last I
came to this opinion,— that no man's interpretation,
provided it be a godly one, should be rejected, unless
he that rejects it submit himself to the same law of re-
taliation. One man may fall short in many things, and
another in more. I may see many things which Augus-
tine did not see. And I am persuaded that others will
see many things which I do not see now.

What course then remains for us to pursue, but that
Ave mutually assist each other, and pardon those who
fail, knowing that we are liable to fail ourselves? For
let us not by any means follow the example of that
most detestable and most vile race of men, who, though
they cannot themselves perform one single thing that
deserves not to be exposed, yet, when they find the
least imperfection of a hair's or straw's value in the pro-
ductions of another, immediately consider themselves
worthy of being rewarded with all the triumphs of
Pompey. I know it to be the most impudent height of
temerity, for any one boldly to profess, that he under-
stands any one book of the Scriptures fully in all its
parts ! Nay, who will presume to maintain that he un-
derstands fully and perfectly any one single Psalm ?
Our life is only a beginning, and a going on, and not a
consummation. He rises the highest, who comes the
nearest to the Holy Spirit. If I can touch the moon, I
am not immediately to imagine that I have touched
the sun also : nor am I to look with disdain upon the
lesser stars. There are degrees in livino; and acting, and
why not in understanding also ? The apostle says, that
we are "changed from glory to glory." And, to open my

10

design plainly, — ^I only write for the service of those,
who know not these things, but wish to know them :
and therefore, it will be at least a satisfaction to me to
reflect, that I have hereby engaged myself and my
hearers in a better employment of mind, than if I had
been'adding new clouds of darkness, and fresh toads and
flies of corruption, to the books of human opinions.

This book of Psalms is, in my opinion, of a different
nature from all the other books. For in the other
books we are taught what we ought to do, both by pre-
cept and example. But this book not only teaches "us,
but shows us in what way and manner we may do the
Word, and imitate the examples it contains. For it is
not in our power or strength to fulfil the law of God, or
to imitate Christ : all we can do, is, to desire and pray
that we might be able to do the Word, and imitate
Christ's example ; and, when we have gained some
power so to do, to praise, and give thanks unto God.
What else then is the Psaltry, but praying to, and
praising of, God? that is, a book of hymns ?

Therefore, the most gracious and blessed Spirit of
God, the Father of his humble scholars, and the teacher of
infants, well knowing that "we know not how to pray as
we ought," (as Paul saith,) in order to help our infirmi-
ties, (like schoolmasters who compose letters or subjects
for their pupils to write home to their parents,) has pre-
pared for us in this book words and feeling sensations,
in which we may converse with our heavenly Father,
and pray unto him concerning those things which he
has taught us in the other books are to be done and imi-
tated ; that man may not want any thing that is neces-
sary unto his eternal salvation. So great are the care of
God over us, and his kindness to us ! — Who is blessed
for ever. And in whom, may your most gracious High-
ness live and prosper now and for evermore ! Amen.

Witteniberg-,
March 25, 1519.

COMMENTARY

FIRST TWENTY-TWO PSALMS.

P S A L M I.

VERSE 1.

Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the
counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners,
and hath not sat in the seat of pestilence.

1 HERE IS a common mquiry among men concernmg
blessedness : and there is no one who does not wish
that things may go well with him, and does not dread
the thought that things should go ill with him. And yet
all who have ever thus inquired have wandered from the
knowledge of true blessedness : and they have wandered
the most widely who have inquired with the greatest di-
ligence: such as the g^llilosj^ihers: the greatest of whom
have placed true_b.lessedness^in virtue, or in the actions
of virtue : whereby, having renHered themselves more
unhappy than the rest, they have deprived themselves of
the blessings both of this life and of that which is to
come. Whereas, the commonalty, though their ideas
were the more grossly mad, by making blessedness to
consist in carnal pleasure, enjoyed at least the good of
this life.

This teacher, however, fetching his doctrine from
heaven, detests all the devoted endeavours of men, and
gives this only true definition of blessedness which is

12

wholly unknown unto men : — that he is the " blessed "
man who loves the law of God. Hft is, indeed, a short de-
finition, but it contains a savour that is contrary to all
liuman^deaSj _and_ especially to human wisdom. -^^^But,
first~of ail, let us consider the grammatical signification
of this passage, with respect to the Theology contained
in it.

In the Hebrew, the w ord " blessed " is a plural
noun, ASHRE (blessednesses): that is, all blessednesses
are the portion of that man who has not gone away,
&c. As though it were said, ' All things are well
with that man who, &c. Why dp you hold any dispute?
Why draw vain conclusions ? If a man has found that
pearl of ^reat price, to love the law of God and to be
separate from the ungodly, all blessednesses belong to
that rrian : bift, if he does not find this jewel, he will
seek for all blessednesses, but will never find one.' For
as all things are pure unto the pure, so all things are
lovely unto the loving, all things good unto the good_:
and, universally, such as thou art thyself, such* is God
himself unto thee, though he is not a creature. — He is
perverse unto the perverse, and holy unto the holy.
Hence nothing can be good or saving unto him who is
evil ; nothing sweet unto him unto whom the law^ of
God is not sweet.

It is well known that "to walk," and 'to go,' are used
in the scripture mode of expression, figuratively, and are
of the same signification, as to have to life and conver-
sation. As in Psalm xv. 2, " He that walketh uprightly."
And Psalm ci. 6, " He that walketh in a perfect way he
shall serve me." And again, Rom. viii. 1, " There is no
condemnation to them — who walk not after the flesh."

The word " counsel" is without doubt here to be
received as signifying decrees and doctrines : seeing that,
no society of men exists without being formed and pre-
served by decrees and laws. David, how^ever, by this
term strikes at the pride and reprobate temerity of the
un<Todly. First, because they will not humble them-
selves so far as to walk in the law of the Lord, but rule
themselves By their own counsel. And then, he calls it

\3

their "counsel," because it is their prudence, and the way
that seems to them to be without error. For this is the
destruction of the ungodly — their being prudent in their
own eyes and in their own esteem, and clothing their
errors in the garb of prudence and of the right way.
For, if they came to men in the open garb of error, it
would not be so distinguishing a mark of blessedness
not to walk with them. But David does not here say
* in the folly of the ungodly ' or ' in the error of the un-
godly.' And therefore, he admonishes us to guard with all
diligence against the appearance of what is right, that the
devil transformed into an angel of light do not seduce
us by his craftiness. And he contrasts the counsel of the
wicked with the law of the Lord, that M'e may learn to
beware of wolves in sheep's clothing ; who are always
ready to give counsel to all, to teach all, and to offer
assistance unto all, when they are of all men the least
qualified so to do.

The " ungodly " man, who in the Hebrew is called
RASCHA, is by Hilary most rightly defined to be ' he
who thinks evilly concerning God.' For un^odjiness
is properly the sin of unbelief, and is committed in
the heart. But the term has been variously translated,
and differently at different times. Do thou therefore al-
ways understand these two to be contrary the one to the
other, — faith in God, and ungodliness: even as also, the
law of God, and the counsel of men. For when we speak
of godliness and ungodliness, we do not speak of actions
but of thoughts : that is, of the fountain-spring of
actions. Because he who is rightly taught concerning
God, cannot but do what is right, and show forth a good
life. For, if the just man fall even seven times a day, he
shall rise again: but the ungoldly rush wholly into evil
and do not rise again. These, because they are in unbe-
lief, do not one good work, though every thing that they
do may have a fair appearance, being that shade that
covers behemoth, Job xl. 22, whereby they deceive
themselves and draw in the simple. — Hence, he is
godly who lives by faith, and he who lives in unbelief is
ungodly.

14

Who are " sinners " we may plainly see ; for this is
the outward man of the ungodly; but the counsel and
the ungodly man that are hidden in the heart we see not.
Here therefore, David is speaking of those works, actions,
and ways which appear outwardly : and this he calls the
" way," because now, the counsel is supposed to have
come forth into habit and practice, as they say, and
because they here commit outwardly the evil which
they imagined inwardly. But this " way," as I have ob-
served, is for the most part of a better outward show
than even that of the godly. For as to those grosser
sinners, any one might easily beware of them without
this admonition ; or at least, might know them.

The term " stood," descriptively represents their
obstinacy, stifF-neckedness ; wherein they harden them-
selves and make their excuses in words of malice,
having become incorrigible in their ungodliness, as con-
sidering it to be godliness. For * to stand,' in the figu-
rative manner of scripture expression, signifies to be
firm and fixed : as in Rom. xiv.4. " To his own master he
standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up, for
God is able to make him stand." Hence the word
* column' is by the Hebrews derived from their verb to
stand, as is the word * statue' among the Latins. For
this is the very self-excuse and self-hardening of the
ungodly — their appearing to themselves to live rightly
and to shine in the external show of works above all
others.

With respect to the term " seat," — to sit in the seat,
is, to teach, to act the instructor and teacher : as in
Matt, xxiii. 2. "The scribes sit in Moses' chair." So, to
sit on a throne is to reign or act as king : as we fre-
quently find it expressed in the Books of Kings. So also,
to sit on a chair of state, signifies to act as ruler ; and,
to sit on a tribunal, to act as judge.

In respect of " pestilence," though the translation is
not literal, yet it is very forcible. The word in the
Hebrew is * of the mockers,' or ' of the scornful.' But
the scornful are they at whom he strikes in the Psalms
under the terms 'deceitful,' and 'false tongues;' as

15

being those who under a show of sound doctrine diftuse
the poison of erroneous doctrine. For the pestilence
among bodies is not half so contagious as that of un-
godly doctrine among minds; " Their word, (saith the
Apostle, 2 Tim. ii.) will eat as doth a canker," And
even as the wise are called the health of the world,
Wisdom vi. ; so these ungodly are rightly called the
pestilepce of the world. And what mockery can be
more pestilential, than to administer deadly poison unto
souls that are thirsting after the purity of the truth ?

David, therefore, according to that usual manner
adopted throughout the church of distinguishing the
good life from the evil by faith and walk, the former
distinguishing the godly from the ungodly, the latter
saints from sinners, here describes these two states, and
to them adds a third. For, after ungodliness has in-
fected a man inwardly in his thoughts^ and outwardlyjn
h^s life, it would ha.ve^JiQ-farthgx.to go, did it not rush
forth and drawjothers along with it into the same^per-
dition. Andtherefore,Tt is not contented in itself at the
bemg wicked in thought and wicked in life, unless it
teach others ungodliness also. — So far, concerning the
grammatical part.

And this also is especially to be remarked in the
scriptures — how wisely it omits to mention the names
of sects and persons. For this Psalm without doubt
strikes first at the people of the Jews ; as the apostle
saith, " to the Jew first and also to the Greek." And
Rom. iii. " We know that what things soever the law
saith, it saith to them who are under the law." Yet
David does not say, * Blessed is the Jew,' or Blessed is
that certain person : nor does he say. In the counsel of
the Gentiles, or of these or those certain persons ; but
absolutely, " Blessed is the man;" and, "the counsel of the
ungodly;" and, " in the way of sinners;" and also, " in the
seat of the scornful ; " whoever they may be, for there is
no respect of persons with God.

And this was highly necessary to be done, that the
Word of God, as it is eternal, should apply to all ages of
mankind. For although manners, persons, places, and

16

customs, may vary in ditferent times, yet both godliness
and ungodliness are the same in all ages. Hence we
see, that the prophets used the same scriptures against
the false prophets, the apostles against the false apostles,
and the true teachers against heretics, though they found
not in those scriptures the names of the prophets, or the
apostles, or the teachers, or their adversaries, but the
godly and ungodly described only.

Moreover, if any particular person were mentioned,
then the rest would not believe that the evil which was
spoken of belonged to them ; or, that the good which
was spoken of belonged to them only. Even as the Jews
apply to themselves, all the good that was spoken to the
seed of Abraham and to Israel. At whom, first, this
Psalm undoubtedly strikes, as I before observed. —
Hence we also, after the example of the holy fathers,
apply this Psalm to the generation in which we live ; or
rather, we follow it while it leads us thereunto ; seeing
that it goes before us arraigning all the ungodly ; and is
rather found of us already doing this, than made by us
to do it.

Therefore, saith David, " Blessed is the man that
hath not walked ; " that is, while there are so many mil-
lions of the ungodly around us, that you may well say
with Psalm xii. 1, " Help, Lord, for the godly man
ceaseth, for the faithful fail from among the children of
men." And as Micah also saith, chap. vii. " The good
man is perished out of the earth, and there is none up-
right among men."^ — -And is he not a blessed man, and
a man truly strong in the faith, who, in the midst of so
great a multitude, does not walk in the broad way?
who, moreover, suffers from the same, reproaches and
many evils, and yet, does not so consent unto them as
to walk with them? and who is not deceived by the
most specious counsel of the ungodly, which might de-
ceive the very elect ? It is a great thing not to be over-
come by riches, pleasures, and honours ; but, to over-
come the specious righteousness and wisdom of the un-
godly, which direct their attack most of all agamst
pure faith, is the greatest of all victories !

17

But yon are to remark, that these words are the nords
of faith; and that they do not speak of men according to
what they appear to be. For, as I have already ob-
served, no one would imagine such to be the ungodly.
The prophet speaks in the spirit ; and, in spirit, that is
ungodly which the world considers to be the most godly;
because, it is devoid of faith ; as it is written in Eccles.
viii. ' I saw the wicked buried, who, while they lived,
had come and gone from the place of the holy, and
were praised in the city as the doers of righteous works.'
And again, Psalm xxxvii. 35. ' I have seen the wicked
exalted as a cedar in Lebanon/ These are awful things.
Who could have thought to find ungodliness here, and
that so deep ?

But listen ! This Psalm does not only strike at the
ungodly and sinners, (for every man out of Christ is an
ungodly man, and a sinner,) but chiefly at those who
are twofold sinners,^ — ^who, though they are ungodly,
do not acknowledge it, but all the while form to them-
selves a "counsel" to walk therein, and to follow after
ungodliness. For David does not say, Blessed is the
man who does not walk an ungodly man, or, who does
not stand a sinner ; but " in the counsel of the un-
godly," and " in the way of sinners ; " for such are not
contented M'ith being ungodly, but wish to be accounted
righteous and saints ; thus adding to their ungodliness
the outside show of godliness.

And at whom, think ye, he strikes in this our day? I
will dare not to mention by name any particular persons,
lest I should sphtupon the implacable rock of some reli-
gious ones, priests or bishops. For such has ever been the
nature of ungodly men, that they will the least endure the \
Word of God, but fill the world with martyrs ; and for
no other reason, than because they imagine that they
thereby yield obedience unto God ; and thus, while they
seem to contend for godliness, they are all the while
most bitterly accusing the truly godly of ungodliness.

But know thou, and be well assured, that those are
here pointed at, who shine in ceremonies, rites, and
other pompous shows of godliness, and who measure

VOL, III. c

18

their godliness by their garments, meats, times, and
places, or, more especially, by their workings and pray-
ings ; and more particularly, those who, on account of
their observances, privileges, dignities, powers, and
rights, divide themselves into implacable discords, and
are ready to do and suffer any thing rather than humble
themselves and yield to each other in mutual charity.
And that these are the ungodly pointed at, you may
conclude from this. — Such are secure and confident in
their lives, and there is no fear of God before their eyes.
\ And take this for an universal and infallible crite-
^rion, and, (as they say) for a certain touchstone, — that
the peculiar marks of the ungodly, are, not to fear
God — to be secure of his mercy — and to presume in all
things ! But on the contrary of the godly — to be afraid
of all their works — to have no trust in their own righte-
ousness— and to account all their holiness as dung !
And therefore, the latter cannot contend for these things,
nor justify nor vindicate themselves, but consider them-
selves deserving the hatred and vengeance of all. Hence,
^ as I said, we must have the eyes and ears of faith to hear
these words of the Spirit, and to understand their mean-
ing: for man of himself cannot understand them.

Think not, however, that I condemn all holy cere-
monies and good works. It is the false opinion, confi-
dence, and devotedness that I call the pestilences ; for
it is through these things, as we see, that men rush forth
into sects, strifes, back bi tings, and infinite enormities of
sin ; all which by the veil of their counsel, and the show
of their doctrines, they cover over with the name of god-
liness ; whereas, if all their works were done in humility,
they would certainly be good.

After they have violated faith by ungodliness, what
can remain but that their works are evil, and sins ? But
now thou wilt say, Can the works of Jews, of heretics,
and of the proud, be evil, when they fast, pray, do good,
and work all the rest of those things which no man
dares to call evil ? — I have said that faith is wanting !
Therefore, all those works are by so much the worse,
because they confirm their ungodliness, and cause them

19

lo stand and perseverse in this way of sin : and they are
sins, because they proceed from the ungodhness of their
hearts. And, as saith the wise man, ' What truth will
be spoken by a liar, or what godliness will be done by
the ungodly ? '

Christ however has in these points given us excellent ^
instruction, when he has taught us, that they are to be
known by their fruits. And they have two sorts of works ;
some which he calls sheep's clothing ; which are not their
proper fruits, but feigned according to their counsel and
ways. But, when you touch them and oppose them,
then, behold, their proper fruits burst forth; wrath,
clamour, pride, backbiting, evil-speaking, self-excusing,
envy, blasphemy, and the like enormities : nor can you
ever gather other fruits from these thorns, than these
most sharp thorns. And such, as you may see, are our
ceremonial work-mongers.

Attd hath not sat in the seat of pesti/efice.

Yet this the Jews do, departing from Christ : under
whose lips is the incurable poison of asps, and their vine
is the gall of dragons : for they must of necessity teach
contrary to Christ. These other heretics follow, under
another name and person indeed, but with the same
pestilence of ungodliness.

And, to come to our own times, thei/ sit_in_the_seat ,
of pestilence, who fill the church jvitl^ the ojinions_of ^
philosophers, lvTnriKe"Traditions of men, and with the
coion^eTs of their' ownlBram, and oppress miserable^on-
scienc^es,TetOHg'alHe7airflie^wTO
by which alone'the soulls fed, Iives,"aricl is preserved.
Whence it comes to pass, that'men are ignorant of every
other righteousness but that which is obtained by works;
whereas this is ungodliness and sin in the sight of God,
For it is impossible that you can teach the works of any
laws whatever without peril, unless, by the better doc-
trine and the better labour, you first teach faith in Christ
In the fifth to the Galatians Paul teaches faith; and in the
sixth, hfe and conversation : and he does the same in his
other Epistles. And Christin the Gospel requires faith only.

c 2

20

VERSE 2.

But his will is in the laiv of the Lord, and in his law
will he meditate day and night.

THE GRAMMATICAL AND THEOLOGICAL EXPOSI-
TION OF THIS PASSAGE.

See that thou distinguish (to tell thee once for all)
the " law of the Lord" as widely and as differently as
possible from all laws of men ; and take heed with all
thy care, that by confusing all in one chaos, (as the
teachers of pestilence do,) they do not miserably destroy
thee; while they attempt to make the traditions of men
the law of God, and the law of God the traditions of
men. Let me give thee an example or two of this. — The
law of God is, " Honour thy father and thy mother."
Out of this law the pharisees have made this tradition :
' The sift which is brought to the altar is better than
that which is given to the parents ; ' as you read Matt.
XV. Again : despising God in the true commandment,
they honour him according to another commandment
out of their own law, thus establishing a law for God.
For the elders had said, ' Wash thine hands when thou
eatest: ' and not to hear the elders is the same as not
hearing God. Therefore saith Christ in the same chap-
ter, " Ye hypocrites ! well did Esaias prophecy con-
cerning you, saying, This people honoureth me with
their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do
they worship me, teaching for doctrines the command-
ments of men."

Thus at this day matters are come to such a pass,
that they daringly affirm, that the voice of the Popes
and of the Roman council alone are to be heard with
fear and trembling. When all the commands of God
are at the same time laughed at, yea held in contempt :
and not more so by any set of men than by those very
characters who boast of the to-be-feared voice of the
great council. In a word, they have carried these most
impious superstitions to that extremity, that mass-priests

21

are every-where to be found, who imagine that they
have sinned the sin unto death if they have celebrated
mass without their stole or maniple, or any external that
is attended to. Or, if they have made any hke mistake
or omission in the canonical form of celebrating mass,
it is considered a most awful sin. But I am ashamed to
proceed any farther in the enumeration of those ridi-
culous trifles with which the mass-priests and other re-
Hgious ones of the same kind terrify their consciences.
Whereas, all the while, if they have been lying under
the sins of lust, wrath, envy, covetousness, and pride,
and that for the space of many years together, and
have despised God, they feel nothing of it whatever.

The term " will " here, does not imply any power
in man : nor does it signify that inert habit which our
modern theologians have dragged into their divinity out
of Aristotle, to the subversion of a man's true under-
standing of the scriptures : nor, again, does it signify
that act which they say is allured forth out of that
power or habit. No human being under heaven has such *~7
a " will " as is here signified : it must be given him
from above. For since the nature of man is intent on,
and prone to evil, as the divine authority asserts (Gen.
vi. 5 ;) and since the law of God is " holy and just, and^
good," Rom. vii. 12; it follows, that the will of man
is against the law, hates the law, and flees from the law.
And even if at any time from the fear of punishment, or
from a want to get at what is promised, it pretends a love
for the la?v, yet, the natural hatred of the law still
remains within ; nor can such a will love the law freely ;
for it does not love it because it is good, but because it
seems to promise some advantage.

The " will," therefore, here signified, is that dehghfl
of heart, and that certain pleasure, in the law, which \/
does not look at what the law promises, nor at what it
threatens, but at this only, — that " the law is holy and
just, and good." Hence it is not only a love of the law,
but that loving delight in the law, which no prosperity
nor adversity, nor the world, nor the prince of it, can
either take away or destroy : for it victoriously bursts

22

its way through poverty, evil report, the cross, deaths
and hell, and, in the midst of adversities, shines the
bTightest. — And this " will " springs from faith in God
through Jesus Christ. Whereas, that vvill which is ex-
torted by the fear of punishment, is servile and violently
forced : and that which is drawn forth by a desire after
the reward, is mercenary and feigned. But this, is a
free, spontaneous, and happy will. And hence it is that
. the people of Christ are called in the Hebrew neda-
\ BOTH, that is, ' spontaneous, voluntary, and free.'

From all which things it is manifest, that this
Psalm is to be understood of Christ only. He is the
mark and the goal to which the man that is " blessed "
is to direct all his aims : for there is no one in this life
who does not want somethino; of this " will," on ac-
count of the law and will in his members, which are
contrary to it; as the apostle saith (Rom. vii. 23);
which latter will, according to true theology, is to be
crucified ; but which, according to philosophy, is to be
accounted a virtue.

To " meditate," as it is generally understood, signi-
fies to discuss, to dispute ; and its meaning is always,
confined to a being employed in words : as in Psalm
xxxvii. 30, " The mouth of the righteous shall meditate
wisdom." Hence Augustine has, in his translation,
" chatter : " and a beautiful metaphor it is, — as chat-
I tering is the employment of birds, so a continual con-
'. versing in the law of the Lord, (for talking is peculiar to
man,) ought to be the employment of man. — But I
cannot worthily and fully set forth the gracious meaning
^4. force of this word : for this ' meditating' consists
rst/in an intent observing of the Mords of the law, and
in a comparing of the different scriptures : which is
aTcertain delightful hunting, nay, rather a playing with
stags in a forest, Avhere the Lord furnishes us with the
stags, and opens to us their secret coverts. And ixota
this/kind of employment, there comes forth at length a
man well instructed in the law of the Lord to speak
unto the people.

For instance ; " Thou shalt not kill," if you pass it

23

over in a cursory manner, is a frigid sentence : by
which, according to the sound of its letters, you merely
understand that the act of murder is prohibited. But'
stop and meditate a little. It is not said, Thy hand
shall not steal, but Thou shalt not steal. And what art
thou ? soul and body ; and having many members and
faculties in each ; hand, eyes, tongue, mind, will, &c.
When, therefore, thou art forbidden to kill, art thou not
thereby forbidden to kill either with thy hand, or thy
tongue, or thy will ? for which soever of these shall kill,
it is Thou that killest. Therefore, we are not to be
angry, we are not to wish evil, we are not to speak evil,
we are not to calumniate, we are not to turn away our
face, we are not to despise, we are not to injure, we are
not to wish to injure : but, on the other hand, we are to
love, to bless, to do good. What then is the purport of
this scripture, Thou shalt not kill ? Why this, — that
thou art not to be bitter and angry with, but kind and
gentle to, thy neighbour. Therefore, look into what the
scriptures teach concerning love, kindness, suavity, bene-
volence, goodness, and tenderness ; and when thou hast
collected and compared them all, hast thou not then
well chattered and meditated in the law of the Lord ?

With respect to " day and night," whether you un-
derstand them literally, or figuratively for assiduously,
or allegorically for in adversity and prosperity, it mat-
ters not at all : for thej;ighteous man, even when sleep-
ing, loves ancLthinks upon the law ofthe^grd.

"TTavid saith then w~tKis°man that is " blessed," that
his " will" will be in the law of the Lord. He will neither
look at, nor love, nor hate any created thing whatever,
either good or evil, but will, by this " will," be entirely
raised above all things that are created. V/hat wonder
therefore is it, that such a man should be blessed, who,
being endowed with this heavenly will, has no taste
whatever for those things by which the ignorant judges
of blessedness are dashed to and fro. Moreover, as
such an one is by this his will now made one with the
Word of God, (for love always unites the lover and the
object loved,) he must of r*cessity taste how good,

24

sweet, and pure the holy and wonderful Word of God

^is, — that it is the greatest of all good ! But this they

r cannot taste, who have their hand or their tongue only

f; in the law, while their will is immersed in the filth of the

Mhings of this world. For there are many prating ones

who talk much about the law of the Lord, and pretend

much and think much about it, but who do not yet love

it. But David does not say, Blessed is the man whose

tongue is in the law of the Lord, nor whose hand, nor

whose mind and speculations are in it ; for by these

things men are only puft'ed up, and bless themselves, as

if they were already saingjts and saved.

Moreover, this " will " comprehends the whole life
of man. For if the man has his will, which is the foun-
tain-spring of his life, and his head, in the law, there is
no fear that he Avill keep any other member out of it.
For wherever love leads, the whole heart and body
follow it. And herein observe thou the different conver-
sation of the godly and the ungodly. — The ungodly
begin their righteousness from without, and then go on
to that which is within. They first feign works, and
then words; and then they go on to the exercising of
thoughts ; and this is the greatest height to which they
attain. And here, they begin to be teachers of others ;
and whatever they think, say, or do, they will have to
be holy and divine ; yet, after all, they never attain
unto this secret " will." But the godly begin within from
this holy "will," then follows " meditation," and then
the external work, and afterwards, the teaching of
others : as we shall see hereafter.

And in his law will he meditate day and night.

Meditation is not without damnation, unless there be
first the " will : " but the love will of itself lead to me-
ditation. And this " will " is to be sought by us from
heaven, (as I have said,) by humble faith in Christ,
when we are brought to despair of all strength in our-
selves. And mark this well. — It is the manner and na-
ture of all lovers to talk freely, to sing, to write, to com-
pose, and to amuse their thoughts, on their loves ; and

25

to hear the same things. And so also this lover, this
man that is " blessed," has his love, the law of the
Lord, always in his mouth, always in his heart, and
always (if he can) in his ear. For " he that is of God
heareth God's words," John viii. 47. " Thy statutes
have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage,"
Psalm cxix. 54. And again " I will meditate always in
thy statutes," ver. 48.

And thinkest thou that they are blessed men, who
turn over swine's husks, and who talk day and night
about natural things, about the opinions of men, about
prebendaries, dignities, and the power and privileges of
churches, and a thousand other vanities of the same
kind ? No ! They are far more miserable than those
who talk about the loves of maidens and the fables of
the poets. For the latter know that they are acting
foolishly, and can sometimes repent of what they have
done. But the former, thinking that they are all the
while acting wisely and holily, die in their ungodliness ;
and too late repent, that the laws which they have
made have only heaped destruction and ungodliness on
their own heads, because they meditated not on the law
of the Lord.

VERSE 3.

And he shall be like wood planted bi/ the rivers' of
waters, that shall give forth his fruit in his season.

I have said, that the blessedness of this man is
hidden in the Spirit in God ; so that it cannot be
known but by faith and experience. And that this is
true thou shalt clearly see. — If thou look at his " will,"
in which alone his blessedness consists, it does not stand
in his riches, nor in his honours, nor in his righteous-
nesses and virtues, nor, in a word, in any good that can
be mentioned, (excepting this will in the law itself,)
either in or out of the man. Nay rather, it is found in the
midst of the contraries, in poverty, in contempt, in
foolishness, in all the evils that can be mentioned either
within or without the man. So that the man whom the

7

26

prophet here calls "blessed," is hated by the whole world
together, and they all judge him to be the most misera-
ble of mortals. And this Isaiah saw in Christ, the head
and pattern of all these blessed ones ; and therefore said,
" He is despised and rejected of men," chap. liii. 3.
For the world and its prince cannot endure that man
who desires to be blessed with this " will," but despises
all his blessedness together. And therefore it is, that
David, contemplating the fewness of such men, breaks
out, ' O ! blessed is the man, who,' &c.

Having thus described the " blessed " man in his
own proper definition, he goes on to set forth the same
by a similitude no less beautiful. The definition, indeed,
was perfect, representing him as free from all evil,
, and filled with all good ; (which is what the generality
of men call blessedness ; but their blessedness stands in
present things, while this man's blessedness stands in
faith.) And so also the similitude proves him to be free
from all the same evil, and full of the same good. And
since this " blessed " man that is hidden in faith, could
not be set clearly forth to view by any farther de-
finition, David, as it becomes all definers to do, sets him
forth under the similitude of a visible thing. And since
we know that he is describing a righteous man under a
figure, we are not to quarrel about terms.

I however believe, that it is the palm-tree that is al-
luded to in the figurative description : for it is said in
another Psalm, " The righteous shall flourish like the
palm-tree, he shall increase like a cedar of Lebanon,"
Psalm xcii. 12. And what is there briefly alluded to, is
here more fully enlarged upon. For the palm-tree loves
- the rivers of water, (as Pliny says,) and drinks all
the year round, and is always green, and brings forth
most sweet fruits. And perhaps David took this simili-
tude from those palms on the Jordan near Jericho,
which were so much celebrated : for Jericho is on that
account called the "city of palms :" and the Jordan is in
many other places in the scriptures spoken of mystically.
Hence we have this passage, " A well of living waters,
and streams from Lebanon," Song iv. 15.

27

Here, the prophet gives you a rule for understand-
ing the allegories of trees and rivers which occur in the
scriptures. The good tree signihes a good man, and the
evil tree an evil man : as Christ also teaches us. Though
I know that Augustine, when he was so hotly pressed
by the Pelagians, that he might not in any way admit
that the children of the faithful were born holy, rather
chose by ' tree,' not to understand man, but the will of
man. And this may perhaps be given in his favour,
that by the tree here it is the spiritual man that is set
forth, which is indeed the will itself, or the Spirit. But
I think we may with no less, if not rather more pro-
priety, here understand by " tree^_the_whole man; by
the root, the will ; and by the branches, die members
an d powers^^^^^iit I will not contend.

David says it is '' planted : " wherein he distin-
guishes this palm-tree from those which grow of their
own accord : and represents it as being made what it is H
by the care and cultivation of another, and not becom- J
ing so by its own nature : that is, as being cut oil" from
that which grew of its own accord and by nature, and
plante^d by art as a branch in some other place. And this
is what Tloefore~sa]id7--tKat the " wiir' in the law of
the Lord, is found in no man by nature, but brought
down out of heaven by the great planter and cultivator,
our heavenly Father, who transplants us out of Adam
into Christ.

The " rivers of water '' certainly signify divine
graces. For the palm is said to grow in a soft, sandy,
nitrous, and saline soil ; and therefore it always loves-
rivers. And so also the " will," which is the root of this
tree, being in this dry unfruitful life, thirsts the more
after the rivers of heavenly waters, the more it iinds thaf.
there is nothing in this world that can make it flourish.
And thus, as Isaiah saith, chap. liii. 2, in this desert and
waterless land, " He shall grow up before him as a
tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground." Buty
is it not wonderful that a tree should grow in a barren
soil, being nourished by the rivers of water only?
Blessed therefore is the man, who. the more he feels the

28

barrenness of the world, thirsts the more after heavenly
waters. Thus, this tree does not grow by the richness of
the earth, nor does the " blessed " man grow by the
luxuries of this world.

Some have inquired why David here saith ' wood '
(lignum) rather than ' a tree ' (arbor em) : and, shall
' give ' his fruit, rather than shall ' bear' his fruit. The
reading in Genesis, is, that God created ' wood' (lignum)
not ' the tree' (arborem.) And hence the scripture
still preserves the metaphor ' wood ' (lignum) for ' tree '
(arborem.) And the ' giving ' of fruit, shows, that this
blessed man serves not himself, but his neighbours,
w^ith that charity which we see to be commanded in
every law of God. For there is no tree that brings
forth fruit for itself, but every tree gives its fruit unto
others. Nay, no creature, (except man and the devil,)
lives to itself, or serves itself. Nor does the sun shine
for itself, nor the water flow for itself, &c.

Thus every creature observes the law of charity, and
its whole substance is in the law of the Lord : nay, even
the different members of the human body do not serve
themselves. It is the affection of the mind only that is
ungodly : for this not only will not give every one his
own, and will not serve any one, nor wish well to any
one, but, it takes all from all for itself, and seeks its
own profit in all things, even in God himself. So that
you may truly say, that this is the tree, or thorn, or
brier, which grows of its own accord, cherished by the
cultivation of no other hand, nor delighting in the rivers
of water ; and bringing forth nothing but thorns, with
which it goads, tears, and chokes the fruits of all other
trees that grow near it ; and also pulls, plucks, and
tears the garments, fleeces, skin, flesh, and every thing
else of every object that passes by it. The prophet,
therefore, has here set forth the benefit of good trees, —
that, while they injure no one, they profit all, and give
forth their fruits willingly.

In his season. •

O golden and admirable word ! by which, is asserted

29

the liberty of Christian righteousness. Tlie ungodly
have their stated days, stated times, certain works,
and certain places ; to which they stick so closely, that
if their neighbour were perishing with hunger, they
could not be torn from them. But this blessed man,
being free at all times, in all places, for every work, and
to every person, will serve you whenever an opportunity
is offered him ; whatsoever comes into his hands to do,
he does it. He is neither a Jew, nor a Gentile, nor a
Greek, nor a barbarian, nor of any other particular per-
son. He gives his fruit in his season, as often as either
God or man require his work. Therefore, his fruits
have no name, and his times have no name. He does
not serve any particular person, nor in any particular
time, place, or work ; but he serves all in all things.
And he is indeed a man of all hours, of all w orks, of all
persons ; and, after the likeness of his Father, he is all J
in all things, and to all men.

But the ungodly, as it is written Psalm viii. 'fall
into their own pit, and are taken in their own net,' and
are tormented with the works, times, and places, which
they themselves have chosen: out of which, they imagine
nothing can be done rightly. And thus, being proud of
their own fruits, they do nothing but attack, judge, and
condemn the fruits of others, being most free and most
ready at all times to censure others ; and, in a word,
being just such in evil doing, as the godly are in well
doincf. For thev also are men of all hours ; calumniating!;
and injuring, not in one way, nor at one time, nor one
person only, but all men in every way and at all times,
just as circumstances throw them in' their way. And
even if they should turn this devotedness to what they
may call good, yet they would not any the sooner
become godly.

His leaf also shall not wither.

He still pursues this most beautiful figure. This
" leaf" signifies the Word and doctrine. And we have
said, that the palm-tree is always green in leaf and
flourishing. But it is said Isaiah i. 30, concerning

30

the ungodly " Ye shall be as an oak whose leaf
fadeth." Only compare therefore all these particulars
together. — The ungodly walk in their own counsel :
the godly man is fixed in the love of the law, and
planted by the rivers of water. The former stand in the
way of sinners : the latter meditates in the law of the
Lord, and gives forth his fruit in his season. The
ungodly sit in the seat of the scornful : the leaf of the
latter never withers.

And mark this. — He describes the fruit before he
does the leaf. And though it is the nature of the palm
to put forth its fruit, not among the leaves like all other
trees, but among the branches, having all its leaves on
the top, so that it might itself seem to produce its fruit
before it does its leaves, (and we have said that this
figure is taken from the palm,) yet, the Holy Spirit him-
self always teaches every faithful preacher in the church
to know that the kingdom of God does not stand in
word but in power, 1 Cor. iv. 20. Again, " Jesus began
to do, and to teach," Acts i. 1. And again, "Which
was a prophet mighty in deed, and in word," Luke xxiv. 19-
And thus, let him who professes the word of doctrine

first puLforth the Iruits ot llte^if he would not have his

leaFto wither : for Christ cursed the I]g-tree~wTiicTi bore
no fruit. And, as Gregory saith, that man whose life is
despised is condemned by his doctrine ; for he preaches
to others, and is himself reprobated. And concerning
such Matthew says, chap. vii. 23, that they shall hear in
the day of judgment this sentence, " Depart from me,
ye workers of iniquity : " even though they may have
prophesied in the name of Christ, and done many won-
derful works by his Word.

But some one may say, There have been many
saints and martyrs, but neither their fruits nor their
leaves are now remaining, but all have perished with
them : nor indeed have we the words of all the apostles :
how then can this praise be applicable to all blessed
men ? I answer ; — Their word was not their own word.
" For it is not ye that speak (saith Christ) but the Spirit
of my Father that speaketh in you." All the saints were

31

taught by, and they all taught, the same Word : as we
read 1 Cor. x. 3, 4, " They did all eat the same spiritual
meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink."

This " blessed man "' and this fruit-bearing "tree,"
therefore, may signify the whole church, or those who
hold the office of teaching. But there is nothing against
its being understood also as signifying every righteous
man : because he has likewise the same " leaf: " for if
he does not teach others, he certainly teaches himself,
meditating with his heart in the law of the Lord, which
word remains in him unto all eternity, as it does also in
the whole church. And finally, as all the faithful are one
body, although this leaf is peculiar to the member that
teacheth, yet, by communion, all things belong to all :
for the word is mine which my mouth preaches, though
I may be the ear or the tongue : and so we may say
also of every other member throughout the whole body.

And whatsoever he doeth, [or maketh or taketh in
hand] shall prosjier.

If he saith this with reference to the trunk or palm-
tree, he alludes to this. — The palm is said to be the only
tree which still grows upwards against every weight and
pressure. And they say that this is seen in beams made
of palm-trees.

And with respect to the word " doeth," in this
passage, (if I am not too bold,) it does not signify the
good works of a righteous man, (for these have been suf-
ficiently commended already under the term ' fruits,') but
rather, those performances or productions which we
achieve by means of the arts and sciences. For so, the
philosophers refer ' doing ' (agere) to wisdom, and
' making ' (facere) to art. And we may see the same
distinction in the Hebrew tongue, (according to my bold
way of proceeding.) For I generally find the verb
ASA to signify ' making' (facere), and paal to signify
' doing' (agere). Thus Psalm xxviii. 5, " Because they
regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of
his hands : " where " the operation of his hands " sig-

32

iiiifies the very thins; formed. As it is also in another
place, " Israel is the work of my hands." And Gen. i.
it is said, " And God made," &c. And again, Psalm xcv.
5, " The sea is his, and he made it." But the works of
God are those which he does by his creatures ; and es-
pecially, by his word and his grace ; by which, he acts
upon us, and makes us act.

Let therefore this " doing" be considered to signify
instituting, ordaining, distributing by various ecclesiasti-
cal ministrations, and, (as the apostles Peter and Paul
did,) acting as stewards of the manifold grace of God,
founding churches, and increasing them : for thus, the
very faithful are said to be of their forming, their work,
and their workmanship. Hence Paul ' travailed in birth,'
for the Galatians, chap. iv. 19, and 'begat' the Corin-
thians, 1 Cor. iv. 15. And again, " Are not ye my
work in the Lord?" 1 Cor. ix. 1. You understand
therefore that this is the spiritual workmanship of a
blessed man, not a tyrannical exercise of power, nor a
pompous show : for these things even the gentiles can
do and show forth. But, the ' doing ' of this blessed
man, is, making many good, and blessed, and like
himself.

And with regard to this " prospering," take heed
that thou understand not a carnal prosperity. This
prosperity is a hidden prosperity, and lies entirely secret
in spirit : and therefore if thou hast not this prosperity
that is by faith, thou shouldst rather judge thy prosperity
to be greatest adversity. For as the devil bitterly hates
this leaf and the Word of God, so does he also those
who teach and hear it, and he persecutes such, aided by
all the powers of the world. Therefore, thou hearest of
a miracle the greatest of all miracles, when thou hearest
that all things prosper which a " blessed " man doeth.
For what is more miraculous, than that the faithful
should grow while they are destroyed, should increase
while they are diminished, should prevail while others
prevail over them, should enter while they are ex-
pelled, and should conquer while they are conquered ?
For under all these things the world and its prince are

33

overcome. Yet hath the Lord wonderfully ordained,
that, to his saint, that should be the height of prosperity
which is the height of misery. This is the prosperity of
the wise, and the conversion of men.

But now, we see that word of Proverbs i. 32, ful-
filled, " For the turning away of the simple shall slay
them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them."
For in the present state of the church, we have made
names and persons, and have turned the spirit into the
flesh ; and therefore what is now called a good state of
the church, is opulence, tyranny, impurity, the peace of
the flesh, and a pomp more than human. For the devil
has seen, and at length understood, this spiritual prospe-
rity : and therefore, he has turned himself round, and,
attacking us in another way, triumphs in our horrible
misery. And thus, he who was conquered in a time of
conflict, now triumphs in a time of peace : and God
has for wonderful ends ordained both. Hence, Hilary
has wisely and most truly said, ' that it is the nature of
the church to increase in adversity, and decrease in
prosperity.' But this wisdom of the cross, and this new
signification of things, are not only unknown to the
very heads of the church themselves, but also consi-
dered by them the most horrible things. And no
wonder, since they have left the Holy Scriptures, and
have devoted themselves to the unhappy ordinances of
men, and to casting up of accounts and sums of money.

The ungodly are not so.

When thou hearest the word " ungodly," remember
those things which we have said above concerning un-
godliness, lest, Hke the ungodly, thou shouldst banish
these words from thee as applying to the Jews only, and
to heretics, and I know not \\ hat others who are a great
way off; and lest perhaps laying aside the fear of God,
thou shouldst not tremble at this word of his. But as he
is an ungodly one who is without the faith of Christ, these
words should be trembled at by thee, lest thou also
shouldst be found to be one of the ungodly. For every
truly godly man trembles at every word of God ; as Isaiah

VOL. III. D

34

saith, chap. Ixvi. 2, ' To whom shall I look, but to
him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth
at my word ? ' And how wilt thou assure thyself that
thou hast faith enough? Remember then, that as much
as thou art deficient in faith, so much hast thou of un-
godliness. It is the way of the ungodly to arrogate to
themselves all those things that are good with confident
security, and to refer all that is evil unto others. On the
other hand, it is the way of the godly to believe all that
evil of themselves which does not belong to them, and
to refer all good unto others : nor can they be brought
to aspire after the better things without much suffering
of unworthiness ; even though they seek those things
not on account of any merit in themselves, but only by a
naked hope in the mercy of God.

Therefore, to the wicked there is nothing prosperous;
they have a withering leaf, and are not planted by the
rivers of water. — Rut hear in the spirit one that speaks
in the spirit. For the whole scripture declares that the
ungodly flourish and prosper : and we see the same in
many of the Psalms : so that it seems as if one could
say of them only, ' Their leaf is green, and all that they
do prospers.' Hence faith is necessary to understand
these things.

But are like the dust which the wiiul scattereth away.

The Hebrew word camotz in this passage signifies
' chaff,' or ' the dust of chaff,' or ' the sweepings of a
barn-floor ; ' yet, it is of no moment, for it is the same
thing whether you say dust, or chaft-dust, or chaff, or
ashes ; because the persons here represented are those
concerning whom Luke saith, chap. iii. 17, " Whose
fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor;
and will gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff
he will burn with fire unquenchable." And you need not
hold the least doubt, that it is this purging, this chafl^,
and this chaff-dust, that is signified in the present pas-
sage ; though strictly and most properly, the word sig-
nifies small chaff and pieces of chaff. And Job in the
same way saith, chap. xxi. 18, " They are as stubble

35

before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth
away."

And observe : He does not only call them chaff,
but that chaff which the wind scattereth away : he does
not wish to signify that chaff which hes still ; but that
which is driven about, scattered and dispersed. And we
may understand him first of the Jews : for these are
scattered away in a threefold sense. First, corporally,
by storms ; that is, by the wills and indignation of those
men among whom they live : so that we plainly see
them with our eyes to have no certain dwelling-place,
and to be exposed every moment to a wind of this kind
that drives them here and there. Secondly, their minds
are driven about by the wind of various doctrine, by
means of their pestilent teachers, because they are not
planted in the faith of Christ, but their minds are scat-
tered in different directions by uncertain doctrines,
while their consciences can find no certainty or quiet.
Thirdly, in the last day they will be scattered by the
eternal storms of the intolerable wrath of God, and will
be driven away never to have rest, not even for a
moment. And the same things will also await all he-
retics, especially the two last-mentioned storms.

And what else do you think it is in the church but
the storm of the wrath of God, that has scattered us
away into so many and different, such unstable and un-
certain, and at the same time infinite, glosses of lawyers
and opinions of theologians ? While Christ in the mean-
time is utterly unknown, and we are miserably driven
and dashed against so many quicksands, rocks, and straits
of conscience? — Though all the rest of the ungodly
have their storms and hurricanes of pleasures and lusts,
of riches, honours, favour, and the other billows of this
world; by which, they are most miserably dashed to and
fro ; and that, because they despise the one only rock
and solid strength of our heart.

Therefore the ungodly shall not rise in the judgment ^
tier sinners in the counsel of the righteous.

We have already fully shown who are sinners
D 2

36

and ungodly : and do thou take heed that thou hear not
these words of God without trembling, as if thou wert
sure of being godly and a saint. This fear itself is god-
liness ; nay, the very fountain-spring and beginning of
wisdom and godliness.

" Shall not rise" here signifies, that the ungodly
shall not stand before God : according to those words of
Psalm V. 45, " Neither shall the evil dwell with thee ;
the unrighteous shall not remain in thy sight." And
Psalm xxiv. 3, " Who shall ascend into the hill of the
Lord ? or who shall stand in his holy place ? " and this
is said also concerning Christ when he shall rise up in
judgment : as is that also of Psalm xii. 5, " Now will I
arise, saith the Lord." Therefore, " shall not rise,"
signifies, that they shall not stand, shall not serve, shall
not minister unto God ; as they most confidently pre-
sume they shall do.

"Judgment" in this place signifies, by a scriptural
figure, office. Thus, the whole book of Judges, is so
called from the judges or rulers of Israel : as in Psalm
cxxii. 5, " For there are set the thrones of judgment,
the thrones of the house of David." And so also
Psalm ex. 6, " He shall judge among the heathen:" that
is, he shall be the judge of the heathen. And Psalm Ixxii.
4, " He shall judge the poor of the people:" that is, he
shall rule them. And again, Psalm xcvi. 13, " He shall
judge the world with righteousness, and the people with
his truth." — The meaning therefore is, the wicked shall
never rise to that state, so as to be the judges or rulers
of the faithful : nor even stand in their " counsel," that is,
in their congregation ; which means, that they shall
never be reckoned either among the great or the small
of the faithful. And, to open the whole more plainly
still, it signifies, that the ungodly shall never so rise in
judgment, nor in the congregation of the righteous, as to
be considered the servants of God.

What! shall we not then put down these ungodly
rulers and these wicked men, and cast them out from
the midst of us ? Or, is that not a congregation of the
faithful where ungodly men rule, and where sinners are

37

intermingled ? Not so ! — I before observed, that the
prophet spoke in spirit, and must therefore be heard in
spirit. For Judas was an apostle, and yet he was not an
apostle. And as John saith, 1 Epist. ii. 19, " They went
out from us, but they were not of us." And thus the
ungodly while they rule, rule visibly as to their persons,
but in truth do not rule at all. For Zechariah saith, "Wo
to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock." Here he calls
the same person a " shepherd," which was the name with
which he was honoured among men, and also an " idol,"
for M'hich he was condemned before God. And so Christ
also, that we may understand that precedence is not
that which essentially belongs to the faithful, rewards
many of the ungodly in this life with that paltry pittance.
Such men, therefore, are to be borne with, as chaff is
among the wheat, until the winnowing day shall come.

And see whether this be not plainly the prophet's
meaning? For, when he had before said "the ungodly
are not so," it was not necessary to repeat the same
in another verse : it would have been sufiicient to have
said, ' therefore the ungodly shall not rise in the judg-
ment, nor in the congregation of the righteous.' But he has
spoken thus, that he may do away with all outward person,
and all the external appearance of men : because, rich
men, powerful men, and what other external appearance
soever there may be, may rise in the judgment, and be
in the congregation of the righteous ; seeing that all
these things pertain unto the body. But, ungodly men
and sinners never can. Therefore the whole force of the
passage lies in the terms " ungodly," and " sinners."
For such never have the precedence in reality, and in
spirit. The ungodly are never among the faithful;
though they carry so showy an appearance in external
life, that it may be thought that none have so much
precedency over, and such a place among, the faithful,
as they. And this hypocricy and external show, of which
they are so proud, on which they presume so much, and
by which they deceive so many, are the very things that
are struck at in this Psalm.

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, hut
the way of the ungodly shall perish.

So specious, saith David, is the way of the ungodly,
that unto men, they may seem to rise in the judgment
and to stand in the congregation. But he who is not
deceived, understands their ways, and knows that they
are ungodly; and in the eyes of him they are not at all
among the number of his church. He knows the righteous
only, and knoweth not sinners, that is, he approves the
one, and not the other. Therefore, (which is what they
the least of all expect or believe), their way shall perish;
shall perish, I say ; though it goes on with such success,
that it seems as if it would be eternal.

Behold how David here terrifies us away from all
prosperous appearance, and commends to us various
temptations and adversities. For this "way" of the
righteous all men utterly reprobate; thinking also, that
God knoweth nothing about any such way. But this is
the wisdom of the cross. Therefore, it is God alone that
knoweth the way of the righteous ; so hidden is it to the
righteous themselves. For their right hand leads them
on in a wonderful manner ; seeing that it is a w ay, not
of sense, nor of reason, but of faith only ; even of that
faith that sees in darkness, and beholds things that are
invisible.

When, therefore, we are subject to ungodly shej)-
herds, we do not obey the ungodly, but men; for we do
not hear or follow their ungodliness, but we endure the
precedency of their persons. Again, when men put down
and cast out such, (as we see done in Bohemia,) is it the
ungodly that they put down ? no ! they put down the
persons. For the ungodly who are thus put down remain
ungodly still. It is then only that the ungodly man is
put down, when he is led from ungodliness to godliness:
\J which is not done by external violence, but by love
internally praying and externally admonishiag, where
God condescends to work at the same time.

Whoso is not pleased to understand this passage thus,
let him abide by this interpretation : — that the psalmist,

39

in the first place, directs his words against the ungodly
Jews : for he has in many other places predicted that
these shall be driven from the church : as shall also he-
retics, and all those who openly declare their ungodli-
ness : for they alienate themselves from the church, and
the church alienates and expels them, how much soever
they may boast that they only are the church and the
people of God.

Finally: This admonition is to be given which
the most illustrious fathers, especially Athanasius and
Augustine, have given before. — That is, that our affec-
tions and feelings be brought to accord with, and be
attempered to, the feelings described in the Psalms.
For since the Psaltry is solely a certain school and place
of exercise for the affections; he harps without the ■
spirit, who does not harp in the spirit. So that when,
thou readest, " Blessed is the man that hath not gone
away in the counsel of the ungodly," thy feehngs and
affections ought to move at the same time, and to hate
the counsel of the wicked and pray against it, not only
on account of thyself, but on account of the whole
church also : and so they should also when thou readest
of the "way of sinners" and the "pestilence" of doc-
trine. For it is with this fire, the affection of love,
that heretics are to be burnt, and all who savour of and
teach, ungodliness. But since we have despised that
fire, God has given us over to a reprobate mind, to
become murderering executioners, and to burn heretics
with natural fire, and to be burnt again ourselves in
return.

And so also, when thou soundest forth, " But his
will is in the law of the Lord," Thou art not here to
snore in safety, and securely bless thyself, as if thou wert
already a lover of the law of God ; but thou art, with
all the ardour of the affection of thy mind, to sigh unto
him who alone came to send that fire upon the earth :
nor art thou, as long as thou livest, to think any other-
wise of thyself, than as one who does not yet love the
law of God, and who greatly needs this " will in the
law."

40

And again, as thou hearest that all things " prosper"
unto the righteous man, thou art to desire and sigh for
all those who are placed in any adversity, of what kind
soever it may be : and also to pray, that their leaf may
not wither, and that the pure word of God may flourish
in the church of Christ, all fables and dreams of men
being cast out. And if thou see any of these things so
to take place, thou art to congratulate, to rejoice and to
give thanks unto the divine goodness. — And do not think
that thou art thus exhorted to impossibilities : only make
the attempt, and I know that thou wilt have to rejoice
and be thankful. First, exercise thyself in one Psalm,
nay, in one verse of a Psalm. Thou hast done much if
thou hast learnt to make one verse in a day, or even in
a week, a living and breathing word, by being felt in thy
aflfections. And when thou hast attained unto this
beginning, all the rest will follow ; and there will open
unto thee an overflowing treasure of knowledge and
experiences : only, take heed that thou be not fright-
ened away from beginning by any weariness or de-
spair.— This is truly to harp, or, as the scripture saith
of David, to strike the harp-strings with the fingers.
For those little fingers of the harpers which run over the
strings and strike them, represent the affections running
over the words of the Psalms and being moved by them :
and as the strings do not sound without the fingers, so
neither is the Psalm read or sung without it touch the
affections.

I wished thus to premise these things once in this
First Psalm, that I might not have occasion to repeat
the same through every Psalm. Though I know very
well, that if any one be exercised in this matter, he will
of himself find more in the Psaltry than all the com-
mentaries of all commentators put together can give
him. I see that Bernard excelled in this ; and drew all
his fund of understanding from it. And I know that the
same way was discovered and made sweet to Augustine,
and many others. And so also, we ought to drink out
of the same fountain these waters of life^ lest that
cutting rebuke should fall upon us which is fouhd in the

41

prophet Amos, respecting ' making to ourselves instru-
ments of music like David,' Amos vi. 5. And again,
" Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs : for
I will not hear the melody of thy viols," Amos vii. 23.
For what thinkest thou all that muttering and roaring,
which every-where fills our churches without either mind
or spirit, appears to be in the sight of God I nothing but
as a swarm of flies making a buzzing hum with their
wings. And if thou addest to all this a belief that such
things please God, thou makest the true and living God
a laughing stock and an idle phantom.

PSALM II.

Ver. 1. — Wki/ do the people rage, and the pjeople
imagine vain things ?

Ver. 2. — The kings of the earth stand up, and the
rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against
his anointed; saying —

That this Psalm was written by David, and that it
speaks of Christ, the authority of the primitive church
compels us to conclude : concerning which Luke writes,
Acts iv. 24, 25, 26, — * They lifted up their voice to God
with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God which
hast made heaven and earth, and the sea and all that in
them is : who by thy Holy Spirit by the mouth of our
father David, thy child, hast said. Why did the heathen
rage, and the people imagine vain things ? The kings of
the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered toge-
ther, against the Lord and against his Christ. And
the kings of the earth have stood up, and the rulers
have taken counsel together, against the Lord and
against his Christ. For, of a truth, in this city Herod
and Pontius Pilate, with the gentiles and the people of
Israel, have taken counsel together against thy holy child
Jesus, whom thou hast anointed ; for to do whatsoever

42

thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be
done, &c.'

Therefore the mind is to be established in this sense
of the Psalm, and not to be tossed about by any other
wind of doctrine, because this meaning of it was con-
l^rmed from heaven ; for, as the same Luke saith,
" when they had prayed the place was shaken where they
were assembled together." It is quite clear, therefore,
that by "the kings," is signified Herod and Pilate, even
though Pilate was not king, for these two co-operated
together to fulfil that which the counsel of God had
determined before to be done; (as they themselves here
say;) that is, to destroy Christ.

It now remains that we clear up the trifling difficulty
concerning Pilate. He is either called'a king with Herod,
or else called so by a figure of speech most commonly
used in the scriptures, which gives an appellation to the
whole people from the name of the Father. Thus, Israel
is called the " first-born," even though many among
them were idolaters. And again, they are all rebuked
when only some of them deserved it. And so also, the
one being king makes both to be kings.

Again, by " rulers" are to be understood the heads
of the priests; by "heathen" the Roman soldiers under
Pilate, who seized Jesus, scourged him, and crucified
him ; and by " people" we are clearly to understand the
commonalty of the Jews, or Israel.

In this passage therefore heathen and people are
kept manifestly distinct. But I do not dare to affirm,
nor do I believe, that this distinction is maintained in
all instances : though the term heathen is most frequently
used in contradistinction to the Jews, or Israel. For
thus, the church of the heathen (or Gentiles), and Paul
an apostle of the heathen (or Gentiles), is held in uni-
versal authority and use, as distinct from the church
of the Jews, or that which is of the Jews.

And observe how this distinction is kept up, "the
heathen rage," and "the people meditate a vain thing,"
" the kings stand up," and, " the rulers take counsel
together."

43

The " heathen," as irrational beasts raged, for they
knew not what they did. — But the " people" prated and
conferred in their councils speaking iniquity against the
Most High, and surrounded him on every side with
words, of hatred, as it is set forth, in Psalm 108 , saying,
" Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be
ours," Mark xii. 7. And Caiaphas, John xi. 49, 50,
having assembled the people, said, " Ye know nothing
at all : nor consider that it is expedient for us that one
man die for the people." — These vain addresses to the
people, therefore, whereby they so often sought to destroy
Christ, and their fabricated accusations before Pilate,
are what David here calls ' vain meditations.' — For the
" kings" decreed, (because that is what we are here to
understand from the Hebrew ' stood up ') determined,
issued proclamations, and confirmed these their ragings
and meditations, by giving their sentence concerning
Christ. " And so Pilate, (saith the evangelist,) willing
to satisfy the people, released Barabbas unto them, and
delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be cruci-
fied."— And the " rulers" gathered together, consulted,
persuaded the people, and at the same time confirmed
them in their determination to crucify Jesus : for ' they
stirred up the people and moved them to ask that Ba-
rabbas should be released unto them rather than Christ.'
And observe here the tenderness and modesty of the
prophetic mouth, how feelingly, and as it were sympa-
thetically, he speaks of the fury of these men. For when
he might with justice have called these enraged expres-
sions, " Away with him ! Crucify him, crucify him ! "
and all those other enfuriated clamours of the Jews
whereby they accused Christ, frenzy and maddened
violence, he only calls them meditations. And medita-
tion, as we have shown before, is a continual prating
or talking with the mouth : and this is here a meditation
in a bad sense. For as a lover is always sponta-
neously saying many things about the object beloved ;
so, the hater is assiduously prating and saying the worst
of things about the object hated. — And there is the same
modesty also in the words " rage," " stand up," and

44

" take counsel together ; " for the act itself was far
more atrocious than the purport of these words would
seem to indicate.

We are hereby taught, therefore, that we ought not,
after the manner of detractors, to exaggerate the evil con-
duct of men, but as much as possible to extenuate it ;
that we may show that we do not feel so much indig-
nation on our own account, as pity on theirs. For the
Holy Spirit is kind. He does not glory in the evils of
others, but, in his kindness, pities all. And thus St.
Peter says of Christ, ' that he did not revile nor threaten
when he suffered, nor wish for revenge, but committed
himself unto him that judgeth righteously.' 1 Epist.ii. 23.
---^' " David says, " vain things :" in which expression, he
comprehends the purport of nearly the whole of the
Psalm. For he wishes to show, that Christ, who is set
up as king by God the Father, cannot be hindered nor
prevented by all the many and great resisting counsels,
attempts, and furies of Gentiles, Jews, kings, and rulers ;
but that all their endeavours are so utterly spent in vain,
that they make themselves a derision, and by their very
resistance further and promote the kingdom of Christ.
As if the Psalmist wished in this Psalm to prove that
which he had declared in the first Psalm, ' That all
things whatsoever he doeth (as far as it is understood
with reference to Christ) shall prosper.' — For to this tend
those words of Paslm xlviii. 4, ' And in thy beauty go
forth, ride prosperously, and reign,' &c. And Psahn
cxviii. 25, 9,6, " O Lord, prosper thou. Blessed is he
that cometh in the name of the Lord," For the pros-
perity of Christ, as I said, it not worldly, nor carnal,
but spiritual. For what man is there, who while Christ
was suffering, would not have thought, that he would
ever have been one of the lowest of men living, and that
he was the farthest from being king of all. Who would
not have believed, that the meditations of the people
were then firmly established, and the farthest from being
vain, when they gloried that he was condemned to the
curse of the cross by the authority of God himself, and
thought that their meditations were established forever?

45

So necessary always are faith and hope in the works of
God, not only in the things that are to be borne, but in
those which are to be understood : which are always ac-
complished contrary to all human sense and appre-
hension.

And this also is a word of faith — " Against the Lord V
and against his Christ :" for they seemed, both to all
others and also to themselves, to be acting/o7" God and
for his Christ, Thus also, at this day, and always, the
ungodly work against the glory of God, when they
imagine they are working for the glory of God. And it
is thus that God governs the world, making all its
wisdom foolishness. So that, they who are considered
to be acting for the glory of God, are acting to the blas-
phemy of him ; and those who are accused of blasphem-
ing him, are the very persons who are truly contending
for his glory. Thus his way is in a hidden path, in faith,
and in holiness : but ' the court which is without the
temple is not measured, because it is given to the Gen-
tiles,' saith John, Rev. xi. 2.

David saith, first, " against the Lord," and then,
" against his anointed." For all sin first of all ofi'ends
God. Because he is not only righteousness, but also
the love of righteousness ; and all who love righteous-
ness receive it from him. If it did not offend God, it
would not be sin.

But he moreover orders his words thus, that we may
learn for our consolation and exhortation, that we never
suffer any injury, but what offends God first, and more
than it does us ; and that such is the care of God our
Father over us, that he feels every injury done to us
before we do, and levels a greater indignation against
it. This David holds forth to us, that we may keep
ourselves from all feeling of revenge : nay that we may
rather pity those whom we see to rush, on our account,
upon such majesty, unto their ow n perdition : while
they not only do not in the least injure us, but merely
horribly destroy themselves. For God saith, " whoso
toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye," Zecha-
riah ii. 8. — Hence the prophet, sympatheticall grieving

46

from his heart, as it were, at their rashness, first begins
in an interrogative form, asking, — why they raged ?
why they made themselves a derision ? why, hke fools,
they attempted impossibilities ? O (saith he) that they
would be wise and understand ! And then, in a way of
exhortation, he admonishes them, that, they would at-
tempt solid things instead of vain : that is, that they
would be rather instructed and understand, and be
brought to serve Christ in fear.

Moreover, by the very tenderness of his words, he
sufficiently extenuates their vanity and fruitless attempts,
saying, they ' raged,' ' meditated,' ' stood up,' and ' took
counsel together,' As if he had said, ye may rage, but
ye cannot destroy : ye may meditate, and talk, and prate
much, but ye will effect nothing. Let your kings decree,
but it shall not come to pass : let your rulers take
counsel, but it shall come to nought. V/hat therefore is
left you but that ye wish to accomplish many things
but in vain ; that ye attempt mighty things, and try every
means, and at last see nothing accomplished, but every
thing turn out just contrary to your wishes.

Thus God will permit ragings, counsels, and attempts,
to be stirred up by the ungodly against the godly. But
all these are like the swelling waves of the sea, which
swell and rush toward the shore, as if they would utterly
overwhelm it; but, before they reach the shore, they
sink into themselves and vanish, or are dashed on the
shore with a vain and empty noise. For the righteous
man, like the shore, being firmly established in the faith
of Christ, confidently contemns all these languid threats,
and these swellings that will soon sink into naught : for
he knows that INIoab is exalted in pride, and that his
presumption is greater than his strength, and his indig-
nation than his power ; as Isaiah and Jeremiah say. —
And by this cross the ungodly are tortured according to
their deserts : for it is a dreadful torment to wish to hurt
all, and to be able to hurt none. And hence, the heathen
have said concerning envy,

Sicilian tyrants never could invent
A torment, like an envy-bitten heart !

47

And this has by so much the more wonderful effect
in Christian matters ; because, the ungodly are not only
tormented, and not only cannot hurt any one, but, by
the all-wise management of God, are compelled by
this their torture and their vain contrivances, to promote,
more than any thing else does, that which they attempt
to hinder : so that his friends cannot so much profit a
Christian, as his enemies do.

Verse 3. — Let us break their bands asunder, and
cast away their yoke from us.

These words ought to be connected with the preced-
ing, they ' raged,' ' meditated,' ' stood up, &c. : ' but the
sense may be. They raged and roared out this, they me-
ditated this, they decreed this, they concluded this, — to
take their necks from under the yoke of God and of
Christ, to break their bands asunder, and to say, " we
will not have this man to reign over us," Luke xix. 14 :
or that of Job xxi. 14, " Depart from us, for we desire
not the knowledge of thy ways. Who is the Almighty
that we should serve him ? and what profit should we
have, if we pray unto him ?" For the prophet represents
the wicked as thus speaking. — Some are of one opinion
and some of another : but I follow this sense of the
passage. And therefore, as to the scruple that stands
in the way of many, that he here uses the plural num-
ber " their ;" that is all to be referred to the Lord and to
his Anointed, who are without doubt two Persons, the
sender and the sent. As if he had said, they rejected
both the messenger and the kina^ and would not receive
their counsels.

And that by " bands," and " yoke," are metapho-
rically or allegorically signified the divine command-
ments, Jeremiah proves in this passage, " Therefore I
said, Surely these are poor : they are foolish : for they
know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their
God. I will get me unto the great men, and will speak
unto them ; for they have known the way of the Lord,
and the judgment of their God : but these have alto-
gether broken the yoke and burst the bands." Jeremiah

48

V. 4, 5. And again, " For of old time thou hast broken
my yoke and burst my bands," Jer. ii. 20. Though this
passage is corrupted : for in the Hebrew it is God that
speaks in the first person, " For of old time I have
broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands : " that the one
bands may be represented as being contrary to the
other, the one yoke to the other, the way of God to the
way of man, and the judgment of God to the judgment
of man.

These " bands " are the commandments of Christ,
by which we are taught how to walk in his way. And
this "yoke," or these ' cords,' are his judgments, by which
we are prohibited from doing evil. The former is the
justification of the spirit, the latter the mortification of
the flesh. For there are two things commanded : to de-
part from evil, and to do good. The former of
which pertains unto the mortifying the desires of the
flesh, the latter unto the doing of good works. Nor
oes it make any diftbrence if these be transposed, and
r\ bands" be received as signifying the judgments, and
'' yoke" as signifying righteousness ; for the sense re-
mains the same; and when that is held fast, all con-
tention about words is to be despised.

The whole verse then is allegorical. For by breaking
is signified despising, and making of none eftect; by
bands is signified commandments ; by casting away, not
obeying; by disregarding, not receiving; and by yoke
is signified instruction and the discipline of mortifying
the flesh. But when I say allegorical, I do not mean, as
our moderns use that term, that another and an historical
sense is so sought in the passage, contrary to what it
really means ; but, that its true and proper signification
is expressed in a figurative way. — For always mark this,
that to the perverse all things are perverse : as it is writ-
ten, " with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward,"
Psalm xviii. Q6. Thus they call the law of Christ,
which is the law of liberty and sweetness, " bands" and
a "yoke;" signifying thereby that it is a bondage and
state of labour and difficulty ; but, on the other hand
they believe their law, which is in truth a bondage and

49

state of labour, to be liberty and sweetness. Hence, to
the ungodly all things work together for evil : and there-
fore it is said, Jeremiah xxiii. 38. " But since ye say the
ourden of the Lord : therefore thus saith the Lord :
Because ye say this word, the burden of the Lord, and I
have sent unto you, saying, Ys shall not say the burden
of the Lord. Therefore behold, I, ever I, will utterly
forget you, and I will forsake you : and I M'ill bring an
everlasting reproach upon you and a perpetual shame
which shall not be forgotten !" &c. For it must of neces-
sity be that he who is pleased w ith the things of him-
self, is not pleased with the things of God.

And there is need of the eyes of faith liere again : for
when David says these things, he does not intend to say,
that these ungodly men really meant the Lord and his
Anointed when they said, " Let us break their bands
asunder, and cast away their cords from us :" because
they believed that they were acting for the glory of God
and of his law, in rejecting Christ. But the prophet who
here says, " the Lord and his Anointed " is describing
that Lord and his Anointed as rejected by them while
they were ignorant of what they were doing. Take
notice, therefore, whether he does not use an allegory
throughout the whole verse, in order to show, that they
pretended one thing and did another, and, under their
blindness, exhibited a certain allegory in their conduct,
in rejecting the Lord and his Anointed at the very time
that they pretended the most to act for their glory. —
And what if we conclude, that David made use of
the pronoun " their," in this passage that he may both
meditate on, and understand, the Lord and his Anointed
within himself, and also at the same time set forth their
open contempt of the Anointed, in not considering
him worthy of that name, much less acknowledging him
to be both Lord and Christ.

Thus far, therefore, has the prophet been describing
the attempts of the ungodly in refusing to have him
appointed king whom God had already set up : wherein
they plotted not only against Christ, but much more so
against the ap pointment of G od . Which same thing was

VOL. III. E

30

exemplified in the case of David and Saul: for David was
anointed king by the divine command, but Saul resisted
both God and David in this appointment with the most
determined obstinacy. And indeed he raged, meditated
many things, decreed many things, and took many coun-
sels against him, just in the same way. But as all his
presumptive attempts were vain, so were all those of the
Jews and gentiles against Christ vain also. It now
follows,

Verse 4. — " He that sitteth in the heavens shall
laugh at them: the Lord shall have them in derision"

This tautology, or repetition of the same thing, which
is frequent in the scriptures, is a sign of the thing being
established ; according to the authority of the patriarch
Joseph, Gen. xli. 32, where, having interpreted the
dreams of Pharaoh, he said, *' And for that the dream
was doubled unto Pharaoh twice ; it is because the
thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring
it to pass." And therefore, here also, " shall laugh at
them," and, " shall have them in derision," is a repeti-
tion, to show that there is not a doubt to be entertained
that all these things will most surely come to pass.

And the gracious Spirit does all this for our comfort
and consolation ; that we may not faint under tempta-
tion, but lift up our heads with the most certain hope ;
because " he that shall come will come and will not tarry."
Heb. X. 37. Wherefore, although in all human modes
of expression tautology is a defect, and deemed super-
fluous, yet, in the things of God, it is most highly neces-
sary ; because, " hope deferred (as the wise man saith)
maketh the heart sick," Prov. xiii 12 ; that true
hope, I mean, which labours under sufferings and the
cross; for all delay is supportable to those who are
labouring in the sufferings of Christ. Therefore, they
tiave need of the all firm and all sure promise of God
to support them. And as, on the one hand, consolation
cannot be sufficiently pressed upon the afflicted from the
promises of good things ; so, on the other, terror cannot
be sufficiently thundered against the insensible, the bar-

51

dened, and the unbelieving, from the threatenings of
evil things. Therefore, in these things there is need of
tautology, that the ungodly may be hurled into terror by
all-sure and all-certain denunciations. For as the former
have always too much fear, and too little hope and con-
fidence; so the latter have always too much security
and hope, without any thing of fear ; as it is written
Psalm xxxvi. 1. '' There is no fear of God before their
eyes." Hence the latter want the fear of God, but the
former want a hope in his mercy: that thus, the middle
and right way may be preserved, which is thus described,
"The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in
those that hope in his mercy." Psalm cxxxvii. 11.

These things, therefore, are written for our sakes,
*' that by patience and comfort of the Scripture we might
have hope :" Rom. xv. 4. For what is here written with
reference to Christ, is applicable to all Christians : for
whoever sincerely desires to be a Christian, especially if
he teaches the w ord of Christ, will bear with his Herods,
his Pilates, his rulers, his kings, his people, and his hea-
then, who rage against him, meditate vain things, rise
up, and take counsel together, against him. For if these
things are not done by men, yet they will be done by
devils, or at least by his own conscience, and certainly
in the hour of death : and then there is need of our
remembering this and the like consolations, " He that
dwelleth in the heavens shall laugh at them ; the Lord
shall have them in derision," and of standing firmly
in this hope, and being moved by no circumstances
whatever.

And, that the confidence of the afflicted may be the
more firm, he emphatically saith, "shall laugh at them,"
and, " shall have them in derision." As if he had said :
So certain is it that they attempt vain things, (although
those things may appear to all human sense to be the
most firmly established,) that the Lord will not deign to
resist them as in any great and serious matter ; but, as
in a trifling matter and a thing of nought, he will " laugh
at them" and '' have them in derision." As it is written
also Psalm XXX vii. 12, 13. " The wicked plotteth against

jc 2

52

the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The
Lord shall laugh at him : for he seeth that his day is
coming." And it goes on to say that our adversaries are
not only to be cut down but to be held in derision.

O what a power of faith is required in all these
words I For who would have thought, while Christ was
sufl'ering and the Jews triumphing, that God was laugh-
ing at them all the while ! And so also, while we are
oppressed, how shall we believe that God is holding our
adversaries in derision, when it seems to ourselves that
we are held in derision both by God and men I But, as
1 have said, this derision is divine. For Godmade the
Christ-murderini^ Jews and Gentiles a derision to the
whole world, by raising Christ from the dead, and
making, out of his despairing kingdom among that one
people, a kingdom that shall flourish eternally over all
creatures : thus turning all their endeavours into an
event the directly contrary of what they expected : as
Me sing Psalm cxiii. 4, " The Lord is high above all na-
tions, and his glory above the heavens : " and yet, that
same God was humbled under all the Jews, and his ig-
nominy went even under the earth. Therefore, as in the
preceding verses the passion and death of Christ are pro-
phesied of; so in this verse his resurrection is predicted,
though in a way of somewhat an obscure allusion.

But what is the intent of those words, " He that
sitteth in the heavens?" -It sets-ibrth, the quiet and won-
derfully hidden Judge, for the raising of our hope. He
sitteth in the heaven, who is concerned for us. He
sitteth there in quiet and safety. Though we are dis-
tressed, he is not distressed whose care we are. We are
tossed to and fro, but he sits unmoved, that the righte-
ous may not be tossed to and fro for ever. But, his
sitting in heaven is so secret and hidden, that unless
thou be in heaven thou canst not know and understand
it. Thou art suffering upon earth, in waters, and under
all creatures, and the hope of help is denied thee by all
and in all things : until, rising by faith and hope above
all these things, thou mountest up to reach unto
him that sitteth in the heavens : and then thou also

.53

sittest in the heavens : but, in faith and hope. Here
therefore it is, that the anchor of our heart is to be cast
in all tribulations ; and in this way all the evils of the
world will not only be made easy to be borne, but will
become a derision. -

Verse 5. — Then shall he speak unto them in his
wrath, and ve.v them in his sore displeasure.

That which has been said concerning tautology in
the preceding verse holds good also in this. For to the
insensible and haters and despisers of God, enough that
is terrible cannot be said. For that Behemoth described
Job xli. ' esteemeth iron as straw, darts as stubble, and
brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee ;
sling-stones are turned by him into stubble,' &c. Though
this perhaps may not be considered as tautology.

When then does he " speak to them in his anger ? "
or which is his anger ? It is then, when he has them in
derision. This we shall see when we inquire from the
scriptures what it is for God to speak in his anger. Jere-
miah saith, chap, xviii. 7, ' I will speak suddenly against
a nation and against a kingdom, to pluck up, and to
pull down, and to destroy it,' &c. — Therefore, " to
speak in anger," is, to root up, and to destroy : and this is
what came upon the Jews: who said, ' The Romans
will come and take away both our place and nation.
And, it is better for one man to die, that the whole na-
tion perish not,' John xi. 48, 50. All these vain medi-
tations the Lord had in derision, until that which the
wicked feared, (according to the proverb,) came upon
them : for the Lord rooted up, pulled down, and de-
stroyed them by the Romans. — This " anger " and
" hot displeasure " gf God, therefore, are the fury of the
Romans. Hence Isaiah x. 5, 6, " O Assyrian, the rod
of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine in-
dignation. I will send him against a deceitful (that is,
an hypocritical and dissembling) nation, and against the
people of my wrath will I give him a charge," &c.
Which words, according to my judgment, are spoken of
the Roman array. For when he saith " I will give him

54

a charge," it is the same as is said in this verse, " shali
speak unto them : " because all things are done by the
command and Word of God : as it is written, " He
spake and they were made," &c. Psalm xxxiii. 9-

Wherefore, these words " shall speak " are to be
taken absolutely, in this way : He shall speak : that is,
he shall decree, command, and ordain by his word : but
it shall be against them, and not in their favour : and
therefore, not in mercy but in wrath. For he speaks also
against the righteous and his own children, when he
commands the cross and death to be brought upon
them: according to that of 2 Kings xvi. 10, " The
Lord hath bidden him to curse David :" but in mercy. —
And if the preposition ' unto ' be changed into ' against,'
and the verb * speak ' into * command,' the text will be
more clear, " Then shall he command against them in
his anger."

Nor will he pull down and destroy them only, but
will distress them also ; for he shall consume them out-
wardly by arms, and inwardly by dread. And indeed he
distresses his own children also, and terrifies them with
alarming fears ; as was the case with Christ in the
garden. But he distressed the Jews while they were in
the act of being destroyed and slaughtered by the Ro-
mans, with a perpetually foreboding dread. For it is im-
possible that the ungodly man, when drawing near unto
death, should not be under unceasing dread and appre-
hension. It would have been a light punishment if they
had been destroyed only; but their having been de-
stroyed in anger was that which increased the horror of
their calamity ; and, what was the most awful of all,
after having been destroyed and slaughtered, they were
destined to be punished in wrath, and to be launched
through death into eternal horrors.

Behold, therefore, what a catalogue of dreadful pu-
nishments are prepared for the murderers of Christ.
First, being stripped of all their glory, in the pride of
which, chiefly, they raged against Christ, they are made
a derision to God and all men, and see themselves sur-
rounded by ignominious shame on every side ; which is

no small calamity to proud and envious men. Secondly,
deprived of every thing that could afford them any help,
they are laid waste, rooted out, and destroyed ; so that
they have not, even with respect to their bodies, the least
degree Of comfort. And lastly, the sum of all their calami-
ties, is, that tribulation and anguish will torture their souls
to all eternity. Thus, they are utterly destroyed in their
fame, in their bodies, and in things eternal : and there is
not one creature, nor God himself, propitious toward
them. Here then, I ask, who would not pity his enemies,
who would not lament for them, who would not endure all
things for them, and even from them, when he firmly be-
lieved that all these intolerable evils hung over their
heads. For only observe the order of these evils.
First, they are laughed at and held in derision, while all
their glory is turned into the deepest confusion, which is
the greatest thing they possess. Secondly, they are de-
stroyed and deprived of all their property and patri-
mony, which is another possession. And finally, they
are terrified with dreadful apprehensions, all hope and
confidence of spirit being taken away, which is their in-
ward and last possession. And these are they who are
made like dust before the wind.

And again, you see that the punishment of the
wicked is here described as being fear and horror. For
as the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and
safety ; so, of necessity, hell must be sin, dread, and
horror.

Verse 6. — Yet am I set by him as king upon his
holy hill of Zioii.

Here the person is changed : for it is not David
now speaking in his own person, but it is Christ that
speaks. The Hebrew, however, rather makes it to be the
Person of the Father speaking, and saying, " Yet have
I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." But I do
not think this a matter of so much moment that there
should be any contention or dispute about it, because
each sense is equally good : except that the Hebrew
text, by a figure of speech very usual in the scripturei;,

56

rather favours that reading which gives the authority to
the Father; according to that of Psalm ex. 1, " The
Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand ; "
and that of Psalm Ixxxix. 27, "Also I will n\ake him
my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth." Sta-
pulensis thinks that it may be rendered, " But I have
anointed my king :" resting upon those m ords of the be-
lievers. Acts iv. 27, where they say, ' Against thy holy
child Jesus whom thou hast anointed were they ga-
thered together.' But those believers seem to have taken
the word " hast anointed," not from the present verse, but
rather from the second : for citing that, they had said just
before ' against his Christ,' ver. 9.6 : which is the same
as saying against his anointed, and which, from a holy
desire to confirm the truth, they repeat in the 27th verse.
As if they would say, Most truly he is Christ, and the
Anointed, whom thou hast anointed ; that is, whom
thou has made Christ.

And moreover, according to my poor way of judg-
ing, I seem to think that " my holy," if the Hebrew did
not compel us to couple it with Zion, does not unap-
propriately apply to Christ : so that the sense may be,
" I have set my king upon my hill of Zion," not an in-
different person, but him who is my " holy one "
anointed of me by the Holy Ghost. For Christ is often
called in the scriptures, the " Holy One of God," and,
the Holy One of Israel : as in Psalm xvi. 10, " Neither
wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." And
Psalm Ixxxix. 1 8, " For the Lord is our defence, and
the Holy One of Israel our King." But the Hebrew, as
I have said, has it " my holy mountain."

The meaning of the passage therefore is, They have
gathered themselves together against me and my King,
and would not that he should reign over them. But my
counsel shall stand, and I will perform all my pleasure.
Who is able to stand before me ? They have killed him,
but I have set him up as King I They have withdrawn
themselves from under him, but I have placed my holy
hill of Zion, and all the kingdoms of the earth, in sub-
jection to him ! Thus, they are laughed at and held

57

ih derision, and openly manifested to have meditated
vain things !

This verse striiies at that general pride and arro-
gance, than which nothing more insolently prevails at
this time, in the church of Christ. For Paul thus appHes
this text, Heb. v. 4, 5. " And no man taketh this honour
unto himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron.
So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high-
priest, but he that said unto him. Thou art my Son,
to day have I begotten thee." And again, Psalm ex. 1.
" Sit thou on my right hand." And this is what nearly
the whole of this present Psalm inculcates ; which de-
scribes all the things of Christ as ordained of the Father,
and not arrogantly assumed or courted by Christ.
Whereas, our decrees have now for many years scarcely
been employed about any thing else but dignity, power,
privileges, and a great and stinking filth of ambition,
without any appointing or ordaining from God.

The church of Christ is called " Mount Zion," because
it was there begun and instituted by the sending of the
Holy Ghost. And although it is confined to no par-
ticular place, yet it was necessary that it should have a
beginning from some certain place. And from thence
it was spread throughout all the earth, that that of
Christ, John iv. 2, might be fulfilled. " The hour Com-
eth when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at
Jerusalem worship the Father." Thus now, the church
has every place, and yet no place. And, under the
influence and teaching of the Holy Spirit, such a mo-
desty was preserved by the Jerusalem church, that it
never contended with other churches for precedence and
dignity, as the Roman and Constantinopolitan churches
did, in a long and scandalous warfare : whereas, if pre-
cedency he considered, this church ought to have been
preferred by all right to every other; both because Christ
was its high priest, and appointed King by God the
Father, and because the true church rose there, from
whom all others churches sprung ; who is the mother of
all others, and in whom all the apostles and disciples,
the elders as it were, were born. But God would not

58

permit her to arrogate to herself any supremacy, that he
might thereby show us how he reprobated such arro-
gance, and how he forbad such to be assumed by any
church whatever, even by his own to whom it w^as due.

Therefore the church is called Mount Zion by a
figure of speech most common in the scriptures, w hich
speak of the containbig for the contained, as, the city of
Jerusalem, for the people of that city. Nor is it so
called on that account only, but also as conveying an
allegory in its name, nature, diXidform.

The name Zion signifies ' a distant view' (speculani).
And the church is called ' a distant view' {specula), not
only because it views God and heavenly things by faith,
(that is, afar off), being wise unto the things that are
above, not unto those that are on the earth ; but also,
because there are within her true viewers, or seers, and
watchmen in the spirit, whose office it is to take charge
of the people under them, and to watch againt the snares
of enemies and sins ; and such are called in the Greek
bishops (jeTria-KOTToi), that is spyers or seers ; and you may
for the same reason give them, from the Hebrew,
the appellation of Zionians or Zioners.

The nature of Zion is, that it is a mountain. And
so also the church is, before God, lofty in spiritual height,
on account of the greatness of her virtues, gifts, graces,
acts, &c. wherein God has highly exalted her above all
the power, wisdom, and righteousness of men* accord-
ing to that of Isaiah ii. 2, and Micah iv. 1. "And it
shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of
the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills." All this
I am obliged to interpret again and again on account of
those carnal dreamers, who are always twisting round
the words of God to favour worldly pomp. But the
church is exalted above all the power and height of the
world, not in riches and influence, but in faith, hope,
love, and all those virtues that despise the riches and
power of the world. And though the church is now
exalted in all this wordly wealth and power, it is not
properly belonging to it, but a certain strange Leviathan

59

that has thrust itself in ; and therefore, it has in the same
proportion decreased in the wisdom of the world of God
in holiness of life, and in the virtues of works, &c ; for
these are the true hills and mountains of the church
of Christ, in which the world cannot rival her ; and in
which she has ever surpassed the world, (she that is
the true church), who attempt such things ; for it is cer-
tam that the true church of Christ ever remains the same.
Again, the for7?i of Mount Zion was this. It rose
mto a summit on the south, and had the city of Jerusa-
lem on its declivity on the north side, the city itself rising
up the hill. Thus Psalm xlviii. 2. " Beautiful for situa-
tion, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the
sides of the north, the city of the great King."

Thus the declivity and acclivitv, may signify the inter-
nal warfare of the people of Christ between the flesh and
spirit: the flesh tendeth downward to the north the
spirit upward to the south. Or, it may represent
those two kinds of life, the working and the viewino-.
The one tends downward to an employment in temporal
concerns for the benefit of others ; the other ascends
upwards unto heavenly things, and is always on the hill
ot view, where the bishops or seers are, who excel in
the word and in life, and who draw others unto them.
In the midst of whom stands Mount Moriah, the Mount
of the temple; and that is, Christ, both God and Man;
who embraces both these lives, and decrees in the midst
of both ; as Mount Moriah, situated in the midst of
Jerusalem under Mount Zion, represents in a figure.
For this Mount Moriah, that is, the Mount of Visio^n, is
that on which Abraham offered up his son, and on which
afterward Solomon built the temple. And so also, we are -v
offered up on Christ like Isaac, and are built up, by the
true Solomon, a temple of God. For Christ is our
Mount Moriah : because God sees no one, and acknow-
ledges no one, who is not oflfered up and built up on this
place ; that is, on Christ, and in Christ ; for the eyes
of God are on this place only. And therefore, he is
called the Mountain on which God will look for ever.

60

Whereas, the heretics and the proud, raise to themselves
other mountains of vision, or rather, of no vision, while
they vvish by their righteousnesses and works to merit
the respect of God.

And this mountain is called "holy," not from that
figurative holiness of the law and external consecra-
tions: for these things are spoken in the spirit. And
therefore, not being content with saying " holy moun-
tain," God adds " my." As if he had said, The mountain
which is holy from my holiness ; not that holiness by
which the stones, wood, and coals are sanctified ; but
by which the mind and body are sanctified through the
unction of my Holy Spirit, and purified day by day
through faith, hope and love. For that is " holy" which
is separated from every profane use, and dedicated to
sacred and divine uses only: which separation is made
ceremonially and literally by high-priests who are men:
but which, in truth and in spirit, is wrought by the Holy
Spirit being shed abroad in our hearts.

By these things, therefore, God manifestly distin-
guishes the kingdom of Christ from every other king-
dom. For it is only concerning this king that he says,
" I have set," or, " I am set." And, as the person speak-
ing is the invisible, all-spiritual God, it shows that the
appointer of this king is a spiritual appointer, for God
appoints all other kings not by himself as here, but
appoints men by the instrumentality of men. Therefore,
the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, but in spirit
and in truth. And he says also " my king ; not a king
of men, or whom men have appointed. Wherefore,
Christ is a king in spirit and before God. And moreo-
ver, although he is set upon the hill of Zion, yet, to
" hill of Zion," there is added " my holy," or, " his
holy :" that the kingdom of Christ may be understood
to be the people indeed of Zion, but that people who
are made " holy" by a spiritual holiness. — Here you
again see, that the church of Christ does not stand in
the power, nor in the wisdom, nor in the dignity of the
world. Though there are some who pratingly affirm, that,

61

out of this new monarchy, there is no Christian. Whereas
the power of such a monarchy has nothing to do with
spiritual holiness whatever.

Ver. 7. — Declaring his decree, the Lord hath said
unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten
thee.

The Hebrew in this passage begins this seventh verse
thus, "I will declare the command of God. The Lord hath
said unto me," &c. : all which agrees together, and, ac-
cording to my judgment, is intended to let us know par-
ticularly what " command" it is, of which he would here
be understood as speaking, and which he says he will de-
clare.— It is that which he immediately adds, " The
Lord hath said unto me. Thou art my Son," &c. This, saith
he, I have given unto me as a command, and unto this
I am appointed King, that I might declare unto all, that
I am the Son of God : for I ought to glorify my Father. — ,
And this is the scope of the whole gospel ; that Christ is y
the Son of God. As in Matt. xvi. 15, 16, " Whom say
ye that I am ? And Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Son of God." And upon this rock it is
that the church is built.

Hence Paul saith, 1 Cor. i. ' But we preach Christ,
the power of God, and the wisdom of God.' And Christ
himself throughout the whole Gospel of John does
nothing else but manifest himself to be the Son of
God, always speaking of God as his Father. And this
was what was brought against him at his crucifixion as
a capital crime. For Christ came to plant and establish
that faith, whereby men believe him to be the Son of
God. And this faith is the fulfilment of all laws, the
righteousness that endureth for ever, the work of prais-
ing God, the mortification of the flesh, the quickening
revival of the Spirit, the victory over the world, the vic-
tory over the flesh, and the victory over hell ! as he him-
self saith. Matt. xvi. 18, " The gates of hell shall not
prevail against it." And so also John viii. 24, " If ye
believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." And

62

again John vi. 47, " He that befieveth in me hath ever-
lasting hfe."

Hence, the epistles of the apostles are full of the
doctrine of faith, because that doctrine is eternal life : as
John saith, chap. iii. 36, " He that believeth on the
Son, hath everlasting life : and he that believeth not the
vSon shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on
him." And again, chap. xii. 49, 50, Christ saith, " For
I have not spoken of myself: but the Father which
hath sent me he gave me a commandment, what I
should say and what I should speak. And I know that
his commandment is life everlasting. It is fully mani-
fest, therefore, that he declared the commandment of
God : that is, faith in himself as the Son of God, unto
the salvation of all who should receive him and believe
on his name, &c.

But you will say. If this was the design of the Holy
Spirit, why did he not make use of plainer words, in this
manner, ' I will declare the command of God, that I
am his *Son, and that this day he has begotten me,' &c.
— I answer: The Holy Spirit is ever like himself. For
thus, Christ, throughout the Gospel of John, whenever
he is speaking of his own divinity, always observes
this, — to bring in the authority of the Father, and to
refer unto the Father all that he himself is. " I (saith
he) speak not of myself," John xiv. 10, " My doctrine
is not mine," John vii. 16, " The Father that dwelleth in
me he doeth the works," John xiv. 10. Together with
many other scriptures of the same kind.

^And so also here, when he says that he will de-
clare, by the command of the Father, that he is the
Son of God ; he first introduces the Father speaking
unto him, in order that we may hear more the Father
in the Son speaking of the Son, than the Son speaking
of himself. So that the sense is, ' I will declare the com-
mand of God, that I am the Son of God. But I will not
do this by my own authority, lest I should seem to boast
of myself. Nay I will rather declare unto you what the
Father has said of me, that ye may hear him speaking

6$

of me, who commanded me to declare that which he said
unto me : that thus ye may believe me concerning my-
self upon his authority.

And observe also this change of the persons. At V
one time it is the Father's words : at another the words
of the Son, declaring the M'ords of the Father con-
cerning himself: all which is a holy and sacred di-
versity, commending unto us the nature and equa-
lity of the Godhead, in a more holy manner than I,
from my impurity and un worthiness, dare to set forth
any farther.

In a word, this Psalm is one of the most important
Psalms of the whole Psaltry : which is sufficiently
proved upon the authority of the apostle Paul, who,
when speaking of the divine generation, says, Heb. i. 5,
" Unto which of the angels said he at any time. Thou
art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?"

And every one will of himself observe this, — that
the words of the Father express an onl^ begotten Son.
' He said unto me onli/, (saith Christ) not unto many,
Thou art my ouii/ Son.' Distinguishing, most certainly,
by such remarkable and particular words, this one es-
pecial Son from all others : concerning which Psalm
Ixxxix. 6 saith, " Who among the sons of God can be
likened unto God." As if he had said. There are many
sons of God, but only One among them who is God ?
And who is like unto him ? And again, ' I have be-
gotten thee,' ' I only,' ' thee only,' &c.

And how discerningly and worthily have all the \
holy fathers interpreted this passage, " This day have I
begotten thee ? '" that is, (say they) in eternity. For that
is an eternal generation, which is born, and will be born,
without end. And to be a Son, is to be born of a
Father. But Christ neither began to be born, nor will
ever cease to be born, but is ever being born in a most
present nativity. He is rightly said therefore to be be-
gotten " to-day : " that is being always begotten. For
" to-day," neither implies a yesterday, nor a to-morrow,
but always a present time, a to-day. As it is said
John viii. 58, " Before Abraham was I am."

64

Where are ye now, ye poor, miserable, proud mor-
tals, who ambitiously seek, or unprofitably hold, the
place of this king in the church ? who declare not the
command of God, nor preach Jesus Christ the Son of
God crucified, for the salvation of them that believe,
but amass riches, wallow in luxuries, and revel in a
pompous show of all things? This Son of God who is
appointed King, does not seek his own, but declares the
command of God ; and receives his kingdom, not for
himself, but for the salvation of others, to the glory of
God the Father. — But this one office of the Word
which is the great duty of bishops, is the one duty that
is above all others omitted. And, if there be others who
teach in their stead, yet, they teach, not the " com-
mand " of God, not Christ, but their own fables, or, at
best, only the laws and traditions of men. Therefore, be-
lieve not that the church, the holy mountain of God is
there, where Christ does not teach in all purity. For it
is a word of important weight when Christ says, '' I
will declare the command of God." He says the com-
mand " of God," not the command, counsel, and his-
tories of men. And " I " myself will declare it. For
if Christ does not speak in us, we shall never declare
the command of God of ourselves. ' I (saith he) will be
in thy mouth,' and, " Open thy mouth wide, and I will
fill it," Psalm Ixxxi. 10.

Our translation of this passage, therefore, does not
in the least differ from the Hebrew in sense. And
though a diversity in the reading will sometimes make a
little difference in the sense, yet if the same truth be
held fast, the diversity of reading will do no harm :
therefore I will not contend.

This verse, therefore, distinguishes the kind of doc-
trine taught in the New Testament, from that which
was taught in the Old. In the Old the law was taught,
which worketh wrath and increases sin : but now, faith,
which worketh the remission of sins, and fulfilleth all
righteousness, In the former therefore was the man-
lawgiver and servant, Moses : in the latter the God
lawgiver, Christ, the Lord of all. The former made

65

men to be the servants of sin : the latter makes them
free in righteousness.

Not that the law is not taught now also, for Christ saith,
Matt. xiii. 52, that a scribe well instructed in the king-
dom of heaven brings forth things new and old : but,
grace is the peculiar preaching under the New Testa-
ment, and the works of the law under the Old. And as
there is no one in this life in whom all the fulness of the
New Testament is accomplished ; so, no one can be
found, in whom there is not some part of the Old
Testament remaining. For this life is a certain passage
and transition, out of the law into grace, out of sin into
righteousness, and out of Moses into Christ : but the
consummation will be after the resurrection that is to
come.

Verse 8. — Ask of me and I shall give thee the
heathen fo)^ thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of
the earth for t hi/ possession.

And this also belongs to the "command" which
Christ received of the Father, commanding him to de-
clare it. The Lord (saith he) said unto me, and the
Lord commanded me, to ask of him the heathen for my
inheritance. And this command I will declare, that ye
may know and believe that I am appointed, not only
king over Mount Zion, his holy mountain, that is, over
the people Israel, but also the heir and Lord of all
things ; that he who shall hear this command of the
Father from me, and shall believe it, may come unto the
Father and be saved.

Here again, you see that the kingdom of Christ was
not presumptively assumed by him in arrogance, but
confirmed unto him by the authority and command of
the Father. Hence the ambitious are here so far from
having any example or precedent set them, that their
vice is rebuked even by the authority of divine example.
Nor is this considered a sufficient reproof to their mon-
strous conduct: for Christ the Lord of all, acts and
does nothing in the church without the command of
God. But these wretched worms of men try and dare

VOL. II. F

66

all things in their own rashness in a church that is not
their own.

What is the reason, that, on being set as king upon
Mount Zion, he is not commanded to ask the kingdom
of Mount Zion? and that the inheritance of the heathen
is promised him, yet not without his asking for it, nay,
being commanded to ask for it ? — Perhaps, it is because
the blessing and kingdom of Christ were promised to
Israel in Abraham; but mercy was extended to the
Gentiles without a promise. As in Rom. xv. 8, 9.
" Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the
circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the pro-
mises made unto the fathers : and that the Gentiles
might glorify God for his mercy, &c." Thus, the truth
was confirmed unto the Jews and the promises fulfilled
unto them ; but the mercy unto the Gentiles was freely
and gratuitously imparted. And hence, mercy and truth
are most frequently coupled together in the prophets.
Though it was of gratuitous mercy also that God con-
descended to make the promise.

Therefore, Zion is given to Christ for a kingdom,
but the Gentiles are given to him for an inheritance upon
his asking for them as a gift, as being those to whom the
promise was not made. Thus Isaiah Ixvi. 19, "And they
shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. And they
shall bring all your brethern for an offering unto the
Lord out of all nations." Hence Israel is the kingdom,
and we Gentiles are the gift; like the dowry of the
daughter of Pharaoh, which Pharaoh king of Egypt
gave unto her. In a word, when Christ is set as king
upon Zion, he uses the plainest declarations of it, which
at once show that such is the case : but when he is
declared to be the heir, he is first commanded to ask,
and it is promised unto him as that which shall be here-
after. All which things we see fulfilled in the Acts of
the Apostles : for the disciples did not preach the Word
unto any but the Jews, until Paul being called from
heaven was sent unto the Gentiles. Christ, therefore,
being now upon earth, appointed king upon Mount
Zion, asks for the Gentiles; and when he reigns in

67

iieaven, he receives the Gentiles which were then pro-
mised unto him.

And again, the words " of me," are not spoken i^
without a particular meaning. They are to show, that
this kingdom and this inheritance of the Gentiles are
conferred on Christ, not by men, nor in any human
way, but of God ; that is, spiritually.

And this is one of those passages against which they
rashly fight, who deny that any are Christians, but those
who are under the Pope of Rome. For such endeavour
to make God the Father a liar; because, he subjected
the uttermost parts of the earth unto Christ ; whereas,
they will have it, that all Europe is not yet put under
him. What ! can there be no Christians there because
the Turk or the Scythean reign there temporally?
How then did there exist Christians at Rome under
Nero and Domitian .'' What ! are there no bishops
there because they do not buy bishops' robes? Are
there no priests there because they do not hang up geese ?
What if it be found, that those are the more truly bishops
who are the most free from opulence, pomp, and pride ?
For Paul certainly describes bishops, Acts xx. 28, as
those who take heed unto the flock and feed the church
of God. " Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to
all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made
you overseers, to feed the church of God." And
though he is here speaking to the elders, (as Hieronymus
plainly collects from the text, and has shown from the
words, ' take heed,' which are, in the original, of a
kindred signification) : yet cannot the ruling of the church
and the taking heed unto the flock be done by the
ministry of the Word and prayer only, without all that
noise and tumult of the bishops which now every where
prevail ?

Let us therefore (lest we should contract and confine
the inheritance of Christ) not accuse the word of this
psalm of a lie, either on account of the perfidy of the
Turks, or on account of any other multitude of erro-
neous men. Otherwise, who even among us shall know
who are Christians in truth? Do not wicked men

F 2

6B

abound among us also, while good men are few ? The
authority of the Word is greater than all our capacity.
How much greater, then, is it than all our suspicion,
and the phantom of external appearance ?

Augustine thinks that there is a tautology here :
that is, that the inheritance of the Gentiles, and the
possession of the uttermost parts of the earth are the
same : which tautology, as I have before said, is a sign
of the thing being established by God, that our faith
may rest upon it the more securely : — namely, that there
are Christians also in other parts of the world, where
other apostles have preached, how much soever wicked-
ness may there prevail.

Verse 9. — Thou shalt ride them with a rod of'iroriy
and break them in pieces like a potters vessel.

Here again the vain dreams of the flesh are to be
removed out of the way, that no one might imagme
to himself, that the kingdom of Christ is either gotten or
preserved by iron or arms : because it is written, that
he delighteth not in chariots, nor in horses, nor in the
legs of a man. Psalm xx. 7. And the apostle saith,
2 Cor. X. 4, " For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal." And the Turks, whom at this day we never
seek to conquer by any other means than by the sword,
we ought to conquer by increasing the number of Chris-
tians among them. Why do M^e not attack with the
sword also the wicked among ourselves, especially the
great ones of the people ? But God forbid. The king-
dom of Christ consists in righteousness, truth, and
peace. By these things it was obtained, and by the
same it will be preserved. And hence, above, when
he said that he was appointed king, he recommended no
other office whatever besides that of the Word : saying,
" I will declare the command of God :" not, I will ride
horses, not I will lay waste cities, not I will seek the
treasures of the world : but, I will do this one thing, —
declare those things which God hath commanded : ^that
is, that Christ is God and Man : which Paul, Rom. i. 1,
calls the gospel: saying, "Separated unto the gospel

69

of God, which he had promised afore, concerning his
Son Jesus Christ, &c."

You see, therefore, that the whole of this verse is
allegorical ; and not without cause ; for it signifies a
certain allegory which really takes place in fact and life.
For as the word of Christ is the word of salvation and
peace, the word of grace and life ; and as it works these
things, not in the flesh, but in the spirit ; it of necessity
follows, that it subdues and drives out the safety, peace,
life, and ease of the flesh. And where it does this, it
appears unto the flesh harder and more unfeeling than
iron itself. For wherever the carnal man is savingly
touched by the Word of God, one thing is felt, and
another is wrought : namely, that of 1 Sam. ii. 6, 7,
" The Lord killeth and maketh alive ; he bringeth down
to the grave and bringeth up. He bringeth low and
lifteth up."

This allegorical work of God is beautifully described
by Isaiah, xxviii. 21, "That he may do his work, his is
a strange work ; that he may bring to pass his act, his
is a strange act." As if he had said, Though God is the
God of life and salvation, and these are his proper works ;
yet, in order to accomplish these, he kills and destroys,
that he may thereby come unto his proper work. For
he kills our will, that he may establish his own in us.
He mortifies the flesh and its desires, that he may implant
the Spirit and his desires.

And this is the same thing as that which he said
above without allegory. " Declaring the command of
God." For the Spirit receives the Word of God as a
most sweet commandment : and it is then that the holy
mountain Zion becomes a kingdom, the heathen an in-
heritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth a posses-
sion. But the flesh militates against the command, or
Word of God, with the greatest indignation, and will
not acknowledge it, because it is utterly, and in all
things, contrary to it. And therefore, it receives it as a
rod, and as iron that breaks it in pieces. And this is
the allegory completed, both in the signification of this

70

verse, and in the exemplification of it in fact and ex-
perience.

"Thou shalt rule them," is, in the Hebrew, throem:
which Hieronymus translates, " Thou shalt feed them."
But John Reuchlin in his Rudiments, gives us many sig-
nifications of this word ; — namely, ' to feed,' 'to rule,' 'to
consume,' ' to afflict,' and ' to shake or break and bruise
in pieces.' And this last signification, as far as I am
capable of judging, is the most a})plicable to the present
passage. First, because a " rod of iron," as every one
knows, is more fit for bruising and breaking in pieces,
than for ruling or feeding. And secondly, had ruling
been signified, it would have been sufficient to have said
" rod" only. And, for feeding, neither iron nor a rod is
rightly adapted. For what can a 'rod of iron' do but
bruise and break in pieces ? according to that of Daniel
ii. 40. " For as much as iron breaketh in pieces and
subdueth all things :" so also, shall this break and bruise
all things in pieces. Add to this, that this kind of tau-
tology beautifully agrees with the meaning of the
passage : because, it now follows, " and dash them in
pieces like a potter's vessel :" so that this ruling, and this
dashing in pieces, signify the same thing.

By each of these expressions is signified the hum-
bling of the proud by the Word of God : because, he
then breaks and dashes in pieces when he terrifies and
humbles. Thus, Acts ii. 37, ' They were converted
and pricked by the word of Peter ; and cried and said,
Men and brethren, what shall we do ?' And this is what
is called in other places of the scripture ' rebukes,' the
* moving of the world,' the ' shaking of the earth,' &c.
But Micah iv. 13, the most beautifully of all, saith,
" Arise and thresh, O daughter of Sion : for I will make
thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass ; and
thou shalt beat in pieces many people : and shalt con-
secrate the spoils of them unto the Lord, (that is, the
people themselves, as a spoil taken from the devil,) and
their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth."
Behold, then, what it is to rule them with a rod of iron :

71

namely, to break in pieces many people with a horn of
iron, (as the prophet here saith.)

This " rod," therefore, is the all-holy Gospel of
Christ, for this is the sceptre of his kingdom : as in
Psalm xlv. 6, " A right rod is the rod of thy kingdom."
And Psalm ex. 2, " The Lord shall send the rod of thy
strength out of Zion." And so also Isaiah xi. 4, " And
he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and
with the breath of his lips shall he slay the Avicked."
And what is the rod of the mouth of Christ, but the
Word of God, which breaks in pieces the earth ; that is,
those that follow after earthly things ? And what is the
breath of his mouth, but the same word of his breath,
wdth w hich he slays the wicked, that they might die unto
ungodliness and live unto godliness ? This is the rod
whose top, in the hand of Joseph, Jacob adored,
Gen. xlix. This is the rod the top of which the blessed
Esther kissed, Esther v. 2.

It is called a " rod" metaphorically, or rather alle-
gorically.

First: because it is slender and easy to be carried, so

that it may be borne in the hand ; for the yoke of Christ

is easy and his burden is light, Matt. xi. 30. But the

hands of Moses are heavy, so that they w ere supported

by stones put under him by Aaron and Ilur, Exod.

xvii. 12 : which signifies, (as Peter explains it, Acts xv.

10,) the intolerable yoke of the law. Whereas, on the

contrary, the hands of Christ are laid even on infants

and on the sick throughout the Gospel, that they may

be healed and saved thereby. — Moses, moreover, has

two great and heavy stone tables : and the Levites also

used of old to bear many and heavy vessels belonging to

the tabernacle, as we read Num. iv. : and these Moses

calls their " burdens :" and many and heavy burdens

they certainly are, considered in themselves : but they

are no burdens at all, or at least but very light, w hen we

look at the tyrannizing laws and rites of the present

day. For we at this day bear, not tables and vessels,

but whole w^oods and rocks, and such heavy hands of

popes, that the whole world together can scarcely endure

72

them. And all this is come upon us justly, because we
have cast away from us the " rod" of Christ. And
therefore, that has happened unto us which is written,
Isaiah viii. 6, 7, ' Forasmuch as this people refuseth
the waters of Shiloah that go softly : now therefore behold
the Lord bringeth upon them the waters of the river,
strong and many.'

Secondly: because it is straight. For the gospel
and the law of the Spirit lead unto life by a straight,
direct, and short way. Whereas, the law of the letter,
by long and winding paths of figures and works ; and, as
it were, by a most tedious journey, scarcely /brings us
after all even into the plains of Moab, and rtever leads
us into the land of Canaan, but fails us with Moses.

Thirdly : because the law of Christ is open and
revealed, as a " rod" is carried without a case or sheath :
but the law of Moses and the tables were covered and
carried in an ark : and so also, every law and every
work of the law, without Christ, is but a shadow and a
sign of hidden righteousness, and not the true righteous-
ness itself; for that is revealed by the law of Christ, as it
is set forth Rom. i. 17, ' In the gospel is revealed the
righteousness of God from faith to faith.'

And it is called " of iron," as I said,

First : on account of the flesh : to which, the law
of Christ is most galling, though it is to the spirit most
sweet. For it lays on all the desires of the flesh the
cross and death, and imposes on us poverty, humility,
and patience. These are the three horns of the cross.
For poverty breaks in pieces the lust of the eyes and
avarice : humility, the pride of life and ambition ; and
patience, the lust of the flesh and pleasure. Hence
Isaiah xxvii. 1, calls it, a great and strong sword; "In
that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong
sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent."

Secondly : because it is of inflexible and invincible
rectitude, or, (as the blessed Augustine here thinks,) of
inflexible righteousness. For how much soever many have
tried to twist and bend the Word of God to their own in-
terpretations and lusts, yet, it has ever remained of invin-

73

cible rectitude, proving all those to be liars who have
attempted to wrest and pervert it. For it is not of reed,
like the staff of Egypt, 2 Kings xvii. and Isaiah xxxvi. 6,
" On which if a man lean it will go into his hand and
pierce it." AH reed is the doctrine of men, which is
shaken by every wind of opinion. But this voice of one
crying in the wilderness, as it is not covered with soft
clothing; so neither is it, like the reed, empty nor shaken
with the wind, but full, solid, and of iron. And as to
some men attributing to the scriptures a nose of wax,
and saying that it is a reed that is moveable and to be
shaken ; that all proceeds from the doings of those, who
abuse the Holy Word of God to their own vain and un-
stable opinions and glosses, making the Word of God to
suit all, and so, to suit no one.

Thirdly : as iron conquers and breaks in pieces all
things, as it is said Daniel ii. 40; so, the Word of
Christ breaks great things in pieces, that is, humbles the
proud : it straightens the crooked, that is, chastizes the
undisciplined : it bends the straight, that is, bends down
the proud : it smooths the rough, that is, cools the
passionate : it lengthens the short, that is, comforts the
weak and helpless : it shortens the long, that is, terrifies
the presumptuous : it widens the narrow, that is, makes
the tenacious bountiful : it contracts the wide, that is,
makes the prodigal frugal : it sharpens the blunt, that is,
instructs the ignorant : it blunts the sharp, that is,
makes the wise fools : it keeps off rust, that is, drives out
acidity. In a word, it changes every thing that is
vicious and deformed, into that which is pleasing unto
God : as the apostle saith, 2 Tim. iii. \6, 17, " All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profit-
able for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for in-
struction in righteousness. That the man of God may
be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

Like a potte7^'s vessel.

He here mingles a similitude with the allegory, to
illustrate his meaning the more clearly. So the apostle,
2 Corinth, iv. 7, uses * earthen vessels' in an allegorical

74

way, to signify the body, , or rather the man in the body.
" We have this treasure (says he) in earthen vessels, that
the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of
us." And these also are the earthen pitchers of Gideon,
which being dashed to pieces and broken at the sound
of the trumpets, burn and shine, and rout and pursue
the discomfited Midianites. That is, the bodies of the
martyrs and saints, being dashed to pieces by various
crosses and sufferings, instruct the world by their ex-
amples of love and truth, and put the ungodly to flight,
together with all their ungodliness. And so, according
to the figure, while the flesh or the carnal man is broken
in pieces by the Word of the cross and the rod of iron,
the confused multitude of sins and lusts are dispersed
from before the face of the Christian virtues, and before
the face of that grace which exalts the man.

But we are in this passage to attend to the similitude,
not to the thing itself. For Christ does not shake and
dash his people in pieces, and tear their bodies limb
from limb, just as earthen vessels, when broken, are
scattered into many small pieces. But this material
dashing in pieces is an emblem of the spiritual dashing
in pieces : that is,- though the members of the body are
not thus broken in pieces, yet they are dashed in pieces
with respect to their evil lusts and actings. The tongue
does not speak those things which please the flesh ; the
ear does not hear calumny and detraction ; the hand
does not take that which is another's, nor meddle with
those things which are unlawful : and, in a word, the
body of sin, which before used all the members accord-
ing to its own lusts, being on a sudden, by the Word of
God, deprived of the members now scattered and dis-
turbed by that Word, exhibits a certain happy Babylon ;
while, as the apostle saith, Rom. vi. 19, the members
which were yielded up to be servants to uncleanness unto
iniquity, are now yielded up to be servants to righteous-
ness unto holiness. And so also in the gospel that
*' stronger than he," not only takes away the armour, but
divides the spoils. For the Hebrew word thenaphzem,
signifies, according to the authority of Reuchhn,

75

* thou shall scatter,' ' thou shall dissipate,' * thou shalt
disperse.'

Therefore, all Christians are " this potter's vessel."
First : because, as a potter's vessel is most easily broken,
so tender men, not rendered obstinate by the hardening
nature of unbelief, easily believe the Word of God, and
do not either resist or contradict it ; whereas, those who
are of a hardened mind, rush on into evil, as it is said,
Prov. xxvii, 12, and shall without doubt be overturned
like the mountains, and broken in pieces like the rocks ;
according to that which Elijah saw (1 Kings xix. 11.)
Secondly : because, when an earthen vessel is broken in
pieces, it becomes utterly unfit for its former use. So
that you may see that of Isaiah xxx. 14 fulfilled, " There
shall not be found in the burstino; of it a sherd to take
fire from the hearth, or to take water out of the pit :"
for the prophet is there speaking of the breaking a pot-
ter's vessel with a powerful dashing in pieces : which
agrees with the present verse almost word for word : for
the ungodly man, being thus converted and turned unto
Christ, is rendered quite useless for his former manner
of life : saying with the apostle, " The world is crucified
unto me and I unto the world." — Gal. vi. 14.

Ver. 10. — Be wise now therefore, O ye kings : be
instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Having given a description of the kingdom of Christ,
he now subjoins a faithful, holy, and wise exhortation ;
trying all things and plying every means to bring all,
especially the greater ones, into subjection unto Christ.

But how bold, and (as we are accustomed to say in
our times) how seditious and offensive is this most daring
prophet, who lifts up his mouth into the clouds, and
dares to attack, not the lowest of mankind and the
commonalty, but the loftiest personages, yea, kings
themselves, and to instruct them too : who, being in-
flated with both their title and their office to instruct the
people, and also, from their habits and opinion of dig-
nity, are most unprepared to endure such indignity to
be put upon them : considering all others fools, and

76

ignorant, and standing in need of being taught and
instructed themselves.

It is easy indeed to make the ignorant commonaky,
who are accustomed to be under discipHne, attend to what
you say. But to bring down kings, judges of the earth,
masters, rulers, teachers, and popes, to a level with the
commonalty ; and not only so, but to bring them down
to the rank of pupils, after such a long habit of ruling
and teaching ; yea more, to pass over the commonalty
in silence, and seek out them only for pupils to be in-
structed ; these things, I say, who can bear to do ? Who
will not here, like John the Baptist, tremble to touch
the head of Christ ? Yet he is to be touched and to be
baptized in the water of Jordan ; as descending to the
humble, that all righteousness may be fulfilled : and thus,
he who is high in majesty, humbles himself beneath the
lowest ; and he who is lowest, trembles at the humility
of his high majesty.

But the good and blessed Spirit admonishes the
great in this manner ; because he knows that those who
are puffed up with their power and office, have always in
their mouths that of John ix. 34, " Dost thou teach
us?" And that also of Jeremiah xviii. 18, " For the law-
shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the
wise, nor the word from the prophet." And therefore,
being puffed up with this inflated and false confidence,
they used to resist the true prophets ; just in the same
way as, at this day, all those prating flatterers about the
popes, resist every appearance of the truth; because
they cannot once imagine, as they pretend, that the
head of so high a personage can err, &c. The church
cannot err, (they cry.) The pope cannot^rr. The council
cannot err.

Those, however, under the Old Testament were more
strictly bound to obey the high-priests than we Christians
are. For then, they were bound to hear the Levitical
priests, under penalty of death. But, in our day, as we
are all priests, and that word of Isaiah liv. 1 3, is ful-
filled, " Thy children shall be all taught of the Lord ;"
and that also of Jeremiah xxxi. 34, " And they shall

teach no more every man his neighbour and every man
his brother, saying, Know the Lord : for they shall all
know me from the least of them unto the greatest of
them, saith the Lord ;" and since Paul has plainly given
us commandment, 1 Cor. xiv. 30, " that if any revela-
tion be made to another that sitteth by, the first is to
hold his peace ;" since this is the case under the New
Testament, all superiors are so to be heard, that every
lowest hearer be left free to judge of what the higher
person advances, in those things which pertain unto
faith, as far as the law of God will allow, which is a
much greater liberty than was allowed the prophets in
their resisting the elders of Israel : for in the synagogue,
where the matter stood in the external ceremonies of the
priests only, any error in the priests was not attended
with peril. But in the church, where the matter stands
in the spirit and in faith, it is of the utmost moment
unto all, to observe whether or not the priest be in error:
because, God is wont to reveal unto one of the lowest
degree, what he does not deign to reveal unto one of
the highest : that his church may stand firm in humility,
in which alone it subsists.

And mark the force of the adverb " now." " Now,"
saith the prophet, that Christ is appointed king of all.
In which time there are two things that will hinder you
in coming to the knowledge of the things that are right.

First : It is that Christ, who was crucified by you,
who died and was condemned, and even accursed, ac-
cording to the law of Moses, by the will and authority
of God, that is now proclaimed Lord of all lords. And .J
therefore, it will be the most difficult matter possible to
acknowledge him King who died such a desperate and
ignominious death. For sense strongly resists such a
faith, reason abhors it, experience denies it, and there is
no example to support it. This is the height of foolish-
ness to the Gentiles, and a stumbling-block to the Jews,
unless ye raise your minds far above all the external
appearance of these things.

Secondly : This King so reigns as to teach that all
things which you have hoped for from the law are to be

78

despised, and all things which you have feared are to
be loved. He sets before you the cross and death. He
admonishes you to set light by every thing human that
appears either good or evil, in order to transport you
into far different good things which neither the eye has
seen, nor the ear heard, and which it has never entered
into the heart of man to conceive. Ye must die if ye
would live under this King : and the cross, the hatred
of the whole world, poverty, ignominy, hunger, thirst,
and, in a word, all the evils of this world, are to be
endured, and cannot be avoided. For this King is one
who was himself made a fool unto the world, and died:
and he also bruises all his with a rod of iron, and dashes
them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

How then shall he endure these things who stands
in the flesh, and depends on sense ; who measures every
thing by reason ; and who stands at the door of his
tent, and will not look at the face of Moses ? So
necessary are instruction and understanding to rise above
all these things, and, despising things that are seen, to
be carried up unto things that are not seen ; being made
wise, not unto the things that are on earth, but unto the
things that are above, where Christ is, &c.

Wherefore, the expression " be wise," is, in the
Hebrew, ascilu; which, being put absolutely, signifies
* make wise :' that is, (as Hieronymus explains it), your-
selves or others : that is, so do, so strive, that ye may
be wise; may be wise unto spiritual and heavenly things.
In the same way also it is said. Psalm xxxii. 9, " Be ye
not as the horse or as the mule, which have no under-
standing." And this understanding is not that concerning
which philosophers dispute, but is faith itself; which, in
times both of prosperity and of adversity, is able to see
those things which are not seen.

Therefore, not fully describing those things which
they are to understand, he says, absolutely, " be wise :"
that is, take heed that ye be wise : take heed that ye be
in the faith. For those things which faith understands
are not to be described either in name or form. For the
prosperity or adversity of present things utterly subverts

79

every man who does not, by faith, understand the things
whicli are not seen. And this understanding comes of
faith : according to that scripture, ' If ye will not be-
lieve, neither shall ye understand.' This is that entering
into the cloud, in which is swallowed up every thing that
sense, reason, or the mind or understanding of man can
comprehend. For faith unites the soul to the invisible,
ineffable, unnamable, unimaginable, eternal Word of
God, and at the same time separates it from all things
visible. And this is the cross, and the nature of the
things of God ; wherein it is necessary to preach this
understanding.

Augustine receives, " be instructed, ye judges of the
earth," as spoken tautologically. And these words also
are put absolutely, the same as the preceding " be wise:"
and the meaning is. Be separated from all ignorant and
animal affections and opinions, and all senses and sensible
things, that ye think not as children concerning Christ
and his kingdom. For the animal man understandeth
not the things af God, 1 Cor. ii. 14. I, however, seem
to think, that this ' instruction' signifies a turning of the
heart from all perishing things, just as understanding
signifies the conversion of the mind, and the apprehend-
ing of eternal things. The former of which is wrought
by the cross in the mortification of the flesh : the latter
by faith in the renewing revival of the spirit.

And, that " earth" signifies, figuratively, the men in
the earth, is too well known to need any exposition :
excepting that, Augustine seems rather inclined to under-
stand it to signify, in a trope, the body.

Verse 1 1 . — Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice
before him with trembling.

A wonderful expression this, and an absurdity ac-
cording to human views. For fear works hatred and a
fleeing from the object feared, but nothing of familiar
union ; and trembling militates directly against rejoic-
ing. The Psalmist in another Psalm also speaks thus
contrarily ; wherein we are commanded to " serve the
Lord with gladness," Psalm c. 2. What shall we under-

80

stand, therefore, by these things? Let us hear the
apostle Paul, as an intermediate teacher, to settle the
matter: who says, 1 Cor. i. 21, that " after the world
by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the fool-
ishness of preaching to save them that believe." As if
he had said. We must be made wise by becoming fools.
Thus, in peace and prosperity we do not, as we ought,
acknowledge God nor praise him : and so also, in secu-
rity, we do not serve God with gladness : and therefore,
it pleases him, that we serve him in gladness with fear,
and rejoice before him with trembling.

And, in a word, as the world perverts all the things
of God, so, again, does God pervert all the things of
the world. The whole creation was given to raise up and
illuminate man : but he uses it to blind and pervert
himself: and therefore, God uses the whole creation to
blind and pervert man. This is the cross of Christ, and
that foolishness of preaching whereby he saves them
that believe : for the reasoners, the disputers of this
world, the wise, the understanding, are offended at, and
destroyed by, these things.

The meaning, therefore, of this passage is this, —
Since Christ the Lord rules with his rod of iron, and
breaks in pieces the old man with the word of the
cross, and that by the will and according to the com-
mandment of the Father, who has put all things in sub-
jection to him ; it behoves you to acknowledge your-
selves subject unto him ; and subject unto him in fear
also ; that ye may patiently and humbly bear his cross ;
fearing lest, becoming unwilling to bear his hand and
counsel, ye should prove to be reprobates ; like those
sons of Ephraim, mentioned Psalm Ixxviii. 9, "The
children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,
turned back in the day of battle." And this ye will as-
suredly do, if ye consider yourselves always to be dealt
with in an indignant manner, and to deserve greater
and better things. For the proud, who seem to them-
selves to deserve good things only, are secure, and are
not, like Job, ' afraid of all their works,' chap. ix. 28.
And therefore, in the time of temptation, they stand not,

81

but, like the house of the foolish man, mentioned Matt. vii.
which was built upon the sand, they fall with a ter-
rible destruction, and become worse and worse. There-
fore, this fear in a man's whole life, and in all his
works, is a great part of the cross, nay, nearly the whole
of the cross. — But farther, we are with the Apostle
Paul, Rom. V. 3, ' to glory in tribulations also,' and to
rejoice in them with trembhng. From all which things
we collect that there are two kinds of serving, and re-
joicing in God,

First, a serving in security, and a rejoicing in the
Lord without fear : these are peculiar to hypocrites, who
are secure, who please themselves, and who appear to
themselves to be not unuseful servants and to have great
merit on their side : concerning whom it is said. Psalm
X. 5, " Thy judgments are far above out of his sight ;
and also afterwards. Psalm xxxvi. 1, "There is no fear
of God before his eyes." These do righteousness with-
out judgment at all times : and permit not Christ to be
the judge to be feared by all : in whose sight no man
living is justified.

Secondly, a serving in fear and a rejoicing with
trembling ; these are peculiar to the righteous who do
righteousness at all times, and always rightly attemper
both; never being without judgments, on the one
hand, by which they are terrified and brought to despair
of themselves and of all their own works ; nor without
that righteousness, on the other, on which they rest, and
in which they rejoice in the mercy of God. It is the
work of the whole lives of these characters to accuse
themselves in all things, and in all things to justify and
praise God. And thus they fulfil that word of Proverbs,
chap, xxviii. 14, " Blessed is the man that feareth alway :"
and also that of PhiHp. iv. 4, " Rejoice in the Lord
alway." Thus, between the upper and nether mill-stone,
Deut. xxiv. 6, they are broken in pieces and humbled,
and, the husk being thus bruised off, they come forth
the all-pure wheat of Christ.

And the emphatical force of the expression, " serve
the Lord" I leave to your meditation : he does not

VOL. III. G

82

say serve yourself, nor your own belly, nor your gold ;
nor, finally, your own righteousness, power, or wisdom ;
nor, in a word, any thing whatever that is your own or
created : for all these things are a kind of idolatry.
Therefore, rejoice " in him : " not in yourselves, nor in
any creature, but in the Lord alone. And this thou
doest when thou arrogatest to thyself nothing good what-
ever in any thing of thine own, so as to trust and glory
therein ; but ascribest every thing unto God, and
praisest, blessest, and lovest him in all things : ascribing
unto thyself at the same time all evil, and fearing and
trembling on account of it, and having no confidence
whatever therein : even as Job said, with respect both
to his prosperity and adversity, " The Lord gave, and
the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the
Lord," chap. i. 21.

How difficult all these things are thou wilt see if
thou consider each time. For in adversity, it is a hard
matter not to faint, not to complain, not to become im-
patient, and, from the fear of evil, not to do things, and
to leave them undone, contrary to the commands of
God; and thus, by the fear of God, to overcome the
fear of the creature, not to yield to the senses and to
sensible objects, but to cleave close unto the Word of the
Lord even unto death. For by these things it is proved
whether we serve God or not, or whether the AviU of
God is feared more than the violence of any creature. —
Though, indeed, the trembling at God is more in peril in
prosperity, than the fear of God is in adversity. Re-
cause, in ])rosperity we rejoice in security : for it is dif-
ficult to fear, much less to tremble, when all things go
on just according to our wishes.

Therefore, according to my judgment, David has
very appropriately connected trembling with rejoicing,
and fear with serving: because, serving implies the
labour of adversity, but rejoicing the ease of prospe-
rity : and fear was to be recommended in the former,
that he might declare trembling to be necessary in the
latter. As if he had said, there is more to be feared
where fear is not ; and the more pleasantly all things go

S3

on, the more anxiously ought we to fear ; and conse-
quently, we ought to tremble when at any time we exult
and rejoice more than usual.

Verse 12. — Lai/ hold on discipline, lest at any time
the Lord be angry, and ye perish from the right way.

In the Hebrew the words ' Lord ' and ^ right ' are
not found ; though that does no harm to the sense.
But the translation " lay hold on discipline" is repro-
bated by almost all. For in the Hebrew it is nascu
bar: which Hieronymus has rendered in the Hebrew
Psalter, ' Adore purely : ' because bar signifies also
' pure ' and ' elect.' And the same author in his short
commentary has these words. ' In the Hebrew it is
read nascu bar : which may be rendered ' Adore the
Son.' For bar signifies also a son. Hence we have in
the Gospel Simon bar Jonah, Simon the son of John.
And, bar Ptolemeus, the son of Ptolemy. And again
Barnabas, the son of a prophet : and the like.

Burgensis and Lyranus render the passage thus,
' kiss the Son.' But we no where find that bar signifies

* discipline.' And by ' kiss ' they consider to be signi-
fied * do homage.' So that the sense should be ' kiss
the Son ; ' that is, hold the King and Lord, Christ, in
reverence with humility.

But let us try to harmonize all these renderings. —
First, a kiss is a sign of reverence and adoration, and a
way in which we kiss and adore sacred and divine
things ; as when, humbly prostrating ourselves, we kiss
the feet and footsteps of any person, in the same way
as Mary Magdalene kissed Christ: and therefore, ac-
cording to this, Hieronymus has rendered the passage

* adore purely.' — Secondly, it is a sign of acknowledg-
ment, and of a profession of fidelity : as when in doing
homage, we are accustomed to kiss the hand, acknow-
ledging thereby that he whom we kiss is our Lord. —
Thirdly, it is a mark of the most perfect friendship and
affection : as when we kiss the eyes or face of any one :
concerning which the Apostle commands us, Rom. xvi.

G 2

84

16, "Salute one another with an holy kiss." And we
read that it was with such a kiss as this that Christ was
used to receive his returning disciples. And, as those
who kissed each other thus were accustomed to clasp
and embrace each other, therefore, our translation has
" lay hold on discipline."

But since David says absolutely ' kiss the Son,' not
saying any thing about his feet, not his hands, nor his
face ; it is just that we should take this kissing in its
full latitude ; that is, that, by kissing his feet, we adore
Christ as the Son of God and truly God ; that, by
kissing his hand we receive him as our lawful Lord and
our eternal helper and Saviour ; that, by kissing his eyes
or face, we embrace him as our most sweet Father, our
friend, and the husband of our soul. And concerning
these three kisses, see Bernard, at the beginning of the
Song of Solomon. So that the sense is, " kiss the Son ; "
that is, worship Christ as God with the greatest rever-
ence ; be subject unto Christ with the deepest humi-
lity ; and cleave unto the husband Christ with the
strongest love. — Behold, here are love and fear, and
humility between to keep both in their proper places.
And this is the most perfect service and worship
of God.

And with respect to the other word bar, which has
been translated ' son,' ' pure,' and ' discipline,' let us
})roceed to harmonize these renderings thus. — Faith in
Christ is, rightly, our discipline. And therefore he who
believes in Christ, that is, kisses the Son, truly lays
hold on discipline, carrying the cross of Christ in him-
self; as we read in the Galatians. For he does not kiss
nor lay hold of Christ according to the flesh, but in the
spirit : and that he does, when he lovingly undertakes his
cross and sufferings, M'hich are the things by which we are
disciplined, Heb. xii. Therefore our translation, though
by no means correct with regard to the literal meaning
of the Hebrew, is yet most agreeable to truth and
experience.

Moreover, ' to adore purely,' touches upon that

85

Avhich is written, 1 Kings xix. 18, concerning the adora-
tion of Baal. " Yet will I reserve unto me seven thou-
sand in Israel, ail the knees that have not bowed unto
Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him,
kissing his hand." In which passage, (to make a cursory
observation,) kissing his hand is not in the original : but
the same verb nasca is there used, which is found in
this passage, and which we now are showing, signifies
* to kiss ;' and which, with reference to Baal, signifies to
adore him ; though it was in all probabilit}' some He-
brew interpreter that added the gloss " kissing his
hand," that he might express the mode of adoration
used ; and afterwards that gloss was by some ignorant
author introduced into the text.

According to this sense of the passage. Job also
speaks, chap. xxxi. 27, 28, " If my mouth hath kissed
my hand. This also were an iniquity to be punished by"
the judge ; for I should have denied the God that is
above." By which scriptural trope is signified, as
Gregory interprets it, a man that trusts in his own
works, and glories in a righteousness not received from
Christ, but gotten by his own works and performances.
For such a man as this adores and kisses his hand with
his mouth, because, he praises himself in himself,
and pleases himself with himself; but his soul does not
praise God and rejoice in him : and therefore, it is the
greatest of iniquities, and a denying of the Most High :
because such an one ascribes to himself that which
belongs to God, setting up himself for an idol Baal,
adoring himself, and making himself the author of all
the good that he enjoys. For Baal signifies an 'author,'
or a ' lord.' Thus, Isaiah ii. 8, " They worship the work
of their own hands, that which their own fingers have
made." But this is the most impure of all adorations.
Therefore to kiss Christ, to acknowledge Christ as a
Saviour, and to kiss his hand, — this is truly and purely
to adore the true and pure Christ, — this is to adore the
Son. And saith John, " If the Son shall make you
free, ye shall be free indeed," chap. viii. 36.

8^

We conclude, therefore, that the prophet's mean-
ing is, that men serve Christ in fear ; acknowledging
themselves to be sinners, ever accusing themselves,
and justifying only God in Christ. Biit as men may
run against Christ, and pretend that they have kept
the law, are righteous, have not sinned, and have no
need of Christ for righteousness : therefore, opposing

. this presumption, David saith. Do not think that ye
are righteous ; away with such an idolatrous imagina-
tion ; make not yourselves equal unto God ; trust not
in your own righteousnesses. Yea, kiss the Son ; em-
brace the Son ; and his hand, his righteousness, and his
salvation shall save you. But if ye do not this, he will
grow " angry" with your righteousness, and ye shall
" perish from the way : " or, (as I seem to think it is,)
* Ye slvdU perish together with your way ; ' for in the

, Hebre^v it is somewhat obscurely expressed vethobedu
DERECH ; that is, literally, ' and ye shall perish, the
way ;' which seems to me to be put elliptically, for ' ye
shall perish with your way,' according to that of Psalm
i. 6, " but the way of the ungodly shall perish." For I
do not see, (with due deference to the opinions of
others,) how t/iey can perish from the right way, who
were never in the right way. But they may be terrified
to their destruction, who, pleasing themselves Avith their
own way as being the right way, do not acknowledge
Christ the true " way."

When his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are
all they that trust in him.

This passage is, in the Hebrew, put in contrariety
to that which precedes. The order of the whole is
thus, — Adore the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish
Avith your way : because, his wrath will kindle in a
moment. Blessed are all they that trust in him.

The meaning therefore is. Make haste, and delay
not to adore Christ, lest ye perish in his anger. And do
not deceive yourselves as supposing that he is far from
you : but know that his wrath is kindled in a moment,

87

and that he may come upon you when you littre expect
him : according to that of Matt. xxiv. 48, 50, " But
and if that wicked servant shall say in his heart. My
Lord delayeth his coming. The Lord of that servant
shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and
in an hour that he is not aware of." And so also speaks
Proverbs i. ' When your calamity shall come suddenly,'
&c. And so also, 1 fhess. v. 2, 3, " For yourselves know
perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief
in the night. For when they shall say peace and safety,
then sudden destruction cometh upon them." Terrible,
therefore, is this threatening ; because, if the wrath of
God thus suddenly overtake a man, there can be none
to deliver.

Finally : The Psalmist concludes his Psalm with a
most beautiful remark. This, saith he, is the blessing of
all blessings — " Blessed are all they that trust in him.
For he therefore suffered, he therefore rose again, he
was therefore appointed King, he therefore received the
inheritance of all things, that he might save all that trust
in him. And this trust alone it is that justifies without
the work of the law: as the apostle teaches in his
Epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians. But it is
a very hard matter to hold fast this trust, in the midst
of so many resisting adversities, and so many alluring
prosperities. ' Blessed are they, therefore whosoever
shall not be offended in him,' Matt. xi. 6. Which is a
work of divine grace, and not of human power.

Thus the Holy and Gracious Spirit does not
threaten to all eternity, but to all eternity comforts
those who are terrified and alarmed. If, saith he, ye
fear his anger, do not despair, but trust ; and " Blessed
are all they that trust in him," for he therefore terrifies
them that he might bring them to trust in him. Amen.

88

PS^ALM III.

A PSALM OF DAVID WHEN HE FLED FROM THE
FACE OF HIS SON ABSALOM.

INTRODUCTION.

Why this Psalm is put before others, which, in the
order oi history, were written long before it, is a matter
of no consequence with me : for I have never yet found
any exact order for the Psalms at all. Thus the history
of the 51st Psalm concerning the wife of Uriah, was
without doubt before the history of this Psalm : and the
histories of many others of the Psalms were before
it also.

And, with respect to the design and meaning of this
Psalm, it is not my intention to bring forward the
opinions and interpretations of all; and yet, out of
such a variety I cannot come to a fixed determination
in my mind which to choose. I am no friend at all to
allegories ; especially when I am searching after that
legitimate, proper, and genuine sense, which may put
an end to contention and strengthen the instruction
of faith.

But however, that the meaning of this Psalm is not
historical, is manifest from many particulars, which mi-
litate against its being; so understood. And first of all,
there is this which the blessed Augustine has remarked ;
that the words " I laid me down to sleep and took my
rest," seem to be the words of Christ rising from the dead.
And then, that there is at the end the blessing of God
pronounced upon the people ; which manifestly belongs
to the whole church. Hence, the blessed Augustine in-
terprets the Psalm in a threefold way : first, concerning
Christ the head : secondly, concerning the whole of Christ,
that is, Christ and his church, the head and the body ;
and thirdly, figuratively concerning any private Christian.

Let each have his own interpretation. I, in the

89

mean time, will interpret it concerning Christ : being
moved so to do by the same argument that moved Au-
gustine : — that the fifth verse does not seem appropri-
ately to apply to any other but Christ. First, because
' lying down' and ' sleeping' signify in this place alto-
gether a natural death, not a natural sleep. Which may
be collected from this : — because, it then follows,
and " rose again." Whereas if David had spoken con-
cerning the sleep of the body, he would have said
' and awoke:' though this does not make so forcibly
for the interpretation of which we are speaking, if the
Hebrew word be closely examined. But again, what
new thing would he advance by declaring that he laid
him down and slept ? Why did he not say also that he
walked, ate, drank, laboured, or was in necessity, or
mention particularly some other work of the body?
And moreover, it seems an absurdity under so great a
tribulation, to boast of nothing else but the sleep of the
body ; for that tribulation would rather force him to a
privation from sleep, and to be in peril and distress ;
especially since those two expressions, " I laid me
down," and " I slept," signify the quiet repose of one
lying down in his place, which is not the state of one
who falls asleep from exhausture through sorrow.

But this consideration makes the more forcibly for
us, — that he therefore glories in his rising up again,
because it was the Lord that sustained him, who raised
him up while sleeping and did not leave him in sleep.
How can such a glorying agree, and what new kind of
religion can make it agree, with any particular sleep of
the body ? (for in that case, would it not apply to the
daily sleep also ?) and especially, when this sustaining
of God, indicates at the same time an utterly forsaken
state in the person sleeping. Which is not the case in
corporal sleep : for there the person sleeping may be
protected even by men being his guards : but this sus-
taining being altogether of God, implies, not a sleep, but
a heavy conflict.

And lastly, the word hekizothi itself favours
such an interpretation : which, being here {)ut abso-

90

lutely and transitively, signifies, ' I caused to arise or
awake.' As if he had said, ' I caused myself to awake,
I roused myself.' Which certainly more aptly agrees
with the resurrection of Christ than with the sleep of the
body : both because those who are asleep are accus-
tomed to be roused and awaked, and because it is no
wonderful matter, nor a matter worthy of so important
a declaration, for any one to awake of himself, seeing
that it is what takes place every day. But this matter,
being introduced by the Spirit as a something new and
singular, is certainly different from all that which
attends common sleeping and waking.

If then these things be so, it follows of necessity,
that where the title of the Psalm indicates something
historical, we are not always necessarily to conclude,
that the subject of it is to be understood historically;
but, that the history was the occasion or event wherein
and whereby the prophets were to be instructed in
things that were come, by the intuition of the Spirit.

Let the meaning, therefore, of the title of this
Psalm be, ' A Psalm (that is, a song) of David (revealed
unto him, or discovered unto him by the Holy Spirit),
when he fled from the face of his son Absalom ;' that is,
upon the occasion of that history and circumstance.
For it is not likely that the Psalm was composed by him
at the very time of that history and his flight from his
son, because he was at that time in a state of the
greatest inquietude from anxiety and gloomy apprehen-
sion. Whereas, the Holy Spirit requires a lucid and
quiet instrument : and it is not under the temptation,
but after the temptation, that the man at length perceives
and knows the things which have been done unto him.
It is most probable, therefore, that this Psalm was
composed long after the historical event, when, in quiet
meditation, he understood the mysteries contained in
that event.

It is moreover to be observed, that in all these titles,
the word David is in the dative case, which, in these
instances, is equal to an accusative with the preposition
ad: and according to the same mode of expression it is

91

said in the other prophets, Tlie Word of the Lord
came unto this person or unto that; or, was in the hand
of this person or that. And it is pecuHar to this prophet
to call the Word of God a Psalm, or a Song, or instruc-
tion, and to adorn it with various other titles, as we shall
see hereafter : and then, by putting his own name,
David, in the dative case, to signify thereby that the
revelation of that same Word was made unto him. —
Thus does the Holy Spirit commend unto us this
peculiar prophet, and the peculiar prophecies of this
hook.

But it will be necessary also to be well acquainted
with the history contained in 2 Samuel xiv. and to un-
derstand its sacred mysteries.

In the first place, Absalom represents figuratively
the people of the Jews both in his actions and in his
name. In his name, because Absalom is, by interpre-
tation, ' the father of peace :' which is a name that seems
to promise something blessed, if all the other attending
circumstances did not compel us to understand it as re-
presenting, in a bad sense, that peace which the world
gives : that is, a hatred of the cross of Christ. For that
people hated in an especial manner the cross and the
evils of this world, because the good things of this world
and the peace of this life had been promised to them in
the law. Hence was their cry of " Peace, peace :"
whereas, it was no peace, because they neither kept the
law nor were able to do it : and therefore, the apostle
calls them " enemies of the cross of Christ," Phil. iii. 1 8.

In the next place, Absalom represents that people
in his actions ; because he is said 2 Sam. xiv. to have been
the most beautiful man in all Israel, and that there was
no blemish in him from the sole of his foot even unto
his head ; that his hair was of such an unheard-of
thickness, that it was cut every year and sold, and
weighed two hundred shekels after the king's weight ;
and it is also said that it was sold to the women, who
used it to ornament their heads.

Thus is represented that synagogue which shone
conspicuous above all other peoples of the earth ; which

92

was the glory of our fathers and pre-eminantly distin-
guished for its worship of the one true God, its gift of
the law of knowledge, and of the prophets, and many
other things described, Rom. ii. and ix. And then, the
very thick hair represents the splendid order of priests
and Levites at the head and in the highest place of the
synagogue, abounding in, overflowing with, and boasting
of their riches and luxuries : concerning whom, Isaiah
iii. 17 and 24, ' And the Lord will make bald the head
of the daughters of Zion : and instead of hair there shall
be baldness:' that i^, instead of their splendid priesthood.
And again Psalm Ixviii. 21, " But God shall wound the
head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one
as goeth on still in his wickedness."

And Absalom's hanging suspended from an oak by
his hair between the heaven and the earth, to be killed
in that situation, signifies, that the priests hung by their
carnal opinions, and did not attain unto, nor understand
either the heavenly or earthly things of the law. And
the hair being shorn and sold to women, signifies that
those priests being separated in spirit from the head of
the synagogue, gave themselves up wholly to their own
lusts and pleasures. And yet pleasures are no ornament
to any one : though it serves as an ornament and allure-
ment unto many, that so many among the rulers are
addicted to, and sold under pleasures.

And, (which makes more directly still to the point,)
Absalom aimed at the kingdom and the inheritance,
against his father David ; and drove him from the city,
using the counsel of Ahithophel, who afterwards hanged
himself in his own house. So did the people of Israel
against Christ. " This (said they) is the heir, come let
us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours." Mark
xii. 7. And so also, John xi. 48, " If we let him thus
alone all men will believe on him." And they used for
this end the counsel and help of Judas, who, in the same
manner as Ahithophel did, armed himself with bands of
men and coadjutors. And he also, like Ahithophel, de-
scending into the house of his own conscience, and being'
filled with despair, hanged himself. For the name

92

Ahithophel signifies, ' Brother of folly :' and this is
what David alluded to 2 Sam. xv. 31, when he said,
" O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel
into foolishness." As if he had said, make him appear
thereby to be a fool, and an infatuated man indeed.

And David's going out bare-footed and \vith his
head covered, signifies, Christ's being led out to Golgotha,
who also literally went out bare-footed and having his
head covered vvith a crown of thorns and with blood.
But, allegorically, the head, signified the divinity hidden
tinder infirmity ; and the bare feet, the humanity left
alone to itself The returning into the city after the
slaying of Absalom, is the resurrection of Christ from
the dead, and his victory over the people of the syna-
gogue. For it was then that they were smitten upon the
cheek-bone, and their teeth broken in pieces ; (as this
same psalmist sings ;) for they could no more devour
Christ, because he died no more, and death had no more
dominion over him. — David saith therefore in this
Psalm,

Verse 1. — Lord, luhy are they incirased that trouble
me ? many are they that rise up against me.

The scope of this Psalm is nearly the same as that of
the preceding, and the subject similar. For the psalmist
begins here also, by complaining of the vain presump-
tion of the adversaries of Christ, and concludes with a
triumphing consolation ; saying, " For thou hast smit-
ten," &c. And " Salvation belongeth unto the Lord,"
&c. Excepting that, he here treats of the matter more
briefly, and of the patience of the sufferer more fully. ,
For there are three things that the most severely try a v
sufferer, — solitude, impotency, and despair : which the
three opposite things of the adversaries increase and
strengthen, — multitude, power, and confidence.

It refers to his own solitude and the multitude of his
enemies, where he says, " O Lord, why are they in-
creased that trouble me?" For if it were otherwise,
and he were not solitary and left alone, how could he
suffer ? How could he be tried, how could he be

94

touched, if he were supported with a greater or even an
equal number of defenders contending for him ? as the
devil saw in the case of Job, and said, " Doth Job fear
God for nought ? Hast thou not made an hedge about
him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on
every side?" chap. i. 9, 10.

It refers to his own im potency and the power of his
enemies when he says, " Many are they that rise up
against me." P'or he would not have suffered even
though left alone, if he had not been weak and helpless
himself, and oppressed with more powerful enemies.
For thus, Samson, though alone, could suffer no hurt
from the Philistines whom he destroyed so often.
Wherefore it is to be observed as a general rule, that his
suffering is nothing who has a means of returning the
injury he receives and of revenging it, and who has the
power of resisting so as to prevent himself from being
oppressed. For the two things that concur to make a
sufferer, are, an inability either to revenge or to resist.

And again, it is more terrible to rise up against a
person, than simply to distress him. Even as also it is
more terrible to be helpless, than to be alone ; and also
more terrible for the enemy to be powerful and invin-
cible, than for them to be many. And therefore it is,
that Christ saith, they " rise up against me," they are
excited, strengthened, and banded together against me;
they are too strong for me ; they by strength prevail
over me ; and I, being too weak for them, totter, fall, and
am laid utterly prostrate. For this their superior might,
and his own bereft state, are signified by the words
" rise up against me." As it was expressed also in the
former Psalm, " The kings of the earth stood up," for
that signifies the same power. But that which follows,
most deeply and exceedingly heightens this state of
desertion.

Verse 2. — Many there be which say of my soul,
There is no help for hitn in his God. Selah.

Christ certainly heard these words while hanging on
the cross, " He trusted in God, let him deliver him now

95

if he will liave him." Matt, xxvii. 43 : according to
that which was foretold, Psalm xxii. 7, 8. " All they that
see me, laugh me to scorn : they shoot out the lip, they
shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he
would deliver him : let him deliver him, seeing he
delighted in him." And certainly this boasting con-
fidence, this laughino; to scorn, this derision, this insult-
ing mockery, which are the triumphal song and laudative
encomium of the adversaries over an enemy when van-
quished and brought to utter despair, are the most
bitter and extreme of all tribulation. For to have fallen
and entirely yielded to many and powerful enemies, is
then the most dreadful when the hope of rising again,
though in God himself, is denied : as it is written Psalm
xli. 5 and 8, " Mine enemies speak evil of me," saying,
" Now that he sleepeth shall he ever rise up again ?"
And we know that Christ was in this state of despair :
not that he himself despaired, but he was despaired of
by all, even by his own disciples : that is, he was con-
sidered in their hearts as dead, and they had no hope of
his rising again : as it is written Psalm Ixix. 20, * I
looked for comforters, but found none.' Nay, for con-
solation they had nothing but desperation with the most
bitter derision ; which is diabolical.

In the Hebrew the expression is simply " in God,"
without the pronoun his, which seems to me to give
clearness and force to the expression. As if he had
said. They say of me, that I am not only deserted and
oppressed by all creatures, but that even God, who is
present with all things, preserves all things, and protects
all things, forsakes me as the only thing out of the whole
universe that he does not preserve. Which kind of temp-
tation Job seems also to have tasted where he says,
'' Why hast thou set me as a mark against thee?" chap,
vii. 20. For there is no temptation, no not of the whole
world together, nor of all hell combined in one, equal
unto that wherein God stands contrary to a man : which
temptation Jeremiah prays against, chap. xvii. 17, " Be
not a terror unto me : thou art my hope in the day of evil :"
and concerning which also the Sixth Psalm following

96

saith, " O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger :" and
we find the same petitions throughout the whole Psaltry.
This temptation is wholly unsupportable, and is truly
hell itself: as it is said in the same Sixth Psalm, " For
in death there is no remembrance of thee," &c. In a
;^ word, if you have never experienced it, you can never
^form any idea of it whatever.

And observe also, the modesty, yea, the peculiar
state of mind of him who is under this temptation. He
says, interrogatively, " Why are they increased?" wherein
he desires to prove himself innocent, and to show that
he suffers undeservedly. And yet he does not dare to
accuse them and to address them with the appellation of
unrighteous and sinners ; but using an ambiguous ex-
pression he says, " why are they increased that trouble
me?" But at the conclusion, after his victory, he firmly
and with confidence calls them sinners and ungodly,
saying, " Thou hast smitten all those that are mine
enemies without a cause : (as our text has it :) thou hast
broken the teeth of the ungodly." For, while he is
under the hand of these implacably raging ones, he alone
is the sinner, and all others are righteous ; and while
they are all, according to the will of God, fighting
together against him, nothing is heard but this unutter-
able groan, in which, being imperceptibly aided by the
spirit, he inquires and says, " why do so many of them
rise up against me, one person?" And David also him-
self in this part of his history, labouring, under the same
feelings, says, 2 Sam. xv. 26, " But if he thus say, I
have no delight in thee : behold here am I, let him do
to me as seemeth good unto him." O great self-denial,
to choose a God even when contrary to him I &c.

At the end of this verse we have the Hebrew word
Sela : which, as it will often occur again, we will now
speak upon once for all.

Concerning the Hebrew Word " SELA."

It is not at this day clearly known what this word
signifies, or what its true meaning is. The seventy
translators have rendered it by the Greek word diaxpaXfxa:

97

which the blessed Augustine interprets, a pause, an in-
terruption or discontinuation of the psalmody : as, on the
contrary, he interprets ay/x,i^aA/xa, a making or conti-
nuation of the psalmody. He observes also, that wherever
^iaxpaXfjia Or Sela is put, a change of the subject or of
the persons is signified. And with him agrees Gassi-
odorus.

The blessed Hieronymus to Marcella, adducing many
authorities from Origen, thinks that the word more truly
signifies, aconnection of the preceding things in the Psa4m
with those that succeed : or, certainly, that those things
which are said are eternal. And hence Aquila, a most
diligent expounder of the Hebrew words, has translated
it, ' ever,' or ' for ever.'

Burgensis on the eighty-third Psalm, says, that it
has no signification at all, but is only a supplement to
the music, and has nothing belonging to it but the music
to which it is joined. And he denies that it has any
such signification as * for ever ; ' that therefore it is
found no where but in the Psalms, because they are can-
ticles, and sung or said to music ; and that it is found in
one canticle of Habakkuk, and only once in that can-
ticle ; in this passage, " And the Holy One from Mount
Paran." Habak. iii. 3.

Burgensis is closely followed by a more recent
writer, Stapulensis; who thinks that Sela was of the
same signification, with the Hebrews, as the vowels
EVOVCE are with us in our ecclesiastical responses :
which are the signature to a pause or final tone, and
signify, " For ever and ever. Amen :" but they are not
sung with the response, though they are joined to it in
the music.

John Reuchlin in his Hebrew Rudiments brings
forward two opinions. — The one, that of Jonathan the
Chaldean; who, he says, translated Sela, 'in the
power of ages.' To which translation, Rabbi Eleazar,
added, ' that to whatever portion of the holy scripture
Sela is added, that scripture will have no end, either in
this world or in that which is to come.' — The other
opinion, is that of Abraham Ben Esdras ; who thinks

VOL. III. H

98

that Sela is of the same signification as 'verily' or
' truly ;' and he says that this interpretation was received
by the Hebrews ; and that in their opinion also it has
no meaning, excepting that it is joined to the music ; as
Burgensis has also observed.

Such a diversity of opinions, therefore, causes me to
confess that I know not which of them comes the nearest
to the truth. But the arguments which move me to
dissent from all that they have advanced are these. —

First : The examples taken from the Psalms and
from Habakkuk do not agree together. For the Sela
which is found in the latter, though it favours the
opinion of Augustine, yet it makes against Hierony-
mus ; because it is the subject that is changed, not the
person ; nor are the things which precede and those
which follow connected by it. And yet, this same
instance makes against them both ; because, it is some-
times placed at the end of the Psalms, and sometimes
repeated in the midst of the words of the same person
in the same continued exhortation : as may be seen in
the third and fourth Psalms : for at the end of the third
Psalm it is said, "Thy blessing is upon thy people, Sela :"
and, in the fourth Psalm it is said, " Be filled with com-
punction in your own hearts upon your beds ; Sela.
Offer the sacrifice of righteousness." Here is a con-
tinued exhortation of the same person to the same per-
sons ; and yet Sela is found in the middle of it; which
makes against Augustine : and, as it is found at the
end of the Psalm preceding, that makes against Hie-
ronymus.

And even if the opinion of each be defended in any
manner, either with respect to Sela signifying a connec-
tion or a distinction of subjects or persons : yet, even
then, no reason can be given why it should not equally
be put in all the Psalms where there is either a connec-
tion or distinction of subjects or persons : for it might in
many instances be put with much greater appropriate-
ness for that purpose, than where it is now found ; as
obvious to every observant reader.

And, that it does not signify ' for ever,' (as Bur-

99

gensis rightly thinks,) is evidently proved even by the
verse now before us, which saith, " There is no help
for him in his God. Sela." For who, I pray, would
be so mad as to assert that Christ, or any righteous man,
could be in eternal tribulation without any salvation of
God ? for Psalm viii. 5, saith that it was ' for a little time,'
and short, as we shall hereafter see. And Psalm Ixxxiii. 8,
it is said, " Assur is also joined with them : they have
holpen the children of Lot. Sela." Did then Assur help
the children of Lot for ever ? In a word, Sela, received
as bearing that sense, will accord with very few verses
indeed. For when it is said Psalm iv. 2, " And seek
after lying," and, verse 4, " Be filled with compunction
on your beds," does it signify that the sons of men shall
be filled with compunction, and shall seek after leasing
' for ever ? '

The remaining opinion, therefore, is that of Burgensis :
which I neither approve nor disapprove : though it may
be said against him, Why should this appendage of
music be affixed to these, and not to other passages
also?

I, in the mean time, will stand by the LXX. Trans-
lators, who, in many instances, seem to have had a cer-
tain divine discernment, though they frequently departed
from the literal propriety of the original words. As, for
instance, how clearly and appropriately did they render
that passage. Psalm ii. 12, " Lay hold on discipline;"
which is in the Hebrew, though somewhat obscurely ex-
pressed, " Kiss the Son ?" For truly, to embrace Jesus
Christ, is, to embrace discipline and the cross, and, as
Paul is wont to say, ' to have fellowship with Christ in
his sufferings.' For otherwise, many may confess
that they know Christ, while in works they deny him.
But, not he that talks about Christ, but he that lives
according to Christ crucified, shall be saved. And to
live according to Christ crucified, is, to be crucified ; as
Paul says. Gal. xi. 20, " I am crucified with Christ :
nevertheless I live : yet not I but Christ liveth in me."

And so, with respect to their ^ia\pa\[/.a: what they
meant to convey by it as to grammatical signification I

H 2

100

know not: I shall divine its mystical meaning. And
they seem after their manner to intimate a mystery when
they made bold to interpret it ' a division,' ' a pause,'
or ' a resting ;' which Sela, in the Hebrew, does not sig-
nify : nor were they a little moved by the consideration
of the certainty, that no one letter, point, or iota, is
written in the scriptures in vain.

According to my bold way, therefore, I imagine this
* pause' to signify a certain particular affection of the
mind, which the person feels while singing or meditating
on the Psalms, under the movings of the Spirit : which
affection of mind, as it is not in our own power, cannot
be commanded by us in every psalm nor in every verse,
but only as the Holy Spirit shall move us. Therefore,
the word Sela is introduced confusedly and altogether
without certain order, to show, that the motion of the
Spirit is secret, unknown to us, and by no means possi-
ble to be foreseen by us : and that, wheresoever it comes,
it requires us to omit the words of the psalms, that the
mind may be in a pausing and quiet frame, and in a
state for receiving the illumination or feeling conveyed to
us. Thus, in this verse, where that singular temptation
of the spirit is spoken of, under which an angry God is
sustained, and not the creature only; the prophet is
moved to contemplate and dwell upon it with a deep
affection of the mind. — Such is my opinion, without any
prejudice against the judgment of others. And let this
suffice concerning the word, Sela.

Verse 3. — For thou, O Lord, art my helper, my
glory, and the lifter up of my head.

David here contrasts three things with three ; helper,
with many troubling ; glory, with many rising up ; and
the lifter up of the head, with the blaspheming and in-
sulting. Therefore, the person here represented is indeed
alone in the estimation of men, and even according to
his own feelings also : but in the sight of God, and in a
spiritual view, he is by no means alone, but protected
with the greatest abundance of help : as Christ saith
John xvi. 32, ' Behold, the hour cometh when ye shall

101

leave me alone : and yet I am not alone, because the
Father is with me.'

Hence, such an one is weak and oppressed according ,
to outward appearance, and in the sight of men, but '
before God and in the spirit he is most strong ; and there-
fore he glories in the pov\ er of God with all confidence,
like the apostle, 2 Cor. xii. ' When I am weak then am
I strong : most gladly therefore will I glory in my in-
firmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.'
And Psalm Ixviii. 9, ' It was weary and thou didst con-
firm it.'

:r And so also, according to man, and the views of the
unwise, such a person is in despair, and there is no sal-
vation left for him in God. But, in the " secret place
of thunder," he is heard and lifted up : according to that
of Psalm Ixxxi. 7. " Thou calledst in trouble and I de-
livered thee, I answered thee in the secret place of
thunder." And truly it is in the "secret place" of
thunder : for this thunder-storm of tribulation so hides
the knowledge of our being heard, and of salvation, that
any thing but salvation appears in view ; and not a
hearing God, but an angry God only, is felt. .,

He that has understood and experienced these |
things, will also know well how foolishly and rashly ^
many teach, that a man can, naturally, love God above
all things : but there is no man, left to his own nature,
who does not dread death and the punishments that
follow death, being unable to endure the hell and the
wrath of God let in upon him. And God cannot be
loved above all things, unless all these things be over-
come by the love of God.

Hence, the words contained in this verse are not the
words of nature, but of grace ; not of free-will, but of the
spirit of strong faith ; which, even though seeing God, as
in the darkness of the storm of death and hell, a desert-
ing God, acknowledges him a sustaining God ;'* when
seeing him as a persecuting God, acknowledges him a
helping God ; when seeing him as a condemner, ac-
knowledges him a Saviour. Thus this faith does not
iudge of things according as they seem to be, or are felt,

102

like a horse and a mule which have no understanding ;
but it understands things which are not seen ; for *' hope
that is seen is not hope ; for what a man seeth why
doth he yet hope for ? " Rom. viii. 24.

And of the same import with the present passage is
that also which is written Psalm liv. 3, " For strangers,
(behold here also are many, and strangers, that is, un-
godly and adversaries,) are risen up against me, (that is,
against me deserted and alone,) and oppressors seek
after my soul : (here, see, there are strong ones, and they
prevail against the one that is weak :) they have not set
God before them." As if he had said. They do not
believe that God is with me, but that I am in despair ;
and therefore they imagine that I am hated by God
himself.

And of the same import also is that of Psalm Ixxxvi.
14, " O God, the proud are risen against me, and the
assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul ;
and have not set thee before them." That is, I am left
alone and am helpless, and they are multiplied and
oppress me : I am impotent and distressed, and they
are powerful, and rise and stand up against me : I am in
despair, and they say there is no help for me in God ;
and they are confident and glory in their victory
over me.

Hence, we see that the life of a righteous man in
this world, after the example of Christ, is made up of
these three parts of the cross, solitude, impotency, and
despair; that he may thus be a proper object to find in
God, a helper, a glorifier, and a lifter-up of his head.
And thus Joshua also, with the children of Israel,
feigned a flight in the war against the people of Ai,
chap. viii. 5 ; and by that very means destroyed them
utterly. And so also, the children of Benjamin were
slain by the children of Israel, Judges xx. 35, in the
same manner ; for the latter feigned a flight, and, return-
ing afterwards, slew the former almost unto a total
destruction. For the cross and suflfering are most
ensnaring, and are most destroying flights to the world :
and the devil, th& world, and the flesh are not overcome

103

by any powers more effectual than these : for here, by
the wonderful counsel of God, while they conquer, they
are conquered.

It is clear, however, that " glory " in this passage
is to be received as signifying ' glorying,' or ' the thing
gloried in,' according to a figure of speech used in the
scriptures, whereby it is said, Jer. xvii. 17, " Thou art
my hope in the day of evil : " and also. Psalm xxii. 9,
" Thou wast my hope upon my mother's breasts : " and
again, Psalm cxlii. 5, " I said, thou art my hope : " that
is, thou art that concerning which, and in which, I hope
And so also it is said, ' my God' ' my mercy ;' and also,
* The Lord my light' and ' my salvation,' &c. And it is in
the same manner that it is said here. Thou art " my
glory : " that is, that in which I glory. So that the sense
is. They trust in their own glory, and glory in the mul-
titude of their riches, according to Psalm xl. and their
glory is their strength; but I do not glory in my
strength, and yet I am not confounded in the impotency
which I suffer ; but I glory in thy strength, and thy
power is my glory : according to that of Psalm Ixxxix.
17, " For thou art the glory of their strength : and also
Jer. ix. 23, 24, " Let not the wise man glory in his
wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might ;
let not the rich man glory in his riches : but let him that
glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and know-
eth me," &c. And so again, 1 Cor. i. 31, " He that
glorieth let him glory in the Lord."

And, if any one wishes to enter farther into gram-
matical particulars, — that cabod in this passage sig-
nifies, properly, that which the Greeks express by lo^a,
(glory) and the Latins by gloria (glory) ; and that
therefore, it is a different thing from glorying, which the
Greeks are considered to express by Kav'x;^fx.a., and the
Hebrew by pheer or tipheeret; — if the passage, I
say, be so received, it will not even then be improperly
understood ; for it will then make God to be the ' glory ' of
the righteous man, in the same way as Paul, 1 Cor. xi. 7,
calls man " the glory of God," and woman " the glory
of man :" because, God is glorified, honoured, and

104

praised in his saints whom he has redeemed : and on
the other hand, they also are glorified on whom God
has condescended to bestow so great a benefit ; while they
confess concerning themselves that they were holpen,
not by their own strength, but by the power of God.

But, with me, there is but very little difference in
these two words, especially M'ith respect to the present
passage : excepting that ' glory ' being unconnected
with the feelings of the person glorified, signifies the
good opinion of others concerning him, and his fame and
renown : but ' glorying,' signifies the affection of mind
in the j^erson glorifying, and his confidence in God.
Let each one adopt that acceptation of the passage
which jileases him most; because, in the spirit and
before God, there can neither be glory without glorify-
ing, nor glorifying without glory. For, before thou canst
glory and happily boast in God, thy opinion of thyself,
as to what thou art in the sight of God, must be good ;
and thou must feel and firmly believe it to be so ; and
then, God being thy glory, and known and believed to be
so, makes thee rejoice and glory in God. For who may
not glory, exult, and, despising all things else, unspeak-
ably rejoice, who knows and believes that his opinion of
himself, as to what he is in the sight of God, is good ?
that is, that God thinks well of him, is well pleased with
him, is willing to help him, will fight for him, and will
give him favour in the sight of all.

But again, it is not enough, that thy opinion of
thyself, as to what thou art in the sight of God, be
good ; that is, that thou art loved by him, praised by
him, and well pleasing unto him, (that is, that thou art
in his glory,) unless thou know and believe this. And
be assured, that, when thou knowest and believest
this, glorying and joy of conscience cannot by any
means be wanting. Whence it is certain, that it must of
necessity be, that the glorifying of God, and the glory-
ing of the righteous, must go together : as we find it in
Psalm c. 47, " That we may glory in thy praise : " so
that God is both the glory and the glorying of the
righteous : their ' glory' is in God, and the 'glorying' is in

105

their own conscience. For the ' glory' is our good opinion
concerning another; but the 'glorying' is our rejoicing
and confidence in that object of our glory.

You see, therefore, what a greatness of faith and
confidence is manifested in these words. Although,
saith he, many rise up against me, imagine evil against
me, and think the worst of things concerning me ; yet I
know that I shall not be confounded. The Lord is my
glory ; and I firmly trust that his thoughts concerning
me are most favourable, and I glory in this my per-
suasion.

" And the lifter up of my head." — Though I know
that this " head," is received by some as signifying
Christ himself; and also, the mind itself of Christ ; yet
this acceptation seems to be tropological and figurative.
Therefore, (according to my bold way,) I rather think that
it should be received as signifying more simply, and, by
a figure of speech most common in the scriptures, ' glo-
rification.' So that the plain meaning of the whole
passage should be, " The lifter up of my head : " that
is, he has lifted me up and set me up on high : accord-
ing to that of 2 Kings xxv. 27, " Evil-merodach, king
of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, did lift
up the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, out of
prison ; and he spake kindly to him, and set his throne
above the throne of the kings that were with him in Baby-
lon." Here it is clear, that ' lifting up the head,' signi-
fies, to exalt the whole man, and to place him in a
state of glory and in a kingdom. And so Christ, who
was represented in a figure by Jehoiachin, king of
Judah, when he had died and had descended into hell,
and it was now said of him that all was despair, and
that there was no hope for him in God, was soon after
raised up by the right hand of God from the depths of
the earth above the heavens, and above all powers, and
was made King of kings, and Lord of lords ! And so
also, it is said after the same manner. Psalm ex. 7, " He
shall drink of the brook in the way, therefore shall he lift
up his head; " that is, shall be exalted above all.

And as, in the scriptures, ' to lift up the head ' sig-

106

nifies a kingdom and power : so also, with no dissimilar
figure of speech, to lift up the hand, signifies to prevail
and to be powerful in working : as in Isaiah xlix. 22,
" Behold, I will hft up mine hand to the Gentiles, and
set up my standard to the people, and they shall bring
thy sons in their arms," &c. And so also Psalm Ixxiv.

* Lift up thy hand against their pride.' And in the same
manner, ' to lift up the feet,' signifies ' to go quickly : '
as we have it Gen. xxix. 1, where we read, " Then
Jacob went on his joumey : " which is in the Hebrew,

* and Jacob lifted up his feet.' And we are used in the
German language also, by a figure of expression, to
exhort those whom we would have to go quickly, by
saying, ' Lift up your feet.'

I have dwelt upon these particulars somewhat at
length, because, a great part of the knowledge of what
is written lies in the figures of speech ; and especially so
in the Holy Scriptures, which have their peculiar
idioms ; an ignorance of which, sometimes raises great
clouds where there is the clearest day. To have the

* head lifted up,' therefore, is to be exalted to a king,
and to be glorified.

And I would continually inculcate and bring to re-
membrance, that these are the words of faith, hope, and
love ; whereby we are instructed in Christ, that we faint
not in every strait: for all these things, as the apostle
saith, Rom. xvi. 4, ' are written for our instruction and
consolation, that we through patience might have hope.'
For it is a hard matter, and a work requiring the power
of divine grace, to believe in God as the lifter up of our
head and our crowner, in the midst of death and hell.
For this^exaltation is a thing hidden, and that which is
seen, is only despair, and no help in God. And there-
fore, we are here taught ' to believe in hope against
hope :' which wisdom of the cross is, at this day, deeply
hidden in a profound mystery. For there is no other
way into heaven, than this cross of Christ. And there-
fore, we must take heed, that the active life with its works,
and the speculative with its speculations, do not delude
us : they are each very pleasing and quiet, and are on

107

that account the more perilous, until they be disturbed
and tempered by the cross. The cross is the safest of all
things. — Blessed is he who understands me !

Verse 3^1 cj^ied unto the Lord with my voice, and
he heard me out of his holy hill. Sela.

In the Hebrew, the verb is in the future, and is, as
Hieronymus translates it, ' I will cry, ' and, ' he shall
hear : ' and this pleases me better than the perfect
tense : for they are the words of one triumphing in, and
praising and glorifying, God ; and giving thanks unto
him who sustained, preserved, and lifted him up, accord-
ing as he had hoped in the preceding verse. For it is
usual with those that triumph and rejoice, to speak of
those things which they have done and suffered, and to
sing a song of praise unto their helper and deliverer : as
in Psalm Ixvi. \6, " Come and hear, all ye that fear
God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled
with my tongue." And also Psalm Ixxxi. 1, "Sing
aloud unto God our strength." And so again Exod.
XV. 1, " Let us sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed
gloriously." And so here, being filled with an overflow-
ing sense of gratitude and joy, he sings of his being
heard, of his having slept and rose up again, of his
enemies being smitten, and of the teeth of the ungodly
being broken. — This it is which causes the change : for
he who hitherto had been addressing God in the second
person, changes on a sudden his address to others con-
cerning God, in the third person : saying, " and he
heard me," not, ' and thou heardest me : ' and also " I
cried unto the Lord," not * I cried unto thee : ' for he
wants to make all know, what benefits God has heaped
upon him : which is peculiar to a grateful mind.

But however, that expression of the Hebrew in the
future, ' I will cry, ' and, ' he shall hear me,' carries
greater force with it than ' I cried,' in the perfect;
though the future does not exclude the perfect, but very
forcibly includes it. And, (that I may set forth the
mind of the speaker if I can,) his feelings seem to be

108

something of this kind. — ' I who have now experienced
how good and sweet the Lord is, how far he is from for-
saking and despising those who cry unto him, how
faithfully he sustains, preserves, and lifts up all who call
upon him, — I who have experienced these things, will so
carry myself towards him henceforth, that I will flee
unto him only with the greatest confidence. I will not be
afraid even of thousands of the people : for I am pre-
pared to hope in him, even though many more and greater
things are to be borne, than those which I have borne
already: and as Job saith, '' Though he slay me, yet will
I trust in him." This is that God in M'hom all may confi-
dently trust, and concerning whom they may be assured
no one has any reason to despair. O unhappy they,
who, when broken with either the multitude or the
magnitude of evils, do not understand how powerfully,
how wonderfully, and how gloriously this God saves
those that cry unto him ! '

That such were his feelings, is manifest from what
follows, " I will not be afraid of ten thousands of the
people." And again, " Salvation is of the Lord." And
so also with the same feelings he says, Psalm xxxiv. 1,
" I will bless the Lord at all times." As if he had said,
*■ Fool that I have been ! for hitherto I have blessed
the Lord at one time only ; that is, in the time of
prosperity and quiet ; for I did not know how powerful
he was in the time of adversity also : therefore, from this
time forward, I will bless him in the time of evil also.'
For there are some who will praise God at the time
when all things go well, according to that word, ' He
will confess unto thee as long as thou doest good unto
him.' But in the time of temptation they so draw back,
that they will flee unto any thing rather than unto God.
In a word, they cannot even cry unto him, much less
praise and bless him. But we are here taught, that in
the time of the cross, we ought to sing forth that of
Psalm xviii. 3, " I will call upon the Lord, who is
worthy to be praised ; so shall I be saved from mine
enemies :" that God may then be sweet unto thee and
be loved by thee, when he seems to be the most dis-

10^

pleasing and the most worthy of being hated. This is
the love of God that is pure and solid. And this is
what Isaiah saith, chap, xlviii. 9, " With my praise will
I restrain thee, that thou perish not." For the heart is
bound and restrained with this praise in the midst of the
waters and storms of temptation, that it fall not away
from the love of God. But all these things are the ope-
rations of the Holy Spirit, and not of nature : they
were accomplished all perfectly in Christ, and are
wrought and exemplified in all those who are Christ's.

With respect to the words, "my voice," — ^ Au-
gustine, and after him Cassiodorus, think that they are
not to be understood as meaning the corporeal voice,
but ' the voice of the heart ;' that is, the voice of the
heart that is truly pure : and they are led to this accep-
tation of the words from the pronoun " my : " because,
that is not the man's real voice, which is interrupted by
impure thoughts when in prayer. And I think this is the
true meaning of the passage. And yet I do not consider
that the corporeal voice is excluded ; because, when the
feelings are powerful, the voice cannot contain itself, but
will burst forth into words and expressions. For even
Christ, when on the cross, cried out with a corporeal
voice, and has taught us also to cry out in our straits :
so that, we may thus cry unto God with all our powers,
both inward and outward.

" From his holy hill."— I find this " hill" to be
variously understood. Some understand Christ here as
speaking concerning himself; others concerning his all-
high divinity ; and others give the passage other accep-
tations. I seem to be best pleased, with understanding it
to signify the " hill " of his all-high divinity : only,
you are to observe, (I speak in my bold way,) that this
" hill " has no name. For in the second Psalm he
spoke of the " holy hill of Zion," upon which he was
set up as King : and therefore the " hill " was there to
have a name, because he could not rule upon it
without its being known by name. But this " hill "
from which he is heard, is unnameable, and has
neither form nor name. And I conceive that

110

by this we are all taught, that in the time of temptation
we ought to hope the divine help from above; but that
the time, manner, and nature of the help are unknown
to us ; that so, there may be room for faith and hope,
which always rest upon those things that are neither
seen nor heard, and that never entered into the heart
of man. Thus, the eye of faith looks toward the deep
darkness and blackness of the hill, and sees nothing ;
excepting that, it is fixedly directed upwards, expecting
that help will come unto it from thence. It looks up on
high, and from on high expects a helper : but what this
on high is, or what help it shall get, it knows not. For -
although Christ knew all things, yet he was in all things
tempted as we are ; so that he himself, in a certain
sense, and in respect of his humanity, had this hill un-
known to him and incomprehensible, during the hour of
his passion : for he speaks of this same thing also in
another place. Psalm xxii. 3, " But thou dwellest in thy
holy place," that is, in thy hidden and unapproachable
secrecy. For as God is ineffable, incomprehensible, and
inaccessible, so are his will and his help also, especially
in the time of desertion.

But what this " holy hill " of God is, no words can
express : nor can any one come to the least apprehen-
sion of it but he who is brought to experience it by faith,
and to prove it for himself in the times of temptation.
It is the same as if he had said, * He heard from his
holy hill : (which is the common rendering :) he heard
me in an ineffable, incomprehensible manner, and in a
manner that I never thought of. I know that I was
heard from above, but how, I know not. He saved me
from above, and received me from on high, (as we shall
hereafter hear him speak,) but what this ' above ' and
this ' on high ' is, 1 know not.' — And it is the same
when God leaves us and does not hear us : for we
know not where the Spirit goes, nor whence he comes,
though we hear his voice when he speaks to us : as
Christ saith John iii. : and Job also, chap. ix. 11, saith,
" Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not : he passeth
on also, but I perceive him not." " And so, says Christ,

Ill

is every one that is born of the Spirit." He departeth
when the Spirit departeth ; that is, he is left alone when
the Spirit leaves him : and he cometh when the Spirit
Cometh ; that is, he is heard when the Spirit heareth :
and yet he knoweth neither the one nor the other, nor
how it is wrought upon him.

And this is what is contained in the word " holy,"
which, as I have already shown, signifies separate and
secret; and, in a word, that which can be touched
neither by sense nor by the powers of the natural mind ;
and into which whosoever is taken, is taken into the in-
visible God, and is ail-perfectly purified, separated, and
sanctified. But this is hard to be received by, and un-
bearable to, human nature ; unless the Spirit of the
Lord move upon these waters, and brood over the dark-
ness of this abyss, until the light shine.

The folly lies here, — that man endures not the
counsel of God, but wants to be helped at the time, and
in the way that he himself chooses, and that pleases
him : whereby he makes, out of the unmoveable hill of
God, a hill that has a name, and profanes the holy hill
of God, by touching it with his own thoughts as much
as lies in his power. And such an one is like the horse
or the mule : he endures the Lord as long as he feels and
understands him, but will not follow him beyond the
limits of his own understanding , because, he does not
live by faith, but by his own reason. — All this is proved
by examples contained in all the histories both of the
Old and New Testaments, as the Apostle has shown us
in Hebews xi. : in which examples we find that God
always so saves his saints, that they know nothing of the
way, manner, and time of the salvation. Salvation comes
to all from on high, and from above, unlooked-for, and
unexpected.

Hence, it is most rightly said, " from his holy hill : "
that is, from his all-high divinity. But all do not under-
stand what they say when they speak of this all-high
divinity. For to be heard from the all-high divinity, is,
as I have said, to be heard in an unheard-of, unthought-
of manner : so that nothing was less thought of than

U2

this help from, and this being heard by, the divinity.
For it is faith and hope that speak in this passage : or,
it is concerning faith and hope being heard that the his-
tory speaks. And when faith and hope are heard, they
feel nothing, and experience nothing, and understand
nothing of the being heard ; because these are things
that appear not.

And this is what the word Sela itself, at the end of
this passage, particularly intimates ; viz. a deep subject
and feeling which require a pause, and which ought not
to be passed lightly over : so hard and difficult a thing
is it to expect, and wait for, salvation from the " holy
hill " of God. The foolish man does not understand
these deep thoughts of God ; as it is said Psalm xcii. 6.
And therefore, God reprobates the thoughts of the
people and the counsels of princes. Psalm xxxiii. 10;
for he " knoweth that the thoughts of men are but
vain," Psalm xciv. 1 1. Nay, in these depths the faithful
man is constrained to cry out, " All men are liars,"
Psalm cxvi. 11. So necessary is it in these deep things,
that all human understanding should be slain and
brought in captivity unto God !

Verse 5. — / laid uie down and slept; I awaked;
for the Lord sustained me.

The words, " I laid me down " signify, in the He-
brew, the posture of the person lying down or sleeping :
but, " and slept," signifies the sleep itself. So that the
sense is, I laid down, I slept : whereby he signifies,
that he laid down, and that he rested in the tomb and
was dead : of which resting, much mention is made in
many parts of the scriptures. Thus, Gen. xlix. 9,
" Resting, he laid down, as a lion, and as an old lion :
who shall rouse him up ?" And Psalm iv. 8, " I will
both lay me down in peace, and sleep." In which pas-
sages, we find the very same two verbs which are found
in this verse, though they are not translated by the same
words : so that, by the former you are to understand the
resting, and by the latter, the sleeping.

This is that rest spoken of Psalm xvi. 9, " My

113

flesh also ehall rest in hope." And Isaiah xi. 10, ' And
his sepulchre shall be glorious : ' (for it is thus that
Hieronymus translates it:) but the LXX. have faith-
fully translated it, ' And his rest shall be honour,' or,
as the Hebrew has it, ' And his rest shall be glory.* As
if he had said, While the glory of all other kings is put
an end to by death, and their glory (as the apostle
saith) ends in confusion ; the glory of this King, on the
contrary, begins in death, and by death all his confusion
is at an end. And so it is also with all those that are
Christ's ; according to that of Psalm cxvi. 15, " Precious
in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints : "
because their life is ignominious in the sight of men.
But I have only hinted these things by the way. — We
now return to this " rest."

This is that " rest" which was signified by the
Sabbath of old, which means rest, and which is signified
also by our holidays ; on which days, figuratively and
spiritually considered, Christ causes us to be dead to,
and to rest from, all our works, (that is, our sins,) and to
keep holiday, that we may live unto God only, and no
longer work ourselves, but let God work and reign in
us. — Hence it is that it was so positively and rigorously
commanded of old, that no servile work should be
done on the Sabbath, but that it should be a day
holy unto the Lord. On which Augustine, comment-
ing on Genesis, says, that it is to be understood as re-
ferring to our works, which are always sins. Wherefore,
nothing but the works of our master, free works, princi-
pal works, yea, divine works only, are to be done, now
that Christ has procured a Sabbath for us, or has swal-
lowed up, and done away with all our works by his
Sabbath and rest.

And to this refers also the circumstance of Christ's
lying the whole Sabbath-day in the sepulchre : which
was done, that the circumstance itself, the time, and the
figure, may all concur to show forth the same thing, and
commend to us this all-sacred rest. And a horrible thing
it is, in this time of grace and holy rest, for a man to be
busily employed in his own works, and to be found totally

VOL. III. I

114

destitute of divine works. Like the Jews, to whom
these words were spoken, " Remember that thou keep
holy the Sabbath-day ; " who, understanding nothing
about it, still continue in their own works, and, by their
very keeping holy the Sabbath-day, most awfully pollute
it.' — But these remarks we have made mystically. We
now return to Christ.

Christ, by the words of this verse, signifies his
death and burial ; as we have shown at the beginning
of this Psalm. For it is not to be supposed that he
would have spoken so importantly concerning mere na-
tural rest and sleep : especially since that which pre-
cedes, and that which follows, compel us to understand
him as speaking of a deep conflict and a glorious victory
over his enemies. By all which things he stirs us up
and animates us to faith in God, and commends unto
us the power and grace of God ; that he is able to raise
us up from the dead; an example of which he sets
before us, and proclaims it unto us as wrought in himself.
For there is no one thing that more deeply affects and
afflicts us poor miserable men, than the terror and
dread of that death to which we are condemned in our
first parent Adam. Nor is there any news that we can
hear more joyful, than to hear that this curse is changed,
and, (which is greater still,) overcome ; and that death
is not only conquered, but also made the servant and
helper unto a better life than that which we had
before.

By the death and resurrection of Christ, therefore,
a greater consolation is brought in and proclaimed to
us, than any other that can be proclaimed unto the
human race : namely, that death, the evil incident to
all, is so overcome, so put under the feet of them that
believe, that it is compelled to work together for the en-
joyment of that very life which it seems to put an end
to and swallow up. Who therefore may not here sing ?
Who may not rejoice with Christ ? Surely this power
of Christ, which is so full of joyful tidings, ought to be
uttered forth, not with weeping Hps and simple expres-
sions only, but in a Psalm and song of praise, as

115

triumphal praises are wont to be sung, ki order that we
may be the more animated to a contempt of this hfe
and to a love of death; for, music itself has a certain pe-
culiar effect in rousing and enlivening our spirits. Thus
Elijah had a minstrel, and Moses prepared trumpets for
war : and hence, the Spirit makes use of music also in
things so salutary and necessary, because, it is a hard
matter to leave life behind and long for death : and
therefore, he would have this exhortation in the manner
of a song, that he might the more easily move us, and
might show us, that it is a way in which we may be the
soonest moved.

And this is shown also farther in his using gentle
words, and such as tend wonderfully to lessen the horror
of death. " I laid me down (saith he) and slept." He
does not say, I died and was buried : for death and the
: tomb had lost both their name and their power. And
now death is not death, but a sleep : and the tomb not
a tomb, but a bed and resting place.--. Which was the
reason why the words of this prophesy were put some-
what obscurely and doubtfully, that it might by that
means render death most lovely in our eyes, (or rather
most contemptible,) as being that state from which, as
from the sweet rest of sleep, an undoubted arising and
awaking are promised^ TFor who is not most sure of an
aM'aking and arising, who lies down to rest in a sweet
sleep (where death does not prevent ?) This person,
however, does not say that he died, but that he laid
him down to sleep, and that therefore he awaked. And
moreover, as sleep is useful and necessary for a better
renewal of the powers of the body, (as Ambrosius says
in his hymn,) and as sleep relieves the weary limbs ; so
is death also equally useful, and ordained for the arriv-
ing at a better life. And this is what David says in the
following Psalm, " I will lay me down in peace and
take my rest, for thou, Lord, in a singular manner hast
formed me in hope."

Therefore, in considering death, we are not so much
to consider death itself, as that most certain life and
resurrection which are sure to those who are in Christ :

I 2

116

that those words John viii. 51, might be fulfilled, " If a
man keep my saying, he shall never see death." But
how is it that he shall never see it ? Shall he not feel it?
Shall he not die ? No ! He shall only see sleep, for,
having the eyes of his faith fixed upon the resurrection,
he so ghdes through death, that he does not even see
death ; for death (as I have said) is to him no death at
all. And hence, there is that also of John xi. 25, " He
that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he
hve." AJl these things are begun in baptism, and are
consummated at the end of life. For (as the Apostle
saith,) Rom. vi. 4, " We are buried with him by baptism
into death : " which passage, as I understand it, does
not refer to the spiritual death of sin only, but unto
corporal death also ; because sin does not die wholly
until the body is extinct, or, as Paul expresses it, until
this body of sin is destroyed. Wherefore, in baptism
we are immediately begun to be prepared for death,
that we may by death be brought the more quickly
unto life.

Augustine here asks, why David saith, in the
future, "For the Lord shall sustain me?" for it is
thus that the Hebrew has it, though our translation
has rendered it by the perfect, " sustained." And al-
though it is true that in the prophets the perfects are
mingled with the futures, and thereby two things are
signified, — that the things prophesied of were future as
to their events, but, past and already accomplished as
to the clear knowledge of the prophets ; yet, this is
perhaps put in the future for our consolation and exhor-
tation, when it saith, that the Lord not only sustained
Christ our head, but will sustain also all his members
that follow him. So that we are to understand him as
speaking in his own person, and in the persons of us
all, both for himself and for us also.

This Hebrew word iismecheni, which Hieronymus
renders ' raise me up,' and in other places ' sustaineth,'
has a peculiar force and energy which the Latin does
not express, and which Reuchlin renders, ' shall put his
hand on me,' ' shall approach,' ' shall draw near unto

117

me ;' which is the sense that it conveys ; — that he who
dies, is not left of God, but is supported underneath as
it were by the hand of God extended and put upon him,
that he might not fall into the deep, but rather be deli-
vered out of it, and raised up : whereby is descriptively
set forth the dying man, and the manner of his being
sustained by God. For he that dies seems to perish,
and as it were to be swallowed up in an abyss : but
there the hand of God drawing near to him from above,
preserves him from perishing, so that instead of sinking,
he is rather lifted up into life : thus, he perishes and
falls indeed as to himself, but is preserved and rises
in God.

Verse 6. — / will not be afraid of ten thousands of
the people that have set themselves against me round
about. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.

This third verse of the present song of praise, is of
the same nature as those that precede and those that
follow : that is, it sets forth and commends to us that
holily proud affection of mind that despises adversity.
For we have said, that these things are spoken in the
person of one, who, rejoicing in, and grateful to, God his
deliverer, praises and proclaims his power and grace : in
which he is so confirmed and established by having ex-
perienced them in adversity, that he resolves to fear no
eviJs whatever hereafter, but to rest safely in the protec-
tion of God, now known and experienced. And, al-
though after Christ rose from the dead, neither tribula-
tion, nor death, nor surrounding thousands of the
people, could have any farther effect upon him ; yet the
affection of mind and feelings, no doubt reigned and
triumphed in him exactly as the prophet foretold they
should do. And all this was not on account of Christ
only, who wanted no such things, but for our sakes ;
who, although we may have overcome some temptations,
have still many more to overcome. And therefore, we
have need of exhortation, that, having once tasted the
grace of a helping God, we may be encouraged and
confirmed to the enduring of much greater things,

H8

being most sweetly comforted by the example of
Christ. And this is the reason, according to my views,
why the prophet so often varies the tenses of his verbs,
speaking sometimes in the perfect, as thus, " I cried
unto the Lord with my voice and he heard me," and
also, " I laid me down and slept ; I awaked ;" and
sometimes in the future, thus, " I will not be afraid of
ten thousands of the people ;" and sometimes again in
the present, thus, " Arise, O Lord ; save me ;" and then
again in the perfect, as, " Thou hast smitten all mine
enemies upon the cheek-bone," &c. So that, although
he says all these things in the person of Christ, yet he
at the same time shows us, in the example of Christ,
that these same things are accomplished, and to be ac-
complished, in us.

And thus also, John xii. 27, Christ says, just before
his passion, " Now is my soul troubled ; and what shall
I say ? Father, save me from this hour : but for this
cause came I unto this hour."- — And here, we would
briefly observe, that we ought to make ourselves well
acquainted with this manner of speech peculiar to the
scriptures ; and know, that in the Prophets and in the
Psalms, many things are said together and at the same
time, as to the order of the words, which are accom-
plished at different times ; and some things spoken of
first, as to order, which are accomplished at a time pos-
terior. As we have it here in the person of Christ :
where, " Arise, O Lord ; save me," refers to his pas-
sion: while that which precedes, " I cried unto the
Lord with my voice and he heard me," and, " I
awaked," refer to the circumstances after his passion.
But, they are to be understood, as I observed, as spoken
for the benefit of his members, out of a heart glorying
on account of past triumphs, expecting with courage
future temptations, and arming and fortifying itself with
a confidence in the power of God.

Moreover, this is too w ell known to need any expla-
nation,— that such expressions as " Arise," are not ad-
dressed to God as supposing him to be asleep or lying
down ; but, as Augustine remarks on this passage, that

119

is attributed unto God which he does in us. So that he
arises when he causes us to arise : just as he is said so
to speak in the Prophets, when he causes them to speak ;
as the apostle saith, 2 Cor. xiii. 3, " Do ye seek a proof
of Christ speaking in me ?" Or, he is then said to arise
and awake, when he shows us, by a present influence
wrought on our minds, that he is then with us : which is
a mode of speech more common than the former : and
by which, things are in the scriptures then said to be
done by God, when they are either felt or known by us
to be done: as in Gen. xxii. 12, "For now I know
that thou fearest God :" and also, Luke vii. 47, where
Christ first said to Peter concerning Mary, " Her sins
which are many are forgiven her," but afterwards, re-
vealing the same to the woman herself, said, "Thy sins
are forgiven." Therefore, though there is no time when
God does not help, yet he is nevertheless called upon to
help ; nay, he first gives us the power and helps us to
call upon him i^and, lest we should faint, he helps us to
continue calling upon him until he sends us the help
needed.

This verse, however, seems to be opposed to the
first two : so that, he says against the multitude of those
that trouble him, " I will not be afraid of ten thousands
of the people ;" and against the power of those that
rose up against him, "Arise, O Lord;" and against
those who taunted him as being in despair, " Save me,
O my God." Or rather, this verse is set against the
multitude of those that troubled him : and the following,
against the power of those that rose up against him,
where he says, " For thou hast smitten all mine enemies
upon the cheek-bone : and the last against those who
told him he was in despair; saying. There is no help
for him in his God ; for in that last verse he says,
" Salvation belongeth unto the Lord ; thy blessing is
upon thy people."

The force of the whole lies in these words, "I will
not be afraid of ten thousands of the people that have
set themselves against me round about." As if he had
said, from the great feehng sense that he had of his trust

120

in God, " I will not be afraid though, not only any
great one among the people, nor any whole people, but
even though many thousands of the people rose up
against me : and 1 will add, even though they should
60 surround me alone and deserted, as to hedge me in
entirely, and to leave me no one way of escape : — even
then I will not fear ; nay I will rest secure ; not in my
own strength, but because thou, O Lord, shalt arise, &c.
Thus, I say, does the Holy Spirit every where graciously
invite us to a great and full exercise of faith and hope
in God.

Verse 7. — For thou hast smitteri all those who are
mine enemies without cause : thou hast broken the teeth
of the ungodly.

The perfect is here put for the future, if it be un-
derstood of the person of Christ before his passion :
but if it be understood of him after his resurrection, it is
a continuation of his song of praise and thanksgiving
unto God, for our exhortation; as we have before ob-
served.

Instead of " without cause," Hieronymus has trans-
lated from the Hebrew *' cheek-bone ;" in this way,
*' Thou hast smitten mine enemies upon the cheek-bone."
And to this rightly agrees that which follows, " Thou
hast broken the teeth of the ungodly." And hence, it
seems to be a repetition of the same thing.

The order, however, is, * I will not be afraid of
thousands, nor shall my followers fear any multitude,
how wicked and powerful soever they may be : for I
now know by experience, how thou art wont to smite
and to consume my adversaries, by raising me from the
dead, so that the}/ can no longer devour me, and by
comforting my believing ones by the Spirit so that they
cannot hurt them.' Though this smiting may be under-
stood as referring to the destruction of the people of the
Jews by Titus and Vespasian. For although they are
fitill open-mouthed, and mahciously inveterate against
Christ and his Christians, yet they are so smitten and
disabled that they cannot devour one of them : as it is

121

written agalft, Psalm Ivili. 6, " God shall break their
teeth in their mouths, and the Lord shall break out the
teeth of the young lions."

He uses this metaphor of ' cheek-bones,' and ' teeth,'
to represent cutting words, detractions, calumnies, and
other injuries of the same kind, by which the innocent
are oppressed: according to that of Proverbs xxx. 15,
*' There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and
their jaw-teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off
the earth, and the needy from among men." It was
by these that Christ was devoured, when before Pilate,
he was condemned to the cross by the voices and ac-
cusations of his enemies. And hence it is that the
apostle saith, Gal. v. 15, " But if ye bite and devour
one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of
another." And this metaphor taken from 'teeth' and
■jaw-bones,' is to be found in many other places in the
scriptures, and it is of itself sufficiently illustrative of its
own meaning.

And, on the other hand, the spouse of Christ has
teeth also : as in the Song, chaps, iv. and vi. " Thy
teeth are like a flock of sheep that are shorn, which come
up from the washing :" that is, the reproofs by which
the church wounds and convinces sinners, and by which
she converts them when thus wounded, and incorporates
them with herself, are, like shorn sheep, mild, and re-
prove without fury or heated zeal : they are shorn, be-
cause they are devoid of all care about the things of this
world, not seeking gain and the wool of the sheep. For
even the apostles themselves could not preach the Word
and serve tables ; as it is written Acts vi. 2.

And these teeth are, figuratively, in that jaw-bone
which Samson took up and slew with it a thousand men.
Judges XV. 15. And hence, in the more gracious appli-
cation of the metaphor, God smites and bruises the
teeth of the wicked in mercy, when by his grace in their
conversion he turns them from malice to kindness, and
from being accusers and revilers of the just to becoming
their favourers and applauders. Thus, he broke those
most powerful teeth of that terribly devouring wolf,

122

St. Paul, and made him an apostle, and the devourer of
all nations unto this very day. And it is in this sense of
the metaphor that Isaiah saith, ii. 4, " And they shall
beat their swords into plough-shares, and their spears
into pruning-hooks." As if he had said, they shall
change their noxious tongues into wholesome ones that
shall nourish the men of the earth : so that they shall
become plough-shares for reproving, and pruning-hooks
for gathering people unto Christ.

And these teeth may also be understood allego-
rically, (according to Augustine,) for the rulers and
leaders of sinners ; by whose authority, men are cut off
from the society of those that live rightly, and are in-
corporated with those that live evilly. To whom are in
direct opposition the leaders of the righteous, as priests ;
who, by their example and by the good Word of God,
move men to believe, to be separated from the world,
and to pass over among the members of the church.
And to this agrees that of the Song, chaps, iv. and vi.
which is said concerning the teeth. But any one may
pursue the applications of these allegories taken from teeth
still farther: therefore I shall say no more about them here.

This Psalm, however, will not be unappropriately
used to comfort poor weak consciences, if it be taken
figuratively, and, by oppressors and teeth, we understand
those most tormenting assaults of sins and the conscious-
ness of an ill-spent life. For here, the heart of the
sinner is in real distress, and is solitary, helpless, and in
despair. And if he does not accustom himself to lift his
eyes upward against the assault of his sins, and to call
upon God against the accusations of his conscience,
there is much to be feared, lest evil and malicious spirits,
who for this purpose walk about in darkness, and thirst
for the destruction of souls, should swallow him up in
distress and desperation. Therefore, the heart must be
most firmly fortified, and be enabled to say with Christ,
whether it be against sin, against a persecuting con-
science, or against those things that hinder our salvation,
• — the heart, I say, must be enabled to glory with Christ,
saying,—

123

Verse 8. — Salvation is of the Lord, and thy blessing
is upon thy people. Sela.

A most beautiful conclusion this, and as it were the
sum of all the feelings spoken of. The sense is, It is the
Lord alone that saves and blesses : and even though the
whole mass of all evils should be gathered together in
one against a man, still, it is the Lord who saves : sal-
vation and blessing are in his hand. What then shall I
fear? What shall I not promise myself? When I
know, that no one can be destroyed, no one reviled,
without the permission of God, even though all
should rise up to curse and to destroy ; and that no
one of them can be blessed and saved without the
permission of God, how much soever they may bless
and strive to save themselves. And, as Gregory Na-
zianzen says, * Where God gives, envy can avail nothing ;
and where God does not give, labour can avail nothing.'
And in the same way also Paul saith, Rom. viii. 31,
" If God be for us, who can be against us?" And so,
on the contrary, if God be against them, who can be for
them? And why? Because salvation is of the Lord,
and not of them, nor of us, for " vain is the help of
man." And hence, we have it written in the Revelation,
chap. vii. 12, " Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and
thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto
our God for ever and ever." And so again, verse 10,
* Salvation to our God, and unto the Lamb.' And Psalm
cix. 28, " Let them curse, but bless thou." And again,
Malachi ii. 2, * I will curse your blessings, and bless
your cursings.'

Therefore let every Christian soul say, in the midst
of tribulations,, it matters not that they curse and
destroy me : it is not theirs, but God's alone to bless
and save. Nor is it of any avail that they ima-
ginarily save themselves by their own powers, and
bless each other : salvation and blessing are not of
them, but of the Lord : and if he does not save and
bless them, they may seem indeed to be blessed and
saved for an hour, but they shall in the end be cursed

124

and destroyed. On the other hand, where he eaves and
blesses us, they may indeed appear for an hour to curse
and destroy us, but we are in truth saved and blessed.
And this is what is set forth, Psalm cxlvi. 3, " Put not
your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom
there is no help."

And to encourage this consolation and confidence,
it was of old forbidden in the law of Moses, that any
one man should bless another. For God said, IN umbers
vi. 9,3, " On this wise ye shall bless the children of
Israel : saying unto them, " The Lord bless thee,"
&c. &c. — and " I will bless them." O wholesome and
necessary precept ! And why, thinkest thou, it was that
God would not have any man blessed by another?
Why, but because he had those things in his mind
which were afterwards written, Matt. v. 11 , " Blessed
are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my
sake." Because men are dealt with as it is described,
Psalm X. 3, ' For since the sinner boasteth in his heart's
desire, and the wicked blesseth himself,' and the just
man on the contrary is despised and cursed ; therefore
the Lord most justly and piously saith, " I will bless
them ;" and this is what the present verse repeats as it were
in confirmation, " Thy blessing is upon thy people."

This verse, therefore, is to be so read, that the em-
phasis and stress be laid with an elevation of tone on the
genitive " Lord," and the pronoun " thy : " so that by
the antithesis we may be brought also to experience that
feeling of soul full of the sweetest confidence, which
laughs as it were at the evil attempts of our adversaries,
and looks with contempt upon the confidence in which
they boast; saying unto itself, "Salvation is of the
Lord : and thy blessing is upon thy people." In which
way, we may learn to contemn the curse of men, and
not to seek after their blessing ; since we know, that it
is of God alone to save and to bless. And it is in this
same way that Isaiah taunts those described, chap. xli.
23, ' Do good, or do evil, if ye can.' As if he had said.
Ye can neither injure us nor profit us.

/

125

And here farther remark, that he puts the salva-
tion before the blessing ; and that is in a right order ;
because a blessing in the holy Scriptures, implies a
going on and a multiplying : according to that of
Genesis i. 28, " And God blessed them, and said, Be
fruitful and multiply : " which cannot take place unless
he that is blessed be saved from perishing. And David
aptly opposes these two things to the first two verses :
that is, the salvation of the Lord, to them that trouble
and rise up : for these destroy by cursing, and saying,
" There is no help for him in his God :"' but, blessing is
of the Lord. And this cursing and taunting of theirs is
most terrible to be borne. For when the wicked have
nothing more that they can do to the righteous whom they
have destroyed, the one thing remaining for them is, to
calumniate, curse, and blaspheme them ; (as was shown
us in the example of Christ upon the cross ;) whereby
they strive to destroy their good report both before God
and before men. They aim at destroying before men by
defaming them ; and before God, by attacking their
faith and trust of conscience, that they may not be able
to glory in God ; and that thus they may be confused
on both sides.

And in this passage also is touched upon, that terrible
temptation of blasphemy, by which a man is urged on
by devils to desperation, and to think that the curse of
God is upon him : and thus he accounts God as an
enemy, as long as he can feel nothing of good coming
from God ; and this is to blaspheme God ; for we are
commanded to hope for, and promise to ourselves, all
good things from him ; and are required by the first com-
mandment to worship him with faith, hope, and love :
and in Wisdom, i. 1, it is written, "Think of the Lord
with a good heart, and in simplicity of heart seek
him."

And perhaps this is the reason why he so suddenly
changes the person. For when he had said in the third
person, " Salvation is of the Lord," thereby commend-
ing, as it were, God unto others ; he directly after changes
it to the second person, saying, " Thy blessing." For

m6

as the temptation above mentioned takes us the most of
all from God, and makes us shun him as a curser, and
seek another to bless, when there is no other to bless ;
he admonishes us to turn then the most of all unto God,
when we the most turn from him by the temptation.
And this feeling of mind, because it is very particular
and powerful, is not in vain marked with the word
*' Sela ;" concerning which we have said sufficient
above.

Thus have we expounded the whole of this Psalm
concerning Christ, but if this interpretation does not
please any, there will be no difficulty in understanding
it concerning David, as being a type of the same suffer-
ing, and of the same feelings of mind ; w^hich are all exem-
plified in Christ and in every Christian member ; except
that, the fifth verse will give us some little trouble in such
an exposition. We will therefore leave others to pursue
it farther and better, while we only briefly set it forth
thus.

" Lord, why are they increased that trouble me? (that
is, Absalom, Ahithophel, and the whole people, as in
2 Sam. XV.) Many are they that rise up against me.
Many there be which say of my soul. There is no help
for him in God ! " — This above all others did Shimei,
2 Sam. xvi. cursing David and saying, " Come out,
come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial :"
and he cast stones at David, and said, ' The Lord hath
returned upon thee, &c. Behold thine evils are come
upon thee.'

" But thou, O Lord, art my helper, my glory, and
the lifter up of my head." — For David said in the
place above mentioned, " Let him alone, and let him
curse, for the Lord hath bidden him. It may be that the
Lord will look upon mine affliction : and that the Lord
will requite me good for his cursing this day." By
which words he showed that he did not yet despair, but
firmly trusted in God, whose command and will he
acknowledged and justified.

" I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard
me from his holy hill." — This David did when he

127

said, " O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of
Ahithophel into fooh'shness." And perhaps he did the
same at other times also which are not recorded. For,
as I said, it is not in the tribulation, but after the tribu-
lation, that we are to suppose the Psalm was written. A
strong faith ! which can speak unto an angry God,
call unto him when persecuting you, flee unto him when
driving you back, praise him as your helper, your glory,
and the lifter up of your head, when you feel him desert-
ing, confounding, and oppressing you ! This is a memo-
rable example of Christian faith indeed ! " I (says he)
will go whither I am to go," 2 Sam. xv. 20. As if he
had said, ' I know not whither I am going : ' and this
is to believe, and to commit one's self into that dark-
ness where you are utterly ignorant what will become of
you, and yet have a good hope for the best, and doubt
not that you are heard.

" I laid me down and slept ; I awaked ; for the
Lord sustained me." — Which, according to my bold
way, I would understand in this manner. David might
say, ' I was in that state that I despaired of my
life, of my glory, and of my all. I was like unto
one dead and descending into the pit, as to all ex-
ternal appearance in the sight of men : nor was there
any thing left alive in me but faith : and it appeared
to me that if I should be again re-instated in my
kingdom, it would be nothing less than as if I were
raised from the grave and from the sleep of death.' For
into this state of things, and down to these gates of
hell, it is that the Lord is wont to bring those whjose
faith he designs to try : and indeed, the man that is put
into this state of things differs little from one dead. — Or
if this do not please, let the acceptation be this, ' I was
overwhelmed with this tribulation. And, as those who
are sunk into a deep sleep know not that they are alive,
and are like unto men dead ; so I, from the exceeding
greatness of my affliction, and from being put to the
very extremity of my faith, had no enjoyment whatever
of this external life, and was almost dead : after M^hich
manner, it is said concerning Jacob, Gen. xlv. 27, that.

128

when he heard that his son Joseph was reigning in
Egypt, he was as one awaking from a deep sleep, and
did not believe them ; that is, because he had been in
such utter despair concerning Joseph ; but that, when
he saw the waggons, and all the things that Joseph had
sent, his " spirit revived." And thus, David also says,
that he revived and arose from the deep sleep of his
heart, and, as it were from death. For as I have con-
fessed, I cannot understand it concerning natural sleep
and rest. And David himself also, 2 Sam. xix. 22,
when he returned, " Do not I know that I am this day
king over Israel ?" wherein he plainly shows his former
feelings of despair concerning the kingdom, as to all pre-
sent appearances.

" I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that
have set themselves against me round about. " Arise, O
Lord, save me, O my God." — This is what he said upon
his being recalled — ' I shall no more fear evil if thou be
with me. (Psalm xxiii. 4.) Do thou only arise and
save me, as thou didst lately, and be my God ; then I
will fear nothing.'

" For thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the
cheek-bone, thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly."—
For the people and Absalom were slain, and there was
a great slaughter that day of seventy thousand men,
2 Sam. xviii. 7. And thus were all who devoured and
afflicted him smitten and slain.

" Salvation is of the Lord, and thy blessing is upon
thy people. Sela." — As if he had said, ' Although
Shimei with his followers gnashed their malicious teeth
at me, saying " There is no help for him in his God,"
&c. ; yet, it is of God alone to bless and save : to whom
alone be glory for ever and ever. Amen.'

129

PSALM IV.

A PSALM OF DAVID, ON THE ORGANS, FOR
VICTORY.

This Psalm is^ according to my views, most obscure :
and there is no other so variously expounded : which
diversity is a proof of the real scope of it not being yet
fully understood.

Let us first consider the title, as we shall frequently
have the same hereafter. Lamnazeah, was, before
the translation of Ilieronymus, rendered by the antient^'^^^
' to the end :' which they all unanimously interpreted to
signify Christ, w^hom the apostle calls " the end of the
law," Rom: x. 4, saying, " Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to every one that believeth." Which
" end " they again interpret two ways, — that Christ is
the end and sum intended by the law; and that he
himself put an end to the law. But what these things
have to do with the title of the Psalm, I do not see : it
is only violently taking from one place, and adding to
another. For all the Psalms which have this title do not
speak of Christ : excepting it be in this way : that it is
by the grace of God only that we speak of any work,
and that we have nothing either great or small without
Christ. But in this way, every Psalm ought to have the
same inscription.

Hieronimus, again, has translated it ' for the con-
queror :' and then was introduced, ' for victory :' because
Lyranus from Rabbi Tal, supposed that it should be
understood in this way : — that the Psalm was written
for this end : that the Levite singers, contending in
alternate choirs, should strive to excel each other. But
this he said, perhaps, measuring that divine melody of
David, instituted for the praising of God, according to
the custom of those bawling men in our cathedrals,
who are called choristers. But to whom such men sing
I am sure I know not : I can only hear the beams and

VOL. III. K

130

stones roar with their noise. And then, comparing this
with the interpretation ' to the end,' which some have
given ; he says, that the ' end' meant was the victory
(that is, of the noise in singing) which the choir sought
after in singing this Psalm. — Such ludicrous things as
these will men teach in a matter so serious !

We read 1 Chron. xv. 16, that David appointed
three kinds of singers: one to sing to the nablis,
that is psaltery ; another to sing to harps, or, (as the in-
terpreters variously render it) the lyres ; and another to
sound on cymbals : and to these, for a time, were added
the trumpet and the cornet. And the third kind of
singing there mentioned, verse 21, is the singing on
harps upon Lenazeah, which they have rendered by
' victory : ' that is, * a song of victory.' And hence per-
haps it is, that Lamnazeah is translated ' for victory ; '
because the Psalm that bears this title is a signal song
of victory.

But here I confess my ignorance. For if these things
be so, I know not why all the other Psalms are not
entitled ' for victory,' which contain a subject matter
equally, if not more, applicable to that title than this
Psalm and others like it. And then again, there will be
a difference of opinion about what victory it is that is
sung in the Psalm : because, some Psalms celebrate the
victory of Christ, others the victory of any Christian
placed in the midst of suffering and temptation.

John Reuchlin, in his Septena, translates it ' for in-
vitation : ' because, he will have it, that Psalms of that
kind are certain incitements to awaken and encourage
the spirit of man. And to this rendering the root of the
word admirably agrees. For, as he says, naza signifies
' he was instant,' ' he stirred up,' ' he forced,' ' he
urged : ' as in Ezra iv. 8, " To set forward the work of
the Lord." And moreover, the subject itself of the
Psalm does not at all disagree with this interpretation :
for this Psalm, according to my judgment, is merely
exhortative to the work of the Lord : that is, to the en-
during of the cross and death. But whether this accept-
ation of the title will uniformly and universally apply

131

to all these Psalms, that I leave to the consideration
and judgment of the reader.

I willingly receive this Psalm as being both a song
of victory, and an invitation: because, all triumphal
songs of this kind are wont to rouse and animate the
spirit to war in a wonderful manner : and so also do the
Psalms wonderfully animate the faithful of Christ both
to the battles and the trophies of the cross. And thus, I
can reconcile all things : making the title to signify,
' to victory,' ' to the conqueror,' ' for an invitation.'
And, in a word, this seems to be the true meaning of
the title, because the whole Psalms tend to this, — that,
being animated by their incitements of the spirit, we
may conquer and gain the great object over all our
enemies and sins ; that nothing may be left us but the
triumph of glory.

By " organs," we are undoubtedly to understand,
that a general kind is put for a particular : that is, that
we are to receive it as signifying harps : because it is
said 1 Chron. xv. 21, that the songs of victory should
be sung to harps. For organ, in this passage, is a
noun which, in the Hebrew, signifies any kind of musi-
cal instrument.

But concerning the effect of music and the praises
of it, I shall say nothing here, for they have been
abundantly treated on by others : excepting that, it
here appears, that the use of music was of old held
sacred, and applied to divine things : but in the lapse of
time, it has, like every thing else, been abused to the
service of luxury and lust. It was by music that the evil
spirit was made to depart from Saul, 1 Sam. xvi. 23.
And by the same a spirit of prophecy was communi-
cated to Elisha, 2 Kings iii. 15.

This most obscure Psalm, as I have already ob-
served, is variously expounded. Augustine believes, that
they either are the words of Christ after his resurrec-
tion, or of a member of his church who is possessed of
faith and hope. Of Lyra and Burgensis I shall say no-
thing: the former of whom interpreted in a way that
made against the Saulites, the latter against idolatries,

k2

132

Hieronimus thinks it is to be understood of Christ only.
All, and each, of these interpretations and acceptations
are out of my way. I shall follow my own spirit, and
abound in my own acceptation of the Psalm, but without
any prejudice against the judgment of another.

I have considered within myself, that this Psalm is a
general exhortation to the people of God: especially to
those, who, being ignorant of the works and ways of
God, hate the wisdom of the cross. Among whom, the
Jews, the children of Israel, have been and still are : and
they are the first who require to be instructed in this
matter. For as the apostle saith, Rom. iii. 19, " We
know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to
them who are under the law." Wherefore, David being
himself experimentally taught by one, or rather, by
many of his temptations, teaches them, from his own
example, what they should do and how they ought to
conduct themselves under every tribulation. And thus,
according to its title, the Psalm vvill be an exhortation
to victory : which the words of the Psalm themselves
show, whereby he commends himself to them as their
teacher : saying, ' O ye sons of men,' ' know,' ' be ye
angry,' ' offer sacrifices,' ' put your trust,' &c. — As
follows,

Ver. 1. — When I called, the God ofiuj/ righteousness
heard me.

At the very beginning he instructs the tender and
querulous: teaching them, that they are not to run any
where else, but to call upon God in all the tribulations
that may come upon them, of what kind soever they
may be. As often, saith he, as I called, (and I called as
often as I was in tribulation, as he saith Psalm cxx. 1,
" In my distress I cried unto the Lord,") so often the
Lord heard me : so merciful is the Lord, and so ready
to pity those that call upon him. Why, therefore, do ye
tender and fearful ones fill all things with complaints ?
Ye seek consolation in vain by fleeing unto man : and
ye know not, nor seek after, this only remedy of fleeing
unto God.

133

Observe here the divine art of the teacher, and his
incomparable oratory ! In the one same Exordium he
accomplishes three things. First, turning to the children
of men, and feeling a concern for them in brotherly
love, he teaches them all, to what they should flee, when
under trouble : and this he does from his own example,
and with a most modest glorying. I, says he, was wont
to do that myself which I now recommend to you. — Se-
condly, that he may render them docile and obedient to
him, he commends to them the divine mercy. " And
he heard me," saith he. As if he had said, 1 am per-
suaded that he will also hear you most mercifully, if ye
do but take courage and call upon him. — Thirdly, (which
is the principal thing of all,) like a most able orator, he
begins with gratitude and praise, which is, in the things
both of God and men, the most effectual way of pro-
ducing a willing mind. For thus, we are commanded
also to begin the Lord's Prayer wdth * Our Father ; '
repeating and comprehending, in those words and their
all-sweet corresponding feelings, all the kindnesses
of God.

And the reason why he addresses his words to the
sons of men, which he ought to address unto God,
is this ; — he did not wish to leave them and to come
before God alone and empty ; and therefore, he is
desirous of gaining their good-will; and, being concerned
for the salvation of his brethren, he instructs the weak.
For directly afterwards, in what follows, he addresses
his words unto God only ; saying, *' Thou hast en-
larged me : " wherein he now brings with him into the
presence of God those to whom he had spoken just
before : that they may not only see what God did for
him in his former troubles and tribulations, but may be-
hold also an example of the manner in which he is wont
to flee unto God in every present tribulation : and thus
he most sweetly instructs and comforts them both by
word and by example.

And now, with respect to the words, " O God of my
righteousness;" it may be also expressed without peril
thus, " O God my righteousness." For though I do not

134

deny that the words signify and imply, that righteous-
ness is of God, and that it is God alone that justifies;
yet, the prophet appears to me to touch upon the main
point of the question or complaint before him: namely,
that complaint which the weaker ones are accustomed
to make:^ — that they consider themselves to have been
injured by their adversaries ; and that, therefore, they
may with justice show indignation and be angry. These,
therefore, the prophet does not attack with severity;
but, as I said, tenderly admonishes them, that they are
to forget their own righteousness, and are to commit it,
together with their whole cause, unto God who judgeth
righteouslv; and to arrogate no more of righteousness
to themselves, than shall seem good unto God: as Peter
saith concerning Christ, 1 Epist. ii. 23, " who, when he
was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered he
threatened not; but committed himself unto him that
judgeth righteously," that is, he committed the matter
unto God, who judgeth righteously. And so also, David
here saith, Whenever I suffer injuries, I call upon the
God of my righteousness; being willing and ready to
take for righteousness that which he shall adjudge. And
therefore, I know nothing of any righteousness of my
own; I know nothing but God only and his holy will.

Is not this then a most excellent way of consoling
the weak, — not indeed to condemn their cause, nor yet
to justify it, but to take it out of their hands and to
commit it unto God; and thus to put both them and
their cause into his hands ; that they may consider that
to be their righteousness which God may think proper,
and thus patiently submit to the will of God ?

This acceptation of the passage I the more willingly
follow, because "my righteousness," according to the
mode of expression used in the scriptures, signifies more
particularly a man's own cause, than that grace which
justilieth, for that is more usually called the righteous-
ness .of God; as in Rom. i. 17, "Therein is the right-
eousness of God revealed from faith to faith." And
again. Psalm xxxi. 1, " Deliver me in thy righteousness,"
(not- in mine.) Whereas, in the other case it is said,

135

Gen. XXX. 33, " So shall my righteousness answer for
me in time to come." And again, Psalm vii. 8, " Judge
me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and ac-
cording to mine integrity that is in me." For this is the
righteousness between man and man ; which also God
judgeth; though it sufficeth not for any one before God.
And therefore, rightly does David call men away from a
trust in their own righteousness, and transfer it over into
the hand of God, lest perhaps they should be found
deserving to suffer much greater things before God, how
just soever they may be before men.

And indeed this is a most useful doctrine, though it
is always neglected by men. For if this doctrine were
held and acted up to, there would not be so many courts
of judicature, and so many causes, laws, strifes, and
contentions. All men have upon their tongues' ends
justice! justice! — right! right! — but there are few who
commit their justice or righteousness unto God according
to the example and the word here set before us. Hence,
the whole world is in a tumult for justice and right, and
contend for it by wars, commotions, bloodshed, and
innumerable enormities of sins and evils: and indeed,
things are so, that justice becomes almost the only cause
of all injustice. For error has so blinded them, that
they immediately think that to be righteousness or justice
before God also, which they may have learnt from the
dissertations, opinions, and decrees of men, to be justice. I
And concerning this, much more might be said, and ought
to be said, if we had not now another object before us.

Thou hast enlarged unto me when I was in distress.

This is a repetition: for to be heard, and to be
enlarged, are the same thing: as we find it also Psalm
cxviii. 5, " I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord
answered me, and set me in a large place."

This, " thou hast enlarged unto me," or this ' en-
larging,' is a Hebraism, and a metaphor or a metonymy
peculiar to the scriptures, which we, without a figure,
call ' a comforting : ' as, on the contrary, we call sorrow
and affliction ' a straitenins-' For as the heart and all

136

the senses are contracted while they flee from, and are
in dread of sorrow; and as, when evil presses on every
side, there is then a straitening and a total contraction
into a confined space : so, the same senses are enlarged
and dilated, when the evil is taken away, and good and
pleasant things are again brought in to us. And indeed,
how very descriptively are the natures of distress and
joy set forth by that expression ? For w c see how the
forehead and the whole countenance are contracted by
care and trouble, and dilated by joy and gladness. And
hence, it is said concerning the wicked, Psalm xviii. 46',
" They shall be afraid out of their close places." And
hence, also the Apostle, Rom. ii. 9, joins " tribulation"
and "anguish" together: that is, evil, and the attempted
escape from evil, but from which evil there is no escape.

It appears as if the expression ought to be, " Thou
hast enlarged me," rather than " Thou hast enlarged
unto me." But it is a peculiar idiom of the Hebrew
verbs, to stand absolutely, and to include, elliptically, an
accusative case of the noun, or to admit of being
resolved into a verbal noun. As here, " Thou liast
enlarged unto me:" that is, ' thou hast made an enlarge-
ment unto me,' 'thou hast been my enlarger:' that is,
thou hast given me consolation whenever I have called
upon thee in my distresses.

And thus, a willingness of ndind is produced, and the
weaker ones are instructed. Nay, if thou wilt, thou
mayest understand this verse to be the argument of
the whole Psalm : for the psalmist proposes to instruct
the weak to call upon God, to commit their cause into
the hand of God, to praise the justice of God, and to
seek consolation no where else, but to expect certain
'-Consolation from God, with ail the great fruits thereof:
and this he teaches them most efiectualjy by his own ex-
ample: but yet so, that he joins himself as a companion
with them, and makes their cases one with his own.

Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

I confess, saith he, that thou hast ever heard me
when I called upon thee: for which, I not only give

137

thee thanks, but rest confidently assured, that, as
sufferings will hereafter also always abound in us, so
thou wilt always hear them that call upon thee : under
which confidence, being now again sunk into distress,
I again call upon thee that thou wouldest again hear
me.

And, as these words form, in the Hebrew, the latter
part of the first verse, I would, according to my judg-
ment, understand the whole of this verse as being a cer-
tain form prescribed to the weaker ones, showing them
the way in which they should proceed when in tribu-
lation from the injustice of others : and I would under-
stand the last clause of it to be a piece of fore-tasted
food, as it were, whereby the prophet would teach them
as children, and would have them use those words
whenever they approach God to call upon him; namely
these, " Have mercy upon me, and hearken unto my
prayer : " that they may first implore the mercy of God
upon themselves and for their sins, on account of which,
perhaps, they have deserved far worse things than those
they now suffer : and that thus, they might first forget
all revenge, and commit their cause into the hand of
God, and then beg to be heard; for, " The just man first
accuseth himself," Prov. xviii. 17. And, 'He that
pleaseth God pitieth first his own soul,' Eccles. xxx.
Therefore, the person first implores grace for himself,
and then prays to be delivered from punishment. — But
this I do not assert positively to be the meaning of the
passage.

But be it so, that this is a new tribulation and a new
calling upon God; yet still, as I said, we may herefrom
be instructed, that we are not to be so much concerned
about the punishment, as about the sin; and that we are
first of all to obtain the mercy of God ; lest perhaps,
after the perverse manner of fools, we should forget our
own fault which merited the punishment, and look only
at the fault of others, which was designed to work our
punishment; thus leaving the beam in our own eye, and
setting about to cast the mote out. of our brother's eye.
Whereas, he w ho is in distress , is first of all to pray for

138

mercy on the cause of the distress, (which is sin,) not to
pray against the distress itself. And therefore, God
must first have mercy, and then hear those on whom he
has mercy.

You see, therefore, that the Psalms were given forth
by the Holy Spirit for this end, that they may admini-
ster consolation to those who are under tribulation. And
hence, those who will have nothing to do with tribula-
tion, can have nothing to do with the Psalms ! And who
are less willing to have to do with tribulation at this day,
than those who are employed in the Psalms day and night,
or rather, who ought to be so employed in them ? Does
not, therefore, that of Amos vi. 5, apply unto such,
where it speaks of certain characters inventing unto them-
selves instruments of music like David ? For how shall
they harp, who fill the world with bloodshed for the ob-
taining of their riches, privileges, and rites, not being
content with their own thundering decrees ? Hence, at
this day, the Psaltry is used for nothing else but for the
noise of chantings and mutterings ; which is a use most
unworthy of it, and yet it is perpetual.

Ver. 2. — O ye sons of men, how long will ye be of
a heavy heart ? Why do ye love vanity, and seek after
lying? Sela.

Hieronimus thus translates the passage: " Oye sons
of the man, how far, my renowned ones, will ye shamefully
love vanity, and seek after lying ? " This holy man cer-
tainly touches upon the force of the Hebrew words ; for
this verse says nothing whatever about the heart ; and
therefore it is clear, that our translator, whoever he was,
was in error; and read B for K ; and, what is more, divided
one word into two; reading, instead of lichlimma,
(which signifies ' into shame,') leb lamma, which
signifies ' heart, why.' And therefore, that which
Hieronymus has translated, as from one word, ' shame-
fully,' our translator has rendered, as from two words,"
' heart, why:' and what is in the Hebrew chebodi,
which our translator has rendered " heavy," Hieroni-
mus has rendered ' my renowned ones,' or ' my glorious

139

ones :' for ' glory,' in the Hebrew, is expressed nearly by
the same word as ' heaviness' is.

Nor has the Hebrew "sonsof men, "but sons isch ;
that is, ' sons of the hero : ' just as it is said Psalm i. 1,
" Blessed is the man," or " Blessed man." For he is
not here speaking of the sons of Adam, so as to mean
the generation according to the flesh : he does not seem
to address the sons of the flesh, nor to be speaking as
to the sons of the flesh : but, he seems to be as a master,
a preceptor, or one of some greater authority, address-
ing his minors and sons.

But, first of all, I will pour out my spirit upon the
passage, and then we will see to all the rest afterwards.
I, then, translate the verse thus : " O ye sons of the man,
how long will ye turn my glory into shame, love vanity,
and seek after lying? Sela." Hence, these seem to be
the words of the prophet spoken in the person of God the
Father, or of Christ, who is speaking first of all to the Jews,
and then to the Gentiles ; as the apostle is used to speak.
So that the sense is, O ye sons of Israel, how long shall
my name be polluted among you ? How long shall my
glory be exposed to shame by you, while, leaving me
who am the truth and the life, ye love vanity, and seek
after lying ? And how this is done let us now see.

I have said, that this Psalm is an exhortation unto
those who, from being destitute of faith, are offended and
cast down in mind at the cross, and at the injuries which
they receive ; which is the evil of unbelief, and the sin of
spiritual idolatry ; and it is of such sins that the children
of Israel were accused in the wilderness : as it is written
Psalm Ixxviii. 8, " A stubborn and rebellious genera-
tion ; a generation that set not their heart aright, and
whose spirit was not steadfast with God." Here, it is the
sin of the heart that is evidently struck at ; which was
distrust, ignorance of the cross, and no understanding in
the way of God. For it is said in the same Psalm, ' that
they would none of his counsel;' of which sin they are
accused throughout the Old Testament ; and it is from
this sin that the various external forms of idolatry presently
arise, diversified according to the infinitely various inch-

140

nations of men : some worshipping this god, and some that ;
and every one transferring the glory due to God over unto
the creature ; unto that creature, from which he has pros-
pect or hope of obtaining the consolation he requires.

Since, therefore, the glory and worship of God con-
sist in a sincere faith, firm hope, and perfect love to-
wards him ; it of necessity follows, that he who neither
trusts nor believes in God, nor loves him, but comforts
himself in some creature or other, turns the glory of
God into shame ; and seeks that name and work in some
creature which he ought to seek in God. And this is
what all do, who, in the time of temptation, (for it is of
such in particular that he is here speaking,) draw back.
And hence it is, that the world, from its beginning to
this time, has been full of idolatry. And although they
have not at all times adored the similitudes of creatures,
yet they have the same things in their hearts, which are
the heads and fountains of all idolatries. And this is
(as I have said) to trust in things and creatures, and to
be pleased and delighted with them ; which delight, plea-
sure, and trust, are due to God alone. And this is infi-
delity and distrust ; and from these come contempt and
hatred of God.

Thus, Psalm cvi. 20, " They changed their glory into
the similitude of an ox that eateth grass : " in which
verse, is beautifully described the power of idolatry.
The Psalmist calls the glory of God " their glory," be-
cause the glory of God, (that is, the true faith and wor-
ship of God,) was with them only : by which glory of
God it was, that they had glory both before God and
men. Hence it is said, 1 Sam. iv. 9,1, "The glory is'
departed from Israel." And Rom. i. 23, " They changed
the glory of the incorruptible God, into an image made
like unto corruptible man." For what is the changing
of the glory of God, but the changing of the worship of
God ? For the worship of God is nothing else than the
glory of God in a very short compendium. And the
glory of God is nothing else than believing in him, hop-
ing in him, and loving him. Because, he who believes
in him, holds him as true ; and thereby ascribes truth

141

unto him : and he who hopes in him, holds him as pow-
erful, wise, and good, and as a God by whom he can be
holpen and saved ; and thereby ascribes unto him a
power that can do all things, a wisdom that knows all
things, and a goodness that is willing to afford all help :
and this is to make God the true God, and to hold him
as such. [ And then, by and by, there is kindled a love
in him, who thus from his heart willingly delights him-
self in such a God, and has such an all-precious view
and opinion of him ! Whereas, he that does not believe
in God, makes him a liar ; he that does not hope in
him, makes him impotent, ignorant, and unwilling to
help ; which are horrible things ; and from these will of
necessity follow a contempt of God ; and then will come
on a going over to the creature. For the human heart
must necessarily have something to love, and something
to believe and trust in : it will either trust in riches, or
favour, or its own strength, or in something else of the
same kind, or in some absurd opinion concerning the
true or a false God that may be published to the world.
And if, by the permission of God, the man should be left
to find any comfort therein, he will go after it w'ith his
whole heart and affections ; and thus, the power, the
goodness, and all things which belong to the glory of
God, are turned into shame, and given unto that to
which they are not due. Thus also, Isaiah xlii. 8, " I
will not give my glory to another, neither my praise to
graven images." He gives indeed all good things even
unto his enemies ; but glory he reserves to himself only :
for all the good things that are sought after or received,
cannot be ascribed unto any but unto God alone ; whose
goodness and true divinity are hereby declared, ,

If we understand these things thus, I think the verse
is easy to be comprehended : and it shows, that those
who are ignorant of the cross, and destitute of faith,
when they once begin to fight against the glory of
God, soon afterwards pollute and prostitute it, and flee
unto any thing else rather than unto God for help, and
seek counsel, assistance, and salvation, not from him
whose alone they are, but from his creatures whose

142

they ai-e not ; because, they do not believe the last verse
of the preceding Psalm — " Salvation is of the Lord, and
thy blessing is upon thy people."

Let us now, then, see the peculiar force and experi-
mental contents of this verse. — First, as it is a powerful
and close exhortation, he addresses those to whom he
speaks, with the most worthy appellation : " O ye sons
of the man," saith he. By which " man " whether we
understand Israel, or Christ, it is one and the same
thing. Though I should rather understand Abraham^
because I receive the Psalm as addressed, first, to the
Jews ; for Abraham is called '* the father of many na-
tions : " and it is said, not in this passage only, but
Isaiah li. 1, 2, also, with a like exhortation, " Look
unto the rock from whence ye were hewn, and to
the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto
Abraham your father, and unto Sarah thatj3are you :
for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased
him." As if he had said, Attend, not to the manner of
your being born from him carnally, Jbut unto my having
called him, and to his being justified, not by the flesh,
but by faith in me. And this is what ye ought to be, and
to do also, if ye would be his children : as it is said
John viii. 39, " If ye were Abraham's seed, ye would
do the works of Abraham."

Hence, as he is not here setting Abraham before
them as their father according to the flesh, but is ad-
vising them to become his spiritual children, he says,
"O ye sons of the man," rather than, "O ye sons of men."
And though they are a bastard and spurious offspring
before God, and boast of Abraham according to the
flesh, being destitute of faith ; yet he condescends to put
the honour upon them, that he might the more gently
and effectually make them such as he calls them : just
in the same way as Paul addresses the Galatians as the
churches, when they were at the same time seduced and
removed out of the faith of the church. Nevertheless,
David by a side-way blow strikes at their degenerate
mind ; because, though they are the sons of so great a
hero, they do any thing but show themselves to be such.

143

And then, there is that inquiry, " How long ? "
which carries with it a wonderful force : because, it at
the same time commends to us the astonishing sweet-
ness of the long-suffering of God, and also pities their
long and perilous neglect of their salvation. As though
he had said, Since ye are, or rather ought to be, the
sons of so great a man, in whom alone ye make your
boast • how long, at the awful peril of your salvation,
and by the abuse of the long-suffering of God, will ye
show yourselves to be such as ye now are ? How long
will ye so degenerate, as to be the sons of so great^a
man in name only ? And this ye do while ye neither
believe nor hope in God, in whom he believed. Nay, ye
turn this glory of confidence in me into your own con-
fusion and shame, and mine also ; for ye know not, in
the time of adversity, that there is no refuge to flee'unto
but myself. For, as I have said by Isaiah, chap. xlvi.
4, " I have made, and I will bear : even I will carry and
will deliver you." Why does another enjoy my glory,
who cannot fulfil it ? Why is not that glory given unto
me, who alone am able to do all those things, and am
willing to do them, and to whom alone all the"^ glory is
due ? — You see therefore how sweet this expostulation
is, and yet how forcible it is.

And again, this carries with it a powerful weight, —
his asking how it is, that his glory is turned into shame ?
not any glory, but his own proper glory ? At the very
hearing of which, every godly mind ought to tremble.
For it is a horrible thing to hear that the glory of God
is turned into shame, and his praise into blasphemy,
which glory every creature strives to venerate with all
its powers. And he himself makes this of so much
moment that he uses an elliptical mode of expression,
omitting the verb by an aposiopesis, or silence ; saying,
" How long my glory into shame ? " (that is, will ye
change, or turn, &c. :) as Paul saith Rom. i. 23, "And
changed the glory of the uncorruptible God," &c. For
by this aposiopesis, or silence, he intimates that this
crime is so great, that it is too awful to be named, from
the horror of the wickedness implied in it. For, (he

144

would say,) the sin would have been much less if ye had
abused any of the creatures, and turned them into
shame, and had brought the glory of my works into
contempt. But, not only to refuse to give me the glory,
but even to take it from me wilfully, but to turn it into
shame, — this is a wickedness at w hich the very heavens
themselves may tremble, which the ears cannot endure
to hear, and which the tongue fears to utter. Behold,
therefore, with what a power of words our God urges us
to believe in him, that is, unto our salvation.

And now, it w ill be very easy to reconcile the other
translations with my own, though they do not so expres-
sively give the true sense of the passage, — " O ye sons
of men," &c. As if ye would say, ye are indeed the sons
of men, rather than the sons of man whom ye ought to re-
present; but ye savour oixhe flesh of him, and of your
fathers, rather than of ihexY faith. But " how long will ye
be of a heavy heart." How long w ill ye be unbelieving in
heart and rush backw ards under the weight of unbelief,
resting in a trust in created things, and giving unto crea-
tures that glory which ye ought to ascribe unto me ?
(which we have already fully set forth.)

And so also, that rendering of Hieronimus, " O ye
sons of the man, how long will ye shamefully love
vanity, and seek after lying ? " As if he had said, This
is to the shame both of my glory and of yours ; that,
forsaking all trust in me, ye love something else rather
than me, w^ho alone am the truth, &c.

And it is in a beautiful order that David says, first,
that " vanity" is loved; and then, that "lying" is
sought after. For there is first of all the affection of the
mind itself, or the love, or will, or desire ; which, if it
be pei'verse and wicked, immediately begets wicked,
false, and lying opinions. And on these two, the will
and the opinion, turns the whole life of every man, as it
is set forth Psalm i. And hence it is that, contrary to what
Moses teaches, Deut. xii. 8, " Every man doeth that
which seemeth right in his ow^n eyes." And this desire,
this counsel of the wicked, and these vain thoughts of
man, the Holy Spirit in this place strikes at, calling

145

them all lies; and we see the same through the whole
scriptures, as we find it throughout the Psaltry. There-
fore, the love of vanity turns away the atfections ;
which being turned away, the mind is presently infected V
with false opinions : and thus, as it has a wrong love ^
of things, so does it form a wrong judgment of them:
and while the man is walking in his own blinded mind
through malice, he imagines that he is walking in the
truth, in wisdom, and in the light, though he is only
walking in error and his own lies.

Every word in this passage has its peculiar force. —
That is " vanity," (as the preacher has throughout his
book most copiously set it forth) whatever is not God !
And if the salvation which a man seeks after be vain,
how much more shall every thing else be vain ? And
that truly is vanity, when as man, ignorant of the cross
and of grace, seeks salvation and help, not in God, but
in something else : for he can neither find salvation, nor
any other good, in any thing but in God : all things else
are vexation of spirit, and an allurement and tickling
enticement unto consolation, rather than consolation
itself; and an enticement unto salvation and good,
rather than salvation and good in reality.

Again, to have vanity, is not the greatest of evils :
for every man is vanity ; and there is nothing new under
the sun : and though it be an evil, it is bearable. For
there is no one saint that does not hope, trust, desire,
fear, love, and hate, more or less, in a way and manner
that he ought not. But this body of sin and death, these
laws of sin, these vanities, he ought to hate, not to love
them, nor to be pleased with them. To use the comfort
and help of a creature is not a sin nor wrong ; but to
love them and rest in them only, and, from a love of
them, not to trust in God, is a sin of ungodliness.

Again, a lie is a less sin and evil than to seek
lying : for any one may be seduced, and may embrace
vanity instead of truth : but, to seek it, is sin and un-
godliness. For as all men are liars, our seeking is to
be, — not how we may obey, and direct our lives accord-
ing to our own opinions, our own judgment, or, (as they

VOL. III. L

146

say,) the dictates of our own reason, but our great seek-
ing and endeavouring are to be, — how we may be kept
from obeying these, and how we may be led and guided
by the dictates and will of God.

And hence, nothing more pestilential and destructive
can be taught and delivered to a Christian man, than
moral philosophy and the decrees of men ; if they be so
set before him as to make him believe, that he can walk
in and by them so as to please God. For by such a
kind of instruction, it will come to pass, that he, relying
on this wisdom, will judge, condemn, and persecute
whatever he sees to make against him, and will thereby
reject the cross of Christ, and utterly despise the way of
God ; which then is in its best and most prosperous
state, when we are living without our own guidance and
wisdom, and are following, as through a desert and a
Milderness, Christ in a pillar of fire. This is loving, not
vanity, but that which is solid and substantial, and
seeking, not lies, but the truth. But all these things are
better felt by experience in the time of suffering and ad-
versity, than they can possibly be described in words, or
imagined by the heart : for there must, as we have said,
be an experience of these things, to understand the
words of God : these things must not only be spoken of
and known, but be experienced in the life, and felt.
Hence David saith. Psalm cxvi. 11, "I said in the
excess of my feeling, all men are liars." Why does he
call them liars ? Because, being in the extreme of suf-
fering, and living by faith alone in God, and being
stripped of all confidence in created things, in which he
sees all men immersed and overwhelmed, he with cer-
tainty pronounces all their affections and thoughts to be
vain, and all their counsels and pursuits to be lies,
because they are destitute of faith in God : and if they
are without faith in God, then they are without the
Word of God : and if they are without the Word of
God, then they are without the truth. And thus, all
things are vain and lies which are without faith : for
faith is truth, on account of the Word of truth in which
it believes, and to which it cleaves by believing.

t4r1

Thus, then, we have the true sense and meaning of
this verse, — that all are ungodly idolaters and polluters
of the glory of God, who, under any tribulation, draw
back from faith, hope, and love, to a confidence and
comfort in created things, and protect and direct them-
selves by those means.

And, concerning the small word *' Sela" we have
already said enough. It seems to be put here also for the
purpose of denoting a particular feeling of the mind.
And truly it is a matter to be wondered at, above all
things, that the whole human race are so immersed and
implicated in depraved affections and opinions, that
they love vanity and seek after lying: and so awfully
so, that the matter, from the greatness and extent of it,
cannot be sufficiently set before us, and impressed upon
our minds.

Ver. 3. — And know that the Lord hath made his
saint to bewofidered at [o?* a wonder i] the Lord will hear
me when I call unto him.

A most wholesome instruction ! For the reason why
the sons of men dread the cross, which is the way of
truth and of that which is substantial, and rather choose
to follow after vanity and lying, and to trust in created
things, is this; — they are in ignorance of God ; (as the
apostle saith, 1 Cor. xv. " For some have not the know-
ledge of God ; ") they know not, I say, what God is
doing, what he intends, nor what his thoughts are, when
he tries us by tribulations : for they judge like a horse or
a mule, according to that which is before their eyes,
and is seen and felt. And in such cases, nothing appears
to view but shame, want, death, and all those things
which are shown to us in the sufferings of Christ. And
if thou view those things only, and do not acknowledge
the divine will in them, and endure and praise that will,
thou must of necessity be offended at the cross, and flee
to thine own counsel and wisdom ; and thus presently
become an idolater, and give unto the creature that
glory which is due unto God only.

When Christ, John xvi. 3, showed the reason why

L 2

148

the Jews should persecute the apostles, and turn them
out of the synagogue ; he said, " These things will the}
do unto you, because they have not known the Father
nor me." But how was it that they did not know, who
had held such great contentions with Christ about God ?
To know Christ, is to know the cross, and to under-
stand God in the midst of the crucifixion of the flesh :
this is the design of God, this is the will of God, yea,
this is God. And therefore, their hating and persecut-
ing the cross, and the Word of the cross, as being con-
trary to their affections and opinions, which were vanity
and lies, are the cause of their not knowing God, or,
(which is the same thing,) of their not knowing the will
of God.

And so also, when he said, John vi. 53, " Except ye
eat my flesh, and drink my blood, ye have no life in
you :" it was to them " a hard saying;" and many of
his disciples being oflended, from that time forward
walked no more with him. And why was it " a hard
saying?" Because, to eat the flesh of Christ, and to
drink his blood, is to be incorporated into Christ by faith,
and to have fellowship with him in his sufferings. But
this, depraved human affection, and the heart that is
corrupted by perverse opinions, abhor above all things.

And this is what David alludes to, when he says,
Fear not ; nor think that ye are perishing, if your own
affections and senses are destroyed, and if all that ye
suffer seems contrary to your own opinions. But be ye
wise, and know the Lord, and understand his will, and
turn away your eyes that they behold not vanity : for
the Lord is wonderful in his saints. His work upon
them is one thing in appearance, but quite a different
thing in reality. He seems to kill, but in reality makes
alive : he wounds, but in reality heals : he confounds,
but at that very time in reality glorifies : he bringeth
down to the grave, but at that very time rather brings
up from the grave. And all his works are in this
way, concerning which we have said much in that which
precedes.

What then is more wonderful than this divine will ?

149

It dwelleth indeed on high, and yet hath respect unto
low things. It makes men fools, that they may become
Avise : it makes them weak, that they may become strong.
But it is the former of these works that appears and is
felt : the latter thou wilt never arrive at the understand-
ing of, unless thou have faith. Thus Peter saith, that
the prophets foretold, first, of the sufferings of Christ,
and then of the glories that should follow, 1 Epist. i. 11.
Therefore, we stand in need of admonition and exhorta-
tion, that we may be raised up unto the knowing and ac-
knowledging of God in cases of this kind. " Know,
(saith David,) that he hath made his saint to be a won-
der." As though he had said. Why are ye thus tossed
to and fro? Why seek ye comfort and counsel from this
quarter and from that ? Why do ye love this and that
consolation ? Vain are all such things. They are not
only vain, so as not to be able to afford you any help ;
but they are lies also, and miserably deceive you. " Know
ye," and be assured, hear ye and believe, that it is an
immutably fixed decree, that, whoever will be a saint of
God, whoever will obtain his grace, and be acceptable
and well pleasing unto him, must so suflfer, that God
shall be wonderful in him ! And thus wonderful he can-
not be, if the counsel or consolation of yourself, or of
any other creature, can help you. For all such things
as are not above and beyond your own ability and com-
prehension, are not wonderful at all. But when ye shall
be brought to despair in yourselves, and in every other
created thing, and shall commit and commend your
cause to the will of God only : then, behold, your righte-
ousness shall break forth as the light ; and then shall
God bring forth your judgment as the noon-day. Psalm
xxxvii. 6, in a manner and at a time wholly unthought
of either by yourselves or any other creature.

The word " saint" in this passage is, in the Hebrew,
HAsiD ; because, he is properly a saint who has obtained
mercy ; and who, as we term it, is justified by grace.
And we are to receive the expression here as distribu-
tive, and as containing a definite number for an indefi-
nite— " Know ye that the Lord hath made his saint

150

wonderful ; " that is, his saints. Which is the same as
if he had said, Know ye that the Lord wonderfully works
in, and rules the man, whom he justifies and makes a
partaker of grace. And from this learn, that he who
will please God, must (as I before said) know what this
good, and acceptable, and perfect counsel and will of
the Lord, are ? For Paul saith, Rom. xii. 2, that this
" will " never can be proved, imless ye be " transformed
by the renewing of your mind ;" whereby God always
destroys our own affections and our own opinion.

Then follows, " The Lord will hear me," &c. Here
again he teaches the weak both by word and by exam-
ple. For he might have referred this to the saint, whom
he before said was made a wonder ; and have said,
The Lord will hear him when he calls unto him. Or,
he might have made the former part of the verse accord
with the latter, and have said. Know ye that the Lord
hath made me a wonder. But, as I have said, these
sudden changes of the persons, set forth the wonderful
varieties and changes in the feelings and aftections : we
are therefore to consider the person of the prophet ac-
cordingly, and see how concerned he is for the sons of
men in all this variety ; addressing the saints at one time
as in a body collected together, at another as mingled
among sinners, that he might thereby gain all. " The
Lord (saith he) hath made his saint a wonder : " and,
(he would add,) if this will not move you, I tell you that
" the Lord will hear me," who also am one of the saints ;
that is, one of those who have obtained his grace.

And behold the Psalmist's affection and state of
mind here. He persuades the sons of men to endure
the hand of God ; but as that matter is done, and stands,
in faith, he cannot show what nor how it is : for God,
as I said, does not appear. And therefore, he does the
utmost that he can do, and all that lies within his power :
he promises them the help of God. As if he had said,
I can do this, and this is the only thing that I have it in
my power to do for your consolation : I can with confi-
dence promise you that you will be heard. Therefore,
trust with firmness ; love not vanity, nor turn the glory

151

of God into shame ; but wait in expectation, and take
comfort from this my example; for I am most fully
persuaded, that the Lord will hear me, not in this hour
only, but as often as I shall call upon him.

Thus we see the all-godly concern of a spiritual
mind for the brethren. David does not dare to boast of
himself; but on account of the need and necessity of his
brother, he is compelled to bring forth himself as an ex-
ample : as the Apostle Paul also does in many places :
thus, " Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of
Christ," 1 Cor. xi. 1. And again, " We have wronged
no man," 2 Cor. vii. 2. But it was to avoid this boast-
ing as much as possible, as it seems, that David spoke
of the " saint " in the former part of the verse, in the
third person, that he might not, in vain-glory, boast
that he was one with whom the Lord dealt wonderfully ;
and which in the latter part he did omit to speak of; for
to speak of calling upon God, is not any great incite-
ment to boasting, but rather a proof of affliction. The
good Spirit, therefore, teaches us, that, in our being
made wonderful, (that is, in our tribulation,) we should
do nothing else but endure our wonder-maker, the Lord,
and call upon him ; and not flee from sufferings, nor
seek after lies, nor after those things which seem unto
us to be right and good ; for such things are alluring
shadows of all the most destructive.

Verse 4. — Be ye angry, and sin not : which things
ye speak in your hearts : andbejilled with compunction on
your beds.

The Hebrew, according to the authority of Hieroni-
mus, is thus, " Be ye angry, and sin not : speak in
your own hearts upon your beds, and be silent." Whence
it is manifest, that the relative pronoun ' which,' {quce,)
and the conjunction ' and,' (et,) are in our translation
redundant : and the word, ' be ye filled with compunc-
tion ' also, has forced our translators into a sense that
is not agreeable to the original text. Therefore, let us
first consider the Hebrew of the passage.

The prophet had, in the third verse, called back the

152

sons of men from vanity and lies ; that is, from corrupt
affections and false opinions ; and therefore, as they
might then say, What shall we next do ? What shall we
strive after next ? Are we thus to leave all things ? He
answers them in this fourth verse, by telling them, that
they should trust in the Lord, and rest upon his mercy;
and know, that those things which they should suffer
from the injurious, would, under the operation of God,
tend, not to their destruction, but to their salvation ;
(though in a way altogether wonderful.)

And if they complainingly ask again, But who is there
that can avoid being moved and growing angry ? Who is
there that can help murmuring and accusing those who
injure them ? He kindly replies, " Be ye angry," but
not so as to " sin " in being angry. I know that the
motions of anger are not in your own power : but take
heed that ye consent not to them. Thus Paul saith,
Gal. V. 16, " Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not ful-
fil the lust of the flesh." And Rom. vi. 12, " Let not
sin, therefore, reign in your mortal bodies, that ye should
obey it in the lusts thereof." And again, Rom. xiii. 14,
" Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts there-
of." All which scriptures tend to this, — to show us, that
there are evil desires as well of lust as of anger in us,
but that we are to take heed that they reign not ; that
is, that we " obey" them not, as Paul saith. Thus he
complains, Rom. vii. 19, ' That the good that he would
he did not, but the evil which he would not that he did.'
And again, verse 25, ' That with his mind he served
the law of God, but with his flesh the law of sin.' And
how Mas all this ? Because he wished to be free from
evil desires, but could not ; and to have pure desires
only, but could not. As he says again, Gal. v, 17, " For
the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh : and these are contrary the one to the other :
so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

It is manifest, therefore, that the words, " Be ye
angry," in this passage, are not words of command or of
exhortation to anger, as being proper, and as being a some-
thing different from sin ; but words of permission or of

153

concession in the case of anger, though evil, when any in-
jury is received; on account of the inevitable and invin-
cible infirmity of the flesh. Thus Augustine, on this
verse, says, ' " Be ye angry (saith David) and sin not ;"
that is, although the motion of anger should rise in the
mind, which now, on account of the punishment of sin,
is not in our own power ; yet, let not the mind and will,
which are regenerate within according to God, consent
unto it ; that with the mind we may serve the law of God,
though with our flesh we still serve the law of sin,' Thus
speaks Augustine excellently and beautifully. The sense,
therefore, is plain. " Be ye angry, and sin not : " that is,
forasmuch as ye complain that ye cannot help being
moved, being hurt, being angry, being put into a tremor,
(for the Hebrew word bears all these significations,) un-
der so great an evil as an injury received ; Well ! your
heavenly Father knows this your infirmity : Be ye moved
and angry ; only, proceed not so far as to think, say, do,
or allow, any evil against your own soul, and thus sin
against God, yourselves, and your neighbour.

This sense I the more willingly embrace, because the
spirit of Paul (which I desire always to follow) has the
same thing, Ephes. iv. 2, where he saith, " Be ye angry,
and sin not." And that he does not speak of anger here
as proper or good, (which would be making it diflerent
from sin,) is manifest from what follows, " Let not the
sun go down upon your wrath ; " which he certainly says
as considering anger to be evil. And indeed it was this
passage of Paul, that gave me the occasion for expound-
ing this Psalm, as applying to the injuries and com-
plaints of the weak ; who are to be restrained by a
godly exhortation, and by exciting a confidence in God.
And it is to the same end that Paul uses and applies
this verse of the Psalm ; as is manifest to every one.

But here, that question concerning the first motions
(as they term them) will put forth its head ; and will
ask. Where the venial sin ends, and where the mortal
sin begins ? The Apvostle, indeed, gives the setting of the
sun as a limit, when he says, " Let not the sun go down

154

upon your wrath." But this, again, they call into a
question, Whether we are by this to understand the vi-
sible sun, which we see set at a certain hour, or the spi-
ritual sun, Christ, which they think may, as to the human
senses, set in a moment.

For my part, I always avoid mystical acceptations of
the scriptures, where there is no cogent necessity for so
doing, and advise others to do the same, because they are
very perilous. I cannot suffer myself to understand by
Paul's *' sun" any other than the visible; though I do
not condemn that different opinion.

Moreover, I know that there is no temerity more
perilous, than the wishing to make a distinction between
venial and mortal sin, especially in the hour of the com-
motion of the fiesh and of temptation : betw^een those
sins, I say, which are committed by the motions of the
raging mind : for either lust, or indignation, or some
other motion, is wont to prevail in a man, not for one
hour only but sometimes for many hours together : and
in that manner, that he cannot be certain whether he
consents or not. Nay, very often, by God so ordaining
it, the feeling of the motion of the good and pure mind
is so very low and involuntary, and so hidden, that the
maia fears, nay, almost believes, that he has consented.
By which remedy it is, that the divine mercy is wont to
keep all its beloved ones, whom he has adorned with
conspicuous gifts above others in humility, lest, being
puffed up with them, they should be exalted in pride
above others, and perish.

Therefore, the doctrine and rule of the apostle ap-
pears to me most safe and most wise : — that every man
should at least return to himself at night; and, if he
have conceived any anger, should lay it aside before he
goes to sleep, and be reconciled to his brother. For no
other time more proper can be appointed for this pur-
pose, than the setting of the sun, and the end of the day,
when all business and all works and labour, &c. are
finished, and when the mind is now more quiet, and in
a proper state to lay aside this and every other feeling of

155

malice, whether there has been a consenting unto it or
not. For who can understand his errors ? And in every
work we are to fear the all-strict judgment of God.

It now follows, " Commune with your own hearts
upon your beds, and be silent." It is manifest, that
' upon your beds,' ' into your beds,' and ' in your beds/
all signify the same thing: for, in the Hebrew the
words imply motion to a place : which same figure of
speech Christ uses, Matt. vi. 6, '* But thou, when thou
prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut
thy door," &c.

And now, I must follow a most unskilful master, (as
we are accustomed to say,) that is, my own self : for I
have never seen this Hebrew text explained to my
liking by any one : and as far as I can I will follow my
own spirit.

It is the custom of those who suffer injury to burst
out, make a clamour, and fill all ears with complaints :
which is the reason why the apostle, Ephesians iv. 31,
enumerates "clamour" among the efibcts of anger:,
saying, " Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you," &c.
And therefore, the prophet, with a design to prevent the
sons of men from thus breaking out, as he had per-
mitted them to be angry in the first motion of their
mind, and yet not so as to sin ; so now he teaches
them, that they should make no tumult at all, but com-
mune and talk with their own hearts upon their beds.
Thereby expressively showing them, what they should
do to prevent themselves from sinning when moved
with anger : namely, that they should commune with
themselves, and be silent and still : which I do not
understand otherwise than according to that of the
prophet Isaiah, chap. xxx. 15, " In quietness and con-
fidence shall be your strength." For the silence here
spoken of, is not that which is kept by the mouth, but
that patience and rest which are the contraries to
tumult : as it is expressed also Psalm xxxvii. 7, " Be
silent to the Lord, and pray unto him." And Psalm
Ixv. 1, "Praise is silent for thee, O God, in Zion."

156

And again, Isaiah xli. 1, " Keep silence before me,

0 islands : and let the people renew their strength,"

But finally, to be silent, according to the figurative
mode of the scriptural expression, is of the same signifi-
cation as, to lay aside ones iinpetuosity, to mitigate ones
fury, to bridle ones mind : which we Germans in our
vernacular language express, by saying to those whom
we would restrain when angry, * Still, still, halt in ! '
And hence tomb is in the Hebrew expressed by duma,
from this true and real silence : because, there a man
ceases from every thing, and remains wholly in silence.
And therefore, Isaiah had said just before in the same
chapter, ver. 12, 'Ye trust in calumny and tumult:'
for the mind of those who are angry and oflfended, is irri-
tated to calumny and tumult : whereby it presumes that
it shall obtain revenge and prevail. But, restraining this
irritated state of mind, he saith, " In returning and rest
ye shall be saved : " for you will overcome, not by
making a tumult, but by remaining still. And then it
follows, " and in quietness and confidence shall be your
strength : " that is, if ye keep silent, and remain still,
bridle your impetuosity, abstain from tumult, and not
seek revenge, but wait for my hand, and leave all
revenge unto me, and deliver your cause into my hand,
behold then ye shall be strong, and shall overcome : for

1 will fight for you, but ye shall be still.

Thus Moses saith, Exod. xiv. 14, " The Lord shall
fight for you, but ye shall hold your peace." What
mean these words, " Ye shall hold your peace ?" They
mean, ye shall be still : ye shall do nothing in the
matter, but shall act just as if it did not at all concern
you. This being in peace and still, therefore, is nothing
else than exercising a quiet patience : which is a figure
of speech most common in the holy scriptures.

Hence Isaiah, in the above-mentioned place, when
they would not listen to the admonition and exhorta-
tion to keep silence, saith, " But ye said, No ; for we
will flee upon horses, and we will ride upon the swift."
And what is this, but desiring to defend themselves by
tumult, and not to wait to become strong and saved by

157

quietness and confidence. And therefore it follows in
the same passage, " Therefore shall ye flee : and there-
fore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand
shall flee at the rebuke of one : at the rebuke of five
shall ye flee : till ye shall be left as a beacon upon the
top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill." From
these words, then, I think it is quite clear, what it is to
be silent and still, and, what it is to make a tumult.
The one is, to remain in patience and quietness :
the other, to be moved and to put every thing else
in commotion ; and (as we say) to confound heaven
and earth. The former, is the silence w^hich this verse
teaches.

The meaning of the passage is, therefore, " Com-
mune with your own hearts upon your beds : " that is,
(as we should say,) ponder, deliberate, be not precipi-
tate, nor immediately bring forth that which your anger
may suggest. First consult with yourselves, " for the
wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God,"
James i. 20. And, as a heathen writer has also written,
* Let nothing be done or said in anger.' And Gregory
also said, ' It is better to avoid anger by silence, than
to overcome it by reply.' — «

And now, let us look at the words particularly. \
First we have " Commune (or speak) with your own
hearts : " that is. Let them meditate well with them-
selves, and not obey the motions of their anger, which is
precipitant, and which always has its words upon the
tongue and not in the heart : according to that of
Ecclesiasticus, chap. xxi. 9,6, " The heart of fools is in
their mouth : but the mouth of the wise is in their
heart." A beautiful and excellent antithesis, or contra-
riety ! And the same admonition is given in the present
verse, — that we should turn our mouth to our heart,
and not immediately utter forth what the temptation
may suggest. For to have our heart in our mouth,
is, to speak ^imprudently; which is what persons in
a passion generally do. But to have our mouth in our
heart, is, to speak prudently ; which those do who are
still and quiet. And therefore, we may use the same

158

antithesis or contrariety in this place : and say, that, to
speak in our hearts and to think in our mouths (if I may
so say) are contrarieties, or opposites ; the one, being a
mark of wise men ; the other, of fools.

But, that they may the more conveniently commune
with, or speak to, their hearts; he adds, that they
should do this upon their " beds : " that is, that they
should seek a solitude, and avoid all the irritation of a
crowd. For when the body and all external tumults are
reduced to quiet, the mind may be the more easily
stilled, so as to be in a state to commune and meditate
'with itself. But, as avoiding the crowd, and seeking so-
litude, are useful under this temptation, so are they pe-
rilous under many other temptations. — These things have
I spoken according to my own mind, without prejudice
against any other expositor.

And now, in what way shall- I make our received
translation out, so as that it shall accord with the
Hebrew ? We must of necessity understand some other
verb ; as Augustine also says, who disposes our commoji
translation thus, " Which things (or the things which)
ye say in your hearts." Here understand, says Augus-i-
tine, the verb ' say ; ' thus, " The things which ye say,
say in your hearts." And what he thus turns may be
made to accord with my rendering in this way. —
Seeing that, when angry, ye are prompted to say what-
ever comes first upon your tongue; do not precipi-
tately utter abroad what ye wish to say, but speaJc it
in your hearts : that is, speak wisely what ye desire to
speak. For according to this figure of speech, Christ
said to Judas, " What thou doest, do quickly :" that is,
what thou desirest to do, or what thou hast already
proposed to do. So here, the things which ye say : that
is, What ye wish to say, say in your hearts. What, from
your impatience of anger, ye wish to say foolishly, take
care to meditate in your hearts, that ye may speak
prudently.

And lastly, how shall I reconcile this; "And be
filled with compunction on your beds." What concord
can there be between * silence ' and ' compunction ? '

159

In my opinion there may be this concord ; that, by
returning to his heart, the angry man feels a compunc-
tion, and is dissatisfied with himself that he has been
thus moved to anger; and therefore, by the fore-
mentioned silence, he comes by the shortest way to the
force of compunction. Hence, while he communes or
talks with his heart (especially when on his bed, or sitting
alone,) he sees how foolish his commotion and impatience
of anger were, which, if he had followed up, he would
have basely fallen. And thus, being changed by his com-
punction, he refrains from the tumult to which he was
moved, and now remains still and in silence, the flame
of revenge being not a little extinguished, — He that can
give a better exposition of the passage, let him commu-
nicate it without envy. This is the best that I can
produce.

I have already sufficiently shown what " Sela " at
the end of this verse signifies. — It is a signal gift of
grace for that man, who has been provoked to anger and
impatience by injury and the like temptation, to exercise
the feelings here required, to refrain his tongue, and to
withdraw himself aside into secret, and remain silent.
For it is to this end that Paul (as I said) handles this
Psalm, Ephes. iv. where he says at the end, ver. 32,
" And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake
hath forgiven you."

Ver. 5. — Sacrifice the sacrifice of righteousness, and
hope ill the Lord.

An admirable doctrine this ! And what is this sacri-
fice ? Who can ofier unto God righteousness, when we
ought rather to ask of God for all our sacrifices } David
here distinguishes, in a few words, the sacrifice of righte-
ousness, from all the sacrifices of cattle and of all other
things. For these two sacrifices are directly opposed to
each other. The sacrifice of righteousness makes men
righteous : the sacrifice of things makes them sinners.
In the latter, we seem to give something unto God, and
to work a righteousness : in the former, we only express

160

our desire to receive of God, and to confess our sins.
Hence it comes to pass, that the sacrifice of things,
while it puffs us up with self-righteousness and works,
renders us impatient of injuries, making us appear to
ourselves to be persons of much and great merit; and it
inflames us the more unto revenge, because we then, as
it were, stand up in defence of our own righteousness.
The sacrifice of righteousness, therefore, is to justify
and praise God, and to confess ourselves sinners and
worthy of all those things which we suffer ; and causes
us to exclaim with Psalm cxix. 137, " Righteous art
thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments." As it is
described also by a most beautiful example, Daniel iii.
[Song of the Three Children, chap. i. 45, Apocrypha,
continuation of Daniel iii.] " Wherefore, all that thou
hast brought upon us, and every thing that thou hast
brought upon us, and every thing that thou hast done
unto us, thou hast done in true judgment: and thou
didst deliver us into the hands of lawless enemies."
And again immediately following, verses 16, 17, " Ne-
vertheless, in a contrite heart and humble spirit let us
be accepted. Like as the burnt-offerings of rams and
bullocks, and like as in ten thousands of fat lambs ; so
let our sacrifice be in thy sight this day, and grant that
we may wholly go after thee : for they shall not be con-
founded that put their trust in thee." And Baruch i. 15
teacheth the Babylonian captives the same thing, " And
ye shall say, To the Lord our God belongeth righteous-
ness, but unto us the confusion of faces; as it is come
to pass this day unto them of Judah, and to the in-
habitants of Jerusalem."

But this sacrifice must be offered out of a true
heart and mouth, and with a true work : out of a heart
truly acknowledging its sin, out of a mouth confessing
unfeignedly, and with a work that willingly beareth the
punishments which are inflicted. For there are many
who say with their mouths that they are sinners, but do
not feel the same in their hearts, and evince it in their
works. Which they manifestly show, by their being un-
willing to be called and accounted sinners by others, and

161

to suffer injuries. But, if thou art a sinner, why dost
thou flee from the punishments ? And if thou dost not
appear to thyself to deserve the name of sinner, why
dost thou call thyself one ? — The glory of the righteous
is, that they have " honour and peace " laid up for
them : but the things that are laid to sinners are " tribu-
lation and anguish," Rom. ii. 9, 10.

Those, therefore, who ascribe unto God righteous-
ness, and unto themselves sin, with a true heart, — these
are they who sacrifice those two sacrifices of righteous-
ness commended in the scriptures. The one of which
may be called the morning sacrifice : concerning which
Ps. 1.23, saith, "The sacrifice of praise will honour me:
and that is the path wherein I will show him the salva- '
tion of God." The other is the evening sacrifice : con-
cerning which Psalm li. 17, saith, "The sacrifices of
God are a broken spirit : a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou wilt not despise." And perhaps this is
what the verse before us signifies ; which, in the Hebrew,
has 'sacrifices' in the plural number; "Sacrifice the
sacrifices of rij^hteousness : " so that it includes both
sacrifices.

In every temptation, and under every injury, there-
fore, we are not to arroo;ate riiihteousness to ourselves
and hold it fast,but to take it utterly from ourselves, and
ascribe it unto God : and they that do not this, are im-
mersed in self-excuses, accusations of their adversaries,
self-justifications, and all kinds of judgings, detractings,
strivings, quarrellings, contendings, brawlings, and those
other works of the flesh which the apostle enumerates.
Gal. V. And it comes to pass, that, by mutual bitings,
such are consumed, not only in spirit, all love being lost,
but not unfrequently in body also, by mutual slaughters
and by possessions spent in litigations.

But you will say, perhaps. If Christians used always
these sacrifices of righteousness, what would become of
ordinances and laws ? But, we are for this end taught
these sacrifices, that we might have no need of ordi-
nances and laws. — Thus, the King of Babylon acted
lawlessly in leading the children of Israel captive, as the

VOL. III. M

162

Three Children say, chap. i. 9, " Thou hast delivered
us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful for-
sakers of God, and to an unjust king, and the most
wicked in all the world." And yet King Zedekiah, and
those who were left in Jerusalem, by resisting right-
eousness and expostulating with God, offended him
much mOre. Whereas, those who, laying aside all
boasting in their own righteousness, committed them-
selves unto God, greatly pleased him. So that, the
latter were preserved, honoured, and multiplied in
Babylon in the midst of enemies ; while the former at
Jerusalem, in the midst of friends, perished, were con-
founded, and decreased. Because, the latter of the cap-
tivity sacrificed the sacrifices of righteousness without
cattle or any such things : but the former offered the
sacrifices of cattle and of created things, without right-
eousness, because they wished to be righteous in them-
selves, and did not acknowledge their sins : whereas,
those of the captivity did acknowledge their sins, and
ascribed righteousness unto God.

From this, therefore, we understand, that all that
chaos and dark abyss of forensic causes and Roman
arts, together with the whole mass of books, waxen
tables, morals, uses, ordinances, and all such judicial
righteousnesses, are matters totally foreign to a Christian
man; and have nothing to do with that holy life of the
church which is in sincerity ; and are only tolerated for
the safety of the weak, that they may not do worse
things in their desire of revenging themselves, and may
not be overcome by the power of impatience. But at the
present day, Rome and the episcopal senate, so wholly
devote themselves to this judicial righteousness, that
they not only imagine that righteousness rules there,
but, for the sake of increasing this kind of righteousness,
they even procure strife by strife ; yea, they call to
themselves the quarrels and contentions out of every
corner of the whole world ; so that there never was a
senate-house of any Emperor, either gentile or profane,
filled with such a confusion of affairs and causes ; and
those the most profane ; and yet, (which may perhaps

163

excite a wonder) the whole is about sacred and divine
things most basely bought, redeemed, sold, re-sold,
taken by force, and squandered away. Those lawyers
call the Roman senate, at this day, the fountain of justice
and righteousness ; whereas, it ought more properly to
be called a deluge of iniquity : for it is from thence that
the destruction and the oblivion of those sacrifices of
righteousness and of the knowledge of Christ proceed,
which have spread themselves with such force and vio-
lence throughout the whole world. In a word, Rome,
at this day, far more nearly resembles the kingdom of
hell than the kingdom of heaven.

But perhaps some will say. Be it so, that we give up
all righteousness and confess that we are sinners, and
condemn ourselves to all the desert of sinners : What
then ? Are we to perish and die in our sins ? Does not
God hate sinners ? Into what peril dost thou draw us by
this thy doctrine? — David answers you thus : Be of
good cheer : only hope in God. For thus the compa-
nions of Daniel did, chap. iii. (Three Children, chap.
i. 6, Apocrypha,) " For we have sinned, and committed
iniquity." But afterwards, being raised up to hope, they
say, ver. 17, " For they shall not be confounded that
put their trust in thee." This is what T before spoke upon
from Isaiah xxx. 15, " In quietness and confidence
shall be your strength." That is, We are not to avenge
ourselves as if we were ricfhteous, but are to suffer in
silence without tumult ; confessing our sins, committing
our cause into the hand of God, and expecting his
mercy with a believing confidence. For he that shall
come will come, and will execute judgment in favour of
them that suffer injury, and will avenge the poor: and
thus, God will make his strength perfect in our weak-
ness. For, if our confidence in our own righteousness be
not taken away, and if we do not confess ourselves
sinners and worthy of any and every evil, salvation and
hope can have no place in us ; for God will only have
respect unto the humble.

M 2

164

Ver. 6. — There be many that sai/, Who will show us
any good? Lord, the light of thy countenance is sealed
upon us.

This verse is with us divided : the former part of it
being joined to the former verse, and the latter part to
the latter verse. The Hebrew, accordina; to the transla-
tion of Hieronimus, is thus, " There be many that say,
Who will show us any good ? Lord, lift thou up the light
of thy countenance upon us." But I think the verse
should be rendered and punctuated thus, " There be
many that say, Who will show unto us any good sign
upon us? Lord, the Hght of thy countenance."

David, however, turns his words unto God, in a way
of complaint, (but with admirable reverence and mo-
desty,) lamenting on account of the unbelieving, and
those that will not be persuaded : such as were the stiff-
necked Jews more especially, because they could not
believe those who rightly advised them, unless, as
Christ says, they should see signs and wonders. Thus the
apostle saith, 1 Cor. i. 22, " For the Jews require a
sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom." Hence it
comes to pass, that they are always offended at the
Word of the cross and the doctrine of faith. And this
is what David here says : that when he had advised
them to cast away all their own righteousness, and to
hope in God, and expect all good from him, he
offended those who would not believe him, and who
would not be prevailed upon to hope, unless they saw
some good sign, by which they may be assured concern-
ing the future good which they were commanded to hope
for. " Who (say they) will show us any good sign upon
us." Who will assure us that these good things will
come unto us ? By what sign is it manifest that we shall
receive those things? As if they had said, All things ap-
pear quite the contrary : and the worst signs of things
seem to be upon us on all sides. Men of this kind are
every where numerous, who tempt the Lord with this
unbelief, like the children of Israel in the wilderness.
And from this same source you may trace a whole

165

sea of superstitions and of the most foolish desires even
among Christians, if the wind does not blow just so as
to please them, if their crops seem to be in danger,
even if their leg pains them, or if they are visited, or
fear they shall be visited, M-ith any temporal inconve-
nience or loss. For in all these cases, how anxious are
we to know, by means of some good sign, that these
things will not come upon us, or, that we shall be deli-
vered from them if they should come. We run here and
there to magicians, to diviners, yea, to devils also : and
the devices and ways are innumerable, by which we
endeavour to avoid this one thing, — hoping in God : or
at least, that we might not be compelled to hope in him
without some good and certain sign. — The miser hopes
in God, but it is only whilst his purse keeps filling, and
his barn continues to be stored with corn : the strong
man hopes in him also, but it is only as long as his
strength is sound : the powerful and ambitious man
hopes in him, but it is only as long as the authority of
his name and his power prevail : because, by these good
signs, they seem to themselves to be sure that they
have God propitious unto them : but if any one of
these things should fail, their hope fails with it, unless
some other or greater sign show itself forth to their
support.

And so it is also in spiritual things, in the remission
of sins, and the peace of the conscience : wherein, not
a few prepare to themselves a security, not by faith, nor
by hope, but by a confidence in their own works, or by
what others think of them. And indeed, in every temp-
tation, these seek to themselves a good sign as a some-
thing whereon to rest their hope ; without which, they
will not hope at all ; and therefore, they do not hope in
God, because they do not hope purely ; for, " hope that
is seen, is not hope," Rom. viii. 24.

The Psalmist might have spoken of all these, men-
tioning them by their names ; such as tempters of God,
unbelieving, sons of distrust, infidels, and stiff-necked
rebels. But, not mentioning their names, he sets forth
their work only, and that in the most simple and modest

166

words, " There be many, (saith he,) that say, Who
will show us any good ; " leaving the judgment on their
work unto God, and to those with whom it ought to be
left: because, with a godly affection, he rather pities
them, and grieves for their state, than bitterly accuses
them.

Hence, David condemns the error of such ; and
shows that there is not that good sign upon us to be
looked for which they seek after ; and that God is not
propitious unto those on whom he abundantly bestows
such things. Nay, because such things are the worst and
most fallacious signs, he brings forward a much better
and more sure sign : namely this, " The light of thy coun-
tenance, O Lord." As if he had said. To know no sign,
but to rest in God by laith and hope only, is the best
sign. ' For whosoever trusteth in him shall not be con-
founded : ' as it is said Daniel iii. (Three Children,
chap. i. 17, Apocrypha.) They are fully satisfied con-
cerning all good things, who, without any sign .whatever,
firmly believe in God : without v.hich faith, no works,
no signs, no miracles, can make a man certain.

And, faith is most rightly called ' the light of God's
countenance,' because it is the illumination of our mind
inspired from on high, and a certain ray of the divinity
conveyed into our heart ; by which, every one is saved
and directed, who is saved. As it is described Psalm
xxxii. 8, " I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way
which thou shalt go : I will guide thee with mine eye."
And Psalm xliv. 3, " For they got not the land in pos-
session by their own sword, neither did their own arm
save them : but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the
light of thy countenance." And again, Psalm Ixxxix. 15,
" They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy counte-
nance." And hence it is that David exults. Psalm
xxvii. 1, " The Lord is my light and my salvation."

This was prefigured in the " pillar of fire," and in
the " cloud," by which the children of Israel were
ruled and led through the desert. For, just in the same
way, it is by faith alone that we are led through ways
that we know not. and in paths wherein there is no help

167

of man to be found ; that is, through sufferings and tribu-
lations. And as, in the former case, the pillar of fire
was with them, and went before their face : so here,
faith has God present. So that the illumination of the
heart proceeds, as it were, from the countenance of the
present God : and hence, it is most rightly and properly
called, the light of the countenance of God : (that is, an
acknowledgment of, and confidence in, a present God.)
For he that does not know, and does not feel, that God
is present with him, does not yet believe, and has not
yet the light of God's countenance.

It matters not, therefore, whether the light of the
countenance of God be understood actively, as that by
which, being present with us, he illuminates us, by
lighting up faith in us : or passively, as signifying the
light of the faith itself, by which we believe with confi-
dence, and feel his countenance and presence. For, in
the Holy Scriptures, face, or countenance, signifies pre-
sence ; as is well known. And therefore, an illuminat-
ing God, and an illuminated heart, are one and the
same thing: as are also, God seen by us, and God
present. — This is the meaning of the name Israel, by
which Jacob was called when he had seen the Lord
face to face. For by his face he saw the face of God :
that is, God was made present with him by faith, be-
ing, as it were, brought before his face : and he, on
the other hand, beheld God present with him, and
ready to help him, and, as it were, brought before his
face. And hence it is also that Israel is said to be
" led" of God: that is, he was one that was ruled of
God alone, or led by him in a right way. And this is
done by means of faith : and therefore, Israel is the same
as faithful, or believer: except that, Israel sets forth
the power and measure of faith with wonderful pro-
priety.— Therefore, " Blessed is the man (as David saith,
Psalm xciv. 12,) whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and
teachest him out of thy law." For by Jeremiah xviii. 17,
he threatens the Je^vs * that he will show them the back
and not the face :'" that is, that he will leave them in
unbelief and ignorance of God.

168

We see, therefore, what a good sign upon us is : or,
we see who will show us good : namely, faith. Faith, I
say, because it is the light which shows us the presence
and the countenance itself of God : that is, it shows us
all good, even God himself, while it brings him before
our face, and works in us a confidence in him. Thus no
man can of himself teach another these things.

And now it will be easy to make the other interpre-
tations harmonize m ith this.

The common reading is very near to this sense, —
" O Lord, the light of thy countenance is sealed upon
us." The characters of whom we first spoke seek after
a God that will show them some good : desiring rather
to see those things visibly before them, than to believe
that they shall have them. But, the believing characters
of whom I spoke last, do not desire that this sign
should be shown them, but glory, that the light of the
countenance of God (that is, the knoviledge of, and con-
fidence in, a present God, as I before said,) is sealed
and impressed upon them ; as we may plainly under-
stand from the words of the verse.

And with respect to the rendering of Hieronimus,
" There be many that say, Who will show us any good :
Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon
us : " this is the same sense, only given in the form of a
petition. For God does lift up the light of his counte-
nance upon us, when he lifts us up by that light. For
faith is a light above all our faculties and powers. And
hence, this lifting up, is nothing else than pouring out
upon us that light of faith, which is in itself most high,
whereby we are lifted up. And hence also it may be
said to be 'fixed' or " sealed :" because it is enclosed and
incomprehensible to us, and yet comprehending us and
leading us captive into an obedience unto it.

Hence it is certain, that this verse cannot be under-
stood concerning natural reason as being the great direc-
tor ; according to the opinion of many, who say, ' that
the first principles of morals spring from themselves ; '
for all such things are speculative and false. Faith is
the first principle of all good works : and this is so

1^9

hidden and unknown, that all reason utterly shrinks
from it. Reason, when at the sum mi ^ of its power and
perfection, can only say, *' Who w'ill show us any
good?" For we find that " many" say this : that is,
all who are led and guided by reason.

Ver. 7. — Thou hast put gladtiess in my heart. They
are multiplied by the fruit of their corn, and wine,
and oil.

The former part of this verse is, with us, joined to
the verse preceding ; which, with the one that follows it,
makes, in the Hebrew, one verse ; and which Hieroni-
mus has rendered thus, " Thou hast put gladness in my
heart, from the time that their corn, and wine, and oil
increased."

According to my judgment, this verse draws the
line of distinction between the believing and the unbe-
lieving : — that the God of the one is the true God, but
the God of the other their belly. For faith in God, or
the light of the countenance of God, gladdens the heart,
and diffuses throughout the inward man a solid and
true joy, while it produces a peace on account of sins
forgiven, and gives the man a sure confidence in God
even in the midst of sufferings : for there can be no
joy, no peace, but in a pure conscience. Hence Paul,
Gal. V. 22, enumerates "joy" among the fruits of the
Spirit. And David says above, ver. 1, " Thou hast en-
larged me when I was in distress." And hence it comes
to pass, that as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so
does the consolation of Christ abound in us also,
through that faith whereby we rest in him : as Paul
saitb, 2 Cor. i. 34, " Blessed be God, even the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and
the God of all comfort ; who comforteth us in all our tri-
bulation." For who can but rejoice, and even exult over
all the evils of the world, and of hell itself, saying, with
Paul, Rom. viii. 31, "If God be for us, who can be
against us?" if he believe that God is with him and for
him ? But, when will he ever believe firmly that God is
for him, unless, from being })roved by various tempta-

170

tions, and having had his faith exercised, he has thereby
learnt that God is for him ?

It cannot be, therefore, but that the man must re-
joice with his whole heart, who has the light of the coun-
tenance of God. For such an one, because he is
righteous, has peace : and because he has peace, he re-
joices: and because he rejoices, he fears no one, and ex-
ultingly triumphs over all things, even over death and
hell, being certain that he has the approving presence of
his God. And hence, after " O Lord, the light of thy
countenance," it follows, " Thou hast put gladness in
my heart." As we have it also Psalm Ixviii. 3, " But
let the righteous be glad : let them rejoice before God :
yea let them exceedingly rejoice."

But what shall we say, in the opposite, concerning
the unbelieving ? Have they ever any joy and gladness
of heart? No ! For there is no peace to the wicked, nor
any joy to the ungodly, as Isaiah saith, chap, xlviii. 22.
Because Paul saith, 2 Cor. i. 7, " As ye have been par-
takers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the conso-
lation." But these never have been partakers of the suf-
ferings, and therefore, shall not be partakers of the
consolation. And it is said also, Proverbs xiv. 10, " The
heart that hath known the bitterness of its soul, a
stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy." But what
joy have these ? Why, they have that w hich they sought
after : " So I gave them up unto their own heart's
lust," saith the Lord, Ps. Ixxxi. 12. And Ps. Ixxviii. we
read, that God satisfied their desires when they tempted
him by asking food for their lusts, and rained down
flesh upon them as dust : where it follows, verse 30, 31,
" But while their meat was yet in their mouths, the
wrath of God came upon them : " which the Apostle
also repeats, Ephes. v. 6, caUing such ' the children of
disobedience, upon whom the wrath of God cometh.'

God giveth unto these, instead of rejoicing of heart,
the stinking gratifications of the belly : because they
only ask, " Who will show us any good." Savouring of
nothing but present and sensual things, and not having
the light of the countenance of God. And therefore it

171

is, that David here saith, * that their corn, and wine,
and oil are increased,' as they wished : thus describing
their misery, in mild words, and leaving us to judge how
great that misery must be, by contrasting it with the
joy which he felt, and with his enjoyments which were
all directly contrary. For what good has that man
who has not God ? What joy can he have whose heart
does not rejoice in God ? What delight can he know
whose conscience is ever in a state of alarm ? for such
an one always feels that God is against him.

These words of David, therefore, display a most
striking humility of mind in him, and yet contain a
most powerful comparison. — The righteous have a re-
joicing of heart in God. But what have the unbelieving?
An abundance, says he, of temporal things and nothing
more, O miserable pittance! O worthless inheritance,
and just the desert of the unbelieving! For what else is
fit for swine but deceiving and empty husks, the refuse
and outside coverings of what is really good ! Thus, they
have the good which they wished to be shown unto
them. They have that good, for the sake of which, they
are w illing to be without the li^bt of the countenance of
God. They have those rewards given unto them which
were given unto the sons of the concubines of Abraham,
but tliey are separated from the true heir, Isaac, to
whom the whole inheritance is o-iven. And as the two
are separated and distinct in desert, so are they in fruit
and reward. The unbelieving wanted visible good things,
and they have them: the beHeving desired invisible
good things, and they have them in the joy of their
heart. And thus, as he had shown in the preceding
verse what the workmen were, so now, in the present
verse, he shows what fruits followed their works; how
different they are from, yea, how contrary to each other.
You may here see, therefore, in what sovereign con-
tempt he held all the pomp and all the possessions of
this world, from the comparison which he draws between
them and the good things which he enjoyed; and Irom
his showing that such are the things which are given to
unbelievers.

17^

Ver. 8, 9. — I will together lie me domn in peace to
sleep, and take my rest. For thou, O Lord, hast sin-
gularly established me in hope.

These two verses are, in the Hebrew, only one : and
Hieronimus has translated them thus, " In peace to-
gether will I lay me down to rest, and sleep ; because
thou, O Lord, hast made me in an especial manner to
dwell in safety."

The two expressions, " I will lay me down to sleep,"
and " I will rest," have been abundantly discoursed on
in the preceding Psalm : where we have shown, that by
them is signified natural death and burial. Though I
know that Augustine interprets them, figuratively, in a
different way, as signifying the oblivion of temporal
things: yet he himself confesses, that such an oblivion
cannot be attained unto in this life.

The words ' in id ipsmn ' in our translation have the
same signification as the adverb ,yiw7i/, 'together;' and
it implies concord and unity: as in Psalm cxxxiii. 1,
" Behold how good, and how pleasant it is, for brethren
to dwell in one (in unin?i,)" that is, ' together in unity.' —
The sense therefore, is, Being, O Lord, satisfied and
assured, from the light of thy countenance, that thou
art with me and for me, I am full of joy. I shall there-
fore die in peace, and willingly leave this life : because,
(as in Psalm xxiii. 4,) " Though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou
art with me."

Hence, according to my judgment, ' laying one down
to rest together,' and ' sleeping together,' are of the same
signification as we now use those terms; and they con-
vey that meaning, that would be conveyed by the Latin
words condoriJiire, and correquiescere : and I think,
that by those expressions, David declares his persuasion
that he should sleep Math his fathers. For the same
expressions are frequently made use of in the books of
Kings, " He slept with his fathers." 1 Kings ii. 10.
And again, in the Books of Moses, " I am to be ga-
thered to my people," Gen. xlix. 29. And again to

173

Moses, '^ Thou also shalt be p;atherecl to thy people,"
Num. xxvii. 13. " And Aaron shall go to his people,"
Num. XX. 24. And many more of the same kind.

Faith, tlierefore, after it has been exercised by various
sufferings and temptations, produces this in us,— that
we- look upon death as a sleep in peace; which, to the
unbelieving, is a terrible and intolerable vexation. For
what else do you imagine David intends by this his
great glorying in death, and commendation of it, than,
that he may not only give an example in himself of the
way in which we may come to a sweet and quiet death,
but that he may leave it also to every one to judge, how
terrible the death of the unbelieving must be, and how
full of perturbation, dread, and horror: in which latter
death, there is no lying down to rest and sleeping,
but, according to the Psalm, " Evil shall overtake the
wicked man in his death," Ps. cxl. 11. Again, ' Thq
death of the wicked is terrible.' And again, " Bloody
and deceitful men shall not live out half their days,"
Ps. Iv. 23. " When they shall say. Peace and safety,
then sudden destruction cometh upon them," 1 Thess. v. 3.
Therefore, he terrifies them in the most mild and
quiet way by showing them their awful death, while he
commends his own death which would be most happy:
because, he rather chooses to move them in a sweet way
by his own example, than to urge them to the life of the
cross and of i"aith : to effect which, he sets before their
eyes that glorious death, which is the fruit of such
a life.

For thou, O Lord, hast singularly established rne
in hope.

This is taken out of Deut. xxxiii, and it is frequently
repeated throughout the scriptures: let us therefore
come to the fountain-head of it. — -Moses saith, Deut.
xxxiii. 12, "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in
safety." And verse 28, " Israel shall dwell in safety
and alone."

David, therefore, concludes his psalm with this
general and authentic truth: and thereby excellently

174

shows, in opposition to the carnal opinion of the Jews,
what Moses really meant by those words, and also
applies them to his own purpose. For, as Moses said,
that Israel should dwell in safety and alone; and, as
Israel is most beautifully set forth in this Psalm; (for,
he is represented as seeing, like Jacob, God face to face,
and as having the light of his countenance, that is, believing
in God;) therefore, David rightly saith, that the promise
and all the full salvation given to Israel belong to him,
and that he is made to " dwell in safety and alone."
And Jacob also declares that he had the same con-
fidence, when he says, " My soul is preserved," (or
saved) Gen. xxxii. 30. And what else was this, but his
dwelling in safety in a singular manner, being satisfied
concerning the salvation of his soul? For his soul was
safe, but only in hope and secure confidence. This
security and all-certain hope of salvation, therefore, is
that very spiritual safety, and spiritual dwelling alone;
that is, a dwelling in God himself; which is the salvation
of the soul.

Tlie prophet, therefore, fears not death, but says
with confidence, that he shall sleep in peace with his
fathers : because, he is satisfied and fully assured of his
salvation. — And here we trace David's reading and
meditation in the writings of Moses; in which he exer-
cised himself, and from w^hence he drew this spiritual
understanding; having been taught it, and established
it, by various temptations.

But what is this ' dwelling alone,' or ' being esta-
blished singularly?' for to dwell in hope, or confidently,
seems to be plainly understood. — According to my bold
way of thinking, it seems to me to be the same as
dwelling at liberty and in security : so that, solitude is a
state of liberty: according to Psalm Ixxxviii. 4, 5, "I
am as a man that hath no help: Free among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave:" this is, alone and
secure. And more to the point is that of Judges xviii. 7.
' And they saw the people that were therein, how they
dwelt without fear, no one resisting them, and being of
great wealth and far from the Zidonians, and having no

175

business with any men.' Here it is manifest, that their
solitude was their security, for they had shunned and
separated themselves from all men, to this end, that they
might live in security; in M'hich manner they could not
have lived, if they had mingled themselves among men.
And so also now, they who wish to live securely and
quietly, seek a sequestered and solitary place: from
which desire it is that monks, (that is, solitary ones)
have their rise : who, in order to dwell in security, and
to avoid those dangers of the world that are among
men, seek places of solitude? Therefore, 'singularly'
and ' securely' mean the same thing: excepting that,
* singularly' expresses the peculiar nature of security,
that is, a being removed to a solitary place out of the
way of dangers. But if all these things be not done in
the spirit, they will only make men monks and hypo-
crites, who only avoid external dangers.

David, however, is here speaking of spiritual security:
which is so great, that a man may be safe in the midst
of the perils of the world, of death, and of hell, and yet
be filled with no more fear than if he were dwelling
alone: and indeed, such an one is the more alone in the
more perils and evils he is involved. This is the
powerful grace of faith, and the effect of a good con-
science toward God.

And now, see whether Hieronimus did not truly feel
out this security in the verse before us, when he trans-
late it, " Because thou, O Lord, hast made me in an
especial manner to dwell in safety."

But, to sum up the whole, ' to dwell singularly in
hope,' is for a man to be satisfied and confidently secure
concerning his salvation in and by the mercy of God.
In the enjoyment of which experience, he may wait for
death as that which will be to him a most grateful sleep.
These things, I say, does faith, exercised and tried by
sufferings, produce: these are the "peaceable fruits"
(as Paul saith to the Hebrews) which it yields.

Wherefore, those doctors of theology (as they are
called) are to be utterly detested and condemned, who
teach us to remain in doubt and uncertainty about whe-

176

ther we are in the grace and favour of God or not; and
so, whether God be our God, and we his people or
not. And, to establish this their doctrine, they invent
their distinctions and force them upon us: saying, that
the sacraments and ordinances, do work in us a certain
effect of grace, as to the authority and power of God;
but that, with respect to the person receiving, they work
doubt; and they say that this doubting is a godly feeling.
O pestilent fellows ! For if this be true, and every
Christian ought in this godly manner, (as they call it,)
to doubt, then, that article of the Creed, ' I believe in
the Holy Church, and, in the communion of saints,'
falls to the ground: because, (according to them,) I
ought not to assert that I am a saint, nor art thou to
make such an assertion, nor any other Christian : and
therefore, we are all to remain in doubt: and hence, as a
consequence, we are to remain in doubt whether we have
God for us or not, and whether or not the whole Church
will perish.

But away with all such most absurd and most im-
pious heresies ! Let every one take heed, that he be not
by any means in doubt whether or not God be for him :
that is, whether or not he has God for his Father, his
Saviour, and the giver of all good things; that he may
dwell securely alone and in hope, and that he may not
be in a continual state of fluctuating uncertainty " like
the troubled sea;" which Isaiah saith is the state of the
wicked, chap. Ivii. 21. For if thou believest concerning
the saints, that they are safely secure and confident; why
shouldest thou not believe the same concerning thyself,
if thou desirestto be like them, and if thou hast received
the same baptism, the same faith, the same Christ, and
the same all things?

Nay, thou pestilent teacher, thou most impiously
behevest one thing concerning the saints, and another
concerning thyself; if thou impiously teachest them to
doubt as thou thyself doubtest. For thou art either
wicked in teaching that doubting in a godly feeling; or
else thou art wicked in believing that to be sure and
certain which thou commandest us to doubt; (for faith

177

cannot rest upon that which is known to be uncertain.)
Indeed, I never could have believed, that these impious
fables and these most pestilent opinions had ever crept
into the Church of Christ, even secretly, had I not both
read and heard those, who were considered to be great
theologians, assert these things, as being most sure
articles of faith, and establish and defend them, and
consider the contrary catholic doctrine, to be heretical.
So great are the darkness and blindness of the heads of
the church, and so great is the wrath of God upon us! —
But more of this elsewhere, and addressed to others.

PSALM V.

TO viCTORy: for the inheritances: a psalm

OF DAVID.

What is meant by * to victory ' has been set forth in
the preceding Psalm, once for all. •

Concerning these "inheritances," I read a great
deal : but I read nothing that satisfies my dull compre-
hension. As to what Lyra and his followers understand
here, I can neither understand nor receive. — I will say
what I think upon the subject.

It is certain that this Psalm does not treat of suf-
ferings and tribulations: for the person that harps does
not say one word about them. The whole Psalm is a
complaint concerning the ungodly, the unjust, and the
wicked. The scope of the Psalm therefore, according
to my judgment, is this ; — the prophet is praying against
hypocrites, deceitful workers, and false prophets, who
seduce and deceive the people of God and the heritage
of Christ, by their human traditions; whom Christ calls,
Matt. vii. "ravening wolves;" and the Apostle, Titus
i. 10, "vain talkers and deceivers."

And, (that we may come to our own times,) as in
the preceding Psalm, David inveighed against a mere

VOL. III. N

178

profession and abuse of justice; so, in this Psalm, he
attacks the same profession and abuse of Theology.
And because that is the most destructive of all persecu-
tions which rages under the cover of truth and godliness ;
(for such always professes the name of God ;) and be-
cause it is that, which the most of all destroys the
heritages of God; therefore it is, that the Psalmist is
under such powerful feehngs, prays with so many dif-
ferent petitions, accuses the ungodly with so many
names, and so wholly burns with zeal, that he can say
of himself what he said Psalm Ixix. 9, " The zeal of
thine house hath eaten me up." And so also, neither
did Christ himself, nor Peter, nor Paul, burn with zeal,
nor show their indignation against any thing so much as
against these heady mind-deceivers, and these workers
for reward: against whom also all the prophets set
themselves. — We shall therefore find, that this Psalm is
directed against all false prophets, hypocrites, heretics,
superstitious ones, and the whole generation of those
who devour the people of God by an adulteration of his
Word, and by a false show of works.

Rightly, therefore, is the title ' for the inheritances,'
or, ' to the inheritances,' given to this Psalm : because,
its design is to preserve the people of God in safety for
their rightful Lord. For the people of God are the Lord's
heritage: as we have it Psalm xxxiii. 12, "Blessed
is the nation whose God is the Lord ; and the people
whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance:" and
Psalm xlvii. 4, " He hath chosen our inheritance for us,
the excellency of Jacob whom he loved." And that is
the same also, which we have Psalm ii. 8, " I shall
give thee the heathen for thine inheritance." And we
have the same in many other places also.

But it is said 'inheritances,' in the plural number:
whereas, the inheritance of Christ is but one. This is,
because it must of necessity be, that the one inheritance
of Christ must be divided into many parts and places,
on account of the great multitude, which no one pastor
could rule and teach. And therefore, as there must be
many pastors and stewards in the one inheritance of

179

God; so there must be many inheritances which are
intrusted to them ; whence it comes to pass, that many
deceivers and scatterers of the same, will rise up in
different places.

And this also shows the great feeling concern of the
Psalmist, — his calling the people of God an inheritance
rather than, a church, a people, or an assembly : because
he thereby excites greater envy in the scatterers of it, and
produces a more gracious feeling in himself and other
pastors like him. For if an inheritance is that which
every one loves, and is most zealously anxious about,
how much more so must it be with God. Hsnce he
saith, Exodus xix. 5, " And ye shall be a peculiar trea-
sure unto me." And hence also David saith of these
destroyers, ' for they have rebelled against thee, O Lord.'

And indeed, the metaphor contained in the title,
' for the inheritances,' at once shows the scope of the
whole Psalm. For inheritances must be cultivated,
tilled, and wrought in, in order that they may be fruitful
and improved. And for that reason, they will have
many snares and hinderances thrown in their way, and
will meet with many enemies and destroyers. And
therefore, the people of God will need their labourers,
their teachers, and their rulers : by the industry of whom,
the inheritance is cultivated for God, and wrought on
and prepared by his Word : while it is also, on the other
hand, laid waste and destroyed by wicked teachers.
Hence it is that this Psalm is entitled, 'for the in-
heritances ' and their cultivators.

And we may add this also, that the present Psalm is
not only to be understood of the church of Christ in ge-
neral, but also of every part of the people of God in
every age, all of whom ever have their seducers and per-
secutors : so that the Psalm in general, agreeably to its
title, is ' for the inheritances.' Nor should I make any
objection, nay I would rather coincide with him, if any
one should wish by ' inheritances,' to understand the two
contrary classes of men ; that is, those who depend upon
their own strength, gind those who depend upon the

N 2

180

grace of God ; for this all comes to the point before
mentioned.

Verse 1 . — Give ear unto my words, O Lord, consider
my cry.

Verse 2. — Hearken unto the voice of my prayer, my
King and my God : for unto thee will I pray.

This is the way in which the Hebrew divides these
two verses; though our common translation annexes
the last clause of the second verse to the beginnins of
the third, making it commence thus, " For unto thee, O
Lord," &c. And the renderins: of Hieronimus differs
very little from this our received translation ; excepting
that, for " my cry," he has ' my roaring ; ' and Lyra
has ' my meditation ; ' and for " the voice of my
prayer," he has ' the voice of my cry.'

And here also I must venture my opinion concerning
the m.eaning of the Psalm. As I said above, this Psalm
especially strikes at self-justifiers and wicked teachers ;
the aim of all whom is one and the same, — to feed their
own pride. For the blessed Virgin has described such
where she says, " He hath scattered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts," Luke i. 51. Because all
wicked doctrines derive their origin from pride ; and
therefore, Augustine in many places calls pride the mo-
ther of all heresies : for it is humility alone that teacheth
rightly. Hence it is said. Proverbs xi. 2, " When pride
Cometh, then cometh contention ; but where there is hu-
mility, there is wisdom." For it is impossible but the
proud man must be contumelious and contentious : he
must judge and condemn all others: as we see it evi-
denced in the Pharisee in the Gospel, in his conduct to-
wards that poor humbled sinner, the publican, Luke
xviii. ; and also those in the house of Simon the leper,
in their conduct towards the woman who was a sinner,
Luke vii.

The prophet, therefore, is intent upon inveighing
against the hypocrites of his time : who, from being
puffed up in a wonderful manner with their own righte-

181

ousness and works, thought nothing at all of the enor-
mous sins of envy, pride, avarice, and the like, nor be-
lieved that they had any need of the grace of God, walk-
ing securely in their own way without any fear of God :
and this is what all proud men of this kind always do,
always have done, and always will do.

David begins the Psalm humbly with prayer, seeking
the grace of God : and thereby he plainly and power-
fully, at the very outset, condemns their pride. For it
is as if he had said. These ungodly characters are full,
are holy, are righteous, are whole ; and, therefore, they
want not any physician, nor do they seek, O Lord, thy
grace to be justified thereby. But I, who am a poor
needy creature, full of every sin, and brought to despair
of myself and all my works and powers, can do nothing
but pray unto thee and implore thy grace and mercy.

We have here given us, therefore, a beautifully
marked difference between the law and faith, or between
the letter and the Spirit. And this Augustine, in his
work upon the difference between the letter and the
Spirit, sets forth thus : — ' The law of works (says he)
saith to the man. Do what I command ; but the law of
faith saith unto God, Give what thou commandest.'
And again, saith he, ' What the law of works commands
with threatening ; that the law of faith obtains by be-
lieving.' Hence the people of the lav/, (that is self-
justiciaries and their teachers,) say, I have done so and
so : and they boast in*pride, as if they were justified by
the works of the law : but the people of faith say, I pray
that I may be enabled to do it. The former, trusting in
works, do not seek the mercy of God : the latter, ac-
counting all their righteousness as dung, breathe after
the mercy of God only. Hence the Apostle saith of the
former, Rom. x. 3, " For they, being ignorant of the
ric^hteousness of God, and going about to establish their
own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God." Therefore the letter always
puffeth up and killeth ; but the Spirit humbleth and
giveth life. " For God resisteth the proud, but giveth
OTaceunto the humble," James iv. 6.

182

And again, he that prays in this threefold petition,
must pray with a deeply feeling mind. And he assigns
no other reason for his thus praying, than his confidence
that he should both pray and be heard ; ' For I will
pray unto thee in the morning (saith he), and thou shalt
hear me.' And why, David, wilt thou pray in the
morning? and why shalt thou be heard? " Because
(saith he) thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wick-
edness." And what is the meaning of this? Why, that God
loveth humble supplicators for his mercy, but hateth the
proud that presume upon their own righteousness. Be-
hold, (saith he,) for this reason will I pray, because I
know that this pleases thee, that thou desirest this, and that
thou hast commanded this : — that man should acknow-
ledge himself a sinner, and that his whole life should be
nothing else but a state of praying for, desiring, groaning
after, and sighing after thy mercy : even as Luke xviii.
1, records the precept, *' That men ought always to pray
and not to faint." And Psalm cv. 4, it is said, " Seek
his face evermore," But this, saith David, these ungodly
presumers never do : or perhaps they may occasionally
do it for a moment, or rather may pretend to do it^
though they are all the while in reality full and satisfied :
and therefore thou, O Lord, hatest them, seeing that
they neither acknowledge their own things nor thine.

And now, observe the order and force of the words^
" my cry," " the voice of my prayer ; " and also, '* give
ear," " consider," " hearken." These expressions all
evince the urgency and energy of David's feelings and
petitions. First we have, " Give ear;" that is, hear me.
But, it is of little service for the words to be heard, un-
less the ' cry,' or the roaring, or the meditation, be ' con-
sidered.' As if he had said, in a common way of ex-
pression, I speak with deep anxiety and concern, but
with a failing utterance ; and I cannot express myself^
nor make myself understood as I wish. Do thou, there-
fore, understand from my feelings, more than I am able
to express in words. And therefore, I add my " cry ;"
that what I cannot express in words for thee to hear, I
may by my cry signify to thine understanding. And

183

when thou hast understood me, then, O Lord, " Hearken
unto the voice of my prayer," and despise not what thou
hast thus heard and understood.

We are not however to understand, that hearing, un-
derstanding, and hearkening, are all different acts in
God, in the same way as they are in us ; but that our
feelings towards God are to be thus varied and increased ;
that is, that we are first to desire to be heard, and then,
that our prayers which are heard may be understood,
and then that, being understood, they may be hearkened
unto, that is, not disregarded. And of these three parts
it is that the exordium of this prayer of David consists :
whereby he desires that God would be favourably in-
clined towards him, would fully understand him, and
would regard his petitions : and that, because his requests
are worthy of God's attention, easy for him to grant, and
to his honour to accomplish, and also most necessary
for himself. /

" My King and my God," continues he. Herein he "^
plainly strikes at all ungodly self-justiciaries, who act
without any law and without any God, being sufficient
of themselves. This is one of the passages of this Psalm
which contains its scope and design. For, to have a
King and a God, is for a man to presume nothing in
and of himself, but to yield himself up to be governed
and ruled by God, and to become altogether tractable;
and also, to ascribe unto God every thing that has been
received, or that shall be received. This is what those
self-righteous ones never do ; or at least they only do it
feignedly, because they ascribe not a little to themselves
also. Nay, in fact, *as they do not ascribe all things
unto God, they ascribe nothing : for he that ascribes
any thing unto himself, ascribes unto himself all the glory
of it also : and they who ascribe the glory unto them-
selves, ascribe all unto themselves and nothing unto God ;
because he must have all the glory, or he can have none :
for he never divides his glory, nor has any partner therein :
as he saith, Isaiah xlviii. 11, "I will not give my glory
to another." Such men, therefore, do certainly reign,
but not by God ; they are their own kings, and their own
idols.

184

" For unto thee will I pray." Here he confesses his
poverty, and has nothing : excepting that, he hopes, that
as he prays he shall obtain, as not being a worker, but a
prayer.

And here again in these two particulars we have the
whole sum of our Christian life set forth : I mean, in
our having a King and a God. God rules us as King,
when heHakes us away from ourselves and leads us unto
himself. And he acts as our God, when he receives us
as we are coming unto him, and fills us with himself,
that is, with all good. The former state is the cross, the
manifestation, the transition, or our being led out of the
world and out of our sins ; or, in a word, the mortifica-
tion of our flesh. The latter is our being received, or
our acceptation or glorification. Hence Augustine says,
upon this passage, that the scriptures generally call the
Son, King, rather than the Father. For Christ, by his
twofold nature, has accomplished both the above-men-
tioned things for us. By the kingdom, or the rule, or
the dominion of his humanity, (or, as the Apostle calls
it, of his " flesh,") which is carried on in the kingdom of
faith, he renders us deformed and crucifies us ; making
us, from having been securely satisfied proud gods, mi-
serable and wretched sinners. For as, in our old Adam,
we proudly ascend in self-opinion, so to imagine our-
selves to belike God himself; therefore, he descends
into our likeness, that he may bring us back to theHrue
knowledge of ourselves. And all this is done by his in-
carnation ; that is, in the kingdom of faith, in which the
cross of Christ rules : which casts down all that divinity
that we perversely aspired to in our imaginations, and
brings back the true sense of our humanity, and of the
contemptible infirmity of our flesh which we had as per-
versely left behind. But, by the dominion, or in the
kingdom, of his divinity and glory, he will make us like
unto his glorious body, where we shall be like him : and
then, we shall be no more sinners, no more weak, but
shall ourselves be kings, the sons of God, and as the
angels that are in heaven : then shall we say " my God"
in real possession, which now we only say in hope. And

185

hence, it is not without due propriety that he says, ** my
King," before he says, " my God : " for so Thomas the
apostle also, John xx. 28, saith, '' My Lord, and ray
God:" because, Christ must first be apprehended as
Man, before he is apprehended as God : and the cross
of his humanity must be sought after and known, before
we can know the glory of his divinity : and when we
have laid hold of Christ as Man, that will soon bring
with it the knowledge of him as God.

All these things are hard to be received by the flesh ;
for that would rather have Christ to be God only than
Man also: because it is more ready to seek after the
glory than the cross ; but to seek glory by the cross is
what it abhors. Thus Moses fled from before the serpent
into which his rod had been turned ; but when he
touched it, and took it by the tail, he became glorious in
miracles, and was made a god to Pharaoh. Exod. iv.
3, 4, and vii. 1.

Verse 3. — My voice shall thou hear betimes in the
morning, O Lord ; in the morning will I stand before
thee, and will look up.

I must here labour a little, before I enter into the
sanctuary of this verse, and come at the full understand-
ing of it. — I know two things. The one is, that " morn-
ITng " in the scriptures, signifies mystically the time of
[grace: because, when Christ the sun of righteousness
I graciously arises upon a man, he illuminates him, and
'does so as often as he vouchsafes those visitations. The
other thing is, that to the time of " morning," literally
understood, are devoted, for the most part, sacred and
divine works, such as praying and teaching : whereby
also the mystical morning is figuratively represented.
And hence it is, ' That the Lord looked upon the hosts
of the Egyptians in the morning watch, and destroyed
them.' Exod. xv. 24. Hence it is also, that it is thus
wTitten, Psalm xlvi. 5, " The Lord shall help her with
his countenance in the morning." And Psalm Ixiii. 1,
" Early in the morning will I meditate on thee." But
concerning wicked and ungodly teachers he saith. Psalm

186

cxxvii. Q, " It is in vain for you to rise up early, who
eat the bread of labour." And the prophet Micah, ii. 1,
says still more clearly to this point, " Woe unto them
that devise unprofitableness, (in the Hebrew aven, that
is, * iniquity,') and work evil upon their beds ! When the
morning is light they practise it, because it is in the
power of their hands." And this they did, when (as the
prophet Isaiah says, x. 1,) they taught the people false
laws, and false interpretations of the laws which they
themselves invented ; whereby they devoured the people
both body and soul : whence their throat is rightly called
" an open sepulchre : " agreeably to w^hich, it is said in
the same place, Micah ii. immediately afterwards, "And
they covet fields, and take them by violence ; and houses,
and take them away : so they oppress the man and his
house, even a man and his heritage." And God saith
by Amos, iv. 4, " And bring your sacrifices every morn-
ing." From all which it is manifest, that the morning was
the time that of old was devoted to sacrifices, and self-
justifications : and also, to teaching and reading : and,
in a word, to divine things, according to the custom
which is still preserved in the church at this day.

Setting aside, therefore, all mystical acceptation of the
word " morning," I shall interpret it according to the
temporal sense as well as I can, not knowing whether I
shall be positively right. The morning, as we have said,
is always devoted to divine things, though it is not al-
ways devoted to them rightly. The prophet, therefore,
seems to me to separate himself, together with all the in-
heritances of God, (and if not in place and time, yet
certainly in affection and desire,) both from all ungodly
teachers and hearers, and also from all ungodly workers.
For he attacks both in the present passage ; and there-
by shows, that though there must be a meeting together
with them in the same place, and at the same morning
time, for divine purposes, and to hear the law of God ;
yet, while they corrupt the law of God by their tradi-
tions, OT at least do not rightly teach it, and also impiously
live and act under the appearance of M'hat is holy and
good, and yet at the same time teach their own fables,

187

that they may' thereby grow fat, (which they are conti-
nually accused of doing by all the prophets, and which
we hear and see done every where throughout our
churches, by those who will say any thing in the church
and in their sermons for a little of the most filthy lucre.)
• — David shows, that while they act and proceed thus,
his prayers and desires shall be, that he may be ac-
counted worthy of being heard, and that he may be
favoured to hear God himself; not the word of man only,
but the Word of God. For all the other characters do
as it is said of them, Isaiah xxx. 9, 10, 11, " This is a
rebellious people, lying children, children that will not
hear the law of the Lord : which say to the seers, See
not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right
things ; speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits :
get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause
the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us." And
these characters Paul also describes in his Epistle to
Timothy, saying, " And they shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables,"
2 Epist. iv. 4. — -t^

The sense of the verse, therefore, is this — Woe is :
me, that I must dwell amongst a people \Aho will not
hear the truth, and who abhor the W^ord of the cross, but
will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears.
And, as Isaiah saith, chap. vi. 5, " I dwell in the midst
of a people of unclean hps," on account of their impious
doctrines. I assemble with them in the morning to hear
thee : but behold, I hear not thee but men only. They
teach their own ways and the works of men. Therefore
do thou, O my King and my God, hear me in those
mornings : because, at those times, I do not stand
before them, but before thee : nor do I direct my
thoughts towards them, but the mouth of my heart is
opened unto thee : it is before thee I stand, it is unto '
thee that I offer myself, that thou wouldst instruct me
that I may see and understand : according to that Word, ,
" And they shall be all taught of God," John vi. 45.

Hence you see, that all the burning zeal of this
prophet was roused by his seeing the people of God and

188

the inheritances of Christ seduced and destroyed by
those that taught what was corrupt. And indeed, all
places are full of false teachers and vainly-prating de-
ceivers of minds : which, as it is the most destructive of
all evils, so it the most heavily afflicteth the godly mind.
For what sight can be more distressing, what spectacle
more miserable, than to see a wolf go through a flock of
innocent sheep, so tearing and devouring them as not to
leave one of them alive ! And it is thus that a wicked
and impious teacher Yages among the simple sheep of
Christ : for it is of this that Paul warns with tears. Acts
XX. 29, saying, " For I know this, that after my de-
parting shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not
sparing the flock."

In thus setting forth the sense of this verse, and the
feelings of the prophet, we almost repeat our exposition
of the two verses preceding : for we ought rightly to un-
derstand here, that these are the motions of an overflow-
ing heart : under which, the prophet grieves at the multi-
tude of these teachers, (of whom we shall hear him speak
more fully presently,) when he beholds their iniquity :
and under which, he calls upon his King and his God
with such repeated petitions against these tyrants of the
law, and against these idols that take the teacher's chair.
And this sense of the passage more aptly agrees with
the scope of the Psalm, than that mystical acceptation of
the word " morning ; " though the latter does not differ
widely from the same point.

And this third verse also aptly accords with the
former acceptation ; because he desires to be taught the
Word and work of God, and not those of men : and it
rightly agrees with the verses preceding, in this way,
* Give ear unto my words, my King and my God ; con-
sider my roaring ; hearken unto the voice of my cry ;
for unto thee do I pray.' And for what dost thou pray,
David ? For that which is a gift above all things neces-
sary ; — that thou wouldst restrain these wicked teachers
who occupy the morning time and the place, in teaching
ungodly doctrines, and that thou wouldst hear me in
that for which I pray unto thee at that time. And for

ro

189

what dost thou pray at that time ? That I may stand
before thee and be thi/ hearer ; that I may be instructed
by thine own teaching, and be enhghtened by thine own
illumination ; and that I may not be deceived together
with those who have itching ears ; for thou art my King
who rules me, and my God who preserves me. Thus
the prayer is directed absolutely against all corrupt
doctrines and works.

' My voice shall thou hear (says he) in the morning,
O Lord ; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto
thee. And in that which I pray do thou hearken unto
me. I pray for all the true teachers and hearers of the
Word which is accustomed to be held forth at that
time.' Than which prayer, as there is not one through-
out the whole of the Psalms more vehement, nor one
that contains so many earnest repetitions ; so, there is
not one more necessary and wholesome for all of us at
this day, nor ever has been, nor ever will be.

Let, therefore, the godly Christian's first and great
concern be, to pray unto God most earnestly, (accord-
ing to the example given in this Psalm,) for all the inhe-
ritances of God, that his Word may flourish among his
people : for it is by the Word only that the people of
God live, are fed, and are preserved : as Christ saith,
Matt. iv. 4, " Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
For while the Word of God flourishes, all things flourish
and go well in the church. And what is the reason that, at
this day, the church has not only withered away into
luxury and pomp, but is almost wholly destroyed? —
What ? but because the Word of God is disregarded,
and the laws of men and the artful inventions of Rome
are taught ?

. Hieronimus translates the words according to their
native energy thus, ",O^Lord, in the morning shalt
thou hear my voice:; in the morning will I be pre-
pared for thee, and will meditate." And does not this
Svord " prepared " aptly agree with the sense above-
mentioned ? For what else is it to be prepared for God,
than to become teachable and 'tractable in the hand of

t an'

190

God ? And David herein shows, that he does not want
to be prepared by man. Nor does it militate against this
sense, that John ReuchHn, according to the opinion of
the Jews, renders it, ' In the morning will I order :' so
■jas to make it the active verb which the scripture uses
yv^hen speaking of arranging and ordering sacrifices : that
~4htis, it may signify a ready and prepared state of mind :
a mind that casts off every thing that stands in its way,
and is resigned (as we say) and devoted to the whole
will of God. For that is a true sacrifice, and an ac-
ceptable offering unto God, when a man orders himself
in this way, thus prepares himself, thus stands before
God, and becomes thus teachable and tractable.
- It is manifest that, according to the Hebrew idiom,
/the verb ' to stand ' (adstare) is a verb substantive, or
an absolute verb ; thus, " I will stand," or, * I will
order ;' that is, I will make an ordering or an offering ;
that is, of myself. Hence it is not unappropriately
translated " I will stand." And we are here at the same
time taught, that, in hearing the Word of God, we are
not to be intent upon the man that is speaking, but upon
^God who is teaching.

And in the same manner the word ' see' (or " look
up ") is absolute ; that is, I shall be seeing ; that is, I
shall be illuminated, I shall be instructed, I shall become
one that can see ; that is, one that can see truth and
righteousness : according to that of Micah vii. 9, " He
will bring me fo|"th to the light, and I shall behold his
righteousness." For no one can see or know the righte-
ousness of God, but he whom God instructs : all others
are only vain talkers, who speak out of their own brain^i
Hence it is, that Christ gave the Holy Spirit to his
apostles and to the church, that he himself may
speak in us, and not we from ourselves. If, therefore,
David had stood before men, he would hot have seen but
would have become blind : according to that of Christ,
" If the blind lead the blind," &c. but now, because he
stands, orders himself, and is prepared, before God, he
shall see and be illuminated.

But if the mystical morning rather pleases any one.

191

which is the be";innino; of grace, wherein the chutch
begins to stand before God and to see, I make no
objection to it. Though I am never much in a hurry to
follow mysteries where I can have the plain letter. Nor
should I say any thing in opposition to it, if, by ' morn-
ing' and ' standing' and ' seeing,' any one should wish
to understand the man's offering up himself; not as a
self-righteous sacrifice, so as to boast of having given
something unto God, but as evincing a state of mind
that is waiting to receive the righteousness of God.

Ver. 4. — For thou art not a God that hath pleasure
in wickedness: neither shall the malignant man dwell
with thee, nor shall the unrighteous stand in thy sight.

Ver. 5. — Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity :
thou shall destroy all them that speak lies.

Ver. 6. — The Lord abhorreth the bloody and deceit-
ful man.

He here accuses corrupt teachers and their disciples
under seven different appellations : so great is his zeal
for the true life and doctrine of godliness. Hence, we
must understand this part of God's Word, as well as
every other, in the Spirit and in faith. For the charac-
ters concerning whom David is here speaking, if you
look at their external appearance and outward show,
will seem to be everv thing but what he here declares
they are : so deceptively covered are they with the
clothing of sheep and the name of Christ. And, in a
word, their opinion is, that these things which are said
concerning them, belong altogether unto others, whom
they look upon as their adversaries. Hence, they ac-
knoM'ledge neither the names nor the works which are
here set forth : for they would turn them thus, ' For
thou art a God that hath pleasure in our equity : and
we shall dwell with thee, for we are kind ; and shall stand
in thy sight, for we are righteous. Thou lovest us the
workers of righteousness, and thou shalt preserve us,
for we are speakers of truth. Thou shalt highly, esteem
us, for we are men gentle and sincere.' Such are the

192

high gloryings that these ungodly ones dreamingly take
to themselves : but all that is here said contrary to this,
they transfer over to the truly godly, righteous, and
lovers of God. And this perversion of things shall
remain until the end of the world. — -Thus we read, that
Jacob and Esau struggled in the womb of Rebecca,
Gen. XXV. 22 : and thus also the two harlots contended
before King Solomon for the living son, 1 Kings iii.
For heretics and false preachers always arrogate to
themselves the title of truth, righteousness, and the
church ; and they excel all men in external pomp and
show, though they are excelled by the just in the sight of
God : and, in reality, the truly catholic and righteous
alone are they v/ho excel all, though without any pomp
and show : because, they are righteous before God.

Let us then dwell a little upon these seven terms, —
" wickedness," " malignant," " unrighteous," " workers
of iniquity," " them that speak lies," '' bloody man,"
" deceitful man :" under which terms, David sets forth
six evils and sorts of characters, — a God that has no
pleasure ; those that shall not dwell with God ; those
that shall not stand in his sight; those that shall be
hated; those that shall be destroyed; and those that
shall be abhorred.

First, then, we have this "wickedness:" which had
been better rendered ungodliness. For (as we have
shown in Psalm i.) rascha signifies ungodhness; that
ungodliness from whence proceeds the " counsel of the
ungodly." And this ungodliness (as I have before ob-
served) is unbelief itself, and a perverse opinion con-
cerning God and his Word and works : though, as to
its outward appearance, it carries a show of godliness.
Our God, therefore, as he is just and righteous, has no
pleasure in ungodliness : that is, he does not desire it,
he cannot delight himself in it. For the Hebrew word
in this place is haphez ; whence comes hephzo, which
is used Psalm i. 2 ; that is, " his will, is in the law of
the Lord," or his ' desire,' or ' his delight.' — The sense
and meaning of the present verse are appropriately
set forth Psalm H. 16, " For thou desirest not sacrifice,

IDS

else would I give it thee : thou delightest not in burnt-
ofFering." And why does God not desire sacrifice?
Why does he not dehght in burnt-offering ? Because the
sacrifice of " a brolven spirit," which is the sacrifice of
godliness, is wanting ; and therefore, godliness is want-
ing; and that want makes the sacrifices of the wicked,
" an abomination unto the Lord," according to Proverbs
XV. 8.

The sense of the whole Psalm is, therefore, — I will
therefore pray unto thee, I therefore desire of thee to
hear me, I will therefore stand before thee and will look
up, because I know that the desires, the prayers, and
the sacrifices of the ungodly do not at all please thee,
as they blindly presume, and as they seduce others to
presume also : for, whilst they hide ungodliness under
all their works and sacrifices, they never acknowledge
it nor are humbled on account of it, but rest content as
if all was going on well because they had performed
those works.

And in this same way also Isaiah, chap. i. 11, ex-
poses and condemns these characters, saying, " To
what purposes is the multitude of your sacrifices unto
me?" And again, he saith just afterwards, verse l6,
^' Wash you : make you clean." As if he had said.
These works themselves, while ye remain unclean and
ungodly, and without either faith or hope in my mercy,
(which alone justify and take away ungodliness) cannot
please, how specious soever they may be. Ye rest
wholly on the works, and judge according to external
appearance ; and thus, ye seem to yourselves to be
godly and holy. But I look at your heart and judge ac-
cording to truth; and thus, I find you to be ungodly.
As Christ said unto the Pharisees, Ye justify yourselves
before men, but God knoweth your hearts, Luke xviii.
And this is what is meant by the present verse : which
saith, Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in ungod-
liness. Thou art not deceived by the outward appear- <
ance of works, so as not to discern the ungodliness of
the heart. Such men are rather deceived themselves ; .
who, being thus led away by an external show of

VOL. III. o

194

works, never acknowledge their ungodliness ; and
who, while they imagine that they please thee the
most of all men, are of all men the farthest from
pleasing thee.

Secondly : We have this, " Neither shall the malig-
nant man dwell with thee." — In the Hebrew it is ra ;
that is, a bad man, or badness ; so that it may either
signify an ungodly man, or ungodliness : because where
ungodliness, infidelity, and unbelief reign, there also
malice or malignity reigns. For what can the man do,
who is destitute of the good grace of God, but sin ?
By malignity in this passage, therefore, we are to under-
stand the very root and the old leaven of malice and
wickedness ; whereby, being destitute of grace, we are
prone to rush into every sin, where occasion is given us
for so doing. As Christ saith to his disciples, " If ye
then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your
children," Matt. vii. 11.

This malice, however, plausibly conceals itself un-
der the covering of works that are holy and pious in ap-
pearance, until some opportunity or occasion presents
itself to irritate it, and to force it to display itself in its
true colours. You may see many who are gentle,
humble, and kind in their words, actions, and whole
deportment, who, if you do but touch them with your
finger, become in a moment most cruel, most austere,
and ready to commit every evil. Yet these characters
in the present day go by the honourable appellation of
men of acute feelings, because, on account of their ex-
ternal show of a good conversation, they must not be
called "mahgnant;" though they all the while perish
themselves in security, and destroy all others also, who,
after their example, securely neglect to mortify this ma-
lignity. For all these passions and acute feelings are a
proof of the root of malignity ; showing, that godliness
(that is, faith in God) is there wanting, and that ungod-
liness is in full dominion. Such, therefore, shall not
dwell with God nor tarry in his sight.

Thirdly: We have the " unrighteous ; " whom the
Hebrew calls holq:lim ; which signifies, properly.

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those who break forth into the outward act, transgress,
and commit evil both in deed and word. UngodHness,
indeed, and maHgnity frequently lie hidden, (excepting
in those to whom the spirituality of the law has been *
opened up ; for the latter confess themselves to be
sinners with the apostle Paul, Rom. vii. 9;) and it is
these that make the ' tree evil.' But these holcelim
are they who bring forth the ' evil fruits,' by following
the malignity of their ungodly hearts : concerning
whom Solomon «aith, Eccles. x. 13, " The beginning
of the words of his mouth is foolishness : and the end
of his talk is holeloth iiA : " which translators have
rendered ' the worst of errors.'

We still see, therefore, a beautiful order kept up in
the words. First, there is ungodliness; a state in which
we are left to ourselves, without the assistance of the
grace of God. This is followed, secondly, by malice ;
by which we are inclined to commit that which is in
us; that is, every evil. And thirdly, there is unrighte-
ousness, the transgression itself; that is, the very fruits
of this ungodliness and malignity.

These, saith David, " shall not stand in thy sight : "
or, as the Hebrew has it, 'The holcelim shall not
make to stand in the sight of thy eyes.' And this verb,
' shall not make to stand,' or, ' shall not place, or
establish ' (statiient,) is exactly the same as that verb of
Psalm ii. 2, which the translators have rendered by the
perfect, " The kings of the earth stood up:'' instead of
' shall make to stand,' or ' shall establish : ' that is, (in
the full meaning of the absolute verb,) ' shall make
themselves to stand.' So also here, " shall not stand,"
shall not make themselves to stand before God, shall
not appear before him, &c. which, nevertheless, they
most confidently believe they shall do, being deceived
by their false opinions and works : for they do not
believe that they do evilly even when they are really
doing evil.

Fourthly : " Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity.
We read this same sentence in many places in the Old
Testament : and it is always written with the verb

o 2

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PAAL, M'hich, as we have shown Psalm i., signifies 'to
do, or to work,' and the noun aven, which is variously
and differently rendered ; as we have before seen, verse 3
of this Psalm.

Now, I see that the prophets, especially Hosea x. 5,
playing as it were upon the word, have called that place
Beth-aven, instead of Beth-el, where Jeroboam the first
king of Israel set up the golden calves to be worshipped,
lest the people of Israel should go to Jerusalem to sa-
crifice, and should ultimately revolt from him to the
king of Judah ; as we read 1 Kings xii. 26 — 33. And
hence, where they ought to have called it Beth-el, that
is, the house of God, they call it Beth-aven ; which
some have rendered, ' the house of the idol,' (that is,
contrary to the house of God,) or, more properly, ' the
house of iniquity or wickedness,' or ' the house of
idolatry.'

Following the prophets therefore, I would rather
understand by aven, ' iniquity and idolatry : ' not that
idolatry only which serves idols of wood and stone ; but
rather, that idolatry which Samuel, chap. xv. 22, sets
forth unto Saul in a powerful way ; thus, " Hath the
Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as
in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice ; and to hearken than the fat of
rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." Wherein we
see, that this religion of Saul was a furious disobedience,
a perverse superstition, and a wretched aven; for of
this we find him accused openly throughout the Old
Testament, as being the way in which he reigned. And
so also, at this day, no pest more awfully rages, than
this, — when men leave that way which God has or-
dained, and form out to themselves another way of
worshipping him entirely of their own invention ; and
attempt to serve him therein. And this unhappy fall
into disobedience has gained ground much more widely
than any one can describe. For in every condition of
life among Christians, you may find this, — that, neglect-
ing the observance of God's commandments, they will

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worship God according to their own traditions and
opinions.

This, I say, is the aven; that outside show of
works, under which, as I said before, they cover their
iniquity, ungodhness, mahgnity, and every transgres-
sion : and this sheep's-clothing and pestilent hypocrisy
lays waste the Christian religion more dreadfully than
any sword, famine, or pestilence.

Behold, therefore, how the prophet is inflamed with
zeal against this impious piety, and this irreligious reli-
gion ; than which, there is no religion that he more bit-
terly hates ; saying, " Thou hatest all them that work
iniquity." — " All," saith he ; and, " thou hatest."
Here, lest any should imagine that they please God
by such an accursed superstition, he declares that
" all " are under the hatred of God, without except-

mg one

These few observations will suffice concerning this
greatest and most widely prevailing of - all depravity :
which we shall hereafter always express by the term
' disobedience,' or ' idolatry,' that is, the externally holy
worship of the ungodly. For they do not openly violate
the commands of God, like the publicans and harlots :
but, under a show of great works and singular piety ; as
was the case with Bernard. And Psalm xci. 6 calls these y
characters " The devil (or, the destruction) that wasteth
at noon-day." And the apostle Paul calls them, " mi-
nisters of Satan transformed into angels of light,"
2 Cor. xi. 15, a description of whom we have plainly
and strikingly set before us in the above-mentioned cha-
racter of Saul, 1 Sam. xv.

Therefore, aven is rightly interpreted by many, not
only ' iniquity,' but also, ' pain,' and ' labour :' because,
this disobedience has indeed in it much pain and
labour. And hence, as the common proverb goes, * It is
harder work to merit hell, than to merit heaven.' For
the devil presses these his martyrs most terribly, and
never gives them any relief or refreshment. And, as the
Lord said by Moses, Deut. xxviii. that he would deliver
the people of Israel into the hands of their enemies, and

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that they should there Serve strange gods which should
give them no rest neither day nor night; so, it is said,
Eccles. X. 15, " The labour of the foolish wearieth every
one of them." And it is said frequently in the same
book, that, to such, " all is vanity and vexation of
spirit." Whereas, on the contrary, Christ, although he
chasteneth, yet " his yoke is easy, and his burden is
light ;" because he relieves and refreshes all who are
weary and heavy laden, with a joyful confidence of
heart, if they will but come unto him, Matt. xi. But all
the former characters will have to say with Wis-
dom ii. 1, " Our life is short and tedious."

Fifthly: " Thou shalt destroy all them that speak
lies." Here, he attacks the teachers and doctrine of
iniquity: for the Hebrew verb dibber, seems to me to
signify that kind of speech whereby something is taught
or spoken forth or recited in public. And hence, the
word DABAR signifies the thing done or wrought, or
rather, spoken forth or narrated. Which figurative
mode of speech has been preserved by Luke, chap. ii.
15, " Let us now go even unto Beth-lehem and see
this word (/j>?/xa,) ;" that is, this thing which is done
and spoken of. And indeed, in the book of Leviticus a
clear distinction is made between the words dibber
and amar; each of which signifies * to speak' or 'to
say.' For it is continually written, " The Lord spake
unto Moses, saying:" where, the first verb is dibber,
that is, ' spake.' And hence it is in constant use with the
prophets ; as, " And the Word of the Lord came unto me,
saying." Wherefore, dibber, generally signifies,- ' to
speak any thing forth publicly in the way of doctrine,'
which doctrine is particularly specified by the verb
amar: And even if this distinction and difference are
not universally received and allowed, yet let us use them
thus until we shall have found something better. It is at
least certain, that the word which is here rendered ' to
speak,' in many places signifies 'to teach:" as in
Psalm cxix. 46, " I will speak of thy testimonies." And
Psalm Ix. 6, " God hath spoken in his holiness," or
' in his saint,' (sancto suo.)

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Such, therefore, as the life of the ungodly is, such is
their doctrine : as they act, so they speak. Hence the
whole is ungodly, evil, and iniquitous ; all which David
includes in the term " lies." And these " lies" he called,
Psalm i. " the counsel of the ungodly," nay, " the seat
of pestilence and mockery." The madness of such cha-
racters as these rages and reigns at this day also : con-
cerning whom Paul has said, 2 Tim. iii. 7, " Ever learn-
ing, and never able to come to the knowledge of the
truth." These are they who strenuously devote them-
selves to the teaching of good works, (as they imagine
them to be,) whereas they have never yet known what
good works are, because they are utterly destitute of the
knowledge of faith. Hence, it comes to pass, that they
most miserably crucify and murder the people by their
lies and impious fables, which they take from the morals
of philosophers, the laws of men, and their own precepts
and traditions : concerning which I have spoken before,
and shall say more hereafter.

Sixthly: "The Lord abhorreth the bloody and de-
ceitful man." Here David shews, in a very few words,
what sort of men the before-mentioned characters are
towards their neighbour, in their manners and conver-
sation ; that is, that they love no one from their heart.
For, as they are destitute of grace and true godliness,
and left in their own malice, it of necessity follows, that
they are polluted with the love and conceited opinion of
themselves, from the crown of their head even unto the
sole of their feet. They feign, indeed, all things. They
call each other and all men their dearest friends, write
to them as such, and speak with them as such. They
appear to be humane and sweet tempered ; and, under
that covering, they plausibly conceal " bloody " men :
but all this is deceit. And that is manifested the very
moment they begin to be offended, or that an occasion
presents itself wherein they are required to give proof
of their benevolence ; for then the deceit immediately
appears, and the blood-thirsty anger and hatred shew
themselves, and all the consequences which follow. For
they never love any one unless it be for their own ad-

200

vantage ; it is never that they may do others good, but
that they may do themselves good.

These words, therefore, are to be understood spiri-
tually ; not as having respect unto the external appear-
ance, but a searching the heart and the reins. For the
words'of faith are directly contrary to all outward ap-
pearance, and have respect unto the things and times of
the cross. And it is by such words that those who are
of the character mentioned are discovered, and are found
to hate every man, and to love no one truly, because
they love themselves. And under this disease no set of
men labour more than those most holy and most reli-
gious martyrs of the devil, whom we have already de-
nominated ungodly, workers of iniquity, and children of
disobedience ; and all under the external garment and
shew of godliness, the power of which they above all
men deny.

If thou dost not believe these things, or dost not
know them to be so, only consult experience. The whole
world is full of this complaint, — ^that there is no faith-
fulness to be found among men ; that all things which
are either done or spoken are feigned and dissembled :
so that they will aver the truth of that word of Micah
vii. 6', though they may never have read it, " Trust ye
not a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide ; keep the
doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth
up against her mother, the daughter in law against her
mother in law : a man's enemies are the men of his own
house." And hence it was that Christ gave this admo-
nition, " But beware of men," Matt. x. 17. For if
thou indulge their wishes, and be useful to them, thou
wilt find them deceitful friends : and if thou offend them,
or dissent from them, especially if thou do it for God's
or the truth's sake, thou wilt find them most bloody
enemies. And therefore, David could not describe the
nature of man in terms more apt and short, than by
caUing it " bloody and deceitful." So rare a thing is it
to find one who does not act deceitfully with his neigh-
bour, and who is faithful. A man will live with you

201

pleasantly, will speak to you courteously, and smile upon
you; but, if you ask him to help you with ten pounds
of his large property, you make him your enemy directly.
Indeed, if you do not serve him in all things, even in
those things which are unjust and wrong, you are sure
to lose your friend. In a word, if you do not lay your-
self out for his use to gratify him in all his desires, with-
out making use of him in the least instance for your own
service, you will not have your friend's acquaintance
long. These things we are taught by experience : so
easy is it to understand the present verse.

And yet these characters will not acknowledge their
miserable state in this case : for they all despise these
things, and believe themselves to be the farthest of all
men on earth from blood-thirstiness and deceit. First, "W
On account of those specious works of theirs : for, being
inflated and blinded with these, they cannot see them-
selves. And next, they are so in love with themselves,
and so kindly indulge their own vices, that they always
have before their eyes, not how many evil things, but
how many good things they have done. And this their
blindness is increased, by their considering it to be a
heavenly holiness to hate those by whom they have been
injured, or rather, by whom they imagine they have been
injured : for they look upon themselves as persons qua-
lified, by their eminent righteousness, to hold the un-
righteous in hatred. And being subverted by this mad-
ness, they proceed to such lengths, that, neglecting the
beam that is in their own eye, and beholding the mote
that is in the eye of another, they desire to have them-
selves accounted humane and faithful, while they judge
others to be the bloody and deceitful men. And thus,
with a perpetual perversion and madness, they put off
upon others that divine abhorrence which is declared to
rest upon themselves. Whence it comes to pass, that if they
read the scriptures they do not understand them, and if
they hear them they do not receive them, as considering
that they do not belong to them : and thus they become
those wholly incorrigible ones of whom we read, Matt.

202

xi. 16, 17 : unto whom, if you pipe they will not dance,
and if you mourn they will not lament.

Behold, then, the fruits which this trusting in their
own works and their own righteousness brino-s forth ;
namely, ignorance of themselves, obstinacy, and incor-
rigibleness; together with all the evils of ungodliness,
malice, disobedience, and every other sin. Such mon-
sters are there who can conceal, nourish, and preserve
themselves, under a covering so light and trifling. And
moreover, horrible monsters like these can appear before
God in the morning, sacrifice to him, and believe that
they can please him; nor do they ever implore his mercy,
but give him thanks, like the ungodly Pharisee, that they
are not as other men. Is not this horrid to see and
hear ! And is not the burning zeal of the prophet against
such instances of madness most just !

And now, let us sum up the contents of these three
verses.

The two former describe those sins whereby we sin
against God : which are four. Two are contained in
the first verse ; namely, ungodliness and malignity. The
former of which is an aversion from God ; that is, a be-
ing destitute of a pure love and a right opinion of God.
The latter is, a turning towards self; that is, an inclina-
tion to all evil works, and an enmity against all good
works ; that is, perverted atFections and a perverted
opinion. By these two sins the person itself is described ;
that is, the bad tree, such as these characters are in the
sight of God.

The other two sins are contained in the second verse ;
that is, unrighteousness and the working of iniquity.
The former of which is transgression, or the effect of
malignity, and the omission of the worship of God. And
the latter is, the external appearance of the worship of
God, but, in reality, disobedience and idolatry. For in
these two sins are comprehended all the evil fruits and
works which we bring forth and do in divine things.
The one of which is, doing things contrary to really good
works and to the true worship of God ; which charac-

203

ters are the holcelim : the other is, doing things feigri-
edly, which are good in appearance, but contrary to the
obedience of God ; which characters are " the workers
of iniquity."

The third verse describes those sins whereby sin is
committed against man : which are three. First, " hes,"
whereby men seduce others by word, example, and con-
duct, from the true vvorship of God into their own im-
pious idolatries ; making others like unto themselves in
those things which pertain unto God. Secondly, Ha-
tred, and all those things which follow it ; whence they
are called " bloody" men. And thirdly. Deceit and all
its consequences ; whereby men make use of others only
for their own advantage, use, and pleasure ; and wherein
are included all the sins of a perverted love. For there
are even fraud and deceit in all carnal love, as is abun-
dantly manifest. For, as hatred and love are the grand
and principally ruling affections which direct all their
actions, it is evident, that the whole viperous poison of
a vicious life and conversation lies in these : vvhich ha-
tred is bloody, and which love is deceitful : for a right
hatred opposes all that is sin, and a pure love seeks those
things which are to the profit of others, and not to its
own profit.

To conclude the whole of this scripture. — They that
come in the " morning," saith David, do not pray, O
Lord ; neither do they want thee, nor do they desire to
be heard. They are full and satisfied, being filled with
all that mass of filth, their own righteousnesses. Nor
do they " stand " before thee, nor do they offer them-
selves unto thee, that they may be formed by thee, and
that they may be illuminated in order that they might
" see :" but they rather form themselves against thee,
and agreeably to the idol of their own hearts, (as Isaiah
saith, chap, xlvi.) having false opinions concerning thee ;
and therefore they see not, but are rather blinded and
hardened. And this most certainly will be their case,
because thou hast not (as they imagine thou hast) any
pleasure in iniquity, but hatest the ungodly, and utterly
abhorrest all such. But I, says David, come unto thee,

204

L stand before thee, and offer myself unto thee, that I may
be formed by thee ; in order that I may favour and think
of thee according to thy nature, that I may be illumi-
nated and may see. They come unto thee, bringing with
them, as an offering unto thee, their own good works,
deeds, and merits ; and thereby take away with them
the greater evils and sins : but 1 come unto thee to beg
of thee thy good things, confessing my own evils and
sins. They, because they are whole, need not a physi-
cian ; but I, because I am weak, and under dangerous
disease, seek a physician. — And this is what is now shown
in the verse that follows —

Ver. 7. — Bat as for me, I will come into thy house
in the multitude of thy mercy : and in thy fear icill I
worship toward thy holy temple.

A blessed verse this! a blessed saying! The words,
and the sense itself, carry with them a powerful con-
trast. For there are two things with which this life is ex-
ercised, HOPE and FEAR, which are as it were those two
springs of Judges i. 15, the one from above, the other
> from beneath. Fear comes from beholding the threats
and fearful judgments of God ; as being a God in whose
sight no one is clean, every one is a sinner, every one is
damnable. But hope comes from beholding the pro-
mises and the all-sweet mercies of God : as it is written.
Psalm XXV. 6, " Remember, O Lord, thy lovingkind-
nesses, and thy tender mercies which have been ever
of old."

Between these two, as between the upper and nether
millstone, we must always be ground and kept, that we
never turn either to the right hand or to the left. For
this turning is the state peculiar to hypocrites, who are
exercised with the two contrary things, security and
presumption. By security, they decline to the left
hand, neglecting the fear of God; as in Psalm xxxvi.
1, "There is no fear of God before their eyes:"
and by presumption, they decline to the right hand,
while, having no fear of God, they presumingly imagine
that all that they do pleases him. For while they do not

205

acknowledge themselves sinners, it must necessarily fol-
low, that they fear not God, whose judgments they never
consider : according as it is written, Psalm x. 5, " Thy
judgments are far above out of his sight." And, there-
fore, instead of the judgments of God, they set before
themselves a certain ignorant idea of God; and, instead
of his mercy, their own righteousness. Hence it follows,
that they can neither hope nor fear.

This, therefore, is the contrast which David uses.
They who are without thy fear, disregarding thy terrible
judgments, worship thee in security like the Pharisee in
the Gospel, Luke xviii. ; and they enter into thy holy
temple in the multitude of their own righteousness, and
come into thy sight without feeling any need of thy mercy.
But I, being conscious to myself that I cannot be safe
in the sight of thee and thy judgments, wholly despair of
myself; and so enter into thy temple and stand before
thee, as to have thy mercy only before my eyes ; which
mercy I know to be great and infinite ; and looking at
that only, I find a boldness, and feel myself safe ; as in
Psalm xxvi. 3, " For thy lovingkindness is before mine
eyes, and I have walked in thy truth." Entering with
this confidence, therefore, I will worship in thy temple ;
but in thy fear, not presumptuously imagining that I
shall please thee of myself; for I shall rather be in fear,
lest my service and worship should deserve thy reproof.
And by remaining in this fear, I shall preserve unto thee i /
thine honour, and keep unto myself humility ; while I V
do not justify myself, but in a humbled mind expect thy
judgments, having nevertheless a hope in thy pardoning
mercy.

You clearly see, therefore, that the scope of this
Psalm is directed to show the diflference between the
religion of the godly and the ungodly, the hnmble and
the presumptuous. For he draws a comparison between
himself and them in this morning service ; which is, en-
tering into the house of the Lord, and worshipping to-
ward his holy temple : for it is there that the w orks and
doctrines of all, are especially and most particularly per-
formed and held forth.

206

And the contrast of the words also is very beau-
tiful, but somewhat changed. For he puts the " mercy "
of God, which is the object of hope, without expressing
the word ' hope.' Again, he puts " fear," the object of
which is the judgments of God, without expressing the
word 'judgments:' whereas, to have made the antithesis
of words quite correct, he should have put the words
mercy and judgment, or hope and fear. But it was ne-
cessary to express mercy, the object of hope, as well as
the nature of hope. Nay rather, the object of hope is
the multitude of the mercies of God ; which is set before
the hope of the godly, because they are too much in-
clined to fear, and approach unto God and divine works
with great awe and reverence. Hence these two, hope
and fear, are the two sacrifices and works that are by far
the most acceptable unto God ; which those ungodly
self-justifiers neither teach nor understand, and therefore
they neither do them, nor are able to do them.

The whole world, as I have said, is at this day full
of the ungodliness of these same characters, who draw
men into a confidence in their own works and righteous-
ness, and do not permit them to attain unto the fear of
God, and to a hoping in his mercy : and such are ever
learning, but never able to come unto the knowledge of
the truth ; and as Christ saith, Luke xi. 52, ' They have
taken away the key of knowledge, (that is, the power of
teaching, and the knowledge of God,) they enter not in
themselves, and them that were entering in they hinder.'

These presumptuous ones, these most secure de-
spisers of the judgments and mercies of God, Isaiah also
copiously exposes and condemns, chap. i. 1 1, saying,
" To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto
me ? saith the Lord." And verse 15, " When ye make
many prayers I will not hear," &c. And why ? It is
shown in what follows, " Your hands are full of blood.
Wash you, make you clean." Hence, nothing can please
God but that which is done in humility ; and humility
cannot be exercised but in our works ; and it ought to
attend every work how good soever it may be. That
humility ought to fear the judgments of God, and glory

207

and rest only in his free mercy. And it was against this
kind of godliness that the people of Israel fought above
all people in the world, from a natural and inbred pre-
sumption, being puffed up in a wonderful manner with
their law and works.

But you will ask this question, perhaps. How can
David promise that he will enter into the house of the
Lord, and into his temple, when, in his time, there was
no temple or house of God, and when the ark of the
testimony in the tabernacle of Moses, was instead of a
temple ? David says in another place also. Psalm cxxii.
Q, 3, " Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet
shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem." And Psalm
cxxxv. 2, " Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in
the courts of the house of our God." From which
scriptures one might suspect that these were not the
Psalms of David, or that they were altered by Esdras
afterwards.

But, according to my bold way, I think that any
place where God is worshipped, may be rightly called
the house of God. For we well know that that place in
which Abraham offered his sacrifice was called Beth-el,
that is, the house of God : Mhich Jeroboam, having
polluted it with his golden calves, afterwards made to be
called Beth-aven ; that is, the house of iniquity. And
Jacob, when he had slept on Mount Moriah, (that is,
* the mount of reverence,' or ' of the worship of God ;'
or, as others will have it, ' the mount of vision,' on
which the temple of Solomon was afterwards built,) set
up a stone and said, " This stone which I have set for
a pillar, shall be God's house," Gen. xxviii. 22.

Wherefore, laying aside all mystical interpretations,
I wish to understand, by the house of God, altogether a
corporeal place : that is, a place in which there is an as-
sembling together to worship God and to hear his
Word. Such as was that place in which Cain and Abel
offered their offerings and heard the Word of God : and
such as were, afterwards, the altars of all the fathers,
Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, in their different
places : until we come down to the tabernacle of Moses

208

and the temple of Solomon. For as the Word of God
never utterly failed in the world, so neither did the
worship of God. And therefore, there must have been
places in every age in which divine works were, per-
formed. For when Jacob, Gen. xxxv. was going to
build an altar unto God, and commanded them to put
away the strange gods from among them, what did he
else but preach the Word of God in the same manner as
we do now ?

Since, therefore, we find, that hypocrisy and false
doctrine reign most especially in the worship of God,
(for it always pretends to, and defiles, the best of
things,) and that true godliness and specious hypocrisy
contended with each other in the first two brothers Cain
and Abel : therefore it is, that the present Psalm strikes
at that false show of godliness in the ungodly, and at its
doctrine, which are found in that worship of God that is
performed in the morning. For what degree of sincerity
can he show forth in his dealings and works among men,
(which are things so inferior,) who acts perversely and
impiously in that first and most sublime of all works,
the worship of God ? wherein a false outside show is
the more injurious, the more specious it is, and the more
it resembles a true and really holy work. In a word,
there is nothing in the world more perilous than a false
religion, or idolatry: for this is the fountain of all evil,
though under the name of all good.

The house and temple of God, therefore, is that
place, in every age and among any number of holy men,
wherein God is worshipped. For God may truly be said
to dwell there, where he is truly worshipped ; but es-
pecially, in the general assembly of his saints. Where-
fore, one place is not called the house and temple of
God more than another, on account of the magnificence,
cost, or space, of the edifice, or on account of the mul-
titude of the people ; but, as I said, on account of the
assembling of many to pray and worship God and
hear his Word : according to that of Psalm cii. 22,
" When the people are gathered together, and the king-
doms to serve the Lord." Whence, the place is called

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the house of God on account of the people, (for that is
indeed the house of God,) and not the people on account
of the house.

But there is a powerful superstition now prevailing,
that is devoted to the building, consecrating, and pre-
serving temples of this sort throughout the whole world:
in which temples, there is not so much concern mani-
fested about the people being godly, the worship true,
and the Word of God pure, as about making the
temples themselves magnificent in riches, wealth,
splendour, pomp, superb buildings, and all such^ kind
of worldly vanity. And, to set forth the whole state of
the case after the manner of this Psalm, every thing
else, (with shame be it spoken,) seems to be attended to
in these places appointed for divine worship, but the en-
tering into them in the multitude of the mercies of God,
and the worshipping him in his fear ; and every thing is
taught in them but this, — that we ought to enter into
them in the fear of God, and worship him in truth ;
whereas, it was for these purposes only that they were
ordained. Hence it is no wonder, that they are often
riven asunder with lightning as profane houses : for
there are no places under heaven filled with greater
abuses, iniquities, and deceptions, than these which are
expressly dedicated to the most pure, yea, divine works
and duties only. For though crimes are committed in y
other houses, yet the name of God is not so polluted in
them, because that holy name is not there called upon.
For in religious houses the sin is doubly great.

Verse 8. — Lead 7ne, O Lord, iii thy righteousness:
because of mine enemies direct my way in thy sight.

The Hebrew, according to Hieronymus, is thus;
*' Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness : because of
mine enemies, make thy way straight before my face."

I have said, that from the beginning of the world,
there have been false workers and lying teachers, as
Peter also teaches us, 2 Epist. ii. ; and therefore, the
world has never been without false religion and idolatry.
These characters Peter calls, 2 Epist. ii. 14, ' beguilers

VOL. III. p

210

of unstable souk;' for there is nothing more insidious
than this iniquity of the serpent : and of this iniquity
Paul had many fears when writing to the Corinthians :
for he says, 2 Epist. xi. 3, ^' But I fear lest by any means,
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so
your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that
is in Christ."

The Hebrew word schorerai may indeed signify
" enemies," as our translation has rendered it : but it
signifies, more properly, ' one that plots evil with a ma-
licious design;' that is, by treachery; and that too,
under the appearance of doing good. These characters
the apostle calls (ppevaitarai ; that is deceivers of minds ;
as being men, who corrupt others by false opinions ;
and especially in those things which pertain unto God.
And this signification of the word most strikingly accords
with the design of this Psalm : which shows, that there
is no pestilence more to be dreaded by sincere and godly
men, than the crafty machinations of false religion and
false learning : and therefore it teaches us, that the only
way in which such machinations can be guarded against,
is by prayer. This is the serpent that always insidiously
laj^s at our heel, that it may corrupt the way of true
godliness. And hence, the word schorerai would not
be rendered improperly, ' seducers,' or ' defilers,' or
' corrupters.'

By the righteousness of God, (which we shall often
have before us hereafter,) we ought always to understand
according to its canonical signification, not that righte-
ousness whereby God himself is just, and whereby he
condemns the wicked, which is the righteousness that is
generally understood to be meant; but, as Augustine
has beautifully said in his work on the ' spirit and the
letter,' we ought to understand it as signifying that
righteousness wherewith God clothes man when he jus-
tifies him ; that is, that mercy itself, or that justifying
grace, vshereby we are accounted righteous before God :
concerning which the apostle saith, Rom. i. 17, " For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith : as it is written, The just shall live by faith."

211

And again, Rom. iii. 21, " But now the righteousriess
of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed
by the law and the prophets." And it is called the
righteousness of God, because it is by his grace freely
given unto us ; even as that is called the work of God
which he works in us, that the Word of God which he
speaks in us, and that the strength of God which he
makes perfect in our weakness, &c. As in Psalm xxxi.
1, " Dehver me in thy righteousness." And Rom. x. 3,
" For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and
going about to establish their own righteousness, have
not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of
God." And hence also, that passage of Psalm xxiv. 5,
is not improperly rendered by our translator, " He
shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and mercy
from the God of his salvation:" (though the Hebrew
has it 'righteousness' instead ' of ' mercy : ') because
the blessing of the Lord, and the righteousness of the
Lord, are the same thing : that is, they are both that
mercy and grace of God which are freely given us in
Christ.

This scriptural manner of speaking of the righteous-
ness of God, because it is different from the usual
mode of speech among men, has been made the occa-
sion of many difficulties in many places. — We are not
indeed to cast away the saying, that the righteousness
of God is that righteousness by which he is righteous.
So that, we are made righteous by the same righteous-
ness whereby God is righteous : even as, we were made
to exist by the same word whereby God spoke us into
being : and as we exist now by his existence : and as also,
his being is our being. But these things are of a nature
too high to be pursued farther upon the present occa-
sion, and are deeper than most men can enter into : and
though they are useful and necessary, yet we must
leave them for some other opportunity.

And this translation of the Hebrew by Hieronymus
is also most correct, " The way straight before my
face : " which we have rendered, " My way in thy
sight," a sense directly the contrary. But the Hebnex^

p2

212

agrees with the preceding clause, and makes it a repeti-
tion : because " thy righteousness," and " thy way,"
are nearly the same thing ; for the " way " of God is
the " righteousness " of God : in which we are to live
and walk, and not in our own way and our own righte-
ousness. This is the way of God and the way of the
righteous, which are spoken of Psalm i. 6, " For the
Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of
the ungodly shall perish." And this is what John
meant, when he said, Matt. iii. 3, " Prepare ye the way
of the Lord." And it is the way of God, when, (as he
saith he will, Leviticus xxvi. 12,) ' He walks in us : '
that is, works in us, lives in us, and speaks in us : for,
saith Christ, " It is not ye that speak," Matt. x. 20.

And yet, our translation does not wrongly or impro-
perly render this passage, " My way in thy sight:"
because, when God works in us we are rightly said to
work : though this working of ours is a being influenced
and led by, and a being passive under, the hand of an
operating God : as this verse implies, when it says,
' Lead me,' " Direct my way : " whereby it signifies,
that the man does not act of himself, but is led and
acted on of God.

Nor do these two " before my face " and " in thy
sight " militate against each other. For each expression
is peculiar to the Holy Scriptures : and they both show,
that all that we do should be done as in the sight of
God, in his presence and before his eyes : which things
are in the power neither of our OM'n will nor of our own
righteousness, but are a work and operation of divine
grace.

And this figurative expression strikes at the ungodly
and their perverseness : for they turn their faces to their
own way, and their backs unto God, and so walk on.
Thus, it is said, Leviticus xxvi. 21, ' But if ye will
walk contrary unto me : then will I also walk contrary
unto you in continual fury,' &c. These characters consi-
der and follow their own works only, and disregard the
way and works of God : as it is written Isaiah ii. 8,
" They worship the work of their own hands : that

213

which their own fingers have made." And again,
chap. V. 14, " But they regard not the work of the
Lord, nor consider the operations of his hands." And
all this, as we have said, proceeds from their hating the
way of the cross and the life of faith, (which compel
them to lay aside all that they are in themselves, and all
that they know,) and from their endeavouring in vain to
worship God according to the commandments and doc-
trines of men : as the same Isaiah saith, chap. xxix. 13,
and as we have it repeated Matt. xv. 9-

The verb " direct" or * make straight,' is of most
frequent use in the scriptures : in which is set forth the
Tightness, or uprightness, or right direction of the heart :
as in Psalm cxix. 7, " I will confess unto thee with up-
rightness of heart." And Psalm Ixxiii. 1, " How good
is the God of Israel unto those that are of an upright
heart." And again. Canticles i. 4, " The upright love
thee." Hence, the word uprightness is sometimes put
absolutely, as in Psalm xcvi. ' Thou hast prepared up-
rightnesses : ' that is, it is thou alone that makest up-
rightness : whatever uprightness of heart there is to be
found any where, the whole is thy gift. And those that \
are made thus upright, are the only persons who truly
love and please God.

And this uprightness is a sound opinion and know-
ledge of God. Contrary to which, is corruption or per-
version of heart : which latter (as we have frequently
shown) is the state of heart in the proud, " the counsel
of the ungodly," and " the wisdom of the flesh;" and
there are many other terms whereby it is set forth in'the
scriptures. And that is called an upright heart, which
seeks not M'hat is its own, but what is God's; and
which looks with a single and unaltered eye to the will
of God : on this will alone its eye is fixed in all things,
both prosperous and adverse, and it will look at and
know nothing else. — Whereas, a corrupt and perverted
heart is that which seeks its own, has its eye only on its
own advantage, and always looks two ways ; pretend-
ing that it seeks the will of God, whereas it is all the
while seeking its own profit. And this depravity and

214

persuasion lie so deeply hidden in the corruption of na-
ture, that God alone can discover it, as Jeremiah saith,
chap. xvii. 9, " The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked : who can know it ? I the Lord
search the heart, I try the reins." David, therefore,
fearing that he should be led into this depravity, prays
in this Psalm ' For the inheritances,' that the way of
the Lord may be made plain before his face : that is,
that he may perseveringiy walk, and always live, in up-
rightness of heart : which can only be where there is a
pure and full faith of heart.

This verse, therefore, is directed against the ungodly
and workers of iniquity, who, leaving the true obedience
of God, worship him by their own works ; for it op-
poses to such a manner of worship, the " righteous-
ness " of God and the " way " of God : that is, the
obedience of God. In which "• way " David desires to
be led and directed like a tractable sheep, on account
of his enemies, the deceivers, the crafty and the all-
destructive corrupters of the inheritances of God. And
all this is more especially practised by those deceivers
and destroyers in that greatest of all work^s which we
call, worship : than which no one work is more exposed
to ungodly abuses, superstitions, heresies, hypocrisy,
and vanity : for the deepest iniquity of these corruptors
is, their clothing themselves in the outside show of the
best intentions, and their puffing themselves off: so that
caution against them cannot be too earnestly inculcated.

Ver. 9. — For the?'e is ?io faithfulness in their
mouth : their heart is vain : their throat is an open
sepulchre : they act decit fully with their tongue.

This is how the clauses of the verse are divided in
the Hebrew: but we make of it two verses. Hieronymus
translates the Hebrew thus, ' For there is no faithful-
ness in their mouth : their inward parts are snares :
their mouth is an open sepulchre : they speak lightly
with their tongue.' And all this is quite correct : except
that, it is generally and more rightly considered, that the

215

Hebrew word signifies ' vanities,' and not " snares : "
but that is of no moment.

It is evident, however, that the prophet is spealving
now especially of the word of the doctrine of these cha-
racters : w hich he accuses first of lying, then of vanity,
then of destructiveness, and fourthly of deceivableness :
for they so teach this their word of doctrine, that, under
the appearanceof being good, it is incurably destructive.
• — All these accusations are plainly and manifestly just
from what has preceded.

These lying teachers, says David, are all ready to
teach : they are uU open mouthed, and full of words :
but as Paul saith, 1 Tim. i. 7, " They understand not
what they say, nor whereof they affirm : " that is, they
neither understand their own words, nor the matter of
which they are speaking. Therefore, " there is no
faithfulness in their mouth : " though they seem to say
things of all the most faithful and most true. In a
word, " As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so
do these also resist the truth," 2 Tim. iii. 8 : they dare
to contend with all, and even to persecute those whom
they are convinced know better than themselves. And
hence, we have this declaration, Job xlii. 7, " For ye
have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my
servant Job hath."

And the reason why such characters do not speak
M'hat is right, is, because they work iniquity and depra-
vity : that is, in all their doctrine they aim only at
this : — to make the man seek his own only, and to trust
in his own merits and works : or at least, they do not
take this evil out of the way, nor unteach it, nor bring
the man down to nothing, that he may become a fool, and
may acknowledge himself a sinner. Hence it comes to
pass, that, whereas God is to be worshipped in fear, to be
served in fear, to be rejoiced before with reverence, and
to have every work done before him with a trusting only
in the multitude of his mercy, these characters make
men secure and presumptuous dependers upon their
own works.

And this is what those three friends of Job did

216

throughout the whole of their contending with hiin.
They said nothing about the mercy of God, (which is
what Job above all things dwells upon and extols in the
fear of his judgments,) but dispute only about that
righteousness which praises the good and condemns the
bad. And hence, they are justly reproved of God as not
having " spoken the thing that is right." Because the
real truth is, that no one can be found righteous before
God on account of his own works, how many and
great soever they may be. On the other hand, it is cer-
tain that he who trusts in God only, is righteous, even
without works. And while he abides in that trust and
confidence, he is assured that his works please God ;
and that God views him now as neither sinning nor
having sinned ; whereas, it was for such an assertion as
this that Job's friends condemned him as a blasphemer ;
concluding, from the calamity that had befallen him,
that he had sinned and was now under the wrath
of God.

But you will say, What am I to do, when these
characters speak forth things so excellent, and so con-
sistent and true, that no reasonable argument can
disprove them? as was the case with the friends of Job:
and, in a word, when they bring forth out of the scrip-
tures the very words of God ? — I answer : David is
here speaking especially concerning those characters
who adulterate and corrupt the Word of God. And it
is the covering of the wickedness of such that he is here
laying open ; when he says, " Their inward parts are
snares," or ' vanities.' As if he had said, Their words
are plausible, and apparently holy and true : but they
are not applied to a right and true purpose, but are
made use of to produce a false understanding. Hence
Jeremiah saith, chap. v. 1, " Run ye to and fro through
the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek
in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if
there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the
truth, and I will pardon it. And though they say, The
Lord liveth : surely they swear falsely." And again,
chap, xxiii. 28, " He that hath my Word, let him

217

speak my Word faithfully." And what do all these
scriptures show and prove, but that the Word of God
may be spoken both truly and vainly ?

These characters, therefore, are faithful and true as
to all outward appearance indeed, but their inward parts
are vain, and their heart is vain. They do not savour
that in their heart, which their words outwardly teach ;
though they wish it to be supposed, that they do hold
that in their hearts which they teach with their mouths.
Thus truth is only used by them as a covering for lies and
vanity : and hence these words, " Their inward parts are
vanities," descriptively set forth the real nature of the
doctrine of hypocrites : that they pretend one thing out-
wardly, but cherish and foster another inwardly : that
they pretend to godliness, but foster ungodliness. This
is to be a minister of Satan transformed into an angel of
light, 2 Cor. xi. 14. This is the subtlety of the serpent,
saying that the knowledge of gods may be obtained
unto, Gen. iii. 5. This is the religion of angels, of which
Paul speaks, Col. ii. 18.

]Sor do they speak absurdly, who render this same
Hebrew word havoth, not ' snares ' only and * vani-
ties,' but also ' perversions ; ' because such men are in
truth perverters of the words of God ; as we have it
WTitten, Jeremiah xxiii. 36, " For ye have perverted the
words of the living God." By which perversions they
become vain in themselves, and snares in the way of the
truth and of those that seek it; according to that of
Paul, 2 Tim. iii. 13, " But evil men and seducers shall
wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."

This perversion of mind was prefigured in all the
idols of old that were either engraven or molten : and
this Moses has by no means obscurely intimated,
Exod. xxxii. where, when he is going to describe the
making of the golden calf, he says ' That Aaron, after
he had received the ear-rings of the women at their
hands, made or molted it into a calf, and fashioned it
with a graving tool: ' in which passage, the Hebrew has
' with a pen :' intimating, that it should come to pass,
that these ungodly teachers should change the words of

218

God, (which are the ear-rings of believing souls, the true
daughters of Israel, and their only ornament,) into forms
of their own, so as to make them convey their own sen-
timents : and that the people also themselves should
*' heap to themselves teachers having itching ears," and
deceitful rulers, and should be turned unto fables, as
Paul saith, 2 Tim. iv. 3. For Jeremiah, writing as it j
were a comment on Moses, says, chap. viii. 3, " Lo cer- -
tainly in vain made he it : the pen of the scribes is vain :"
and again also chap. ix. And Isaiah also, chap. xliv. |
gives us a full and particular description of the forma- '
tion of an idol. And, Ezekiel xvi., Jerusalem is accused
of having taken her ornaments of gold and silver which
the Lord had given her, and made unto herself idols
and images of men, and committed fornication wdth
them.

But however, all these things are but a mere joke, if
we compare them with what has taken place in our times;
in which, nothing is so much boasted of as the worship
of God, and the church, and the house of God : when
at the same time, there are none that less worship God
than those, who, by their numerous rites and ceremonies,
and their newly-invented works, have given themselves
up, some to the sowing of discord, others to seeking
after glory, others to hunting after gain, and all to seek-
ing their own profit and advantage. And in all these
things, they use as a pretext the Word of God; when
they teach, that we ought to pray, to do good works, and
the like. And indeed, what evil, what enormity, what
monstrous sin is not at this day committed under the
cover of the terrible name of God, of St. Peter, St. Paul,
and the church ? For (to say nothing about the rest)
some of these holy sects are religious above all others,
merely to foster mutual hatred, and to fill their own
bellies : and yet these nevertheless mutter over this and
other Psalms for the salvation of others, with a brow so
impenetrably fortified with brass, that they cannot feel
any thing of the vehement zeal with which the words of
the Psalmist inveigh against those who do thus mutter
them over.

219

Thdj^ throat is an open sepulchre.

There is no doubt, that by these words written in so
forcible a way, David wishes to shew the insatiable vo-
racity of these characters : for, not being content with
having compared their throat to a sepulchre, which is
that which devours all things, he heightens the represen-
tation, by adding the epithet " open," to shew their con-
tinual readiness to devour with insatiability.

The holy scriptures indeed have ascribed to these
characters, above all others, an insatiable avarice, and a
devouring of the people. Hence Christ saith, Luke xx.
47, ' That they devour widows houses, and for a pre-
tence make long prayers.' And Micah iii. 3, " Who
also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from
off" them ; and they break their bones, and chop them in
pieces as for the pot, and as flesh within the caiclron."
And again, directly afterwards, verse 5, " Thus saith the
Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err,
that bite them with their teeth, and cry. Peace ; and he
that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare
war against him." And again, Amos iv. 1, " Hear this
word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Sa-
maria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy,
which say to their masters. Bring, and let us eat." But
Isaiah Ivi. 10 — 12, describes them much more fully and
particularly thus ; " His watchmen are blind : they are
all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark :
sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea they are
greedy dogs, which can never have enough, and they are
shepherds which cannot understand : they all look to
their own way, every one for his gain from his quarter.
Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and will All our-
selves with strong drink : and to-morrow shall be as this
day, and much more abundant."

Since it is evident, therefore, from these things, that
such ungodly teachers do not teach the way of the Lord,
nor seek any thing else, even in the things of God, but
their own profit ; it follows, that tbjey will much more
seek their own profit in things pertaining unto this life.

220

And hence it was, that Paul with so much boldness and
confidence dared, Philip, iii. 2, to call them dogs ; saying,
" Beware of dogs : beware of evil workers : beware of
the concision." And again afterwards, verse 19, "Whose
end is destruction, whose God is their belly." And in
his epistle to Titus i. 12, he calls them, " liars, evil
beasts, slow bellies : " and in both places he is speaking
of seducing teachers.

And therefore David, detesting with a holy indigna-
tion the wickedne^ of such, exposes their lusts by a most
filthy comparison. As if he had said. For what do these
swine, by this their ungodly doctrine whereby they de-
stroy souls, but serve their own bellies, whilst by preaching
this their doctrine, they so deceive the people as to seize
upon, collect, and increase an immense store of worldly
things with unending and insatiable voracity? In a word,
he speaks of their " throat" as Paul in his epistle to
Titus did of their " belly." As if he had said, Ye are all
" throat" and nothing else; and that throat is like a!n
" open sepulchre ; " for ye devote yourselves to nothing
else but to devouring the substance of men.

And I would add to this another way, in which these
words may be understood, namely, that they are called a
*' throat," which is like an " open sepulchre," because
they lead the souls of those men by their impious word
and works into the swallowing jaws of hell : and this is
the way in which Augustine understands and treats upon
the passage, though it seems somewhat more remote from
the literal meaning; and I shall not dwell upon it my-
self here, because it is more easily explained than the
literal meaning, on account of its agreement with the suc-
ceeding and preceding context : but I entertain no pre-
judice against the judgment of another, as to the pro-
priety of the spiritual acceptation.

Since, therefore, these teachers of the people reap their
carnal things, like the Levites, (but under the most plau-
sible cover and pretext, while they sow unto them their
spiritual things, as they pretend,) there grows and in-
creases from this their dominion an avarice, and also an
ignorance of the " way " of God. And thus, instead of

221

sowing spiritual things, they sow the most impious doc-
trines, which savour only of the flesh : and because these
doctrines please the commonalty more than those which
are truly spiritual, they are easily seduced, and their
teachers in the mean time reap their carnal things, until
they have swallowed up their farms together with their
whole substance. And thus the teachers, for their un-
godly labour, obtain and enjoy the happiness of the un-
godly in this world ; while the people, for their ungodly
religion, are destroyed with a double destruction, the de-
struction of both body and soul.

Nor is it without its peculiar appropriateness, that
David compares the " throat" of these to an " open
sepulchre," rather than to any other kind of voracity ?
For why does he this ? Perhaps it is because the whole
substance and possession of those things which are ac-
quired by a wicked ministry, and under a wicked pre-
tence, is of that unhappy nature, that it returns to no
good use whatever, but is like unto dead bodies, which,
when once buried, never return to life. For David does
not say. Their throat is a coffer or chest ; so as to leave
some hope of that coming forth into use again which has
been put into it : but he says " sepulchre," from which
there is no hope of ever regaining that which has been
once put into it. And so it is at this day ; for the pos-
sessions of the church, especially the greater ones, are of
that kind, and appropriated to that use, that they are
made to serve grooms and harlots, and the most infa-
mous of mankind, and are left for that purpose by wills
and successions : so that the poor believers in Christ are
not considered worthy of them. This is well known, not
only by general report, but by actual experience. Where-
fore, to devour substance, and to communicate it to none
of the faithful in Christ, is the peculiar privilege and
characteristic of the " workers of iniquity ; " that is, the
martyrs of the devil.

And now we have, lastly, " They act deceitfully with
their tongues," or ' They speak lightly with their tongues;'
or as the Hebrew has it, ' They fawn and flatter with
their tongues.' This belongs to that which precedes ;

222

for they do not consider that their duty is, to teach such
things as shall lead the people to godliness, but to tell
such impious fables as shall please them. All their con-
cern is, not to offend the ears of the people, to the end
that they may grow fat, and increase in wealth. They
are of the number of those, whom Isaiah xxx. 10, de-
scribes as saying, " Speak unto us smooth things." And
Paul saith of them, 2 Tim. iv. 3, " That they heap unto
themselves teachers having itching ears." And Rom.
xvi. 18, " For they that are such serve not our Lord
Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words
and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." Such
therefore speak not the truth, from fear of ignoble po-
verty ; but they willingly speak those things which please
the people, from the hope of amassing wealth : and,
therefore, they become " an open sepulchre."

It is at these light, flattering, or (as our translation
has it) " deceitful " tongues, that the present verse
strikes ; for such tongues are more destructive and pes-
tilential than all the poison of asps. And the reason why
such characters act thus, is because truth is unpalatable,
and the word of the cross more rough than the camel's
hair of John the baptist ; for he that lifts up his voice in
the desert of ungodliness is not clad in soft clothing.
And therefore, a messenger of the Word of God must
be poor, or at least cannot be rich long together. And
hence arises that excuse which is so universally made at
this day, — ' That they do not teach and declare the truth,
because by their so doing the ruin of the church, and of
the rich wealth of the monasteries of Christ, would soon
follow ; and no small portion of dainties would be taken
from the throat and the belly.' Therefore, that the
" throat" may not be robbed, and that the yawning
" sepulchre " may be kept open, there must be speaking
lightly with the tongue, there must be flattering the
people, and conniving at their vices ; and, if they be of
the higher class, their vices must be called virtues : what-
ever they say or do, or leave undone, must be called un-
alterably right, and every thing that is the contrary must
be condemned as heretical and ungodly, and be perse-

223

cuted. Proceed thus, and yoUr throat will be safe, and
your belly secure ; you will not be excommunicated, nor
deprived of your benefice. And if you will speak a little
more lightly still with your tongue, and flatter a little
more brazenly, your throat will be distended, the sepul-
chre will open wider, and your belly will be made to give
more room ; you will be loaded with benefices and dona-
tions, and adorned with honours ; your sermons will be
looked upon as letters of gold, your books will be im-
mortalized, and every place on w^iich you tread will be
considered a bed of roses.

I believe it is quite clear, and manifest to every one,
that the world is at this day filled with flatterers of this
kind ; for all the religious ones have their mouths filled,
and their zeal fraught with flattery and levity of speech.
And thus is fulfilled that which Ezekiel saith, xiii. 18,
19, " Woe to them that sew pillows to all arm-holes,
and make kerchiefs upon the head of every age, to hunt
souls ! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye
take the souls alive that come unto you ? And will ye
pollute me among my people (that is, by teaching a false
opinion of me instead of the truth) for handfuls of bar-
ley, and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should
not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live,
by your lying to my people that hear your lies ?" How
beautifully applicable this scripture is, and how it illus-
trates the words of David now before us, is shown in
what immediately follows, verse 21, "I will tear your ker-
chiefs, (that is, your flattering speeches and y^priaToXoyiaiy
as the apostle calls them,) and deliver my people out of
your hand, and they shall no more be in your hand to be
hmited." And then it follows, verse 22, " Because with
lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom
I have not made sad, (for flatterers must not only teach
the ungodly false things, but must also persecute the
doctrines of the truly righteous, otherwise their throat
would be soon stopped up,) and strengthened the hands
of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked
way, by promising him life : therefore ye shall see no
more vanity, nor divine divinations, &c."

224

It is manifest, therefore, that by ' deceitful' tongue,
our translator understood flattering and fawning tongue ;
that is, a tongue that will teach the ungodly ungodly
things, and will persecute the godly for the sake of those
worldly advantages. And therefore, there is no faith-
fulness in their mouths, their inward parts are vain,
perverse, and deceitful. Such then is the meaning of
this verse.

I am inclined to be displeased with my self for having
been so diffuse and prolix, and for having used ho many
words, in my endeavour to inculcate the meaning of so
short a sentence of the Holy Spirit. But when I con-
sider, that I am not writing for the learned, the acute,
and the skilful, but for the simple and the inexperienced,
and particularly for those who are in the ministry also,
I seem to myself to have been even now too brief and
sparing ; and especially as these are some of those things
that are essentially necessary to be known, and which
have been buried throughout the world under supersti-
tions and idolatries, and have now for a long time, and
by long habit, been driven out of the hearts of men ;
which makes it, in my opinion, highly necessary that they
should be sounded forth with the continual thunder of
voices, that the sleeping man may be roused and awakened.
Let the delicate reader, therefore, either know that these
things are not written for him, or let him remember that
it is his duty to exercise patience for the benefit of the
weak and inexperienced; and let him leave me, after
the manner of the patriarch Jacob of old, Gen. xiii.
14, to follow on softly with the children, the flocks of
sheep, and the herds of oxen, as I see they shall be able
to bear it : lest, if I should outdrive them one day, all
the flock should die.

Verse 10. — Judge them, O God, let thein fall from
their own counsels ; cast them out in the multitude of
their iniquities, for they have provoked thee to anger,
O Lord.

The former part of this verse is by us annexed to the
verse preceding, but this does not at all better the sense.

225

The prophet having hitherto described and condemned
all ungodly hypocrites, and " workers of iniquity," now
prays that such may be marked out by the judgment of
God ; because they are excused, approved, and defended
by the judgment of men, and considered to be just and
true, and that their name and reputation as such cannot
be taken away from them. As if he had said with Je-
remiah, V. 30, 31, "A wonderful and horrible thing is
committed in the land ; the prophets prophesy falsely,
and the priests bear rule by their means ; and my people
love to have it so : and what will ye do in the end there-
of? " For who can resist those who are defended by the
voice of the common people, and by the great ? Yet thus
in truth are the ungodly workers of iniquity armed against
one poor preacher of the truth ! Such a preacher, there-
fore, must of necessity make many open declarations
that shall be deemed scandalous and seditious, that shall
give offence to the ears of those righteous ones, and that
shall be judged by the people to be erroneous and here-
tical. And'what can he do in the mean time ? Nothing
but this,— call upon God for his judgment, committing
his cause into his hands.

The Hebrew word, which is rendered "judge them,"
is by Hieronymus translated ' condemn them.' The
word signifies properly, that judgment by which men are
made manifest, their ungodliness being laid open to view
In which sense Paul also saith, 2 Tim. iii. 9, " But they
shall proceed no farther : for their folly shall be made
manifest unto all men, as theirs also was." It is there-
fore as if David had said, Grant that, as they have lately
been approved, loved, and boasted of by all, so their folly
may be now made manifest, and they themselves
hated, cast out, and detested by all ; that all men
may see, that they have approved of that which thou
hast condemned. For I have seen, and still do see, this
to happen to all heretics, that they first of all please men ;
but afterwards their bones are broken, (as it is said,
Psalm XXXV.) and they are confounded, because God re-
jects them. Their glorying and boasting, therefore, and
their applause and pomp, are in the m^an time to be

VOL. III. Q

226

borne with. Hence we hear Jeremiah saying, xx. 8, 9,'
" I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For
since I spake, I cried out, I cried iniquity and destruc-
tion ; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach
unto me, and a derision daily."

These words of David, therefore, do not refer to the
last judgment ; but are a prayer, that the truth may tri-
umph through the judgment of God, which such charac-
ters oppress through the judgment of men. Do thou,
O Lord, says David, rise up and judge, for men do not
judge rightly.

" Let them fall from their own thoughts." Thoughts
here is of the same signification as " counsel of the un-
godly" in Psalm i. 1, and rendered from the same
original word. Wherefore it does not mean simply
' thoughts,' but, as we fully shewed, Tsalm i., ungodly
opinions, sentiments, and ideas, and human-reason dis-
putations concerning God and divine things, and also
human inventions delivered to others as right doctrines.
Hence there is a peculiar force lying in each word, both
in " thoughts " and " own." These are their " own "
thoughts indeed, and not God's: according to that of
Isaiah Iv. 8, 9, " For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your
thoughts." And what does the prophet shew by these
words, but that the thoughts of men, how holy soever
they may appear, are but earthly, vain, and lying : ac-
cording to that of Psalm xciv. 11," The Lord knoweth
the thoughts of man that they are vain."

Hence David calls them " thoughts " by m ay of ex^
pressive force ; intimating, that they are vague, unstable
motions of the mind ; (for that is the nature of a mere
thought ;) though they consider them to be decrees more
stable and durable than the rock by the sea-shore. And
therefore it is, that the Apostle admonishes the Hebrews,
chap. xiii. 9, " Be not carried about with divers and
strange doctrines." And the Ephesians, chap. iv. 14,
he exhorts not to be " tossed to and fro by every wind

227

of doctrine." What these wandering flies of doctrine
are, is fully set forth unto us in the plague of Egypt.
And therefore, Christ said, that the doctrine of John
was not like " a reed shaken in the wind : " for the doc-
trine of our faith is a firm key-stone, a mountain, a rock
that laughs both at the winds and the waves of the whole
sea ; and it will do so for ever, because the righteousness
of God is for ever and ever.

But what means this, David's praying, that not
their thoughts only, but the persons themselves should
fall? Augustine thinks that this verse contains the words
of one prophesying, and not of one praying : or that, if
they are a prayer, they pray that these persons may fall
savingly, and be changed to sound thoughts concerning
God : and his interpretation is good and admissible.
But the figure of speech here used, still induces me to
consider the meaning to be like that of Psalm Ixxxi. 6,
*' I removed his shoulder from the burden." Because
in the world, where the powers of darkness still rule, it
is in vain for any one to try to prevent the existence of
ungodly doctrines and thoughts, for it must be that of-
fences will come. But our care is to be this, that we
turn away from such doctrines and thoughts themselves,
as being those which closely cleave unto us, and there-
fore will never fall from us of their own accord, but will
be continually rushing on us, and most obstinately as-
saulting us.

If these things be so, therefore, it appears that those
who wish have no errors and heresies left, and no im-
pieties to exist, only attempt this, — -the burning of all
heretics, and remaining in the end free heretics them-
selves. For I consider that it is a conflict, and not a
state of ease, that is intimated by the verse in question :
a conflict against the thoughts of men : for he does not
pray that the thoughts might fall from the men, but the
men from the thoughts. Because the human heart and
its own thoughts, or its own counsel, are so inseparably,
and, as it were, adulterously connected together, and
in love with each other, that to separate them nothing
less than the great and divine power and opera-

228

tion of the grace of God are required. And David
wished rather to say, " fall from " than ' turn from ;' be-
cause he wishes such persons to come down from pride
to humility ; for " thoughts " pufFup to that height, that
such men cannot acknowledge themselves sinners, nor
be humbled down to the srace of God.

But however, he that would rather understand the
passage as a prophesy, (which is the sense that I the
rather prefer,) may easily satisfy himself with the pro-
priety of such an acceptation. — That the ungodly fall
from their thoughts when their confidence in them fails,
and they cannot establish them. An example of which
we have in the building of the tower of Babel, (for
therein the attempt, the labours, the work, and the end
of all ungodly teachers are most beautifully represented,)
which, when those impious ones had begun, they were
not able to finish. And this Christ has also set forth,
Luke xiv. 28, in the parable concerning the man who
should begin to build the tower. And in the same way
also speaks Psalm xxi. 11, "They imagined a mis-
chievous device, which they are not able to perform."

Such, therefore, " fall from their thoughts," when
they perish in the execution of them, and leave a monu-
ment and example behind them, that all might see what
they imagined and attempted, and how they failed of
accomplishing their purposes. In this way it M'as that
the Arians fell, and left their memory and their thoughts
which they could not accompHsh, a subject of derision,
and a fable in the mouths of all. And it is such a judg-
ment as this that the prophet here predicts, and prays
that it might fall upon all ungodly teachers and per-
formers of " their own thoughts," that they may not be
able to accomplish that which they imagine against true
godliness. And this takes place in the execution of it
when they are judged of God, (as David says); for as
long as they are judged of men, they increase and pros-
per in their thoughts.

And why did he not simply say, " Cast them out?"
Why did he add, " in the multitude of their iniquities ? "
Moreover, the verb ' Cast out,' signifies, according to

229

the original Hebrew word, * a dispersing ;' in the samcr
way as the builders of the tower of Babel were scattered
abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, and
left otF to build the city. Gen. xi. 8. And in the same
way the blessed virgin saith, Luke i. 51, " He hath
scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.";
This scattering Samson prefigured by his foxes, Judges
XV. 4 ; and the same is represented by that scripture,
"A kingdom divided against itself is brought to desola-^
tion," Matt. xii. 25. For no heretics have ever been
conquered by force or craft, but by dissension among
themselves only ; nor did Christ contend with them in
any other way, than by sending in among them the spirit
of confusion and dissension. Such a spirit as this was
sent among the Shechemites, Judges ix. 23, and among
she builders of the tower of Babel ; and, under the New
Testament, among the Arians, Donatists, and Pelagians.
And indeed, the Jews perished by their final destruc-
tion through dissension. And hence, the holy man
Hilary, in his book upon the Trinity, glories in declaring,
' That the war of the heretics is the peace of the church : '
for upon their dissension is sure to follow their corporal
dispersion.

This is what Christ also signifies, when, in describ-
ing *' the strongman armed," who is to be despoiled of
his armour by a stronger than he, he says that his ar-
mour, in which he trusted, is to be " divided " and dis-
persed. And so also Hosea, x. 12, comparing iniquity
to a multitude, says, that they are to be dispersed by di-
vision. " Israel (saith he) is an empty vine ; he bringeth
forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of
his fruit he hath increased his altars : according to the
goodness of his land they have made goodly images.
Their heart is divided : now shall they be found faulty :
he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their
images : " which words beautifully explain the present
verse of David. For what does this increasing of altars
and multiplying of images, according to the goodness ot
their land, mean, but this, that Israel multiplied into
many states and cities, and erected unto themselves as

many altars ? As we read Jeremiah ii. 28, " For ac-
cording to the number of thy cities are thy Gods,
O Judah." Upon which division soon followed their
dispersion, while each city or division watched and
wished for the ruin of the other, that his own might
stand.

The meaning of David, therefore, is this. — * They
are ungodly in many ways ; they invent many supersti-
tions, and practise many kinds of idolatry : and they
are also divided among themselves like the sadducees
and pharisees of old, and like their imitators and fol-
lowers in our day. According, therefore, to this multi-
tude of their iniquities, do thou,- O Lord, cast them
out, that their ungodliness may be brought to nought,
by the strength of their concord being broken.'

If then these things be true, and will take place ac-
cording tb David's prayer, there appears to be a great
persecution, devastation, and scattering hanging over
the present state of the church ; which being divided
into so many sects, and the members all seeming to
fight against each other, threatens a terrible shaking
and an awful destruction : for there are not now as
many altars as there are cities only, but almost as many
as there are heads : so wholly has . brotherly love gone
to ruin : and therefore, it must of necessity follow, that
whatsoever exists Mithout that, is idolati'y : for it does
not seek that which is God's. And hence, all the spe-
cious lives and conversations of all our priests, religious
ones, and people, being destitute of, and disregarding
this love, (for such is the present state of the church,)
may be rightly called a multitude of iniquities ; and
into which we are divided and scattered more and more
daily, each one, according to Isaiah liii. 6, turning " to
his own way :" all which (as I have before observed)
was beautifully prefigured by the foxes of Samson,
Judges XV. 4, which had their faces turned from each
other, and fire-brands tied to their tails !

" For they have pro\ oked thee to anger." — This in
the Hebrew is, ' they have embittered thee.' And, as I
have observed, above all sins that are committed, this

231

makes God angry, wrath, and bitter the most, — when
men omit that which is commanded, and do a something
else which they think is better, and which is not com-
manded at al'l. This is that aven, that disobedience
itself, and that idolatry and working of iniquity. And
hence it is, that the prophet says of them, that they '' pro-
voked God to anger " and made him bitter. And other

o

prophets do the same, where they call the house ot
Israel her that makes God bitter, provokes him to
anger, irritates him, and makes him wrath, &c.

And we are particularly to observe, that the word
" iniquities" in this verse, is, in the original, a word dif-
ferent from all those which have preceded. For it is not
AVEN, nor RESCHA, but PESCHA, that we here find in
the Hebrew : which is a general noun that signifies all
transgression : as in Isaiah i. 2, "I have nourished
children, and they have despised me : " that is, they
•have sinned against me, or they have despised me by
their trangressions." And hence, Hieronymus translates
this clause " according to the multitude of their wicked-
nesses :" and what these transgressions are in their
nature and kind, he has enumerated above, where he
said, " Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in
wickedness." For David designs by all these things to
show, that these characters sinned, transgressed, and
prevaricated in many ways, and so as to provoke God
to anger, even while they thought they were pleasing
him. And hence, by saying ' the multitude of their
iniquities,' he does not only mean that they were
divided, (as we have before observed,) into many and
various sects, but also, that every separate one of those
sects, sinned in many ways; which ways we have
described under our foregoing seven heads.

Ver. 1 1.— .4^6? let all those that hope in thee rejoice :
they shall shout for joy for ever, and shall dwell therein.
And they also that love thy name shall glory in thee.

All this is one verse in the Hebrew : and Hierony-
mus translates it thus, " And let all those that hope in
thee rejoice, they shall praise for ever ; thou shalt de-

232

fend them ; and they that love thy name shall be joyfal
in thee." In which last clause, our translator has put
" shall glory " for " shall be joyful." But others again
vary wonderfully in rendering these words which contain
so many feelings and affections : so that we cannot
harmonize all their variations without going to the ori-
ginal Hebrew, the fountain head.

We here find four words put together to convey a
fulness of expression, — * To rejoice,' ' to hope,' * to
shout for joy,' and ' to glory.' But the expression
" shall dwell in them " indicates the affection of hope.
How then do they differ ? This is difficult to be investi-
gated and found out ; because these affections are of a
high and sublime nature, and can neither be taught nor
understood but by those who have experienced them.
This one thing however is certain, according to the
tenor and scope of the whole Psalm, — that David is
speaking of that joy, and quiet safety of heart, which
arise from, and stand, not in the removal of external
evils, (for that is where patience more properly reigns,)
but in the remission of sins, and impurity and good as-
surance of conscience, where hope reigns. For the
object and intent of the Psalmist is to show, in what
way men may become righteous and godly; that is, by
the mercy and through the fear of God, and not by
works of iniquity. All men seek to be glad and to re-
joice, but all do not seek rightly ; and therefore, they
find not that for which they seek.

Hence we will divide this verse into two, that it
may as it were be a repetition ; and that, " And let all
those that hope in thee rejoice: they shall shout for joy
for ever, and shall dwell therein," may be the same as,
" And they also that love thy name, shall glory in
thee." For the Psalmist seems to oppose these affec-
tions of joy to the poele aven ; that is, the " workers of
iniquity ;" or, as it is very frequently translated, ' the
workers of pain ;' because, as I have before observed,
this idolatry and outward show of works, is the labour
of fools, which afflicts them and kills them with sorrow,
and which never suffers them to know real joy of heart:

235

as they themselves say, Maiachi iii. 14, "And what
profit is it that we have walked mournfully before the
Lord of hosts?" And again, Isaiah Iviii. 3, " Where-
fore have we fasted, and thou seest not? Wherefore have
we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge?"
And the remaining part of the chapter, and also that
which follows, abundantly set forth this misery.

Dost thou desire to know then, where true joy of
heart is to be found, and in what it consists? " Let all
those that hope in thee (says David) rejoice." This truth,
therefore, remains firm, and this definition sure, — that
the heart of man cannot rejoice in works, nor in any
thing else but in a pure hope : he, therefore, that seeks
to rejoice in any other way besides this hope, will toil
much, and will find all his labour in vain at last ! For,
as it happened to the woman with a bloody issue, men-
tioned in the Gospel, that she spent all her substance
upon physicians, and only grew worse ; so it happens
unto all, who, under perturbations of conscience, run
about to this place and that, and consult now this person
and now that, now doing this and now that, and trying all
ways to obtain quietude for the heart ; but they seek not
after this hope, which alone can bring them the quiet
they are seeking. And in this soul-butchering work are
all those 'lying teachers engaged, who impiously teach
their works, satisfactions, indulgences, and pilgrimages,
and who administer their false consolations, and, by
other works of darkness like these, deceive mankind ;
the number of whom, in the present day, it is out of
ones power to recount.

CONCERNING

HOPE AND SUFFERINGS.

Since this * hope ' is so often taught throughout the
Psalms, let us here make a somewhat more extensive
and full digression than usual ; that we may consider
once for all the force and nature of this term * hope : '
for these things are very necessary to be known by
trembling, weak, and simple consciences.

234

As, therefore, impatiency, dejection, and confusion
do not, properly and primarily, proceed from the multi-
tude or magnitude of the afflictions, adversities, or evils,
of what kind soever they may be, but rather from the
feelings of the person who is alarmed at them, and who
is in an unwise way thirsting after the contrary things,
prosperity, happiness, and honour ; so, despair, spiri-
tual dejection, and the confusion of a disquieted con-
science, do not, properly and primarily, arise from the
multitude or magnitude of sins, but i^fher from the
feelings of the person who is alarmed at them, and
who is in an unwise way seeking after an abundance of
good works, and righteousness and salvation.

The Jirst part of my observation is clear : for David
here says, " Let all those that hope in thee rejoice : "
if then, he says " all" shall rejoice in the Lord who
hope in him, he does not permit us to understand that
any are excepted, not even those who are in tribulation :
nay, it is concerning such that he more particularly
speaks, when he says, that such hope in the Lord while
they are afflicted in themselves and by men. These are
the faithful in Christ: in whom, as the sufferings of
Christ abound, so do the consolations of Christ abound
also ; as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. i. 5. For they know
where and in whom they ought to rejoice and to glory ;
namely, in the Lord. And therefore, through this their
wisdom, they are not cast down, they are not con-
founded, they are not impatient ; because, they do not
aim at things prosperous, things pleasant, nor things
honourable. Hence, they pass through a tranquil me-
dium between good and evil, according as it is written,
' Nothing that happeneth to the just shall disturb him.'
And, Proverbs xxviii. 1 , it is said, " The wicked flee when
no man pursueth, but the righteous is bold as a Hon."

But, they who are ignorant and unwise, and will
not understand that rejoicing and glorying is to be in
God alone, — what else do such, but become dejected,
confounded, and impatient? and that, not because
adverse or afflicting circumstances come upon them, but
because, when these come upon them, they do not turn

235

unto God, (which proceeds from their foolish feelings,)
but look anxiously after the prosperous and pleasant
things which they have lost. Thus, they flee, but cannot
flee away nor escape, because they know not where to
flee. Hence, the whole cause of every ones sorrow, is,
the unwisely anxious search after joy and honour : for
if men were not glued to these things, adversities would
cause them no uneasiness : according to the trite pro-
verb, ' The world is ruled by opinions : and such as
each man's opinion of his condition is, such is his con-
dition.' Hence, contempt can neither profit nor injure
any one : but when it is regarded, then it profits or
hurts, and then only.

The other part also is equally certain : because,
many and great sinners have been saved. And those
very persons whom David here says rejoice in the Lord,
would say with Job, ix. 3, " We could not answer him
one of a thousand," and hereby they acknowledge both
the multitude and magnitude of their sins. Herein
God shows, that the cause of despair is not the multi-
tude or magnitude of the sins, but the wrong affection
in those who seek after good works in the time of their
trouble of conscience, in order to set them against their
sins as a counterbalance and satisfaction. For such
imagine by this their depraved opinion, that their sins
have been and can be, overcome by such works : and
therefore, not being able to find the victory, after which
they labour, and not knowing that they ought to turn
to the mercy of God, desperation of necessity follows :
for he must necessarily become impatient, who, neglect-
ing all regard of God, attempts to put good for evil
and cannot succeed : because, no works whatever can
make satisfaction for, or procure quietness from, one
sin, even though it be a venial sin.

And in this same way also, the conscience of an un-
godly man at the point of death, and drawing near to
the judgment of God, disputes with itself thus : O mi-
serable man that I am ! O if I had but now done many
good things ! O if I had but never done any evil ! If I
had but i-emained pure ! And what do these words full

236

of folly and iniquity, but most eminently prove, that this
saying of Augustine is true, * This unhappy contrariety
falls upon the ungodly man. When living he forgets
God, and when dying he forgets himself.' Hence such
an one seeks the good, and hates the evil ; and yet does
not feel that he never did so much evil, nor less sought
good, than in this very hour, when he says these things,
and acts thus unwisely ; for he proves that he does not
hope in God, but presumes upon his own works, while
he thus looks back upon his past works, and presumes :
whereas, these are not things upon which he has any
right to presume after all. And if he imagines that he
can hope in God on account of his works, (in which case
he dreams that he shall hope in God more confidently
and more joyfully, if he can but see before him a plenty
of good works,) it is plainly manifest, that he hopes more
in his own works than in God : than which, nothing is
more horrible or more impious !

Whereas, the righteous, even though they sin, despair
not. Because, as among temporal evils, that is, the suf-
ferings of this life, good things are intermingled : so it is
also with respect to spiritual evils, that is, sins ; for spi-
ritual good things are intermingled with them also. These
righteous, therefore, neither presume upon spiritual
blessings when they live in the enjoyment of them, nor
despair when they sin : for they know, that they ought nei-
ther to be elated by the one, nor cast down by the other;
because they feel, that the one state proceeds from God's
gifts being bestowed upon them, and the other from their
being taken away : and whichsoever of these takes place,
they still remain cleaving close to the giver himself. And
this is what is said. Pro v. xxiv. 16, " For a just man
falleth seven times, and riseth up again : but the M'icked
fall into mischief: " that is, they rise not again, but fall
into despair. If thou hopest, and canst hope, only when
thou doest good, thou wilt certainly despair when thou
doest evil. Take heed, therefore, lest that of Psalm xlix.
1 8, " He will praise thee when thou doest well unto him :"
and that of Luke viii. 13, " And in time of temptation
fall away," be applicable unto thee : take heed that

237

thou add not iniquity unto iniquity, and blasphemy
unto disobedience.

Hence, it is with dread to be feared, lest a twofold
evil should fall on these ungodly : that is, lest first, when
they find all things going on prosperously and gloriously
with them, they should imagine they are rejoicing and
glorying in God, when in truth they are not trusting in
God, but in his gifts, that is, in their prosperity ; as
temptation will in the end prove. And next, lest, when
they are looked upon by all as living a holy and reli-
gious life, (especially in this our most perilous day, which
is so much devoted to the observance of the outward
show and bug-bears of works,) they should imagine that
they are hoping most firmly in God, when they are all
the while ignorantly hoping in their own sanctity : as
the hour of death will prove. For when such are draw-
ing near to judgment, and are dying in full confidence
under a self-persuasion of their good life, which is the
ground of their confidence in God, (the destruction of all
good hope,) it will happen unto them just as it does with
a man who sets his foot upon a log of wood swimming in
the sea — the log slips aside, and he is suddenly lost in
the deep: or, as Isaiah saith of them, xxx. 13, "There-
fore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall,
sweUing out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh sud-
denly at an instant."

As, therefore, that patience which is exercised in
prosperity is no patience at all ; so the hope that is ex-
ercised in merits is no hope at all. And, as it is possible
and easy to have patience in prosperity ; so it is possible
and easy to exercise hope on merits. And in each case
there is eminent peril. In the former, lest the man should
become proud and secure ; in the latter, lest, being puffed
up with his own righteousness, he should disregard the
fear of God, (in which fear the exercise of true hope lies.)
For the nature of patience is to be exercised only in ad-
versity, and that of hope to be exercised only under sin.
Not, however, that we should sin, in order that we may
be in a state to hope ! No, God forbid ! We have sins
enough already, both of those which we have committed

238

ourselves, and of those in which we were born, (for all
our own good works are but sins before God,) to make
us fit subjects for the exercise of hope.

Is God cruel, then, who condemns all our works and
performances ? No. But his mercy is unspeakable in
his condescending to communicate himself unto us, and
to take away all our own confidence from us, which
is the only thing that opposes his mercy. He has given
a law, in and bv which he has included " all under
sin, that he might have mercy upon all," Rom. xi. 32.
For where there is no law there is no sin ; where there is
no sin there is no mercy; where there is no mercy there
is no salvation ; and where there is no salvation there is
no God. Hence, the strength of sin is the law ; the
strength of the law is mercy ; the strength of mercy is
hope ; the strength of hope is salvation ; and the strength
of salvation is God through Jesus Christ our Lord : for
he " is the God of salvation, and to him belong the
issues from death," Psalm Ixviii. For the law works
sin in us ; mercy works (that is fulfils) the law ; hope
works mercy ; salvation works hope ; and God works
salvation : and all is in Christ. Hence, salvation de-
scends from God through Christ unto sin, and we ascend
from sin through Christ unto God.

From this it follows, that as, in temporals, good
things are given unto us of God, that we may by them
be led the more to worship him, hope in him, and love
him, (whereas, from the depravity of our nature, we
worship, hope in, and love him less in the time of pros-
perity than in the time of adversity ; nay, in the latter
we worship, hope in, and love him, more than in the
former ;) so, in spiritual things, the blessings and merits
of grace are given unto us of God, that by them we may
be led the more fully to hope in him : whereas behold,
by the depravity of our nature, we presume upon these
freely granted blessings, and exercise under them the
least hope of all, and are more easily brought to hope in
him under sin. Hence it seemed good to the divine
goodness, and necessary, to raise the cross, and by the
preaching of it to save fools and sinners that believe, and

239

to reprobate the self-wise and saints : as the Apostle
saith, 1 Cor. i. " But we preach Christ crucified, to the
Greeks (that is to the wise) foolishness, and to the Jews
(that is the saints) a stumbling-block ; but them that are
called, both Jews and Greeks, (that is sinners and fools,)
Christ the power of God and wisdom of God : " and so
on as it follows in the chapter.

Wherefore, as it is most perilous for a man to be left
always in prosperity, because in such a state he never or
very rarely learns to love God ; so it is more perilous
still for a man to be left in much spiritual prosperity all
his life long, for he will scarcely ever learn to hope in
God. And hence it comes to pass, that w^hen God
begins in mercy to visit such, they not only fall into per-
turbation of conscience, but, (if they happen to be of a
more incorrigible nature than usual,) they will sometimes
even fall into the open act of sin; that is, into fornication
or something of that kind : — In such a way does God
think fit to deal with them : leading them, as it were, to
his mercy in a way that is contrary to mercy : and per-
mitting them to fall into sin in order to deliver them
from sin.

But however, these things are higher than many can
enter into and understand : and perhaps they may say,
by way of objection. Well then ! we had better sin only,
and lay aside doing good altogether ! Or, as the Apostle
says, in stating the objections that such will make,
" Let us do evil that good may come." For when we
speak as I am now speaking, we seem to many to be
opening the door to sin and shutting it against good
works, unto the injury of salvation. We will therefore
give to such this answer: — Good works are not only not
prohibited, but are greatly commended by these words ;
and sin, is by the most effectual discipline taken out of
the way ; while they teach, that these good works are to
proceed from within, and that sin is to be destroyed
within. For it is that depraved affection, the head of the
old serpent, which is so secretly and subtlely carnal, and
which trusts in these works, and most obstinately resists
that hope which rests in the mercy of God only, that is

240

to be bruised, plucked out, and destroyed. And we are
to understand, that even if our mind has not been spent
well, we are not to despair ; and that, on the contrary,
we are not therefore to hope, because it has been spent
well : the former of which is very difficult to be put
into practice, though the latter is much more difficult
still: because, in the former, we fight only against sins;
but in the latter, against good works and sins both ; that
is, against that feeling of presumption which always ac-
companies good works.

And moreover, when I say that patience cannot
have existence in prosperity, — do I therefore condemn
possessions, power, peace, the happiness of life, &c.
which are things without which we cannot live, and
which are good creatures of the best of all beings ? By
no means ! I only condemn the state of our minds
under the enjoyment of them. And in the same way,
these things are elsewhere compelled to be called by a
name descriptive of them; as in Ecclesiastes they are
called " vanity ; " and by Christ in the Gospel " thorns ; "
not from any evil that there is in the creatures them-
selves, but from the vanity of men ; under which vanity,
as the Apostle saith, Rom. viii. 20, ' They groan being '
made subject, not willingly, but by reason of him who
hath subjected the same in hope.'

And hence also these best works of the ungodly
(which are themselves gifts of God, and by which others
are often benefited while the ungodly themselves are
destroyed by them) are called aven ; that is, iniquity,
idolatry, and disobedience ; not on account of the evil
in the works themselves, but on account of the evil and
contagious depravity in those that perform them. And
of these things Moses speaks thus, Deut. xxviii. 30,
with the veil upon his face, " Thou shalt betroth a wife,
and another shall lie with her : thou shalt build a house,
and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a
vineyard, and shall not gather the grapes thereof: " and
many other things he says in the same verse : wherein
he foretels the labours that such shall endure, but of
which others shall reap the fruit : for what else does

241 •♦

Moses here say, than that such do good works, but that
those works only end in their own punishment, and the
benefit of others ?

By which things, this argument which many adduce
by way of objection, is answered and done away with. —
They ask. How a work done Avithout grace can be sin ?
such as, giving of ahns, helping a needy person, and the
like ? — As if Christ did not know, that to prophesy, to
do wonderful things in his name, and to hear his Word,
were good works ! And yet he says, that he will con-
demn all such works as iniquities, and will say to the
performers of them, " Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity." - And so also, when a harlot is adorned with
gold and jewels, it of necessity follows, that it is she that
sins, and not the good creatures that she wears. There-
fore, the ungodly may do good to profit others, but not
to benefit themselves. For it is rather God that works
by them in these works, who worketh all things in all. ,

All these things are proved by this ail-firmly con-
clusive argument, — According to the opinion of all,
hope is a spiritual and powerful principle, which, in its
acting, has God for its object, as we term it, (and God
is goodness,) and that mercy which is promised unto us.
Wherefore, if a person hope in any thing else but
that promised mercy, (that is, in God,) he does not
hope, but presumes, and misses hope altogether. The
same also does he who hopes in God and his own
merits together. For, as God cannot be loved together
with another, (as Augustine says,) for then he is not
loved above all things ; so, neither can he be hoped in
together with any other, because then he is not hoped
in above all things. These three things, therefore, are
of a divine nature, — there is a divine object, a divine
subject, and a divine agent: wherein are contained, the
work, the manner, and the act. Here are the bridegroom
and the bride, and all the secrets of the marriage-bed —
the bridegroom alone with the bride alone. All other
works are carried on by the daughters of Jerusalem and
by the companions — all others halt between tAvo opi-
nions, worshipping their Baal and God together !

VOL. III. R

Moreover, these things are farther proved by this. —
* Hope acts upon things which are not seen : ' as does
faith also : as the Apostle saith, Rom. viii. 24, " But
hope that is seen is not hope : for what a man seeth
why doth he yet hope for ? " And so, if a man beheve in
that which he seeth, why doth he yet beheve ? And so
also, if these men hope in,, believe, and love what they
see, what do they hope and believe in ? In nothing, but
a carnal bugbear, — in a something far beneath God ;
that is, not in a reality, but in a deceptive hobgoblin of
appearance. Such hope in, see, hold, possess, and feel
their own works, and in them they trust, but not in the
invisible, untangible, incomprehensible promisor, who is
heard, and who reveals himself in his Word only !
These things are too high, too difficult, too hard for our
flesh, because they are the death of it.

Hence, all those things which are said in the Song
of Solomon concerning the bridegroom and the spouse,
in a lascivious manner, as it were, and according to the
carnal love of men ; and also all those things w^hich are
there represented as transacted between the male and
female sex; — all these things have a signification di-
rectly the contrary to those pleasures : for they represent
the most perfect works of faith, hope, and love ; that is,
they show such works to be as strong as death and
hell : as it is there written. Song viii. 6, " For love is
strong as death ; jealously is cruel as the grave." And
again, ver. 7, " Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can the floods drown it. If a man would give
all the substance of his house for love, it would be ut-
terly contemned : " which things can by no means be
understood concerning the flame of lust.

Many men have vamped up and fabled forth many
things about mystical, negative, proper, and symbolical
theology ; " not knowing what they say, nor whereof
they affirm;" for they know not what either negative or
affirmative theology is, nor the relative nature of
either. Nor can the commentaries of such men be read
without peril : because such as the men are themselves,
such are their writings; as they felt, so they spoke.

243

They felt every thing the contrary to negative theology :
that is, they never knew nor ever felt death and hell,
nor loved such experience : and therefore, it is impossi-
ble but that they should deceive themselves and their
readers.

I wished to say these things by way of admonition, V
because the commentaries of Dionysius upon mystical
theology are every where handed abroad both from
Italy and from Germany : which are mere " opposi-
tions of science," vaunting and puffing off itself. Let no
one therefore consider himself to be a theologian in
mysteries because he has read, understood, and taught
these things ; or rather, because he imagines that he has
understood and taught them. For a man becomes a
theologian by living, or rather, by experience, death,
and condemnation : not by mere understanding, read-
ing, and speculation.

And again, they may bring forward, by way of objec-
tion to what I have said, that of Paul, Rom. v. 34, " Tri-
bulation worketh patience, and patience probation, and
probation hope : and hope maketh not ashamed." —
' Here (say they) the Apostle seems to place hope
among merits.' And thus, they will make the great
master of all doctrines to give this definition of hope in
unison with the opinions of the whole multitude of
theologians : — ' That hope is a certain expectation of a
reward springing out of merits.' For such have no other
hope but that which proceeds from merits. From which
opinions, what else can follow, but the ruin of all /
theology, and the ignorance and oblivion of Christ and
his cross !

But what will such say when we bring before them
their own confessions, — ' that faith, hope, and love are
infused virtues, and the principles of all good things ? '
Hence they themselves declare that merits cannot take
place before love. And they moreover constantly assert,
' that hope and faith are infused together with love.'
According to their own assertions, therefore, it is cer-
tain, that hope does not proceed from merits, but merits
from hope. And yet, when they define hope, they con-

R Q

244

trovert this assertion and contradict themselves, making
hope to proceed from merits.

And then, what will they say to the Apostle, when
he makes patience to be the work of tribulation ? But
who can endure any thing of tribulation without hope ?
For the man that is in despair will never come to any
patience, nor to any probation, nor to any glorying in
tribulation, by tribulation, but, on the contrary, will
only become worse and worse by it : as Christ teaches
us in his discourse concerning the house built upon the
sand, the fall of which was great when the winds blew
and the floods came : and as we are also taught by his
parable of the seed, which, when sown, fell upon a rock,
and which soon sprung up, but was scorched up by the
sun : which parables, represent those who in time of
temptation fall away. Hence, there must be hope in the
beginning of tribulation, in order to its working patience.
But further; only reason upon this definition,^ — ■
' Hope proceeds alone from merit : ' therefore, no
sinner can ever hope but the righteous only ! If this ar-
gument stand good, who will be converted to repent-
ance ? And M'ho will be righteous, if no sinner repent ?
And how will any one repent, without hoping in the
mercy of God ? — Are we then to say to a dying sinner,
* Thou hope ! far be it from thee to attempt to hope.
Thou hast no merits from which thou canst possibly de-
rive any hope?' This would not be acting the theologian,
but acting the devil. For the voice of the devil is
always this — ' Do not thou presume to hope, for thou
hast no merits ! ' Whereas the point of death is the
greatest, the most important, and the best place and cir-
cumstance in which hope can act, and death itself is
most especially adapted to work together for the exercise
of hope. Such a definition of hope, therefore, is most
false : and I would rather confess that I did not under-
stand one word of the Apostle, than admit, that such a
definition of hope could be drawn from him.

I will, therefore, in my mad way (as they say of me)
show how I understand these matters.- — First of all,
then, it is certain that grace, that is, faith, hope, and

245

love, are not infused (or communicated) without sin
being also infused (or felt) at the same time : that is, the
sinner is not justified, unless he be first condemned; he
is not made alive, unless he be first killed ; he ascendeth
not into heaven, unless he first descend into hell; as the
whole scripture plainly shows. Wherefore, the infusion
of grace must of necessity be attended with bitterness,
tribulation, and suftering; under which the old man
groans, not being able to bear his casting out with any
kind of patience. But if under this tribulation the man
be patient, and wait for the hand of him that is working
in him and infusing grace (or communicating) unto
him, he is thereby proved, and he shall find hope, faith,
and love, which, under such an experience are infused.
And this takes place as often as things turn out contrary
to our will, and the effects are the greater, the more
contrary those things are.

This, I say, is the way in which grace is infused (or
communicated,) not only at first, but also at every after
communication. For the old man is always the more
and more expelled, as grace more and more enters in,
even unto death : according to that of Revelations xxii.
11, "He that is righteous let him be righteous still, and
he that is holy let him be holy still." And that of John
i. 16, " Grace for grace." And also according to that
of Paul, Rom. i. 17, ' The righteousness of God is re-
vealed from faith to faith.' And again, 2 Cor. iii. 18,
' We are changed from glory to glory.' And also,
Psalm Ixxxiv. 7, " They go from strength to strength."
And in the same way we may rightly be said to go on
from hope to hope.

It is quite manifest, therefore, that the Apostle is
not speaking so much of the hope itself which is obtained,
as of the certain assurance of heart under that hope ;
while the man, after the tribulation and infusion or
communication of hope (for under the tribulation he ap-
pears to himself to have no hope at all) feds that he
hopes, believes, and loves : for he then tastes how sweet
the Lord is ; and begins to hunger and thirst after more
suffering, that the tribulation may work in him a greater

degree of hope. — Hence, it is necessary that there be
faith, hope, and love, in the beginning of every good
work and suffering : but it is after the work and suffer-
ing that the hope, which lay hidden, is made manifest : and
it is then that the persons are approved and manifested.
In this way it was that Job and Abraham were tried,
that they might be made manifest and knoMn to them-
selves, and might be assured that they believed in,
hoped in, and loved God. Hence it was said to
Abraham, " Now know I that thou fearest God ;" that
is, now have I made thee to know, &c. ; as Augustine
expounds it. For it is necessary, not only that a man
believe, hope, and love ; but also, that he be certain
that he believes, hopes, and loves. The former takes
place in the hidden circumstances of the storm; the
latter after the storm is over. Thus, Peter exhorts us to
" give all deligence to make our calling and election
sure." For it is one thing for a man to be, or to be
made, good, and another for him to know that he is so
made. Just in the same way as a " bloody and deceit-
ful man," when he is irritated, becomes manifest, and is
found to be a bloody and deceitful man : whereas
before, he seemed to others, and also to himself, to be
of a very sweet disposition, and a simple character.
And it is in the same manner also that the cross operates
in those who endure it and are proved by it, even unto
the end, until they arrive at solid hope : (that is, the
hope begins, increases, and goes on, and makes the
man's knowledge of the goodness of his state sure and
certain.) But in those who do not endure it, and are not
proved by it, but found reprobate, — in such it works the
most impotent despair from the very beginning. Hence
Taulerus, a. man of God, said, (as ail who experience the
same thing say also,) that God is never more pleasing,
more lovely, nor more sweet to his children, than after
their probation under tribulation.

This is the hope that the Apostle says is wrought by
" probation." And as children of the flesh love their na-
tural father more sweetly after the correction of the rod
by which they have been beaten ; so the bridegroom

247

Christ visits his bride after his embraces with a pleasure
which is contrary to the flesh: which embraces are
themselves death and hell to the flesh. Herein does
that great sacrament, " And they twain (Christ and the
church) shall be one flesh," rule and reign : which is in-
deed a great sacrament. It is most hard to be borne in
its operation, but it produces the sweetest fruits, bring-
ing forth an offspring most like unto God, and works
that are blameless. For it is thus that the vine is
purged, that it may bring forth more fruit. — If, then, it ^
be true of every degree of hope, that it is wrought by /
" probation," how much more is the Apostle to be under-
stood as having spoken and thought in the same way
also of -perfect hope, which proceeds from many and
diff'erent tribulations?

Let us now then look farther into the words of the
Apostle. — He calls hope the work of probation, proba-
tion the work of patience, and patience the work of tri-
bulation.— But that great master of doctrines says too
much if he calls those ' merits ' from which hope pro-
ceeds : at least, the persons who so understand him, do
not comprehend what he means by those ' merits.' For,
most certainly that active life in which many too rashly
confide, and which they generally understand to be sig-
nified by the term merits, does not produce or work
merits, but presumption ; just as, knowledge puffeth up.
Therefore, we must call in another kind of life to be un-
derstood as here signifying merits : namely, that passive
life which mortifies and destroys all this active Hfe, so
that nothing of the merits of the latter remain in which
the proud person may glory. And where this takes place,
if the man persevere, there is hope wrought in him ; that
is, he learns, that there is nothing in which he can
rejoice, hope, or glory, but God. For tribulation, as it y
takes away all things from us, leaves nothing but God
only : it cannot take away God, but rather brings him '^
nearer unto us. And if, when all our own things are
taken away, even our works and our merits, — if, I say,
we here endure and stand, we find God, in whom alone
we trust : and thus, " we are saved by hope."

248

Wherefore, though those holy work-mongers say
they trust in God with all their confidence, yet, when
their active life (which is all their dependence) begins
to be tried, either with contempt in the sight of men,
or with trouble of conscience before God, they all
give way and fall ; and thereby show, that they trusted
more in their own life, than they hoped in the mercy of
God. There is no active life which can suffice before
God, nay, nor which can so suffice before men as to be
satisfactorily pleasing to all unto the end. Hence David
saith. Psalm cxlv. 2, " Enter not into judgment with
thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be jus-

\ tified." It is the passive life only that is most pure ; and
therefore, it is only that which works hope and glory.
And in this matter, we ought to be conformed to the
example of Christ our King and Captain, who began
indeed with the active life, but finished with suffering ;
all his works, though so great, so many, and so wonder-
ful, being so accounted nought, (that is, in the sight of
men, as our own works should be in our own sight,)
that he was not only numbered by men among the
wicked, but was thought to be deserted of God.

All things, therefore, are to be so taken from us,
that not even the best gifts of God, that is, the merits
above-mentioned themselves, shall be left, in which we
may trust : so that there may be an all-pure hope in an
all-pure God : and then, the man is truly pure and
holy. This matter is attended with various tribulations,
and with many pains : but the greatest pains are, when
we begin to approach towards the perfection of hope :
that is, to the being stripped of all our good works, and

\ of our trust in our good life. For in the loss of all other
things, such as property, health, and honour, it is not
so much hope that is exercised, as it is patience that is
contending against impatience and the natural man ;
under which, the man is so exercised and instructed, that
he learns patiently to despise his present troubles, as being
those which he will never have to endure again. But in
these storms of conscience, and in these ruins of merits,
hope itself fights against desperation, and oftentimes

^49

against itself; nay, even against God; whom hope
feels to be angry with her, because she has no merits
whatever ; and though she cannot endure being with-
out these merits, yet she is forced to be without
them ; which so miserably crucifies the spirit of the
man, that it makes him almost able, hke Christ, to tell
all his bones.

So that, any one may rightly call hope, spiritual
patience, or patience in enduring accusations : as, on
the contrary, patience may be called spiritual hope, or
hope in enduring punishments. For what is it to be
tried and tempted in the conscience, and with despair,
but to feel that our sins are unpardonable, that God
will not be merciful to us, and that all our works are
nought? And yet, if the man persevere and hope
against hope, he shall be found proved and approved :
and being by this tribulation stripped of all his merits,
he shall be furnished with hope, and be crowned with an
incorruptible crown that shall not fade for ever and
ever. For God is not really angry, nor is it his will to
refuse pardon to such an one's sins, he only tries him, to
see whether he will hope in his mercy, rather than in his
OM'n works.

Whereas, our self-justifiers who are filled and
crammed with the merits of their active life, dread
nothing so much as having this cross laid upon their
merits; being deceived in the words of our great Apostle,
where he says, that hope proceeds from merits ; which
they understood to be good works. But the Apostle
calls them " tribulations : " that is, mortifications and
crucifixions of the fiesh. — Behold, therefore, how far
we are gone away from the true knowledge of hope, by
misunderstanding one word of the Apostle ; and this
error has produced an infinite number of conscience-
murders, and perhaps eternal damnations. For while
such have tried to find hope and peace by works, tribu-
lation either of conscience or of body, (which are the
true workers of hope,) opposed them in their attempt;
and they, not knowing what that tribulation was, and
rejecting it, did not find the hope and peace they wanted,

-- . 250

and therefore despaired. And no wonder; for they
sought hope in that way which leads to presumption ;
and being hindered, or, as Hosea saith, chap. ii. 6,
finding ' their way hedged up with thorns,' and not un-
derstanding this hinderance, they fell away.

Hence it is that we have, at this day, that ihultitude
of poor, weak, fearful, and scrupulous consciences, who
are unstable in all their ways. — Thou art not, poor soul,
thus tried with despair or wringings of conscience, that
thou shouldst be driven to run to a trusting in thy
works, but on the contrary, that thou mayest be called
off from those works. This is a most spiritual conflict,
though it be most bitter, and it is between thee alone
and God alone : where hope alone can support thee, by
waiting and expecting, committing its whole cause unto
God, and overcoming God against God : as Jacob did,
Gen. xxxii. 24, &c. : where it is recorded of him, that
he, being alone, wrestled with God and prevailed against
him, and therefore received the blessing from him in
that same place : but the name of him who blessed
him it M^as not lawful to know : so he called the name
of the place Penuel, saying, " For I have seen God
face to face, and my soul is preserved." — And if any one
be permitted to go on prosperously in the way of pre-
sumption, and to increase in his works, without this
temptation, what will he come to ? Perhaps he will not
run into despair, but despair will come into him ; be-
cause he knoweth not God, nor has learnt how wonder-
ful he is in these his counsels and workings.

And now we shall be enabled to see the contents
and weight of that famous saying of Cicero, which is so
much admired, ' The consciousness of a well-spent life,
is a most sweet reflection.'^ — True ! But, the more
sweet such a reflection is, the more destructive. This
sentiment does not at all savour of the Christian : for, to
a Christian, the consciousness of a life that has well suf-
fered, (that is, which has been reduced to nothing,) is
most sweet : for, " He that glorieth let him glory in the
Lord." Job did not speak like Cicero : for though he
said, chap, xxvii. 6, " My heart shall not reproach me

251

so long as T live," yet, he did not dare to glory, but
prayed that God would not enter into judgment with
him. Nor did Paul speak like him, when he said,
1 Cor. iv. " For I am conscious of nothing to myself
(efxavTa) avvoi^a) ; yet am I not hereby justified." Nor
Jeremiah ix. 23, 24, " Let not the wise man glory
in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his
might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let
him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth
and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercise
lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the
earth : for in these things I delight, saith the Lord."

Therefore, we are not to believe in, hope in, cleave
to, or glory in, any gifts of God, lest we should commit
fornication with them, (as it is often said in the
prophets,) but in God himself the giver, and in him only.
And this is what is meant Psalm cxvi. 11, "I said in
my excess. All men are liars." Now this " excess " was
tribulation ; by which we are instructed to know how
vain and lying every man is who hopes not in God only.
For man is man until he is made like unto God, who
alone is true ; by partaking of whose truth, man be-
comes true also ; which he does, by cleaving unto God
in true faith and hope, being reduced to nothing in
himself. For to what can the man come, who hopes in
God, but to nothing in himself.'* And where can the
man go to, who is brought to nothing, but unto him
from whom he came? He came from God, and from
nothing: and therefore, he who returns to nothing,
returns unto God. He that falls out of himself, and of
all creatures, cannot fall out of the hand of God also :
for the hand of God upholds all things: he holdeth (as
Isaiah saithj the world in his hand. If, therefore, thou
fall through the whole world, where canst thou fall but
into the hand and bosom of God ? Thus, the souls of
the righteous are in the hand of God, because their
safety is out of the world. They seem in the eyes of the
foolish to fall utterly and perish, in the same manner as
they see a stone go through the air or the water : but the
stone, remember, does not fall through the earth also !

252

But, as to those workmen and self-justifiers, who,
being deluded by their own opinions, seek only, by all
their works and righteousnesses, to increase and be-
come fat and great, and who by no means wish to come
to this nothing, but to become something great ; — to
what think ye such m ill come ? Why, they too will be
made to fall back into their nothing : not, however, to
be brought into the hand of God, but to fall utterly and
perish everlastingly.

But I know very well, how many things are brought
forward out of the Holy Scriptures, and out of the say-
ings of the fathers and the lives of the saints, in opposi-
tion to these things. But I also well know, how peril-
ously all those things are understood, if they be not
brought down to the rule and standard now before us ;
for they all make to this same point. I will, however,
for example's sake, produce one of these. — We read,
upon the authority of Hieronymus, that Hilary said to
his soul, while he was fearing to die, ' Leave this body,
O my soul ; what fearest thou ? Thou hast now served
Christ for these ninety-three years ; and dost thou fear
to die .'' ' — If, therefore, he be understood to have spoken
as the words imply, that is, if he thus trusted in the
works of his life ; we must conclude, that he went
to hell, and not to heaven.

But why do they not look into those far different
words of St. Agathon ? who, when he had been looking
up to heaven with steady and unaltered eyes for three
days together, and was asked by his disciples, why he
feared, and why he did not trust in his well-spent life,
answered, ' I do fear in reality. I know, indeed, that I
have kept the commandments of God, as well as I
could : but the judgment of God and the judgment of
men are very different from each other.' But however,
the fear of Hilary proves the same thing. For if he had
found his works sufficient, he would not have been
filled with fear. He was forced, therefore, to seek some
other anchor for his confidence and trust, and to set
before himself the mercy of God, from the remembrance
of his past benefits and mercies toward him. For it is

Q53

no slow motive to, and excitement of, hope, to call to
mind the past or present benefits of God which have
been bestowed, or are now bestowed, upon us : nay it is
a ray of the countenance of God shining upon us, and a
good sign in our favour, and very encouraging to faith
and hope. Thus, the children of Israel were commanded
to remember the works of the Lord, and his bringing
them out of Egypt; that their mouths being thus
stopped and filled with the praise of God, they might
not perish ; as Isaiah saith.

But you will ask, perhaps. Are there then no merits
at all? Why are we enjoined by so many precepts both
of Christ and his apostles to do good works, to sow our
seed, to build gold, silver, jewels, &c. ? — I answer : this
is what I said before ; that most men are deceived by
misunderstandinsj uood works. Good works are cer-
tainly to be done, and the tree of the spirit ought to
bring forth those fruits which are described Gal. v. 22,
23. But men do not understand those words of Christ,
John xii. 24, " Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except a
corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone : but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." And
those words John xv. 2, " Every branch in me that
beareth fruit, he purgeth it that it may bring forth more
fruit." For this mortification and purgation (which
take place by the infusion of faith, hope, and love,)
strips a man of all his own works, that he may learn to
trust in God only, and to do good works ; not that they
may be merits to him, for which he may seek and expect
his reward ; but he does them gratuitously, with a
free mind, and with a mind ready and willing to please-
God ; not trusting at all in them himself, but doing'
them to promote the glory of God : as Christ saith
Matt. v. 16, " Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven." — They who do good works in this
way, do them not for themselves, but for God, as instru-
ments to his glory. They arrogate nothing to themselves
in doing them, being satisfied with God only in whom
they hope. And those who do not their works in this

354

way, and for these ends, are only apes of the true
saipts.

^ / Hence it of necessity follows, that the hfe of all
saints is a superstition, unless they have learnt thus to
glorify their heavenly Father by their works. Rightly is
it said, therefore, Psalm xxv. 10, " All the paths of
Vthe Lord are mercy and truth : " that is, then are truly
good works done, when God alone only and totally
does thetn in and by us, so that no part of the work
whatever pertains unto us. — Wherefore, let this be thy
standard rule. Wherever the Holy Scriptures command
good works to be done, do thou understand it thus ; —
that it forbids thee to do any good work of thyself, be-
cause thou canst not do it ; but to keep an holy Sabbath
unto God ; that is, a rest from all thy works ; and that
thou become dead and buried, and permit God to work
in thee. And unto this thou wilt never attain, but by
faith, hope, and love : that is, by a total mortification
of thyself and all thy own works.

Therefore, there are merits, and yet no merits, in us.
There are merits, because the gifts of God and his own
works, are merits. And yet, there are no merits,
because we cannot any more presume upon them, than
any sinner can who knows nothing at all about them,
and in whom God has not yet wrought any thing.
Thus, we all are, all have been, and shall all ever
remain, upon an equal footing before Cod ; so that the
glorying of one over another must for ever perish : ac-
cording to that of 1 Cor. iv. 7, " For who maketh thee
to differ from another ? and what hast thou that thou
-didst not receive ? now if thou didst receive it, why dost
'^ thou glorv as if thou hadst not received it?" Mark the
words ! He who is puffed up with, and boasts of, the
gifts of God, does the same as if he were to say that he
had received nothing ! Where then is difference to be
found ? No where. As the Apostle here saith, " Who
maketh thee to difler ? " Who has declared that thou
art better than others ? As if he had answered. No one.

From all these things, then, weigh and consider the
all-equal judgment and justice of God, and how he

^55

would have held up to contempt all that external bug-
bear and outward show of life and works. Because in
his eyes, the just and the unjust are alike as to the merits
of their works. For he has ordained this law for all that
live in this mortal life : — that they should be made to
know, that, as the righteous have no cause or ground \J
for presuming, so, sinners have no cause or ground for
despairing. And he has given to each the same law for
their hoping in him : which law alone it is that rnakes
the distinction between the righteous and the wicked,
and between those that despair in themselves, and those
that presume. Hence Psalm cxix. 75, David sings
rightly, " I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right,
and that thou in truth hast afflicted me." Behold, before
the face of the truth of God, David is nothing ; and in
the judgment of a just and righteous God, he is as the
greatest novice, the greatest sinner of all sinners. And
this is the end of the law of faith, hope, and love, — to
make us all the greatest, and least instructed, of all sin-
ners ; that is, to make us all equal ; and yet, to work
thereby the most unequal and the most strange things.
Truly God is wonderful in his saints !

We are all therefore, by the commandment of God,
enjoined to hope in him ; and are by the same com-
mandment, deterred from despair and presumption ; and :
thus, truly, God is in all things, and in all, equal and the /
same ; and yet, he is most unequal and most different.
For he is a God, who is simple in multiplicity, and mul-
tiplex in simpHcity ; equal in inequality, and unequal in ,.
equality; low in loftiness, deep in height, and far in \^
nearness; and their contraries. And so also, he is
powerful in the weak, weak in the powerful, wise in fools,
and foolish in the wise ; and, in a word, he is all in all
things. But I wish to say these things apart from the
pious ears of those who are offended at the truth ; which, ■/
by all their unhappy reasonings and questionings, they
could never learn.

But perhaps the weak and infirm conscience may
yet say, — ' But suppose I cannot believe ; and thus find
my despair to be unsurmountable ? ' I will answer :

^56

Thou art not even then to despair, when thou thus feelest
thyself to despair. For that is not despair, when thou
desirest not to despair, and grievest that thou dost de-
spair, it is only the trial and temptation of hope : though
that is certainly by far the most heavy of all temptations :
because it involves in its sensations the greatest and
eternal hatred of God, blasphemies, curses, and all the
evils of hell, which we dare not openly mention ; in a
word, it awfully involves the ever-blessed and glorious
Majesty.

What, therefore, shalt thou do in this case ? Why,
first, acknowledge that thou deservest all this, and that
it is due unto thy sins. And herein thou art to be wise ;
thou art to praise and give thanks unto God ; and thou
art to endure this infirmity and temptation ; according
to that of Eccles. x. 4, " If the spirit of him that hath
power rise up against thee, leave not thy place : for
yielding pacifieth great oft'ences." Hence what thou
hast to take care of is this, — that thou do all in thy power
not to yield to this hatred, blasphemy, and desperation ;
but that thou cry unto God, if it be but in one single
sigh, or groan ; and that thou assure thyself, that, accor-
ding to Isaiah xlii. 3, " He will not break the bruised
reed, nor quench the smoking flax."

And I will say one thing more in my free and bold
way.- — There are none nearer to God in this life than
these kind of haters and blasphemers of him, nor any
sons more pleasing to him and beloved by him ! And
thou mayest in this state make more satisfaction for sin
in one moment, than ever thou couldst do by repenting
for many years together under a diet of bread and water.
Hence it is true, that, in death, (where this temptation
prevails most,) a Christian may in one moment get rid
and shot of all his sins, if he do but act wisely under the
temptation.- — It is in this state that those " groanings
that cannot be uttered" are exercised, and prevail. Rom.
viii. 26.

And next, mind this throughout thy whole life : —
that thou pray for hope : but so, that thou refuse not the
will of God in this thy infirmity, but that thou endure it

^57

even unto death : saying with thy Lord and Master,
" My soul • is exceeding sorrowful even unto death."
And so pray as not to doubt that hope will be given
thee of God. For he who willed that thou shouldst
pray ; yea rather, he who taught thee to pray thus with-
out any of thine own seeking after it; — he willed thee
thus to pray, because he had purposed in himself to
hear thee. Therefore, bear all delays with patience, but
doubt not that thou shalt receive : that which " will
come, shall come, and will not tarry : " and do thou in
the mean time hope against hope.

Now there are two things to be observed in hope —
our own merits, and the promise of God. And in the
midst of these matters, thou art thus to understand hope.
Thou art to know, that hope depends on the promise of
God, and that merits proceed from hope : so that, merits
are not the rich foundation of hope, but hope is the
work of the Word or promise of God. Wherefore,
merits are not necessary unto a man's hoping. Thou art
rather to look with the purest simplicity at the Word of
the free promise : by hoping in which, thou may est af-
terwards bring forth merits. Thus the apostle Paul, in
his Epistle to the Galatians, does nothing else but prove
that our righteousness does not proceed from the law,
nor of works, but from the promise and blessing of God.
For the mercy of a freely-promising God, and his
truth which fulfils that promise, are the true causes of
hope : by these the mind is encouraged and drawn out
to hope, to call upon God, and to live well : for if these
things did not exist, or were not revealed unto us, there
would be neither faith nor hope to be found.

Wherefore, the object of faith and of hope is a freely-
promising God, or the Word itself of God promising,
and nothing else. And if this Word be not observed al-
ways and every where, hope must of necessity fall; just
as the house which is built upon the sand must fall
when the floods and winds beat upon it. For upon this
rock of the sure promise and infallible Word of God, is
the church of Christ built : as it is written, Prov. xviii.
10, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the

VOL. III. s

258

righteous runneth into it, and is safe : " and also Psalm
Ixi. 3, " For thou hast been a shelter for me and a strong
tower from the enemy." There is nothing here about
merits ; all that is said, is about God himself and his
name, in which afone the man is to place his hope.

It follows, therefore, that hope does not proceed
from merits, but, on the contrary, merits proceed from
hope. Or, hope goes on from hope to hope : and so, it
is before all merits, and goes on with merits, after merits.
Even as, in this life, we do not lay hold of righteousness,
but are always stretching forth after it and seeking it,
always seeking to be justified, always seeking to have
our sins forgiven, always seeking that the will of our
Father which is in heaven may be done, and always de-
siring that his name may be sanctified. And yet in this
very state, we are accounted righteous before God : as
he saith Matt. v. 6, " Blessed are they which do hunger
and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."
So that, hope may rightly be understood as increasing
from itself while tribulations work it, if they be but so
endured as that we be but found proved by them.

From which things this seems to follow, — that other
virtues may be perfected by doing ; but faith, hope, and
love, only by suffering ; by suffering, I say ; that is, by
being passive under the divine operation. Because, the
works of the other virtues are the fruits of faith, hope,
and love : (for who can expect to see incarnate faith,
incarnate hope, and incarnate love ?) In a word, all the
other virtues are exercised only in the grosser works.
And here, the spouse of Christ again defiles her feet
which she gloried in having washed ; again puts on the
garment of which she gloried in having been stripped ;
because, those things which are done by the flesh, can-
not be done without sin and pollution. But the works of
faith, hope, and love, appear to be the same. For what
is faith, but that motion of the heart which is called be-
lieving? What is hope, but that motion of the heart
which is called hoping? And what is love, but that
motion of the heart which is called loving? For all those
phantasms are mere human, — the habit is one thing

259

and the act another. Especially in these divine matters,
in which there is nothing but a passive suffering or being /^
acted upon, a being moved, a being carried along by the
Spirit; whereby the soul is moved, formed, cleansed,
and impregnated by the Word of God. So that, the
business of these virtues is nothing else but a purging of
the vine-branch, as Christ saith, that, being purged, it
may bring forth more fruit.

Finally, other virtues are employed about grosser
things, and things outwardly carnal ; but these inwardly,
about the pure Word of God ; whereby the soul is ly
taken hold of, and does not take hold of anv thins itself:
that is, it is stripped of its own garments, of its shoes,
of all its possessions, and of all its imaginations, and is
taken away by the Word (to which it cleaves, or rather
which lays hold of it, and leads it in a wonderful way)
into the wilderness, (as Hosea saith, chap. ii. 14;) to
invisible things, into the vineyard,, and into the marriage
chamber. But this leading, this taking her away, and
this stripping of her, miserably tortures her. For it is a
hard path to walk in, and a strait and narrow way, to
leave all visible things, to be stripped of all natural
senses and ideas, and to be led out of all those things to
which we have been accustomed ; this, indeed, is to die ;
and to descend into hell. For the soul seems unto her-
self to perish utterly, when all those things in which she
stood and was employed, and to which she cleaved, are
destroyed, and when she herself can neither touch earth
nor heaven, nor feel herself nor God ; and saith, ' Tell
my beloved that I am sick of love,' Song v. 8. As if
she had said, I am brought to nothing, and I know no-
thing ; I am come into blackness and darkness ; I can
see nothing ; I live and am made strong by faith,
hope, and love only ; (that is, I am wholly passive ;) for
when I am weak then am I strono;. This leading or
being led, is what the mystical theologians call ' going
into darkness,' and ' ascending above entity and non-
entity.' But I much question whether such understand
themselves : for they make all these things to be elicited
acts, and do not believe them to be the sufferings and feel-

s 2

260

ing sensations of the cross, death, and hell. But the
theology of the cross only is our theology !

From these things I think we may clearly understand
the word of the Apostle, M'here he makes hope to be
the work of patience, proved by tribulations : showing,
that the man is by all these tribulations, polished, refined,
and beaten out as it were, like a vessel iVom the hand of
the artificer ; so that he shines forth far beyond all visible
and comprehensible things, being taught to trust, not in
merits, but in God only. So a golden vessel wrought
out with file and hammer, is not formed for showing the
colour of it only, nor yet for displaying the workmanship,
but is made a vessel that it may be of some service.
Nor is it polished, that it might be made gold, but it is
formed into a vessel that its owner mi^ht use it. So man
is formed by hope for the use of God. But the works
themselves do not produce this hope : for this would be
to make that first which is last. Wherefore, that figura-
tive language of the Scripture which describes this
purging and operation of hope to be a workmanship, or a
vessel sent forth from the hand of the Word, pleases us
well ; as we have it Prov. xxv. 4, 5, " Take away the
dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel
for the finer. Take away the wicked from before the
King, and his throne shall be established in righteous-
ness." And thus that golden calf, Exod. xxxii., is said
by the same figure to have been sent forth out of the
hand of the workmen ; that is, formed and fashioned by
them. Hence it is, that we have this scripture, Psalm
cxxi. 8, " The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and
thy coming in, from this time forth and for evermore ; "
that is, the beginning and the end of all thy tempta-
tions ; (as Augustine says, in his observations upon that
passage.)

It is an error, therefore, to hold, that Free-will has
any hand in a good work : for when we say, a good
work, we speak of the internal work : and the will in
such a work (as we have said of believing, hoping, and
loving,) is a moving, a carrying along, and a leading,
wrought by the Word of God, and a continual purging and

261

renewing of the mind and understanding, day by day, in
the knowledge of God : and though that passive recep-
tion of the teaching of God is not always the same in
degree and extent, yet, it is a being continually taught
while lying passive in the hand of God. *' Behold (says
the Lord "by Jeremiah, xviii. 6,) as the clay is in the
potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."
What power of action hgs clay, I ask you, while it lies
in the potter's hand, and he is forming it into shape ? Is
it not seen to be wholly passive ? And yet, by this its
passive and shapeless state, it is rendered fit to be
moulded into the form that shall please the potter.—
And, in the same manner, we, by growing hope, while
tribulation worketh for that end, are conformed to the
divine likeness, and are renewed after the image of him
that created us; as Paul saith Col. iii. 10. But the in-
carnate will, or that which is connected with the external
act, may rightly be said to co-operate and to have, in
that sense, an activeness. Just in the same way as the
sword can do nothing whatever by any power to move
that it has in itself, but is merely passive : but in giving
the wound, it co-operates with the person who cuts by
its means. Wherefore, as the sword does not at all co-
operate, as to the putting of itself in motion ; so, neither
does the will co-operate in the putting of itself in mo-
tion to do good : for that is a moving wrought by the Word
of God, where the will is merely passive : which, never-
theless, when put in motion co-operates to perform the
work of the hands, in praying, in walking, in labour-
ing, &c.

But I have now digressed, perhaps, somewhat too
far, I will therefore return to the Psalm.

And let all those that hope in thee rejoice ; they shall
shout for joy for ever.

Let us here first look at the force of the words, and
then at the occasion on which, or the reason why, the
prophet spoke thus. Only " those that hope " are to
rejoice: and who these that hope are, we have already

262

fully shown. And they shall hope "in thee;" not in
any thing of their own, nor in any creature; for there
are some that trust in man.

And we are also to remark, that the word olam is
of very frequent use in the scriptures, and has been
rendered, * for ever,' ' always,' ' for ever and ever,' and in
many other ways bearing the like signification. In the
Hebrew, by a manner of speech peculiar to the language,
it signifies a time of an uncertain and indefinite duration;
at least, it does not always signify ' eternity.' Hence, in
the Law of Moses, it is often said, 'A certain rite,
&c. shall be observed by your generations for ever; '
whereas, it is certain, that all those cities, &c. were at
some time to have an end. And therefore, the word
appears to me, not to be translated improperly by the
Latin words semper, peremiitei^ and perpetuo.

But what was it that moved the prophet to set forth
these feelings so copiously and fully? Doubtless, it was
the conversation of the wicked whom he saw to *' spend
their days in wealth," (as Job saith xxi. 13,)-and so to
live, as if it were their pecuHar privilege to rejoice, exult,
and glory: which was an offence so deceitful, and had
such an effect upon the saints, that many prophets com-
plained of this as their greatest temptation, and were
moved with murmuring and revenge. For as the state
of such persons is an ofience unto the saints, from the
appearance of works and tem.poral merits; so it is also
from the appearance of temporal rewards which it carries
w^ith it. Hence Asaph saith, Psalm Ixxiii. 1 — 6, " How
good is the God of Israel to those that are upright in
heart! But as for me, my feet were almost gone: my
steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the
foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For
there are no bands in their death, but their strength is
firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are
they plagued like other men. Therefore pride com-
passeth them about as a chain." And Jeremiah xii. I,
" Wherefore doth the Avay of the wicked prosper ?
wherefore are all they happy that deal very prosper-

263

ously ? " And again more fully, Job xxi. 7, Sec. "Where-
fore do the wicked Hve, become old, yea, are mighty in
power?"

The prophet, therefore, in order to fortify the godly
against being deceived by these external appearances
and offences, calls them aside, and exhorts them to
despise the rejoicings of such as these, and to turn them-
selves to true rejoicing, which is, rejoicing in God.
Wherefore, we are through the whole of this verse to
observe a twofold antithesis, as it were, in this way. —
We appear to such men as these to be miserable, be-
cause we are in tribulation, and are deprived of all those
temporal things in which they abound and rejoice.
And thus, there is an offence given to both these cha-
racters, by that which they behold externally ; and that
outward appearance deceives very many. But inwardly,
where we live by hope, they die. There, we rejoice and
shall rejoice for ever; but there they neither can, nor
ever will rejoice, (if they die as they now live). And
our joy is so real and solid, that we are the only per-
sons of whom it can be truly said, ' they shall rejoice; '
whereas, their joy is more a sorrow than a joy, if you
look within them.

Therefore, he condemns the joy of the wicked al-
together, and commends the joy of the godly. And, as
the joy of the latter is witjiout any outward show, and
that of the former with a great deal of such outward
show, there is need of faith to understand the words of
the Spirit which are spoken in the Spirit; otherwise, thou
wilt not understand them, and wilt be offended with the
appearances of these characters. For the carnal man
cannot savour the things of God : that is, they cannot
miderstand how a man can rejoice under the privation
of all enjoyments, even spiritual: because he knows not
that there can be any joy but in present things sensibly
enjoyed: whereas, our glorying and rejoicing, are in the
cross of our Lord.

But as the Hebrews have no optative mood, and
therefore use the future of the indicative in its stead ;
and as we have seen from the preceding observations

264

that these words and feelings of this Psalm are full of
burning zeal ; it is just to understand this verse as spoken
under a feeling of holy indignation, and having such a
meaning as this — Why do these ungodly ones rage thus?
Why do they delude the souls of men by a fallacious
and destructive external appearance? Condemn, O Lord,
I pray thee, their joy, and expel them ; make their hypo-
crisy manifest, and let them fall from their deceitful
appearances, that those only may rejoice who hope in
thee; that it may be made manifest, and that all may
know, that there is no joy any where but in the mul-
titude of thy mercies. I burn and am grieved, O Lord,
that I cannot persuade them to these things, for they
will not hear them. Do thou, therefore, judge them,
and make manifest their vanity, and our truth.

Here, then, we have it told us, where, and what true
joy is: namely, a good confidence, and a conscience
resting in the mercy of God. For they that have had
experience in these things, say, ' that there is no joy
above that of a pure conscience, nor any sorrow greater
than that of a guilty and troubled conscience : as the
wise man saith, *' He that is of a merry heart hath a
continual feast," Prov. xv. 15. And again. Psalm xxvi.
3, " For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I
have walked in thy truth." And a pure and joyful con-
science comes in no other way than by looking stead-
fastly to the mercy of God : as it is said Psalm iv. 6, 7,
" Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us :
thou hast put gladness in my heart." But Mhat is the
joy of the characters before mentioned? — a plenty of
corn, wine, and oil! that is, the joy of swine, consisting
in the surfeit of the body.

Thei/ shall shout for Joi/ for ever.

This verb Hieronymus has translated, not impro-
perly, ' shall praise : ' for some will have it, that vocal
joy is here signified ; either that of singing, or that of
speaking : just in the same way as, when we are joyful,
we are accustomed to talk pleasantly, or even to sing,
and to talk much of, praise, and boast of, him in whom

265

we rejoice: as in Psalm xxxv. 28, "And my tongue
shall speak of thy righteousness, and of thy praise all
the day long," (that is, shall proclaim it with joy.) Whe-
ther, therefore, the words " for ever" refer to "rejoice,"
or to, " shall shout for joy," the prophet still goes on in
the same zeal and holy jealousy : as if he had said, Let
them talk largely of their good things, let them boast of
themselves and theirs, let them sing of themselves : they
not only do not truly exult and rejoice, but will not even
rejoice as they now do, for ever. " The joy of the
hypocrite (as Job saith xx. 5,) is but for a moment."
And as he says again, xxi. 13, " They spend their days in
wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave." So
uncertain and unstable is their boasting; and even that
does not last long, but is disturbed by many calamities
and sorrows. And even if all should go on well and
prosperously, yet their joy ends in sorrow at last, and
their folly shall be made manifest to all, as was that of
Jannes and Jambres, 2 Tim. iii. 8. Why, therefore,
do they thus miserably deceive and destroy themselves?
But all they that hope in thee shall rejoice and shall
shout for joy for ever, and no stranger intermeddleth
with their joy : (as the wise man saith.)

Here, therefore, we see the fruits, from which we
may knov/, whether we are under grace or not : for as
Paul saith. Gal. v. 22, " The fruits of the Spirit are
love, joy, &c. : " and we cannot say that we do not
know whether or not we have these fruits: for if our joy
be continual and stable, and our praises of God perse-
vering, even under sufferings and afflictions, it cannot
be a deceiving sign: for, " by their fruits ye shall know
them." The cross proves all things : wherefore, if thou
canst say with Psalm xviii. 3, " I will call upon the
Lord; so shall I be saved," thou shalt indeed be saved:
for this cross and calling upon God under affliction the
joy of the wicked cannot endure; and therefore, they
neither call upon God continually, nor is their joy stable.

The other fruit that follows is to talk of, to speak
freely of, to proclaim joyfully, and to hear the Word of
Christ, to extol his righteousness, to sing of his mercy;

Q66

but to detest ungodly fables, calumnies, obscenities, and
such like dregs of the world. And can we not feel and
know these things for ourselves? especially if we are
tempted, tried, and opposed on account of these things,
and suffer, because of them, envy, reproach, terrors and
other evils? This therefore, will be by no means a fal-
lacious sign of Christ living in thee, if thou persevere in
thus praising, .rejoicing, and proclaiming the grace of
God in the face of, and in opposition to the pride
of men.

It is not in vain, therefore, that David has added
* continually,' or " for ever," (in cEternum), to the word
1' shall shout for joy : " because, when this joy of the
Spirit breaks forth, it is sure to raise up against it the
adversaries of the truth, as we see it happened to the
apostles. Acts ii. 3, 4, 5, &c; and because, many are to
be found who praise Christ, and the mercy, truth, righte-
ousness, and grace of God, but do it not continually,
because they do not truly hope, and truly rejoice in
God ; for they fall away in time of temptation, and do
not persevere in the face of iniquity, nor at all times nor
in all things, nor do they dare at all times to glory in
God; that is, in the grace of God. There are many of
this sort, in the present day, who only speak the truth
before those of the commonalty who will bear all things;
and never before those whom they fear, and have any
reason to believe will become their persecutors ; whereas
it is before the latter that it is more especially to be
spoken. And if thou here reply, — But such are rulers
of the people, and they will put us out of the synagogue,
will excommunicate us, and will cast us out of the city, —
hear what follows,

And thou shalt dwell in them.

Which Hieronymus renders, * And thou shalt pro-
tect them.' And who shall prevail against us when God
himself is our protector? If it were not so hard and
difficult a matter to rejoice in, and proclaim the mercy
of God against the workers of iniquity, and the speakers
of lies, there would be no need that such an exhortative

Q67

promise should be made to us. David himself knew
that the gates of hell would rise up against our joy, and
therefore he says, But do you still trust. The God of
Jacob is our helper. They will not prevail. He himself
will dwell in us. And John iv. 4, says, " Greater is he
that is in you than he that is in the world." And
Paul, Rom. viii. 31, " If God be for us, who can be
against us ? " «

But, from consulting the Hebrew, I find here an
absolute verb, and the same verb which we have. Psalm
ii. 6, " Yet have I set my king," &c. : which verb,
according to Reuchlin, signifies ' to ordain,' ' to con-
stitute,' ' to set over.' Hence, according to the proper
meaning of the Hebrew, this passage is thus, " Thou
shalt dwell in them; " that is, thou shalt ordain over them,
thou shalt constitute over them, thou shalt be an ordainer
over them, thou shalt have them for thy care, thou shalt
rule over them: which Hieronymus has rightly, though
not fully, rendered, 'Thou shalt protect them:' for
the signification of the Hebrew word is much more
extensive.

And so, in the same M^ay, this also is absolute, ' They
shall rejoice, or praise.' As if he had said, There shall
be, and may there be, preachers and evangelists : (which
is the meaning that the signification of the Hebrew more
immediately conveys ;) for to evangelize, or to preach
the Gospel, is to proclaim glad, happy, sweet and good
tidings: which is what the Hebrew word terarenu
signifies. And there are no other tidings that are
truly glad tidings, but the remission of sins, the mul-
titude of the mercies of God, and comfort for an
afflicted conscience. And yet, what happened to these
messengers and proclaimers of grace, we may see
in the apostles, martyrs, and all the saints. And we
know, on the other hand, how Christ dwelt in them,
ruled them, and preserved them. But, who will dwell
in these their enemies? Who will protect them? Who
Avill rule them? They want not any protectors : they are
strong: they are giants of the earth: they are the
powerful gates of hell, and the seat of the devil: for

268

there the prince of this world is, and in them he dwells. —
Now foUoAvs the remaining part of the verse.

And they also that love thy name shall glory in thee.

Although Hieronymus rightly translates these words,
' And they also that love thy name shall rejoice in thee,'
yet our translator has beautifully expressed the meaning
of the Hebrew ^word, which signifies another kind of joy
than that meant by the first verb, " rejoice." And, as I
am inclined to divine, the former signifies properly to
have joy, to receive and enjoy rejoicing in ones self; and
the latter word, to cause to be, or to make joyful, to
rejoice another, or, as the Latins say, to be pleasant
(jucimdiis)', wherein, if any one is pleasant and happy
from the joy which he enjoys in himself, there is a
rejoicing in joy; as it is written Psalm Ixviii. 3, "Let
them rejoice in joy." And again Psalm xxi. 1, "Thou
shalt make him (the King) glad in joy:" otherwise (as
we say) we should be filled with joy in ourselves, and
aflTord no joy to others. Hence, we have it, 1 Sam. ii. 1,
'* My heart rejoiceth in the Lord : " that is, is happy,
[that is, ready to proclaim its joy.] And so also 1 Chron.
xvi. 32, " Let the fields rejoice and all that is therein,"
Here the prophet has figuratively called the fields
'joyful,' because, by their gladdening nature, they ren-
der us joyful.

But perhaps it is folly in me to dwell so much upon
words, when there are many other words in the Hebrew
language which signify joy, the difference between which,
I neither can nor wish to take upon myself to set forth.
It is sufficient for us to suppose, that the kind of joy
here mentioned pertains to that affection of gratitude
which renders us grateful to, and happy in, our bene-
factor, rejoiced at his gifts, and joyful 4»^uch gratitude;
thus bringing our returns to our benefactor and his gifts,
as the fruitful field does do its cultivator. And that this
is the true signification, appears manifest, because, at
the beginning of the verse, it is an absolute verb that is
used, "and they shall rejoice;" but here it is said, "and
they shall rejoice in thee." So that the former verb,

269

plainly indicates the feeling on account of a benefit re-
ceived ; but the latter, the joyful returns of gratitude to
the benefactor. For this rejoicing in joy is set forth
Psalm cxxii. 1, " I rejoiced in it when it was said unto
me, &c. :" in which passage, we find the same word that
we have in the beginning of the present verse. I do not
say that this is a standard rule for understanding these
two verbs, but I observe, that they are so to be under-
stood in the present passage from their regimen and ab-
solute state. For in the passages " Rejoice in the Lord,"
Psalm xxxii. 1 1, and, " Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous,"
Psalm xcvii. 12, we find the same verb with a regimen
as that with which the present verse begins in an ab-
solute position. The signification, therefore, of the verbs
which I have given must be just ; unless they will say,
that you may rejoice in God and in his benefits, without
any feeling of gratitude.

This signification, moreover, exactly agrees with the
meaning of the whole. For as in the former part of this
verse he described the joy in tribulation ; so, in the latter
part, he is describing the joy in prosperity, or the rejoicing
in joy ; which rejoicing cannot be true and sincere unless
it be a rejoicing in God only ; according to that of Isaiah
Ixi. 10, "Rejoicing I will rejoice in the Lord." All
which things we cannot understand better than by setting
before us, (as we have said,) the generation that is con-
trary to all such rejoicing; in speaking of whom, we
must invert the whole of this verse ; for they being in
adversity are in sorrow instead of rejoicing, and despair
of God. Such do not rejoice continually and speak
good concerning God, but continually murmur and
speak evil of him. And therefore, God does not protect
them nor dwell in them. On the other hand, when they
abound in prosperity, they glory as fools, not in the
Lord, but in their own works, please themselves, admire
their own, love their own name, and seek their own
glory. So that we may rightly invert the whole of this
verse, and make it thus applicable to them ; and say,
'And they shall all sorrow who hope not in thee, they
shall always murmur; thou shalt forsake them; and

270

all they that love their own name shall glory in them-
selves.'

Therefore, this verse makes, in a wonderful and brief
way, a distinction between each prosperity and adversity,
between each generation of men, and between each kind
of affections, and works : and the spirit of the prophet
describes the whole with a most appropriate antithesis.
For it is impossible that he should not be filled with
sorrow, who does not hope in the Lord, when any tribu-
lation shall come upon him : and he that is in sorrow
cannot but continually murmur, because there is no
praising of God without joy of heart : and this sorrowful
and impatient murmurer must displease God, and be
more and more forsaken of him : for God dwelleth not
in Babylon, but in Salem : that is, his habitation is in a
place of peace, Psalm Ixxvi. 2. And his spirit rests upon
the quiet and the humble. Isaiah Ixvi. 2.

On the other hand, it is impossible that he should
not rejoice, who hopes in God : and even if the whole
world should burst upon the head of such an one, he would
stand unmoved amid the falling ruins. And he that is
joyful in such a hope, cannot but think well of God,
exult in his praise, and encourage himself in him. The
man thus rejoicing, therefore, is patient, happy, and in
a state to be protected and dwelt in of God. Nor will
such an one be permitted to rejoice, hope, or exult in
vain, for God preserving will preserve him. And this is
the dividing road where ' The men of blood ' and ' the
deceitful men ' separate from the men of mercy and the
men of a willing mind, in the time of the storm and in
the hour of temptation.

Wherefore, as I have often said, if thy soul be sad
and cast down, begin some joyful song, or psalm, or
something that brings thy God to thy memory, and
thou wilt soon find relief, and wilt prove that the counsel
of the wise man is good, ' In the day of evil consider the
good.' And again, ' Sorrow slayeth many, and there is
no profit in it.' For in this case, music in the midst of
mourning, even contrary to the proverb, is a most ap-
propriate remedy ; thus David saith, Psalm xliii. 5,

ST'l

" Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? and why art
thou disquieted within me ? hope in God : for I shall yet
praise him who is the health of my countenance and
my God."

Again, it is impossible that the man should not
please himself, be puffed up, and glory and lejoice
in himself, who, as soon as any prosperity happens
to him, loves and praises his own name and glory, and
not those of God. And while he pleases himself in his
prosperity, what does he else but fulfil that common
proverb, ' Mules will rub each other ? ' For, just in the
same way, he blesses them that bless him, and praises
them that praise him : and they in their turn bless him
that blesses them, and praise him that praises them :
according to that of Psalm x. 3, " The wicked boasteth
of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous," &c.
And this is the last thing that they can do, — that is,
vainly boast of, vaunt, and preach themselves ; whose
end is confusion.

On the other hand, it is impossible that he should
please himself and rejoice and glory in himself, who,
how much soever serenity and happiness attend him,
loves not his own name, but the name of God. For
while a man is thus displeased with himself and vile in
his own eyes, he will of necessity seek, love, and speak
of the name, praise, and glory of God, saying, ' Sanc-
tified be thy name,' but let my name and the name of
all men be profaned. Let all the works of the Lord
bless the Lord. Let none bless the righteous but thou
only : let the blessing of the wicked be considered a
curse.

If therefore thou wouldst rightly understand this
verse of the Psalmist, suppose him, or rather, view him,
as placed in that situation, where, beholding the life of
the wicked, he is vexed with a two-fold offence. The
one, because all things turn out unfavourable to him,
and all his words and actions are accounted folly and
impiety, whereby he is moved to sadness, impatiency,
and desperation. The other, because all things turn out
favourably to the wicked, and all their actions and
words are praised and held in esteem ; and are imme-

Q72

diately consecrated to immortality ; which is the most
galling of all, and more especially irritates to offence.
And then, growing angry, but not sinning, he speaks in his
heart, he is silent on his bed, and waits for the end, say-
ing the words of this verse. For if any one ask, what it
is to speak and talk upon the beds (concerning which we
have spoken, Psalm iv. 4,) it may be rightly answered,
that it is nothing; else but those thing's which are deliver-
ed to us in this verse, — for a man to comfort himself
in God, while the characters here described are glorying
in themselves.

Hence, David here preserves a most appropriate or-
der. For the temptation on the left hand, comes first,
and is less perilous, because, on that side only " a thou-
sand " fall (Psalm xci. 7,) but on the right hand " ten
thousand ; " which latter temptation is much more heavy
and perilous, and is not undergone but by those who
have been long exercised by the former. Each temptation
is a furnace of probation ; as it is written, Eccles. xxvii.
5, " The furnace proveth the potter's vessels ; so doth
the trial of tribulation the just." And again, Proverbs
xxvii. 21, "As silver is proved in the fining-pot, and
gold in the furnace, so is a man proved by the mouth of
him that praiseth him." But how ? Because by the
former, men are rendered sorrowful, and murmur; and
by the latter they become vain-glorious, loving their own
name, and blessing themselves. In the former case is
found, more generally, the destruction of the common-
alty, and those whom we despise as sinners : but in the
latter, is the perdition of the fat ones of Israel and the
chosen ones among them, and those whom we venerate
as the wise and the righteous : that is, the ungodly ;
according to that of Psalm Ixxviii. 31, "He slew the
fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of
Israel." And Isaiah v. 14, "And their glory, and their
multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth shall
descend into it; " (that is, into hell.)

Therefore, God has ever smitten down the high
ones, and the potentates, that he may terrify us and
teach us an all-safe humility. And hence it is properly

273

concerning the great ones of the earth that Psalm Ixxvi.
12, speaks, " He shall cut off the spirit of princes, he is
terrible to the kings of the earth." But this has been of
no profit whatever to tyrants. — And what one do we
read of any where in the Holy Scriptures, that held the
highest place, who did not make his glory and loftiness
memorable by some signal fall, even if you number the
whole of them from Adam down to Peter ? Such a care
has God ever taken to humble the lofty and great, see-
ing that it is necessary for the salvation of those who are
under them to cut down the flourishing state even of
their honour or dignity, lest they should become impious
lovers of their own glory, and admirers of their own
name. But on the other hand, there is hardly here and
there one of the commonalty recorded as having ren-
dered himself notorious by a crime. We have an Achan,
and him who gathered sticks on the sabbath day.
Numbers xv. 32—36, &c.

CONCERNING

THE

NOMEN DEI TETRAGRAMMATON,

OR

FOUR-LETTERED NAME OF GOD.

It is necessary to consider also w^hat ' the name of
the Lord ' in this passage is, where David says, " And
they that love thy name : " concerning which, many
different things have been written in different languages.
The Jews boast of ten names of God, according to the
testimony of Hieronymus ; of which, that which they
call the Tetragrammat6n, Jehova, they celebrate w/ith
great superstition ; by the virtue of which, they promise
to themselves I know not what safeguard and effects :
whereas, by an impious disbelieving and blaspheming of
the name of Christ, they are all the while continually
taking the name of God in vain : and they think of any

VOL. III. T

274

thing else but looking to and trusting in the name of
God for the salvation of their souls. And this same su-
perstition also has crept intp Christendom: where many
continually boast of, rub with their lingers, fix to their
bodies, and carry about with them, these four letters ;
not at all regarding whether they themselves be godly or
ungodly. Like the Magi, who pretend and presume that
they can do great wonders with certain letters and
characters.

But we, as becometh Christians, ought to know
this, — that without the godliness which accompanies
faith, all things are superstitious and damnable : so that
neither Christ, nor God, will be of any saving benefit
to any one, unless they be held by faith. But every
name of God, yea, every word of God, is of almighty
power unto the salvation both of soul and body, if it be
possessed in the reverence of faith. It is not the name of
God, therefore, but faith in the name of God, that does
all things : nor is one name more efficacious than an-
other. For if the four-lettered name of God only has all
this virtue and efficacy, the church acts foolishly, bap-
tizing, and performing all her sacraments in that name,
instead of performing them in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It might well excite a
wonder that the church of Christ, which has the Spirit
of God, did not find out such a thing before, when she
knows all the things of God.

If you reply, ' But the Tetragrammaton contains all
these things in it, and the perfections of all the other
names: so that when you name the holy Trinity, or God,
or the Lord, the Tetragrammat6n is named at the same
time.' — Why then is it separated from the rest? Why
has it not the same effect when joined with the rest, as
when it is venerated apart from them ? Is it so very holy,
that when mixed with the others it is polluted by their
profanity ? Or is it so invidious, that it envies the others
the honour of being placed with it ? Let, then, all such
things be considered as mere figments of the Jews. Let
all Christians be wiser, and know, that all the names
of God have the same power and virtue. Have thou

27i

godly faith, without which, not even the name of the
holy Trinity can be of any profit to thee.

But as all those things were intended to be a figure;
and as we are to believe that not one jot or tittle was
written in vain ; I will not deny that in the four-lettered
name there was a figure contained, peculiar and different
from the rest, which was to be revealed in the New Tes-
tament ; and therefore, it is even now held ineffable and
incommunicable, and is still held as it was before by the
Jews, because they most obstinately hate and recoil at
the mystery of it which is now revealed. Wherefore let
us consider, (whether we may be thought to trifle, or
merely to cavil with the Jews,) that the four-lettered
name is a symbol or sign of the name of the holy Tri-
nity, and the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
now revealed, but then shadowed forth under Four
Letters. And that we may bring this to some kind of
proof, let us argue from the Letters themselves, from
their number, and from their sigiii/ication.

The sigfiificatioti is thus. — Jod signifies beginning
(principium,) He this (ista,) Vaf, and He this (ista:)
which, if grammatically put together, according to the
Latin language, will form this sentence, Principium
istius et istius: which in all things agrees with the name
of the Holy Trinity : for, in the Godhead, the Father is
the beginning of this, that is, the Son ; and of this, that
is the Holy Ghost. To these pronouns this (istius) jaxid.
this (istius) represent, in an obscure manner, the Son
and the Holy Spirit ; even as it was meet so to be in the
Old Testament, wherein the mystery of the Trinity was
not to be revealed, but only to be shadowed forth. Nor
indeed is even the name of the Father clearly revealed,
though, by the name beginning, he was more distinctly
pointed out than the Son or the Holy Ghost. In the
whole of which it is signified, that, as Christ saith, Matt,
xi. 27, neither the Father nor the Son is known by any
one but by him to whom they are revealed : even as at
this day also the mystery of the Holy Trinity, how much
soever the name may be professed, is known to none but
by the teaching of the Spirit of faith.

T 2

It appears, therefore, that the number and nature of
the Persons of the Godhead were not less shadowed
forth to the Jews under the Tetragrammaton, than
they are to us under the name Trinity. For as, when
this latter word Trinity is unfolded, its meaning gives
us the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit ; so, when
the Tetragrammat6n is unfolded, it will give us, Prin-
cipiiim istius et istius, ' The Beginning of Him and of
Him ; ' which, though somewhat obscurely so, is the
same : for in each there are alike Three Persons and
Two proceedings set forth to us, and in the name of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Again the number is Four. — Here we have a quad-
rate or square plane : the first of which itself, consists
of two simple proportions equal to the first : of which,
one is equal to one, and two equal to two. From this
two-fold proportion or proceeding, therefore, there pro-
ceeds a square figure, consisting of one equal to one,
and two equal to two ; beginning from unity, and
ending in quaternity. These proportions are unequal,
according to arithmetic, but, according to geometry,
they are equal.

Thus, in the square of this divine name, is signified
the unity of the paternal substance : from which pro-
ceeds the Son, equal to him by the first simple propor-
tion : and from both proceeds the Holy Spirit, by a
second simple proportion, equal to the Father and the
Son : as the proportion of two to two, and one to one,
are equal, in geometry. And as this simple proportion
is of all the most perfect, and as the first is the fountain
or head of all the proportions, and the whole is a figure
wherein neither part exceeds the other, nor is exceeded
by the other, because one is equal to one, and two are
equal to two in all things ; it is clear, that, by these two
proportions or proceedings in this most beautiful square,
or quadrate plane, where the substance is all one and
the same, or, by the symbol of this Tetragrammat6n,
the equality of the Persons in the Godhead was set
forth to the primitive fathers in a hidden way. For the
Son is equal to the Father by the Jirst proceeding ; and

"Ill

the Spirit, by the second proceed'mg, is equal to the
Father and the Son.

And now, to this we may easily refer those four
relations which are so commonly used by theologians, —
active generation, (generatio) and passive getieration;
active breathing (spiratio) and passive breathing. For
these four constitute (so to speak) the Triune-God,
even as the four letters in the Tetragrammat6n con-
constitute his name.

Thirdly. The letters themselves. — The first syllable
terminates the first proportion in the letter He, which is
a soft breathing ; indicating, that the proceeding in the
divine Peisons is not carnal but spiritual, and all-
sweet and all-gentle. For if the aspirate letter be ex-
tended in sound it is nothing more than a certain soft
proceeding of wind, or gentle blast ; so that it most ap-
propriately figures forth the proceeding of the Son.
And in like manner, the whole name is terminated by
the second proportion in the same letter of a soft
breathing; so that, we are to understand, that the
second proceeding is also spiritual, and not at all dif-
fering from the former, except its being the second, and
proceeding from the first. So, neither does the Spirit
differ from the Father and the Son, except in his pro-
ceeding only, which is from both. Since, therefore,
these proceedings are spiritual, and of a most spiritual
nature, it of necessity follows, that the whole beginning
flows into the two proceedings, because the substance is
indivisible. And thus, the inestimable plurality subsists
in an all- simple unity.

These things, I say, and others that may be adduced
of the same kind, seem to have been figured forth to them
of old time in the Tetragrammat6n or four-lettered name :
but which are now indeed made known in all lano;ua2es:
so that now, there is no more particular need of the
Tetragrammat6n to understand God, than there is of
the whole Hebrew language, and, to support what I say,
stand the words of Burgensis, where he says, ' The Te-
tragrammatdn, was therefore called ineffable or incom-
municable, because it was not reducible to the etymology

!

278

of any Hebrew word, and its signification could not be
known by any analogy.' Whence it appears, that these
letters were joined together by the divine wisdom and
purpose ; and so, that they might form a name without
a communicable signification, extraneous, and not re-
ducible to the nature of the Hebrew language : in the
same way as any word may be made up of Roman let-
ters, unknown to grammarians, and used merely for the
sake of a certain signification or commemoration : which
the Valentians seem to have imitated in their Greek
word abrai'as.

That name of God, therefore, was rightly called in-
eflfable or incommunicable, because the sacred mystery
of the Trinity was not then revealed, though it was
secretly figured forth. And this name was also rightly
said to be applicable to God alone, because it figured
forth God according to his substance and internal nature.
For the true God is none other in himself, than Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit; or the Trinity, and all that is
said of the unity and the proceedings : which things can
be found in no creature whatever : and therefore, the
Tetragrammat6n can be applied to no creature. For in
other respects, the names King, Lord, God, High, and
the like, might be applicable and ascribable to any one
that stands in the stead of God : because, angels and
men may be likened unto God as to his external works,
but they cannot be likened to him in the Trinity in
Unity. And therefore, they may bear the names of God,
but the Tetragrammat6n, or four-lettered name, and the
name Trinity, they cannot make use of.

And now, as I think, that difficulty, Exod. vi. 23,
may easily be solved, where many make a great noise
about what the Spirit means when he saith, " I am the
Lord : and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto
Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, by my name Je-
hovah was I not known to them : " whereas, the four-
lettered name is found, long before Gen. iv. and after-
wards.— Now I do not here understand it to be signified
that those letters of the Tetragrammaton were not then
made known, (excepting it be signified that they were

379

not then composed or MTitten ;) but that the force and
true signification of that name, that is, faith in the Tri-
nity, or the knowledge of Christ, was not abroad in the
time of the fathers, nor of Moses, nor of the whole of
the Old Testament, but only secretly inspired, and sha-
dowed forth under figures.

But there are some who think that the Tetragrarn-
mat6n is the name of Jesus, the letter Schin being added :
which, indeed, I wish were true and to be proved. But,
since the Evangelist Matthew, chap. i. 21, gives to his
name the meaning of salvation, where the angel says to
Joseph, "And thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he
shall save his people from their sins," and since the Te-
tragrammaton, as I said, is of no etymology at all, it will
be difficult to defend such an opinion. Not to mention
also, that in the Hebrew word which signifies salvation,
or saviour, there is the necessary or substantial letter (as
they call it) am, which the Tetragrammaton will not ad-
mit, and the which name Jesus, formed from it has not.
But I leave others to exercise their judgment in this
matter. I have thus made these observations to guard
all against the superstition of the Jews.

What, then, is the name of God which the prophet
in this place says is to be loved ? — This name is not one
only; for Paul, 1 Tim. i. 17, calls him "wise:" saying
" The only wise God." And in the same place he calls
him " The King eternal, immortal, invisible." And
iTim. vi. 15, 16, he calls him "the blessed and only
Potentate. Who only hath immortahty." And John,
1 Epist. iv. 8, saith, " God is love." And he is not
ashamed to be called, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. Heb. xi. 16.

But what would it profit us to bring forward the
whole of Dionysius concerning the names of God?
What would it"^ profit us to bring forward the whole
works of the same upon mystical theology ? We may
do this until we should leave no name to God at
all. And indeed, how can he that is incomprehensible
in nature, be eftable or communicable in name i Let us

280

leave all speculative attempts of this kind to those who
have nothing else to do : and let us, by a simple under-
standing, receive the name of God in the scripture
before us, as signifying, not that merely, by which he is
called, but that which is proclaimed of him abroad ; ac-
cording to that of Proverbs xxii. 1, "A good name is
rather to be chosen than great riches." And again, x. 7,
" The name of the wicked shall rot." And Psalm xxii.
22, " I will declare thy name unto my brethren," The
name of God therefore, is a good report, praise, glory,
the preaching and proclamation of a saving God : as is
clearly shown, Psalm cii. 21, "To declare the name of
God in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem." Here David
says, that the name of the Lord and his praise are the
same, and are proclaimed by the same preaching. And
again, we have it, Psalm cxlix. 15, " Let them praise
the name of the Lord : for his name alone is excellent ;
his glory is above the earth and the heaven."

And since it is God alone that worketh all in all, it
is a necessary consequence, that the name and glory of
all good works are due to God only. He alone, there-
fore, is good, wise, just, true, tender, merciful, holy,
Lord, Father, Judge, and what else soever can be
named or applied to any one in a way of praise. From
which truth it is left manifest, that as nothing is left to
us either of power, merit, or operation, so, we cannot
arrogate to ourselves any thing of name ; and that, as
we are men, and are nothing but sin, lie, vanity, and can
work nothing else, we have a putrid and rotting name.
So that "All men are liars," and, " Every man living is
altogether vanity," Psalm cxvi. 11, and Psalm xxxix. 5.

Wherefore, our name is, sin, lie, vanity, unrighte-
ousness, malice, perverseness, and whatever other thing
that is evil may be said of any one. And when we ac-
knowledge these things and confess them, we do rightly:
and then, we hate ourselves, our own works, our own
name, and cast them away and lose sight of them altoge-
ther, and love, desire, and seek God, his works, and his
name; saying, with Psalm liv. 1, " Save me, O God,

281

by thy name." As if he had said, I shall perish in my own
name, yea, I am undone already, but in thy name I shall
be saved.

It is sufficiently manifest, therefore, that all these
things are spoken by the prophet against the impious
false doctrine of hypocrites. For as these have such
rashness as to justify themselves with the Pharisee and
with Simon the leper in the gospel, so it is an equal
madness in them to boast of themselves, and to love
their own name and preach it abroad, to insult others,
and to accuse, expose, and upbraid publicans and sin-
ners with the worst of appellations. But if godly and
faithful men glory, they glory in the Lord, and desire
that the name of the Lord should be sanctified, magni-
fied, and glorified. All such as these accuse, judge, and
condemn themselves, and consider themselves beneath
all others ; they take the lowest seat ; and so, are igno-
rant of their own name and honour altogether.

But here, again, the cross alone is the judge and test
of truth : for there are some who boast that the name
of the Lord is loved by them. And they with great
confidence commit to paper such expressions as these ;
' Li the name of the Lord, &c.' ' Glory to God only,'
and, ' Glory to God.' ' In the name of Jesus,' and the
like. And, in a word, in whose mouth and use is there
not that signal and most christian expression, ' Thanks
be to God ? ' But how much more happy would the
state of the church be at this day, if there were none
who lied and took the name of God in vain when they
boastingly make use of all these expressions ? But alas,
to find one who makes use of them truly, is to find a
rare bird indeed ! For if all such love the name of God
indeed, and do not rather love their own names, why do
they feel indignant and swell with fury when they are
touched by being addressed in their own name ? that is,
when they are called fools, or evil men, or are loaded
with any other reproach of the same kind. Why do they
not here acknowledge their name, and say, ' Thanks be
to God,' and, ' Glory be to God only?' Why do they
so pertinaciously resist the truth which another professes

282

before them, when they, (according to their own ac-
count,) profess the same themselves ? Therefore, the cross
itself makes all men manifest. So that he spoke truly
who uttered these words, " I said in my excess, All men
are liars," Psalm cxvi. 1 1.

You see, therefore, how soon such an one's pre-
tended hatred of his own name, is turned into a most
powerful love of his own name, as soon as his false love
of God is made manifest. For such an one will by no
means patiently bear his own name to be taken away
from him, which he, nevertheless, continually casts away
and takes away from himself; saying, ' Glory be to God,'
' Thanks be to God,* ' But I am a sinner.' Who, then,
could ever discover this most deeply hidden hypocrisy,
if Christ did not take care to make such manifest by the
cross, and by reproach ? These words of Gregory, there-
fore, are most excellent and true ; ' The being re-
proached, will manifest openly, what a man is secretly
in himself.' For when this falls upon a hypocrite, he
will soon turn his thanks unto God into blasphemies
against him.

But yet, the bird of this wing finds a leaf under
which to conceal himself, and makes excuses for his
sins. And first of all, he lays hold of that of Augustine ;
' He that neglects his own reputation is cruel.' And this
also, * Thy conscience is necessary for thyself, and thy
reputation for thy neighbour.' And also that of 1 Pet.
iv. 15, 16; " But let none of you suffer as a murderer,
or as a thief, or as an evil-doer ; or as a busy-body in
other men's matters. Yet, if any man suffer as a
Christian, let him not be ashamed ; but let him glorify
God on this behalf." And Hieronymus plainly teaches,
that no one ought to rest patiently under the suspicion
of heresy. But, in these matters, we speak according
to the Spirit, with the prophet, in the sight of God, —
That we ought to provide all things honest, not only
before God, but also before all men, Rom. xii. 17. And
2 Cor. iv. 4, " Commending ourselves to every man's
conscience in the sight of God." And again, 1 Thess.
V. 22, " Abstain from all appearance of evil." And

283

Christ, Matt. v. 16, says, that they who suffer persecu-
tion are blessed : but then, it is those who suffer it " for
righteousness' sake."

Wherefore, it is most true, that we ought not to he
and acknowledge a crime before men of which we are
not guilty, but rather die like that woman related by
Hieronymus, who was beaten seven time§. But yet, as
we ought thus to suffer death and every other evil for
righteousness' sake, when innocent ; so we ought also to
suffer the injury of our reputation, and not attempt any
tumult to regain it, nor to retaliate with injury; but,
though innocent before men, we ought to confess before
God that we deserved these and much greater evils and
losses, not only of our property and possessions, but of
our good name also. For we ought to acknowledge, not
our property and hfe only, but our good name also, to
be good creatures of God, and the best of gifts. And we
are not to think that we deserved these things, nor to
consider that any injury is done us if they are taken
away; nay, we are to consider ourselves wholly unworthy
of all these things, and are patiently to suffer the loss of
them, if such be the will of God.

Therefore, it is not required of thee that thou
shouldst confess thyself a murderer or an adulterer, if
thou be not one ; or that thou shouldst acknowledge
any such crime, if laid to thy charge. Nay, thou oughtest
not to confess or to acknowledge it, lest thou also
shouldst lie as well as the person who may thus falsely
accuse thee. And yet, thou art to be ready to bear it,
and patient under such trial, if, when thou shalt bear
a testimony of innocence concerning thyself, thou shalt
not be believed, but still criminated. — And in the same
way, thou art not to confess that thy life is nothing, or
that thy flesh is a mere shadow of nought, or that thy
gold is not of the value of copper ; so as to carry an
appearance of humility. But thou art to confess these
things to be what they really are : and yet, if they are
taken away, thou art not to resist, nor to recover them,
nor to revenge the injury done thee. — And so also, thou
art not to resist those who vilify and calumniate thee :

284

though thou oughtest to protest and stand to thy inno-
cence, and not to confirm their Hes by thy silence. Thus
the Christians of Gaul, who were some time ago accused
of devouring their infants in secret, firmly denied it unto
their death. And, (Jer. xxxvii. 15,) when Irijah ac-
cused Jeremiah of fleeing to the Chaldeans, he an-
swered, " It is false, I flee not to the Chaldeans." Ne-
vertheless heVas not believed ; and he suffered himself
to be beaten, and to be sent into the prison, though in-
nocent. And so also Christ before Annas constantly
defended his doctrine, concerning which the high priest
interrogated him, and which he in a sinister way de-
nied : and yet Christ received a blow from the servant,
suffering innocently, and permitting himself to be ac-
cused of the crime of falsehood by the unbelieving.

And by this same rule all we must go at this day,
when those most ungodly flatterers of the great, like
furies and madmen, most insidiously brand the righteous
with the appellations of heretics, offensive, erroneous,
seditious, offenders of pious ears, detractors from the
reverence of the popes, and such like, just as their own
opinions lead them on. — All these enormities, I say, are
to be borne, but not to be acknowledged as true. And
even if they prevail over us, and are not content with
the defence which we make, let them go on to rage, and
let us confess unto God that we suffer no more than
Avhat we deserve, and that it is not our good name, but
God's, that is thus taken away, and that it is justly lost
by us, for that we are unAvorthy of such a good name :
but nevertheless, let us within by faith and a good con-
science, and without by confession, most firmly cleave
unto it : for they do not take away the good name from
us, (for it does not belong to us,) but from God, whose
gift it was, and from whom we received it. Nay, they
take away our good name from themselves, because it
was therefore given unto us, that they might by it be
moved tOAvards God, being instructed by the light of our
good M'orks, that they might glorify our Father which is
in heaven. Therefore, they do not in reality take any
thing of our good name away from us, because they

285

cannot take it from our conscience, nor from our con-
fession, but can only extinguish it in their own opinion,
and that to their own loss. Therefore, we have more
reason to condole with their misery, than to be dejected
at our own loss. And hence, when we confess ourselves
to be innocent, and by an honest defence repel the evil
name which they would put upon us, we do not serve
ourselves so much as we serve our calumniators, and
that, against their will.

But the birds of this feather do not defend their
name with this view, and according to this rule, but
only seek how they may avoid infamy; and they never
rest until they have overcome their adversaries, (if they
can,) and have regained their own name, (according to
the rule of right, or rather, the mistaken idea of right,)
by repelling force by force. And that they may not
become cruel, (as they imagine,) by neglecting their own
name, they become both impious and cruel together, by
avenging their good name, not as if it were God's, but
as if it were their ov, n.

Thus, such most perversely abuse those beautiful
words of Augustine, ' He that neglects his own reputa-
tion is cruel,' and, ' Thy reputation is necessary for thy
neighbour.' For we are not on that account to rage
furiously, and, contrary to the Gospel, to demand a
cloak for a coat, because a cloak is necessary for our
neighbour; nor are we to refuse to lay down our pro-
perty, nor even life itself, because our neighbour has
need of them. And in the same manner, our fame is
not to be regained by force, because it may be necessary
for our neighbour. It is enough in all these things not
to acknowledge the crime laid to our charge ; and having
done that, we'ought to be Milling to suffer greater things
for God, and to have our other cheek ready; though
not to acknowledge that the blow on the first was
deserved by our guilt.

But, that all this zeal in such pugnacious and per-'^'
tinacious defenders of their good name is mere pretence,
and that they speak most fatsely when they say that they
do all these things from a love of the name of God, and

2S6

that they seek not their own name, but the name and
glory of God; — that all such zeal is false, I say, you
may prove by this one thing. — First, such are found
most unconcerned in all other matters, where God is
concerned. They make not all this bustle to do the
will of God and to seek the glory of his kingdom : which
they certainly would do, if they sincerely loved the name
of God. And moreover, they most patiently suffer the
same name of the Lord, and the same good fame, to
perish in their neighbour. Nay, they are themselves the
first to establish the name of God in themselves, and to
destroy it in their neighbours. Thus, at this day, there
are many who think they cannot be Christians, and of
the Catholic faith, unless they go and search out those
whom they may brand with the appellation of heretics :
thereby, proving, that they hold one name of the Lord,
and worship one God in themselves, and persecute
another in their neighbours.

Wherefore, believe not that they are lovers of the
name of the Lord, who are always ready to brand others
with opprobrious names, and to commend their own
good name only. A truly good name is the same in all,
and cannot more be loved in thyself than in thy neigh-
bour. Thou errest if thou art offended at being called
a heretic thyself, and yet laughest and rejoicest when
thy neighbour is accounted a heretic. In how much
worse a state art thou, then, if thou defame another,
that thou thyself mayest have a name? for, on the con-
trary, thy good name ought to be used in covering the
reproach of another, as the comely members are said to
give more abundant honour to those members which
are less comely, 1 Cor. xii. 24.

But let us return to the words of the Prophet.

That love thy name.

We have said, that the name of the Lord is the
fame, the knowledge, and the praise of the Lord ; and
these also must be in others ; that is, in us, by faith and
confession : that is, it is not our righteousness, strength,
and wisdom, that are to flourish ; but those of God are

287

to be revealed in us, and in us to increase and reign.
Thus, we are baptized in the name of the Lord, that we
might not hve ourselves, but that God might live in us ;
and that the name of the wicked might perish, in order
that the name of God only might reign in us. And
hence, as all our actions are his, so is our name. Thus
both our actions themselves, and our name are to be
ascribed, not unto ourselves, but unto God.

And therefore, it is not improper tp say also, that l)y V
the name of the Lord, we may understand Jesus Christ,
or. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: for all these are names
of God, to whom belongs every good name. Hence, they
who love the name of Jesus, love also the salvation of
God, the truth of God, the mercy of God, the wisdom
of God, and all good: for all these things are included \,
in the name of the Lord. And if a man love these, he ^
must, of necessity, hate his ov/n name, and cannot glory in
the wisdom, the salvation, and the power of man, because
they are vain ; and in this way only will he be in a state
to love the name of the Lord, that he may be saved by
it, and that God may be glorified.

Wherefore, let us observe the peculiar force of each
word, "love," and "name:" for David does not say,
who write of, talk about, sound forth, explain, think
about, acutely dispute about, or profess to know, thy
name; but, "they who love thy name." For who does
not see how many there are who talk much about God
and his name, and yet do not glory in it. The heart of
such, therefore, is vain, and their inward parts perverse.
And where these are perverse, nothing can be done
rightly; and, on the other hand, where they are right,
nothing can be done preversely : for God shows himself
pure unto the pure, and unto the perverse he shows
himself perverse, Ps. xviii. 26.

And what loving the name of the Lord is, cannot, I
think, be understood better than from considerincf the
power and nature of love : which is, not to seek that
which is its own, but the things of the object beloved.
Wherefore, he will be proved and found to love God, jy
who, despising his own name, and the name of all others,

288

desires from his heart to see the name of God only
exalted, spread abroad, magnified, and known to all.
And that this may be accomplished, such an one must
of necessity think of all things, say all things, do all
things, and suffer all things, which he shall think likely
to promote the knowledge and exaltation of the name of
God ; and that too, at the expense of his own property,
name, and life, if required. Hence, such an one cannot be
vain-glorious, but must be a prodigal despiser of him-
self: nor can he be proud of, nor glory in any thing
else, than in the Lord, whose name he loves and seeks
to promote.

He, therefore, who in the time of quiet and prospe-
rity looks at his own, and pleases himself, and, with the
full bent of his will, seeks after his own name, — he will
be proved, by that furnace of the rhouth that praiseth
him, mentioned Prov. xxvii. 21, not to love the name
of God but his own. And it is such ungodly characters
as these that the prophet is attacking in the present
Psalm, as glorying and trusting in their own righteous-
ness. Concerning whom also, the scripture speaks thus,
1 Sam. ii. 2, " Talk no more so exceeding proudly : let
not arrogancy come out of your mouth, for by his own
strength shall no man be made strong," And Paul also
glories that he can do all things; but it is through him
who strengtheneth him. Otherwise, he glorieth not,
except it be in his infirmities, 2 Cor. ii. And the blessed
Virgin speaks of these things briefly and beautifully,
Luke i. 49, in these words, " For he that is mighty hath
done great things to me; and holy is his name." As if
she had said, I have done nothing, but he hath done
great things to me, who alone worketh all things, and
who alone is mighty in all : to whom, on that account,
belongs all the name, and whose is all the glory, for he
alone hath done it. That is, the name " holy " belongs
only unto him, which no man can attain unto, nor
arrogate unto himself; for when he knows that he did
not himself perform the work, how can he have the
temerity to take unto himself and glory of a work that
was not his own?

'i89

He, therefore, truly sanctifies the name of the Lord,
who keeps himself from usurping it. And this he does,
when he acknowledges that no good work belongs unto
him, but unto God only; and when he confesses him to be
that which he is praised as being, Psalm cxlv. 17, " The
Lord is holy in all his works." Behold, this is what is
enjoined in the second commandment, ' Thou shalt not
take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.' This is what
we pray for when we say, ' Hallowed (or sanctified)
be thy name.' And this also is what is intended, Psalm
cxi. 9, " Holy and reverend is his name."

But these impious justiciaries rushing on rashly,
continually pollute the name of the Lord, while they
ascribe unto themselves righteousness, power, and wis-
dom, and are pleased with hearing their own name
praised in these things. From whence it follows, that
with the greater number of the gifts of God any one of
them is adorned, the more perilously he lives: and there-
fore, no one of mortals has a greater need of the fear of
God than such an one, lest he should pollute his name,
and ascribe unto himself those things which are the gifts
of God, or should patiently suffer them to be ascribed
unto him by others. This is that temptation " on the
right hand " where ten thousands fall. This is that "arrow
that flieth by day," and that " demon (or destruction)
that wasteth at noon-day." For which cause, Gregorv
takes upon him to assert in many places, that the good
works of all saints are unclean ; because, that is, they can-
not sufficiently abstain from the name of God, nor hold him
so holy and terrible as they ought to hold him: nor will
do so, until the passions of nature be wholly mortified ;
which never will be done in this life. For how rare a
thing is it to find a man who is frightened and terrified
at the name and praise bestowed upon him, and shrinks
from puttiag his hand on it as a most holy thing of
God, which it is terrible to touch? Nay, we rather smile
sweetly as if pleased, and, like swine, quietly suffer our-t
selves to be rubbed with this kind of praise.

Where, then, shall they appear who like the giants
of old, from an insatiable and maddened love of praise

VOL. III. u

290

and of fame, carry on war againt the Lord and his
name by moimtains heaped on mountains ; thereby en-
deavouring to take from the Lord both his work and his
name, and to usurp it for themselves ? And yet such, in
the meantime, prate nothing else, but ' Hallowed be thy
name,' ' Glory to God alone,' 'Thanks be to God!' 'In
the name of the Lord, Amen:' and with such plastering
and daubings as these, they colour, paint, and set off
their Jezebel faces. And indeed, the world is so filled
with the robbery of the divine equality, with the pro-
fanation of the name of God, and with the pollution of
the name of God, that there is not one of them that
sees, that, instead of fighting for the name of God, they
are horribly fighting against it, and implacably resisting it.
What a sacrilege is it deemed for the cups, the co-
verings, and the linen of the churches and the altars to
be touched by the laity, because they are consecrated in
the name of the Lord ? And yet, none more awfully
pollute and defile the name of the Lord, than those very
blind consecrators, those reprobate self-justifiers, and
those most vain-boasters of the works and words of God
themselves, by their polluted touching of his glory.

He, therefore, reverently loves the name of the
Lord, who, with pious awe, trembles to touch his praise
and good name, and abstains from it as from that oint-
ment, mentioned Exod. xxx. 22 — 33, which was com-
manded to be kept holy, and that no other composition
should be made like it, that the flesh of man should not
be anointed with it, but the tabernacle and the vessels
thereof only. For he that thus worships and sanctifies
the name of God, shall be sanctified by it : according
to that of Psalm xviii. " with the holy thou wilt show
thyself holy." Because such an one not only reverences
the name of God, that he might not touch it himself,
that he might not usurp it, and that he might not anoint
himself with it; but he desires that this same name
should in the same way be reverenced and held holy by
all : and, that this may be brought to pass, he omits to
do nothing either by doing or by suffering.

And now, the sum of all that we have said, may be

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set forth in a plain way, thus. — That no one should be
elated with prosperity. This is indeed a thing easy to /
be said, but it is most hidden, and most deep to be un-
derstood, and can be known by none but by those who
are brought into the experience of it : as it is written,
Ps. cxi. 9, 10, "Holy and reverend is his name. The fear
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom : a good under-
standing have all they that do it ; the praise of it en-
dureth for ever."

But they who do not understand the fear of the
Lord in any other way than in being terrified away from
the commission of sin by the fear of punishment, do not
understand any thing of it at all ; nor will such ever
iearn to glory in the Lord, for the fear of the Lord is
that whereby we fear to arrogate to ourselves, or arro-
gantly pollute, any of those things which are the Lord's:
that is, his glory and his name : and when we fear to
touch such things lest we should defile them. And in
this fear we must proceed so far, as not to usurp to
ourselves either temporal things nor spiritual, nor to
imagine that there is any thing of ours in them but the
being allowed to use them to supply our necessities, and
those of our neighbours ; and as being granted to us by
the free bounty of iG^od, to be possessed with godly re-
verence, and to be returned to him with faithful gra-
titude.— The ])raise of such endureth for ever : that is,
that they did not glory in themselves, nor in any men
that praised them, but, according to Paul, 1 Cor. i. 31,
desired only to " glory in the Lord 1 " And " then, (as
he saith again, T Cor. iv. 5,) shall every man have
praise of God." And Psalm xxxiv. 2, " My soul shall
make her boast in the Lord," And again, 2 Cor. x. 18,
*' For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but
whom the Lord commendeth." And God praises and
commends those only who take all praise from them-
selves, and give it unto him, and who do not desire their
works to be seen for any other end than that their
Father who is in heaven might be glorified, Avhose name
they love: and therefore, "he loves and praises them
•again : as he saith, 1 Sam. ii. 30, " For them that

u 2

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honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall
be lightly esteemed."

It is, however, a hard matter to be brought to,
though it is necessary, to expect praise and a name from
God, neglecting, in the meantime all the names and
praises given us by men, and when they happen to be
given us, to give them all back to God as being borne
with in fear, rather than possessed, for the salvation of
others. This is serving the Lord with fear, and rejoicing
before him with reverence. This is, not being in despair
when tried, and not lifted up in presumption when
comforted and favoured : (as I have often observed
before.)

Ver. 12. — For thou, O Lord, wilt bless the righteous;
as thou hast crowned us with the shield of thy favour.

Hieronymus translates it thus, ' For thou, O Lord,
wilt bless the righteous ; as thou wilt crown him with
the shield of favourable kindness : ' he omits the pro-
noun " thy : " and the pronoun " him " is more appro-
priate than the pronoun " us," for it refers to the
" righteous." But I think that this genitive would be
better turned into the ablative ; thus, ' With thy favour,
as with a shield.' But the force lies in the punctuation :
our translator begins the last verse with the vocative "O
Lord : " which, in the Hebrew, is the end of the middle
one of the last three verses.

The sense of this verse is the same as that of Psalm
iii. 8, though the words are som.ewhat different. " Sal-
vation is of the Lord, and thy blessing is upon thy
people." And as all the force and emphasis of this pas-
sage lie in the pronoun " thy," and the genitive " of the
Lord ; " so, in the passage now before us, they lie in
the pronoun " thy" and the vocative " O Lord." The
understanding of which depends upon the contrast
drawn between the righteous and wicked generation.
yMen bless the wicked and curse the righteous: but
thou, O Lord, says David, shalt bless the righteous : on
which we have before spoken more at large in the end
of Psalm iii.-^ But David is here explaining also the

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preceding verse, where he had said, that all those rejoice
who hope in God, that they rejoice in the time of adver-
sity, and are the care of God ; and that in prosperity all
glory in God who love his name. And this they do, O
Lord, (says David,) because they know that thou only
blessest the righteous : and being instructed in this know-
ledge, they despise all the blessings and cursings of men,
who bless them only that love their own name, but
curse all those who love the name of the Lord only; that
is, the righteous. Wherefore, it is not without a forcible
meaning that he adds " the righteous :" thereby making
a manifest distinction between them and the wicked,
whom men bless, and not God, with a very different
kind of blessing.

And here, again, we may remark the words of the
prophet as spoken in the Spirit. For as he had before
called these characters the workers of iniquity, ma-
lignant, and ungodly, who, before men, have any thing
but this evil appearance, nay, have an appearance and
form of godliness, while they deny the power thereof,
2 Tim. iii. 5. Therefore, the prophet by " righteous,"
here, means those who are such in spirit, but who, before
men and in their eyes, seem unworthy not only of the
name of '' righteous," but of the name of men ; and who
are always considered fools, evil men, and mad men in
the sight of those externally showy saints who rest se-
curely in the blessing. And this disease, or rather impe-
tuous flood of ungodliness, prevails at this day in the
church even unto despair of all remedy. Therefore,
whatever the great ones choose to do, they have plenty
to favour and bless them, as if what they did were the
will and pleasure of God also : and, if you doubt this at
all, or mutter any thing against it, you must be imme-
diately called a heretic, a son of the devil, and a son of
perdition.

In this way does the holy and reverend name of
God sufler in the present day : in this way is it prosti-
tuted in the holy lusts of such men : thus is it made to
serve the all-cruel tyranny of the Turkish ecclesiastics ;

294

and thus is it made a mantle to cover all kinds of ini-
quities and all kinds of evils. So that there is nothing
Y more horrible to be seen, if thou open the spiritual eye^
than that which is at this day ascribed to the Word of
God ; for to it are attributed, works the most numerous
and those diabolical : and, on the other hand, to the
name of the devil are attributed the best and most
Christian works. Nor does any one in the present day
dare to resist and condemn, if any one of these flatferers
of the great has prefixed to any M'ork, though the most
diabolical, the name of the Lord ; and has dared thus,
to introduce the plans and designs of the devil under
the authority of God, of Christ, and of his Apostles.
And, unless thou hast made up thy mind to burn as a
heretic, thou must adore this Satan and Antichrist, and,
on account of the cover of Christ's name which they
bear, commemorate all their works as divine.

On the other hand, if God do any thing in the name
of the Lord to oppose these monsters, you must not fa-
vour it, nor consent nor assent unto it ; but you must
believe and affirm, that all such things are carried on
under the name and authority of the devil. And what
else does such maddened ingratitude to Christ deserve,
than that we should be thus delivered over to a reprobate
mind, and be left to sin the unpardonable sin against
the Holy Ghost upon every occasion, continually, and
without fear? thus condemning God under the name of
the devil, and worshipping the devil under the name of
Christ. — Thou art righteous, O Lord, and righteous is
thy judgment. For if God gave up the Gentiles to a re-
probate mind, because, when they knew God they wor-
shipped him not as God ; and if they were left to
commit all those enormities which are recorded Rom. i ;
and if he also visited the Jews with such a terrible ca-
lamity because they did not receive Christ ; what evil
do we most justly deserve to be brought upon us, who,
after we have received and professed his name, have
been subverted with such malice, as to mock and defile
it ? But what a cross, think ye, these things are to those

295

who love the name of the Lord ! And how horrible to
live in this time, to hear and see the horrible insults
and indignities which are offered God's holy name !

Let us, therefore, learn to know ourselves : and let us
set before our eyes the contrary judgments of God and
of men, lest we should err, with the unwise, and lest we
should be ignorant of the judgment of God and should
fail— This, then, is a truth that stands firm. He that
will become righteous, must become a sinner ; he that
will become sound, good, upright, and, in a word, like
unto God, a Christian, and of the true faith, must be-
come, unsound, bad, perverse, and, in a word, like a
devil, a heretic, an infidel, and a Turk : as Paul saith,
1 Cor. iii. 18, " If any man among you seemeth to be
wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be
wise." This truth, I say, stands firm. For such is the
will that is settled in heaven, that God has determined
to make men wise through foolishness, good through
evil, righteous through sin, upright through perverseness,
men of a sound mind through madness, of the true
faith through heresy. Christians through infidelity, and of
the image of God through bearing the image of the devil.

Do you ask how this is done ? The answer is ready
and may be given in a few words. — -Thou canst not be-
come such an one in the sight of God as thou wouldst
be, unless thou first become such an one in thyself and
before men, as he will have thee to be. He will have
thee to be in thyself and before men that which thou
really art; that is, a sinner, an. evil person, mad, per-
verse, of the devil, &c. These are thy names, this is all
that thou hast of thine own, this is the truth itself, this
is humility : when all these things have been brought to
pass, then thou art such an one before God as thou
wouldst wish to be : that is, holy, good, true, upright,
godly, &c. In this way thou wilt be one thing before
thyself and men, and another before God. Why then
dost thou wonder ? Why art thou disturbed if thou nei-
ther pleasest thyself nor men ? " For if I yet pleased
men, I should not be the servant of Christ, " saith Paul,
Gal. i. 10.

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But we are deceived here, — we do not think that
these leaders of Israel are men, nor those who are mad-
dened in their favour. As though we never had heard,
that snares were laid for the Apostles tliemselves by the
false apostles under the name of Christ ! so delighted
are we to be deceived by their appellation of blessed
apostles, and apostolicals, if we can but find that we
please them : so that the words of Psalm liii. 5, are ful-
filled, ' God hath scattered the bones of them that please
men : they are confounded, because God hath despised
them.' And that of Isaiah iii. 12, "O my people, they
which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way
of thy paths." Observe, I pray you, how plain and
powerful this definition is. — All are deceived who are
praised : and all praisers are deceivers. Who then
would not tremble at being praised ? Who ought not
rather to be dispraised ? Are those then, (you will say)
the only persons who speak and think rightly, who re-
prove all our actions and account us miserable ? Yes !
That is the true state of the case. For, Rev. iii. 17, it is
said to the church of Laodicea, " Because thou sayest
I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing : and knowest not that thou art wretched, and
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."

As therefore, these things are so, every Christian
should take the most diligent care not to despise or
praise, according to the judgment of the multitude,
those whom men despise and praise. For there is danger
here lest we run against the Lord of life and glory, who
was numbered with the transgressors and still remains

o

with those who are accounted such, and will do so unto
the end of time : because he justifies sinners before men,
and condemns the righteous ones of this world. For in
the former, his own name is lost, and the holy and re-
verend name of God dwells, and they are thereby sanc-
tified : but in the latter, the name of God is cast out,
and there dwells in them the profane and abominable
name of men whereby they are polluted.

I take it for granted, that the figure is very well known
by which "the just" (Justo,) i.s put for iticjimtQiLstis) in

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the plural, or for a general and distributive sentence,
thus, " Thou wilt bless the just ; " that is, every one
who is just. And moreover, all know, that to " bless,"
according to the manner of expression used in the scrip-
tures, is the same as to praise, to glorify, to wish well,
to wish all good ; and is contrary to cursing, reproaching,
and wishing ill: either of which, when it is done of God,
is done indeed, and in reality ; because he saith and it
is done ; but if it be done of men it is nothing, and
amounts to nothing.

But, as we have said at large, Psalm i. he is called
a just or righteous man, who is so in secret ; not in his
own eyes, nor in the eyes of men, but in the sight of
God. It is such an one as this that believes and trusts
in God : and of such an one you may say, that he is a
righteous sinner : but, as we have said, in a different
way and view from all human estimation.

As thou hast crowned him with the shield of favour.

That is, thou hast surrounded or encompassed him :
according to that of Psalm cxxv. 2, "The Lord is round
about his people." And, Psalm xxxiv. 7, " The angel of
the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him."
And again, Deut. xxiii. 10, " He led him about, he
instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye."
But all this is done insensibly in the spirit, while you
are sensibly feeling that of Psalm cxviii. 12, "They
compassed me about like bees," &c. Wherefore, this
favour, this good-will, and this lovingkindness of the
Lord, are to be apprehended by faith, that we fail not,
when our Saul compasseth us about as with an hedtre
that he may bring us over to trust in him, 1 Sam. xxiii.
26. Thus we see the various consolation which God
holds forth unto us, (but all in the Spirit,) that he may
allure us to trust in him,, as we have it, Deut. xxxii. 1 1,
'As an eagle enticeth her young to fly, and hovereth
over them,' &c. : for, as it is written. Psalm xviii. 10,
" He rode upon the cherubim and did fly ; yea, he did
fly upon the wings of the wind."

Thus have I spoken at a great length concerning

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these affections of faith, hope, love and joy, that when
they shall occur again, we may dismiss them sooner,
and, having thus indulged prolixity once for all, may be
more brief hereafter. Let us, therefore, at the end of
this Fifth Psalm, make a pause, that when we have re-
cruited ourselves by a little rest, we may enter with more
alacrity on the Sixth Psalm.

And, as we have thought proper to rest here a little,
we will, for the use of some few, just add, to these
crowning graces and blessings which pertain unto life,
those two verses which are always sung at the end of
the Psalms throughout the whole church, ' Glory be to
the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,' &c.
for these are so much like the last two verses of the
present Psalm, in which we are taught that the name of
the Lord is to be praised and loved.

Glory (saith the church) be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, As it was in the begin-
ning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

In using these godly verses the affections and feel-
ings are to be engaged ; so that, what is sung by the
voice, may be sung in mind and spirit also : for in these
is contained the sum of all prayers and affections, in the
same way as in that part of the Lord's prayer, ' Hal-
lowed be thy name,' are contained all the following pe-
titions, and as all the following precepts of the Decalogue
are contained in the first commandment. Thus, as the
first commandment is the sum and substance of all the
rest, and that first petition of the Lord's Prayer is the
sum and substance of all the rest ; so, the affection of
this verse is the sum and substance of all affections : for
no prayer ought to be put up but that which has for its
object the glory of the divine majesty, that his name may
be sanctified : nor ought any thing to be done in work,
but that wherein those things are sought which are
God's, that we may have no strange god : so that we
ought to be proved by no other motive but the glory of
God.

299

In a word, by these verses, if we use and sing them
in mind and spirit, we in a short way accomplish all
that multitude of sacrifices in the Old Testament. For
what was their offering unto God slain sheep and cattle,
but the same as our offering ourselves unto God as men
slain by sin, and living unto righteousness unto the
praise and glory of his grace ? as Hosea saith, chap. xiv.
2, " So will we render unto thee the calves of our lips."
and Psalm li. " Then shalt thou be pleased with the sa-
crifice of righteousness, then shall they offer bullocks
upon thine altar." And Heb. xiii. 15, " By him, there-
fore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God con-
tinually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to
his name."

Nor is the sacrifice of the New Testament any thing
else but that which is contained in these verses, so that
the sacrament of the altar may be called the Eucharist ;
that is, a giving of thanks ; because in performing that
service, we properly fulfil the force and meaning of
these verses. For it is not enough to partake of the body
of the Lord, unless we do it " in remembrance " of him,
as it is commanded. But how many are there who daily
mutter over this verse, while there are but few who
really do that which it signifies. Wherefore, it is neces-
sary that every one watch himself, and remind himself,
from the admonition and invitation contained in this
verse, what he owes unto God.

And here, we do not say Glories be to the Three
Persons, but, ' Glory be,' &c., because — the glory of the
Triune God is equal and the same, even as their ma-
jesty and divinity are the same ; and therein we confess
the revealed holy name of the true God. And in this
matter the highest faith is necessary ; which is called
forth into exercise in the present verses. For those things
of which we are now speaking, are incomprehensible,
and the highests points of our faith.

But, that we may speak of these things in a more
practical way, we would say, — let power and might be
ascribed unto the Father, wisdom and counsel unto the
Son, and goodness and love unto the Holy Ghost. So

300

that, let him who sings glory to the Father, offer up his
own vain-glory, confessing his own weakness and infir-
mity ; and let him never desire to be strong or mighty
but in God the Father. When he sings glory to the Son,
let him hate all his own wisdom and counsel, and, hav-
ing sacrificed these beasts, let him ofier them up ; con-
fessing his own ignorance and foolishness, and not
wishing to be accounted wise and prudent, neither by
himself nor others, but in the Son, his God. When he
sings glory to the Holy Ghost, let him lay aside all con-
fidence in his own righteousness and goodness ; con-
fessing his sins, desiring to be made righteous and good
by God the*^Holy Ghost, and offering. up the opinion of
his own righteousness. Hereby it comes to pass, that we
leave all things unto God, and nothing unto ourselves
but confusion and the confession of our evils, our no-
thingness, and our misery. Thus, we are just, and render
to all their dues.

But let no one so think, as to believe, that he can wor-
thily sing these verses. Let him rather sing desiringly
than positively; that his singing may be rather a prayer,
a praise, and a giving of thanks. For there is no one
without a vain-glorious opinion of his own power,
wisdom, and goodness, and no one to be found who
does not take something from the glory of God, and
does not impurely sacrifice this sacrifice.

And this prayer is to be offered up as a common
prayer, ' As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever
shall be, world without end. Amen :' that is, he who
sings this, ought to wish that all the creation from the
beginning would, unto all eternity, glorify God with
him. And therefore, this prayer is most weighty and ef-
ficacious, because it is the most universal ; wherein that
which is deficient in us is supplied by the communion of
all saints, and especially by Christ himself: with which
universality, we may sing in concert most safely ; for
there the deficiency of our voice, will be assisted and
perfected by the multitude of the perfect.

Hence, it is impossible that any man given to vain-
glory should sing these verses, unless he would by his

301

horrible noise confound the sweet harmony of the whole
creation, and thereby call down and hasten evil upon
his own head. For such importunate discord, which
would disturb the harmony of God, would not be to-
lerable. From this destructive vain -glory, therefore,
may Christ himself deliver us : who is our glory for
ever and ever. Amen.

P S A L M VI.
TO victory: on the organs: upon the eighth.

A PSALM OF DAVID.

Concerning 'victory,' and the 'organs,' we have
spoken. Psalm IV. But the mystical signification of this
' Eighth,' has been minutely handled by many ; whom
we will allow to indulge in their own opinions ; and we
will follow those who speak simply and without any
mystery; considering, that the grammatical or historical
signitication of the 'eighth,' is, that it means an organ, or,
a harp with eight strings. For Psalm xxxiii. 2, indicates
that the psaltery was an instrument of ten strings. So
that the meaning is, that this Psalm is one of those
which were sung ' to victory ' on the organs : (concern-
ing which, we have spoken, Psalm iv : ) but so, that it
was sung on the particular instrument of eight strings,
that is, the harp : and the word " eighth " is added, in
the title, to signify the kind of grace spoken of in the
Psalm. — I am not certain Mhether the eight-stringed
harp, was of the highest, the middle, or the lowest kind.
It appears that the psaltery of ten strings was of the
highest kind ; so that we find that to have been used in
joyful and festive Psalms. And it is certain that the
Psalms 'to victory' were accustomed to be sung on the
harps, which, by a general appellation, are called ' organs '
in the titles of the Psalms.

It is not however to be doubted, that all these things
were figures of things to come ; and that these eight
strings were not then instituted in vain, nor commended
in vain. Though I, indeed, according to my bold way,
am not inclined to apply them to the eighth day of the
future resurrection only, but to the present state of ihe
church, and to a certain peculiar affection and experience
of the believers in Christ. Not that there was not the
same state also under the Old Testament, but it was
not then revealed. Wherefore, let us meditate for our
mind's edification, and consider, that the harp of eight
strings was the highest, the chief, and superior to all the
rest, (even as we consider that the psaltery of ten strings
was the highest,) and that it was for that reason distin-
guished in this title by the name ' eighth.'

We have mentioned in the beginning, that the psal-
tery and harp, differ in this, — that the psaltery, from
having the cavity in the upper wood, sends its sound down-
wards from the top ; whereas, on the contrary, the harp,
from having the cavity in the lower wood, sends its sound
upwards from the bottom. By which particulars are figured
forth those two sacraments of the death and resurrection
of Christ, and the mortification of the flesh, and quick-
ening renewal of the spirit in us. So that, the singing
on the harp, in the revelation of the truth, signifies
nothing else but the work of the cross, the mortification
of the members, and the destruction of the body of sin ;
whereby we are raised above all our earthly wisdom,
and brought to savour those things which are above,
where Christ sits. And the singing on the psaltery, sig-
nifies the work of the Spirit, justification, peace, and
the like, which, through faith and hope, come down
from above. Hence, the harps were properly adapted,
(as we have said,) to the Psalms ' to victory : ' because,
the work of the Lord, that is, the cross of Christ, re-
quires exhortation, that we may endure unto the end,
and may, by perseverance, obtain the victory.

And since in this Psalm that sum of the cross and
mortification, and that very brink of death, that is, hell,
are described, it was not improperly said to be on the

303

highest harp, that is, the ' eighth, ' and the eighth
number very frequently occurs, and is a sacred number
in the Holy Scriptures ; as Hieronymus shows, from
the eighth day of circumcision, and from the eight souls
that were saved in the ark of Noah ; and David also is
said to be the eighth son of Jesse : and Zacbarias the
father of John received his speech on the eii^ith day ;
and the like. And moreover, eight is a solid number, a
square, and an equal to equal, consisting of six equal
sides, having twenty-four plane-triangles, and eight solid
ones, like a die : which square figure is also frequently
used in the Holy Scriptures, and it is by philosophers
applied to signify equality and stability. And again, the
number sir, (which is the number of this Psalm,) is the
first number of perfection : so that by it is signitied the
solid, stable, perfect, and absolute mortitication of the
old man by what is sung on this harp ; which mortifi-
cation is truly described in the present Psalm. But why
this same title is not prefixed to all the Psalms on the
same subject, we desire to remain in ignorance, (to use
the words of Augustine,) because God has not willed
that we should know the reason.

Wherefore the words of this Psalm will suit him
who is sincfing on the eight strings : that is, who is ex-
ercised under the extreme pains of death and hell, as the
words of the Psalm themselves show. And hence, ac-
cording to my judgment, this Psalm contains the expe-
rience of what was taught in the Psalm preceding. For
we there said, that the nature and power of hope were
shown and exercised in the man while labouring in the
midst of evils and sins. And what the feelings, the
surges of mind, the groans, and sighs, and the words and
counsels of such an one are, we have set forth in the
present Psalm.

Wherefore, we are to consider, that the words and
doctrine contained in this Psalm are general : that is,
are applicable not only to Christ himself, but unto any
Christian while labouring under these things. For those
who are in this state, and exercised with these things,
and are instructed thereby, are sure to have an impla-

304

cable war raised against them by the woikers of iniquity,
who, depending on their own works, and teaching others
to do the same, ahvays most pestilentially resist this
mortification. For it is not our works, but the work of
God, that is here going on ; which must be endured
alone by a patiently-suffering hope : for such an one
cannot be dehvered from, nor comforted under, this
work, by any works of men : nay, when placed in this
excess, the man sees that '^ all men are liars." Hence,
the Psalmist here most severely attacks, not persecutors,
but the workers of iniquity, and crafty counsellors, who,
under a show of kindness, are injurious opposers of this
work of God : for their opinion will never endure the
hearing, that these things are sent and wrought of God ;
being always authors and teachers of despair and pre-
sumption, but never of hope.

Nor are we to think that all the believers in Christ
are exercised with these things which are set forth in this
Psalm. For all are not proved by all kinds of tempta-
tions, though all are proved by many and various temp-
tations. So, in the Gospel, we do not read of any more
than one, (the woman of Canaan from Syrophenicia,)
who was exercised with this kind of temptation and pas-
sion ; which was, when Christ refused to hear either her
own cry, or the intercession of his disciples, and while
she suffered the being compared unto dogs, and not unto
the children, and the being most positively denied. The
rest were blind, or halt, or labouring under some such
bodily calamities and diseases. And so also, the temp-
tations here described happen principally unto them
who are of great faith, and, as it was said of David, who
are men " after God's own heart." And yet, the nature of
- this temptation is to be learned, that we may be ready if at
any time God shall will to prove us by such a day of trial.

And why should we not endeavour also (which
many have endeavoured) to find out the ojxkr which is
observed in the preceding Psalms, with the intent that we
may seek and know their peculiar variety? for these va-
rious Psalms, contain various and particular designs
and experiences.

305

The First Psalm then, seems to set forth to us the
perfect image of a godly man, or of the people of God ;
though in short and general words and terms ; and there
is therein set forth such a godly man as all the Psalms
afterward speak of: that is, one that is spiritual, who is
delighted only with the law of the Lord, and who is not
moved by any prosperity or adversity. And then, it sets
forth the opposite image of the ungodly ; and then, the
end of each : showing, that God knows the former, but
knows not the latter : and that, therefore, the latter shall
perish, but the former shall be saved. So that the First
Psalm seems to be pla.?ed most rightly, at the beginning,
as the argument of, or introduction to, all the rest ; in
which we may see what is treated of throughout the
whole Psaltery.

The Second Psalm teaches that Christ is the head
and author of the godly people. And then it shows,
where and from whence his kingdom is, and to what
extent it shall be enlarged : namely, that it is from Zion,
and shall be extended to the uttermost parts of the
earth, in defiance of, and contrary to, the wills of all the
adversaries, who shall fight against it in vain. And
lastly, it shows the nature and manners of this kingdom :
that all the subjects of it serve in fear and joy, and are
prepared to trust and hope in Christ in the time of his
anger.

In the Third Psalm, the Head and King of this
faithful people himself is introduced as an example of
suffering and of glorification : showing, that he is not a
leader in name only, who commands and requires many
things to be done, and does nothing himself; but one
who goes before the people over whom he is appointed
in the most lawful office of leader ; one who is powerful
and " mighty in word and deed," and who begins " to
do and to teach."

In the Fourth Psalm, the people thus constituted
follow their leader through sufferings. And first of all,
they are led into temporal and lighter sufferings; in
which they are exercised, and, despising all the abun-
dance and good things of this life, (which are signified

VOL. III.

306

by the abounding in corn, wine, and oil,) are led into
hope ; in which they sleep in peace. And this is the
first and lowest degree of the cross, which is thus set
forth for beginners, and those who are more tender.

In the Fifth Psalm, this people, being strength-
ened by temporal sufferings, are brought under the
spiritual and more perilous temptations described by the
Word : wherein Satan attacks them with heretical cogi-
tations, that is, perverse opinions, which fight against
pure faith and hope. And they have, moreover, to con-
tend against that greatest of all spiritual beasts, pride,
which arises out of their very prosperity, and by which
the angels fell from heaven. Here therefore, the feelings
and exercises are more vehement and increased. Here the
powers of the soul especially suffer, and the spirit
agonizes for the truth and the sincerity of faith.

This is the kind of exercise which we find in Paul
when contending against the Jews and the false
prophets.

And then, in the Sixth Psalm, which contains
the last and finishing conflict, we have their contending
with death and hell : which kind of conflict is endured,
not with men, nor with temporal nor spiritual things ;
but it is inward in the Spirit : nay rather, it is out of,
and above, the Spirit ; and is in that extreme ecstasy
where no one hears, sees, or feels any thing but the
Spirit; who, with groanings that cannot be uttered,
makes intercession for the saints, and wrestles in a cer-
tain way with God himself. And no name can be given
to this wrestling prayer, nor can any one know what it
is but by experience.' — -But let us now enter upon it in
the particulars of this Psalm.

Ver. 1. — O Lord, rebuke me not in thy fury, neither
correct me in thine anger.

A question has been raised whether there be any
difference between fury and anger, and any difference
between rebuking and correcting ? Now we know that
in other places of the scripture, rebuking and chastening
are put together: as in Rev. iii. 19, "As many as I love

3Q7

I rebuke and chasten : be zealous therefore and repent :"
so that this last word " correct," is the same as chasten-
ing or disciplining. Him that wishes to consider this as
a repetition only, we will leave to indulge in his own
opinion. But we, in the mean time, will make this dis-
tinction,— that rebuking, is reprehending ; and correct-
ing, chastising or striking the person when reprehended :
which is according to general usage among men, where
the criminal is first accused and reprehended, and then,
after the sentence has been pronounced, led to punish-
ment. And so, when children have done wrong, they are
first rebuked and chided and then beaten.

This rebuking in the experience of the heart and
spirit, is a dread and horror of conscience before the
face of the judgment of God ; under which, Christ
groaned for us in the garden ; as Isaiah predicted of
him, chap. liii. that he should do ; saying, " He hath
borne our griefs and carried our sorrows." And when he
began to be sorrowful and very heavy he said, Matt,
xxvi. 38, " My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto
death." For in this state the soul, being left destitute of
all confidence, finds herself in a horrible condition as a
guilty criminal standing alone before the tribunal of the
eternal and angry God. Of this state, Job saith, " If He
will contend, who shall answer him ? " For in this con-
tending every one must be dumb, like that guest men-
tioned, Matt. xxii. 11,12; who, when he was asked why he
came in not having on a wedding garment, wars speech-
less. And then that which is mentioned in the same
chapter, ver. 15, " Bind him hand and foot and take
him away and cast him into outer darkness," expressed
that which is here experienced in the being ' chastened
in anger.' For the conscience, being reprehended and
convicted, immediately feels nothing else, than that
eternal damnation is its portion.

No one can understand this deep experience nor
indeed the inferior kinds of it, but he who has tasted
it : and therefore, we cannot fully describe it in treat-
ing of it. Job experienced it more than any other,
and that frequently. And after him David and king

X 2

308

Hezekiah, as recorded, Isaiah xxxviii. and a few others.
And, lastly, the German divine John Taulerus makes
frequent mention of it in his sermons. And this temp-
tation seems to me to be the same as that which Christ
mentions, Luke xxi. ; where, among other evils of the
last time, he enumerates terrors from the heavens ;
under which, men's hearts shall fail them for fear, and
for looking after those things which are coming on the
earth : so that, the worst and most perilous tribulation
shall be in the last and most perilous time. But we see
many even now suffering those things, and, from not
knowing any remedy, turning away into madness and
continually sorrowing, wasting away, and consuming.
Under this some of the fathers have also laboured in
the desert.

And let no one here pratingly contend with us, nor
presume so much upon his thick brains, as to pretend
to come forward and make a separating distinction be-
tween servile fear and love ; and say, that they do not
exist together. This work of God is not to be compre-
hended by any capacious understanding : there is dark-
ness upon the face of this deep : and there may be
together a most servile fear, a fleeing from punishment,
and a most ardent love. As Christ saith, Psalm cxlii. 4,
" Refuge failed me, and no man cared for my soul."
Love lies in a most secret depth ; but servile fear
appears and is felt with intolerable violence : the spirit
is borne upon the top of the waters, and nothing is left
but a groan that cannot be uttered. And, finally, what
this tribulation is, and what it worketh, may be col-
lected from the various features of it which this Psalm
enumerates.

First of all, David prays for the removal of the
wrath and fury of God : which he would not have done,
if he had not felt his anger and fury. He does not, how-
ever, refuse to be rebuked and chastened, but prays that
it may be done in mercy : as we have it also Psalm
xxvi. 2, " Examine me, O Lord, and prove me, try out
my reins and my heart." And Psalm cxxxix, 23, 24,
" Search me, O God, and know my heart : try me and

309

know my thoughts : and see if there be any wicked way
in me."

Wherefore, in this verse we have a twofold rod of
God described : the one of mercy, and the other of an-
ger. And thus also Jeremiah saith, chap. x. 24, *' O
Lord, correct me, but with judgment : not in thine
anger, lest thou bring me to nothing." And Job says,
vii. 2U), "Why hast thou set me as a mark against thee r"
And verse 17, " What is man that thou shouldst mag-
nify him ? and that thou shouldst set thine heart upon
him ? " This tribulation is also called in the scriptures,
the day of visitation, and the day of beholding : because
God tortures the wicked by his looking upon them only,
which is intolerable : as we have it, Habakkuk iii. 4,
*' He beheld and drove asunder the nations, and the
everlasting mountains were scattered." And thus also
Exod. xiv. 24, we read that the Lord " looked " only
upon the hosts of the Egyptians, and that terror and
confusion immediately seized them. In a word, this is
that day of judgment and eternal destruction, which
no one can ward off, no one can avoid or escape, unless
by hope he lay hold of the mercy of God in Christ Jesus
our Lord.

This Psalm teaches us, therefore, that, if any one be
pressed in these straits, he should flee unto no other
than the angry God himself. But this is a matter most
difficult and laborious : and in a word, this is hoping
against hope, and indeed a striving against impossi-
bilities ; as far as the feelings and apprehension of the
person are concerned. For here is that most miserable
conflict which Hezekiah describes in his own experience,
Isaiah xxxviii. 14, " O Lord, i am oppressed, answer
for me." And immediately afterwards, as if he had felt
a denial, he adds, ' what shall I say ? or what will he an-
swer me, when he himself hath done it? ' As if he had
said like Job, chap. ix. 16, " If I had called and he had
answered me : yet would I not believe that he had
hearkened unto me." So much do hope and despair al-
ternately prevail here, that, even if those who call upon

310

God are heard, yet they feel it not, and db not even be-
lieve that their voice is heard.

And therefore, when this Psalm saith " in thy fury,"
the Psalmist thereby confesses that what he suffers is
from God : so that he might say, What shall I say ?
What Will he answer for me ? Will he hear me ? Will it
do me any good to pray when I know that he himself
has done these things ? Wherefore, if men have not
learned in lighter temptations to flee unto him that
smiteth them, that is, unto God ; (as the prophet Isaiah,
chap. viii. most fully teaches ought to be done ;) how
will they turn and flee unto him under this greatest of
all pressures, where it is felt that God himself worketh
them?

Wherefore all other temptations are the most perfect
examples of this ; and are, as it were, pre-instructions
and preludes to it ; wherein we are taught always to flee
unto God against God, as it were.

Here, then, we are to know, that the doctrine of this
Psalm is most diligently to be observed by them that
sufler these things: that they may not wander away,
may not complain, and may not seek the consolations of
men, but may stand alone and endure the hand of God,
and, with the prophet may never turn any where but
unto God: saying, "O Lord, rebuke me not in thy
fory."

And this is what Jeremiah (Lam. iii. 24 — 29,) most
fully and beautifully teaches, " The Lord is my portion,
saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord
is good unto them that wait on him; to the soul that
seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope,
and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. It is
good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. He
sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne
it upon him. He putteth his mouth in the dust if so be
there may be hope : " that is, he hideth his face and
sayeth nothing, as if he were buried in the dust with
the dead.

And it is under the same feelings, that those words

311

of Psalm cxliii. 3, 4, were written, " He hath- made me
to dwell in darkness as those that have been long dead.
Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me : my
heart within me is desolate," In this silence, and in this
solitude, this purging and cleansing are accomplished.
As we have it also, Psalm Iviii. 4 — 8, " My heart is
sore pained within me, and the terrors of death are fallen
upon me. Tearfulness and trembling are come upon
me ; and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, O
that I had wings like a dove, for then would I flee away
and be at rest; so, then would I wander afar off, and
remain in the wilderness, Selah. I expected him who
should save me from the stormy wind and tempest :"
which in the Hebrew, is, from the commotion of the
wind and storm; which is the same thing.

Ver. 2. — Have mercy upon me, O hord, for I am
weak : O Lord, heal me, for my bones are ve.ved.

Here, he in the next place confesses himself weak;
that is destitute of strength; and therefore unable to
endure that unsupportable rebuke and chastisement of
the anger of God. As if he had said. The terror of thy
anger is more than I can bear: and unless thou com-
municate to me the power of thy grace, I must utterly
despair and perish. Thus Moses, Psalm xc. 11, " Who
knoweth the power of thine anger, (that is, the violence
and force of it) or thy wrath, by all his fear of thee?" And
the force of this feeling is moreover shown by the
frequent repetition of the name of the Lord, " Have
mercy upon me, O Lord," " O Lord, heal me," '' O Lord,
how long?" For these are the feelings and cries of
those even, who are oppressed with lighter temptations :
they call continually in heart and mouth upon the
helping name of God.

Some will have it, that, "Have mercy" in this
passage signifies pro[)erly, not the remission of sins,
(which is generally expressed by a word signifying-
clemency or pity; as in Psalm cxi. 4, "gracious and
full of compassion,") but grace, or strength, whereby the
soul may be strengthened; which aptly agrees with the

312

word "weak," "For I am weak " or ' impotent : ' and
it is weakness that is helped by strength. Such, there-
fore, is the nature of this temptation: which, is most
appropriately described in the words of this Psalm,
though it can be really known by no one, but by expe-
rience, as I have before said. For this expression
** weak" touches the weakness of the spirit, not that of
the flesh : that is, that weakness vi'hich neither hope nor
love, no, nor even faith is able to support, unless it be
thus strengthened.

In the next place he says also that his " bones are
vexed," and therefore he prays to be healed. But, who
understands what this vexing of the bones is? For
David is not here speaking of a corporal vexation of the
bones of the body by a fever or any other such disease.
And this inexperience, gave occasion to many illustrious
fathers also to understand by " bones," the powers of
the soul, whose opinion I do not condemn. But (as I
have observed already) the powers or faculties of the
soul, such as the understanding, the will, the reason,
the memory, and the like, were signified in the former
part of the verse, under the term " weak." For grace,
properly, (for which grace he prays in the words " have
mercy") strengthens the heart and its powers against
that spiritual weakness; for it is in the spirit that he
speaks.

Wherefore, " bones," ought here to be received as
signifying, according to their grammatical meaning, the
very bones themselves which are in the flesh of our
bodies, and which, by this weakness and perturbation of
spirit, are so vexed that they tremble, and have no
strength whatever, and indeed fjre then no longer
bones, nor are they able to support the body itself
only. For thus we have it written, Isaiah xxxviii. 13,
" As a lion so will he break all my bones." And this is
what we sometimes find in them also who are brought
to the point of death : where many tremble and are
horribly wracked with straits and agonies. HPor God
often works this tribulation in that state ; where the
man can no mome run to human comforts, and is forced

313

to bear the hand oif him that purifieth him. For it is
necessary that sin should be destroyed in this manner,
and be driven from us ; that we may love God above all
things, and may burn with an unspeakable thirsting
after him. And those earthly affections which are
wrought by sin are beyond all comparison less and
weaker than this thirst is of the man who thus seeks
after God ; that is, his grace and mercy.

Here, perhaps, I may seem to advance unheard-of
and absurd things, in the estimation of those, who
imagine that they can find an easy way to heaven by
their indulgences, their letters, or their works. And
though I know that I cannot prove the truth of what I
thus advance to the satisfaction of those who do not
believe the words of the prophet; yet, I will not, on
their account, go from the words of the prophet. Let
every one abide by his own understanding of the scrip-
tures. I know what I say : and let them take heed that
they fully know and understand what they say. — This is
certain, that no one will come unto the mercy of God,
but he who most cravingly hungers and thirsts after
him; like him, who said. Psalm xlii. 1, "As the hart
panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after
thee, O God. My tears have been my meat day and
night." And again. Psalm Ixiii. 11," My soul thirsteth
for thee, mv flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty
land."

Let no one ever think that a full and satisfied soul
will be filled of God : he only " fills the hungry with
good things." How much less then will he give eternal
life to those who disdain it ; nay, who despise it in com-
parison with the good things of this life. No ! He will
give it to those who most ardently, and with groanings
that cannot be uttered, seek after it, crave after it, and
knock at the door for it. And, as we should not thus
seek, crave, and know it otherwise, especially if we en-
joyed a quiet life, God has set before us death and va-
rious tribulations ; that, being pressed under these, we
may be forced to seek for mercy and life : as Job saith,

314

chap. X. 12, "Thou hast granted me life and favour,
and thy vi; ation hath preserved my spirit."

It is certain, therefore, that those who suffer this
tribulation have their bones so vexed, that they cannot
perform the office of bones. As, on the contrary, we
see, that where the heart exults and is kept filled with
joy, the bones are as it were strengthened, and are made
ready to leap and to bear the heavy and filthy burden
of the flesh, and there is nothing that they are not able
to bear. So that the joy is felt through all the bones as
a certain watering. As we have it in Proverbs iii. 8,
" It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy
bones." Nay even a poet of old said.

Through all his bones a chilling tremor ran.

So that the affections of the mind penetrate through
the body. Rightly, therefore, does David say, " O
Lord, heal me :" because, he is so broken down, even in
body, that his bones have lost all their strength. So
great is the power of this tribulation, that there is not a
corner in the frame or in the whole powers which it does
not vex and wear down.

Ver. 3. — My soul also is sore vexed.

In the next place, he complains that his " soul " is
vexed : that is, the lower and inferior part of it ; that
is, the sensible life. For when the spirit is vexed and the
bones also, there is no part of the sensible frame that is
not filled with sorrow : so that now, there is nothing re-
maining either in spirit, body, or soul, that is not
possessed and filled with the most bitter sorrow and
terror. The soul or life feels the attack of death, which
is the most distressing of all to the feelings, and the
spirit feels hell, which is intolerable. And what this sen-
sation of death and hell is, in this conflict and pertur-
bation, is shown in the following part of the Psalm. —
In the meantime, however, be it known, that, to those
who are exercised under this tribulation, there is nothing
in the whole creation so pleasant as to be able to give

315

relief even to one hair of the head, nothing so sweet in
sound as to be able to sooth the ear, nothing so deHght-
ful, either to eat, to drink, or to touch, that does not
seem to be very bitterness. Death is in every thing that
is either seen or touched. The man is most miserably
wracked between life and death : he dreads death, and
has not life.

And I presume it is known to every one, that life
or soul, and spirit, differ from each other, according to the
scriptural usage of those terms : though philosophers
will go according to their opinions. For by the Apostle,
Thess. V. 23, we have it thus, " And the very God of
peace sanctify you wholly : and I pray God your whole
spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Upon which
points Origen and Hieronymus have disputed much in
various parts of their works. But the Apostle prays,
that they may be preserved separately and particularly,
in spirit, soul, and body. And in the Evangelists, Mark
xii. 30, we have' " With all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength."
But upon this we cannot enlarge farther here.

But thou, O Lord, how long ?

Here some understand a word : thus, " how long "
* wilt thou refuse to deliver me,' or, ' to strengthen
me ? ' and such a reading the pronoun " thou " favours,
" And thou, O Lord, how long ?" Under which same
feelings David saith, Psalm xiii. 1, " How long wilt
thou forget me, O Lord ? For ever ? How long wilt
thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take
counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily ? "
Where, he not only prays the Lord to hasten his help,
but, being as it were impatient of delay, he complains
of his distress on account of the delay : because, in
every feeling of fear, love, hope, and hatred, &c. delay
is always distressing and grievous: as Pro v. xiii. 12,
*' Hope deferred maketh the heart sick." And under
this sensation of death and hell, the delay is above all
the most distressing. For here that common saying

316

is true ' One hour in hell, is longer than many years
in this world.'

In a word, human nature cannot bear to endure
this tribulation even the shortest space of time; nor
does it suffer the whole of it at all, it only tastes a cer-
tain few drops of it : as, on the other hand, it is said of
those who are under the experience of the heavenly
feelings, that they scarcely taste one drop, because this
life cannot bear all the riches of the pleasures of that life
to come. And indeed, when either of these feelings or
sensations exceeds the common measure, the man thinks
that his soul will leave the body, unless a miracle of di-
vine power prevent. Wherefore, in these words, " And
thou, O Lord, how long? " is particularly indicated, that
unutterable groan of the Spirit which the man under
these feelings breathes forth.

Ver. 4. — Return, O Lord, and deliver my soul, oh
save me for thy mercy sake.

He again indicates in this verse, that his soul is lost,
and that he himself is damned, (for these are his feelings
in the hour of this excess,) when he prays, that his soul
might be saved ; that is, from the death that presses
upon him ; and that he might be delivered from the hell
that now with open mouth is ready to swallow him up.
And Psalm ix. 13, "Thou that liftest me up from the
gates of death." And again Hezekiah saith, Isa. xxxviii.
10, "I shall go to the gates of hell."

And the Psalmist also beautifully shows the power
of hope Avhile he sets nothing before his eyes but the
mercy of God : saying, " For thy mercy's sake." As if
he had said, not for my merits, for I have none ; as is
sufficiently manifest from this my terror at thine anger,
from my perturbation of heart, and from the vexation of
my bones and of my soul : therefore, save me for thy
mercy's sake : that the glory and praise of thy mercy
may be exalted in my salvation unto all eternity. For
though I be unworthy of being delivered and saved, yet
thou art worthy of being praised, glorified, and loved, to
all eternity : and yet, thou canst not be praiseil, nor can

317

thy mercy be glorified, unless there be some whom thou
shalt save from death and deliver from hell.

Thus Manasseh, king of Judah, in his prayer, says,
' For thou shalt save me according to thy great mercy,
and I will praise thee always all the days of my life ; for
all the powers of heaven praise thee.' Behold in this
way does God render his mercy most lovely, most sweet,
and most desirable to be sighed after. And this is how
it ought to appear unto us, (as it is eternal and of a ma-
jesty so great,) while he is bringing upon us those evils
and temptations which we have deserved. But, as to
those whom he does not try with these temptations,
what wonder is it if such should look upon the mercy of
God as a thing of no value, and nauseate the heavenly
manna.

And here at one blow, and in one moment perishes '
all the prating of those vvho talk about meriting grace
by works of congruity, and gaining heaven by works
of condignity ; and who, by an incredible madness,
prepare to meet the ^intolerable judgment of God,
by the works of their own righteousness. And there-
fore David, at the end of this Psalm, attacks such
with a fiery zeal of spirit, inveighing against them in
words addressed especially to them ; saying, " Depart
from me, all ye workers of iniquity." So that this truth
stands firm and certain — " O save me for thy mercy's
sake : " for my iniquity is found to be unto death and
hell, my righteousness is all vanished, my strength has
failed, and my merit has come to nought. Blessed man
that I shall be, if I be but allowed to breathe unto, and
rest in, thy mercy !

Here therefore, we are taught, that as we ought not
to presume at all concerning ourselves, so, we ought not
by any means to despair of the mercy of God ; but
ought, how unworthy soever we may be, to call upon
that mercy to save us from the power of death and hell.
For what sins or what evils can there be so great, that
they should lead thee to despair, when thou hearest
from this scripture, that no one ought to be led to de-
spair when under the feelings of death and hell, where

318

there must of necessity be the greatest of all sins and
evils ?

Ver. 5. — For in death who shall ronember thee? and
in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

Here David plainly opens up to us the experience
and feelings contained in the whole Psalm ; where he

: confesses that he feels death and hell. For he does not
speak these things like the sophists, (who have the audacity
to divine and imagine any thing,) as being matters of
which he in reality knew nothing, but he speaks from
what he himself experiences, and paints forth the whole
just as he himself feels it. " Save me," saith he, that I
may proclaim thy mercy to all eternity : and rebuke me
not in this thy anger, for therein there is nothing but
death and hell and no remembrance nor praise of thee.
For here, that of Proverbs xvi. 14, is found to be true,
"The wrath of the king is as messengers of death."
And hence, Hezekiah saith, Isa. xxxviii. 19, 20, "The
living, the living he shall praise thee as I do this day. For
the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee :
they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy
truth." And Psalm cxv. 17, "The dead praise not the
Lord, neither any that go down into hell." And we find
these feelings set forth in many other places in the
Psalms.

What then is this being in death and hell ? — It is,

,. first of all, to be in an eternal forgetfulness and oblivion
of God; and next to be in eternal blasphemy. For
here the care for the love of self reigns with a most
powerful and most confused concern: and therefore, it
is impossible for such to have the mercy of God before
their eyes. They seek refuge and escape, and find none;
and then, they are presejitly involved in a most burning

"^^ hatred of God. They first of all desire that there were
another God, and then that they themselves had no
existence: and thus, they blaspheme his divine Majesty.
They w ish (as I said) with all their heart, that no such ma-
jesty existed; and, if they could, they would destroy his

319

existence: and this fleeing from, and this hatred against /
God, are eternal. And thus, that scri[)ture of Psalm i.
is fulfilled, " For the ungodly are like the chaff ^^'hich
the wind scattereth away : " that is, they are ever fleeing, l/
but never escape.

But, here, some will open their mouths with this
objection. What then mean those words so often found
in the scriptures, 'There is no redemption in hell?'
For, according to this, it appears, that the pains of hell
can happen to none but to the damned? — I answer,
though I do not remember that I have read these words
in the holy scriptures, yet they seem to be taken out of
this verse of this Psalm, and also out of other like places
of the scriptures. But such scriptures are not under- |
stood by these carnal ones, nor by any unexperienced ''
theologians. — As though no one could taste of hell,
because there is no redemption from hell ! According to
the same argument, then, we might say, that Paul never
tasted heavenly things, because the blessedness of heaven
can never be lost, and sin can never be felt there,
because it is forgiven.

Wherefore, it is true that in the present conflict and
agony, nothing is present in the feelings but hell, without
any prospect of redemption, for all that is felt, seems as
if it would be eternal. For the anger of a mortal man
when felt, is attended with the hope that it will have an
end; but no hope accompanies this anger of an eternal
God, nor any expectation of its coming to an end.
' Rebuke me not, O Lord, in thine anger,' saith David :
but, to be brought under th-e mortal anger of a mortal
man, is nothing.

And, indeed, all that takes place in hell takes place
in the soul: even the hatred and blasphemy are almost
the same. " But love is strong as death, and jealousy
hard as hell : " and therefore, the man that is under this
temptation, prevails in the praising of God. Love,
however, most severely, sharply, and vehemently wrestles •
against hatred, hope against despair, mercy against wrath,
praise against blasphemy, perseverence against flight,

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and, in a word, heaven against hell, to the unspeakable
torture of the soul.

But why do we spend words in vain, when we can
effect nothing by thousands of words? because, nothing
can give a man a judgment in, and an understanding
and comprehension of this tribulation, but the feeling
sensation and experience of it. Though every one, if
he be not devoid of all feeling and callous in heart and
conscience, when he hears these things, must say, that
there is a something signified by these words, which he
does not yet know: and it is terrible to be brought to
the knowledge of it.

Ver. 6. — / am weary with my groaning, every night
will I wash my bed, and water my couch with my tears.

This verse may be arranged in the translation two
ways: either by making the words "I am weary" to
stand alone: or by joining them to, " with my groaning."
And though the former order is the most generally used,
yet we will upon the present occasion pass it by, and
confine ourselves to the latter: by doing which, as I
think, -we shall more properly preserve the repetition
which the passage contains. So that, washing the bed
under sighing and groaning, will be the same as watering
the couch with tears: thus taking together the sighs and
groans with the tears, the washing with the watering,
and the bed with the couch.

In the Hebrew it is, ' I will make my bed to swim ;
and water my couch.' And here, the question may justly
be asked, how any man should have so many tears?
Augustine, after his manner, has here recourse to a
mystical understanding of the passage; in which, he is
followed by many others. We, however, will understand
" bed " and " couch " according to their plain gram-
matical signification, as being those places whereon men,
according to the common usage, recline for the night.
And we will understand the groans and tears as spoken
of hyperbolically or comparatively, when they are said
to wash and water the couch. For it was never^ nor in

321

any place, heard that any one saint ever shed so many
tears, in one night even, much less every night, as to
water his couch; to say nothing about its being made to
swim.

But we \\ill understand the hyj)erbole or the com-
parative expression thus, — as applying only to the act or
state of crying itself. But as the words of the Spirit are
always to be understood in the Spirit, there will be no
hyperbole at all, if you consider the affection of mind
in the person who experiences these things : for then,
this will signify, not what the person could really do,
but what he wished and desired to do. For so the f\i-
thers say of Mary Magdalene, that she did not speak
according to her natural bodily strength, when she said
to the gardener, John xx. 15, " Sir, if thou have borne
him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will
take him away." For all things are considered possible
in the feelings of those who believe, hope, and love.
Since, therefore, God weigheth the spirits, and not the
works, and does not look at the external appearance of
the works, but at the reins and hearts of men, David
says these words without any hyperbolical or compara-
tive figure at all ; nay, he speaks from his heart, when
he says, that he would wash his couch with his sighs
and tears. And though he cannot really do this, yet,
because his wish is so ardent, that which he would do is
accounted done before God. Hence we shall do rightly
if we understand the passage in an optative sense,
thus ; ' O I wish I had so many tears that I could every
night make my bed to swim.' As Jeremiah saith, ix. 1,
" Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a foun-
tain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the
slain of the daughter of my people."

This verse therefore is another testimony of the ter-
ribleness of the agony when conflicting with death and
hell. The man wishes to do impossibilities, that he
might be delivered from it. And hence, I can easily
believe the accounts of those M'ho have said, that many
souls under these agonies have confessed, that they
would rather endure the greatest punishments that could

VOL. Ill, y

322

be inflicted by men in this life, even unto the day of
judgment, than to suffer these things in their reality for
the shortest space of time.

And this is more particularly confirmed by the repe-
tition contained in the passage ; which, as I have said
before, is always a strengthening confirmation : and
thereby is confirmed also the all-serious truth of this ex-
perience. See therefore with what proofs he sets forth
the cross of this most miserable conflict, and how he
would prefer suffering any evil of the world to this under
which he says he could weep with so many tears. What
then is there left in the world that can give any delight
or ease to such an one ?

" I am weary," saith David. A most appropriate
word this for the present description ; signifying, that he
was in the utmost anxiety and difficulty. For so Isaiah
liii. 4, " He hath borne our griefs :" that is, he was most
distressed: as Christ himself saith, Matt. xxvi. 38, "My
soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." — The rest
I leave to practice and experience.

Ver. 1 .■ — Mine eye is consumed because of anger : I
have waived old among all mine enemies.

Reuchlin renders the passage thus, ' My visage is
worm-eaten from anger :' wishing, by ' worm-eaten,' to
signify corroded, as a garment is eaten and consumed
by a moth. But the sense is the same as that of our
translator. For the prophet means to say, that the
power and effects of this conflict are so great, that it
alters the appearance of the whole man. And no w^on-
der David should say that he was become pale and
worn by it, when it consumes the bones and the blood.
And indeed, any sorrow or grief alters and wears the
appearance and the countenance of a man : but the
alteration which other troubles make by degrees, this
comiict produces in a very short time. We have read
of many who have become grey on a sudden through
trouble and grief: how much more then shall men be
so altered, and decay, and waste into an old age state
by this conflict? We have the same thing, Psalm xxxix.

3^3

10, 11:" Remove thy stroke away from me : I am con-
sumed by the blow of thy hand. When thou with re-
bukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his
beauty to consume away like a moth." In the Hebrew
it is, ' Thou hast made his comely parts like a moth :'
that is, his face, or his visage, or appearance. And in
the same way Reuchlin has here rendered this passage,
' My visage is worm-eaten, or moth-eaten.' For the
face is the part wherein man's comeliness consists. Fi-
nally, we have the same words, Psalm xxxi. 9 : " Mine
eye is consumed with grief," which we find in the pre-
sent verse.

By " eye," therefore, he means visage or appearance :
for the same word in the Hebrew signifies eye, and ap-
pearance. So that the sense is, " Mine eye is con-
sumed :" that is, I am suddenly changed in my whole
body, and am become deformed. And these are the
effects which this " anger" produces. He does not say
my anger : but the word anger is put alone ; that is, it
is the very tribulation itself of death and hell. And
thus also the apostle often expresses it by wrath, or
death, or hell, only: as Rom. v. 9, " Much more being
reconciled, we shall be saved from wrath through him."

And that which follows is the same. " I have
waxed old among all mine enemies." Which is much
better in the Hebrew : where we have it, " Among all
my tribulations." Which is the same as if he had said,
' I have straits on all sides : all things cause me tribula-
tion : the whole creation is against me : I have no
place to flee unto : and therefore I grow old, before my
day, under the weight of my anxiety, and my whole
appearance is changed.'

The present verse shews also another powerful cause
of this misery; which is, that, in addition to being
alarmed and terrified by the anger of God, he can find
consolation in no creature, but whatever he looks at
seems to be against him. For the whole creation acts
with its Creator ; and especially M'hen a man's own con-
science is opposed to God : and therefore, every thing
around is wrath ; every thing increases the tribulation ;

Y 2

324

all things around are enemies. And this is more parti-
cularly shewn in his saying, not merely " my enemies,"
but, " among all my enemies :" that is, among all those
who are mine enemies : for I am in that place and
state, that no-body and no-thing agrees with my sensa-
tions : as Job saith, chap. ix. " No one will take upon
him to answer for me."

And it is my belief also that David, under the exer-
cise of these tribulations, was brought to that state, that,
toward the end of his life, he was very much weakened,
and so cold continually, that he could not keep himself
warm with many garments : as we have it recorded
1 Kings i. 1, 2, 3. For, as I have said, this wrath con-
sumes and withers all things. — Thus, then, have we this
terrible temptation described with all its attendant signs,
feelings, counsels, and thoughts. — Now follows the con-
solation, and the bringing back and deliverance from
this death and hell.

Ver. 8. — Depart from me, all ye that work iniquity,
for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.

Now, I ask you, why he thus indignantly rejects
from him these workers of iniquity in particular and
above all others? For we have said. Psalm v. 5,» that
POELA AVEN signifies those who are of the religion of
disobedience, of self-righteousness, and of spiritual idol-
atry„ And these he commands to depart from him.
Whereas before, he had made no complaint about these
in this psalm, but had been complaining only of the
wrath and fury of God. What then have these workers
of iniquity to do with the fury of the Lord ? and espe-
cially, when such, being most secure, and presuming
every thing against God, could not at all interfere with
him in the temptation of which he is complaining in
this psalm ? And, to increase the apparent absurdity, he
therefore commands them to depart, because the Lord had
heard the voice of his weeping. Did then these workers
of iniquity prevent the Lord from hearing him before ?
— We will here observe, then, that the wtiole of this lies
in the feelings of David, and those are the most powerful

325

and exalted : and therefore, he does not describe why
he does it, but what he does. And thus, we see those
who are carried along with any powerful feelings, often
talk to themselves, act as apparent madmen, and say
strange things ; but we are ignorant of the cause why
they say those things. — Let us, then, enter into the feel-
ings and experience contained in these words.

I see this to be particularly worthy of remark
throughout the Psalms, that, whenever the prophet
speaks under any peculiar ecstacy, he immediately adds
a word addressed to the adversaries full of indignation
and complaint against them : as in these passages ;
Psalm cxvi. 10, 11, " I believed, therefore have I spoken:
I was greatly afflicted. I said in my excess. All men are
liars." And Psalm xxxix. Jl, " Thou makest his beauty
to consume away like a moth : surely every man is va-
nity." But we see in human affairs also, that those who
meet with oppression experience something of the same.
This, however, is universally the case, — that when any
one apprehends the truth in the experience of it, he is
soon led to inveigh with indignation and complaint
against those who savour of, or teach the contrary.

We have a striking example of this in Augustine,
who, book ix. of his Confessions, in his exposition of
Psalm iv. inveighs with impetuous zeal against the Ma-
nichees during the exposition. And the great art of all
exposition is so to teach the subject in question, as to root
out at the same time all that is contrary to it, and launch
out against the adversaries : for how can we, when we
are teaching right and true piety, refrain from inveighing
at the same time against ceremonialists and crafty
workers of the Word, while we feel an indignation that
they did not know the truth that we teach, or that they
once taught us the contrary?

And hence David also did the same, when he had
been taught by this his ecstacy and particular experi-
ence, to trust in God alone, and to feel and know that
no righteousness of his own would avail. For he knew
that those, who had not been instructed by these tempta-
tions, taught and did foolish and impious things under

V

3^6

the garb of piety, and were wholly unexperienced in
these things when they happened to come upon them :
and yet, such are ready to teach the whole world, (for
men of this stamp always act thus, who are the most
foolish when most M'ise, and the most wise when most
foolish,) becoming blind leaders of the blind ; " always
learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of
the truth :" and, which is the greatest evil of all, such
are unteachable, unpersuadable, incorrigible. Nay, like
as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these re-
sist those who have attained unto this sound wisdom
through the experience of great temptations, and with-
stand them continually with impudent temerity; by such,
therefore, the godly man is afflicted with tribulation
upon tribulation. Hence it is that David, from a zeal
of love, whereby he desires that the truth may be known
to all in common with himself, and that the contrary
error may be exposed and condemned, inveighs against
such characters with the most just indignation, saying,
'' Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." In a
"word, we shall scarcely find a psalm, which contains a
complaint of this kind, wherein the psalmist does not
accuse and condemn these workers of iniquity : and this
we shall see as we proceed.

The whole, therefore, lies in the particular feelings
of the psalmist, — that he therefore commands them to
" depart," because the Lord had heard him. And what
the cause for his so doing is, he leaves us to under-
stand from what has preceded : that is, his knowing
and experiencing, that God saves those who cry unto
him for his own mercy' sake only: before whom no
one is righteous, (as Moses saith, Deut. xxxiv.) no one is
guiltless in himself. As these tilings are so, therefore,
(and he has declared that they are so throughout the
whole psalm,) he rightly concludes, and says, that he
will not know those who savour of, and teach the con-
trary ; and that it is enough for him to know, that ' the
Lord has heard the voice of his weeping,' &c. And to
this same point refers also that of Matt. vii. 23, where
the Lord declares, that he will say to those that have

327

prophesied in his name, and in it done many wonderful
works, " Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity."
For the Lord referred to these words as applying, ac-
cording to the general sense of this psalm, to all those
who trust in themselves, and not in his mere mercy.

Ver. 9. — The Lord hath heard my supplication: the
Lord hath t^eceived my prayer.

He had said before, in a general way, " the voice
of my weeping." He now defines the particular nature
of that voice of weeping, and shews what it was. And
it is observable also, that he here repeats the name of
the Lord three times : " The Lord hath heard," " The
Lord hath heard," " The Lord hath received :" to sig-
nify thereby his feeling of confidence and his confirma-
tion of hope against those adversaries whom he here
attacks.

The word in the Hebrew which is rendered " sup-
plication," is a word which signifies, properly, imploring
mercy or grace : so that it answers to the former word,
" Have mercy upon me, O Lord," and to that which
follows : whereby (as we have said) grace or power was
implored. And the latter word, " prayer," signifies, in /
the Hebrew, a praying against evil : and therefore an-
swers to the words, " O Lord, in thy fury," &c. Unless
any one would rather understand the whole as signifying
a repetition that betokens a confirmation and exaltation
of the affections.

These are the words of hope, raising up and ex-
horting the conscience, and now prevailing over all the
surrounding difficulties. In the same way as the pre-
ceding words were those of hope suffering, labouring,
and almost yielding. Wherein we see those things which
were spoken of. Psalm v. not only taught, but experi-
enced : those things, I mean, which are contained in
the words, " And all they that hope in thee shall re-
joice."— The words themselves plainly shew the pro-
phet's state of mind and feehngs : under which, he has
before his eyes the mercy of God, which he sets against
the disturbing vie>vG of sin, death, and hell. For, as it

528

IS certain that he speaks in hope and in the Spirit, yea,
in the presence of God, and in the enjoyment of the
present vision ; it is also certain, that he was saved by
hope, that he attained unto the grace of the power of
God by hope, and that he was consoled by hope ; and
all these things shew the way in which he drove away
the distressing crowd of these evils. And this is the
reason why he impresses upon himself the mercy of
God in so many repetitions ; which are, as it were, so
many strong and heavy blows with which he follows up
his adversaries and all the things that are against him,
and so many powerful words whereby he exhorts and
encourages his own infirmity and hope.

Hence, (according to the instructions given us by
this our teacher,) when heaviness or sin distresses our
conscience, we are to be active, and not to snore asleep,
nor to yield. Nor are we to wait until the tribulation
goes off of its own accord, nor until the consolation it-
self comes unto us : for all these things are those that
accompany perdition. But we are to fight, to cry again
and again, to strive with all our might, until we are as-
sured of the good will of God toward us : according to
that of Psalm iii. 3, " But thou, O Lord, art a shield
for me, my glory, and the lifter up of my head." And
Psalm XXX. 5, complaining of the like tribulation, he
strengthens himself in the good opinion of God con-
cerning him ; saying, " For his anger endureth but for
a moment : in his favour is life." For unless this me-
ditation and this confidence should rise up and over-
come the tribulation, there is no one that could stand.
But these are not attained unto, and we arrive not at
establishment in them, but by the word of God and
Jesus Christ.

And so also here, when as yet he knew not that his
weeping was heard, yet, he conceives and strengthens
himself in this persuasion, repeating and maintaining it
so as to attack his adversaries ; being fully persuaded,
that such as he assures himself he is in the sight of God,
such he is. Such therefore, as his hope is, such is his.
state in reality : for in these matters also the man is ruled

329

by opinions : but they are opinions of God, (that is,
concerning God :) and the difference lies here, whether
those opinions be good or bad.

Ver. 10. — Let all my enemies be ashamed and sore
vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.

This verse may perhaps be understood as applying
to persecutors, because he calls them his " enemies."
But, that these last words may agree with the preceding,
let us understand these " enemies" to be none other, than
the POELE AVEN thcmselves, "the workers of iniquity."
For we have observed, that in every Psalm where this
tribulation is described, the spirit of the prophet inveighs
against those characters also : for, as I have said, there
is a continual w^ar and contention with these ungodly
ones ; because they not only will not hear of this hu-
mility of the godly, and this commendation of the grace
of God, but even persecute it: as it is said, Psalm cix.
16, "But persecuted the poor and needy man, that he
might even slay the broken in heart." And Psalm Ixix.
26, " They talk to the grief of them whom thou hast
wounded." These are they, who, hke Job's friends, talk
to the increasing of those tribulations which are justly
inflicted of God ; and who set themselves against such
afflicted ones as standing on the side of God, and pro-
nounce that God is justly angry with them and become
their enemy : while they themselves are most secure as
to their thoughts about God, as if they should escape his
judgment.

Since, therefore, all these things when spoken to
these impious ones, are like a story told to one that is
deaf, (for they cannot understand the things of the Spirit
by reason of their carnal senses, or their inflated pride,)
the prophet prays for a speedy and sudden destruction
and subversion of their iniquity : which is, that they
themselves might be overtaken by this kind of temp-
tation, that they might feel the wrath of God, and the
tribulation of death and hell : as Jeremiah also saith,
chap. xvii. 18, " Let them be confounded that persecute
me, but let not me be confounded : let them be dismayed,

330

but let not me be dismayed." And in the verse preceding,
he says, " Be not a terror unto me : thou art my hope
in the day of evil." And Psalm ix, " Let the wicked be
turned into hell, and all the people that forget God.
Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know
themselves to be but men," (that is, vain and liars.) " For
the law worketh wrath," as Paul saith, Rom. iv. 15, be-
cause it revealeth sin, by which the conscience is con-
founded ; and when the conscience is confounded, it is
distressed and put in perturbation by wrath and death,
which the soul sees that it deserves by the law revealing
them. And this excess, when men fall into it sud-
denly and terribly vexes and confounds and disturbs the
proud, bringing them to nothing, and forcing them to
lay aside all supercilious conceit of their own righteous-
ness, and to seek the mercy of God. . And if these cha-
racters of which we are now speaking have not proved
these things in their own feelings and by their own ex-
perience, they will read, hear of them, and do all that
they do, in vain. For it is vexation and tribulation, (as
Isaiah shows, chap, xxviii.) which alone give under-
standing to the hearer: that is, the Word of God
becomes intelligible unto them only who have felt what
it contains, and who have been well exercised and vexed
with tribulations. The cross of Christ is the only way
of instruction in the Word of God, and the only true
theology !

These words "sore" and " suddenly," however, may
be understood two ways. They may be referred either
to the time or to the kind of temptation. Their meaning
with reference to the time of the temptation is this ; —
that such may not be long left thus, but that they may
be vexed suddenly, in order that being quickly turned
from their iniquity they may thirst after the mercy of
God. But when referred to the kind of temptation it
means this ; — that they may not be vexed with any
light tribulation, but with the storm of this greatest and
most severe vexation ; the force and nature of which are
to be most powerful ; and therefore, it most powerfully
humbles and instructs unto grace. For the self-wisdom

331

and selt-righteousness of these workers of iniquity render
them so obstinate and stubborn, that if they be touched
with certain hght temptations only, they glory in them
without any fear, and, in the midst of these tribulations,
think themselves to be sincere and true martyrs : so per-
tinaciously do these ravening wolves imitate sheep's
clothing. Hence, they become hardened and confirmed
in their ungodliness by those very temptations whereby
they are visited that they may be amended.

But they cannot stand before the face of this frost,
when they are vexed with the confusion of sins and the
wrath of God. This is the vexation which subverts the
securely impious; and in which none persevere but sin-
cere and upright hearts, who are rightly instructed in the
fear of God and in hope. Wherefore, as the enduring of
the wrath of God is impossible, so it is most especially
necessary for these unbelieving and insensible ones, as
being that alone which is sufficiently powerful to humble
them etfectually.

It was with such a visitation as this that St. Paul
was overtaken, which came upon him immediately from
heaven, when he was filled with the most secure violence
and impetuously perverted zeal : for being on a sudden
surrounded with a light, and all trembling, he said. Acts
ix. 6, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" And here-
in is proved that word of Jeremiah, chap, xxiii. 29, " Is
not my Word like as fire ? saith the Lord : and like a
hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces ? " And Psalm
xxi. 9, " Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the
time of thine anger : the Lord shall swallow them up in
his wrath, and the fire shall devour them." David
would not have said these things if he had not expe-
rienced them. For this " oven " and this " fire," are the
* rebuking in fury ' and the ' correcting in anger,' which
drive guilty consciences into inextricable and inevitable
straits, by setting before them a view and feeling sense
of the judgment of God.

In this verse, moreover, he compares together, or
rather sets forth in other words, the fury and anger of
the Lord. For to be ' rebuked in the Lord's fury ' is no-

33Q

thing else than, for the conscience of a man to be
ashamed, to be confounded, and to be found guilty, be-
fore the eternal judgment. And there is no man whose
conscience is not found guilty before that judgment : as
it is said, Psalm cxhii. 2, " Enter not into judgment
with thy servant, O Lord, for in thy sight shall no man
living be justified." And what is it not to be justified,
but to be found guilty and to be confounded ? And again
saith David, Psalm cxvi. 11, "I said in my excess. All
men are liars." — Therefore he desires for all these insen-
sible ones who still securely glory in themselves, that
they may be brought to this, and may be confounded.
" Let thine hand (says he in another place) find out all
thine enemies : and thy right hand shall find out those
that hate thee." And again. Psalm Ixxxiii. 16, " Fill
their faces with shame ; that they may seek thy name,
O Lord."

For, as I have often said, the ungodly differ from
the godly in this. They are both, indeed, liars and un-
justified before God, and are both vanity of vanities.
But, this tribulation turns the godly to a knowledge of
themselves ; and, having attained unto this knowledge,
they flee from the fury of the judgment of God unto his
mercy, and are saved. As it is said. Proverbs xii. 7,
"Turn away the wicked and they shall not be." Which
some have understood thus, "turn away " that is, unto a
knowledge of themselves ; and when they have been
thus humbled they will cease to be ungodly, having thus
obtained grace. But, when such are turned away, they
do not come to a knowledge of themselves, and there-
fore do not seek for grace, but remain in their vanity,
lies, and iniquity.

And again, 'to be corrected in anger' is nothing else
than to be " sore vexed," as David says : that is, to be
under a conflict with death and hell. And when this
anger is kindled, yea, but a little, (as David saith.
Psalm ii. 12,) " Blessed are all they that put their trust
in him." But this the wicked do not. For in the same
Psalm he sets forth two evils : where he saith, verse 5,
" Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath (that is,

333

shall rebuke and convict) and vex them in his sore dis-
pleasure," (that is, shall correct and chastise them.)
And 1 Sam. ii. 10, it is written, ''The adversaries of the
Lord shall be broken in pieces : out of heaven shall he
thunder upon them." And we hav3 many other like
passages in the scriptures wherein this powerful confu-
sion and vexation of heart are described, both as they
are experienced in the hearts of the saints, and as they
are foretold to await all the wicked : by which, the
former being humbled are comforted and raised up, but
the latter when humbled are only afflicted more and
overwhelmed. David says this, therefore, as wishing all
men to be saved, and that none should perish.

There is, moreover, in the Hebrew, a beautiful allusion
contained in these two verbs " return " and " ashamed,"
which the Latin language is not capable of rendering.
For in this passage we have by a change of letters
JASOBU for JESOBU : and David repeats the word je-
soBU, ("let them be put to shame,") from a vehemence
of feeling : desiring that those things which he himself
suffers may be turned upon his adversaries, that they
also may cease to be proud and to persecute the hum-
bled. As we have it also. Psalm liv. 5, " He shall turn
the evils upon mine enemies." And Proverbs xi. 8,
" The righteous is delivered out of trouble and the
wicked cometh in his stead." And Psalm xxxii. 10,
" Many sorrows shall be to the wicked, but he that
trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about."
And in the same way also he prays, Psalm Ixxix. 5, 6,
that the anger of the Lord may be turned from him
upon his enemies : saying, " How long, O Lord, wilt
thou be angry, for ever ? shall thy jealousy burn like
fire ? pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have
not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not
called upon thy name." And so also, he prays in this
Psalm, that he might not be rebuked by the fury of the
Lord, but that they might feel this rebuke who call not
upon him nor fear his wrath.

And we have observed, that the enemies of the
godly are more especially those who are called " workers

334

of iniquity," advisers to a presumptuously secure heart,
and to an ignorant faith and hope in God ; and there-
fore, the godly have a continual warfare with these : but
which warfare they would not have, if they should at
some time be vexed with this kind of tribulation them-
selves.

But if any one chooses rather by " workers of ini-
quity" to understand devils, who, in this hour of tempta-
tion fearfully assault the godly, and urge and drive them
on to desperation, setting before their eyes good works,
and telling them that if they do these they w ill have no
reason to despair, and thus confirming desperation by
presumption, and presumption by desperation, and all
the while entangling their souls in these trammels of
iniquity, that they might not worship God in true godli-
ness of faith and hope : — if any one, I say, wishes to
understand the passage thus, I will not oppose it : for
devils are certainly the most crafty persuaders of souls
to disobedience under a show of obedience : because it
is peculiar to them to transform themselves into angels
of light, and then more especially when they least ought
to do it ; that is, in the time of tribulation. — I believe
however that the prophet speaks against those me7i who
are the enemies of true godliness : that is, those who
cannot endure the knowing or being told, that their ig-
norant Avisdom will drag thousands together with them-
selves into hell.

PSALM VII.

THE IGNORANCE OF DAVID, WHICH HE SUNG
UNTO THE LORD CONCERNING THE WORDS OF THE
ETHIOPIAN, THE SON OF JEMINI.

Many have spent a deal of labour and toil upon
this Psalm in order to shew what the scope of it is, and
what the title indicates ; and the matter still remains as

335

much as ever in dispute. We, in the mean time, will
follow Burgensis, who seems to me to come nearer to the
true point than any other ; when he judges, that the
Psalm is not to be ui-derstood of Saul, but of Shemei.
And that we may see the propriety of thus understand-
ing it, let us cite the words of the history recorded,
2 Sam. xvi. 5, "And when king David came to Bahurim,
behold thence came out a man of the family of the
house of Saul, whose name was Shemei, the son of
Gera : he came forth and cursed still as he came. And
he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king
David: and all the people, and all the mighty men,
were on his right hand and on his left. And thus said
Shemei when he cursed, " Come out, come out, thou
bloody man, and thou man of Belial : the Lord hath re-
turned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul in
whose stead thou hast reigned : and the Lord hath de-
livered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son ;
and behold thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou
art a bloody man." — And when the servants of David
wanted to kill Shemei, David said, " Let him alone, and
let him curse, for God hath bidden him." And who is
there that could dare to give the reason why David said
so? " Behold, (says he) my son which came forth of my
bowels seeketh my life I how much more now may this
Benjamite curse me ? "

It is evident, therefore, that he calls this cursing
Shemei, in the title, the son of Jemini. And therefore,
we have here also at the same time the words, upon the
account of which he sung this Psalm ; namely, on ac-
count of the curses of Shemei, by which, as a most bitter
and persevering calumniator, he loaded him with false
accusations. For we do not tind in the history of Saul
that he vomited forth any such words as these against
David. Hence it must of necessity follow, that it is con-
cerning the dreadful injury done him by these words that
David speaks : as the text of the Psalm itself will show.
It now remains to be shown, why he particularly
calls him Cush, which signifies an Ethiopian. Almost
all commentators agree that this is a metaphor: be-

336

cause, blackness always indicates a badness of character.
As the poet of old also saith —

Romans ! of this man beware ;
He is a dark — black character !

Even as, on the other hand, we call him white who
is sincere and upright, and of a candid heart, and who is
without any dark cast, (as the proverbial term goes.)
Commentators suppose, therefore, that the proper name
of the man was omitted by David, in the title, and that
he made use of a new appellation suited to his heart and
disposition. But if we do not admit this, we may con-
sider that he had two names : which we frequently find
in the sacred scriptures : as may be collected from the
lineage of Christ, Matt. i. and Luke iii. : and as we find
with respect to Zacharias the son of Jehoida, mentioned,
Matt, xxiii. 35. Still therefore, the same point remains —
that, being silent about the name Shemei, he chose to call
him by another name, " Ethiopian," rather than Shemei,
as being an appellation more suited of his bad and ma-
licious nature.

And now, if we receive these things, the ignorance
here mentioned will discover itself of its own accord,
and show what its meaning is. For as David was so far
from acknowledging the justice of the curses of Shemei,
as, even on his death bead, to command Solomon,
1 Kings ii. 9, that he should ' bring down his (Shemei's)
hoar head to the grave with blood,' as a revenge for the
curses that he had received from him; it is manifest,
that he (David) had confessed his innocency unto God ;
and that this " ignorance " is nothing else but inno-
cence : for that of which we are not conscious to our-
selves, we may be rightly said not to know, or to be
ignorant of.

But, as it is wicked for any one to trust in his own
thoughts, (according to Proverbs xxviii. 26, " He that
trusteth in his own heart is a fool,") therefore, we are so
to stand to this innocence of ours, as yet to fear the
judgment of God, and not to glory in our innocence in

337

ti way of security: but we are first to give glory to God,
and confess before him that his judgment is one thing, and
man's another : that thus, having received licence from
him, we may profess our innocence before men, and yet
not injure, but glorify, his judgment; and this we learn
by temptation. Thus therefore David, though he knew
that false things were laid to his charge, (that is, as far
as his conscience was concerned,) yet, as he knew also
that God had bidden Shemei thus to curse him, he
feared lest they were true and just in the sight of God
also ; nor had he a sufficient confidence in his Own con-
science. In this same way also, the apostles had not
sufficient confidence in themselves, when they heard that
one of them should become the betrayer of their Lord.
For such is the tender state of every godly man's con-
science, that although innocent, he fears a sin where a
sin is not. — Such is the case where there is the fear of
the Lord, and a sense of the inscrutable depth of his
judgment.

Hence David, though innocent, yet fears that he was
guilty of those things which were laid to his charge :
and especially in this time of temptation, in which God
seemed to favour the cause of his adversaries, and to
strike him because of those things which are laid to his
charge, though he knows nothing of them. And there-
fore, though he is not conscious of any crime either to
himself or before men, yet, fearing lest he should be
guilty in heart, (for God searcheth the heart and trieth
the reins,) he teaches us in this Psalm, that which is
taught by the Apostle, 2 Cor. x. 18, " For not he that
commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord
commendeth."

Wherefore, although this Psalm be written concern-
ing David and his ignorance ; yet, as this evil of
calumny is very common and frequent in the world, we
are to believe, that these things are written as a doc-
trine applicable in general unto all of us : as Paul saith,
Rom. XV. 4, "" For whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

VOL. III. z

338

And here we see what are and ought to be the mind
and feehngs of all those who would faithfully, and in the
fear of God, bear and overcome calumny. For this kind
of persecution David has here set forth to us in this
SEVENTH place or Psalm. He has in the preceding
Psalms instructed us in those evils and temptations
whereby we are purified from sin : and now, he would
more perfectly instruct us in the perfect fear of God ; —
that we may there fear that we have sinned where we
really have not sinned ; and that we may be perfected
in such a hatred of sin, and such a love of God, that we
may be brought to fear as sins those sins of which we
are ignorant, and which are indeed no sins at all.

And to attain unto this perfection, we have need, not
of a persecuting Absalom whom we know for certain
persecutes us openly, but of a calumniating Shemei
whose curses we may fear as true, though we know our-
selves innocent all the while. For we are not to be
satisfied with this our innocence and rest in contented
security, but are to say with Job, chap, xxvii. 5, 6,
" God forbid that I should justify you : till I die I will
not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I
hold fast and will not let it go : my heart shall not re-
proach me so long as I live." Thus, (as we have touched
also upon these points. Psalm v.) we are before God,
indeed, to confess our ignorance, who alone knows the
hearts of men ; but before men, we are to hold fast our
innocence, if our heart does not condemn us. For, as
before God sins are not to be denied, before whom no
man living is justified : so, before men, the truth is to
be asserted and maintained, before whom, we can and
ought to live without sin. David, therefore, having
gotten this instruction by his own experience, imparts it
unto us also. — He saith, therefore,

Ver. 1. — O Lord my God, in thee have I put my
trust : save me from all them that persecute me and de-
liver me.

The first feeling and state of mind here set forth, is
not that of a heated revenge and zeal against the calum-

339

niators and persecutors, as is the case with a man of
vanity and lies ; (for God saith, " vengeance is mine, I
will repay ;") but we are first of all to flee unto God, and
are to lay both our calumny and our persecution before
him with that full hope and confidence, which innocence
and a good conscience will, in such cases, afford us.

Here then, you see, David prays to be saved from
all his persecutors : for there were two that persecuted
him, Absalom with power and strength, and Shemei
with the scourge of the tongue and calumny : and with-
out doubt the latter was not alone, or at least, he did
not do this to please himself only: and therefore, David
saith, " Save me from all them that persecute me," with
the same feelinors as those under which he said, Psalm
vi. 7, " I have waxed old among all mine enemies."
Because, those who suffer violence and calumny together,
seem to have all things against them ; and it appears to
them that there is not one left to help them ; as indeed
all things do seem to one thus alone. And therefore he
saith, "from all them that persecute me ;" that is, for I
find all men and all things against me.

And as to what difference there may be between
*' save me," and "deliver me," I do not think that of
any consequence whatever ; unless we like to understand
" save me " as referring to the good, and " deliver me "
to the evil. But rather, the whole is to be understood
as a repetition, and indicative of the power of his
feelings.

This verse we may bring forward against those who
do not believe that faith and hope are necessary either
for prayer, or for receiving the grace of God, or for
receiving- the benefit (as we term it) of the sacraments.
For as the prophet prays to be saved or delivered, and
as he glories that he hopes in the Lord ; therefore, it is
certain, that these things will follow unto those that be-
lieve in, hope in, and love the Lord. And he says,
moreover, " In thee have I hoped," not in myself, nor
any man : of which tilings we have spoken more at large,
Psalm V.

z 2

340

Ver. 2. — Lest he tear my sOul like a lion, rending it
in pieces while there is none to deliver.

Hieronymus translates the passage thus from the
Hebrew, " Lest he seize my soul like a lion, and tear it,
and there be none to deliver.' ' Seize,' (says David) and
' tear,' as a furious beast does ; which words he uses that
we may not understand that any common kind of seizing
is spoken of. And then, says he, "Hke a lion," a most
implacable beast : and " tear me in pieces." Tear what
in pieces ? my house or my cattle ? no ! my soul ; that
is, my life ; that life which my body has from my soul ;
as we have shown from the preceding Psalm.

All these things David magnifies with this power of
language that he may set forth his extreme necessity,
and put it in its most alarming light, that he may be the
sooner heard : or rather, that he may excite himself to a
more ardent intentness of soul : for we must pray with
earnestness and seriousness if we would ever be heard.
It is not to be doubted, however, that David was at this
time in that state, that he feared lest he should be seized
by Absalom and Shemei as by roaring lions, and should
be torn in pieces by them ; and knew, that there was no
hope nor help for him but in God. In which situation
also are all those who suffer violence and calumny. And
such will well understand the sense and meaning of
these words.

Ver. 3. — O Lord my God, if I have doiie this: if
there be iniquity in my hands ;

Ver. 4. — If I have rewarded evil unto him. that did
me evil, I will justly depart empty from mine enemies.

Here David enters upon the very subject of his
Psalm, and, according to the title, speaks of the words of
the Ethiopian, Shemei. — This calumniator had first cast
in his teeth, that he was guilty of the blood of the house
of Saul, where he said, " Come out, come out, thou
bloody man, and thou man of Belial." And, in the se-
cond place, that he had invaded his kingdom by violence.
And that therefore, both these things had now come

341

upon his own head. — That, first of all, his blood should
be shed by his own son ; and that, in the next place, the
kingdom should be transferred to him. Of both these
things, therefore, David complains, and confesses himself
innocent.

The nature and experience of this second particular,
therefore, 'innocence,' he teaches us to understand in
two M'ays, ij^egatlvely and conditionally. — That we should
maintain our confidence in an innocent conscience, as
far as the sight of men is concerned ; and should yet
fear our own secret sinfulness in the sight of the judg-
ment of God. For the experience of each of these par-
ticulars is set forth in these verses, in this manner, * O
Lord my God, so far am I from having done this, so
far are my hands from being guilty in this matter, so far
am I from being the cause of the bloodshedding of Saul's
family and of the loss of his kingdom, that I did not
even return him and his evil for the evil which they did
me, even when it was in my power to do it, when I
caught him in the cave alone, (1 Sam. xxiv. 1 — 7,) and
when I took away his spear out of his camp,' (1 Sam.
xxvi. 5 — 25.)

And moreover, says he, I have not only not rendered
evil for evil, but have, on the contrary, rendered good
for evil. And thus Saul himself testified, 1 Sam. xxiv.
17, saying, " Thou art more righteous than I : for thou
hast rewarded me good, whereas 1 have rewarded thee
evil." So far is it (says David) from possibility that 1
can be a man of blood. But (says he) if there be any
secret sin in me, in that I did not do these things faith-
fully, and thou judgest me thus, on that account, I am
ready before thee. Punish me as I deserve. " Let mine
enemy persecute my soul and take it."

And farther, the expression "iniquity" seems to re-
fer to the latter accusation of Shemei, and "if I have
done this " to the former. So that the meaning is, I have
not committed any act of blood at all, with which he
charges me. Nor is there any iniquity in my hands, as
to my having gotten the kingdom : because I have done

342

no one any injury in this matter: for I did it, not by any
temerity of my own, but according to thy command.

But the feeling grovss more powerful where he im-
precates so many evils upon himself if he had done any
such thing, than it is n here he merely says that he did it
not. Whereby, we are taught to pray with an earnest
heart against calumny ; but yet so, that we may testify
our innocence, and yet at the same time, fear our secret
sins and the inscrutable judgment of God, being pre-
pared to suffer any evils if we shall by him be found
blamable. For although according to the best of your
own judgment you have the command of God on your
side in any work, yet you ought to fear lest you should
not have acted rightly, and be apprehensive lest any
commandment should be against you. Even as Abraham,
though he had received the renewal of the promise in
Isaac, yet he willingly, fearing the judgment of God, of-
fered him up as a burnt-sacrifice. And so also David,
in this case, though he was conscious to himself of no
sin, yet he resigned the kingdom, saying, 2 Sam. xv. 26,
" But if he say thus, I have no delight in thee : behold
here I am, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him."
And so also he permitted Shemei to curse on, and even
believed that he was commanded to do it of God, fear-
ing that it might all be just and right that happened
unto him.

Wherefore, how just, holy, innocent, true, and divine
soever your cause may be, yet, you must conduct it in
fear and humility: always fearing the judgment of God,
and having a confidence in nothing of your own but in
the mercy of God only. Judas Maccaboeus was engaged
in a most just war ; and many others were overcome in
most just causes, and in divine matters ; as we have it
written. Judges xx. 21 and 25 ; because they did not
go forth in fear, but depended upon the justness of their
cause, and not on the mercy of God only. But the
Apostle saith, 1 Cor. iv. 4, " For though I am not
conscious of any thing unto myself, yet am I not hereby
justified."

343

And this is what David here teaches us, with respect
to this tribulation, by his own example. — That no one is
at liberty to arrogate justice unto himself, so as to make
a tumult on account of the justice of his cause, or to
rage with revenge because of it, or to meditate any re-
tahation either by force or by law. It is in this way that
the ecclesiastics madly rage at this day, who wish to
seem just and wise above all men ; but they ought to
fear with an. humble fear, lest they have merited all those
things before God ; and they ought to offer themselves
for deserved punishment; and then, to pray against
their adversaries according to the innocence of their
conscience. And this they may do ; for no adversary can
have a just cause against any man who stands in an in-
nocent conscience : this is the prerogative of God alone,
and this prerogative he exercises. For the judgments of
God, are far different from the judgments of men. Man
sees those things only which open to view : but God
beholds the heart. \ Therefore, when any man judges
otherwise than according to outward appearance, he be-
comes a calumniator like this Shemei.

And David, that he may set forth this humility and
fear of God, carefully entitled the Psalm, ' Concerning
the words of Cush : ' because he was not ignorant that
he deserved the persecution of Absalom his son, and yet
he does not excuse it. But the curses of Shem.ei he does
not acknowledge ; or, if they are true, he confesses that
he does not know his guilt. He deserved, by his adultery
and murder, the evils that came upon him from Absalom;
but he is not conscious that he deserves the curses of
Shemei concerning the blood of Saul. And yet, he fears
that he deserved it on account of the secret and fearful
judgment of God.— How these things are, the godly and
God-fearing heart well knows and feels when it is
vexed and afflicted either by accusing men or accusing
devils.

The word, moreover, which the translator has
rightly rendered "iniquity," is in the Hebrew aual,
which signifies, properly, that which the Latins express

344

by 'iniquity,' (iniquitas;) that is, a hurting or injuring
a person more or less, so as to transgress the bounds of
what is right ; as it happens in the affairs of men. —
And, what our translation has,' " I will justly depart
empty from mine enemies ;" Hieronymus renders, * Yea,
I have not sent my enemies (that is my persecutors)
away empty.' Whereby, Hieronymus wishes to convey
that signification which I have mentioned ; — that David
not only did not render evil for evil, but even * did not
send his enemies empty away ;' that is, he rewarded them
good for evil. For this also is a kind of revenge — to
force benevolence and good-will from those who offend
us ; (for even our enemies are to be loved.) Thougti
I know not, whether this translation fully gives the
meaning of the Hebrew.

And here, observe how David exemplified the evan-
gelical standard of righteousness. For, to render evil
for evil seems agreeable to the feelings of the flesh :
and this was prohibited by the laws of Moses, unless it
were done by the sentence of a superior, for no one
was permitted to do it by his own authority. — The con-
trary to this, is the rendering good for good ; but this is
mercenary and servile. This is how those serve God
who wish to suffer neither evil nor death. For God
therefore oppresses us with evils, that we may learn to
serve him purely, without any expectation either of
good or reward, on account of our service. — The third
kind of return is, rendering evil for good, which is
hellish, yea, worse than hellish. — And the fourth kind
of return is rendering good for evil. This is according
to the Gospel of Christ. And David says that h^
acted according to this last kind of return : because, he
not only did not render evil for evil, but rewarded good
unto them, who, after they had "received good from him,
ungratefully returned him evil ; (for so the words are,)
as we have before shown from the confession^of Saul,
\ Sam. xxiv. \7.

Ver. 5. — Let the enemy persecute my soul and take

345

it: yea let him tread down my life upon the earth, and
lay mine honour in the dust.

These words do not seem to me to be spoken under
a feeling of confidence, (as many think,) as though he
was certain that these things would not take place, be-
cause he did not deserve them : for I think, that, as he
had begun in humble prayer, so he also sung these
things in the same fear of God. Because (as I said)
though he was not conscious to himself that he merited
this cursing, nay, though he knew that he was called to
the kingdom by the command of God, yet, on many
accounts, he could not long glory and boast in this :
first, because (as I said) God is wonderful in all his
ways : and then, because we do not know sufficiently
our own hearts. By which things it may come to pass,
that you either may not rightly understand the command
of God, or may not rightly fulfil it. And thus, you
will be guilty though in a most hidden way ; and either
the commandment of God must be made null or al-
tered, or God must stand against you, whom you
thought to be on your side. And it was in this fear
that Abraham (as I before said) was instructed when he
offered up his son Isaac. This indeed is an exalted
degree of the fear of God : wherein thou art obliged to
apprehend that God and his commandment are not for
thee, and to fear that they are both against thee. In a
word, where thou hast to fear that God did not wish,
but forbad, those very things which he really did wish
and command. Whereas in all other cases the fear is
only that we have not done those things which we know
are plainly commanded.

Who can endure this most constant inconstancy of
the divine contradiction (so to speak) with an all-con-
stant though incomprehensible constancy, but he who
is a " man after God's own heart," as this David and
Abraham were ? For here, the very truth of God itself
seems to totter, and to excite hatred, (as to all human
judgment.) But in this way must that mercenary prin-
ciple of our servile nature be destroyed, whereby we

346

worship God for our own advantage only : and under
the influence of which, we are inflamed towards God,
and for God's sake, (as we imagine) and are filled with
pride, zeal, and hatred for his cause's sake, and ready
and willing to endure any thing for his name and wor-
ship, and for the salvation of the souls of men, (as we
call it.) For who of us that had the promise of David
or of Abraham, would not show forth and maintain this
command of God even before angels, if any one should
oppose him with a denial upon that ground ? — So
deeply therefore are the bent and feeling of the flesh
rooted in us, that God must show himself to us as if he
were a God inconstant and unfaithful : in order that
being rightly instructed thereby, we may learn not to
trust to any thing, even divine or eternal, with a false
and perverted affection and feeling.

David here offers three things to be destroyed : which
are those which we lose with the greatest grief, — soul, life,
and honour. He devotes his soul to persecution and a
prey, his life to a trampling under foot, and his honour to
a burial. For in the Hebrew it is said, ' And let him
lay and bury my glory in the dust :' which indeed is the
same as our translation, but somewhat more clear.

And he seems to distinguish " soul" from " life"
thus. — That " soul" should be understood as signifying
(as I have already observed) the substantial life which
gives life to the body : but " life" the conversation, or
the things done in the body by the soul. And this is
the distinction which the Greeks seem to retain in their
^avj and (3io^. And indeed, in our own language, though
we use the same word leben, yet, we use it in different
senses when speaking of the natural life and when s{)eak-
ing of the works of that life.

And in these words he explained what his mind and
feelings were when he said, 2 Sam. xv. 9.6, " But if
he say unto me, I have no delight in thee, behold here
I am, &c." And also when he said, chap. xvi. 11,
" Let him curse ; for the Lord hath bidden him." For
then he v;as ready to lose his soul, his life, and the ho-
nour or glory of his kingdom ; as is manifest. And

347

therefore, he now sings these same things under the same
feelings : that by his own example he may instruct all
of us how we ought to think, how to speak, and how to
act; and indeed, instructs all who may be brought to
suffer the same things.

The sense is, therefore, ' If I am such before thee, let
that be done which is now done. I willingly submit.
Let Absalom and Ahithophel seize me. And let there
be no one to save me from my persecutors, nor to de-
liver me from the hand of him that seizeth me. I am
ready to bear all thy will, and to endure the punishment
due to me. And moreover, let them tread all my life
and the actions of my life down to the ground : that is,
let them destroy and cast away all of them, that nothing
of them whatever may any more remain before the eyes,
in the ears, or in the memory of men : I willingly lose
all. Let me be found evil in my life, useless, and per-
nicious, worthy of being vilely trampled under foot, of
being supplanted by all, and of being cast away as dust
shaken from the foot. But let all raise and exalt my
enemy and extol him to the skies : let all his life and
actions be great and wonderful before thee and before
all men, and let all that he has done, or now does or
says, be honoured in the same way. — And not content
with this, he says, ' Yea, let him not only cast down my
present and future glory and power, but let him bury
them in the dust ; so that they shall be cast away for
ever, and never appear more. Let the throne of my
kingdom, the wife of my bosom, my children, my
friends, my riches, and all that I have, go to oblivion.
Yea, let that glorious promise made me concerning a
future Christ, which I held more dear than all things
else, and in which my only hope, glory, and rejoicing
stood, go also : so that, behold, I also bring and offer
up my most beloved Isaac, like my father Abraham.'

O " man according to God's own heart," indeed !
who can rightly value this state of heart and mind ?
who can rightly speak of it ? We think it the greatest
of all things to die voluntarily, and to lay down our life.
But here, David is prepared, not to die merely, but to

348

be seized by a persecutor, to be delivered into the hands
of enemies to be put to death. Not to fall asleep gently
in the midst of the tears of a circle of dear relations, but
to be put to death in the midst of enfuriated, mocking,
and triumphing enemies. But, as to us, what do we
not perpetrate, what tragedies do we not act over, if
even one of our works, or our words, be blamed, or, not
highly celebrated ? Whereas here, one that was univer-
sally renowned for so many triumphs in war, for so
many miracles, for a conquered Goliah, for a van-
quished lion and bear, for so many godly works, for so
many augmentations of divine worship, not only permits
all his actions to lose their praise, but to be cast away
as dust from the shoes and trodden under foot for ever,
and so trampled upon by all till they are reduced to
nothing !

But as to us, what murders and acts of violence do
we not plan, if not carry into execution, even upon the
whole human race, either for the maintaining of some
old honours and dominions, or for defending some pre-
sent privileges of our own ? Whereas, David, though
having been anointed king three times by the divine
command, and having received the infallible declaration
and promise of the Christ that should be bom from him,
not only lays down the whole kingdom and all that dis-
tinguished honour, but is prepared never to receive it
again, and to remain as a cast-away and dishonoured
for ever, permitting all those unspeakable honours and
ornaments to be trodden down and buried in the dust.
And what feeling can be conceived more unbearable,
more sublime, more deep, and, in a word, more wonder-
ful than this ! — David had all these things by the divine
command, and by commands repeated in more places,
and on more occasions than one. Why then does he
not in a rage stand up for the defence of the divine
command ? Is he, then, ungodly for not maintaining,
defending, and preserving the kingdom, thus given him
by the divine command, by blood and by death ? But
we at this day seem the most godly of all men — if we
confound heaven and earth in defending temporal things,

349

having affixe;cl to them ourselves the title of divine right,
without any fear of God whatever: whereas, if we
really had any of these things by divine right, God
would justly take the whole from us, being offended at
our pride and contention.

And, if David feared that the command which he
received from God had been altered by him, after he
had been created king of all prophets by so many signs,
miracles, and unctions, and after he had received so firm
a promise concerning the future Christ; — I ask you,
what command, what promise of God, we can have
that can give us cause for so much pride, war, conten-
tion, and for tragedies of the like kind ? We may well
fear, therefore, that there is the least vestige of the true
Church there, where there is the most noise about the
Church. For we see that God is most jealously impa-
tient of all abuse of his promises, and terrible in his
counsels and commands towards the children of men.

But enough — I do not say these things as wishing
that any one's right should be taken from him or en-
croached upon. But what I believe, is, that we are
taught by the words and the example of this scripture,
that whosoever holds or possesses any thing, how just
and right so ever his title to it may be, should possess it
in fear, and not defend it by force but by prayer and pa-
tience, and be prepared to yield it up if God so please. •
And indeed the true force and meaning of this scrip-
ture could not be fully understood and set forth were it
not for the examples of the present age, to which it is so
exactly adapted and which it so clearly pourtrays. For
in this way do the Roman and Greek church both sin in
their contentions for superiority and dominion, while
neither yields to the other ; whereas, if they acted in the
fear of God, each would yield to the other. And nei-
ther of them would have lost their superiority, but would
have preserved it much more effectually if they had
attempted by prayer instead of aiming at it by the con-
tentions of popes and high-priests : that is, if they had
not sought to do it by the will and favour of men, but by
the mercy of God, for it would not then have been pre-

350

served by the former, but by the latter. For in this way
David also prays, and yet offers himself up : he asks
with Christ that the cup might pass from him, and yet
obediently yields to the will of God. As it is written in
the law of Moses, "And thou shalt do righteously that
which is right." Hence we see that he who has a most
just cause is blamable before God, if he does not
defend it in the fear of God, God regardeth not the
proud and contentious, how righteous soever their cause
may be.

Thus we find it was in the case of Job, in favour of
whose cause God himself bore testimony, yet he himself
reproved Job at the same time. And such a humility
and fear are necessary for us in the present day, who
are contending for the truth of theology and the power
of the church : for we shall in both these causes be con-
demned of God, though they are causes most just, if we
do not seek the mercy of God by prayer, rather than
aim at victory by a reliance upon the justice of our
cause. We are indeed to pray that the truth may tri-
umph : but if it do not please God that it should be
accomplished by us, let it be accomplished by whomso-
ever he will. For let no one think that he shall accept-
ably do the commands of God, or defend them, if he
offends at the same time and transgresses that greatest
of all the commandments : — the worshipping of God in
fear and humility. For all the other commandments are
regulated by this, and without this all the other com-
mandments come to nothing at all.

Nothing therefore is acceptable but that which is
done in fear and humility. But where shall we find this
state of things in the church at this day ? What is the
church in our times but a certain confusion of schisms,
where a tumult and noise are made every Avhere about
the justness of causes and the divine right, but all with-
out any fear ? and thus while we fulfil all command-
ments, we set aside the very head, life, and standard
rule of all the commandments. O ! blindness, blindness,
blindness !

351

Ver. 6. — Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, and lift up
thyself in the borders of mine enemies : awake, O Lord,
my God, in the commandment ivhick thou hast com-
manded.

These words in the Hebrew are given in one verse :
but it is a verse the most obscure : nor is it fully under-
stood to this day what it saith, or concerning what it
speaks. Hieronymus has translated it thus, 'Arise, O
Lord, in thine anger, and lift up thyself with indignation
above mine enemies : awake for me in the judgment
which thou hast commanded.' But, ' with indignation
above mine enemies,' is not agreeable to the Hebrew. I
therefore will make bold to translate the passage verba-
tim from the Hebrew, thus, 'Arise, O Lord, in thine
anger, and lift up thyself in the furies of my persecutors,
and awake up for me from the judgment, thou hast
commanded.' The words which we render ' in the
borders,' is, in the Hebrew, equivalent to and nearly the
same as the M^ord ' furies ' (or angers ;) and therefore,
following Hieronymus, I have rendered ' furies ' rather
than " borders."

But this solecism, or this expression ' thou hast
commanded,' which is not consistent with the rules of
grammar, (and which our translators have made sense
by the addition of the pronoun relative " which ") is
found also in other places of the scriptures. As in Psalm
li. 8, " The bones, thou hast broken, shall rejoice."
Where we render it, " The bones which thou hast
broken," or, " the broken bones ; " as here also, " the
judgment commanded," or, "the judgment which thou
hast commanded." But I, according to my judgment
should add not, "which," but 'because,' or, "for;" thus,
'because (or, 'for') thou hast broken them,' and, 'be-
cause (or, ' for ' ) thou hast commanded.' — And this
" arise " or, " lift up thyself," or, " awake up," is equi-
valent to ' take out of the way,' or, ' destroy; ' because it
is here put alone and implies power, as signifying, that
the Lord would send a destruction upon the angers or
furies of his enemies : in this manner, ' Lift up thyself

352

against the wrath of mine enemies : ' that is, ' make
a destruction' and overthrow of those ragings whereby
my persecutors rage against me ; ' that is, Absalom and
his party. And to the same meaning is to be applied,
" awake," or lift up thyself, or arise : for David wishes
to say, do thou raise or lift up thy hand against these
furies. Just in the same sense as he says. Psalm cxxxviii.
7, " Though I walk in the midst of trouble thou shalt
revive me : thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against
the wrath of mine enemies." — And then, there is that
expression, " awake up for me : " where, instead of,
" for me," our translation has " O Lord my God : '*
because, without the points, the Hebrew may read " my
God," or, " for me." And, " awake " applies to him
who is waked up, and who arises as out of sleep : as
David says also in another place, "awake, O Lord, why
sleepest thou ?" — And again, 'from the judgment,' (which
our translation has "in the commandment ") seems to
me to mean the office from which judges and kings de-
rive their name : concerning which it is said, Psalm i. 5,
" The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment." And
Psalm cxxii. 5, " For there are set the thrones of judg-
ment." So that "from judgment" should signify the
same as, for judgment, or, for the purpose of judgment.
As we have it, Psalm Ixviii. 29, " From thy temple at
Jerusalem, (that is, because of thy temple at Jerusalem,)
shall kings bring presents unto thee." And in the same
manner is that of Psalm iv. 7, " From the time of their
corn and wine are they increased." For this use of the
letter Mem or the preposition a, or ah, seems to have a
force equivalent to a conjunction, according to the sense
of that passage, Psalm Ixxxi. 4, " For this was a statute
for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob." And so
here, " from judgment : " that is, because that is the
judgment which thou hast commanded. *

And Jehoshaphat giving commandment to the
judges, said, 2 Chron. xix. 6, " Take heed what ye do,
for ye judge not for man but for the Lord." And directly
afterwards he commanded them, that they should judge
for the judgment and the cause of the Lord when they

S55

returned to Jerusalem.— And therefore, David prays
unto God, that he would rise up for him in order to
judgment, that the ungodly may not prevail, who always
exercise among the people their own tyranny instead of
the judgment of God. — If, thereforis, we receive the
meaning of the passage thus, it will easily appear, that
* commandment ' and 'judgment' will signify one and
the same thing: because, in judgment, judges execute
the command of God, whereas tyrants rather subvert it,
as we have said.

The meaning is, therefore, (when we call into our aid
this peculiar grammatical construction,) 'Arise, O Lord,
and show thy wrath, that thou mayest no longer suffer
these^things : oppose and prevent the fury of my perse-
cutors, and stretch out thine hand against their rage,
and prevent their impetuosity from falling on me.
Awake at length, and remember. And this I pray, not
on^ my own account, but for thy judgment sake ; lest all
things be rashly perverted and confounded, while there
is none to administer and govern affairs ; and especially
at a time when when all things ought to be governed by
thine own immediate order and command.' — So far for
the grammatical meaning of the passage.

And now, taking the theology contained in the
words, let us inquire, why he prays for the anger of God
upon his enemies, and why he again arrogates to himsetf
the kingdom when he had been just before so willing to
give the whole up, and to benefit his enemies.

First of all, as he had ofiered up himself and his in
fear and humility, it is certain that this prayer was not
put up in a wrong spirit ; and then, after he had as-
cribed all glory and righteousness unto God, he prays in
safety against those who exercised tyranny by force. For
the fear of the Lord causes a man to execute the divine
command faithfully : by which command, he knew that
the kingdom and the administration of judgment were
committed to him. Add to this, that he does not seek
his own herein, but the things of God : for he says,
Thou hast commanded that I should hold the office of
judgment among the people. And therefore, he chose

VOL. III. 2 a

354

rather to use the word '' judgment" than ' kingdom:'
that he might show, that he was concerned in the cause
of God, and that he did not desire a mere pompous
outside show, but a good worl\. Hence Paul says,
1 Tim. iii. 1, " If a man desire the office of a bishop, he
desire th a good worls."

He prays then for the wrath of God upon them, not
as desiring that they should be destroyed, but, that, ac-
cording to what he had said in the preceding Psalm,
they might feel the wrath of God, and God himself
resisting them, and making all their attempts vain, and
might be led to repentance and be brought right : for if
they felt not this wrath, they would go on multiplying
their sins and remaining insensible, and persecuting the
godly, the ways of the godly, and the commands of God
without end, thinking all the while that they were ren-
dering God the greatest service. How then could a
church of the godly subsist in the world, if God did not
at some time manifest his anger against the ungodly, and
judge the needy, and avenge the poor ? Therefore, as he
himself makes stormy the depths of the sea, so does he
again still its waves, setting bounds to the surges, saying,
" Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further : and here
shall thy proud waves be stayed," as we have it written,
Job xxxviii. 1 1 . And so, he who raises the fury of the
ungodly, can also restrain it at his pleasure, in order to
show his anger against it, and to manifest that its malice
does not please him.

David therefore prays for three things. First, that
God would arise and show his anger, and take away
that will from the enemies upon which they presume.
Secondly, that he would restrain their fury, and subvert
their base attempts. And thirdly, that returning to
him, he would restore the judgment of God. And thus,
not because he deserved it, but because God had not
only promised it and done it himself, but had com-
manded that it should be so : wherein the prophet seeks
nothing else than that the truth of God may be esta-
blished, and that his command might be fulfilled : and
he says, if this may not be, he will wiUingly yield to

355

their fury. And here he begins to touch upon the feel-
ings under such temptation : — that, after the darkness
of the tribulation is past, his contidence in the mercy of
God began to brighten up. And he teaches us that we
should also learn to do the same in all our tribulations.
For all these things took place and were recorded for
our admonition and instruction.

Ver. 7. — So shall the congregation of the people com-
pass thee about : for their sakes therefore go thou hack
on high.

In this verse (to keep to the sense and meaning al-
ready proposed) David shows, that his concern was, not
for himself, but for the people. For he first prays to
be restored to the judgment, not for his own sake,
nor for the sake of the people, but solely because God
had commanded ; that the will of God in this matter
might be done first. And now, from the love of God,
he comes down to the love of the brethren and of his
neighbour, that by this same command of God he might
serve men also. Grant, says he, that the congregation
of the people may again compass me about, cleave to
me, and be subject to me : (for he speaks in an optative
sense by the future indicative, as he glories also,
Psalm cxliv. 2, " Who subjectest my people under
me,") for this redounds to their salvation, if they
obey thee who hast set me as king over them. Let
them not stray as sheep without a shepherd, lest, as men
without a guide, they fall into the hands of every robber.
And if I am unworthy, yet, thou art worthy whom I
should obey ; and they deserve not, on account of me,
to be delivered over to scattering and destruction. O do
thou, therefore, restore me to the head of affairs, and
gather the outcasts of Israel, Psalm cxlvii. 2, and the
members into the body. Thus the godly ruler of the
people, as far as he himself is concerned, will willingly
lose all things ; will only desire to do his duty to God
and men, and will fear lest his evils should be the cause
of his people's peril and destruction.

As examples of this, look either at St. Athauaiiu* or
2 A 2

356

Hilary, or the like characters, in the time of the Arian
heresy, who were driven from their stations into exile !
(For I do not see that it is possible to adduce any ck-
ample from our own times, because none now a-days
dare to do any thing that is Hkely to subject them to
exile.) These holy fathers, though they were most free
from all iniquitous ambition, yet, (as Hilary himself con-
fesses,) from the debt they owed to the ministry and
priesthood committed to them, they prayed that the
Arians might be cast down, and that they might be per-
mitted to minister unto God in their stations, and to
profit the people : for while they were absent, they
anxiously and grievously feared for the people intrusted to
their care, lest they should be torn in pieces by heretical
wolves : and they were deeply concerned also lest vio-
lence should be done to the word of God. If therefore
the present verses-be prayed in their persons, and if the
example of David be considered, it will be found, that
these words exactly agree with the feelings of those who
are brought into such a state.

And he has wonderfully managed his words ; so as
not to say, shall compass " me about," but " shall
compass thee about;" that is, shall be gathered unto
thee. That he might show forth that which we men-
tioned before, — that the judgment is not of man but of
God. And therefore, they are gathered unto God, and
not unto man, who are gathered unto the man that mi-
nisters in the work of God. And he has a reference to
that figurative expression in the scriptures where the
Lord is said to be in the midst of his people : as in
Psalm xvi. 5, " God is in the midst of her, she shall
not be moved." And 2 Cor. vi. 16, which is taken from
Leviticus xxvi. 12, " And I will walk among you and
will be your God, and ye shall be my people." Most
highly and appropriately therefore, does David here
speak in this matter ; for Absalom, and those who imi-
tate him, do not seek to gather people unto God but
unto themselves. They wish themselves to be idols sur-
rounded by the people : for they seek not the glory of
God and the salvation of the people, as all faithful men

357

ought to do that stand up between God and the people,
but they seek the increase of their own power.

By this word, therefore, he strikes at the arrogance
and ambition of those who command over the people
only to aggrandise their own power : and that this may
not be done is what the man after God's own heart
prays for. But this evil most certainly increases in the
church at this day beyond all bounds, and that by the
wrath of God, for our fearing the censures of men far
more than the threatenings of God, and for our losing
sight of God altogether by having respect to the persons
of men.

And then, with respect to these words, " For their
sakes therefore go thou back on high," or as the Hebrew
has it, " return thou, &c." — He does not say, Put 77ie
again on high, but, " Return thou on high." Nor does
he say, For mil sake, but, " For their (the people's) sake."
" For (says he) it is them that I pity, it is their calamity
and their being seduced that fills me with so much grief.
It is for them that I pray, not for myself. Behold,
therefore, as before in the love of God he prayed for the
judgment which God had commanded : so here, in the
love of the brethren, he prays for their salvation : thus,
equally anxious in both respects, lest the judgment of
God should not be satisfied, and that men may not
perish on his account : that the office of ruling the
people which God has commanded, and the obedience
of the people who submit themselves to it, may stand,
that there may never be a people without a God nor a
God without a people. O what a scripture is this to be
held in the memory and to be observed faithfully by all
bishops, pastors, rulers, and potentates !

But when is it that God leaves his seat on high, so
as to make it necessary for him to return unto it ? Why,
it is as often as any proud and ambitious one sits in the
place of God. For, while such an one subjects the
people of God unto himself, rather than unto God, he
certainly, as far as lies within his power, is " exalted (as
Paul saith, 2 Thess. ii. 4,) above all that is called God
or that is worshipped." And such an^we as this is anti-

55B

CHRIST ! And as this is a time in wliich all these popes ftnd
high-priests in the church are thus ambitious and subject
the people unto themselves and not unto Christ, who
can doubt that Antichrist is reigning? But God returns
on high, when, casting down all these Absaloms, he
again restores his judges as of old, who gather together
people unto God, teach the commandments of God, as
of old, and set aside all the traditions of men.

And let no one wonder that the returning of God on
high, is his reviving his judgment, his power, his office,
and his ministry : for the prophet, as we know, speaks
in the spirit : and therefore he is to be understood as
speaking of a spiritual exaltation of God : who is ex-
alted, when we are brought to submit to him, when we
hear his word, and when we see his works ; and when all
these are wrought by the ministration of man.

Wherefore, this Psalm is a most effectual prayer;
and I wish that we all prayed it at this day with feelings
of heart equal to the words, for there never was a time
when such a prayer was more needed. But what do we
see at this day in the church that at all answers to these
words ? Where are to be found the men who gather
people together unto Christ, with the same anxiety as
they gather them together unto themselves ? Who is
now anxious to see the people fear Christ, as to see them
fear the power of the pope r We unconcernedly smile at
those who offend God by their sins, but when any oflend
the pope, we vent all our fury against them. We compel
them to observe our pomps, ceremonies, ordinances, and
laws : but so far are we from gathering them together to
the observance of the words of Christ and to the love of
the Spirit, that we labour with all our endeavours to
prevent the people of Christ from understanding the
truth, and to hinder the believers in Christ from bein^
in peace and union with each other, especially kings and
princes ; until we have dared even to teach such things
as these ; — that it is an offence to teach the true godli-
ness of Christ ; that is, we teach, that, in our estimation,
it is a matter of no small peril for the people to be ad-
ipitted to a true knowledge of the gospel, to prefer the

359

Word of God to the words of men, and to value the works
of true godhness above all the foolish outside show of
works. For we begin to think that if such knowledge
prevails, we shall meet with famine on the one hand and
poverty on the other, and that all the pomp which we
have scraped together from out the whole world, will
fall to the ground. In a word, in such perilous times do
we live at this day, that we are compelled to adore, not
God, but man.

Ver. 8. — The Lord jiidgeth the people : judge me, O
Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to
mine integrity that is in me.

Here he plainly shows himself, and discovers to us
what he meant by God's returning on high, by the
judgment commanded of God, and by the congregation
of the people which compass God about. — Why, (says
he) should I not speak thus? It is not we that rule, that
judge : it is the Lord that judgeth the people, and the
judgment of the people belongeth to him alone : it is he
that speaks, that judgeth and does all things in us. Thus
Gideon saith, Judges viii. 23, " I will not rule over you,
neither shall my son rule over you, the Lord shall rule
over you." Behold the holy man ! he will not permit
the people to be gathered together unto himself, even
though requested to do it ; he gives all over unto the
Lord. On the other hand, 1 Kings viii. 7, the Lord said
unto Samuel, " They have not rejected thee, but they
have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."
Not that there was any evil in asking a king, or in hav-
ing one, (for afterwards God gave them kings,) but they,
by a blinded heart and affections, were more anxious
about a king than about God : for they did not desire
the king that by him they might be brought nearer unto
God : and therefore they were just such as ought to be
under such a tyrant as would subject them to himself
and not to God : and this is what happened unto them
in Saul whom they desired for their king.

From all which things it is manifest, that it is an
evident sign of the wrath of God when he himself does

360

not reign, but permits ambitious Absaloms to hold the
place of judgment : considering us unworthy to hear
the Word of God, or to see his works : as he himself
foretold, Luke xvii. 22, saying, " The days will come
when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son
of man and shall not see it."

In the Hebrew the verb is in the future, " he shall
judge the people : " which, by the optative, may be un-
derstood in a petitionary sense, in this way. — ■! pray
thee that thou wouldst be the judge of the people,
and that thou wouldst not suffer men to judge, nor thy
people to be seduced by the words of men, nor by the
burthens which they may lay upon them. Or it may be
understood assertatively, and in a way of hope, from his
feeling a confidence that his prayer was heard ; which is
how I should rather understand it ; in this way. — I feel a
confidence and am certain that lam heard, in praying, that
thy Word, thy work, and thy judgment, may gather thy
people together again, whom these ungodly ones have
scattered by their words and works, and have drawn them
from thee, on account of me.

After, therefore, he had expressed his concern for
the cause of God and of the people, he at last begins
upon his own cause ; praying that his innocence might
be made manifest : because the cause of God and of the
people could not be restored in this instance, unless
the ungodly were cast down and his innocence were de-
fended. Therefore, the necessitous state of the glory of
God and of the safety of the people, compels him to
pray that his own cause might be justified. For as long
as he is condemned unjustly, so long, of necessity, it
must appear, that neither the judgment of God nor the
obedience of his people are true, because he is not
heard, though the accusations and condemnations of his
accusers and persecutors must of necessity be heard.

Hence we see, that it is not enough that any one, in
a just cause, sufter for the truth and commit the matter
unto God, and be prepared to yield and to be brought
down to the dust together Avith all his glory; but he
must pray anxiously that God would judge and justify

561

the cause of truth ; not for his sake and advantage, but
for the vindication of the ministry of God and for the
salvation of his people ; whose salvation i-s not without
peril, nor without thy fault, if, from a foolish humility,
thou dost not pray most fervently for the preservation
and manifestation of the truth and of thine own righte-
ousness. For thou oughtest not so much to care about
how humble and abject thou mayest be, as to fear about
the people being drawn away from the truth and from
righteousness by lies and iniquity. Thou art indeed to
bear evils and injustice ; but so, that thou mayest not
throw away thy love upon others ; for love ought to be
solicitous about, not how thou mayest thyself rise, but
how the godly may be prevented from offences and from
perishing. " For my brethren and companions' sakes
(says David, Psalm cxxii. 8,) I will now say, Peace be
within thee." And thus Paul also gives thanks unto God,
that his bonds had not caused any impediment to the
gospel, but had even furthered it. Phil. i.

David says, therefore, as thou art about to judge the
people, as that belongs to thee alone, and as it is thus
that the people shall compass thee about again, and that
thou shalt be again in the middle of them, as I have
prayed thou mayest be : now, therefore, that this may
be brought about more effectually, judge me according
to my righteousness and according to mine integrity that
is in me ; and thereby show how false and lying these
curses of the Ethiopian, the son of Jemini, are, lest my
righteousness being falsely accused should in any way
hinder this thy judgment and the salvation of the people.

And we have before shown. Psalm iii. that in the
scriptures, the righteousness of man and the righteous-
ness of God are different things ; that a man's righte-
ousness is that whereby he is unblamable before men
and in his own conscience, though that righteousness
sufficeth not before God. But the righteousness of God,
is the grace and mercy of God which justify us even be-
fore God. Hence David most carefully adds ''mi/
righteousness," that he might distinguish it from that
of \vhich he speaks at the end of the Psalm, saying, " I

352

will praise the Lord according to his righteousness/*
And perhaps he says " my righteousness " and " mine
integrity " with reference to the two things which he
had before said, ver. 3, " If I have done this," and "if
there be iniquity in my hands : " which he had said in
defiance of Shemei. So that his " righteousness " is his
not being guilty of the blood of Saul ; nay, his not hav-
ing rewarded evil unto them that did him evil, and his
not having sent his enemies empty away. And his " in-
tegrity " or ' innocence ' or ' simplicity ' (for the Hebrew
word means all these same things,) are, his not having
invaded the kingdom of Saul by his own authority.

But what means this " upon me ? " Hieronymus
translates it, " which is in me : " but whose righteous-
ness is not in him ? Does he add this in order to make a
greater difference, and to show more distinctly, that the
righteousness whereby we are justified before God is
not in ourselves, but in God and out of ourselves? Yes,
he does it, to leave no one any opportunity of being
puffed up in himself on account of his own righteousness
before God : though for the sake of the salvation of
others, we are to seek to have our innocence or integrity
justified, before men, as I have said.

Ver. 9. — The wickedness of sintiers shall come to an
end; but thou shalt guide the just : for thou art a righ-
teous God that trieth the hearts and reins.

Here our translator varies after his custom : for
what he had translated, Psalm v. 5, " The malignant
shall not stand in thy sight" he here translates 'wicked'
or "wickedness." And what he had rendered, Ps. i. 1,
" ungodly," he here renders " sinners." But what un-
godly and. ungodliness, malignant and malignity are, I
have abundantly shown, Psalm i. and v. The Hebrew
and the translation of Hieronymus, run thus, "The
wickedness of the ungodly shall come to an end, and the
just shall be established ; the righteous God trieth the
hearts and the reins."

David teaches us in this example that \\q also ought
to contend more in prayer unto God against the malig-

363

mty of the ungodly, and for the innocence of the just,
than in our own strength and with our own noise and
tumult. For we are to tight with weapons different from
those of the ungodly. They contend with noise and
tumult, but we are to contend with prayer, the Word,
and patience.

Let it " come to an end," says David : which is the
same as, let it be finished, end, and cease : as we have
it, Psalm civ. 35, " Let the sinners be consumed out of
the earth, and let the wicked be no more." And, on the
other hand, contrary to this, he prays that the just may
be established : that is, that he may prosper, be guided,
and be confirmed, and the more so by the wicked being
consumed. Nor would it be at all absurd if we were to
read it 'justice,' (justum) in the neuter gender, in op-
position to the " wickedness " of the wicked ; thus
taking it in the abstract for righteousness, or for a
righteous thing, or the cause of a righteous person : as
the Apostle speaks, Rom. v. 7, " For scarcely for a
righteous man will one die." But these things are of
little moment.

David then is to be understood to have prayed this
verse as an example unto us in order to instruct us in
right affections : for he did not offer up this prayer from
a desire of revenge, but from a zealous love toward God
and men, in the same way as he had prayed in the verse
preceding. For those who are desirous of revenge, do
not seek the fall of their adversaries in the last place
but in the first. Whereas David, here, is concerned
about God in the first place and about the people in the
next, and then he comes to his own case in ilue order,
and lastly unto his adversaries ; whom he desires thus
to be brought to an end, that the ministrations of God
and the salvation of the people may not be endangered,
as we before said : which peril cannot be taken out of
the way unless the malignity of the ungodly be brought
to an end, and the cause of the innocence of the just be
established ; and that by the judgment and avenging hand
of God. Wherefore, as the wickedness of the wicked in
the time of David's tribulation was the tyranny of Ab-

364

saJom and his party who oppresssed justice; so, in
every state of the church each just man's oppression, is
the wickedness of his Absalom and the violence and ty-
ranny which he endures.

CONCERNING THE REINS AND THE HEART.

We have not yet spoken upon " the reins and the
heart," of which frequent mention is made in the scrip-
tures : and therefore, we must once for all treat the
subject here.

In the book of Leviticus, nearly the whole of the
third chapter, which instructs the priests concerning
peace-ofFerings, speaks of the sacrifice of the reins or-
kidneys, (renibus) or small kidneys (renuiiculis,) of the
parts that hold or contain the vitals, and of the fat and
caul of the intestines. And it is probable, that the fre-
quent mention that is made of kidneys or reins is taken
from this part of the scripture ; and therefore, we must
come to the nature and meaning of the words.

Physicians say that the two kidneys are connected
to the loins, and that they are the organs of lust and
pleasure, as the heart is of fear and confidence, the
spleen of laughter and joy, and the liver of love and hatred.
Hence, they will have it, that ren is derived from the
Greek pea, which signifies to flow, because the obscene
humour of lust flows from the kidneys. And hence, to
the loins, in which the kidnies are seated, is ascribed by
the scriptures the shame of lust : as in that passage,
Luke xii. 35, " Let your loins be girded about." Heb.
vii. 10, " For Levi was yet in the loins of his father
Abraham." And again. Gen. xlvi. 9,6, " And the souls
which came out of Jacob's loins were threescore and
six." It is manifest, therefore, that by reins, are to be
understood delights or pleasures ; which must be of-
fered up as sacrifices to God by the mortification of
the flesh.

And these same pleasures, or the sensations of
delight that accompany them, are signified by the
caul and all the fat. Because all this delight, and

365

all this love, and the pleasures attending it, are to be of-
fered up to God, and we are to rejoice and delight in
nothing but in God, who alone is to be loved ; as he
saith, Leviticus iii. 17, "And all the fat shall be the
Lord's, by a perpetual statute." And this is what Paul
also saith, Phil. iv. 4, taking away the veil from Moses'
face, " Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again, I say re-
rejoice." And thus, David understanding Moses in the
same spirit, shows, that fat signifies joy ; saying. Psalm
Ixiii. 5, " My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow, and
my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips."

Therefore he that loves God, enjoys God, delights
in God, and rejoices in those things that are of God, —
he offers up to God the liver, the reins, the fat, and the
caul, mortified together with all their carnal and corporal
lusts, delights, pleasures, and gratifications. And this is
what the law enjoined the priests to do : that is, all
Christians, who are priests, " a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a pecuHar people." 1 Pet. ii. 9.

And to all this agrees Augustine, who every where
by reins understands sensual pleasures. ' Rightly (says
he) is the pleasure of earthly and temporal things attri-
buted unto the reins, because that is itself the inferior
part of man, and is that part in which is seated the
pleasure of carnal generation, through which the human
race are sent forth, by a succession of offspring, unto
this life so full of all sorrowful and fallacious joy.'

But the " heart," because it is the seat of the under-
standing, signifies the counsels of the man, his pursuits,
mind, judgment, opinions, aftections, thoughts, powers
of valuing and esteeming, and the like. And hence,
heart is put before reins, because it seeks the pleasure
by imagination, and then the pleasure follows ; and
every one is delighted with those things which he judges
will be good for him, when he shall obtain them. Hence
the wisdom of the flesh is said by the Apostle to be an
enemy to God, Rom. viii. because it seeks pleasures
which are contrary to him, and is affected, delighted,
and carried away with those things which God has pro-
hibited. The sense of the passage is, therefore, that God

566

alone searcheth, knoweth, examineth, and proveth the
thoughts, delights, desires, and pleasures of all : because
he is a weigher of the spirits, Prov. xvi. ^. — So far the
literal meaning of the words.

But why did David wish to sav these things here ?
Or how do they at all agree with what has preceded ?
He had said, " Let the wickedness of the wicked come
to an end, but let the cause of the just be established."
But, as the judgment of men and the judgment of God
are two very different things, nay, quite contrary to each
other, David, in the sight of men who see things as they
outwardly appear, was judged by Absalom and Shemei
to be a man of blood and guilty of many crimes : for, as
it is said, 2 Sam. xv. 13, " The hearts of the men of Is-
rael are after Absalom." Thus Absalom shines as just,
righteous, and good ; and, in the eyes of all, David was
vile, ungodly, evil, and injurious. Hence as it is a most
powerful temptation to be left and deserted by all, and
to have all our friends go over to our adversary, David
of necessity calls upon the judgment of God, that he
would judge according to the heart.

And in this way David consoles himself and con-
firms his hope, holding a good and right opinion con-
cerning God. As if he had said. Although all should
forsake me and should flee unto Absalom, though he
should be established and I should be consumed and
brought to nought ; yet thou, O Lord, who art a just
God, judging in a manner far different from man, and
trying all men according to their hearts and reins,
knowest how iniquitously they act; for thou seest the
heart and the reins, and thou knowest, what they think,
what they seek, and in what they rejoice. And on the
other hand, thou art not ignorant of my thoughts and
wishes ; though my enemies' outward appearance and
mine are both very different from our heart and reins.
And therefore I pray, that thou wouldst consume their
wickedness, and establish my righteousness. — For this
verse, in the Hebrew, is manifestly a petition ; because
the word na is added, which is translated by the inter-
jection * O,' or by the verb 'I pray;' thus, "Let, I

367

beseech thee, the wickedness of the wicked come to an
end." As we have it also, Psahn cxviii. 25, "Save now,
I beseech thee, O Lord."

We are instructed in this verse therefore, not to
yield in defending the cause of truth, how many soever,
nay if all, fall otf from us and go over to our adversaries :
for it is no new thing at this day even for a whole mul-
titude, together with all the great ones of the land, to
hold an error and to defend an unjust cause. Though it
is difficult and hard to bear this being left alone, be-
cause, when this is the case fools all glory that their
cause is true and invincible. But God liveth, whose
judgment must be called in to our aid, and firmly to be
adhered to ; for he trieth the reins and the heart, be-
cause he is a just God. Hence the word "just," belongs
peculiarly to this verse, because the whole force of the
scripture lies in it, and by it is signified that all men are
unjust judges.

From all this it will follow, that heart and reins are
to be understood in a twofold way; as being unmortified
and not offered up to God, and on the contrary, as be-
ing rectified and purged by grace. For David speaks
directly after, of the upright in heart ; and shows, what
hearts God tries, searches, and accepts; saying,

Ver. 10. — My defence is of God, who saveth the up-
right in heart.

The Hebrew is thus translated by Hieronymus,
' My shield is in God ; ' for it signifies protection and
defence. And these are the words of David exhorting
himself unto hope in God against the multitude of men,
who are his adversaries, and w^ho trust in themselves ;
and especially against the words of Shemei, where he
said, 2 Sam. xvi. 8, " Behold thou art taken in thy mis-
chief, because thou art a bloody man : and the Lord
hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom
thy son." Be it so then, says David, trust ye in man who
judges according to appearance. I have found my de-
fence : I trust in God, who judgeth according to the
heart. — Wherefore all the force lies in the pronoun

368

** my " and " Lord : " and those two words are set
against ' your,' and ' man.' Your defence (says he) is in
man, but mine is in the Lord. And this is how we are
to act in all like cases.^ — And there is another force con-
tained in the pronoun relative " who," and in the word
" upright," in this way. Man saves the corrupt in heart,
but God the upright in heart. And these words are very
necessary for those who are enduring tribulation, that
they may thereby cherish in their hearts a firm persua-
sion concerning the mind of God toward them, and
may hold it fast against all arguments that may be urged
to the contrary, that they may not faint in their hope of
divine help.

And what this upright heart is we have fully shown.
Psalm i. when speaking of the " counsel of the ungodly."
This upright heart is when a man has a right apprehen-
sion of God, and when he is not led according to his
own senses : that is, when he believes and hopes in
God. For it is faith alone that justifies, purifies, and es-
tablishes the heart by setting it in a right, true, and holy
apprehension of God. And this exactly agrees with the
subject of the Psalm ; for Shemei endeavoured to
prove the justness of his curses even upon the authority
of God. And it rightly accords with the expulsion of
David and the usurpation of Absalom. For David in
these words shows, how men of false and depraved
hearts are accustomed to show themselves off under a
specious appearance, and to revile the upright in heart,
especially when the applause of the people joins with
them.

Ver. 1 1. — God is a Judge just, strong, and patient :
will he be angry every day ?

The Hebrew is different from this translation : and
runs thus, ' God is a judge, righteous, and strong, being
filled with indignation every day.' And that which we
render " strong " is a name of God, and is the same as
el: so that it might be more properly rendered 'God
is a righteous judge, and God is angry all the day:'
and therefore, the word " patient " is added, and is

369 ^

generally called in by interpreters in their rendering of
the verse, though it is not in the original text.

Hence, the hope of David so grew in this temp-
tation, that now, he not only has no doubt that he is
heard and will be delivered, but also begins to ad-
monish his adversaries to fear the judgment and ven-
geance of God. And then he openly declares that all
that they had devised against him shall fall upon their
own head. And although David sung these things after
his temptation, so that we nyay plainly see, that he of-
fered this consolation to the persecuted, and denounced
this anger upon the persecutors, after he !iad been taught
by the very event of his tribulations, and that he in-
structed others by his own successful example and l)y
the perils of his adversaries : yet, we are to believe, that
he meditated upon those things in the midst of his tri-
bulation which he afterwards sung in his Psalms in
public. For he never despaired of God, and therefore,
he knew that all these things would come upon his
adversaries. And so now also, and always, every just
man, who sees the ungodly unjustly doing violence to the
righteous, may with confidence think and say, that God,
whom he knows to be a just judge, will not sufier these
things. As David says also. Psalm ix. 18, "The ex-
pectation of the poor shall not perish for ever." And
this he by no medns obscurely indicates, when in the
same history which is now before us, he gave such
anxious injunctions that his son Absalom should be
preserved ; because, that is, he knew and feared, that
the evil he had done would fall upon his own head, as
it also happened. And here he declares that the same
shall come upon all who follow his steps.

Let us, therefore, hear this holy preacher, and listen
to those things which he declares to his ungodly adver-
saries with pious solicitude, desiring to rescue them from
dangers, and thus truly rendering good for evil. — -Know^
this, (says he,) God is a judge, but he is a just one, who
has no respect of persons, is not moved by any mul-
titude, nor deceived by any fraud of man, nor taken
with any craft, nor changed by any favour, nor corrupted

VOL. III. 2 u

370

by any gift. For by these things men are not only ren-
dered unjust judges, but even despisers of God the just
judo;e, for they thinlv it enough to please men. And
again, God as judge does not condemn, for the sake of
pleasing men, either the solitary, the reviled, the cursed,
the oppressed, the poor, or the despised. In a word,
even this one word, * God is a righteous judge,' is
enough, if it be truly felt and apprehended, to comfort
the humble, and to terrify the proud ; and this had
great weight with Christ ; as Peter witnesseth, 1 Epist.
11. 23, saying, " But committed himself to him that
judgeth righteously." For he that thinks on this word,
soon lays aside all thoughts of revenge; nay, he even
pities his adversaries, who run upon the judgment
of God.

" And strong : he is angry all the day : " that is,
continually. Do not think, ye ungodly, (says David,) that
God is favourable to you because ye are exalted, and
become powerful in your iniquity. Know ye and believe
ye, that things are otherwise than they really appear to
be. God is wrath, and hates you, he is indignant at you,
he threatens you (for the Hebrew word, as they say, has
all these significations) all the day. And these things
must of necessity be said to the ungodly, who, because
they feel not the ana;er of God, neither believe it, nor
fear it. For the words of the Spirit are spoken concern-
ing things absent and not appearing, but which are to be
apprehended by faith.

But our translation seems to reverse the whole of
this, making the former part refer to the ungodly, and
the latter to the godly. For we understand that God is
just and patient towards the wicked who are to be
alarmed : and that his not being angry every day refers
to the godly, whom he consoles and comforts : according
to that of Psalm ciii. 9, " He will not always chide,
neither will he keep his anger for ever." And again,
Psalm Iv. 22, " He shall never suffer the righteous to be
moved." But the Hebrew more appropriately accords
with that which now follows,

3^71

Ver. 12. — Unless yc be converted, lie will brandish
his sword : he hath bent his bow and made it ready.

The Hebrew runs thus, ' If he turn not, he will
whet his sword.' Though he that whets his sword and
prepares it, makes it fit for brandishing : so that whet-
ting and brandishing do not differ much from each
other. But the expression " If he will not turn," is
doubtful, whether it refers to God who is threatening, or
to the wicked who is to be converted : though Hierony-
mus applies it to the man to be converted ; saying, ' He
will whet his sword against him that will not turn.'
Perhaps the verb is put absolutely, thus, " If he will not
turn ; ' that is, if there shall be no turning. But w hether
you say, ' Unless ye turn,' or, ' against him that will not
turn,' or, ' if there be no turning,' the sense remains
exactly the same. Let us therefore proceed to inquire
into this sense.

The prophet is making use of a plain and coarse si-
militude for striking terror ; because he is speaking
against the insensible arid hardened, who will not under-
stand the severity of the divine "judgment concerning
which he has been speaking, unless it be set before
them by some similitude taken from that which betokens
severity among men. Therefore, he does not speak of a
rod, nor a staff, nor of any thing that betokens discipline
among men, but brings forward that which threatens
deadi ; namely the sword, and the bow, which betoken
eternal judgment, eternal death, and eternal wrath. For
what is the sword of God but the word of eternal judg-
ment? concerning which Paul saith to the Hebrews,
chap. iv. 12, "For the Word of God is quick and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword : " by
which Word it is that God will say unto them " Depart,
V3 cursed, into everlasting fire." And the word ''sword"
signifies cutting and slaying ; and especially when it is
spoken of as being whetted and brandished.

And his words are addressed to these same insen-
sible ones when he is not only not contented with sayina;
that the 'sword is whetted,' but that the ' bow is bent ;' ana

2 B 2

372

not only so, but he describes the ' arrows ' also. So hard
are the front and face of ungodliness, that all these
threats are necessary : nor will it be softened even by
these. And the bow has the same signification as the
sword: namely, the Word of judgment; which is the
same thing signified and represented by these various
things. — And when David saith he hath 'made them
ready ; ' it is the same as he meant before, when he
said, " and guide thou the just." So that you are to un-
derstand that the bow is prepared, bent, and made
ready to strike the wicked immediately ; even as the
sword also is brandished to cut them in pieces.

In these words, therefore, he beautifully describes
the wrath of God as about to fall immediately upon the
ungodly ; of which nevertheless they never understand
any thing until they feel it. Yet, what would it have
profited Absalom and Ahithophel, even if they had suc-
ceeded and prospered for many thousands of years in
their malice and wickedness, if they were to be overtaken
by the sudden sword of the wrath of God at last, and
cut ofi, and sent to eternal death ? For the sudden
wrath of God would be all the while hanging over them.
Hence Sirach, Eccles. v. 4 — 7, 'And say not, I have
sinned, and what harm hath happened unto me ? And
say not, His mercy is great : for mercy and wrath come
from him, and his indignation resteth upon sinners.
Make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord, and put not off
from day to day ; for suddenly shall the wrath of God
come forth, and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed.'
And Psalm xxxiv. 15, "The face of the Lord is against
them that do evil, to cut otl the remembrance of them
from the earth."

Ver. 13. — He hath also prepared for him the vessels
of deaths he hath ordained his arrows for the
hurni7ig.

The Psalmist still pursues his similitude, and he now
aptly describes the eternal torment ; which is, to die and
to burn, " Vessel," according to the Hebrew, signifies,
by a general term, every instrument of every kind : as in

373

Psalm Ixxi. 22, "1 will praise thee with the vessels of
psalm : " that is, with an instrument of music. And
Ezek. ix. 2, " And every man had a vessel of slaughter
in his hand : " that is, an instrument of death, or an
instrument for slaughter. And so also. Acts ix. 15,
Paul the aposde is said to be " a vessel of election ; "
which, those who are ignorant of the Hebrew idiom, do
not understand to be (though it is so) the same as the
Latin expression iustrumentum election, 'chosen vessel;'
because, that is, Christ's will was to-use him, in prefer-
ence to all the rest of the apostles, to convert the Gen-
tiles. They understand it as signifying only that he had
receivetl electing grace : whereas, Christ most par-
ticularly added, that he was therefore "a chosen vessel"
unto him, because he should bear his name before the
Gentiles and the children of Israel, and should suifer
many things for his name and Word's sake.

And so here, "vessels of death" signify deadly darts
and weapons, by the same idiom ; which words he uses
that these insensible ones might not account this threat-
ening a thing of nought, but that, from the apprehension
of temporal" death, they might feel the terror of eternal
death.

" He hath ordained his arrows for the burning."' —
These words he uses by way of increased force of ex-
pression ; and thereby, either repeats or explains the
words " vessels of death." And that they might not set
light by these arrows, he calls them deadly, and for
terrible purposes; thus, still keeping up a weighty
power of expression, and making use of striking and
forcible words. Hieronymus thus renders the passage,
' He that hath wrought his arrows for burning.' Our
translation renders the passage obscurely and almost
barbarously. For what is the meaning of " He has made
his arrows for the burning?" Does it mean that he
made arrows for those who were burning to cast ? The
reason of their translating it thus, was the Hebrew word
being in the plural, cedolkim : which Hieronymus
has rendered ' for burning.' It might have been rendered
thus. ' He hath prepared for him the vessels of destruc-

374

tion, he hath made ready his arrows to burn ; ' or, ' that
they may be burning.' For the Hebrew cannot be ren-
dered hterally thus, ' He hath wrought his arrows to be
burning.'

Nor is it full enough to say, *he has made his arrows
burning : ' though this is also signified, because the verb
" he hath ordained," or ' wrought,' of which we have
spoken. Psalm i. is in this passage, paal: which has
not the signification of any workmanship or art, but of a
use, or a person using. So that it signifies, both that the
vessels of death are now^ ready, and the arrows made
burning, and also, that God is so using and hurling them,
that they slay and burn : and therefore, it sets the wrath
and severity of God immediately before our eyes as pre-
paring for its execution : for he is now preparing to
execute his wrath that the ungodly may die and burn,
though they do not yet die and burn.

And moreover, the word " burning " signifies also
persecution and devastation, Psalm x. 2, " When the
wicked swell with pride, the poor are burnt up : " that
is, they suffer persecution.

The sum of the whole is this. — There is no doubt
that, under these terms " death " and " burning," he re-
presents death and hell : concerning which we have
spoken more at large, Ps. vi. under the words " anger "
and " fury," "rebuke" and "correct," and also, "con-
founded" and "put to shame." And concerning these
arrows Job, vi. 4, complains ; and we find them spoken
of in many other places in the Psalms.

And it is observable, that we have not before had
any such threatening and indignation denounced against
the ungodly, nor has the Holy Spirit inveighed against
them with such a power of language. And in what fol-
lows, he enumerates their pursuits and attempts; which
were not indeed wholly in vain, for he shows that they
all turned upon their own heads ; that all who suffer the
violence of calumny may plainly see for their consola-
tion, how hateful calumniators are, above all others, in
the sight of God,,

375

Ver. 14. — Behold, hetravaileth with ungodliness, and
hath conceived pain, and brought forth iniquity.

Here, he describes their mahgnant purposes, which
eventually prove injurious to no one but to the authors
themselves ; which purposes he calls " unrighteousness,"
" pain," and " iniquity." Hieronymus translates the pas-
sage thus, * Behold he travaileth with iniquity, he hath
conceived pain, he hath brought forth falsehood.'

The first word which we have rendered " ungod-
lines " or " iniquity," is, in the Hebrew, the very word
AVEN, by which is signified, (as we have before ob-
served, Psalms V. and vi.) " the workers of iniquity ; "
on which passages we have observed, that the word is
more frequently rendered ' pain : ' as in Psalm x. 7,
" Under his tongue is labour and pain." And so again,
Psalm xc. 10, "Yet is their strength but labour and
pain," And hence it may be here rendered, " Behold he
travaileth with pain."

And these two words amal and aven, 'labour'
and ' pain,' are generally found together, as here, and in
the Psalms above-mentioned. Hence it may be here
more properly rendered, " he hath conceived labour : "
for it more proporly signifies ' labour,' from the act of
labouring : as in Psalm cxxvii. 1, " They labour in vain,
that build it." And we have before said, that their lives
who act thus impiously are such. For, " There is no
peace, saith my God, to the wicked," Isaiah xlviii. 22.
Such know not any thing of the rest of which Christ
speaks, Matt. xi. 28, 29, " Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, (as if he had said who are
in amal and aven,) and ye shall find rest to your
souls." That is, the punishment of the wicked so closely
presses upon them, that they are afflicted and distressed
in and by the very act of doing wrong. Nay (says
David) their very pleasure is a labour. And Augustine
in his Confessions, Book I. greatly observes, 'Thou, O
Lord, hast commanded ; and hence it cometh to pass
that every disobedient and insubordinate soul is its own
punishment.' And Wisdom v. 7, " We wearied ourselves

376

in the way of wickedness and destruction : yea, we have
gone through deserts where there lay no Avay ; but as for
the way of the Lord^we have not known it."

This punishment, therefore, or trouble, or labour,
most especially and terribly distresses men, whenever,
with this devoted industry, they endeavour to establish
their own purposes against godliness, and, (as the
Apostle saith, Rom. x. 2,) "being ignorant of the righte-
ousness of God, go about to establish their own righte-
ousness : " that is, that righteousness which is exercised
in the worst of all iniquities, and in spiritual wicked-
nesses. And therefore, as I have before said, this evil
falls principally upon those, who, under a superstitious
religion, idolatry, and disobedience, seek to justify them-
selves by self-invented works and devotions, setting aside
all the while the commandment of God, and indeed the
commandments of men. also which they bound them-
selves to observe. As such, therefore, walk contrary to
God, God walks contrary to them : and hence, they
must of necessity suffer a great deal of uneasiness : and
indeed, they can have nothing?; but labour and pain in all
that they do. Hence the Preacher in many places has
called all this "vanity and vexation of spirit." Whereas,
on the other hand, those \vho are led by the Spirit of
God, and yield themselves up to be guided by it, enjoy
much peace in God, even while they themselves are in
tribulation.

Hence we iind aven to be rendered " ungodliness "
before, " unrighteousness " here, and " pain " a little af-
terwards : and if all these renderings be put together
they will give us that " malice," which strives so hard to
carry the plausible appearance of righteousness and
godliness : whereas, true godliness needs take no la-
bour or pains at all to give itself the appearance of
godliness.

Thus David here, being confirmed in hope, and
having come out of his temptation victorious, laughs at
all the violence and all the eiforts of his calumniators
and persecutors ; ne^y rather, he pities them ; saying be-
fore them all, ' Deliold in what a state my calumniators

377

are. Let any one behold in what misery they are in-
volved, and how much more wretched they are than I
am. Not only does God threaten them continually,
not only does he hang over them with a xlravvn sword
and with a bow, with the vessels of death and with
arrows that shall burn them up ; but they are tor-
mented with a present punishment now, and they now
receive in themselves the due reward of their malice ;
while, w ith anxiety and rage, they wrack their inventions
to find out a way wherein they may oppress me,
and whereby, after they have destroyed me, they may
remain in security themselves. They in their misery
have more distressing anxiety about the way in which
they shall destroy me, than I have about thinking by
whose hands I shall perish. Nay, for my part, as I
commit myself w holly unto the will of God, I expect all
that may come without emotion. But they cannot be
quiet nor in any rest, until they have brought forth all
that with which they are travailing, and have accom-
plished all their thoughts : and yet, as their thoughts
are against righteousness and against God, they are
vexed with all such thoughts in vain, " for they ima-
gine such advice as they are not able to perform."
Psalm xxi. 1 1 .

David, however, here touches upon that which Absa-
lom said, 2 Sam. xvi. 20, " Give counsel among you
w hat we shall do :" at which time, many ways were
deliberated on, and many counsels were adopted, how
they might kill David ; but by the wonderful manage-
ment of God, all were in vain. Just in the same way
as the Jews tried with much labour and pain to destroy
Christ.

'We always find, (saith Augustine,) that those endure
the greater punishment who inflict it, than those who
endure it : nay, this is ahvays the case in the perpetration
of any crime. What secret snares does not the robber
or murderer fear ! what hour, what place, what man,
does he consider safe ! With what fears is not the adul-
terer tormented ! in what stratagems is he not entram-
melled before he once perishes I ' Hence, in every kind

378

of crime, and especially in that of calumny, the punish-
ments suffered are far greater than the advantages
gained : for the miserable wretch is compelled to expect
every kind of evil and every kind of danger. Whereas
in the meanwhile, he who trusts in God, like a fearless
lion, despises all things in a happy security, relying upon
a consciousness of truth and innocence.

We are taught in this verse, therefore, to lay hold of
these best of all consolations when in straits and tri-
bulations; that, having committed our cause unto God,
we may not be distressed, nor over anxious, nor in per-
turbation. It is sufficient for us to know, that we are
acting in the cause of God. In which case, let us
divide the sufferings with our enemies. Let us be
vexed by them externally, while they are tormented by
themselves internally. Let them be our burden, while
not only we are a burden to them, but they are the
greatest burden to themselves. Behold, therefore, the
most miserable condition of all calumniators and un-
godly men ! — God is a burden to them, we are a burden
to them, and they are an intolerable burden to themselves !
Who, therefoie, would not rather pity such wretched
characters, than be impatiently indignant against them ?
And every one of us knows, that all these things await
the wicked, and that such is our state, as it is here de-
scribed. But when the hour of calumny arrives, we do
not all continue in the same mind : being in perpetual
fear that all things will turn out prosperously unto our
adversaries, and against us ; though we are always ready
to affirm that they would not so turn out against others.
Let us, then, inquire farther, into the propriety of these
words. — " Behold," says David ; struck as it w ere with
wonder and admiration, he calls upon all to behold this
singular sight, because it'is contrary to all natural sense.

" He travaileth with pain.'' Here he very appro-
priately composes his words : for being in travail, is the
same thing as striving with pain. As if he had said.
Such meditate pain in pain. AVhich is a metaphor
taken from women with child : in which he beautifully
describes the anxious striving of the ungodly and of ca-

379

lumniators : which are, as I have before said, to esta-
bUsh with much care and peril their own inventions
against the truth : in the doing of which (as the saying
is) one lie requires seven others to make it good, and to
make all appear truth. And Hieronymus saith, ' False-
hood requires much to give it the appearance of truth.'

" And hath conceived pain." It seems proper, that
he should have reversed this and have said, " He hath
conceived labour and travailed with iniquity :" because
conception is prior in order. This seems to me to be
intended to describe to us the mind and ingenuity of
the ungodly, who, when they are about to oppress the
innocent, are most impatient of delay; and are more
intent upon venting the malice of their minds, than
upon consulting prudently : they begin before they
deliberate. They are not guided by reason and counsel,
but carried headlong by impetuosity and temerity. They
think more about seeins; the thincr done, than about con-
suiting. And when they have accomplished their wicked
design, then they enter into consultation, about defending
properly what they have done. And here begins their
labour : here is the anxious concern about defending the
iniquity which they have presumptuously committed.

So Absalom, after he had driven out his father David,
and had brought forth his aven, said, 2 Sam. xvii. 20,
" Give counsel among you what we shall do." And so
also the Jews first apprehended Christ, and then sought
false witnesses against him, that they might accuse him.
And thus also every calumniator first brings forth his
AVEN and imposes upon his neighbour, and then after-
wards seeks to persist therein under a show of justice and
in security : concerning which character, Prov. xxx. 20,
" Such is the way of an adulterous woman : she eateth,
and whipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no
wickedness." These imprudent workers of iniquity,
therefore, begin both difficulty and peril : that is, they
bring forth their pain, and then with much labour and
toil endeavour to defend what they have done.

David teaches us, therefore, that an evil committed
before counsel is taken, brings on pain ; and counsel

380

after the commission, labour. And both these kinds of
temerity and folly await such ungodly calumniators ;■ —
both the act before the counsel, and the counsel after
the act ; for to the perverse all things are perverse. But
one may understand this conception of labour as being
together with the bringing forth of pain. For ungodly
calumniators say thus, when they enter upon the com-
mission of their evil. — Let us go on and act. After the
act is committed, something will follow which will enable
us to answer for what we have done, or to defend it.
As the Jews acted, (according to the history contained
in the last chapter of Matthew,) when they corrupted
the guards with money that the truth of Christ's resur-
rection might not be published abroad : for they said,
" And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade
him and secure you." Only behold here how they con-
ceive pain, while they burden themselves with a pledge
that they will find future security. ' And in this same
way did Absalom and his party audaciously bring forth
their aven : but they have not yet brought forth the
counsel by which they should defend their act: they
conceive the counsel while they bring forth the act : as
we have it written, Proverbs xiv. l6, "A wise man
feareth and departeth from evil ; but the fool rageth and
is confident." — And what they bring forth from this
conception is shown in what follows.

" And brought forth iniquity :" which, in the Hebrew,
is lying, or falsehood, or vanity : and this exactly ac-
cords with that which I have mentioned as the design of
this psalm. For these are the counsels, the defences,
and the excuses of the godly after the committed wick-
edness. They are mere frigid evasions, lying delusions,
and vain deceptions, with which they set themselves off,
persuade the people, and destroy those whom they op-
press. And such are also all their vain attempts to
establish their own temerity. In all which, they lose
much labour and pains, and yet, all is in vain. And
these things we find are continually taking place in this
our day. But in this place, we are more particularly to
understand the deceiving and vain birth, than the ini-

381 ,

quitous birth. For he is speaking of the vain attempts
and fruitless counsel by which Absalom was deceived,
and in which he was disappointed, when, collecting all
Israel together, he sought to destroy David. For in all
this, his coimsel and birth all proved so vain, that they
fell upon his own head : and the very snares he had laid
for David destroyed himself.

Ver. 15. — He hath opened a lake and dug it, and is
fallen into the pit which he had made.

Here the prophet allegorizes, that, as I have said be-
fore, under the allegory, he might set forth the true state
of things. In the same manner as the cross of Christ
is an allegorical life ; appearing to kill while it makes
alive : for in the same way, Absalom here opens a
lake and digs it, that he might drive David into it ; not
knowing, that by this very stratagem, he should deliver
David, and destroy himself. And David touches upon
this. — That Absalom, relying on the multitude, thought
that he should soon destroy David, one poor solitary crea-
ture, left and forsaken by all. For this is signified by the
lake of death which he prepared and dug. Rut behold,
this very thing happened unto himself: for being deserted
by all, and being hung up alone upon an oak, he was
pierced through and throv«n into a deep pit in the wood,
and a very great heap of stones was cast upon him : as
we have it recorded 2 Sam. xviii. This is the pit of
which David here speaks, and which he uses for the
allegory. But Absalom had not prepared that pit for
David : though he intended that death for him which he
himself suffered. Hence we say often in common life,
that a certain trap was laid for us, and that our adver-
sary fell into it himself, though he himself did not intend
any such thing. Wherefore this verse is proverbial, and
contains a common saying : according to the well-known
lines of the poet,

No law's more just than when the wicked schemes
Of wicked men upon themselves are turn'd.

382

These things, as I have said, are spoken for the con-
solation of the oppressed, that they may rest assured,
that the evil which is planned against them will fall
upon the head of their slanderers. And they are spoken
also to strike terror into these calumniators and per-
secutors ; whose daring presumption and security are to
be alarmed, and the weakness of the oppressed to be
confirmed and strengthened.

And observe how he describes the ardour and the pant-
ing fury of the ungodly. For he does not simply say " hath
made a lake," as he afterward said, " hath made a pit : "
but he says, hath "opened" and "dug" a lake. As if he
had said with Proverbs i. 16, " For their feet run to evil,
and make haste to shed blood." So busy and laborious
are they in digging and preparing their lake. They leave
nothing untried, they search into all things, and dive into
every expedient. And not content with " opening "
only, they " dig " the lake and make it deep, that
they may the more terribly and effectually destroy the
innocent.

Thus the Jews, though they hastened to destroy
Christ, and made every preparation for that purpose ;
yet, they were not content with any simple kind of
death, but digging as it were a most deep pit, they pro-
cured for him the most ignominious death of the cross.
And so every calumniator, is not contented with de-
stroying his neighbour in the most dreadful manner, but
he will do it in the most ignominious manner also.

This ignominious death is indicated by the digging
the lake deeper which was already prepared : because
the person cast in, is by so much the further from the
light and hope of reparation the deeper he is plunged in.
For no ungodly man is such a fool as to suffer the least
appearance to exist of his having destroyed the innocent
without cause : nay, the more malignant he is, the more
he seeks to make it appear that his own cause was most
just, and that his neighbour was destroyed as having,
most basely deserved it. And therefore, such an one must
dig the lake deep that is already opened and prepared.
But, on the other hand, he is not said to have 'opened,'

383

nor to have 'dug' the pit for himself, but to have 'made'
it : because he did not seek his own destruction and
shame, but fell into them when he least expected it. 4
And again, there is here a solecism. " He is fallen
into the pit, he made it : " where our translators add
the relative " which : " but I should have put ' because,'
or 'for;' as I have obsei'ved above at ver. 6. And
where we have " he hath opened," the Hebrew has " he
hath prepared." Though these are things of no conse-
quence, because, in either case, we understand it, that
the lake was prepared before it was dug ; which is
contrary to the general ideas of all ; because, David
would have us to understand by it that which I have set
forth.

Ver. 16. — His pain shall return upon his own head,
and his iniquity shall come down upon his own pate.

The word here is not aven, but amal; which
properly signifies, pain, and labour, as I have before
observed. " His labour (says David) shall return upon
his own head." — And " iniquity " here is in the Hebrew,
a word that we have not had before; it is hamas;
which properly signifies, rapacity, violence, or an injury
which by force arrogates to itself a tyranny ; in the
same way as hawks seize upon little birds. For
Reuchlin says that the night hawk is named from this

word HAMAS.

David has respect to that which he said in the be-
ginning, " Lest he seize my soul like a lion." For
Absalom, having collected all the people, had prepared
to seize David by force and to devour him ; whereas,
he was miserably seized and devoured himself; and thus
his attempts and his labour all fell upon his own head.
And the sense seems to be the same as that contained
in the preceding verse ; the allegory of which he here
explains in plain words. Unless it be considered to
differ from the preceding inj:his — that in the preceding
verse the work or act w^as designed, that is, death and
perdition, set forth by the "lake" and "the pit;" and in
this, the counsel and wisdom by which the lake and pit

384

were prepared and dug : that we may understand, that
God is so concerned for those who are oppressed with
Calumny, and so wrath against their calumniators, that
he turns the evil which they planned, and the counsel by
which they planned it, upon themselves ; and that thus,
we may not faint nor fall from our hope.

For this is the incomprehensible manner of the
judgment of God, that he takes the ungodly by their very
own counsel, and casts them into the destruction which
they had themselves prepared and invented. Thus
Goliah fell by his own sword. And thus it is said, Job
V. 12, " He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so
that their hands cannot perform their enterprize. He
taketh the wise in their own craftiness : and .the counsel
of the froward is carried headlong. They meet with
darkness in the day-time, and grope in the noon-day as
in the night : " that is, they are then the most foolish
and most blind, when they are, in their own views, the
most clear-sighted and wise.

With a powerful force of language therefore, he
calls their counsels, their craftiness, and their cunning,
labour. And indeed they have nothing from all this but
labour : for the expected fruits of all their devices never
follow, because God resists them. And so, in the case
of the Jews, who meditated the destruction of Christ, —
what did they else but labour in vain, and (as it is said.
Psalm xi.) " meditate a vain thing ? " But David here
does not only call it labour, but says that it 'returned
upon their own head:' for that very counsel which
Absalom had formed for the destruction of David, rely-
ing upon the multitude, — by that very counsel he himself
perished : who would have been safer, if, according to
the counsel of Ahithophel, he had remained in the city
and sent out those two thousand men. But, as the
scripture saith, by the will of God, the useful counsel of
Ahithophel was disregarded, that the Lord might bring
upon Absalom the evil intended.

The scripture holds out consolation to us, when it
teaches us, that the ferocity of the ivicked is nothing but
a mere great and vain attempt rather than any act, and

385

such an attempt as will surely fall upon the heads of the
projectors of it. So the waves and swellings of the sea
seem as if they would overwhelm the shore, hut it pre-
sently falls hack upon itself and vanishes, leaving its
threatening surges a laughing-stock to the spectators.

This figure of speech is very common in the scrip-
tures, this returning, or falling, or, descending upon the
head, and upon the pate, &c. Thus we have it written,
Eccles. xxvii. 25 — 27, " Whoso casteth a stone on high
casteth it on his own head ; and a deceitful stroke shall
make wounds. Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein :
and he that setteth a trap shall be taken therein. He that
worketh mischief it shall fall upon him, and he shall not
know whence it cometh." And with the same figure it is
said, 2 Sam. i. 16, " Thy blood be upon thy head."
And indeed all things both evil and good that are in-
voked, are invoked upon the head. So Deut. xxxiii. l6,
* Let the blessing of him that dwelt in the bush come
upon the head of Joseph.' Because, the head is the first
and most worthy member of the whole body. And
David indicates at the same time that both good and
evil is sent down upon the head by God, both the pu-
nishment of the ungodly and the salvation of the godly.
And therefore, it is by the commandment of God that
the iniquity of the calumniator descends upon his own
pate, and his labour upon his own head.

But, by a repetition, the returning of the labour
upon the pate, and the descending of the iniquity upon
the head, seem to indicate the same thing. And it is
thus repeated, that its certainty might be set forth, as we
have before observed. For the ungodly being insensible
laugh at all the threatenings of God, as if they would
never take place, or at least were put off for a consider-
able time ; and therefore these terrible things are to be
inculcated upon them repeatedly.

Ver. 17. — / will praise the Lord according to his
righteousness : and will sing praise to the name of the
Lord most high.

He concludes this Psalm and prayer in a beautiful

VOL.ITI. S c

<

386

way. As if he had said, All these things have been said,
and all these petitions have I put up on account of the
cursings, the calumnies, and the injuries of Shimei and
of his men, in defence of my ignorance and innocence,
as far as my conscience is concerned, and with respect
to these things in the sight of men. But I do not trust in
this my righteousness, nor do I consider it to be such as
that I can stand in it before God : as the Apostle saith,
1 Cor. iv. 4, " I am conscious of nothing to myself; yet
am I not thereby justified." And again, 1 Cor. i. 20,
" He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord." " For not
he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the
Lord commendeth." And so also, I have another righ-
teousness in which I glory, namely, the righteousness of
God, and his mercy and grace whereby he pardons all
my sins and justifies me in his sight. In which righte-
ousness I do not boast, nor do I make a confession of
it as if it were my own : but I praise God for it unto all
eternity. Wherefore, by means of my own righteousness
I will willingly serve God and the people and resist the
ungodly : and in the righteousness of God I will profit
myself.

Here, in a wonderful manner, in the same verse and
in the same words, David gives thanks unto God and
praises his righteousness, and also describes the nature
of it. — He says it is the free gift of God, and for which
he is to be praised and celebrated. Wherefore, "accord-
ing to his righteousness," is here to be understood as
signifying the same as ' on account of, or for, his righte-
ousness.' So that the sense is, ' I will praise the Lord
for ever, because it is he that justifieth ; which, if he did
not do, my righteousness which I have in my own con-
science could never stand.' And this sense is supported
by what follows, which is as it were a repetition of these
words, "And will sing praise unto the name of the Lord
most high." For the name of the Lord, as we have said
above, is his praise which is proclaimed abroad, — that
he is merciful and a Saviour, &c. : and the man that be-
lieves in this name, Ts^ustified and saved : for God is
such as he is believed to be by every man. But the

387

damned and the ungodly ascribe to him no name at all.
The former, because they cannot hope any good from
him ; and the latter, because they do not feel the want
of him. Hence it is written, Prov. xviii. 10, "The name
of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth
into it and is safe." And Rom. x. 13, " For who-
soever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved."

As therefore righteousness, salvation, and a joyful
conscience, come from this name only by our firmly be-
lieving in it, and not from our own strength, doings, or
works, the Psalmist rightly teaches, that righteousness is
to be ascribed only unto the Lord, and that he only is
to be sung unto, praised, proclaimed, and celebrated : in
order that others, being brought to the knowledge of that
name by this confession and proclaiming, may believe in
it and be saved. And David saith almost the same
thing. Psalm li. 13, "Then will I teach transgressors
thy way, and sinners shall be converted unto thee." And
again, Psalm xxxv. 28, " And my tongue shall speak
aloud of thy righteousnesss." Whereas the ungodly
do not exalt his righteousness, as we have often said
before.

Wherefore this confessing and singing do not in this
place signify any private duty of gratitude only, but also
the public ministry of the Word of grace, whereby the
name of the Lord is manifested to sinners.

The words of this Psalm are very necessary, and
will be found very useful, when prayed against the devil,
either in the hour of death or in any other time of deep
temptation. For the devil himself is properly that
calumniator, who accuses us and confounds our con-
science even for those things which we have done rightly,
and which please God, as well as magnifies beyond
measure those things which we have done badly ; and
he is therefore in both cases a most oppressive and un-
wearied Shimei, a most black, a cursing, and an insulting
Ethiopian : continually cbming upon us with such wbrds
as these, ' Behold thine evils are now come upon thee.
Come out, come out, thou bloody man. The Lord is

2 c 2

388

now bringing upon thy head all the blood of the
house of Saul.' And indeed we may take all the
rest of this history as having a figurative meaning ;
wherein David is an example of us all, and teaches us,
that we ought to bear these things, and at the same time
to expect the blessing of God for all such cursing aad
affliction.

PSALM VIII.

TO VICTORY: FOR THE WINE-PRESSES : A PSALM OF

DAVID.

We have here a new title : and what David here
means by the wine-presses, has been discussed with so
much disputation, that I am ready to confess myself
in total ignorance, who, among so many, comes the
nearest to the truth. There are only Three Psalms that
have this title ' For the wine-presses,' the present Ps. viii.
of David, the Ixx. of Asaph, and the Ixxxiv. for the sons of
Korah. It is not likely, however, that David (which is
granted by all the most eminent Hebrews) composed
this Psalm in the wine-presses of Palestine : because
then, for the same reason, it would follow that Asaph
and the sons of Korah composed their Psalm in the
same place. Nor do we read that David was ever in the
wine-presses of Palestine, but in those of Gath (which
afterwards by a lengthening of letters was called Gaza)
a city of Palestine : though Gath signifies a wine-press
(torcular) and has the same signification as the . words
AL GiTiTH have here, which is, * On the wine-presses/ —
Nor am I satisfied with the opinions of some who sup-
pose that this Psalm was composed to be sung at the
feast of tabernacles, where thanks were given to God
after the harvesting of all the fruits, and the gathering
of the grapes.

589

Therefore, as we are here going according to the
literal meaning, I am inclined to coincide with the opi-
nion of Lyraniis ; who thinks that gitith is a name
proper to some musical instrument. Or else, we must
go by the ancient fathers ; who, following a mystical
meaning, understand by wine-presses (torcularia,) the
martyrdoms and sufferings of Christ and the Church.
And indeed there are other Psalms also entitled by some
word or other that is not in common use, (as we shall
see in their proper places,) in order to move us to search
into their spiritual meaning. Leaving, therefore, every
one to his own judgment in this matter, we may rightly
affirm, that wine-presses do signify, mystically, sutfer-
ings : as in Isaiah Ixiii. 2, " I have trodden the wine-
press alone : " which all understand as having reference
to the sufferings of Christ.

But Augustine very learnedly and discerningly un-
derstands by wine-press (torcular) the ministry of the
Word of God in the church : consonant with which are
many scriptures : as that of Isa. v. 2, " And also made
a wine-press therein." For as oxen treading out the corn
in the barn signify the preachers of the Word, 1 Cor. ix.
9 : so, the treaders in the wine-press signify the same.
And hence, grapes and ears of corn, wine and wheat,
every where in the scriptures signify the people, who are
either instructed or hardened by the Word of God. Of
whom we have not time to say more now.

And this meaning exactly agrees with the scope of
the Psalm : wherein is described the name of the Lord
which is great throughout all the earth, the people of
Christ who are obedient to his government, and his ene-
mies who are destroyed. And when it is said that he
hath perfected praise and exalted his own glory ''out of
the mouth of babes and sucklings; by that is doubt-
lessly signified, the preaching of the Gospel and of the
Word of the cross ; by which, all these things ever have
been and still are accomplished. For certainly the Word
of the cross, like a wine-press, bruises and humbles the
men of the world, and collects many into one body, as
the wine is collected into the receiving vessel. Hence, it

390

was the design of the Prophet to sing here of a spiritual
wine-press. It is not, however, foreign to the scope of
the Psalm, to understand by wine-presses, sufferings ; be-
cause, the word of the cross crucifies the old man, and
compels him to endure many and various sufferings.

Ver. 1. — O Lord our Lord, how admirable is thy
namt in all the earth. For thy greatness is lifted up
above the heavens.

This is one verse in the Hebrew. And in the He-
brew also, the one of these names is the sacred Tetra-
grammaton, and the other the name Adon, which is
common and applicable to men also. Our translator
has moreover thought proper to put " our Lord" (^Do-
minus jioster) in the nominative, which Hieronymus has
more properly rendered by the vocative (Domine, Do?ni-
nator noster).

" Admirable," which is in the Hebrew adir, signifies
high, great, excellent, &c. Hence Hieronymus has ren-
dered it, ' How great is thy name.' And what our
translator has rendered " greatness," he has translated
* glory.' But the Hebrew word Hod signifies properly,
praise and confession. And it is from this word that the
names of Judah and Judeah are derived, which have
the signification of praising or confessing. Hence we
have it, Gen. xlix. 8, " Judah, thou art he whom thy
brethren shall praise."

" For thy greatness is lifted up above the heavens."
In the 148th Psalm, ver. 13, David said, " His confes-
sion, (or praise, or glory,) is above the earth and the
heaven." He seems therefore to say the same thing in
both Psalms. In Ps. cxlviii. 13, he says, " his name
alone is excellent :" here he says, " how admirable is thy
name." There he says, " his praise is above the earth
and heaven :" here, " his greatness is lifted up above the
heavens."

I here take it for granted that it is clearly known,
from what has been said, that the name of God is not
one but many : that is, every thing that can be said
which is good. So that the name of God is, that good,

391

report, glory, estimation, and celebration, whereby he is
proclaimed, believed in, hoped in, l<no\vn, loved, and
feared, (that is, truly worshipped and honoured,) as the
only wise, powerful, good, just, true, sweet, &c. And
whereby, at the same time, all the glory and good opi-
nion of man perishes ; and no one is any longer found
to be powerful, wise, and good, but all are found to be
(as the Apostle saith) sinners, and to come short of the
glory of God, who before were impiously righteous and
full of their own glory : as it is said also Psalm ix. 5,
" Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed
the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and
ever."

For no one now who believes in Christ is strong by
his own power, but is weakened and made to endure suf-
ferings. Nor does he revenge or deliver himself even
when it may be in his power; but he gives glory to
God, and waits for his delivering and avenging power :
even as Paul, 2 Cor. xii. 5, glories in his infirmities. —
And so also, no one that thus beheveth is wise in his own
wisdom, but becomes a fool in his own eyes and before all
men, and gives all the glory of wisdom unto God, who,
when he hath proved him, will give him the glory of w is-
dom in the heavens. — And so also no Christian is righte-
ous in his own righteousness, but gives all the glory of
righteousness unto God, and he himself in his own eyes,
and in the estimation of men, is numbered among the
ungodly ; so that ' in his humiliation his judgment is
taken away,' and he is justified by faith and hope, ex-
pecting the righteousness of God as that alone which
can commend him ; " For not he that commendeth him-
self is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth,"
2 Cor. X. 1 8. And this is the meaning and force of the
pronoun " thy name," for David thereby opposes the
name of the Lord to all the names and glory of men ;
and shews that the Lord's name is then magnified,
exalted, and loved, when our name is reduced to nothing
and hated both by ourselves and all others.

And this same thing he has also, Psalm cxiii. 3,
" From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the

392

game, the Lord's name is to be praised." And again
ver. 4, ** The Lord is hif';h above all nations, and his
glory above the heavens." And Malachi i. 11, " For
from the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of
the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles."
And again, ibid. " For my name shall be great among
the heathen." And Isaiah xi. 9, " They shall not hurt
nor destroy in all my holy mountain." And why shall
they not destroy ? " For, (saith he) the earth shall be filled
^ with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover
the sea." As if he had said, The knowledge of God,
and the magnifying of his name, which, by the means of
the Gospel, shall fill the whole world like an overflowing
sea, shall make men gentle, mild, and innocent : be-
cause they shall contend neither for wisdom . nor for
power, nor for righteousness, for they shall know that
these are not theirs, but of the Lord only. And to the
same end are those words of Isaiah ii. 17, IS, "And
the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the
haughtiness of man shall be laid low : and the Lord
alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols shall
he utterly abolish."

We would, however, distinguish the two words,
" Lord," and " our Lord," in this way. — That by the
former is represented the all-high Godhead dwelling in
himself: and by the latter, his kingdom and care whereby
he holds dominion over us, and rules us by the word of
faith, which is fulfilled by the incarnation of Christ,
who is our propitiation, " in whom dwelleth all the ful-
ness of the Godhead," Col. ii. 9 : for it is by that we
are brought nigh unto the Father, and ruled in the world.
As John xiv. 6, " No one cometh unto the Father but
by me." Hence it is not without reason that the pro-
noun " our" is rather joined with "governor" than with
" Lord." Therefore, God was first known in Judea,
and his name was great in Israel. But now (saith
David) thy name is great in all the earth, and among all
nations. Hence, you see how well this verse accords
with the title : seeing that, the name of the Lord being
made great by the wine-press of j)rcaching, has humbled

393

some out of the nations of the whole world into tlie one
faith and grace of (yhrist.

But however, it is of much greater moment for us to
know what that is which follows. " For thy greatness
is lifted up above the heavens." The Hebrew and the
translation of Hieronymus is thus, ' who hast set,'
not, " is lifted up." — I fmd that by this glory, or great-
ness, or praise, almost all understand Christ the Son of
God, who, being received into heaven, and seated at the
right hand of God, sent down the Holy Spirit, who, by
the apostles magnified the name of God throughout the
whole world.

Nor am I displeased at the opinion of those who say
that this latter clause of the verse gives the reason or
cause of the former : that is, that the name of God is
magnified because Christ ascended into heaven. For
Christ could not have been glorified but by the sending
of the Holy Ghost : as it is written, Rom. i. 3, " who
was declared to be the Son of God, with power, accord-
ing to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the
dead." And John xvi. \6, " He shall glorify me:
for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you."
And the Spirit could not have been sent if Christ had
not risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, unto
the appointment of king over all nations : as it is written,
John vii. 39, " For the Holy Ghost was not yet given,
because that Jesus was not yet glorified." And so also,
Psalm ii. Christ said that he would declare the com-
mand, (which is fulfilled by the Holy Ghost,) after he
had said that he was appointed king upon God's holy
hill of Zion.

It seems, however, to make somewhat against this
acceptation, that Christ being called the ' praise,' or
* confession,' does not seem to agree well with that verse
of Psalm cxlviii. 13, " His glory is above the earth and
heaven :" nor with that of Psalm cxiii. 4, " The Lord
is high above all nations, and his glory above the hea-
vens :" because, in those passages, the confession is not
only said to be above the heavens, but above the earth ;
and no one understands that Christ is intended by con-

3.94

fession in those passages. But these things ought not to
move any one, because Christ is called the glory of God.
Isaiah xlvi- 13, "I will place salvation in Zion, and
my glory in Israel." And it is in the same manner
also that the Apostle dares to call him the righteous-
ness, the power, the wisdom, the glory, the redemption,
and the sanctification of God : because, by and through
him we acknowledge and confess God to be powerful,
wise, glorious, &c. And again, while we honour and
worship God by this sacrifice of righteousness, wisdom,
power, &c. he justifies us, strengthens us, and makes us
wise: as he saith 1 Sam. ii. 30, " Them that honour
me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be
lightly esteemed." For this is the sacrifice of praise by .
which (as he saith Psalm 1.) he is honoured, and which
is the way to the salvation of God. And no one offers
this sacrifice but he who has experienced the destruction
of his own name, and calls in faith upon the name of
God ; that is, upon the m isdom, power, and righteous-
ness of God, as I said ; permitting himself in the mean-
time to be weak, a fool, and unrighteous. So that we
are glorified with the same glory as God is, made
righteous with the same righteou^iess, and wise by the
wisdom as God. And this is what Peter saith, 2d
Epist. i. whereby are given unto us exceedingly great
and precious promises, that by these ye might be par-
takers of the divine nature : which are things (as he
saith 1 Epist. i. 12) that the angels desire to look into.

Hence by this " confession " or glory lifted up into
heaven, we understand Christ. But we also learn the
benefits which we derive from his being thus lifted up, or
having thus ascended. "It is expedient for you (saith
Christ, John xvi. 7,) that I go away, for if I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I
depart, I will send him unto you." For the prophet
Avishes to say this — that the praise wherewith God is
praised in us and we in him, is far different from all the
praise of men. Our praise, as it is the praise of God, or
from God, is not openly visible,' or open to the eyes of
the world, nor apparent unto men, nor even unto our-

395

selves. Nay, as our life is hid with Christ in God
(Col. iii. 3,) that we may be wise unto the things that
are above, so our praise is taken up into heaven with
him, and hid with him in God, that our hope may be in
that, and not in any thing present.

Hence, the praise of God, wherewith both he and we
are praised, is the same, and it is the same glory and
greatness : as it is written, Psalm civ. ' That we may
glory in thy praise.' Again, Psalm xx. 7, " But we will
remember the name of the Lord our God." And also,
Psalm xxxiv. 2, " ]\Iy soul shall make her boast in the
Lord." Because while we are stripped of all our own
name, and suffering under ignominy, we are those truly
humble ones whom God regards, and those hungry souls
who God satisfies.

It was right the prophet should use this summary
term ' praise ' or ' glory ' or ' greatness,' because he
spoke at a time when the truth was not yet revealed. But
what this praise was, and what it contained, was left for
the apostles to show forth clearly. And these taught,
that he who would be praised rightly and truly should
praise God above all things ; and that he praises God
above all things who ascribes unto God alone righteous-
ness, wisdom, power, and all good things, and gives
back the glory of them all to him when he receives
them. And this no one does but he who lives in faith,
hope, and love, being oppressed in the world with weak-
ness, foolishness, and sins, both in his own eyes and in
the sight of men : and none can endure this easily but
those who are partakers of faith and hope.

The sum therefore, of the whole verse is this. — That
there is a certain intercourse between God and men
through Christ, formed by a wonderful and all-sweet
communion. Men have nothing in the world more
sweet than the name of the Lord : him they praise,
proclaim, and confess before men, as alone powerful,
wise, holy, and righteous. And this is for the name of
the Lord to be great, admirable, celebrated, and of
great estimation in the world; and this is what was
wrought by the coming of Christ. On the other hand

596

Christ himself stands round about those who thus pro-
claim him, confess him before men, and acknowledge his
name; and passing by he administers to them, praises
them, proclaims them, and confesses them before his Father
and his angels in heaven ; he acknowledges their name,
and is himself their glory and praise in heaven, as they
are his glory and praise on earth. This is what David
means when he says, " Thy greatness is lifted up above
the heavens." So that this glory is the glory of God
whereby Me are praised and glorious before him, and
whereby his name is admirable in being praised and
glorified by us before men.

In this mutual intercourse of names and praise
agree many passages of the scriptures, and are by it
made plain to our understanding. It is to this that
Psalm 'Ixxii. 14, refers, " And precious shall their blood
be in his sight." And again. Psalm xci. 14, " I will set him
on high because he hath known my name." And so also
the spouse in Song ii. 16, " My beloved to me and I to
him." And Psalm cxi. 3, " Praise and greatness are his
work." And again, " The earth is full of his praise,"
" The heavens and the earth are full of his glory." For
in this communication stands that righteousness of God
by which we are justified: while we proclaim and honour
him in that which we ought, he on the other hand
honours us.

But, as I said, as it is easy to say and to understand
this communication of praise between God and us, so
it is difficult to come to the experience of it. For it is a
difficult matter to be stripped of all our own name both
in this world and in that which is to come, and to
become nothing both in our own eyes and before all
men : and yet if it be not so, the name of God cannot
be great unto us upon earth, nor his praise above the
heavens : for the name of the Lord must first of all be
magnified upon the earth before his praise can be lifted
up above the heavens. Hence the Blessed Virgin saith,
" My soul doth magnify the Lord," Luke i. 46 : and
then, being certain that she was magnified in heaven be-
cause of this her magnifying the Lord, she says, ''^And

397

my spirit hath rejoiced in God in my Saviour." For it
is impossible that he should not be blessed of God who
blesseth God. Nor is it possible that any one should
love, praise, and delight in God, without God's loving,
praising, and delighting in him in return.

But here perhaps the simple soul will raise a scruple,
who has so often heard, that our love to God does not
precede his love to us : as it is written, John iv. 10,
" Not that we loved God, but that he loved us." And
Rom. xi. 35, " Who hath first given to him and it
shall be recompensed unto him again ? " And again,
John XV. 16, *' Ye have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you." And also, John vi. 44, " No man can
come unto me except the Father which hath sent me
draw him." How then, it will be asked, can we first mag-
nify him that he may magnify us ? The answer will be —
The Holy Scripture describes both of these, both the
grace of God, and the fruits of that grace. Therefore, a
great deal of care must be taken that we do not under-
stand that of the tree itself which is said of the fruits : for
if this chaos be introduced, that error of the Pelagians
concerning free-will will follow; which ascribes unto
man the beginning of a good work. Whereas, God alone
makes the tree good before us, and without us, which
must of necessity precede the fruits : but it must equally
of necessity follow that the fruits must precede the
reward.

Wherefore, this part of the Psalm, and all other pas-
sages like it, do not refer to initial grace, but to the
final grace, that is, the reward itself, which is given to
the first grace and its fruits : and therefore, we are not
to understand by these passages any kind of exhortation
to a perseverence in good works from this promise of
the mutually rewarding goodness of God. Thus he, who,
being converted, praises God, that is, lives from received
grace, to the glory of God on earth, — such an one God
praises in return, at the same time, and for ever in
heaven : at the same time (I say) and for ever : that is,
at the present time and for ever. For he that glorifies
God in his life, cannot but feel a joyful and quiet trust

398

in the mercy of God, by which he knows that he in re-
turn pleases God and is praised in heaven. Therefore,
our praise of the name of the Lord in the earth is almost
heavenly, though before men we are continually vexed
with ignominy.

But according to their opinion who understand that
the latter part of this verse is, as it were, the cause of
the former (among whom is our translator also,) we must
say, that the praise of God above the heavens is prior to
the greatness of the name of the Lord upon earth ; and
that Christ effected the latter by his ascending above the
heavens, and by sending down the Holy Spirit to mag-
nify the name of the Lord upon the earth, as we have
said. Therefore, John vii. 39 saith, " Now the Spirit
was not yet given, because that Christ was not yet glo-
rified." And hence, by the ' praise' of God here, nothing
can be understood but the personal exaltation of Christ
into heaven.

It would not require much trouble to defend both
these acceptations of the passage, for they are not very
different from each other; because it is manifest, that it
is by the exaltation of Christ that it comes to pass,
that, having received the Holy Spirit, we believe in
God, and that we are well-pleasing and commended in
heaven ; and that it is by the same spirit that we are
emboldened to magnify the name of the Lord upon
the earth. By all which it is signified, that Christ's
being exalted would have been of no service to us,
unless he had been exalted for us: that is, unless, when
he ascended up on high, he had given gifts unto us men,
whereby we might magnify him upon earth. But all
these things I here leave to each one's own judgment.

Ver. 2. — Out of the mouth of bahes and sucklings
hast thou ordaijied praise, because of thine enemies, that
thou mightest still the enemy and avenger.

This verse appropriately follows that wherein we
said, that by the ' glory lifted up' we ought to, Under-,
stand the ascension of Christ : though it does not unap-

399

propriately agree with the other sense also : wherefore,
we will show that it harmonizes with both in this way. — •
Thy name, O Lord, is magnified, but in a far different
way from that in which it is magnified among men.
For the manner of men is (if it may be called a
manner,) not to be praised by the humble and the con-
temptible, but by the greatly wise. They, wish to please
the few (as they term it,) and to be looked upon by the
great, the wise, and the powerful. And again, those
praisers, as they are the vainest of men, never praise
any but with a view to their own profit, that they also
might be praised or might reap some advantage. Thus,
mules rub each other : and in the same manner neither
those who praise are sincere, nor are those upright who
are praised. This, I say, is the way with all those who
are influenced and led by the appearance of things
present.

But thou, O Son of God, (David would say,)
as all thy things are hidden and obscure, and only
to be understood by faith, thou dost not find any
among these great ones who will praise thee : nay ra-
ther, they are the very persons who will most pertina-
ciously resist thy praise and glory, from a maddened
love of their own glory. Wherefore, thou hast chosen
the despised and the humble to set forth thy praise, and
to magnify thy name, who hate their own name upon
the earth, being content that thou shouldst be their
praise in heaven. And that thou mightest manifest this,
after thou hadst assumed thy glory, thou didst send thy
Holy Spirit down from heaven, being thyself the Apostle
of all apostles, and didst instruct the ignorant and sim-
ple, and from their mouth didst perfect thy praise.

But the words of Christ have given rise to a great
question in this passage, who, Matt. xxi. 1^, adducing
this passage, applies it to the children that praised him
in the temple, saying unto the chief-priests and the
scribes, who wanted to hinder them, " Have ye never
read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast
perfected praise ? " Now if this Psalm be understood as
applying literally to these children, as some will have it.

400

then neither that which precedes nor that which follows
will harmonize with it : for he is speaking of the name of
the Lord magnified throughout the whole world which
tooii^ place after the passion. And again, if we stick so
close to the literal meaning, these children were not
" infants " nor " suckHngs," for they blessed and sung to
Christ in plainly articulated words, crying, " Hosanna in
the highest."

But again, we ought not in any way to dissent from
Christ who applied this verse to them : for this autho-
rity is to be preferred to the Psalm. It follows, therefore,
that the words of this Psalm are general and applicable
to all who are simple and upright in heart, who are not
wise above others, nor prudent in the things of the world,
that is, who are the children of light : the generation of
whom are not confined to any particular age, but are
found in every generation and in every age of man : and
the words are peculiarly applicable to children, not
only because they are thus simple and sincere, but also
because, by this simplicity and innocence, they figure
out to us corporally the simplicity of the faith of Christ :
according to that of 1 Pet. ii. " As new-born babes de-
sire the sincere milk of the Word." For children do not
affect delight and overcome us by their wisdom, power,
or greatness, but by their impotence, ignorance, and
littleness. So, the praisers of Christ conquered the
world, and magnified the name of the Lord in all the
earth, not by human strength, not by the words of
human wisdom, not by the magnitude of giants, but by
the foolishness of the Word, and by the offence of the
cross.

This verse, therefore, sings of the wonders of divine
power, which could magnify its name throughout the
world in so miraculous and unthought-of a manner.
And this was done, first, in the midst of those who most
madly magnified their own name, and moreover most
pertinaciously resisted the name of the Lord. It would
have been a great thing for God only to have de-
stroyed the name of all the kings, the wise ones, and the'
righteous ones upon earth, and to have reduced them

401

to nothing, and have erected his own name in their stead.
But, in the second place, he whose name was thus
magnified never appeared any where, but was made
known by the Word only. Whereas, the great ones of
the earth could be present themselves, and could openly
show their possessions and the things whereby they
raised to themselves a name. And in the third place,
which was perhaps the greatest of all, this invisible
Christ was magnified in the fall of all visible pomp ;
and that, not by giants, by men of fame, of learning, of
wealth, or of nobility, but by fishermen, by fools, infants,
and sucklings, and without any appearance of power or
wisdom : whereas, their adversaries were surrounded by
multitudes, and attended by the voices of the most wise,
most eloquent, and most powerful.

And hence it is said, " Out of the mouth of babes
and sucklings hast thou perfected strength," that the
expression may convey the greater wonder. But some
being offended at the word " strength," have rendered it
' praise, ' considering the former an absurdity, perhaps,
as not properly according with the words " Out of the
mouth," and therefore they used the word ' praise ' as
more agreeable to the general ideas and apprehensions
of readers. And although by " strength " here may
rightly be understood the strength preached, by a figure
of expression, and by a Hebrew idiom, yet, in my judg-
ment, we should rather understand that which is strong,
powerful, and mighty, and which all the adversaries are
not able to resist : as it is said also. Psalm cxli. 8,
" They shall hear my words, for they are able :" that is,
for they are made firm and mighty.

So that we are here to understand also, at the same
time, that Christ has wrought all things in the world by
the mouths alone of those who preach the Gospel, and
has by their weakness subverted all strength and power,
by their foolishness all wisdom, and by their offence all
religions. For the weakness of God is stronger than
men, and the foolishness of God is wiser than men. In
this manner also Luke frequently mentions, in the Acts
of the Aposdes, that die Word of God increased greatly

VOL. II. 2 D

402

and was mighty ; thereby proving and exempHfying the
substance of this verse.

And here also the rulers of the churches of Christ
are to be called together, that, being instructed by these
words, they might learn their duty. For the power and
strength of Christ and the church is not procured from
the world, the church does not call for the aid of the se-
cular arm, it does not threaten fire and sword, it does
not trust in the arms of kings and princes, but its strength
is perfected out of the mouth of babes and sucklings.
David therefore, without doubt, here teaches, that he
who studies to magnify the name of God otherwise
upon the earth than by the mouth of babes and suck-
lings, rather blasphemes, and is proved to magnify his
own name rather than the name of the Lord. And such
are all those who madly imagine that the Turks, infidels,
and heretics, at the present day, are to be attacked, not
by the Word of God, (of which they know nothing,) but
by war and worldly tumult, or by the clamours of abuse
and revilings : that is, they presume to conquer by those
very things which are themselves conquered by the
mouth of babes and sucklings : and thus they turn the
mild and gentle mouth of sucklings, into the bloody
mouths of giants : that is, they turn the sweet Word of
God into the tyrannies of their own traditions. If, there-
fore, any one sees this evil and is willing to leave it, let
him at length learn what he ought to do, and how to act,
that he may rule the people rightly.

First then " Out of the mouth," saith David. A
most important admonition, but a most faithful one unto
those who are employed in the ministry of the Word in
the church. For then is the Word rightly handled when
the mouth is distinguished from the Word : and when it
is known that the Word is not his who preaches ; nay,
that it is not he who preaches at all, but Christ who
speaks in him. Hence Paul, 2 Cor. xiii. 3, ' Do \'e seek
a proof of Christ speaking in me.' And he might have
here said. Babes have perfected praise ; but rash fable-
followerS are to be blamed, who, without paying any re-
gard to the Holy Spirit, pour out upon the people

403

whatever comes into their mind, or rather, into their
mouth. Nay farther, some search and strive that they
may not preach soHd things : that is, that Christ may
not preach his own Word, but that they may teach
theirs. Hence it follows, that they not only do not de-
stroy the enemy and avenger, but even strengthen his
hands, and make him a mocker. And of this same sort
are those also, who, being confident of the greatness and
importance of the doctrine that they have conceived in
their own brain, dream that their peril is great if they do
not teach it to others also : imagining to themselves,
that they have a talent committed to them, and that they
are burying it in the earth, and must therefore expect the
severe sentence of their Lord. — With such ridiculous
baubles does the devil laugh at their phantoms !

Such, therefore, being instructed by this verse, ought
to know, that it is not we who teach nor our word
which is taught : and that it is only our mouth that is
made to observe in his Word when he pleases to call us
to that office. '■'■Thou (says David) hast perfected praise,"
not theyy nor we. And so in the Gospel also, the certain
lord did indeed give talents, but it was those who were
" called." Do thou therefore wait also till thou art
called ; and in the mean time, neither teach after this of-
fice of teaching nor plunge thyself into it, for thy know-
ledge will not burst thee, though thou keep it in long.
SThey ran (saith the Lord by the prophet Jeremiah,
chap, xxiii. 21,) but I never sent them: I have not
spoken unto them, yet they prophesied.' This temptation
miserably vexes many, so that they are continually
weary of, and sorry for that which they have undertaken.
And the devil does these things that he may distress the
minds of those who have begun well, and at length
wears them out by making them weary of the work.
Therefore, let him who is called, oftbr his mouth unto
God, that he may receive the Word, and may be an
instrument only and not the author. And let him who is
not called, pray the Lord of the harvest that he would
send forth labourers, ^nd perfect his strength out of the
mouth of sucklings.

2 D 2

404

Next, we have the words "babes and sucklings,"
Here the minister of the Word is taught, that he should
be a babe among babes, and, according to that of Paul,
1 Cor. ix. 22, should become all things to all men that
he might gain all ; and above all things take care that
he never despise nor disdain any one. In the same
manner as infants, from their simplicity, are utterly un-
acquainted with any distinction or respect of persons,
but are equal and the same to all. For what is more
dangerous in a minister of the Word of God, than to be
one thing to the great and the rich, and another to the
weak and the poor ? Whereas they are sent to this mi-
nistry to serve all men, to flatter none, and to hate none.
You will scarcely find in the holy scriptures any one
thing against which the Spirit so much contends, as
against an unjust respect of persons ; for it is difficult to
despise the external persons and appearances of men, and
yet to love and seek the good of the men themselves as
they are in the sight of the invisible God.

And they are moreover taught this. — That they
should be gentle and not railers, nor (as it is written,
Titus i. 7,) self-willed, nor soon angry, nor strikers : for
such are not babes and sucklings.

And moreover in this scripture is condemned all the
proud ostentation of those who deal in v great and won-
derful things which are above them, teaching lofty and
difficult things which do not at all tend to the main
object, which the people do not at all understand, and
from which, if they did understand them, they could
reap no solid advantage. And, in a word, the passage
condemns all doctrine conceived and delivered by men,
with whatever adultery of human and carnal knowledge
they may be infected, while it is contrary to the doctrine
that is divinely inspired.

In the next place we have, '• thou hast perfected.'*
For it is not enough to teach the Word of God, if it be
not rightly taught. Thus Paul instructed Timothy that
he should handle the Word " lawfully." For there are
many wrongly-anxious and vain preachers, Avho rage
and make a great to do, not knowing all the while that

405

it is one thing to plant and another to give the increase :
and these want ajl things to be done as soon as they
have spoken the words : not so much desiring to be
heard, because they speak forth the Word of God, as
because they are the. teachers of the Word ; thus striving
that the instrument should be commended rather than
the Word sounded forth. And this is the case with those
who promise to themselves that they shall touch, work
upon, and immediately convert, now these persons and
now those, by words that they have previously conceived
and meditated. Whereas, by the wonderful management
of God, it comes to pass, that they are the farthest pos-
sible from accomplishing that which they have framed
out in their thoughts. For the soul naturally feels that
all such are the words of the man himself, composed by
himself, and covered with human dung, (as Ezekiel
saith, chap. iv. : ) that is, polluted with human af-
fections : and therefore, the soul nauseates such a word,
and is rather stirred up to wrath against it than con-
verted by it. The soul is then rather moved when it
hears nothing of the attem pt of the speaker but the free
Word of God only. For the Word being free and pure
will have itself spoken forth in pubHc, and will touch
those of whom the preacher himself knows nothing. Of
this we have many examples upon record.

Therefore, let it be ours only to offer up our mouth
unto the Word, and let it be God's to accomplish the
work and to give the increase. Hence Christ, Matt. xxi.
told his disciples, when he sent them, that they should
find an ass and a foal ; which they saw not, and of
which they knew nothing ; and yet, they went and
fetched the ass and the foal, though they were in this ig-
norance about them. Wherefore, laying aside this fool-
ish confidence, as if we could do any thing towards
co-operating with the Word in the hearer, let us rather
give ourselves to continual prayer, that God would him-
self, without us, accomplish in the hearer what he speaks
by the preacher ; for it is he that speaks and he that
hears and works all in all : we are only his instruments,
and neither able to give nor to receive any thing, unless

406

he himself give and receive. Hence Psalm Ixviii. 18,
with a word watchful over the honour of God, saith,
" Thou hast ascended up on high, thou hast received
gifts for men." But the Apostle, Ephes. iv. 8, saith,
*' Gave gifts unto men."

Now, if the ministers of the Word were such as these,
it would without doubt be effectual and powerful and
would not be spoken forth in vain : as it is said, Isa. Iv,
11,' The word that goeth forth out of my mouth shall
not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that
which I please.' Observe the words — * That which
I please,' not that which the minister pleases. And,
* it shall prosper in the thing whereunto 1 send it,'
not in them to whom the minister in his rash fancies
shall send it. Hence there is a most perilous thing both
ways,— ^-either to teach the word of man under the name
of the Word of God, or to hurl the pure Word of God,
just according to our own whims and feelings : each of
which monstrous perversions has held the church at this
day under the most oppressive tyranny.

For this reason, therefore, let every one that is set
over the people of Christ in the ministry of the Word,
be humble and fear, and let him study, by purity of
prayer, more than by industrious strength, to deliver the
Word free, pure, and simply as it is, committing unto
God both his own tongue and the souls of the hearers.
For it is a decreed truth, that there is no master in the
church of God but he who says, Matt, xxiii. 10, " One
is your master, even Christ." And Psalm Ix. 6, " God
hath spoken in his holiness," or saint, (that is, in his
sanctuary, which is the church.) But where men or
Satan speak, there, without doubt, is a brothel and sy-
nagogue of Satan : for such as the Word is, such are
the people, such is their God, such their worship, such
their faith, such their conscience, such their works, and
such all that belongs to them. And therefore, all things
are wrought in men by the Word only.

Hence I fear that all that infinite number of books,
both of rites and of theology, which prevail at this day
in the church over and above the Gospel, are those

407

phials of the wrath of God mentioned Rev. xvi. which,
being poured upon the earth, the sea, the rivers, the sun,
the air, &c. are described as bringing many dreadful
plagues on men. For what vv !..th or what plague from
God can be more dreadful, than that Christ should not
be taught among Christians, nor his faith known, but
that the souls of men should be employed in and
oppressed with Decrees, Decretals, Sextaries, Clemen-
tines, Extravagaries, Morals, Summaries, and the like.

And now, as we have said that no one ought to
teach in the church but he who is called of God, lest
any one should be at a loss to know what this call of
God is, let him observe this, — whether or not the
person be called to the ministry of the Word by the
authority of his elders, either ecclesiastical or secular,
without, nay contrary to, his own will and inclination.
For there is no power but what is ordained of God,
Rom. X. Therefore whatever both powers command, is
without doubt the command of God. And moreover we
do not read in the Old Testament of any undertaking
that prospered, unless God were first consulted, and an
answer obtained either by means of some angel or
some man. For how unsuccessfully did the children of
Israel fight when they fought without the command of
God ! as we read in Numbers xiv. ; and we see the
same in the Maccabees. — -If God want thee, he will
undoubtedly seek thee out, and will rather send an angel
down from heaven to fetch thee to him.

This I believe is the reason why the Popes, Priests,
and rehcfious ones do not teach the Word of God
in the church : — because there is no longer any one of
them who waits for the call of God, but they all seek
after dignities, prebendaries, and the ease and gratifi-
cation of their bellies. So that despair and a certain
slothfulness of spirit do not now make men Monks
only, but the same things move our popes and priests
also to their offices.

Thou wilt not better understand this call of God,
therefore, than by observing the scripture histories and
the histories of all the saints of the church. For all those

408

who were called of God always wrought some great
works"; as Augustine and Ambrose; and, before them,
Paul the apostle, &c. And (that I may not raise any
scruple or doubt in any one's mind) I am speaking of
those who have come and still come forward to teach
the Word of God. It behoves these, I say, to take the
greatest heed that they come forth by the mission of
God: as Paul saith Rom. x. 15, " How shall they
preach except they be sent ? " as it is written, How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel
of peace." And again, Malachi ii. 7, " For the priests'
lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the
law at his mouth : for he is the messcn2;er of the Lord
of hosts." — But as to all the rest who come to episco-
pal sees, to canonries, and all such priestly offices, in
which there is not the ministry of the Word, I do not
see that they have need of any calling at all. For in all
these offices, there is nothing more sought at this day
than a private serving of God : in which, as Paul saith,
1 Cor. vii. " Every man hath his proper gift of God,
one after this manner and another after that."

And yet, those are not to be rejected and cast out,
who, moved by godly desire, and despising riches,
fame, and their own life, have a desire tp teach the
Word (though their cases are very rare,) nay, they arc
rather to be commended : as the Apostle saith, 1 Tim.
iii. 1, " For this is a true saying, that if a man desire the
office of a bishop he desireth a good work." But why
the Apostle says it is a "true saying," and why he calls
it "a good work," is shoun in what immediately follows:
" For, (says he) a bishop must be blameless, the husband
of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to
hospitality, apt to teach," &c. As therefore, (the apostle
would say,) these are the works of a bishop, he that de-
sireth the office of a bishop, desireth a good work.
For that office requires one that is a despiser of glory, of
fame, of his own life, and of all things, because it is a
ministry of truth. And these things Christ foretold
where he said, Matt. x. 22, "And ye shall be hated of all
men for my name sake." And as those can scarcely en-

/ 409

dure this who were drawn to the work against their will
by the power of God, that man must in vain hope to
endure it who has soudit after the office of his own ac-

O

cord, or Avho has not been moved to it by some singular
impulse of grace within.

It now follows in the verse, " because of thine ene-
mies : " that is, thine adversaries, or, (as we have
already often translated that noun,) thine oppressors. As
this, therefore, may be rightly said of the incarnate God,
(for God himself cannot be oppressed nor suffer from
adversaries,) that we may go on with the same accep-
tation of the Psalm as that with which we began, let us
understand all these things as spoken of the Son, as
those of the verse preceding were of the Father. — We /
are comforted by this Word ; because we hear the Holy
Ghost declare, that these adversaries are not ours but
the adversaries of God, for they are the adversaries of
him whose Word and work they persecute. And as it is
not we that speak and work, but God in us ; so, it is
not we that suffer and are despised, but God in us.
Thus the Aposde dares to say, Ephes. iv. 30, " And
grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed
unto the day of redemption." And Zech. ii. 8, " For he
that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye : "
though our ecclesiastical ones have twisted this round
as applying to priests only, as if the laity were not par-
takers of the Holy Spirit also. And so again, 1 Sam. ii.
30, "And they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."
Why then 'are we hlled with fear and disquieted if un-
godly men fight against our word or work ? Let us leave
them to rage on : or rather, let us pray for them that
their eyes may be opened, and that they might see that
it is not against us they run but against God himself.

What is it then ' for strength to be perfected out of
the mouth of babes and sucklings, because of the ene-
mies?' Why, David here still goes on to comfort us un-
der all our weakness, and so hold forth to our view the
wonderful power of God. As if he had said. There shall
rise up against these helpless infants, a powerful Pha-
raoh, and the sons of men shall open their mouths

410

against them ; magicians shall not be wanting, nor a
Jannes and a Jambres who shall do signs and wonders ;
and, in a word, their adversaries shall be most powerful
both in might and craft, and shall resist the Word of
truth. Because of these, I say, (saith David,) that they
might not prevail, but, as Paul saith, 2 Tim. iii. 9, that
their folly might be made manifest to all men, he shall
give them a mouth and wisdom which all their adversa-
ries shall not be able to resist or gainsay. For (as the
Hebrew terms them) there are always " giants " and
" murderers " upon the earth and " men of renown,"
who, trusting to their strength and violence, rush upon
and oppress the weak and simple infants who are
preachers of the Word of truth. But all this is per-
mitted, that the power of the Word which proceeds
from their mouth might be made manifest and perfected,
while God confounds the mighty by the weak and the
wise by the foolish, and brings to nought things that are
by the things that are not. — Hence it now follows,

" That thou mightest still the enemy and avenger."
Hieronymus translates it thus, — ' that the enemy and
avenger might rest : ' that is, that he might cease, desist,
and rest from his evil works. The Hebrew is thus, —
that a sabbath, that is, that rest, might come : that it
might show, that the enemies and avengers must either
cease, or be destroyed : according to that of Ps. civ. 35,
" But let sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let
the wicked be no more." Or else it shows, that they are
to be changed into friends, and those that shall suffer
also : according to that of the prophet Isaiah, chap. ii. 4.
"And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks : " which is an alle-
gorical figure to signify the changing of evil and de-
structive into wholesome tongues.

And the w^ords "enemy and avenger," signify figura-
tively, all enemies and avengers. And all those are
enemies who think and act contrary to us. They are
moreover called " avengers," because they madly con-
tend against the babes and sucklings of God in defence
of their own principles and pursuits, as they say,

411

Psalm ii. 3, " Let us break their bands asunder and cast
away their cords from us." But there follows, in the
same place, the manner in which such shall be de-
stroyed, ver. 5, "Then shall he speak unto them in his
wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure." Though,
as to myself, I believe that it is a saving destruction that
is signified in this Psalm, by which, as I said, the ungodly
mantis destroyed, in order to his becoming godly: for
this is the peculiar work of Christ in the church, and this
is the work of the Holy Spirit, and is wrought by the
peaceful Word of of the Gospel rather than by the im-
petuous violence of wrath and fury. And the proof of
this seems to be, David's saying, that all these are to
be wrought by no other means than out of the mouth
of babes and sucklings, and that it is out of their
mouth only that this strength is to be perfected.

And now, he goes on to show what are the disposi-
tion and manners of these adversaries of the Word. In
the first place, he shows that they are flesh and blood :
as he saith. Psalm cxvi. 11," All men are liars : " they
are above all things unable to endure that truth which
mortifies the flesh. For the wisdom and prudence of the
flesh, is " enmity against God, because it is not subject
to the law of God neither indeed can be," as Paul saith,
Rom. viii. 7. And moreover, when this truth is spoken
by babes, those wise ones of the world, considering that
understanding insulted in which they boast themselves
not onlv become enemies, but under a false external
pretext,"' and under the name of truth, arm themselves
with zeal to revenge the insult ofl*ered to their under-
standing's, and never rest until they have suppressed and
stain these apostles of the truth under pretence of de-
fendin<T the glory of God and the truth, or, (as- the
commmi term is now a-days) for the honour of the holy
church. So general, usual, nay necessary a consequent
is it, that he who is an enemy to the truth of God must
also' become an avenging defender of his own lies. And
though we find this evil to be general in all causes both
profane and saci'ed, yet, in the latter, where a holy pre-

412

tence can be more conveniently made, it triumphs with
ease and security.

Let every one, therefore, who is called or who at-
tempts to teach the Word, be instructed and assured,
that he will have adversaries who will not only not hear
what he has to say, but will, when he offends against
their opinions and pursuits, (which he must of necessity
do,) become his most bitter enemies and persecutors.
These words of the Spirit, however, which bring the
babes into a contention with enemies and avengers Avill
not lie : the contest may be fearful, but it is so managed
by divine power, and will end so well, that if the babe
does but believe that the matter is conducted by the
counsels of God and not by his own, and if he does but
concern himself about offering his mouth to him that
speaketh in him, and does but leave himself in his hands
as the mere instrument of the Word, that Word perfect-
ing will perfect strength, and destroying will destroy the
adversary.

Moreover, he that so teaches as not to find an enemy
to resist, and an avenger to persecute, because he
teaches out of the rule laid down in this verse, let him
not presume to himself that he is a perfect and pure
preacher of the Word. But if enemies and avengers rise
up and rush upon him, saying, " Let us break their
bands asunder and cast away their cords from us," or if
they shall taunt him as they did the prophets, saying,
" What is the burden of the Lord?", or shall serve them
as Zedekiah did Micaiah, 1 Kings xxii. 24, and say,
" Which way went the W^ord of the Lord from me to
speak unto thee r " Art thoii the only wise one in the
world ? Let such an one be of good hope, knowing ac-
cording to this verse, that he is a babe and a suckling,
but that his enemies are Nimrods and dants : for this is

o

what "we see came upon all the prophets, upon Christ
himself, upon the apostles, and upon all the ministers of
the Word. The example of whom, like a most thick
cloud, ought to animate us, for we see all such examples
to accord most exactly with this scripture.

413

From which it follows, that all those laws and rites^ ;
of men, and also all those dumb and sleepy systems of
theology drawn up by mere oppositionists, was never the
strength that was perfected out of the mouth of babes
and suckhngs, and that they have nothing whatever in
them that agrees with the description given in this verse,
because no one of all such compilers was ever known to
suffer any evil or persecution on account of their profes-
sion or writings : unless perhaps it be a little abuse in a
bickering or quarrelling, like that of women : for they are
never compelled by mere opinions, to suffer the peril of
fire and death, until they have been brought forth, and
instructed in the scriptures, and have begun to preach
the Word of God. Nay rather, such are adorned with
titles and honours, and high places and names ; they are
saluted in the market place, and are called Rabbi, as is
the case with all our great doctors and teachers.

Such a doctrine as this of human framing, therefore,
has no enemies and persecutors, excepting it be in the
same way as Pilate and Herod contended together, and
the Pharisees and Sadducees. For it would not take
much to stir up all the disciples of Thomas, of Scotus,
of Modernus, together with all the priests, bishops, and
religiosoes at this day, and to bring them all to stand to-
gether against Christ, though they are always in a con-
tinual state of contention among each other : thus the
prophet justly wonders. Psalm ii. that all the kings of
the earth, though the greatest enemies to each other, yet
stood up against him. And so, all the princes and elders
among priests, though completely divided among each
other in mutual factions, yet all assemble together against
the Lord and against his Christ.

These things I wished to say unto those who desire
to speak the Word of God and minister it purely, that
they may know that, according to this verse, they will
ever have the more and greater enemies and avengers,
the more corrupt these latter times are, and the more
specious outside show there is of titles, names, dignities,
offices, and rites, under the name of Christ. Let such,
therefore, bear in mind, that this truth is tixedly certain.

414 "

* Out of the mouths of both babes and sucklings (saith
God) I only perfect strength; which shall have enemies,
but which shall destroy the enemy and avenger.'

Ver. 3. — For I shall see thy heavens the work of thy
Jingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast made.

How anxious is the good Spirit of God to animate
us, to render us proud, courageous, and, (to allude to the
word spirit) spiritual ; that is, swollen, replete, and full,
against the enemies and avengers ; but, only in the fear
and confidence towards God ! He had said just before
that these ministers of the Word were " babes and suck-
lings," whose form is of the lowest and most impotent
kind, who have need in all things to be hoi pen, and who
are from their nature exposed to every kind of danger
and suffering. But novv, he calls these same ministers
the heavens of God, that is, of a form and nature the
most high and powerful of all things ; which, by their
light, their motion, their brightness, their thunders, and
their rains, and other operations, can do all things, and
accomplish all things, in all things beneath themselves. —
For it is not an acceptation that will be consistent here,
to understand, in this passage, the visible and material
heavens ! For what great thing would it be for the pro-
phet to boast of, that he should see the heavens, which
even the beasts of the field also, and the fowls of the air,
or, (which is the farthest from his meaning) even the
most wicked men can see ? And perhaps it was not with-
out a particular intent that he added the pronoun " thy
heavens ;" that he might show, that he did not speak of
any heavens, but of those which are not heavens to men,
but to God only, as being those in which he alone dwells,
which he alone knows, and which serve him only. For
these visible heavens are our heavens also, as being those
which serve us in corporal things, and are known to
us. — But if this exposition of the meaning, and these
arguments do not suffice, and have not sufficient weight
with the reader, let the words of Paul, Heb. ii. 5, settle
his mind, who, entering upon an explanation of the
meaning of this Psalm, saith, " For imto the angels hath

415

he not put in subjection the world to come whereof we
speak."

But if any one wishes to contend that this verse is to
be understood of the new heavens and the new earth
which shall be created in the last day, I will not stand
out against it. For thus Peter foretels, 2 Episi. ii. that
in the end of the world, the enemies and avengers shall
be destroyed, that the heavens and the earth shall pass
away, and that the face of all things shall be changed,
and that the elect shall see it and shall rejoice. As God
saith also by the prophet Isaiah, Ixv. 17, " For behold, I
create new heavens and a new earth : artd the former
shall not be remembered nor come into mind. But be
ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create."
And that this is the sense is apparent from the .verb
being in the future tense, " For I shall see." For why
should he say " I shall see," if he did not mean other
and future heavens ? But the Apostle also, Hebrews ii.,
where he' introduces the passage from Psalm cii., con-
cerning the change that shall be made in the heavens,
' that ^hey shall wax old as a garment,' seems to under-
stand this Psalm concerning the future heavens.

He that understands the verse in this sense, will say
that it describes the state of the whole church down to
the end of the world : which state is nothing but a per-
fecting of strength out of the mouth of babes and suck-
lings, and a destroying of the enemy and avenger, and
therefore it describes sin, which is death : as in 1 Cor. xv.
26. " The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death,"
that, when they are destroyed, the new heavens may ap-
pear and be seen.

Though this acceptation be beautiful and true, yet
we will not lose sight of the former, considering, that
there are here described the two principal yet contrary
things in the ministers of the word.

The one of these is that which appears unto men.
This is signified by the names " babes" and " suck-
lings," that is, the weakness, the foolishness, and the
vanity, which the Apostle more fully describes 1 Cor. iv.
9—13, saying, " For 1 think that God hath set forth us the

416

apostles last as it were appointed to death. For we are
made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to
men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in
Christ : vve are weak, but ye are strong ; ye are honour-
able, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour
we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buf-
feted, and have no certain dwelling-place ; and labour
working with our own hands ; being reviled, we bless ;
being persecuted, we suffer it ; being defamed, we entreat;
we are made as the filth of the earth, and are the off-
scouring of all things unto this day." Behold the weak
form of the apostles : for such is, or ought to be an apostle
in the eyes of men, and a successor of the apostles also.

But again, 2 Cor. xii. 12, we have the other form
or appearance of the Word of God in the ministers, as it
is in the sight of God. With what abundant expression
does the apostle there set it forth, saying, among other
things, " Though I am nothing ; yet truly the signs of
an apostle were wrought among you in signs and won
ders and mighty deeds." And again, 1 Cor. i. 23, '* But
we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling-
block, and to the Greeks foolishness ; but unto them
which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God and the wisdom of God." And again,
2 Cor. xiii. 3, " Since ye seek a proof of Christ speak-
ing in me, which to youward is not weak, but is mighty
in you." By all these things the apostle shows, how
great the appearance of the ministry of the word is in
the sight of God ; seeing that, like the heavens, it rains
down saving doctrine, thunders- with threats, is re-
splendent with signs and wonders, and illuminated with
promises.

The sense of this verse is, therefore, ' Out of the
mouth of babes and sucklings thou wilt perfect strength,
that thou mightest destroy the enemies and avengers :
M'hich shall be wonderful in the eyes of all men, that the
pride and power of the world should yield to such weak-
ness. And yet this shall come to pass, for we shall see
thy heavens : and those who preach in the infirmity of
the flesh, shall, in the strength and power of the Spirit,

pertorm wonders and shall prevail : and those who are
despised in the eyes of men, shall, in thy sight, and in
the sight of those who have thy eyes, be above all human
power and glory.

And now observe the order of the \\ hole. — The
former is the form and appearance of babes ; the latter,
of the heavens. Whereby it is shown, that an apostle, or
a minister of the Word, avails nothing by all his glorious
form, unless he has first been under the ignominious
form. And as, in the present day, men with all their
might and power detest the former form and appearance^
excelling; only in riches, luxury, pride, and pomp, what
wonder is it if they avail nothing in the latter form, are
powerful neither in Word nor in work ? Hence, that Em-
peror spoke rightly, who, when the Pope showed him
his treasures, and said, ' Can we, my good Emperor,
say, " Silver and gold have 1 none ? " ' most appro-
priately and shrevvdly answered, ' No I good father, neither
can you say that which follows, "Arise and walk." ' — For
as to the dispensing priesthoods only, and settling the
strifes and contentions of the world, which are at this
day the sum total of the apostolic duties, -what Turk or
Scythian could not perform such offices? Most unhappy,
indeed, were the coming of God in the flesh, if he came
only that he might give this power to Popes, which he
rejected and spurned away from himself with so much
constant concern. But however, let these things go
on, our times deserve to be thus administered and go-
verned.

But it may perhaps excite some thoughts in the
mind of the simple reader, that the prophet should say,
that he should see the heavens when he had not yet seen
the times of the New Testament. But David speaks in
the person of the people of God, who w-ere then de-
signed to see those heavens who afterwards did see
them, and who now do see them, and will see them unto
the end of the world. For he is not so anxious about
expressing how he should see them, as about the heavens
themselves being made manifest which he said he should
see. As if he had said, Thy heavens shall be revealed and

VOL. Ill, S E

shall be sent throughout all tlie world, and shall be ma-
nifest to the eyes of all ; and I shall see them if I live ;
I now hear of them and sing of them in faith only.

And in this same figurative way, and in the same
person, Jacob also speaks, Gen. xlix. 18, "I will wait
for thy salvation, O Lord," that is, I know that he will
surely come. And again. Psalm xcviii. 3, " All the ends
of the earth have seen the salvation of our God : "
which is the same as saying (as Isaiah speaks,) " The
glory of the Lord shall be revealed." And Simeon saith,
Luke ii. 32, " A light to lighten the Gentiles ; " that is,
that it might be revealed to the Gentiles. Wherefore, in
this verse "of his, David does nothing more than set
forth clearly to the eyes of all, the present and ma-
nifest knowledge of the Apostles and their successors.
And this is what the prophet exults in, — in setting
forth those sacred things of grace and of the "Word,
which were to be revealed by the Apostles and his suc-
cessors.

" The works of thy hands," saith David. — This is a
metaphor taken from artificers who execute works with
their hands, and especially the more exquisite and deli-
cate pieces of workmanship. For those things Avhich are
made with the hands and the feet are for the most part
coarse and common, and do not exhibit much of art,
and are more like the works of beasts. By these words,
therefore, it is taught, that the preachers of the New
Testament are much more pure and clear than the
preachers and priests, of the Old Testament, because
they clearly separate the Spirit from the letter, and de-
liver the Word most purely and tenderly ; which word
those under the law delivered in a more coarse way as
involved in the obscure shadows of the law. " For the
law made nothing perfect," as the apostle saith.

But it is sufficiently manifest from the Gospel, that
the Holy Spirit is called the finger of God ; and whether
it is the Spirit himself that is here called " fingers," on
account of his adversity of operations (of which Paul
speaks, 1 Cor. xii.) or whether it is the gifts themselves
that are so called, it matters not : for the heavens are

419

formed by the Holy Ghost, and are formed also by tho
gifts of the Holy Ghost.

And David here keeps to that which we said, Ps. i.
was signified by the word as a ; that is, an enduring
work, or workmanship, as a house or garment. Which
is here clearly understood to be the meaning, when
David calls the apostles and preachers of the Word who
are made by the fingers of God, his "works," which is
in the Hebrew m^ese. Wherein also we discover an-
other dignity of the apostolic calling: who, although
they are the off-scouring of all things before men, are yet
the most. beautiful, choice, excellent workmanship of
God. They are deformed by men, but they are formed
by God. To men they are su tiering creatures, yea, suf-
fering itself; but with God they are almighty work. In
which also there is afforded a most strong consolation
for the ministers of the Word, that they may be coura-
geous in mind, knowing that they are the work of the
fingers of God, exquisitely wrought to perform all his
pleasure. And those have need of strong consolation
who are sent against the whole world to fight against
them singly and alone. Hence Christ commanded his
apostles, Luke xxiv. 40, that they should remain in the
city until they were endued with power from on high,
and that they should there wait for the promise of the
Father. As if he had said. Ye shall not go forth until ye
shall be made the works of my hands.

And there is shown at the same time, in these /
words, the prosperity of the Word, if the ministers be
but the works of God's hands and fingers. Thus Exod.
viii. 19, the magicians failed in the third sign, and said,
"This is the finger of God." And so also Acts vi. 10,
*•' And they could not resist the wisdom and the spirit
with which he spake." Hence the devil, the world, and
the flesh, resist all others, but the finger of God, which
is spirit and power, no one can resist. The north wind
blmvs upon the garden of the spouse, and the spices
flow out, Song iv. 16. And again, Psalm cxlvii. 18,
" He causeth his wind to blow and the waters flow : "
that is, the people are converted and their hearts

2 e2

420

made soft. And all this is done by the finger of God,
for Christ does not otherwise cast out devils.

Wherefore, as the form of the apostleship is weak,
unattracting, and foolish, where it is set forth by in-
fants and sucklings ; so, it is powerful, glorious, and wise
where it is set forth by the heavens and the works of the
hands of God : in which state, it does things that are in-
credible. All these things of God therefore are wrought
under appearances which are contrary to the effects
produced. Thus Moses and Aaron, in the former two
descriptions, were accounted babes, and sucklings, and
impotent ; but, according to the latter description, they
prevailed as the heavens and the fingers of God.

We now have, "The moon and the stars which thou
hast founded." — A query has been made why there is
no mention made of the sun here, which is the glory of
the heavens ? Perhaps it is because the whole Psalm
sings of Christ himself, who is the sun of these heavens :
as in Psalm xix. 4, " In them hath he set a tabernacle
for the sun." Because the Psalmist had said before con-
cerning him, "Thy glory is lifted up above the heavens."
And by-and-by he will sing of the same Christ in his
own true praises : saying, " What is man that thou art
mindful of him," &c. For a more full and copious
encomium was due to him than to the moon and the
stars ; and therefore he was to be sung of separately.
Though Christ is here also set forth with sufficient
clearness, where the Psalmist speaks of the moon and
the stars as being " founded." For most certainly there
is none other foundation for the church and for the
righteous than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ,
the sun of righteousness : as Isaiah saith, chap, xxviii.
16, and which Peter adduces, 1 Epist. ii. 6, " Behold,
I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, elect, and pre-
cious : and he that believeth on him shall not be con-
founded."

He might have said, therefore, the moon and the
stars which thou hast illuminated, or which thou hast
made to shine by the sun : for they say that the moon
and the stars are illuminated by the sun, the fountain of

421

all li-ht. But he chose rather to say, *' vvhich thou hast
founded : " and he did not say so without cause : for he
would thereby show, that Christ is bota the sun ana tie
foundation of the heavens, and the rock upon which the
church is built and founded, which shall prevail against
the gates of hell. Matt, xviii. And it was more agreeable
to the whole scope of the Psalm, that he should speak
thus, than that he should speak of the illumination ot the
moon and stars. For Christ hghteneth every man that
cometh into the world, and the Gospel is preached to
every creature, even as the visible sun illuminates al
thines. But, as those who are blind see not the light
that lis^hteneth all things ; so neither do all men obey
the Gospel; for none obey it but those who are
founded by faith upon Christ, the illuminating sun.

And this again is said for our consolation and ex-
hortation For how much soever men may rage against
the church and the saints of Christ, they shall not pre-
vail • for Christ the foundation standeth sure, and the
church stands, for God hath founded it upon Christ,
and therefore it shall not be moved ; because, whosoever
believeth in him shall not be confounded. Since, there-
fore, David wished to speak of the faith of the church
and of the righteous, by which alone they are built upon
the foundation, the word "founded" prevented the pos-
sibility of his adding the ' sun,' because the sun is not
founded, but is itself the foundation.

And this query is of no moment at all.— Why Uid
he say qiicB fundasti, and not qiias fimdasti yjhen luna
and sidlcE are both of the feminine gender? (For the
Hebrew has no neuter gender at all.)— It is sufficient to
know that moon and stars here, by an allegorical signih-
cation, signify the church and the faithful m Christ
who are built by faith upon him, but are visible and
manifest to the whole world. Thus Daniel saith. ch. xii.
3, " And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness
of the firmament : and they that turn many to righteous-
ness as the stars for ever and ever." Daniel does not
here speak of the doctrine and righteousness ot men, ^as
this passage is most frequently and corruptediy inter-

4Q2

preted,) but of the doctrine and righteousness of men,
which is in spirit. And this is shown by the Avhole alle-
gory ; wherein David calls them the heavens, the moon,
and the stars ; whereas they appear to be any thing but
this in the sight of men : yet nevertheless, they are made
manifest to the world by signs and by wonders, but they
are not believed by all.

And now observe the order of the words — David
calls the heavens the works of the hands of God : and
says that the moon and the stars were founded by God.
But did he not found the heavens also ? And, are not
the moon and the stars the M'orks of his hands ? Why
then does he speak of them in this order? For God
alone certainly made both, and works both in both. His
fingers make botli the heavens and the moon and the
stars, and he founds the moon and the stars as well as
the heavens. But David used this order of these things
that no one, like the Corinthians, might say ' I am of
Paul, and I am of Cephas, and I am of Apollos.' For
the apostles did not found the church and believers, but
God who giveth the increase : but the apostles are the
" ministers (as the apostle saith) by whom ye believed.
And they did not found themselves as the hrst apostles
by any others, or by themselves, but were the first works
of the hands of God : according to that of Ps. xxxiii, 6,
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and
the host of them by the breath of his mouth."

In this matter, therefore, we need not again ad-
monish the great ones of the churches, that it is of little
service for them to talk about being founded upon
Christ with others, if they be not the works of the hands
of God, that is, called and made of God ? But now,
what are all such but the works of men's hands, the
images and idols of the Gentiles, wood and stone?
They have ears, but they hear not the Word of God ;
eyes have they, but they see not themselves ; they have
hands, but they touch nothing for the benefit of others ;
nor is there any voice in their throat, for they teach no-
thing. And therefore, this verse is fulfilled in their being
called, and rightly called, the creatures of men. For if

423

they were the works of the hands of God, they would
not be the creatures of men.

In a won], in the prefaces to their letters, these
characters do not separate the grace of God from the
grace of men : they say, ' The grace of God and of the
apostolic seat.' As if the grace of God were not enough :
or, as if it w-ere no profanity at all to class together in
their titles, the grace of God and the grace of man, as
being upon an equality with each other. — But this abo-
mination standing in the holy place pleases even those
who ought with all their powers to drive it from them.
But let this iniquity fill up its measure. There shall be
times given, answering to these manners : for ' the grace
of the apostolic seat,' and the indignation of the tribu-
nal of Christ shall reign together. Let therefore, the
apostolic seat consider it to be grace granted to it, wdien
it can find persons to support it and co-operate with it,
and when it can compel men into its service against
their will, thus imposing a burden upon them instead of
giving them grace.

Ver. 4. — What is man that thou art mindful of him?
or the son of man, seeing thou visitest hiiJi?

In the first place, as this passage has exercised the
judgments of various authors, it is right for us to know,
that in the Hebrew the conjunction in this passage is
not a conjunction disjunctive. In which litde particular,
though apparently trifling, Augustine, Cassiodorus, and
others, have placed all their understanding of the pas-
sage ; when they say, that " or the son of man " refers
to Christ, on account of the conjunction disjunctive ;
and that, " What is man," refers to all men. But the
Hebrew has it in a continued sense, ^' and the son of
man;" the words are uben adam : and this accepta-
tion of the passage I follow upon the authority of the
apostle, Heb. ii. 6, who understands both concerning
Christ, where he says, " But one in a certain place tes-
tified, saying. What is man that thou art mindful of
him ? Or the son of man that thou visitest him ? " — But
however, even if the conjunction disjunctive should be

424

preserved, it would not make it necessary that we should
understand " man " and " the son of man " as two dif-
ferent persons : for such a mode of expression is
allowable in those who use an interrogation under such
a powerful feeling of wonder and admiration, as is
expressed in this passage. In such a case the author
may use, by v/ay of repetition, either a conjunction co-
pulative or disjunctive, accordingly as it best suits his
powerful feelings. Hence we have it said, Micah vi. 3,
" O my people, what have I done unto thee, or w herein
have 1 wearied thee ? " &c.

And then, we are farther to observe, that the
Hebrew language has two words which it uses to express
or call man, as far as the nature of man is concerned.
These words are a dam and enos. And there is a third,
I sen, which is often rendered man ; though, properly,
it should only be rendered man (viz.) in an official
sense : for the wife from that name is called ischa, or
woman : as if it were intended to express a man-like
woman (virago vel vi7Yicea,) because, as it is said,
Gen. ii. she was taken out of man, isch. Hence iscii,
in the scriptures, generally signifies a husband or magis-
trate : and man is always expressed by that \a ord
more with reference to his particular office, than to
his nature : of which we have said more, Psalm i.

And ENos and adam differ from each other in sig-
nification thus, according to Eusebius in his Evangelical
Preparations, 2. 4, and to Hieronymus in his Hebrew
Questions, 97, — enos, properly, signifies man with re-
spect to his soul, and ad aim, man, with respect to his
body. And this rightly so. F'or Adam in the Hebrew
signifies the earth, of which, with respect to his body,
man was formed. So that man is called Adam from his
origin, and from the word which expressed the material
from which he was made, which signifies earthly, or, of
the earth. And it is to this that the Apostle most plainly
refers, M'hen he says, 1 Cor. xv. 47, " The first man is
of the earth, earthy : the second man is the Lord from
heaven. As is the earthy such are they also that are
tarthy," 8ic. And the translator also of Psalm xlix.

4^5

anxiously endeavouring to preserve this distinction of
the Hebrew in another language, rendered the passage,
"Those Avho are born of the earth and the sons of men;*'
(where the original is both the sons of adam and the
sons of isciT,) calHng the sons of adam the sons of the
earth, or earth-born ; thus expressing himseh^ obscurely
for the sake of keeping, (though in an ill-timed way,)
close to the meaning of the original word : yet, he has
thereby plainly shown, that adam means earth, and
that when it siijnifies man it is the same as if one
should in Latin call man Immlgcna or hiimanus from
humus.

But ENOS, according to his etymology, upon the au-
thority of Eusebius, signifies ' forgetting ' or ' forgetful : '
and he thus distinjjuishes the different clauses of this
verse according to the Hebrew, " What is enos that
thou art mindful of him ? or the son of adam that thou
visitest him ? " John Reuchlin says, that xnos is a name
given to man from its signifying affliction, pain, and
sorrow : which agrees with that of Eusebius : and both
meanings may well be received, as signifying, that man,
according to his soul, is forgetful of, or has forgotten
God, through sin : yet, not with that forgetfulness
which is common. For what character is there so base
and impious who does not prate a great deal about God
and think a great deal about him ? Nay, none make a
more frequent mention of God, than the ungodly, the
cursing, the blaspheming, and the proud, (as Isaiah
saith,) who, nevertheless, never remember it in judgment
nor in truth : that is, they continually use the name of
the Lord, but in vain. It would be better for these if
they were to forget the name of God altogether: even
as it is good for him to refrain from touching holy things
who does not handle them purely.

But the name Enos signifies one who forgets both
God and himself in spirit and in reality : to whom God
is now no God at all, nor a Father, nor sweet, but a
judge and a terrible enemy : in which state Adam was
when he fled from the face of God in paradise. And.
was not he then mindful of God in an awful way? Yea,

426

he felt him present too keenly, and would tliat he were
absent ; which all the devils and the damned also wish,
who tremble before his face continually. — -Whoever,
therefore, is deserted of God, and has not been instruct-
ed in his mercy, he is an ends, a miserable, wretched,
trembling, and despairing creature, and wholly incon-
solable ; for who can comfort one whose conscience is a
continual tormentor to him ? And no conscience can be
happy and joyful but that which trusts in the all-sweet
mercy of God ; which, has boldness, with all con-
fidence, to call him Father; and which, from this con-
fidence, fears neither judgment, nor death, nor any evil
whatever. And so, on the other hand, no conscience is
distressed but that which is destitute of this confidence,
and which feels that of Deut. xxviii. 65 — 67, " But the
Lord shall give thee a trembling heart, and failing of
eyes, and sorrow of mind. In the morning thou shalt
say, Would God it were even ! And at even thou shalt
say. Would God it were morning !" — This forgetful ness,
therefore, it is that makes a man an ends : into which
state, above all things, traditions, and the counsels and
consolations of men thrust us : and it is faith alone
that sets us free and makes us again mindful of God,
setting before us and holding out to us, nothing but
mercy and love in Christ.

Behold, therefore, the powerful contrast there is
here set forth ! " What is enos that thou art mindful of
him ? " Here he beautifully sets against each other the
memory or mindfulness of God and our forgetfulness.
Though I know not whether the prophet really spoke of
God's being " mindful " so as to accord with the op-
posite name enos, and to show the meaning of it, nor
whether Eusebius drew his etymology of the name
Enos, as signifying forgetful, from the word " mindful."
For the expression, 'And the son of man that thou
visitest him,' is not intended to convey any antithesis or
contrariety, excepting it be in this, — that tlie God of
heaven, and a son of earth, are two such very contrary
things, that it is a most wonderful thing, that the . one
should be visited by the other : as we have it

427

Psalm cxiii. 56, " Who is like unto the Lord our God,
who dwelleth on high : who humbleth himself to be-
hold the things that are in the earth?" ^

It is a miracle of all miracles, therefore, that a man
who in his own views, and in the sight of all others, is
deserted, in despair, and forgetful of God, and who be-
lieves any thing rather than that God is mindful of him,
should be in the memory and kind remembrance of God.
Yst this the heart of man ought to receive and believe,
and can do it. He ought to, and can, apprehend and
believe, that God is kind, favourable, and sweet, whom
he feels to be none other than full of wradi, terrible, and
not to be endured. Who therefore will not wonder?
Who will not say, " What is man that thou art mindful
of him ?" These works of God, however, are incom-
prehensible, and not to be understood in any other way
than by faith and by following the footsteps marked in
Psalm Ixxvii. Who would ever believe that man should
be thus visited of God, when he is only despised by all,
and when nothing appears in him, excepting it being
born of a woman and being of the same substance with
other men ^ If he were the son of a king, indeed, of a
prince, of a priest, of a rich man, or of an honourable
man, it would be no wonder at all that he should be
visited of God. But now, nothing more vile can be said
of a man, than that he is ' the son of man,' (unless he will
deny his origin from man altogether,) for this ' son
of man," is a denomination commonly given to any
one, even the greatest fool and the most vile of all

men. • • ^u

And there is a great power of expression in these
words, " The son of man," as there was in the words ot
Pilate when he said of Christ, " Behold the man ! For
he wished to speak of him in the most degrading way,
for no one man has any great concern for another, and
yet, God cares for him so as to visit hmi, and to come
unto him, while all others utterly despise and disregard
him. And hence, the Lord, rebuking all those lolty eyes
of men which are occupied in the respect ot persons,
says by Isaiah Iviii. 8, "When thou seest the naked

428

that thou cover liim, and that thou hide not thyself from
thine own flesh." Behold, the Lord here calls the
naked, the hungry, the thirsty, and the needy, " thine
own flesh." Thus no one of us thoroughly considers
that form which is most common to all : and for this
fault, those wise ones are most deservedly left to dream
about the Universals of Porphyry and Aristotle, and to
seek after general and common natures wiih a most vain
study and pursuit, m hile they all the while neglect those
Universals of the Creator in themselves.

But observe further the emphasis contained in these
words. God not only knows enos, but is mindful of
him and never forgets him ; he always has thoughts of
good concerning him, and never leaves him. Hence Me
have an example of this described, Isaiah xlix. 14, lv5, 16,
" But Zion said. The Lord hath forgotten me, and my
Lord hath forsaken me. Can a woman forget her suck-
ing child that she should not have compassion on the
son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not
forget thee. Behold I have graven thee upon the palms
of my hands ; thy walls are continually before me."
Therefore the Lord not only sees " the son of man," or
sends unto him from afar, but is ever near him and visits
him, as a friend does his friend.

Who, I repeat, could believe these things ?' And yet,
if they be not believed, they do not come to pass ! w here-
fore, every mask and outside show should be cast ofl',
and nothing be left but " man" and the son of man, if
any one wishes to be an object of the visitation and
remembrance of God. For he knows high things afar
off" and will bring them down, but will have respect unto
the humble. Whereas, man will respect any thing but
man, and the son of man, though he is his neighbour
and his own flesh.

But now, how will these things agree with Christ,
concerning whom, as we have said, the prophet more
particularly speaks, according to the testimony of the
apostle to the Hebrews. And the same apostle com-
prehensively shows the same, Philip, ii. 6, 7, " Who
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to b«

429

equal with God : But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made
man in the likeness of men." For he was not found as
a king, or a prince, or any personage of that kind, but
as " the son of man," and like unto the most common
among men. And moreover, being made most like unto
sinners, he became an enos, a man of sorrow and afflic-
tion, and, in a word, -like the most common among us,
bearing in himself the wrath of God the Father for us,
being made as the most mean son of earth in the eyes of
men. So that it did not seem to himself only, but also
to every one of mortals, that God was neither mindful
of him, nor visited him. Nay he himself said of him-
self, Psalm cxhi. 4, " Refuge failed me, and no man
cared for my soul." And again. Psalm xxxi. 12, "I
am forgotten : 1 am like a broken vessel."

But David has respect principally unto the time of
the passion when he began to be weary and to be in
dread in the garden : for then it was that he was made
" no man," and was made an ends both in the sight ot
God and in his own sight; and was made a son of
Adam before men, and nothing was left him but his
nature and the names of that nature. For, as I said,
ENDS refers to the soul, and adam to the body. And
hence it plainly follows, that enos represents man as he
is before God, miserable and afflicted; and adam man
as he is before men, vile and despised.

Behold, therefore, this is the sun of righteousness,
our King, over whom the prophet wonders, and is lost
in astonishment. What ! shall this Man illuminate the
moon and the stars, and create the heavens, yea, found
them ? Yea, it is to be thus ! even thus ! It is thus that
he illuminates them, it is thus with these rays that he
gives light to the world which receives him. — Hence it
is necessary that the moon and the stars should be
" founded," lest, being offended at this hght of their sun,
they should turn away and fall from him. And this is
the reason, why, when he had in so powerful an allegory
spoken of the moon and the stars, and was expected to

430

speak of the sun also, he seems to turn suddenly away
and speak of something else ; being carried away with
rapture into the admiration of the ineffable glory of this
sun ; showing it forth, and expressing it more by his
silence than by any power of words. As if he had said.
Ye have heard of the moon and the stars. But now,
what shall I say of the sun ? I am overcome with amaze-
ment. There is a sun : but, (who would believe it !) he
is an ENOS, and a son of adam ! Truly God is mar-
vellous and wonderful in the sight of those who see him
mindful of this son of man and visiting him. But how
much more wonderful will he appear to them when they
know that he has made the same son of man the sun
which shall illumine all. The former is wonderful, but
the latter is more than wonderful and altogether incre-
dible unto men.

And here, let every one look well to himself. — First
of all, how much he has passively received, or how full
he is of, the rays of this sun of righteousness. For, since
sin is to be destroyed, (which cannot be done without
pain and shame,) every one must of necessity become an
Enos and the son of man : he must be in pain within
and confused without : and thus he must fully answer
to each name and nature enos and adam, and must
l;e made like unto Christ, who before was made like unto
him. For there is nothing that we flee from more than
the being enos and adam, being always delighted to
be set off with borrowed feathers and outside appear-
ances, and to arrogate to ourselves those things which
belong to the righteous and saints ; that is glorying and
rejoicing. But the Sun of Righteousness does not so
shine : he will not illuminate such, lest they should turn
against him. But when the man shall have felt himself
this ENOS and this adam, let him trust confidently and
rejoice in the consolation vvhich this verse contains, sing-
ing and knowing, that the Lord is mindful of an enos,
and visits a son of adam, as he has shown in Christ
his sun.

431

Ver. 5. — Thou hast made him a little lower hy the
angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Our translators add to this verse, * Thou madest
him to have dominion over the works of thy hands : '
which in the Hebrew, is the first part of the following
verse.

The Hebrew in this passage is, ' Thou hast made
him a little lower by eloim,' which Hieronymus trans-
lates, ' by God.' Though it is well known, that the
word ELOiM is applied not only to God, but sometimes
to princes and judges, who represent God on earth and
are his vicegerents : as we have it, Exod. xxi. 6, " Then
his master shall bring him unto the gods (or judges,)
and he shall be brought unto the door-post." And
again, Gen. vi. 2, " The sons of God saw the daughters
of men that they were fair : " which sons we must most
certainly understand to be the sons of the patriarchs ;
and that these same sons were the giants also. But if
any one still pertinaciously deny that eloim is any
where applied to men, I know not how to convince him,
for in these two places, and in others, God may also
be understood. — But let us rather follow the authority
of others who have been received, than contradict.

Our translator seems rather to understand " by an-
gels," than " by God." Because perhaps it seems
absurd to say to God, ' Thou hast made him a little
lower by God : ' for the person who has made him
lower must be a person distinct from him who made
him lower. But all this offence and difficulty are easily
done away with by adducing that most common figure
of expression in the scriptures, which frequently ad-
dresses the second person in the third person : as in
2 Sam. xiv. 11, where it is said, "Let the king re-
member the Lord is God." So here, we may under-
stand David to have said, " Thou hast made him a
little lower by God:" that is, 'by thyself:' because,
there is more reverence expressed by the third person
than by the second, when we are addressing our su-
periors.

432

Every single word however of the middle of this
verse has been discussed by many authors : the word
" angels," the words *' a little lower," the verb " thou
hast made him," and the pronoun " him," have all and
each presented difficulties. Nor have there been wanting
some who have understood it of the human nature of
Christ as compared to angels. I, however, join the
whole as a consequence to the words that have pre-
ceded, and that in an uniform and simple sense. And
therefore, we will take all from all that is consistent
with such an acceptation, and agreeable to our ideas of
the passage, and leave all the rest in the books of the
respective authors.

This verse undoubtedly explains the preceding : in
which it is said, that Christ was an Enos in the remem-
brance of the Lord, and despised of men, but visited of
God. The meaning of the whole passage is, therefore,
" Thou didst leave him for a little time, but m ith great
glory didst thou gather him : whereby thou didst show,
how far thou wast from forgetting him, and that thou
didst not despise him : as in Psalm xxii. 24, ' For lie
hath not despised tlie poor nor disregarded his prayer.'
And hence the pronoun " him " ought to be referred,
not to the Son of God, as concerning his divinity,
(which reference they make who here understand, that
by his incarnation he was made a little lower than the
angels,) but as concerning his humanity, in which he
was made an Enos, a man of sorrow and grief, while
he was bearing our sorrows ; for he then seemed to be
forgotten before God and left of him ; as indeed he was
with respect to his own sensations and the apprehen-
sions of men. For this Psalm speaks altogether of the
passion of Christ and of the glory obtained by the
passion. So that the Apostle clearly sets this forth,
Hebrews ii. 9, where he saith, " But we see Jesus, who
was made a little lower by the angels for the suffering of
death, crowned with glory and honour." And this " a
little lower," (Paulomijius) has not respect to the dig-
7iity, but to the time. For we have the same adverb.
Psalm ii. 12, " When his wrath is kindled but a little : "

4^3

lliat is, his anger ceases quickly and after a short time.
And finally, there is nothing intended here to have refe-
rence to substance, or to the difference, or to the dignity
of the natures ; it refers only to the duration of the suf-
ferings of Christ.

And now, with respect to the words " thou hast
made him lower," as they do not render the Hebrew
expression, they seem to give us an idea, that he who
was great was made lower; in the same way as the
power, or dignity, or opulence, of any one is diminished
and brought low. But John Reuchlin interprets the
Hebrew expression, " failed," ' forsook,' * was brought
low : ' as we have it, 1 Kings xvii. -* Neither shall the
cruise of oil fail." And so again afterwards, ver. 16,
" Neither did the cruise of oil fail." For which it is ma-
nifest, that it is signified in this passage, that Christ was
left of God, who ceased to defend him and forsook him;
according to his own cry upon the cross in these words,
ELI ELI LAMA ZABATANi ! For this " little " is to be
understood as signifying that hour concerning which he
said, Luke xxii. 53, " But this is your hour and the
power of darkness." Therefore, though he had been,
unto this hour, mighty in word and in deed ; yet, for
this sudden and little moment, namely, for three days,
he was made low and forsaken of God as to his power,
and was made subject to weakness, to death, and
€ven to hell. For what it is to be forsaken and left
of God, we shall show hereafter in its proper place.

Wherefore David says the same things of Christ m
this verse as Isaiah does, ch. liv. 7, 8, of the whole people of
God, • ' For a small moment have I forsaken thee ; but-with |
great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid
my face from thee for a moment ; but with everlasting >
kindness will I have mercy upon thee, saith the Lord
thy Redeemer," And all these things are for our most
strong consolation : that we may learn under any tribu-
lation that is rather severe to construe it unto our
eternal salvation, and not be distressed and, think that
we are left of God for ever; for we hear, that he is
mindful of an enos and visits the son of a dam, and

VOL. Ill, 2 F

434

that however he may bring them low for a time, he will
come again and visit them, and will crown those who
have thus suffered a little with glory and honour : as we
have it, 1 Pet. i. 6, " Though now if need be ye are in
heaviness through manifold temptations." And the
same apostle saith also again, 1 Pet. v. 10, " But the
God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal
glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile,
make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, and settle you."
And Paul, SCor.iv. 16, 17, " For our light affliction which
is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceed-
ing and eternal weight of glory : while we look, not at
the things that are seen, but at the things which are not
seen."

But here we must have faith ; for all this is won-
derful in our eyes while it is being wrought: as the
prophet also himself here w^onders, saying, " What is
man?" And this expression, "what is man," may be
rendered, ' what a man! that thou shouldst be mindful
of him.' For the Hebrew word ma sometimes asks a
question, and sometimes is an expression of wonder : as
we have it Psalm cxix. 97, "O how I love thy law !"
And again afterwards, verse 103, "How sweet are thy
words unto my taste!" And again. Psalm Ixxxiv. 1,
" How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts ! "
Nay, in this Psalm also we have, " How excellent is thy
name in all the earth ! " And it was not understanding
this that misled the translator of 2 Kings xx. 8, and
prevented him from clearly understanding and rendering
the Hebrew of that passage, 'And Hezekiah said. What
shall be the sign, that I shall go up into the house of
the Lord ? ' for he does not there ask for a sign, but
wonders at the sign which had been given him, saying,
* What a sign that I shall go up ! ' As if he had said, ' Is
not this a great and wonderful sign?' And so also it
may not here be improperly rendered, ''What a man
that thou shouldst be mindful of him ! ' which may be
explained thus, Is not this man wonderful? Is not this
son of man wonderful? Thou art mindful of him while
thou forgettest him, thou visitest him while thou for-

435

sakest him! But thou doest this, that, having for-
saken him for a httle moment, thou mightest exalt him
for ever.

This meaning of the passage being received, there-
fore, it will be manifest^ that the Hebrew me eloim,
will be more appropriately rendered * of or by God,'
than ' by the angels : ' because the Psalmist is saying,
that Christ was made low and deserted, visited and
forsaken, brought down and exalted by God. — And yet,
we are not the more on this account to reject the gene-
rally received translation. And whether the apostle,
(or whoever else it was that wrote the Epistle to the
Hebrews,) wrote it in Hebrew or in Greek (for it is
manifest that the apostle himself rarely cited the Old
Testament according to the Hebrew propriety, but most
frequently according to the translation of the LXX,
as we find Rom. iii., which is cited from Psalm xiii. and
Rom. V.) — However this may be, I say, it is manifest
that the author of that Epistle both understood and
wrote " by angels," and not " by God : " because, citing
the testimony of this Psalm, he saith, " For unto the
angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come,
whereof we speak." And then he afterwards cites this
same Psalm, to prove that it is put in subjection unto
Christ: for we are not to imagine that the apostle wished
to say, ' For unto God hath he not put in subjection
the world to come.' Following, therefore, the sense and
meaning of the Hebrew, we cannot understand here the
humiliation of Christ by a comparison with angels; for
(as Erasmus justly infers) he was not only made lower
than the angels, but was made like the most common
among men, as I said, having nothing but the enos and
the son of man.

Wherefore, as Christ was made low by God, and was
no longer with him under the shadow of his power, for
the three days of his passion; what wonder is it, if,
according to the will of God, he was left by angels also?
Thus he himself saith. Matt. xxvi. 53, " Thinkest thou
that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall
presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" —

436

And that thou mayest noi think it a light matter for us
to be made low or forsaken by angels : thou art to con-
sider, that God has committed the care of our whole
salvation to the ministry of angels : as it is written,
Psaim xci. 11, ''For he shall give his angels charge
over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall
bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot
against a stone." And again. Psalm xxxiv. 7, " The
angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear
him, and delivereth them." And thus also, an angel of
the Lord led the children of Israel out of Egypt, and
placed himself between their camp and that of the
Egyptians. "And my angel (saith the Lord) shall go be-
fore you." And so also angels took Lot out of Sodom.
And an angel preserved the three youths in the fiery
furnace. And how often in the book of Judges do we
read of the ministry of angels. And we also read of them
in the books of Zechariah and Daniel. And hence
Paul has rightly said, Heb. i. 14, * That the angels are
all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister unto them
who shall be hears of salvation.' It is not a matter of
wonder, therefore, that the prophet speaks of it as a
singular matter of astonishment and amazement, that, as
all the fathers of old time were assisted and preserved
by angels, these angels should forsake this one Christ
only, and that he should be left destititute of their
ministry and consolation.

It is with the same feelings also, that Psalm xxii. 4,
saith, " Our fathers trusted in thee : they trusted and
thou didst deliver them. But I am a worm and no man :
a reproach of men, and despised of the people." As if
he had said, They by their faith obtained deliverance in
their adversities, and were never left of thee unto death ;
but I am forsaken even unto death, and my hope will
come after death, and only then. And such a suffering
as this does the New Testament require. And there-
fore, Christ as our head has gone before us : he was left
and forsaken of God and angels first : and all those who
follow him, believe in him, and call upon his name, shall
be forsaken in like manner. Wherefore, as Augustine

437

in his letter to Honoratus rightly teaches, touching upon
Psjilm X., the difterence between the Old and New Tes-
tament lies in this, — that in the former, the ancient fa-
thers were left of God unto the great peril of their lives,
but never unto death ; but tiiat, in the latter, we are all
accounted as sheep for the slaughter, and are forsaken
even unto a most ignominious death. And also, in this
Psalm, the prophet is speaking of this new and strange
kind of suffering, and wonders at it in comparison with
the sufferings of the saints of old. Nay, not only the
angels do not stand by the New Testament sufferer, nor
minister unto him, as their office is ; but every thing that
comes under the name and signification of eloim for-
sakes him, such as, rulers, kings, priests, and electors,
who clave to him before.

Thou hast crowned him with glory and honour.

The prophet beautifully renders contrary for con-
trary, glory for enos, honour for ad am, and a crown
for him that was deserted of angels. And, that we mav
clearly understand these things and terms, let us first
show and prove them.

" Glory" in this place is properly expressed in the
Hebrew by gabod, which the Greeks express by ^o^a.
Concerning which, Psalm iii. 3, saith, " Thou art my
glory." And Psalm vii. 5, " Let him lay my glory in
the dust." This glory is not only the pomp of name,
(or as they term it, fame exalted by praise, thereby wish-
ing to distinguish glory from praise and the celebration
of it, as if fame were so called from a man's being ren-
dered famous) but, glory is the august majesty itself of
the great and splendid things which we possess, and on
account of which we arc thus celebrated by fame, and
are proud of ourselves and lifted up. Plence, the Lord
saith, Matth. vi. 29, " And yet I say unto you, that
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one
of these." And what does he here call glory but that
pomp, majesty, and abundance of all things, for which
Solomon was celebrated among ail nations ? And hence,
the Hebrew Mord glory is formed from a verb which

438

signifies to load or weigh down, as we have seen.
Psalm iv.

But honour, which is expressed in the Hebrew by
HADAR, is rendered in a wonderfully various way every
where. Sometimes it signifies honour, sometimes orna-
ment, sometimes beauty, sometimes magnificence, some-
times splendour, and sometimes dignity. Psalm civ. 1,
it is said, " Thou art clothed with praise and ornament."
Psalm xcvi. it is said, " Praise and beauty :" which two
nouns are rendered. Psalm xlv. 3, thus, " With thy
comeliness and thy beauty." Psalm cxlv. 5, it is " The
glorious honour of thy majesty." Psalm ex. 3, *' In the
beauties of the saints." Prov. xiv. 28, " In the multi-
tude of people is the king's honour." All these pas-
sages have the same Hebrew word hadar or hjldar,
which are both derived from the same verb hadar,
which, according to Reuchlin, signifies, has adorned, has
honoured, has glorified.

From all which it follows, that " honour" in this
passage, when properly rendered from the Hebrew noun,
signifies the great pomp of a potentate, which consists in
the multitude of those who reverence and adore him ;
and who are subject to him, serve him, obey him, and
assist him : for these are the ornament, the decoration,
the splendour, the magnificence, the beauty, and the
dignity of a king. So that glory and honour are as it
were different kinds of pomp. Glory, is that which
comes from the king, and is diffused among the people :
and honour, is the people being moved by this glory,
and coming unto him and acknowledging him. Hence
it is said, Levit. xix. 32, " Thou shalt rise up before the
hoary head." And these two pomps mutually increase
each other. The glory allures many, that they may ho-
nour the person : and they, being thus allured to honour
him, this increases his glory. Hence we sing, ' Glory
and honour unto God for ever and ever,' &c. And so
on the other hand those tvvo evils enos and the son of
ADAM mutually increase each other: for he that is un-
mindful of God is made wretched and miserable ; and
then the same person immediately becomes a son of

439

Adam, and is deserted, because nothing is said of him,
and no one will honour him concerning whose name
nothing is said ; and thus as he is nothing in himself, so
he is deserted by all.

" Thou hast crowned him." — This is said metapho-
rically, and is an expression taken from a crown which
is perfect on every side and covers every part of the head
which it surrounds : and it means the same as " thou
hast compassed him about :" as we have it, 1 Sam. xxiii,
26, " And they compassed David and his men about in
the manner of a crown." And Psalm v. 12, " With
favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield."

Christ, therefore, being made an enos for us, being
forsaken and afflicted on all sides and by all, now has the
kingdom over all things, and a dominion celebrated with
praise and fame, and is now delighted and safely resting
in all things. He is now honoured, adored, and sought
after by all. He that was made low, or forsaken by all,
,is now surrounded by all these things out of all nature :
so that there is not one creature which does not know
him, or does not honour him in some way, for the Gospel
is preached to every creature for his honour.

And again, to his glory every knee shall bow, of
things in heaven, and things under the heaven, and things
in hell. And this crown of glory and honour, that is of
all creatures, never has been given to any other nor ever
will be. They are in part glorified and honoured ; but
no one has all things but he who has all things, who was
" made a little lower" by all, who had glory and honour
from no part, but met with affliction and irreverence
from all, that for these sufferings he might be crowned
with glory and honour to all eternity. But this crown
of glory and honour is not yet completed : as Paul saith,
1 Cor. XV. 24, 25, " But now we do not yet see all things
put under him, for he must reign till he hath put all
things under his feet." And this is now going on, and
will go on until the final judgment. But, in the mean
time, many still remain who will not glorify and honour
him, and who resist this completion of his crown.

440

Ver. 6. — Thou hast made him to have dominion over
the works of thy hands, thou hast put all things in sub-
jection under Ms feet.

Tliis is that verse explained in the Hebrew in which
the glory and honour of Christ are set forth. His glory
is, his being Lord of all things : and thus you see that
his glory is the majesty of the things which he possesses ;
as we have said. And his honour is, that all things are
put in subjection under his feet, all honour him, acknow-
ledge him, turn to him, and are dependent on his nod.
And each pomp, both of his glory and his honour, is
beautifully set forth in this verse ; while both the Lord
ahd ail that is under him are described by the words
" thou hast given him dominion," and, " thou hast put
in subjection :" the one expression of which, sets forth
the Lord and his glory ; the other the things put under
him and his honour. And these same two things are
thus set forth. Psalm xlv., the first of them thus, ver. 3,
" In thy comeliness and thy beauty, ride prosperously^
because of truth, and meekness, and righteousness, and
thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things." The
next particular is shown in these words, ver. 5, " Thine
arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies ;
whereby the people fall under thee."

This, therefore, is the prince and ruler of the kings
of the earth, and the king of all dominions and poten-
tates of the earth. For compare them to this king.
Over what are they set ? Certainly over the works of
the haiuls of God: but to no one of them are all things
put in subjection. For " the works of thy hands" have
not much to do w^ith all those sensual titles of king-
doms, provinces, and peoples, and with all those external
shows of images, insignia, and monuments, in which the
rulers and kings of the earth glory and boast themselves.
The kingdom of Christ is preached with a small title^
and without any external signs and pomp, though it is
infinite and external. " The works of thy hand," says
David. And not the heavens and the earth only are com-
prehended in this title; but every thing that God has

441

treated is put in subjection unto Christ ; as Paul saith
I Cor. XV. 27, ' But when he saith, All things are put
under him, it is manifest that nothing is excepted but he
who did put all things under him.' — For did the Psalmist
say in a vain way, " Thou hast put all things in subjec-
tion under his feet," without adding also, " Thou hast
set him over the works of thy hands ? " He has indeed
omitted " works of thy hands " in mentioning the sub-
jection, and the word " all things " in mentioning his
having dominion ; but he wished all this to be under-
stood together. Or, does .not the Psalmist, in detestation
of all pride and ambition, speak thus, to show, that even
he to whom all things were put in subjection by God,
did not boast in the honour and title of being set over
all things ; and to make it appear that the possession
was gi-eater than the title? Whereas men, on the con-
trary, are generally carried away with the titles of things
only, when ruling over even the least of things.

We are certainly to weigh all these things in an
apostolic way ; and to understand, that David describes
Christ as not goins; about to seek this dominion himself*
but as being set over it of God ; that M'e may learn not
to assume honours to ourselves, and know, that none
receive honour but those who are called, as was Aaron,
Hebrews v. 4. And this is also done, that thou mayest
wonder, that so mighty a dominion is ascribed unto
Christ in these few words, and that ambition is cut at in
almost every word ; no high-sounding word at all being
used, as is the case in all the decrees of men. As in this
way, — ' All things throughout the world are committed
unto us,' &c. And ' Who has committed to his key-
bearing Peter all latvs, both of heavenly and earthly do-
hiinion,' &c. For it is thus that the Bulls swell theiii-
selves out, and

" Roll from their wide-swollen throat, the thundering
words."

But David here says, thou hast " set," and " him,"'
and " over," and, " the works of thy hands."— Observe
here how wonderfully he speaks of the kingdom of

r

442

Christ. With what small, modest, and humble, and yet
solid, words he sets forth that inestimable kingdom.
Though, in the Hebrew, the words "thou hast set him,"
are " thou hast made him to have dominion." As Peter
also speaks, Acts ii. 36, " God hath made that Jesus
both Lord and Christ." As also it is said to the sun,
Gen. i. 16, ' that he should rule the day:' or as it is
said Psalm cxxxvi. 8, ' the sun to have dominion over
the day.'

And he says beautifully also, " the works of thy
hands :" thus commending and setting forth the posses-
sion of Christ without any external appearance. For it
is the custom with man, to command and have domi-
nion over those things only which are high, great, and
many ; and, in a word, over those things from which
they can gain honour, pleasure, and advantage. But
those things which are vile and low, and which want
their assistance and help, they can with much unconcern
permit to be ruled by, and under the dominion of,
others. But Christ, the Lord of all things, possesses all
that can be called the works of God, whether they be
weak, necessitous, and contemptible, or, powerful,
opulent, and honourable. He is not a king that reigns
with any respect of persons ; but whatever is a creature
of God he acknowledges to be his, and holds all with-
out any difference.

Wherefore, the kingdom of Christ is such a king-
dom, as cannot be compared to any other ; and no other
can be found which could stand in its place. For there
is no ruler among those most opulent ambitious ones,
who would wish to command and rule over the weak, the
needy, and the ignominious, from whom nothing of
profit can accrue to himself. For these words, " the
works of thy hands," and " all things," offend all, and
they do not wish to know what such words mean. — Of
the number of these were the popes of old, who arro-
gated all things to themselves, but did not seek to rule
' all things ' and ' the works of the hands of God,' but,
all things which pleased them : and they chose out to
themselves certain works of God, regarding nothing at

443

all about the rest, of which they ought to have taken
care, though included in ' the works of God,' and the
* all things.' It is necessary, therefore, that the eyeV
should bo most pure, and most free from all respect of
persons and external appearance, distinguishing and un-
derstanding rightly all the works of the hands of God.
For in these works the Pope differs nothing from the
layman, the emperor from the beggar, the enemy from
the friend, the wise from the unwise, the holy from the
sinner, the sound from the sick, or the living from the
dead ; the Lord of all is the same, and they all equally
belong to him.

Rejoice, therefore, O Christian, and rejoice every^
one who knows himself to be the work of God ; these
things are all said for thy strong consolation, if thou be-
lieve that Christ is appointed Lord of all things. For if
thine enemies, even from afar, plan any evil against thee,
against whom, I pray thee, do they plan it? against thee
or against Christ? For both they and thou belong to
Christ. Fear not therefore : he is present both here and
there : he sees what they plan against thee : and he
watches with greater care over thee, than thou doest
over thyself. — ^l^or dost thou think that the thing pos-
sessed can have a greater care over itself than the pos-
sessor has over it? What care does the gold in the chest,
or in the purse, take of itself? Does not the master of
the house take care of that chest, and guard it every
hour against thieves, and robbers ? Is the gold taken
from itself, or from its possessor ? And which does the
thief the more grievously offend, the gold or the pos-
sessor ? Dost thou think, then, that the miser shall be
galled at the loss of his money, and not Christ hurt at an
injury done to any of his possessions ? If not, how
shall he be faithful unto him who has put all things in
subjection under his feet ? And if they kill thee, burn
thee, injure thee, criminate thee, and cast thee out, I ask
thee, (if thou be in subjection under him,) to whom do
they the injury? Whose property do they destroy?
Thine, or Christ's ?

Oh, how great is our unbelief, which, on account of

444

its ungodliness and blindness, cannot understand these
consolations and this great security ! There is no pro-
tector or owner wanting to us, but it is faith that is
wanting to believe that we are his possession. For it is
above all things the word of faith that thou hearest,
when it is said, " Thou hast put all things in subjection
under his feet," and " Thou hast made him to have do-
minion over the works of thy hands."

And if thou say, But I am afraid that my Lord will
destroy me, because I am a great sinner, and unworthy
to be possessed and owned by him in so happy and glo-
rious a way, — He wijl not destroy thee if thou confess
that thou art his, and that he is thy Lord. For both
^sinners and saints belong to him, and all are the works
of his hands. ' Let every tongue (saith the Apostle,
Philip, ii. 1 1,) confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the
glory of God the Father.' And Rom. x. 9, he saith,
*' That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." By this
confession and faith, I say, if thou be a sinner, thou
shalt not only be accounted righteous, but shalt be
saved. God will damn those rather, who, though they
arc his creatures, will not receive him as their Lord : as
Luke says, chap. xix. 27, " But those mine enemies,
which would not that I should reign over them, bring
them here and slay them before my face." For these will
not be put under him, and therefore they are thus com-
pelled to be put under him. We have not a king that is
a cruel exactor, but a Saviour; and especially of those
who are oppressed, either with punishments or with
sins. For in such, there is nothing left but the honour of
the work of God : and the works of God are his
proper possession.

Wherefore, even if thou sin and fall, yet, despair
not of Christ, for thou hast not sinned thyself out of his
kingdom, unless thou cease to be the work of God. But
if thou acknowledge his kingdom, and say with Wisdom,
XV. 2, " For if we sin we are thine, knowing thy
power," Sic. ; he will not send thee away, nor wilt thou

445

be sent away without a confidence in his mercy. He will
acknowledge thee to be his possession, if thou acknow-
ledge him to be thv God and Lord. For this is what
Isaiah, chap. i. 3, charges the ungodly with, " The ox
knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib : but
Israel doth not know me, my people doth not consider."
Therefore Christ is for us, set over all things, that he
may in all things help us, and that we may in all things
flee unto him, whether under sin, in death, in life, or in
righteousness. For whether we live or whether we die,
we are. the Lord's (saith the Apostle, Rom.xiv.7, 8 ;) for
none of us liveth unto himself, and no man dieth unto
himself For whether we live we live unto the Lord, or
whether we die we die unto the Lord."

Ver. 7 and 8. — Ail sheep and o.ven, yea, and the
beast of the field; the fowl of the air, and t lie fish of the
sea, which pass through the waves of the sea.

These two verses seem to have given occasion to
our translator and others to understand this Psalm of
man only, and to translate the word eloim ' angels/
Which opinion many eminent fathers also follow : being
induced so to do from what we read Gen. i. that, after
man was formed, these three kinds of living creatures
were put in subjection to him. And such have indeed
something of plausibility for the defence of their opi-
nion : because, the prophet seems in these verses exactly
to set forth all those three kinds of creatures, the domi-
nion over which was given to man ; and to signify, that
the " all things" before mentioned, only meant the
beasts of the earth, the heaven, and the sea. And in-'
deed no very great deal would seem to be given unto
Christ by this dominion over these beasts being given
unto him ; seeing that, human kings have even dominion
over men.

But Paul stands directly opposed to such an accep-
tation of the passage, not only in his Epistle to the
Hebrews, (which perhaps some may deny to be Paul's,)
but also 1 Cor. xv. 27, where he says, " For he hath
put all things under his feet." As, therefore, the mean-

446

ing of the Word of God, and of the scriptures, must he
one, simple, and uniformly the same ; let us not (as they
say) make the scriptures to have a waxen nose that will
turn any way. It is just, therefore, that the sense which
Paul puts on the passage should be preferred to the
sense given to it by any or all of the fathers, whether
Ambrose, Augustine, Athanasius, or Hieronymus, &c.

I say these things, that no one, after the man-
ner of the learned scholiasts, should immediately
follow as an oracle what he may chance to read in
any one of the eminent fathers ; as some do and have
done, who, by this means, have made the scriptures to
be nothing more than as many cross threads ; thus
causing us to have as many different meanings to them
as there are syllables. The holy fathers therefore are
sometimes to be left to go according to their acceptation
of a scripture, and, according to their feelings, to expa-
tiate upon the holy scriptures out of the beaten path.
But a theologian, who wishes to search into the pure
and genuine meaning of the word, must consult the
scriptures themselves, and thus judge of all things : as
Augustine teaches in many places, and as Paul himself
commands us, saying, " Prove all things ; hold fast that
which is good," 1 Thess. v. Ql.

These two verses, therefore, understood in this way,
would not only not seem to ascribe much unto Christ,
but not even unto man : for it is written Gen. i. that to
him was given dominion o^'er the earth also, and over
all trees, herbs, and productions of the earth; which,
here, is not even ascribed unto Christ.

I confess that the passage has some degree of diffi-
culty in it. Augustine with his advocates has recourse to
an allegory, but does not even by that extricate himself.
For, as David had said before, " all things," and, " the
works of his hands," no just reason can be given, why,
in explaining those " things," he only mentions oxen,
sheep, fowls, and fishes, (whether we understand by the
allegory that these things are subjected to the righteous
or sinners.) But these are not all those things which are
put in subjection under the feet of Christ, though they

447

are comprehended in those " all things." Why then are
all these beasts mentioned as parts of those " things,"
and not the rest ? Why was it not enough to sav " all
things" or " the works of his hands." (For we must un-
derstand these sheep, oxen, birds, fishes, and cattle,
literally.) I here confess my ignorance, and have
nothing to say. 1 will, however, propose some things
to exercise the thoughts of others, and that is all I
can do.

What if the prophet wished to explain those things
which are subjected to man in general, on account of
the contentious and stiff-necked, and especially the
Jews, who above all men resist the kingdom of Christ ?
And what if he mentioned these in particular, that no
one might insolently say, that God cannot contradict
himself, who, in the beginning, Gen. i. subjected all
these things unto man, to be ruled by him in a temporal
dominion ? For such, using the scripture, Gen. i. as a
pretext, will either deny that all things are put in sub-
jection unto Christ, and say that the scripture is to be
thus understood ; or else, they will revile the universal
dominion of Christ. But all such craft is to be met and
opposed by this answer. — That all things are so j)ut in
subjection unto Christ, that not only those things which
were before put in subjection unto man are not excepted,
but are put in subjection also together with the men
themselves. So that, even if men will not be subjected
unto Christ, (which, nevertheless they certainly are,) they
might yet know, that all those things which are subject
unto him are subject unto them, and that he has power
over all things, which are theirs, without being hindered
therein, how much soever they may resist him. j

And again, there is no one offence that fights more
against faith in the dominion of Christ, than that which
arises from the ungodly, especially kings and great ones,
and their opulence in those things which are subjected
unto them. So that, it was necessary for David to say
and explain that all these things were subject to Christ,
that no one, from being offended, might refuse to believe
it, when he sees the ungodly, especially the great, not

448

apparently subject unto him. For it is easy to believe
that all other things are subject unto him, except those
things which the wicked possess. For all these things
seem, as to all appearance, to be put in subjection unto
them: concerning which Psalm cxiiv. 13, 14, saith, that
their garners afford all manner of store, and that their
oxen are strong to labour. As if the prophet had said,
Be not offended, my brother, at my having said, ' that
all things are subject unto Christ,' for it is only in his
enemies that thou seemest to see the contrary ; there is
nothing in the rest that seems to resist; therefore, know
thou, that all which the ungodly have are also subject
■jujito Christ.

ri-s And, to strengthen this understanding of the pas-
sage, shows the powerful adjective *' all." As if he had
said. There is no one thing even of those things which
belong to the rebellious and ungodly, (who will not wil-
lingly be subject to him,) that is not put in subjection
under him. VVherefore, the birds of the heaven, and the
iishes of the sea, are added by way of fulness of expres-
sion. As if he had said. All the things of man are
subject unto Christ, whether they be those which he
possesses himself, or tliose which were put in subjection

\ ..Jo him, Gen. L ; for Christ is Lord of all things.

Nor indeed will it be wide from the intent of the
Psalm, if any one shall consider, that that other confi-
dence of the Jews is laid prostrate by this verse : which
was, their believing, that they served God when they of-
fered him sacrifices and burnt-offerings of animals which

o

they considered to be their own. As Stephen, Acts vii.
charges and refutes them from Isaiah, chap. Ixvi. ; say-
. ing, that they presumed to build to him a temple,
-whereas all the materials of \vhich the temple was built
iwere his before. And so also we may imagine, that here,
when the prophet sets forth a new king alone to be wor-
shipped with glory and honour, he does it, that they
may not presume to imagine, that they shall worship
him with the beasts that they may slay. For to whom
*' all things" are put in subjection, even sheep and oxen
also, and all things that were ever given unto man, are

449

put in subjection. What, therefore, can they give
unto him, whose are all things which they have or
possess r

And this same confidence from a similar cause, is
condemned in similar words, PstUm 1., " I will not
reprove thee for thy sacrifices :" that is, my being at va-
riance with thee is not on account of thy sacrifices.
And why, * because thy burnt-ofFerings are continually
before me : ' that is, thou hast no need to offer me
them, for they are already always before me. ^' I will
take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of
thy fold. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the
cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls upon
the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
If I were hungry I would not tell thee : for the world is
mine and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of
bulls or drink the blood of goats?" And then follows
the true worship, " Offer unto God thanksgiving, and
pay thy vows unto the Most High. And call upon me
in the day of trouble : and I will deliver thee, and thou
shalt glorify me." And at the conclusion of the Psalm
he saith, " The sacrifice of praise shall honour me, and
that is the way wherein I will show the salvation of
God."

And now, see whether Asaph did not suck nearly
the whole of this Psalm out of Psalm viii. For he
speaks of the praising of God under tribulation (as this
Psalm also does,) to the contempt of all sacrifices of
cattle, which cattle he says are God's already, and not
man's, to whom they were given, Gen. i. And this he
does, that men may know, that all things are Christ's,
and that they cannot serve him by offering those things,
imagining them to be their own.

Here, therefore, we have Christ described as having
suffered, as being crowned, and now preached and be-
lieved in : which Christ, and the things concerning him,
the title of the Psalm, '' in the wine-presses," signified
at the beginning. And therefore, the Psalmist, that he
may inculcate his true worship, which is nothing more
VOL. Tir. 2 G

450

than faith, praise, declaring his name, confession, &c.,
noAv repeats the first verse. Saying,

Ver. 9. — O Lord our Lord, how admirable is thy
name in all the earth!

For it a hard and difficult matter to believe, that
this ENDS and this son of adam is of so great glory and
dignity. And therefore, the Psalmist admonishes, that
it is to be continually repeated and assiduously incul-
cated. For it is a firm and fixed truth, that God is mind-
ful, that he visits, and that he crowns ; but it is those
only who by shame, by unmindfulness, and by solitude,
are reduced to nothing and to the greatest extremity.
For such as this Psalm describes Christ as being when
exalted, such, the Psalmist would have us know, all
those must be whom Christ will exalt. Wherein he
plainly shows, on what persons the eyes of Christ are
opened and fixed : namely, " The eyes of the Lord
are upon the righteous :" (that is, those who are nothing
in this life, either in their own eyes or in the eyes of
others :) because he regardeth the low things both of
the heavens and of the earth. And this is the way with
his mercy, that his name may be great throughout all
the earth.

PSALM IX.

TO VICTORY : FOR THE SECRETS OF THE SON I
A PSALM OF DAVID.

What an astonishing variety of interpretations are
given of the title of this Psalm ! One understands that
the death of Absalom is here signified, another the
death of Goliah, another a musical instrument, another
the secret judgment or counsel of David, another youth,
another the singer of the Psalm, and another a some-

45]

thing else ! He who wishes to have a further knowledge
of all the difterent inter})retations, let him consult
Lyranus, Burgensis and Reuchlin.

I, for my part, as far as I can collect the signification
from the scope of the whole Psalm, shall follow the title,
but not the interpretation, of Burgensis ; who says, that
ALMUTH, which is translated for the secrets, signifies,
according to the real meaning of the Hebrew word,
' youth.' This Psalm is a certain general thanksgiving,
exultation, exhortation, and prayer, full of sweet feelings
and affections ; and is concerning the conquering of
enemies, and their being conquered ; all which cannot
be applicable to any thing but to the people of God,
engaged in the midst of enemies, warring with them,
conquering them, and triumphing over them ; and it
speaks both of the past and the present, and also of the
future. Wherefore, I doubt not at all, that this Psalm
had its title from the people of Christ, especially martyrs,
and that it speaks in their person. And that we may
adduce some proof of this, let us proceed to speak upon
the Hebrew title itself: which is thus, —

lamnazeah: almuth laben: mismor le dabid.

That lamnazeah signifies ' To victory' we have
fully shown before. And that mismor le dabid
signifies, ' a Psalm of David' is quite clear. It remains
therefore only, that we dwell upon almuth laben.

If, with Hieronymus you divide almuth laben into
two vv-ords, (which Lyra says cannot be done,) it will
signify ' Upon death,' or ' To death.' And hence, some
here understand the death of Goliah, and others the
death of Absalom. But if you make it one word, it is
a noun derived from the verb a lam, which signifies,
* has hidden :' from which verb, a young man and a
young woman are called elem and alma: because they
are educated and brought up in tents, as it is dangerous
for them, being of that tender age, to wander abroad in
the world, and to be exposed to all its enticements.

2 G 2

452

And hence ALMUTH will signify ' a youth,' or ' the state
of youth ;' that age, which, on account of its tender state,
is hidden, and brought up religiously in secret. Thus,
Jacob is described as a plain simple man dwelling in
tents ; but, on the other hand, Esau is represented as a
man skilled in hunting and a cultivator of the ground.
And hence, from this custom and way of education,
common usage among the HebreM's has called young
women or maidens, almoth, (that is ' hidden,') as in
Isaiah vii. 14, ' Behold a virgin (or maiden) shall con-
ceive, &c.'

But David here studiously implies in this title, some
wonderful or uncommon youth, vvhen he particularly
calls them laban; that is, ' of the Son,' or ' to the
Son.' Whereas, to have young men or young women,
is peculiar to a father, or to a grandfather, or at farthest
to a brother, or some tutor or instructor. For what
son is there, who, as a son, can have young men and
young women to educate and bring up in secret? Where-
fore it is manifest, that David means Christ, who, by a
new miracle, doing away with all carnal generation in
his nativity, is a Son only, the father of none according
to the flesh, and yet, beginning a spiritual generation, by
a new nativity of the Spirit. He is the father of many
sons and daughters whom he educates and brings up in
the secret place of faith, so instructing them, that they
may not be wise in those things which are open, but in
those things which are hidden : as it is said Psalm xxxi.
20, " Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence
from the pride of man."

Wherefore it is most likely that Almoth, (uniting both
significations in one) signifies the new creature of the
Gospel, the offspring of grace, the youth of baptism,
the people of the New Testament, and the truly ' hidden'
ones of the Son ; that is, the faithful, the obedient ones
of Christ, whose life lies hidden under death, their sal-
vation under the cross, and their glory under shame ;
for thus does Christ hide them in the world. These
therefore are they whom David, a man full of the Spirit,

453

conceived in his mind to represent under the name and
similitude of youths or virgins who are educated at
home and iij secret.

And there is this pecuHar praise attached to the people
of the Jews among other things, that they always kept
themselves free from the pursuits of merchandize and
trade, being content with their own domestic productions,
like their fathers of old. For, as those other nations and
men, who travel and wander about and see the manners
and cities of many different peoples, are rendered polished
and polite, (as they term it ;) so also do they imbibe
many of the worst of examples, and introduce them
among others ; as Corinth, Syracuse, Tyre, and Alex-
andria have borne sufficient witness, (to say nothing about
Rome,) and as all the great emporiums of the world at
this day abundantly prove also : and therefore rightly
did God drive the Canaanites, (that is, merchants and
traders) for the most part out of the land. He is suffi-
ciently civil and polished who knows the law of his God,
and who serves God purely : to do which, seclusion,
secrecy, and shunning the busy multitude of men are
absolutely necessary, and especially for the younger ones
Hence a certain gentile writer says, ' I always come
a-.vay from the worldlv society of men worse than I was
when I went into it.' " And another says, ' Friends are
the thieves of time.' And yet again, Bernard says, ' I am
never less alone than when alone.' I would not there-
fore consign the whole of this our life to solitude : for
we have it proved by the most horrible examples, and
by the authority of the most illustrious fathers, that
nothing is more perilous to the age of youth than solitude.
And yet, on the other hand, there is the same peril in the
society of the multitude.

What shall we here say then ? Why this— that the
vouth have a domestic teacher and friend, in the
sight of whom, he may say, do, and leave undone
all things, in fear. This is, to be almuth; that is,
to be well instructed at home, and, when he has
been well instructed, and is called forth into the office
and duty of ruling the people, then let him do that m

454

effect, which before he did in affection; then let him
of himself despise those things which are seen, and
teach others to despise them, which, hitherto, he despised
by the teaching of another, or was taught to despise. It
was for this kind of Almuth that monasteries and uni-
versity studies were primarily instituted.

Nor will I reject this understanding of the matter. —
That these ' secret' things are to be considered as ap{)lying
not only to this spiritual part of the Church, but also
to the opposite part, the enemies. That is, that David
sings not only of the state and work of the spiritual and
hidden people, but of their spiritual victory over their
enemies which is obtained in secret : because the former
fight spiritually, and the latter are spiritually conquered.
Whereby are fultilled those figurative wars of the Old
Testament, Vihere the enemies were slain corporally ;
because all things of the " servant" were there open and
seen; that is, the external and figurative face of Moses,
and the visible people, wars and victories. Even as
here, all the things of the Son are secret, that is, the
spiritual and internal fulfilment of that figurative people,
and those figurative wars and victories.

Let ALMUTH here, then, be considered as signifying
the people of Christ, whose life is hid with Christ in
God ; who walk not in thos6 things which are seen, but
sufter many things from those uho tlius walk; and who
being conquerors in all things through their Christ, sing
these things in triumph over their enemies vanquished
in this secret and spiritual war. So that all things are
secret, both which pertain to the conquerors and to the
conquered, for both are done internally in spirit.

Ver. 1. — I luill confess wito thee y O Lardy with ?ny
whole heart. I will show forth all thij wonderful worhs.

Ver. 9.. — I will be glad and rejoice in thee; I will
sing praise unto thy name, O thou Most High.

We have given the order of the Psalms from the
First to the Eighth, under Psalm vi. And now, perhaps,
we may try to give the order in which the Eighth follows
the Seventh, and this Ninth the Eighth.

455

It is manifest that the first eight Psalms are descrip-
tions of the sufferings and tribulations both of Christ the
Head, and of ail Christians his members ; among which
Psalms there is no one which exults in praises and
confessions; for the Eighth is the first that begins to speak
exultingly of the name of God, of praise, glory, and
honour; and it has no complaint, and carries on no cause
against any adversaries ; but it summarily collects the
fruits of the sufferings contained in the preceding psalms;
declaring hovv^ little the persecutors have profited them-
selves, and how little they have been able to effect, and,
on the other hand, how happily all things have turned out
to him who suffered. And it was most right that all
these things should begin with Christ, the head of all
sufferers. And therefore, in a most proper order, the
Eighth Psalm follows after the Psalms of tribulations,
and sings of Christ first of all, as among the rejoicers
and conquerors of sufferings. For it is necessary some-
times to console those who suffer persecution, that they
may be able to endure. And hence we see now psalms
of rejoicing, and now of tribulation, to be mingled
together, that this very mixture and confused order of the
Psa]mF> (as it is thought to be) may be an example of the
Christian life, which is exercised amid various tribulations
of the world and consolations of God.

The rejoicing of Christ the Head, who is the con-
queror of all sufferings, therefore, being begun in the
Eighth Psalm, there rightly follows in this Ninth Psalm
the rejoicing of his body the Church upon her victory
over each one of her sufferings ; that as she had followed
him, in the preceding Psalms, in the way of sufferings,
so now she might be the companion and partaker of his
consolations ; that she might thereby show by her ex-
ample, and, (as they say,) point out with her finger
and confirm that which vvas said in the preceding
psalm, " Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast
thou perfected strength, because of thine enemies, that
thou mightest destroy the enemy and avenger." The
psalmist, I say, goes on to show this strength of the
suckling mouth, and to set forth Christ as appointed

45^

head over all. So that tliou mayest not improperly
consider this psalm as an example and description of the
fulfilment of the preceding ; because, in the preceding,
we have the destmction of the enemies, the adversaries,
and the avengers, and the magnifying of the name and
praise of God ; and indeed, there is nothing but that
therein spoken of. And therefore, as David is perceived,
Psalm viii. to have known that strength was to be
perfected out of the mouth of babes and sucklings : so
now, that he might not be thought to have spoken words
without meaning, (as IN'Iontanus accuses the prophets of
doing,) he shows that he knows also the effect and
accomplished work of that strength.

These words, " I will confess," and " I will sing-
praise," have been sufficiently explained and set forth in
that last verse of Psalm vii. " I wiil confess unto the
Lord according to his righteousness, and I will sing praise
unto the Lord Most Hio;h." And the words " I will be
glad and rejoice," have been fully set forth in Psalm v.
-1 1, where it is said, ' But all they shall rejoice in thee,' and
' they all shall glory in thee,' &c. For when he says
here, ' I will rejoice in thee,' it is the same word in the
original as that where he said in the future, '' they all
shall rejoice in thee.' Though indeed Hieronymous
renders it in the former passage ' has praised/ {laitdavit^)
and in the latter ' shall rejoice,' (gmidebo). So ditficult is
it for a translator to be always consistent with himself.
And what David there, in the midst of tribulation,
promised he would do, here, being delivered, he does
with the greatest joy. Far he that is in tribulation is
supported only by the praise of God, which, when the
tribulation and temptation are over, he renders unto
God: as David saith. Psalm xlii. 5, "Why art thou
c^st down, O my soul ? and why art thou disquieted
within me ? hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him,
who is the health of my countenance." And in the same
place he saith, ' For 1 will go into the place t)f thy amiable
tabernacle, even unto the house of God, with the voice
of joy and praise, and with the sound of them that keep
holy-day.' Nor should it at all move us that he uses

457

future tenses in speaking of a thing present : for it is a
general custom with those who are going to say any thing,
or to sing, or to do any thing, to say, ' I will speak,' ' I
will sing,' ' I will do,' &c., even when they are just begin-
ning to do it.

Only l>ehoId, therefore, with what a flood of the most
sweet affections, he says that he will confess, show forth,
rejoice, be glad, and sing, being tilled with ecstacy! H'e
does not simply say, ' I will confess,' but, with my heart,
and, ' with my whole heart.' Nor does he propose to spealc
simply of " works," but of the " marvellous works" of
God, and of " all" those works. Thus his spirit (like John
in the womb) exults and rejoices in God his Saviour,
who has done great things for him, and those marvellous
things which follow. In which words are opened the
subject of this Psalm : that is, that he therein sings the
marvellous works of God. And these works are won-
derful, because he converts, by those who are nothing,
those who have all things, and, by the almutii who
live in hidden faith and are dead to the world, he hum-
bles those who flourish in glory and are looked upon
in the world. Thus accomplishing such mighty things
without force, without arms, widiout labour,, by the cross
only and blood.

But how will his saying, that he will show forth "all"
his marvellous works, agree with tliat of Job ix. 10^
" which doeth great things, past tinding out ; yea,, and
wonders without number ?" For, who can show forth all
the marvellous works^ of God ? We may say, therefore,
that these things are spoken in that excess of feeling in
which he said, Psalm vi. 6, "I will water my couch with
my tears." That it, he has such an ardent desire to»
speak of the wonderful works of God, that, as far as his
wishes are concerned, lie would set them " all" forth,
though he could not do it, for love has neither bounds
nor end: and, as Paul saith, 1 Cor. xiii. 7, " Love
beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things:"
hence it can do all things, and does do all things, for
God looketh at the heart and spirit.

And perhaps he therefore said, " all," because he:

458

proposed to speak of the work of God only and none
other: according to that of Psalm li. 11, "Then will
I teach transgressors thy ways." And Psalm xvii. 4,
*' That my mouth might not speak the works of men :"
therefore, I will show forth all thy marvellous works :
that is, whatever I show forth hereafter, shall be " thj/
marvellous works." And he used the same figure of
expression also Psalm vi. 7, where we heard him say,
" I have grov.'n old among all mine enemies :" that is,
' among those who are all of them mine enemies.'

What " with my whole heart" means, I leave to be
understood from what has preceded. For there are some,
(as we shall have it Psalm xii. 2,) who speak with a
heart and a heart, that is, with a double and divided
heart; they praise God as long as he prospers them.
And some also there are who lie unto him with their
tongue, and their heart is not right M'ith him : as we
have it Psalm Ixxviii. And there are some again, Psalm
xxviii. 3, who " speak peace unto their neighbour, but
imagine mischief in their hearts," being men of blood
and deceitful. It never falls to their lot to know the
wonderful works of God, and therefore they can never
speak of them nor set them forth. That man therefore
Avill praise or confess unto the Lord, who neither boasts
himself in prosperity, nor murmurs against God in
adversity, but remains in each state in an equal and true
praise of God : this, however, is possible to none but
those who are crucified together with Christ, and are
well experienced in tribulations and sufferings.

Ver. 3. — In fAirning mine enemy back they shall be
iveakcned and shall perish at thy presence.

Here he beeins to show forth the marvellous works

c

of God, that is, the conversions of enemies. We have
before sufficiently praised that most frequent figure of
the Hebrew languao;e Synechdoche which some call a
using of the singular for the plural, and some, a collec-
tive expression for a distributive. " In turning mine
enemy," says the psalmist, and dii'ectly afterwards
" shall be weakened :" that is, ' enemy' and ■ enemies'

459

are the same. And theiiy (which most of all offends
grammarians,) '* In converting or turning mine enemy/'
may be rendered by the second person, ' wliile thou
convertest or turnest,' or ' thou hast turned ;' for it was
in this manner he begun, and in the same he goes through
this Psalm ; that is, in the second person.

He here uses heroic and mihtary terms ; so that, to
the ignorant, he may seem to speak of carnal wars and
enemies when he speaks of " enemies/' And then,
there is their being " turned back," being " weakened,"
and slain, and their " perishing ;" but all these things
(as Augustine says upon this passage) are a benefit con-
ferred, and not a punishment inflicted ; and nothing but
a benefit; so great a benefit that nothing can be compared
unto it.

I, however, receive this turning back as signifying, in
a more simple sense, nothing more than the flight of the
enemies, in which they turn their backs and return to
the place from whence they came. As the Egyptians
said, (Exod. xvi. 25,) " Let us flee from the face of
Israel, for the L-ord fighteth for them against the Egyp-
tians." Which passage was an example, or a view for
the prophet, from whence he formed this prophecy. For
God destroyed the Egyptians by no force of men, by no
arms, but only by looking upon them : as it is there said,
" And the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyp-
tians through the pillar of fire and of a cloud, and
troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their
chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily." And so
we have it also Psalm civ. 32, " Ife looketh on the
earth and it trembleth." And again Habbakuk iii. 6,
" He beheld and drove asunder the nations ; and «,he
everlasting mountains were scattered." And so again
Psalm xcvii. 5, *' The hills melted like wax at the pre-
sence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of the
whole earth."

And so also when David says here " at thy presence,*'
he takes away all suspicion of arms and carnal strength
or power, in which men confide, and by which they
contend. So that we must understand the whole as

460

speaking of spiritual might, and saying, that the flight,
the weakness, and the fall of the enemies proceeded
from on high : as we read Judges v. 20, " They fought
from heaven : the stars in their courses fought against
e Sisera." Excepting that, it is not a carnal flight, weak-
ening, and falling, that is here described, (as I have said)
as it is in Judges ; for David is here speaking of the
spiritual fulfilment of all these things, and the hidden
realities which are contained in those figures.

What then is the spiritual flight of the enemies? What
is this weakening ? What is this destruction ? We may
understand all this from the state and condition of
enemies put to flight. — First, there is the flight ; and
then, the weakness ; (which is seen in the Hebrew word
signifying ' to fall.') So that it signifies that fall, by
which enemies, fleeing in blind terror, fall and perish.
And lastly there is the destruction, by which they
entirely cease to be, so that not even their memory
remains. — By all which things nothing else is signi-
fied and described than the conversion and justifica-
tion of the ungodly. For this flight is their terror, and
their losing all confidence of conscience, under the
knowledge of sin and a feeling sense of the power of the
law. Which is soon followed by weakness, falling, con-
sternation, and a most happy slaughter ; which we call a
bruising, or contrition ; that is, a hatred of sin, and a
death-blow given to all evil affections. For then, those
things soon begin to displease us which pleased us before:
we yield and turn our backs before those things, which
before we followed with insensibility and a brazen brow.
And upon this soon follows utter abolition and destruc-
tio'^, when, the will Ijeing changed by the grace of God,
not even a sign of our former life remains in us ; for we
walk in newness of life, according to the power of the
resurrection of Christ: as the Apostle saith, Rom. vi.
So that we may here adduce the Apostle himself as an
example, who, though a most bitter enemy to the church,
and flyingj was suddenly weakened, and cried out, " Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do ?" And at length, being
wholly subdued, he was so far from having any of his

461

enmity left, that he laboured with all his might, above
all the rest of the Apostles, for the Church of God.

And by what strength and power this victory was
gained, he describes, when he saith, " at thy presence."
Wherein he touches upon the office of the Word, by
which the divine will and the divine judgment, and mercy
are revealed concerning which he will immediately speak.
For this flight, weakness, and destruction of the un-
£fodly, are accomplished in no other way than by the
Word of God only, in w^hich is revealed the glory of the
Lord, and by which if the Lord work, and make known
its increase and power in the hearts of the ungodly, this
victory will immediately follow. And therefore, it was
not in vain that David wished to say, " at thy presence,"
rather than by any other way or means; or (which is the
same thing) by the Word ; that he might thereby show
forth the effectual power and increase of the Word. For
who would be converted or turned at the presence of the
Apostles, when they were in person and appearance the
most contemptible ?

But nevertheless, how many are there that hear the
■word of God, who become hardened in their ungodliness.
But when the face and presence of God themselves are
revealed by the inward teaching of the Spirit, then, there
immediately follows the turning back, the weakness, and
the destruction : as Isaiah saith, v. 29, " Their roaring
shall be like a lion; they shall roar like young lions : yea,
they shall roar and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it
away safe, and none shall deliver it." And also Micah v.
8, 9, " And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the gen-
tiles in the midst of many people, as a lion among the
beast of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of the
sheep; who, if he go through, both treadeth down and
teareth in pieces and none can deliver. Thine hand shall
be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies
shall be cut off."

Wherefore, with the most pure gratitude of almuth,
he ascribes these things, not to himself, but to God : for
though they were wrought by the medium of his ministry,
yet, they were not aftected by his word, but by the pre-

462

senceorface of God; as Paul also saith, 1 Cor. iii. 7, 9,
" So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither
he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. For
we are labourers together with God."

But M'hy does he speak in the future, ' Thou shalt
put to flight,' * Thou shalt weaken,' * Thou shalt de-
stroy,' when he is speaking of and glorying in things
past ? Perhaps (to give a simple reason) it is because he
is delivering a prophesy which is to apply to the future :
and therefore, he uses perfect tenses and future mingled
together, which is the constant usage of nearly all
the prophets, and especially of the writers of Psalms :
whereas, in truth and reality, the matter has been so
from the beginning ; for the enemies of the church have
been conquered, still are conquered, and ever will be
conquered. And hence it is so fixed — the Word of
God standeth for ever, and his truth unto all generations ;
it agrees with and applies to men of all ages ; it works
always the same things ; but more particularly and
abundantly so in the beginning of the New Testament
dispensation.

And add to this one thing more. — Observe particularly
the difference of persons, almuth, and, his enemies;
that is, that the former is weak, foolish, and contemp-
tible; but the latter powerful, wise, and honourable, and
quite mountains of the world and of the age ; accord-
ing to that which we have adduced from Habakkuk iii.
6, " He beheld and drove asunder the nations; and
the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual
hills did bow." And this is what Isaiah saith xl. 4,
" Every mountain and hill shall be made low :" or, as
he saith more clearly, chap. ii. 11, "And the lofty
looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of
man shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall
be exalted in that day." And again Psalm civ. 32, " He
toucheth the hills and they smoke."

If, I say, thou observe not this distinction of persons,
which are here compared together, thou wilt not fully
understand what are these marvellous works of God
which David says that he will show forth. For what is

463

more marvellous than that Peter, a poor, illiterate, igno-
rant fisherman, should convert the chief of the priests and
pharisees, and afterwards, the king of nations? And
that he should then attack Rome itself, flourishing in all
her greatness and power, and should subject her to him-
self, a poor ignorant fisherman, seems a thing so absurd,
that nothing is apparently more so throughout the whole
world, and it seems that nothing so ridiculous could be
imagined or presumed to be thought of. And this, whfch
is so far above the belief of all, is both believed and really
wrought ; though it stands so opposed to all human faith,
and is resisted with the bloodshed of so many martyrs.
And (with shame be it spoken !) in what an oblivion and
ignorance have all these " marvellous works" fallen at
this day, though they are, even now, continually pre-
sented before our eyes.

Ver. 4. — For thou hast ^naintained my right and my
cause: thou s attest on the throne ivho judgest righteous-
ness.

Mine enemies have perished (saith David,) because
thou judgest my cause. What then is the consequence ?
I have said before, that it is the difference of the persons
that magnifies these " marvellous works" of God, For
while the dregs of Israel, (as Isaiah calls them, chap,
xlix.) the remnant of Jacob, and the poor of the earth
fight against the mountains of the world (as we have
said,) there is neither hope nor any appearance that this
cause of the poor should prevail, or that any one would
defend the right of the poor. For even Pilate himself
(who was in other respects a kind and humane man, as
it appears) was false and deceitful upon this occasion,
and condemned Christ iniquitously and knowingly ; con-
sidering, that it was a matter of no importance that a
poor man should perish, and that there was no one who
would maintain his cause. But David saith. Psalm cxl.
12, "I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of
the afflicted and the right of the poor." For this is the
peculiar glory of our God only, that he looks upon and

454

defends humble and afflicted things: these are his pro-
puT works, and they are marvellous'

Each of these things therefore pertain to the mar-
veUous works of God, both his maintainino; the ridit of
the poor, and destroying the proud ; and his condemning
the one and justifying the other. And also his bringing
about that which Isaiah mentions xiv. 2, " And they
shall take them captives whos€ captives they were, and
they shall rule over their oppressors." For it is the
most glorious kind of victory, to make men friends from
being enemies, and servants from being persecutors ; as
the church did with them who were kings and rulers of
the world.

Now we have, " Thou sittest upon the throne the
judge of righteousness," for it is thus that the Hebrew
runs. And David gives the reason why he says that
his cause was maintained. Because (says he) my cause
was hateful in the eyes of the whole world, and the judg-
ment of all men is unjust, for " All men are liars," and
the enemies of that truth w hich I speak and follow. So
that those who boast the most of all men about wisdom,
righteousness, and religion, that is, those who are the
mountains of the world, are the first and most bitter to
persecute me: who, being ignorant of thy righteousness,
seek to establish their own, and do not submit them-
selves unto thy righteousness. And by all this they
endeavour to move all men to an affection for them and
a hatred of me, and dare to promise to themselves that
thou also wilt be a judge of unrighteousness, (or an un-
righteous judge) and will condemn my cause and justify
theirs. — But thou art a judge of righteousness; and the
tribunal is thine, the judgment thine, the throne thine,
and the kingdom thine. And therefore I always have
been sure, am sure now, and ever shall be sure, that
thou dost maintain my cause, and turn back my enemies,
and prostrate and destroy them. And in this same way
also Psalm xciii. 1, " The Lord rcigneth, he is clothed
with majesty." And again ver 2, " Thy throne is
established of old ; thou art from everlasting." And then

465

immediately aftenvards, " The floods have lifted up, O
Lord, the floods have lifted up their waves. — The Lord on
high is mightier." For it is one consolation for the
oppressed to know that Christ sits as King and Judge of
all. Thus Peter, 1 £})ist, iv. 5, saith of them that
blaspheme the holiness of the faithful, " Who shall
giv^e account to him that is ready to judge the quick
•and the dead." The present Psalm, however, does
not speak this M"ith reference to the final judgment,
though it alarms us with that judgment, as we shall soon
see; as Peter also does in this passage now cited from
his epistle.

From these things it may now be collected whom he
calls his enemies. For when he boasts that his cause is
maintained of God, it is evident that he sutiered under,
and was oppressed by, many unjust, great, and crafty
ones, before whom he was so weak, deserted, and despised,
that his cause was defended by no man, but by God
only. For he would not have boasted in God as his
avenger, if he had not found himself deserted and alone
before men. And therefore this verse, without any
of our seeking, describes of itself, and opens up to us,
the condition of each sort of men ; representing those
that are of God to be afflicted and left of all, and
those that be of the world to be pouerful and surrounded
l)y many. And with such exhortations as these, we are
consoled throughout the whole scripture, if we suffer for
the truth's sake ; and yet even thus, we do not dare to
profess Christ openly and publicly.

" Thou sattest upon the throne." — This seems to be
a periphrasis or circumlocution, for, Thou art made
King and Judge: which is thus expressed Psalm ii.' But
I am appointed King by him.' And also Psalm ex. 1.
"' Sit thou on my right hand." And which is expressed
in other words Psalm xcvii. 1, " The Lord reigneth."
And this began when Christ was taken up into heaven :
as was predicted Isaiah ix. 7, " Upon the throne of
David, and upon his kingdom, to order it and to esta-
l)lish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth
and for ever." And Jeremiah saith, xxiii. 5, 6, " Behold,

VOL. III. 2 H

466

the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto
David a righteous Branch ; and a King shall reign and
prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the
earth. In his days Judah shall be saved and Israel
shall dwell safely : and this is the name whereby he shall
be called. The Lord our Righteousness."

From these word5 it is manifest, that the glory of
righteousness and wisdom can be ascribed to no mortal
under heaven in any age. For all those kings whom the
books of men have called wise and righteous, and
praised as such, were all fools and unrighteous. For
although their human and political wisdom and righteous-
ness became renowned, yet, before God, and in those
things which pertain to God, they were all found to be
vain, liars, and unrighteous : which is more clear than the
light, both in the states of Rome and in that of the Jews.
Did not the Romans enact the most excellent and salu-
tary laws? Did they not curb and restrain proud nations
by justice ? Why then did they so bitterly persecute
Christ and his Christians? Why, but because their
righteousness was only an external appearance in the
sight of men, and was nothing in the sight of God ?
Hence the Apostle boldly saith, 1 Cor ii. 7, " But we
speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden
wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our
glory. Which none of the princes of this world knew ;
for had they known it, they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory." And saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. i. 20,
" Where is the wise ? Where is the scribe? Where is the
disputer of this world ?"

It is Christ alone, therefore, that sits upon this throne
and rules in this kingdom, and is the King and Judge
of righteousness in those things which pertain unto God:
and therefore, he alone reigns, and of his kingdom there
shall be no end. For as David sets his judgment of
righteousness against men's judgment and righteousness,
to show the iniquity of the latter ; so does he set his
kingdom against the kingdom of man, to show the ser-
vitude and captivity of the latter. For he alone truly
and properly reigns over all things, can do all things, and

467

does all things justly: therefore, let all that are oppressed
of the world rejoice.

And what is all this noise of kingdoms and rulers of
the world, in which judgments and righteousness are
celebrated ? What is all the to-do about temporal things,
money, honour, pleasure, and the like, but a sort of mere
fable and comedy ? For, by all these things, sin is not
taken away nor righteousness obtained; there are nothing
but the mere appearances of taking away sin and giving
righteousness: and yet, there are some men fools
enough to look upon all these silly baubles as serious
matters. But the kingdom of Christ is always com-
mended and set forth to us as being the^t of judgment and
righteousness. Because it judges and mortifies the old
man with his deeds, and justifies the new man ; and
therefore, this kingdom is ascribed unto Christ alone by
Jeremiah, xxiii. because he alone does judgment and
righteousness in the earth : whereby he openly declares,
that all others upon the earth neither do judgment nor
righteousness, but, as I said, only pretend to do it.
Wherefore, the judgment and righteousness mentioned in
the holy scriptures are to be considered as being far more
sublime than in any profane writings or laws. For
judgment is the death of sin, and righteousness eternal
life in Christ: which are wrought by a divine, not by a
human power.

The words of this verse, therefore, give a certain
powerful blow to the judges and kings of the world. As
if David had said, in a way of contrast, why are all those
judges and kings pufi'ed up, who judge for their own
interest and cause against me ? Thou alone art Judge
and King of all : and when they are compared to thee,
they are no more than as kings represented in a picture :
for thou judgest rightly, and judgest even those sins
which they consider to be righteousness. And what
the circumstances are that make up his cause and judg-
ment, what the business of it is, what forces are engaged,
what the process of the law is, who are the advocates,
and who the witnesses, he now proceeds to set forth.

2 H 2

468

Ver. 5. — Thou hast rebuked the heatheti, thou hast
destroyed the wickedy thou hast put out their name for
ever and ever.

I was thinking (some one might say,) that we should
hear the clash of arms, and the galloping tumult of
horses and riders. But behold, it is the noise and the
rebuke of the Word that makes all this terrible to-do.
He rebukes only, and all these effects follow. Who
will not here wonder ? This is his perfecting strength
from the mouth of babes and sucklings. This is the
spirit of truth, convincing the world of sin, of righteous-
ness, and of judgment. He effects all by the Word only.
And, as David here speaks of Christ's rebuking the
nations, if this scripture was fulfilled by any one, it was
especially and principally fulfilled by the apostle Paul,
the, teacher of the gentiles : and therefore, we may adduce
him for an example in the fulfilment of this verse : for
there is no doubt that what is here said was fulfilled by
him. Only observe how he rebukes the Romans, chap,
iii. 23, " For all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God." And again, ver. y, " For we have before
proved both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under
sin." And again ii. 1, " Therefore thou art inexcusable,
O man, whosoever thou art, that judgest; for wherein
thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou
that judgest doest the same things." And again, chap. v.
he declares that sin and death have passed upon all men :
" for that all have sinned," says he, chap. v. 12.

And indeed, whom of mortal man does not the whole
of that Epistle bring in guilty? It is indeed, in my
opinion, a commentary on, and an epitome of, the whole
scripture; nay, the light and revelation of the whole.
With what confidence does he rebuke all men ! There is
no other book in the whole scripture that rebukes with
so much fulness and with such a glare of light. So that
the Epistle to the Romans may rightly be said to be a
commentary or gloss to this verse, " Thou hast rebuked
the nations," that is, by the apostle Paul : many nations
indeed by word, but the Romans by an epistle.

469

And David has used the word, " Thou hast rebuked/
in this place more pointedly than in any other, that he
might thereby signify the simple preaching of the Word.
And this was more agreeable to the whole matter ; that
he might thereby set forth the manner of the whole ;
that is, how he converts or turns an enemy, and avenges
the cause of almuth. For ' to rebuke,' is to reprove
and convict, to bring in guilty, and to terrify. Which is
most effectually done, when the conscience of any one is
convicted by the word of God. There, immediately
begins a fleeing : there, all presumption and self-confi-
dence are immediately laid aside, and all strength of the
flesh utterly fails and falls. Which does not take place
Avhere the mere word only is spoken, for that will not
move a man. Many hear the word, but, being insensible,
are not moved by it. Therefore in this ' rebuking' it is
not the word only that is commended to us, but the
power and effectual working of the word, where men
hear and are terrified by what they hear : as those were
Acts ii. 37, who being pricked to the heart by the
word of Peter, cried out, " Men and brethren, what shall
we dor

In matters of faith, the Word deals with the spirit,
who is not a crafty, but an invincible warrior, whom no
one can resist. And why is this ? Men fight against ^'
men with arms and corporal strength, where the one
cannot take from the other confidence of heart, and
therefore the one does not yield to the other ; and if the
vanquished leave their bodies, yet they do not leave their
spirits : nor was any one man ever yet found, who could
conquer the spirit of another. But the spirit in its battle
disregards and leaves ou*! of the question the body and its
powers, and deals with the conscience: and here, all
help, all confidence, and all power and strength fall at
once.

Who then would not speak of these things as " mar-
vellous works?" For who could stand before that word of
Paul, Rom. i. 18, '' For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven, against all ungodliness and unrighteous-
ness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness?"

470

Who can stand here? Who can hold fast his confidence
here ? Who can dare any thing here while the majesty
of God is declared to be wrath against him ? Who will
not be turned back, and will not fall and perish, whose
conscience, rebuked by the Word of God, gives a con-
demning sentence against himself? And when the spirit
of a man is vanquished by this means, and the heart of
his kingdom within is taken possession of, what is there
left in the man that is not conquered ? And that victory
is so powerful, that we often find it to happen among
men, that he whom neither judgment, nor rebuke, nor
reputation, nor peril could subdue, has been vanquished
by the torment of his own conscience. And hence, that
proverb is true, * Conscience is a thousand witnesses.' And
also that common saying, ' The man that has a guilty
conscience, considers every thing; that is said, as said to
him.' ^ "

" Thou hast destroyed the wicked." — (For it is thus
that the Hebrew runs.) That is, the man, touched with
this rebuke, is immediately brought to a knowledge of
his misery. Thus Paul, being rebuked from heaven,
immediately becomes a most godly disciple from being
an ungodly enemy of Christ, and cries out, " Lord, what
wilt thou have me to do ?" The spirit of man cannot
endure this rebuke, but, being struck with it as with
lightning from heaven, is immediately turned and changed.
Hence we have it Psalm xviii. 15, " At thy rebuke, O
Lord : at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils."

This " wicked" man is that rascha whom. Psalm i.
and v., we have explained at large to be he, who, being
devoid of faith, shines conspicuous in a flaming outside
show, and appears to be any thing else but a wicked
man. And this is that enemy that most of all persecutes
the ALMUth, from his zeal for God and righteousness :
whose conversion is more difficult (so to speak) and
attended with more misery to himself; which cannot
possibly be wrought by the Word, unless it be attended
with the " increase" of the divine rebuke.

Now we have, " Thou hast put out their name." —
Here observe what I have just remarked, that these

471

wicked or ungodly, are they who shine forth in a fair name.
For it has been said, Psalms v. and viii., in what way
'name,' in the Scriptures, signifies 'fame.' " They have
a name to live, (as it is said Rev. xxxi.) and are dead."
Being therefore puffed up with this name, they perse-
cute with greater security, and revile with more oppro-
brious names, the almuth who is their adversary.
Their name, therefore, is destroyed when they are rebuked
with the Word of the spirit, or rather by the spirit of the
Word : and, losing all their self-opinion and name of
truth, wisdom, righteousness, and confidence, they are
made weak, and become fools and sinners, seeking in
humility the grace of Christ, and in fear the consolation
of communion with almuth, and not now blushing at
the name of fool and sinner.

" For ever and ever." — This shows that the rebuke
is fully effectual, wherever it touches the heart. It so
changes the man that, for ever, he can boast no more of
his own name, nor become vainly proud of it ; and even
if he fall now and then, yet he ever maintains and never
loses his right opinion concerning God ; always knowing,
that a good work and a good name are from God only.

Ver. 6. — The weapons of the enemy (inimici phra-
meae) are come to a perpetual end : thou hast destroyed
their cities : their memory is perished with a noise.

This is thus translated by Hieronymus. ' The soli-
tudes of the enemy are completed for ever : and thou
hast destroyed their cities ; their memory is perished
with them.' This is doubtlessly an obscure verse, and
the construction is ambiguous and unusual : because the
Latin words " inimici defecerunt phramecE" are of that
ambiguous construction, that you cannot tell whether the
words inimici and phramece are singular or plural, or the
genitive or nominative cases. I, without any temerity,
offer my judgment and opinion, by saying, that the word
j)hramece, is undoubtedly of Hebrew origin, from the
word PHARAM, which signifies ' to cut :' and hence, from
this verb they form phramece, signifying a sword or knife :
■50 \\\dl phramece \^ (if we may so render its meaning)

47Q

' a cutter/ This word phramea is that by which the
Hebrew noun cheraboth is rendered, which is of the
plural number from cherab, which signifies a sword.
And this is the word that our interpreter follows, from
the verb charab, which signifies ' to lay vvaste,'aiid ' to
make desolate :' from which meaning, Hieronymus has
rendered the word ' desolations.'

Hence, according to my judgment, the sense is the
pkramece, or desolations of the enemy, that is, the destruc-
tions of the enemy are finished, or, have ceased to
destroy. So that it is an expression something like that
of Psalm Ixviii. 18, " Thou hast led captivity captive/'
And that of Isaiah xxxiii. 1, " Woe to thee that sjioilest..
and thou was not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and
they dealt not treacherously with thee : when thou shalt
cease to spoil, thou shalt be s}3oiled: and when thou
shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal
treacherously with thee !" And the whole of this verse
accords with those of the same prophet, Isaiah xiv, 3, Gy
" And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord
shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear,,
and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to
serve, that thou shalt take up this parable against the
King of Babylon, and say. How hath the o})pressor
ceased I the golden city ceased [ The Lord hatli broken
the staff of the wicked and the sceptre of the rulers.
He M'ho smote the people in wrath with a contmual
stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted,
and none hindereth." And so again, ver. 8, '' Since
thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us."

Therefore, whether you here sny p/ira niece or desola-
tions, it signifies the persecutions of the church, whereby
the princes of this world, especially the Jews, have
wounded, persecuted, and destroyed it; all which utterly
ceased, when the nations being rebuked, the wicked
perished, and their name Mas i)ut out for ever and ever:
for it must follow, that the persecution must cease when
the i)erseeutor is no more. Wherefore, this grammatical
construction, where the genitive case is put first, " luimici
defecerunt phrame^,' is like unto that of Psalm iii.

473

'* Domini salus est,'' " Salvation is of the Lord." Hence
here we have it, " The destructions of the enemy are de-
stroyed (are over;) that is, the enemy has ceased to
destroy : and so also in the latter case, " Salvation is of
the Lord;" that is, the Lord saves.

" To a perpetual end," is added for the sake of ful-
ness of expression, and to vent the feelings more abun-
dantly : whereby David shows, that the destructions of the
enemy had so ceased, that there is neither hope nor fear,
that they ever will be revived. For the enemies and un-
godly sometimes cease to destroy, but do not make a full
end immediately, for their hatred still remains, and they
renew their fury when time and opportunity present them-
selves. But those who by the rebukes of the spirit perish
savingly, being changed into other men, and being
brought to love, can never after\\'ard for ever return to
their persecution, but rather themselves suffer with those
^\ho are persecuted. And therefore in such, destructions
are come to a perpetual end : so that no hatred remains,
>\ hich is the fountain-head and spring of all persecution,
but all is changed into love, which is the cause and foun-
tain-spring of peace and quiet. In which sense it is said,
Psalm ii. 9, " Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a pot-
ter's vessel."

But how has he '^ destroyed their cities?" I would
not here do violence with avoj-us, but yet, neither that
which follows, nor the spirit in which the prophet speaks,
will allow us to understand the words as meaning any
corporal destruction : for it is the hidden and spiritual
ALMUTH that is speaking in a way of triumph, whose
arms are the \yord*ind faith. And then, it is said that
he destroyed the nations by the rebuke of God only,
their name being blotted out and their destructions beintv
brought to an end. And therefore, we must understand
that the cities were destroyed by the same rebuke. It is
in this same way that Wicah, v. 9, speaks, when he is
speaking of the remnant of Israel conquering in the
midst of the nations, " Thine hand shall be Hfted up
upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be
cut off." And then he adds, " And it shall come to pass

474

in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thy horses
out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots.
And I will cut oft' the cities of thy land, and throw down
all thy strong holds. And I will pluck up thy groves
out of the midst of thee." From which passage, as it
speaks entirely of a spiritual operation, we may gain
sufficient information upon the present passage, and say,
that here also the " cities" are destroyed when the word
of faith is preached among men, and comes not bringing
peace but a sword, and setting the father against the
son, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law ;
so that, in the confusion of the world, a man's foes are
those of his own household ; and thus the cities of the
enemies are happily destroyed.

And David says " cities" more particularly, because,
first of all in these, there is a greater concourse of men in
the midst of whom the Word of God was to be preached :
and then, because there is there a more refined under-
standing among the men ; that is, a greater wisdom of
the flesh, which is an enemy to God. Hence Christ at-
tacks the world by his Word in its highest and head ones,
in whom the most of its power lies ; for when the cities
are destroyed, then all the rest of the commonalty are
destroyed. — And Augustine also, though he takes the
noun " cities" in a figurative sense, yet understands the
verb " hast destroyed," as speaking of a spiritual de-
struction. And I have observed before, that we are more
to regard the words than the names, in order to under-
stand the spirit : as in Psalm Ixxii. 8, " He shall have
dominion from sea to sea." Here, no other sea is to be
understood than the material sea : arid yet, the dominion
is not a carnal dominion (as the Jews understand it.)
And in the same manner also here, the word ^' cities" is
to be understood literally and properly ; but yet the de-
struction is to be understood as being spiritual and not
carnal. — Therefore, the weapons of the enemies have so
ceased, that they themselves and their cities also are sub-
verted and destroyed.

But they that want to make some other meaning out
of this passage have an ambiguous Hebrew word to work

475

upon. For they will have it, that the noun iftiM, if the
rejected Jod be written, as in this passage, signifies not
only cities, but enemies also. For the pronoun " ^/ze/r"
is not in the Hebrew. Hence we have in our translation,
Micah V. 11, *' And I will cut off thy cities," which
Reuchlin says is, in the Hebrew, " And I will cut off
thine enemies." But all that which makes no material
difference I leave to every ones judgment. This is cer-
tain, that, whether you say cities or enemies, the sense is
the same. For we have said that prudent men, and the
children of this world, are, by their wisdom, the greatest
enemies to the Word of the cross, and these are they at
whom the word principally strikes. For this our ram
sets his horns in these thickets.

" Their memory is perished." — It is manifest that
their name which is destroyed is one thing, and their
name which is perished is another. For their name in
which they delighted is taken from them and returned to
God, when they confess m ith humility that they are sin-
ners and worthy of all shame. And then, all that they
had is so destroyed by the Word, all their dependence,
their name, their power, and their multitude, that there
is not even the memory of them remaining. And this is
said thus, according to the usage of an old proverb;
whereby, when speaking of men or their actions being
destroyed, we say, ' There is not so much as the memory
of them remaining.' The extremity of all destruction is
accomplished, when the things themselves are buried in
perpetual oblivion. — Behold, therefore, the power of the
Word and of faith : it makes the ungodly godly, and de-
stroys their sins, and the arms of their iniquity, and
buries them in eternal oblivion : that the persons them-
selves may be of another possession, another name,
another power, another multitude, and another memory,
being saved of God.

And then, the words " with a noise" are translated
by Hieronymus, " with them." The Hebrew runs ver-
batim thus, " Their memory is perished, themselves."
The preposition '' ivith,'' is not in the text. But the
word is very much like the verb, which signifies * to

476

sound,' and tliis is what they have followed who have
rendered the passage " with a sound."

I, in my simple way, have resource to a figure of
speech impiyinsi; union : and Joining and continuing the
sense, I m ould render it thus, " Their memory is perished,
and they themselves :" for that Hebraism is most com-
mon in other passages. Hence we have it Psalm iv. 8,
" For thou, O Lord, hast singularly established me in
hope." And therefore, the prophet seems to me to have
added, " and they themselves," at the end of the verse,
either by way of conclusion, or to give vent to the power
of his feelings. As if he had said, " Their memory is
perished, and they themselves :" that is, they are utterly
reduced to nothing, together with all that they have.

Augustine renders " with a noise," ' with tumult,'
' with a confusion ;' that tumultuous noise whereby the
wicked roar and perish, and struggle and fight against
the destroying hand. Or, because their memory perishes
together with the ceasing of this tumultuous noise. —
But what is the service or benefit of inventing number-
less variations, on a text that will admit them? By this
sound or " noise" you may understand, that the whole
perished in a moment, like a dying or vanishing sound.
In this same way also. Job xiv. 2, compares man to a
fleeing shadow. Let every one here follow his own
judgment.

Ver. 7. — But the Lord shall endure for ever ; he
hath prepared his throne in judgment.

Hieronymus translates the passage thus, " But the
Lord shall sit for ever, he hath prepared his throne for
judgment." Li which rendering, there is not only the
duration described (which our translator has observed,)
but also the office of Christ maintained : which is two-
fold,— to judge and to justify; to kill and to make alive;
to condemn and to save. By his judgment he humbles
the proud, and by his righteousness he exalts the hum-
bled. Therefore, his having prepared his throne for
judc^ment, signifies that which Malachi saith, iii. 23,
*' For he is like a refiners fire, and like fuller's soap.:

477

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver : and
he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold
and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering
in righteousness."

Thus when the nations are rebuked, when the un-
godly man is destroyed and his name lost, and when he
has fell and confessed his sin, nothing is left but this
daily cleansing of sin, and this renewing of the mind day
by day, this passing on from grace to grace, and this
destruction of the body of sin. All which is wrought
either while we are exercised with various sufferings, or
while, being kept under a continual sense of our sin, we
become more and more dissatisfied with ourselves,
and groan and labour in humility. Hence Ezekiel, xx.
43, 44, " And there shall ye remember your Mays and
your doings, wherein ye have been defiled ; and ye shall
lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils
which he have committed. And ye shall know that I
am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for my
name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor
according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel,
saith the Lord God."

But where this theology is omitted and neglected,

men become great and high, and doat about questions,

as if they had nothing at all to grieve at and bewail in

themselves. Concerning whom Isaiah saith, Iviii. I,

^' Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet,

and show my people their transgressions, and the house

of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight

to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness."

And what did the prophet mean by these words, but

that all the curious priers into the works of God should

be thrown down into a thouiiht and knowled<>;e of their

own sins ; that they might be brought to think upon

their own sins (as it is described Psalm xxxviii.) and be

continually dwelling upon those things which God has

commanded them. For this is the judgment of Christ,

and it is thus that he exercises them in a terror, and

repentance for, and distress on account of, their own sins.

And hence, that speculative theology which, forgetful of j

478

itself, rises up into high thoughts upon divine things,
seeks after and tinds a precipice contrived of Satan.

We have recorded, in the lives of the fathers, a cir-
cumstance that took place respecting two junior bre-
thren who were disputing and holding questionings about
Melchizedek. They took this question before a senior
father; who, smiting upon his breast, exclaimed, ' O
miserable sinner that I am, who neglect my own sins,
and suffer myself to be carried away into these vain
questions ! ' Then they blushing and confused stood in
silence, and then withdrew each to his own cell. — Where
then shall all those of our day appear, who do not dis-
pute about Melchizedek, but about Aristotle and Por-
phyry, and hold the most frivolous questionings con-
cerning them ; and thus most unhappily destroy the
most precious of all time, and utterly disregard the com-
mand of Christ.

Nay, such characters most impiously fight against
this judgment of Christ : for they deceive men, and
with a most vain and secure promise, lyingly give
unto them full remissions (as they call them) of all
their sins and crimes : saying, ' Peace, peace,' when
there is no peace. And Isaiah saith, they make the
people to trust in a lie. And as he saith, chap. iii. 12,
" O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err,
and destroy the way of thy paths." For this truth ever
stands firm, " He hath prepared his seat for judgment."
And so we have it also Psalm cxxii. 5, " For there are
set the thrones of judgment and thrones of the house of
David." For who will thirst after the grace of God,
whose sin does not gnaw and torment him ? And he
that does not thirst after it, how shall he seek after it ?
And he that does not seek after it, how shall he find it ?
It is not in vain said, " The Lord shall sit for ever:"_
which refers to the time of this life : for there will be
no sin after this life which God will sit to judge : and
even the Son himself will be subject unto him who sub-
jected all things under him, and will deliver up the king-
dom to God even the Father, after he shall have put all
enemies under his feet : as the apostle teaches, 1 Cor xv.

479

He sits therefore always, because there is always sin for
him to judge in us. He however who has borne this
judgment of the Lord, and can say with Micah, chap,
vii. 8, 9, " I will bear the indignation of the Lord, be-
cause I have sinned against him ; " will be in a proper
state to be brought forth, like the same Micah, to the
light, and to see the righteousness of God. And when
such an one sits in darkness the Lord shall be a light
unto him. Hence it follows,

Ver. 8. — And he shall judge the world in equity ; and
judge the people in righteousness.

This same verse in Psalm xcviii. 9, is translated
thus, "And shall judge the world in righteousness and
the people in equity : " and which also, as we have
it in another Psalm, is, "And he shall judge the world
in equity and the people in his truth." And, indeed in
many other passages of the Scriptures, these two words,
equity and righteousness, are rendered the one for the
other; and equity is often put for uprightness, and up-
rightness for equity. But in the present verse, righte-
ousness ought to have been in the first clause, and
equity in the last : for the Hebrew runs thus, according
to Hieronymus, 'And he shall judge the world in righte-
ousness, and shall judge the people in equities : ' that is,
in uprightnesses: which is called, Psalm xcix. 4, ' right,'
or ' straight things,' " Thou hast prepared straight
things."

But by righteousness and equity we are to under-
stand, not that internal righteousness and equity of
Christ whereby he is righteous and upright ; but the
works of Christ, whereby he justifies the people and
makes them righteous and upright ; and also his grace,
whereby he gives unto them righteousness and equity :
otherwise, who could stand before his throne, how holy
soever he might be, if he should judge men according to
his righteousness and equity ? In the same way as it
may be said of Solomon, that he was a king ruling in
riches, glory, and peace ; not only because he himself
was rich, but because his people were rich under him,

48Q

and enjoyed glory and peace under his protection and
administration : as we have it, 1 Kings iv. 25, " And
Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine
and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all
the days of Solomon." Otherwise, if all his subjects
were poor, inglorious, inquiet, and ignorant, he might
be said to have reigned most miserably and un-
happily.

Thus the kingdom of Christ consists in truth, righ-
teousness, equity, peace, and wisdom ; not only because
lie himself is true, righteous, just, peaceful, and wise,
but because those that believe in him are so. For his
kingdom would {)eamiserable one indeed if his people were
liars, sinners, unrighteous, unquiet, and fools, like the
kingdom and the subjects of the devil. Hence Isaiah
saith, chap. Hi. 1, " For henceforth there shall no
more come into thee the uncircumcised and the
unclean."

And moreover, righteousness and equity (not to
affect vanity and fulness by a mere indulgence of our
own rash whims and too great liberty,) I should consider
to be nothing more than the work of the mercy and
judgment of God. For it is said, Psalm v. 7, " But as
tor me, I will come into thine house in the multitude of
thy mercy, and in thy fear will I worship toward thy
holy temple." And again, ver. 8, " Lead me, O Lord,
in thy rij-hteousness, because of mine enemies : make
tliy way straight before my face." — For he that sets
before him the mercy of God, and believes in it with a
firm faith, and rests and trusts in it, he is justified : and
thus, he enters in the multitude of mercy, is led in
righteousness, and is truly directed by Christ sitting
and thus judging the vvorld in righteousness. And he
that thus walks in this righteousness, meets with many
offences in his way, from the flesh, the world, and the
devil : according to that of Psalm cxl. " They have laid
a stumbling-block in my way, ihat I might dash my foot
against it." For as long as we live in the flesh, the old
serpent will be always laying at our heel ; that he may
destroy our }>ath, and turn us aside from the right way.

481

Hence, this judgment-throne of God being erected
keeps us in a continual fear, preserves us, and causes
us to turn aside from evil, that our senses and passions
be not seduced by Satan (as Eve was) and drawn aside
from the simplicity that is in Christ, but that we may
walk on in the high, right, and straight way on which we
have entered. And this is what is meant by this equity or
straightness.

Wherefore, these two things may be considered to
be the same in this spiritual matter, as the two kinds of
medicine, sanative and preservative, are among phy-
sicians. Or, as the one thing which the sick person
takes, and the other from which he abstains. For, in
the same manner, it appears to me, that righteousness
is that grace by which we are justitied through faith in
God : and rectitude, or equity, that certain abstinence
by which we abstain from all enticements or threats
whereby a man may be turned aside, drawn away, and
defiled : or this may be termed perseverance, or tem-
perance, or any thing else of the kind which any one
may wish to call it.

And I consider also, that these same two things are
signified by righteousness and judgment, which are gene-
rally mentioned together in the Holy Scriptures. As in
Psalm cxix. 121, "I have done judgment and justice."
And again, " Blessed are they that do judgment and
justice at all times." And I understand also in the
same way justification, and the mortification of the
members after justification. Though rectitude refers
more to the feelings and afi^ections than to the powerful
work of mortification, which is wrought by judgment
and the cross. For he is upright who is of a sound and
sincere judgment, and perseveres therein with all the af-
fection of his mind, whatever cause, occasion, or induce-
ment may be presented to him on either side. This
uprightness is certainly described very fully. Psalm xci. ;
" He that dwelleth in the secret-place of the Most High,
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will
say unto the Lord, Thou art my refuge and my fortress."
These things evince the faith. Then it follows, " He

VOL. III. 2 I

482

shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings
thou shalt trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for
the arrow that flieth by day ; nor for the pestilence that
walketh in darkness ; nor for the destruction that wasteth
at noon day. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten
thousand at thy right hand ; but it shall not come nigh
thee." And why? because he turns neither to the right
hand nor to the left, but walks on the middle, royal, and
right way. And then we have it afterwards, " And
he hath given his angels charge concerning thee, that
they may keep thee in all thy ways." And, most certainly,
this guard enables him to keep on in the right way,
against all allurements and all corruptions that may en-
tice him. And then it folloAvs, lastly, " Thou shalt tread
upon the lion and adder ; the young lion and the dragon
shalt thou trample under foot." And what does all this
mean ; but that the righteous man shall by his upright-
ness overcome all the snares that are laid for his feet ?

This uprightness, the Apostle commends, Rom. vi.
and xiii. and in many other places : where he teaches
that we are justified by faith. And yet, he enjoins us to
take heed that we obey not our lusts, nor yield our mem-
bers as instruments of unrighteousness, but that we be
renewed day by day, putting off the old man and putting
on the new. And there is no doubt that David wrote the
word in the Hebrew in the plural number, " in upright-
nesses ;" which our translator had rendered by the singular,
" in righteousness ;" and that also he has changed, for it
ought to have been " in equity." And David used
the plural, that he might show the infinite number of the
creeping things of this great sea, both great and small :
that is, the various snares by whichthe way of righteous-
ness is hindered. So that, though righteousness and up-
rightness are each but one, yet they are said to be many,
because they are each exercised with so many depravities,
and so often renewed and restored.

From these things, we may understand how great a
display of grace it is, to have Christ as judge in righte-
ousness and uprightness ; and in what a proper order

483

David put righteousness before equity or uprightness.
For there are many who begin to be justified by faith,
but they are soon corrupted, confounded, and turned
aside into another way : while they nevertheless imagine^
that faith remains; or at least, acquired faith (as they
call it.) And this being corrupted, or turning aside, is
most perilous in spiritual things: and of this we have
spoken Psalm v. — Let us then follow this distinction
between righteousness and equity until we find a better :
but, in my judgment, this which I have given, will throw
a great deal of light upon various passages of the scrip-
tures where these words are used.

And this observation, though perhaps trifling, is yet
not to be overlooked, — that " shall judge," does not so
much signify the work, according to the Hebrew manner
of expression, as the office and dignity of judging : as
we have it Psalm ex. 6, " He shall judge among the
heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies ;
he shall wound the heads over many countries." And
so also in the Book of Judges, it is said concerning the
heads of the people, ' that they judged,' that is, were set
over Israel.

By which it signifies, that the kingdom of Christ
was not set up to conquer cities or men, but sins and
vices. And they who rule in the stead of Christ, ought^
in holding such office, to have nothing else in their view,
but the rendering the people of Christ as free from sins
as possible : as it is said Psalm cxxii. .5, " For there are
set the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of
David."

And having said this, we may now observe, that
there is no objection against understanding this verse in
a general way, as applicable to the great judgment at the
last day, and indeed to all judgment ; whether it be that
of severity whereby the ungodly are punished in this life,
or that of goodness whereby the elect are converted : for
the judgment of God is one and the same in all cases.
But those who will not be judged in gentleness and good-
ness, and will not be cleared from their sins in equity,
that they may be saved in the righteousness of the spirit,

.« I *(

484

make to themselves of the judgment of goodness, a judg-
ment of severity. Though the righteousness and equity of
God are nevertheless displayed in the vessels of mercy ;
for sin must be condemned by the equity of God,
whether the ungodly be delivered from it in this world,
or whether it cleave unto them to all eternity.

And it is in this sense, that the Apostle Paul seems
to receive this verse, when he says, Acts xvii. 30, 31,
" But now God commandeth all men every where to
repent : because he hath appointed a day, in the whichhe
will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom
he hath ordained : whereof he hath given assurance unto
all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."
And it is to this that he alludes Rom. iii. 5, 6, " What
shall we say then, is God unrighteous who taketh ven-
geance? (I speak as a man.) God forbid : for then how
shall God judge the world ?" As if he had said, for he
will judge that in equity.

And Peter also, 1 Epist. iv. 17, 18, makes the judg-
ment of God, whereby he converts the ungodly, and that
whereby he damns the reprobate, to be the same judg-
ment : saying, " For the time is come that judgment
must begin at the house of God : and if it first begiri at
us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the
Gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved,
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear ?" In
which passage Peter touched upon that of Proverbs xi.
31, "Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the
earth : much more the wicked and the sinner." That is,
wrath is recompensed to the righteous as a sinner and un-
righteous. Peter, however, has immediately in his view,
that of Ezekiel ix. 1, 2, where the Lord sent a man
with an ink-horn in his hand, clothed in linen, and com-
mands him that he should smite all the ungodly imto
utter destruction ; saying unto them, ver. 6, " And be-
gin at my sanctuary." This is what Peter calls the time
ofjudgment, which begins at the house of God. And
hence Jeremiah saith, xlix. 12, " For thus saith the
Lord : Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of
the cup, have assuredly drunken. And art thou he that-

485

shall altogether go unpunished ? Thou shalt not go un-
punished, but thou shalt surely drink of it." Behold, here
is the same cup, but the two characters drink out^of itto
different ends ; the one is purged and converted by it,
the other is reprobated and damned. And thus we have
it also Deut. xxxii. 36, " For the Lord shall judge his
people, and repent himself for his servants." AH there-
fore have the same judgment, but the event is different.

Ver. 9.-^The Lord is become a refuge for the poor,
a refuge in opportunities in tribulation.

Here, he describes the other army as victorious : that
is, the army of the godly, the Almuth himself. The
words refuge, and helper, are the same word in the
Hebrew: and Hieronymus renders the passage, ' And
the Lord shall be a lifting up for the oppressed, a timely
lifting in straits.' For what the prophet means, is, that
the poor people of the apostles and martyrs were lifted up,
and victorious, and ever will be holy conquerors over
the great ones and giants of the world by the Word of
Christ. In which figurative way Isaiah speaks, vii.
' And the Lord shall lift up the enemies of Rezin above
him \ that is, he shall make the enemies of Rezin victo-
rious. And so also, here, the prophet saith, that it shall
come to pass, that the persecutors of the Church being
conquered, shall yield victory to the conquering church.
And when this was done it then appeared marvellous, as
it was also when it was first declared and preached. And
all this is wrought by Christ sitting on his throne rebuking
and judging.

And where it is said " in opportunities," the Hebrew-
is, LEiTHOTH ; that is, in times ; the same word as we find
Psalm i. 3, " That bringeth forth his fruit in his season.^'
Rut, however, it is well translated " in opportunities ;"
wherein all the impatient are rebuked, and all we are
comforted. For the impatient, to whom all delay appears
too long, prescribe to God a day and a way wherein
they will be helped. Hence such are reproved. Judges
viii.' ' Who are ye that have appointed a day unto him

486

according to your will?' God has promised all things to
them that ask, knock, and seek, but the time, the place,
and the way, that is, " the opportunities," he hath reserved
to himself alone. For if he should answer us immedi-
ately when we call upon him, it should be to our great
evil, because then there would be no place and no need
left for faith, hope, and love, if our desires should be
immediately fulfilled according to our wishes.

Hence, we have it described, Psalm Ixxviii. that the
Jews were not indeed denied their desires in the wilder-
ness when they asked flesh, and were unbelieving and
impatient of delay; but, the wrath of God also descended
at the same time upon them, and they perished. And
then, when there was no place and no use for faith, hope,
and love, there followed no cleansing from sin, nor mor-
tification of corrupt affections, whereby we madly give
ourselves up to present and sensible pleasures. And
therefore, as our evil affections are not purged, and we
are not innured to a deprivation from any thing, we can
do no good work, nor ever please God, and so can never
be saved.

So careful, therefore, is the divine mercy over us,
that, for our benefit, it delays the giving us that v»hich
it has commanded us to ask for, in order that it might
give it unto us with the greater profit and real advantage
to us. And hence, we have it written Isaiah Ixiv. 4,
" The eye hath not seen, O God, besides thee, what thou
hast prepared for them that wait for thee." Observe the
words, " for them that wait,'' and, " the eye that hath
not seen." To which words the apostle adds, 1 Cor.
xxix. " Neither hath it entered into the heart of man to
conceive the things which God hath prepared for them
that love him," instead of " wait for him." For they
are they who truly love God, who wait for the truth of
the promiser: but they who fail in this rather love
themselves. And hence we have it. Psalm xxvii. 14,
*' Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen thine heart : wait, I say, on the Lord." John
Taulerus has said many excellent things upon this point

487

in his late sermons. For these are the upright in heart
mentioned Psalm Ixxiii. 1, " How good is God to
Israel ! even to those that are upright in their hearts :"
together with the other things there said, which follow.
For we call that a right or upright heart which does not
seek that which is its own, and is not corrupted to its
own profit. To such an heart God is good : and such,
" taste and see that the Lord is gracious."

In these two words is expressed the state and con-
dition of our Almuth, that is, the hidden youth, or the
people of the New Testament that live by faith, — they
are poor and in tribulation. For as he had described
the ungodly enemies as being of a famous name, of great
power, of phramea, and of a great multitude in the cities,
and on this account of powerful and of a striking ex-
ternal appearance ; so, it became him to describe, on the
contrary, the godly in their form of poverty, tribulation,
infirmity, and ignominy. And yet, to these ignoble
ones he has given the victory over all those mighty ones,
and all that pride of Jordan ; that it might stand true
which he said, that he would speak of the " marvellous
works of God :" rejoicing in the Lord, who puts down
the mighty from their seat, and exalts the humble and
meek, and regards the low things that are in the heaven
and in the earth.

Ver. 10. — And let them hope in thee who know thy
name: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek
thee.

What it is to know the name of the Lord, and
to love it, and hope in it, we have abundantly shown
Psalm V. upon that verse, " And all they that love thy
name shall glory in thee." And both this hope, and this
knowledge of the name of the Lord, are peculiarly descrip-
tive of the Almuth, because his life is hidden in hope,
and he will know nothing of his own name : he rejoices
and glories in the name of God only : whereas the im-
pious glory in a thing that appeareth, and in their own
name.

But this may be also understood as spoken in the fu-

488

ture indicative. " And all thev that know thv name shall
hope in thee." So that there may be hope of deliver-
ance under present tribulation, from a remembrance of
that which is past. Under which feelings David speaks
also, Psalm iv. " When I called, the Lord my righ-
teousnes heard me : thou hast enlarged me when 1 was
in distress :" upon which words we have spoken in their
place. For this verse speaks thus for the consolation
of the weak, that they all may hope in God who call
upon his name ; having seen all his wonderful works
that are past.

And this is spoken against the feelings of the fleshy —
" for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek
thee :" that they may learn to wait for the " opportu-
nities :" for it appears to all human sense and feeling
that God has forsaken them that seek him : against all
which storms of thought this verse is fixed as a defend-
ing rock : and such are always to say ,with all confidence,
" Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee."

Ver. 1 1. — Sing praises to the Lord which divelleth i?i
Zion : declare among the people his pursuits or doings.

Behold, this verse also shows whom it was that
David designed in the title by the name Almuth :
namely, the remnant of Israel, who, leaving the old sy-
nagogue which shone conspicuous in worldly splendour,
and secularly holy things, were born by faith into a new
people, and a spiritual youth ; which walk, not in the
pomp and ceremonies of the letter, but in the newness
of the spirit, labouring under the cross, and sufferings,
and being despised. And all this is shown, by his com-
manding them to sing praises unto the Lord that dwell-
eth in Zion, and to declare among the nations his
doings. For no othei-s declared those holy things of
God among the nations, but the apostles and others of
the Jews who were converted : as Isaiah saith in his last
chapter, 19th verse; " And I will send those that
escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and
Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and to Javan, to
the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither

489

have seen my glory : and they shall declare my glory
among the Gentiles." And we have before adduced a
passage to the same effect out of Micah v. concerning
the remnant of Jacob in the midst of many peoples.

The word " doings" here, (or more properly " pur-
suits,") is in the Hebrew eliloth,. which has been trans-
lated by some ' works,' by others ' wonderful things,'
by others ' counsels or designs.' But of all the different
renderings, our translation pleases me best; namely,
" pursuits ;" in which general noun are comprehended
the works, employments, and transactions of any one
of every kind ; and especially those which are done
with design and endeavour ; hence the Hebrew word
translated " pursuits," includes most properly the de-
sign and the work. The " pursuits" of God, there-
fore, are properly those '' wonderful works" which he
does in pursuance of some design. And they are those
of which we have spoken, — to humble the proud and to
exalt the humble, to turn the ungodly back, and to be a
refuge for the poor. And because the Jews refused
and despised doing these things, " Behold, (says the
Apostle,) we turn to the Gentiles:" which things, when
they were proclaimed to the Gentiles, converted many of
them, and offended many : for Christ is a slim in both
respects to be spoken against, and is set for the fall and
rising again of many !

Ver. 12. — For requiring.their blood, he remembereth
them; he forgettetli not the cry of the poor.

Here, David sets forth the " pursuits" of God more
clearly which he just before said should be declared ;
that is, for the consolation of those who are under tribu-
lation. For God is a slow rewarder : as the apostle
saith, ' jMany are the riches of his goodness, and patience,
and long-suffering.' He appears indeed neither to re-
quire the blood of the saints nor to be mindful of his^
poor. Under which long-suffering it is necessary that
we be exhorted by these Psalms.

And here again, he beautifully sets forth the person
of our Almuth, and describes the nature and reason of

490

the title. For while the prophet is speaking of the
blood, and the cry of the poor, does he not intimate that
death and all other sufferings are endured by this
Almuth ? This is indeed a new kind of men, which live
in death, rejoice under suffering, conquer under oppres-
sion, and are heard when they cry under a sense that
they are forgotten. How could the " youth" be more
deeply " hidden" than this, — under blood ? If therefore
any one has hitherto doubted that the martyrs are spoken
of in this Psalm, let him read it, and see how their
" blood" is spoken of.

And here, we see also by what might it was that the
martyrs conquered, — that is, by blood and by crying.
How far then is the present church gone from the state
of the church in primitive times : which being more
cruel than Babylon itself, rather sheds the blood of
others, and causes their' cries unto heaven against them-
selves; thinking all the while that they are thereby
doing God service. For it matters very little, whether
you refer this verse to the past evils whereby the mar-
tyrs were afflicted by the Jews, or to the present evils
among the Gentiles, and to those which shall come
after. Though the general sense of the text will more
properly agree with the former acceptation ; for he is
describing the " pursuits" of God against those former
characters ; for by these " pursuits" they were delivered
from the fury of the Jews. This is, that he might show,
what ought to be preached and proclaimed among the
Gentiles concerning the " pursuits" of God ; and on
what account they ought to sing praise unto him ; for
he speaks immediately afterwards concerning those evils
that are to be endured among the nations.

But we understand, " the remembrance of the blood
of the saints, and the regarding of the cry of the poor ;" —
First, sweetly, concerning the conversion of the ungodly
which is wrought by the medium of the blood and cry
of the martyrs : even as Stephen was the means of con-
verting Paul, Lawrentius, Hippolytus : and, in a word,
as the church converts the whole world by blood and by
prayer. And secondly, in severity, as applying to those

491

who, despising this sweetness, remain in their ungodli-
ness. Concerning whom Christ speaics, Luke xviii. 6.
" Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not
God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto
him, though he bear long with them ? I tell you, he
will avenge them speedily."

Here, behold, how consistent the evangelical doc-
trine and life are every where with themselves. It is
the duty of Christians not to return evil for evil, nor to
retaliate, nor to seek revenge : so, in this verse the mar-
tyrs pour out their blood, and yet do nothing else but
cry. And hence, that we also may be instructed, it
becomes every one in his cause to be patient and free
from revenge, and to turn unto God only by prayer: as
the apostle saith, Rom. xii. 19, " Dearly beloved,
avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath.
For it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith
the Lord." And this precept was necessary in former
times, when the Gospel was flourishing ; but now, as opi-
nions have so much prevailed, it has become a counsel
given unto the perfect.

Ver. 13. — Have mercy upon me, O Lord, consider
my humility from mine enemies, thou that liftest me up
from the gates of death.

Hieronymus renders it thus, " Consider my affliction
from mine enemies." Hence, " humility," in this pas-
sage, signifies vileness, oppression, and labour, which
in the scriptures is often taken to signify the }>oor ; as if
one should say, sorrow and trouble of mind which are
caused by the adversaries. — ^And, enemies, in this place,
are properly called, in the Hebrew, haters, from the
hatred which they bear. And indeed that Latin expres-
sion which we have in our translation is not correct nor
usual, " Humilitatem meain de inimicis meis :" for there
seems to be an ellipsis here which requires to be supplied
in this manner, ' Behold my humility which I suffer
IVom them that hate me.'

Therefore the effects and feelings of this verse are
experienced by those, who, after having overcome some

492

evils, are again oppressed, and cry and pray for deli-
verance : so that it not only shows, that the saints are
exposed to continual tribulations, but sets forth also the
nature of the church, in the person of whom it sings
the praises, glorying in the preceding martyrs, and prais-
ing God on their account ; praying and groaning under
present martyrdoms; and praying and desiring help for
all that shall come after. And hence, also, David him-
self, when he begs of God to regard his affliction accord-
ing to his mercy, recounts the former marvellous works
of God, because he had before brought him up from the
gates of death.

According to my inexperienced judgment, the apostle
Paul exhibited a beautiful example of the contents of
this verse, in those tribulations which he endured in
Asia: of which he writes thus, 2 Cor. i. 8 — 11, " For
we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble
which came upon us in Asia, that we were pressed out
of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired
even of life. But we had the sentence of death in
ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in
God which raiseth the dead. Who delivered us from
so great a death, and doth deliver : in whom we trust
also that he will yet deliver us : ye also helping together
by prayer for us." The apostle therefore, as well as the
prophet David, argues a majori (as we term it). If
(says the latter) thou hast lifted us up from the gates or
death aforetime : so now, when my haters are oppressing
me, have mercy upon me in my affliction. He is easily
brought to believe and to hope under a lesser evil, who
has experienced the fruits of hope under a greater.

I believe that these " gates of death," signify a
very heavy persecution, which Paul calls the ' answer (or
sentence) of death in himself.' Though I know that
" gates" in the scriptures often signify the senate houses
or places of public assembly, where judgment was re-
ceived, as we shall see in the following verse. Others,
however, following a figurative mode of expression, seem
to understand by " gates," vices and sins ; by which we
came unto death.

493

But however, following the more sim})le sense and
being content with that, we will understand this, " death"
as I said, of corporal death: and by the " gates" we will
understand the entrance to it ; so that the " gates of
death," signify the entrance on death, or approaching
and impending death : which, although it be but as no-
thing when compared with eternal death, yet, if it be not
overcome by the conquering grace of God, it differs
nothing from eternal death, nay,' it is the very beginning
of eternal death. Otherwise, it might only be called the
dosing, or sleep, or reposing of the saints. Wherefore,
we are to observe, that there is a peculiar force of ex-
pression in these " gates of death." For we are thereby
to understand, that the Apostle, and holy martyrs, and
saints, so struggled with death and fought with it, that
they had, as it were, a certain taste of eternal death.
And this is what Christ seems to intend by the " gates
of hell," Matth. xvi, 18. For, if there were not something
more terrible than mere sensible death, David would
not have used so powerful and forcible an expression as
" the gates of death."

Ver. 14. — That I may tell of all thy praise in the
gates of the daughter of Zion : I will rejoice in thy
saving.

What our translator here renders " I will tell of," is
rendered in tltfe first verse, " I will show forth :" but the
Hebrew word is the same in both instances. He might
have rendered it thus, ' And therefore I will show forth
all thy praises.' And he says, " All thy praises," in the
same figure of speech as that, wherein he said before,
" All thy marvellous works." And this feeling and af-
fection of mind has been described and handled before,
Psalm V. where it is said, that they that love the name of
the Lord shall glory in him. And such are delighted to
show forth and proclaim his praise. And therefore, such
desire to be holpen and manfully endure the Lord till he
shall become their helper : for if he come not thus unto
them, all his praise will utterly perish. As it is said Psalm
vi. 5, " For in death there is no remembrance of thee."

494

And so also here, David says, that he was raised and
h'fted up from the gates of death, that he might show
forth his praise and rejoice in his salvation.

Hence we see, that this Psalm is sung in the person
of the whole almuth : for the martyrs who were slain
declare not nor show forth the praise of God in the
Church militant, but they only do it who are left after
peace is obtained or the enemies conquered, and those
also who succeed them. For the praises of God are
therefore shown forth, that his works might become
known, and his name known, for the consolation and
hope of the believing, and the conversion of the unbe-
lieving. For, in heaven, where all see the glory of God,
they want no one to show it forth and declare it. But,
on earth, where the glory of God is by no means re-
ceived, seeing that, it works in a. manner contrary to all
human idea, so that God seems more to forget his peo-
ple than to be mindful of them, there is need that his
glory should be set forth by the Word, and understood
by faith.

And I think it is qaite clear, that the *' gates of
the daughter of Zion," here signify those places where
the faithful meet for hearing the Word of God, for
prayer, for the sacraments, for repentance, and for
binding and loosing sinners. For in the gates it was that
they sat in old time to judge : as we have it. Proverbs
xxxi. 23, " Her husband is known in the gates, when he
sitteth among the elders of the land." Nor is it absurd
to understand here, by a figure, cities, according to the
law of Moses : for he saith, Deut. xvii. and in like
places, ' If there shall be found a man or a woman within
one of thy gates, &c. :' by which term I understand that
cities are signified, on account of the mystery of the
future Churches, to M'hich there is an entrance and an
outgoing both open and safe. That is, an outgoing, I
say, to war and labours ; and an entrance into peace and
rest. And it is in these gates that the praises of God are
declared, as we have heard, and as we see.

And he says, " of the daughter of Zion:" because
the church began in this mountain, and from thence

493

spread over all the world. And perhaps it is not without
cause that he adds of the " daughter," not being con-
tented with saying the " gates" of Zion only : because
he foresaw that Zion and Jerusalem would be destroyed.
Nevertheless, the church throughout the world, which is
her daughter, has her " gates," in which are preached
the praises and glory of God for the salvation of nations;
and therein judgment is executed for the mortification
and destruction of the sin of the old man : as we have
before said.

" I will rejoice in thy saving." — This is a frequent
expression in the scriptures, " Thy saving," {salutare
tuuni) and it is generally referred to Christ, and applied
particularly to him. And this is quite correctly and
rightly expressed, though the expression itself is not so
clear. For ' Saviour' means one thing, ' Salvation'
another, and ' saving' another. For, according to the
Romans, ' saving' (salutart) is that which the Saviour
makes use of to procure, produce, or bring salvation ; as
food, drink, medicine, and the like: they call saving, or
saving things {salutaria.) As therefore this is the case,
Christ is most properly called the ' saving' {salutare •)
for he is that medium by which we are saved. He is
the bread which giveth life unto the world. And indeed,
the same is both the physician and the medicine whereb}''
the sins of our souls are healed, and whereby Me are
delivered from every evil.

The meaning is, therefore, I neither seek salvation in
myself nor in any man, for vain is the help of man. I
willingly submit to be stripped both of myself and them ;
that I may be saved in Christ, thy Son, from all my sins
and from all evils. For he is that all-healing ointment ;
he is our consolation ; or, as the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. i.
20, '' He is, O God, made unto us righteousness, wisdom,
sanctification, and redemption :" in which words he has
most beautifully set forth the full force and meaning of
the word " saving," {salutare) and the office and use of
Christ, together with our incorporation in Christ, Only
take heed that thou steer clear of dreaming sophists, who
set forth Christ as being; our ri2:hteousness and wisdom in

'C5

496

this wa}^ — that is, as being always the object of the
cause of our becoming righteous ; while they are utterly
ignorant of the true use of Christ, which is by faith in
him. Concerning which use alone Paul speaks. For
it is faith in Christ, that makes me live in him, and
move in him, and act in him ; in the same way as a
healing ointment acts upon a sick body; and I am hereby
not only made one flesh and one body with Christ, but
have an all-intimate, ineftable, exchanging of my sin for
his righteousness.

He that knows and has experienced these things,
soon becomes disgusted at the idea of being saved by mian :
he willingly suffers the being condemned by them, and
rejoices alone in the salvation of God, glorying, and giving
thanks that he is one of those to whom Christ is salvation,
and will be until he becomes fully saved and like unto
Christ himself, who has saved him purely and entirely at
his own cost. Hence the word " saving," {salutare) as
it includes the force, nature, and meaning of salvation,
more properly agrees with the Church militant, than
the word ' salvation,' which will be rather the consumma-
tion of the whole in the next world. In the mean time
Christ is the leaven hidden in the three measures of meal
until the whole be leavened : for this is the work of
Christ, this is his judgment, this is his throne, at this
time (as we have said) — to purge away sin in his faithful
ones, and to convert them with his own righteousness :
as it is written, Hebrews i. 2, " Who, upholding all
things by the Word of his power, when he had by him-
self purged away our sin, sat down at the right hand of
the Majesty on high."

Ver. 15. — The heathen are Jived hi the destruction
that they made: in the net which they hid is their own
foot taken.

Instead of " are fixed," Hieronymus has ' are sunk
down :' which will very well agree, if, for " destruction"
we render " pit ;" for the same original w^ord signifies ' a
destruction,' ' a pit,' and ' a snare ;' and perhaps it is so,
because m.en may frequently perish by a pit and a snare.

497

and we have again, in this passage, the figure of expres-
sion which we noticed Psalm vii. wherein, omitting the
pronoun relative " which," the Hebrew simply says, " In
the destruction, they made;" and so also, " In the net,
they made." And finally, the same word which is there
rendered, ver. 15, " pit," is here rendered " destruction."
And indeed, this verse is altogether like that and of a simi-
lar intent. So that it appears, that this saying Mas a kind
of proverb in general use, and that it is thus made use
of both here and there. For what is here said, " In the
net which they hid is their own foot taken," differs a
little , from the former in words, but not at all in senti-
ment: which there concludes by saying, "His mischief
shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing
shall come down upon his own pate."

The plain and manifest meaning of the whole is,
therefore, that ungodly persecutors of the martyrs are
made to sink down two ways : some sweetly, and some
in severity. Of the way of severity we have an example.
Psalm vii. in Absalom, who fell into the pit which he
had prepared for his father : which same severity also
happened to the Jews, in the destruction of Jerusalem,
when they themselves were preparing to destroy the
Church of God : and in which same way also, Rome
was deservedly destroyed. And the same also, all per-
secutors of those that fear God shall fall by severity,
though they may for a little time seem to be superiors:
as itis written Prov. xi. 8, " The righteous is delivered
out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead."
And again, Ecclesiasticus xxvii. Q5, " He that casteth a
stone on high, casteth it on his own head." All which
passages and those like them, and this verse also, are
spoken proverbially to the consolation of the suffering
and the weak ; that they may be certain, that what they
suffer shall fall upon the head of their adversaries, and
that they shall be delivered. And, in addition to this,
the adversaries shall not only be subject to this corporal
or bodily evil, but shall be destroyed with a worse evil
in the spirit, while they sin against those who fear God,
and run upon punishment on account of those sins.

VOL. III. 2 K

498

Which Jeremiah expresses thus, " Destroy them with a
double destruction." And hence, we see, Gen. iv. in
Cain, that the guilt of his sin clave to him, and moreover,
that he did not escape punishment.

But, in this passage, we are rather to look at an ex-
ample of goodness, because this Psalm is most sweet,
and the words are all words of saving rebuke ; and this
accords with what follows ; where it is said, that ' the
Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth,'
that ' sinners shall be turned into hell,' and ' that a law-
giver shall be established, that the nations may know
themselves to be but men ;' but yet not altogether to
the exclusion of the judgment of severity. And that we
may make this as plain as possible to the less experienced,
let us set it forth in this fixed way, — that there are two
warfares contrary to each other ; that of the flesh and
that of the spirit, in which the godly and the ungodly
engage in this world.

I call that the carnal warfare, in which the wicked
rage against the godly, as is shown in this Almuth of
martyrs. Here the ungodly are always superior; nay,
they appear also to be superiors manifestly ; while the
saints suffer only, and strike not again, nor revenge
themselves. They only do one thing. They suffer the
ungodly to rage and do what they will, and fight against
them with patience only. — But this patience of the poor
shall not perish for ever : but death and whatever other
evils the ungodly bring upon them, shall return and fall
upon their own heads, in this destruction which they
themselves meditated. For the ungodly shall die, and
evil shall pursue the unrighteous man to his destruction :
nor shall they ever be delivered therefrom as the righte-
ous are delivered. Therefore this is the carnal conflict
between the godly and the ungodly ; this is the end and
victory of each. Thus, the elder serves the younger;
and the red and prevailing Edom is at last supplanted by
the younger Jacob.

The spiritual warfare is between godliness and un-
godhness. Here, the ungodly bear the appearance of
the greater and elder Esau, and the godly the appear-

499

ance of the lesser and younger Jacob. Here the battle
is about rehgion, faith, sentiments, spiritual experience
and feelings, and, in a word, wholly about such things as
pertain unto God ; on account of which also a carnal war
is raised and carried on, while the ungodly most perti-
naciously establish their own opinions and tenets, and
most impetuously persecute and condemn those of the
godly. Here, properly, is the struggle of the two infants
in the womb of Rebecca, so that even the mother her-
self is terrified, and says, ' If it must be thus, why did I
conceive ?' This encounter is most fierce. Such as this,
was the encounter of the apostles against the Jews and
false prophets and teachers, of the martyrs against the
religious ones and worshippers of idols, and of the true
teachers against the heretics ; and such ever has and
ever will be the encounter of the humble against the proud
in mind and heart. Here the ungodly surpass all in
multitude and power, and in the mighty, the wise, the
self-righteous, who all stand firmly by them. This we
may clearly see in the Arian heresy. And moreover, the
sense of the flesh and general opinion, all combine to
strengthen their forces, and they are in every respect
fully armed.

Whereas, the godly have nothing more than their con-
fession, which is unto salvation : besides this, they have
hardly any thing. They are few in number, simple, fools
and sinners, and these are the only characters that stand
by them. And as those things which they say are be-
yond all the sense, opinion, and comprehension of the
commonalty, they appear by their very words, whenever
they speak, to betray their being conquered ; and, in a
word, they are ridiculed and contemptible. And here
the ungodly, relying upon the applause and opinion of
the multitude and the great, and being pufted up with all
that, fulfil that of Psalm xiv. 6, " Ye have shamed the
counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge." So
far, therefore, the just give way and are conquered, at
least to all appearance, until the Lord's ' opportunity'
arrive.

But when the godly have persevered in this confes-
2 K 2

500

sion unto salvation ; whether, in the mean time, they die
or suffer, the Lord comes in his " opportunities ;" saying,
' Not so : the elder shall serve the younger;' that is, the
present conqueror shall yield to the conquered. As I
said just before, in adducing that passage of Isaiah xxxiii.
1, " When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled;
and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacl:>€rously,
they shall deal treacherously with thee." So the Lord
saith, and so it cometh to pass. For, " He saith and it
cometh to pass." And these things then come to pass
when, (as the Psalmist will hereafter show,) ' the Lord
shall be known by the judgment which he executeth : the
wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.' For by
the revelation of the truth it is known, as it is said above,
ver. 5, * Thou hast rebuked the nations, and the wicked
is perished.' For the wicked are not turned by our
preaching, but by God rebuking, executing judgment,
and giving increase.

When, therefore, the ungodly are thus changed by
those who were before apparently conquered, then is
fulfilled that which is written, " The heathen are
sunk down in the destruction that they made: in the
net which they hid is their own foot taken," For
this " destruction," and this " net" which they laid
for the godliness of the just, that they might destroy it,
their ungodliness has fallen into, and is itself destroyed.
They have not, however, perished with the same kind of
destruction that they planned, but with a destruction like
it: because the destruction of godliness and of ungodli-
ness are very different, though the form or appearance is
the same. Hence, this verse may be understood from
the Apostle, Rom. v. 14, where he saith that Adam
was the (form of) figure of Christ : whereas, the former
was the author of sin, the latter of righteousness. But a
true form is that which is of the same origin, not of
similar things. And so here, the ungodly are sunk
down and drownedjn the destruction which they made
for the godly : whereas, the destruction of the godly, is,
to become ungodly, and the destruction of the ungodly,
to become godly : the form is the same, but the thing

501

itself is far different. These two paraphrases, are per-
haps those signs mentioned, Rev. xiii. where it is said of
those that fight with one of the beasts, ver. 10, " This
is the patience and faith of the saints ;" but with those
that fight with the other, ver. 18, " This is wisdom."

But there are some, who understand this altogether
figuratively : considering, that to be sunk down into the
destruction which they have made, signifies, the con-
science being ensnared and taken in the sins which they
have committed. Others, again, more subtlely, under-
stand it as signifying, the heretics and ungodly being
taken and entrapped in their own words. For as a liar
cannot always be correct in memory, so neither can he
be sufiiciently prudent : whence it comes to pass, that he
is easily snared and taken by those things which he be-
fore said : as David slew Goliath with his own sword.
And so also, Christ binding the strong man, divideth
the spoils in which he trusted. And indeed, we see
that the Jews, the heretics, and the proud, were, and are
all taken in this manner. And so also, Jonathan,
1 Sam. xiv. 89, took it to himself as a sign of future
victory, if they should go up against the Philistines,
being called by them ; but the contrary, if the Philistines
should come to them. For all those who are skilled in
military matters make this a general rule, — that the war
is not to be put oft^ until the enemy shall have besieged
the gates, but that he is to be met while he is at a dis-
tance, or rather, while he is yet delaying in his own
land. And such was generally the case in those wars
that David waged against the nations. And so also,
the Romans could not conquer Hannibal in Italy ; and
Hannibal could not conquer in Africa.

And what does the divine power mean by all these
modes of expression and ways of setting things forth,
but that which is here said, that the enemy can be best
and most safely conquered by his own powers, his own
arms, his own arts, his own attempts to defend himself?
Nay, in the same manner, Christ conquered death by
death itself and the powers of death, and condemned sin
through sin ; even as also he overcame the curse by the
curse, and gave us power over the devil, the world, and

502

the flesh, which were to be conquered in no other way
but in their own devices, by our being endued with faith
and patience, and thus strengthened and rendered invin-
cible against all their power and craft.

This is a very beautiful view of the matter, though I
know not whether it exactly accords with, and is appli-
cable to this verse. For the former sense seems to be
the more simple, that is, to understand it as speaking of
the fall of the ungodly and ungodliness, and their sinking
down into that destruction which they made for the
godly and godliness : whether you understand it in a
way of goodness, or of severity, or of both ; for both are
the judgment and work of the Lord, as we have shown
above; but that judgment and vvork do not operate to
the same end in all, because the designs of the Lord in
them are different.

But now, let us come to the force and meaning of the
words, which we see to be entirely allegorical : and
whereby (as we have said Psalm ii.) the Spirit intends to
set forth an allegorical thinjj-. For one thing; is done in
reality, though another seems to be done, as to appear-
ance, when the ungodly attack the godly, either in a
carnal or a spiritual war : for they seem to be conquerors
and superiors, but, in reality, they are conquered and
made to serve the inferior. Which allegory is beautifully
commended to us in these words, '^The elder shall
serve the younger ! ' The elder and the younger here,
are only so in appearance : that is, the victory of the
one, and the servitude of the other, are what is ex-
ternally seen. But the real servitude, which God sees
to be such, does not appear ; it is declared by the Word,
and received by faith only.

Here then, you see, that it is the spirit that is to be
observed in the Word more than the letters. And I
wish that all those under tribulation, would keep this
word continually in memory, as it were a proverb, that
they might thereby be comforted, and be accustomed to
say, against all sins, or any other sufferings, ' The elder
shall serve the younger :' which stands equally true in all
victories to come, as well as in those which are already
obtained, and therefore it may be to present advantage,

503

profit, and comfort : for all those who are our elders,
that is, who persecute us, shall find, that their tyranny
which they intended for our hurt, shall be only our ser-
vitude unto our «ood. Thus, the judgment of God and
the judgment of men arc very far different from each
other.

The expression " sunk down," seems to be taken
from the Egyptians, Exod. xv. 5, where it is said, " They
sank into the bottom as a stone." And indeed the whole
verse is nearly a parallel to that same history. For as
the Egyptians, when endeavouring to destroy Israel,
were made to appear far greater and above them, and
yet perished in that very attempt ; so the ungodly pe-
rishes, in persecuting the spiritual Israel. And this
' sinking down,' or ' being fixed,' implies their perpetual
destruction, from whence they are never delivered, whe-
ther you understand it in a way of severity or in a way
of goodness. For the damned shall not be recalled, and
those that are converted shall not return to their vomit
to all eternity : for between both these, is a great gulph
fixed, so that there is no passing from the one to the
other.

In this same way also, David has expressed it.
Psalm vii. 15, above, though in different words and of a
dilierent weight : " He hath made a pit and digged it,
and is fallen into the ditch which he made." It is more
terrible to fall into the pit, than to suffer the pit which
is made. And so here, " They are sunk down (or fixed)
in the destruction which they made :" and it is more ter-
rible to be sunk down into the destruction, than to suffer
the destruction prepared. As if David had said, the
evils whereby the ungodly attack the godly, seem to be
the fall and destruction of the latter; but, in reality, they
are only a certain preparation for, and appearance of
fall and destruction, and a being tempted by them : for
the godly are tempted with death and all other evils, but
they still live and prosper. As it is written. Psalm cxviii.
1 3, " Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall ; but
the Lord helped me." Whereas^ on the other hand, the
ungodly seem to be lifted up, exalted, and established,

,504

over the godly, and to sink them down into destruction :
but, in reahty, it is only a preparation for, appearance
of, and trial at, exaltation and lifting up, for, in truth it is
their destruction which they suft'er, yea, suffer presently.

And we shall say the same concerning the other part
of this verse, where it is more terrible to fall into, and
be taken by a net, than to lay one. And here, the godly
seem to be taken in the net, when it is only prepared for
them that they might be taken. They are tempted, I
say, but they are not taken. Nor do the ungodly do any
thing farther than hide the net and lay the snare ; but all
their labour is in vain. On the other hand, they them-
selves appear to be free, and safe, and to take the godly
in their snare, whereas, in truth, they themselves are
caught in it.

And this verse, if it be not received as containing g.
repetition, may be understood in this ^vay,^ — that the
former part applies to the carnal war, and the latter to
the spiritual. For the ungodly fighting in their ungod-
liness, are full of craft and snares against the doctrine of
godliness ; they do not prove their own profession to he
sincere, and they most invidiously fight against the pro-
fession of another : until their craftiness is detected and
they are caught, while God works his marvellous works;
or else, they are confounded to all eternity, and their
Vevil works are jnade manifest to all. For it is impos-
sible that the ungodly man should not act craftily and
deceitfully, since he is a liar from the sole of the foot
even unto the crown of the head ; and then, that he
_ should not, according to his lying zeal, act with all his
might, though in vain. Of this, we have a monstrous
example in the Jews. For such an one, when he sees
that he cannot obtain the victory by fair and open
means, has recourse to snares ; like the magicians of
Pharaoh, who wilfully and knowingly resisted the truth
of INIoses. Such craft as this we shall have mentioned
frequently hereafter ; and such we see every where
throughout the Gospels.

But if in a more simple sense any one wishes to
understand, by '' net," the snares of corporal death, we

505

would not resist such an acceptation. For in tiiis way
do they lay snares for the saints unto death ; and yet the
saints are deHvered, and they themselves are taken in
the snares of death before they are aware ; " For when
they say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction
Cometh upon them."

And hnally, I leave it as a thing well known, that the
taking of the feet, is a metaphor derived from the catching
of birds or beasts in a snare, which fowlers and hunters
use for that purpose. By which things are beautifully
figured forth the offences, snares, perils, and falls of
souls ; especially in the Hebrew language.' And that we
may clearly understand the Hebrew idiom in these pas-
sages, we wish to leave it particularly impressed upon
the memory, that the Hebrew in these cases has no
relative " which" but the expression is, simply and lite-
rally, " In the destruction, they made." " In the net,
they laid privily."

Ver. 16. — The Lord ivill be known executing judg-
ment : the sinfier is snared in the work of his oicn hands.

Hieronymus, and the Hebrew, have it thus, ' The
Lord is known executing judgment : the wicked falls by
the work of his own hands. In continual meditation.'
And it is right when he says, ' is known,' in the past,
instead of " will be known," in the future. And this
' wicked man,' whom our translator renders " sinner," is
the self-righteous ceremonialist, the pharisee, the man
proud of his own strength, and glorying in his own
works, who, considering that he is doing God a service,
and serving the truth, faith, and honour of the holy
church, kills the children of God with all confidence.
Concerning which kind of character, we said quite
enough before, where we observed that this is he who is
said to be rasa : which Hieronymus renders * is fallen,'
but which the Hebrew and our translator have " is
snared ;" though the sense is nearly the same.

And now, the prophet goes on to s})eak of the
" marvellous works " of God, — that not only the idola-
trous and persecuting nations are sunk do\\ n in the de-

506

struction which they made; but that also those, who
appeared themselves to be saints, and seemed to live
well, were found to be sinners ; unless you wish to un-
derstand this verse, as being a light and elucidation of
the preceding, and as showing more clearly what is
there spoken somewhat obscurely. But I am rather in-
clined to believe that the prophet's intent, was to show
that the power of the Word and judgment of God ex-
tended to all ; and that not only the nations were found
to do evilly, by resisting godly men on account of their
works, but that also, all the works and designs of those
nations were found to be sins and evil. Even as we
may find an example of the same in Paul ; who, when
he knew that the righteousness which is according to the
law, was mere ungodliness which puff'eth up, immediately
condemned, not only all those evils which he had done
to the saints, and which under his ardent zeal, he had
thought to be the best of works, but also, all that
righteousness which is of the law ; and thus, he was
caught in the works of his own hands, and condemned,
as ungodly sins and evils, those things which he had
thought to be the greatest of righteousnesses.

The meaning of the verse is, therefore, when the
Lord is known, he is known as being a judge, or, as
executing judgment : that no one can stand before his
face, how righteous, wise, and powerful soever he may
be. For, it is one thing to knowJ;he Lord as a judge,
another to know him as having mercy. He who knows
the Lord as a judge and feels his judgment, immediately
" falls," is terrified, and reduced to nothing before the
face of his unsupportable anger. But he who knows
the Lord as a God of mercy, rises up in joy, and is lifted
up above all things before the face of his incomprehen-
sible goodness. And he is known as executing judg-
ment both externally and internally. Externally, by the
Word of the Gospel, and by the examples of the saints
whom he justifies, while the nations are sunk down into
the destruction which they made. But however, all
these things are not enough to move a man, until the
heart feel these things inwardly, and tremble at them.

507

As we have before shown, when speaking of the words, •
*' At thy presence."

Hence, when David speaks of ' the works of the hands
of the wicked,' he does not mean the sins of the wicked,
but, altogether those works which they do as good works,
in which they trust, and on account of which they are in-
corrigible, and will not hear the Word of God ; or if they
do hear it, will not believe that it speaks to them, being
wholly without fear, and secure of the kingdom of heaven.
Such an one, therefore, no man, no thing can convert,
but the knowledge of a judging Lord, before whom no
one is guiltless: as we have it, Nahum i. 1, "The
Lord will not in cleansing acquit the wicked." And
again, Exod. xxxiv. 7,' " And that will by no means
clear the guilty." Behold, therefore, the wonderful and
terrible power of the judgment of God : the wicked man
presumes to deliver and establish himself by the works
of his own hands. But behold, he is brought to a know-
ledge of the judgment of God, and is presently taken,
and falls, in those things which as an ungodly man and
a sinner he had intended and devised.

And this verse may also be understood, as bearing a
general signification, even if the ungodly man does not
believe that he is taken, in this way. — The Lord is
preached and known as executing judgment among the
nations : and it is also known that there is no one among
men that is not full of, and found in, sins ; for even those
are found in them, who, above all others, are of great
works and virtues ; all which in the sight of God are
accounted sins : as we have it by the apostle, Rom. iii.
20, " Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no
flesh be justified in the sight of God ;" and " all have
sinned ;" and, " There is none that doeth good, no not
one." And this sense pleases me well : because the
wicked man is properly he who, though he is a sinner,
is puffed up with good works, and does not believe that
he is a sinner ; and therefore, he has not a right opinion
concerning God, nor concerning himself. And if he
does not feel this, all those do who know these things.
And now that which follows, ' In continual medita-

508

tation,' is, in the Hebrew, iiiggaion sela. This forms
half a verse, and is the latter part of this whole verse ;
which no translator seems to have translated. Augus-
tine says that sela, or ^laxpaXfj^a, Avas in his copy, but
that he found nothing of higgaion, or ' meditation.'
And it is something wonderful what the latter word
means; and especially, when it is of so much conse-
quence, that it forms the principal part of the last half
of the verse, and when the former part of the verse is so
long. — Of SELA we said enough. Psalm iii. Nor is
it certain whether this higgaion, ought to be trans-
lated by the nominative, the ablative, or the vocative ;
that is, by meditatio, in jueditationem, or O meditatio :
that is, ' meditation,' ' for meditation,' or, ' O medita-
tion.' We have given the signification of the word,
Psalm i ; where it is said, " And in his law will he me-
ditate day and night." For it signifies to speak, to
discourse of, to talk about; and, finally, it always has
reference to the Word; or to singing; but so, that the
singing be in a way of meditation. And hence it is fre-
quently joined with * heart:' as in Psalm xix. 14, " Let
the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight :"
where the Hebrew word is the same as that which is
found in this place.

Here again, I confess my ignorance ; excepting that
it is my conjecture, that the prophet is- speaking of a
good meditation. I will first of all, therefore, produce
that which is uncertain, though the poet will not consider
that quite safe. — What, then, if the prophet, from the
abounding of his feelings, wished to set forth in one
word the efficacy and the fruits of the Word of God by
this expression, and to commend it unto us as if he had
used a powerful exclamation. As if he had said. Be-
hold ! the nations are sunk down into the destruction
which they have made, and are taken in the net which
they laid privily ; the Lord is known in his executing
judgment, and the wicked is snared in the works of his
own hands. And all these things are done by the mi-
nistry of the Word ! O meditation ! O ministry of the
Word ! Though thou art a thing so vile, so despised, so

509

weak, and so foolish before men, yet such mighty things
are effected by thee. For it is thou that co-operatest with
God in all his " marvellous works," and not the power,
nor the wisdom, nor the righteousness, nor the favour
of the world. And so also, in our language, when we
exceedingly wonder at any thing that is done by that
means which we never thought of, we express our great
indignation or admiration, accordingly as it may be,
without naming the person, but merely say, ' That fellow !'
or ' He !' without adding, ' did it.'

And hence. Numb. xvi. 1, we have " Behold Korah,
&c, !" and then it follows, ver./ 2, " And they rose up :"
where the first verse is manifestly an expression of wonder
and amazement. And with the same feelincr of mind
David also seems to have spoken, 2 Sam. xviii. 33,
" O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom !" For
the feeling of mind is so great here, that if any more
words were added, the subject would less move the
hearers ; for the effect is always the greater, the fewer
words there are used. And indeed it is a wonderful
thing, that such immense powers of the world should be
subverted and brought down by the Word alone ; and
such was the effect produced upon the world more
especially in the times of Christ, when it was at its most
flourishing state in power, riches, arts, righteousness,
talents, wisdom, prudence, and eloquence.

Wherefore, according to my judgment, I should
rather render it by the nominative, '' Meditatio Sela,''
(though I do not condemn the translation of Hierony-
mus in the ablative,) because this extremity of feelino-
is generally expressed by the nominative. And I have
said, Psalm iii. thatsELA, according to my judgment, is
put in different places of the Psalms to denote a certain
singular and particular power of feeling. Such as this
is which we find here ; and which for this reason, takes
up the last half of the verse in one word, the power of
which could not be fully expressed in many verses. For
it is written, 2 Sam. xxiv. 10, that David himself Mas
as tender as the most tender wood-worm, (so to speak ;)
that is, he was a man of the most tender, most honest,

510

and most secretly sensible feelings. And therefore,
while we read his Psalms without feelings, we are like
asses listening to a lyre. For in the Psalms, David
treats of nothing but faith, hope, and love ; and those,
not in a dry desert of speculation, but in a soil fertile of
the deepest exercises and feelings.

Ver. 1 7. — Let sinners he turned into hellj and all the
nations that forget God.

Here again our translator has rendered it " sinners,"
for ' wicked ;' for he is speaking of the proud self-justi-
fiers (as I said,) which nothing can change but a know-
ledge of the Lord, as he executeth judgment and revealeth
his wrath, and by being turned in hell thereby ; that is,
being cast down into a perfect knowledge of themselves.
For I do not consider that this being " turned into hell,"
is to be understood as signifying damnation, (though if
any one prefer that acceptation, I will not resist him),
because David is speaking of the " marvellous works"
of God in the conversion of the ungodly and the nations.
And now, from this place to the end of the Psalm, the
Psalmist prays that God would add wonderful works to
wonderful works ; and that he would still manifest the
same works in those who are yet proud, ungodly, and
forgetters and despisers of God, as he did in those whom
he has already converted, and would turn them by the
Word. And what this turning into hell is, we have
moreover seen Psalm vi. and also above, under the words
" rebuke," and " thy presence," and " the Lord's being
known by the judgment which he executeth," we have
fully set those things forth. For a man is not truly con-
verted till he has tasted both of hell and heaven : that is,
until he has experienced what an evil and miserable
creature he is himself, and how sweet and good God is.
Which things are known and felt by being brought into
the threatening perils of death, and the dread of eternal
judgment, and then led into a hope and confidence in
themercy of God.

And this ' forgetfulness of God, 'is not to be received
as that which is generally called forgetfulness of God,

but that which we have set forth above, under the name
ENDS, For none are more audacious and assiduous talkers
aboutGod, than theungodly, proud, and sinners; who daily
pollute his name, and by a perverse opinion of him, irri-
tate and blaspheme him every moment, while they do
not think of him according to truth. Nay, they ascribe
unto themselves those things which are God's, and unto
God the things that are their own : that is, they measure
God, and his works and judgment, according to their
human sense and affections ; of which things we have
said enough before.

David, moreover, here points out the inveterate
iniquity of the nations: for he does not accuse them of
having otfended God, or of having departed from him,
but of having extended these offences, and brought them
into a habit and custom by a long continuance and
habitual practice ; so that they do not believe that they
have offended God, but rather think that he is wor-
shipped and adored by them. Such was the conver-
sation and worship of the idolatrous nations of old.
For he that offends once, does not immediately forget
God, and therefore turns back to him directly. But he
that forgets God, goes on offending continually, not
knowing all the while that he has offended, which is
peculiar to the wicked. And therefore, the ungodly,
and those that forget God, are the same; and a turning
into hell is necessary for them both, that they may be
snared in their own works. But it is to be observed,
that this verse is not only prayed against the ungodly
that they may be converted, but because they are the
characters who persecute the almuth by their ungod-
Hness and pride. And this the following verse shows,
which gives, as it were, a reason for this prayer.

Ver. 18. — For there shall not be a for get fulness of
the -poor for ever: the -patience of the poor shall not
perish for ever.

He might have rendered it thus, ' For he shall not
forget the poor for ever; ' and this more exactly accords
with the Hebrew, and more sweetly moves the affections

512

towards God. For we hereby understand that God will
»ot forget, though we have heard in the beginning of
this Psalm, that the nations forget him. As if he had
reversed the mode of expression, and said, The nations
forget God, and persecute the Almuth of martyrs, but
God does not forget the poor Almuth. Whereas, as to
sense, it is quite the contrary in both respects. That is,
the ungodly are so far from appearing to forget God,
that they seem to have a fiery zeal for God. And
again, the martyrs seem wholly left of God even unto
their death, and to all appearance they are any thing
but remembered of God. Therefore, David speaks in
the spirit, and faith is necessary to understand how it is
that he comforts the troubled, the suffering, and the
dying, by these words.

Though when we look into the Hebrew and examine
it very minutely, the grammatical expression of the pre-
ceding verse, " and all the nations that forget God," rather
impHes those who always cast in the teeth of the
martyrs, that of Psalm xlii. 10, "where is now thy
God?" And again, ' For he hath said in his heart. The
Lord hath forgotten, he hath turned away his face and
shall not see it for ever.' So that what he before said,
the ALMUTH had suffered from the Jews, " For re-
quiring their blood he hath remembered them, and hath
not forgotten the cry of the poor," he now saith the
same Almuth sufier from the nations. For both the
Jews and the Gentiles have always endeavoured to
render the martyrs weak and uncourageous in the faith
of God, not only by persecuting them, but also by
insulting them, and taunting them about their expected
help from God, as they did Christ upon the cross,
casting in his teeth that of Psalm Ixxi. 11, " God hath
forsaken him, persecute and take him, for there is none
to deliver him." The ungodly, therefore, are not con-
tented with destroying the body, but will attempt to
destroy the faith and hope of the godly. Therefore, by
the Jews in the preceding verse, who are represented as
forgetting God, may be understood, not only those who
forget God themselves, but do all they can to make

513

others believe that he forgets the poor: which sense
Hieronymus plainly speaks of in his commentary upon
the passage.

David, however, comforts us most sweetly in these
words of the Spirit, that we might know that all words
or thoughts which move us to distrust, weakness of
courage, or despair, are not from God, but as Psalm
xlii. 9, 1 0, beautifully sets it forth, from the devil or from
men; saying, " Why hast thou forgotten me ? Why go I
mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
While my bones are broken mine enemies reproach me;
while they say daily unto me. Where is now thy God?"
Hence, we see that the holy fathers of old were deeply
exercised in their faith and hope, and thereby so in-
structed, that they did not hesitate to say that their
weakness and misgivings were indeed from God, but
wrought by men and the devil, who in words and
thought cause all this trouble of mind. But this work
is wholly foreign to God, and has nothing to do with
him, for he never can operate against himself. And
therefore he always works so as to cause the man to
love, hope in, and believe in him, in order that his com-
mand may be fulfilled, wherein he has said, ' Thou
shalt have none other gods but me.'

Hence, this verse lifts itself up with holy indignation
against those, who say to the godly, that God has for-
gotten him. For it says, " The poor shall not always be
forgotten." For the suffering, the dying, the afflicted,
have need of such words as these to comfort them, that
they may not faint in their minds : for such things are
written for our comfort and instruction, that through
patience and comfort of the scripture we might have
hope. And observe, David here says, " the patience of
the poor." Here he grants that there is a certain for-
getting on the part of God, but he says it shall not be
for ever. For God forsakes us for a little moment that
we may trust in him : but he will not leave us for ever,
lest we should utterly fail.

" The patience of the poor." — That is, the expecta-
tion of the afflicted. For the word that is here rendered

VOL. III. 2 L

514

' poor,' is different from that which is so rendered in the
former part of the verse: for this latter word, as we
have often said already, signifies ' affliction' also : that is,
poverty of spirit : that is, a state destitute of consola-
tion. Concerning whom David said before, " Thou
hast not forgotten the cry of the poor," that is, of the
afflicted. And so also he says here, that the poor shall
not expect in vain (for the word signifies expectation
more than patience) that which they wait for ; for the
Lord whom they expect shall come and save them.
Hence we have it written. Psalm Iv. 22, " He shall
never suffer the righteous to be moved." For ' God's
puttings off are not takings away,' (says Hieronymus
upon this passage ;) the man has only to endure this.
We are to wait therefore, and not to tempt God by de-
manding present help.

Ver. 19. — Arise, O Lord, let not man 'prevail : let
the heathen he judged in thy sight.

David concludes the Psalm with two verses of
prayer in behalf of the godly, for those things which he
before said were done, and which should go on to be
done : that is, that the ungodly might be converted and
perish, by being brought to a knowledge of the judgment
of God, and that the people of Christ might increase.
And he speaks of these under the appellation " man,"
used in a way of contempt. " Let not man (says David)
prevail : " that is, as they are enos, that is, truly mi-
serable creatures, why should they be inflated and lifted
up against thy saints with pride and abuse, trusting in
the greatness of their power, wisdom, and righteous-
ness? Let their strength fail therefore, and let them be
brought down to weakness, and suffer them not to pre-
vail against thy saints, for ever. Nay rather, let them
be rebuked and judged in thy sight : that is, let the Lord
be known to them in his executing of judgment : let
them be seized with terror, and tremble under a know-
ledge of their ungodHness : let them humbly implore
thy mercy.

It is one thing to be judged in the sight of God, and

515

another to be judged in the sight of men. The judgment
of God searcheth the reins and the heart, and finds no
one innocent, and therefore it discovers the secret
iniquity of all, and brings them down to the most low
condition, turning the wicked into hell. But the judg-
ment of men, only takes notice of that which is outward
in the flesh, and condemns no one as being guilty
within ; and therefore it flatters and deceives all who
trust in it. As Isaiah saith, chap. ix. l6, " For those
that bless this people cause them to err : and they that
are blessed of them are destroyed." And the apostle
saith, 1 Cor. iv. 3, " But with me it is a very small
thing, that I should be judged of you or of man's judg-
ment : yea, I judge not mine own self. But he thatjudgeth
me is the Lord." Since, therefore, all talking, all singing,
all doing, is vain to the ungodly, seeing that they will
yield neither to words, to works, nor to miracles, but are
that adulterous generation spoken of Matt. xi. 17, "We
have piped unto you, and ye have not danced : we have
mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented :" as this,
I say, is their state, it only remains that we pray
zealously for them, that they may be judged in the sight
of God, for against this rebuke they are not able
to stand.

Ver. 20.' — Put a lawgiver over them, O Lord, that
the nations may knoiv it, for they are but men.

Hieronymus renders it, ' Put them in fear, O Lord,
that the nations may know themselves to be but men.'
But the Hebrew distinguishes, divides, and expresses
the verse thus, * Put, O Lord, a legislator, (or fear) : let
the nations know, the men themselves. Sela.'

The Hebrew word mora, which our translator has
rendered " legislator" (or lawgiver), Hieronymus renders
'fear' (or terror) ; but which is the more genuine signi-
fication I will not attempt to decide. But, according to
my opinion, the word seems rather to be derived from
the verb that signifies ' to teach :' and hence, it is often
expressed by thora, which signifies a law. For, as to
those who, following Augustine, understand that Anti-

2l 2

516

christ is here signified, I cannot agree with at all. For
the meaning of this verse seems to be none other, than
a prayer that the sense of the law might be opened up
to the nations. As if he had said, I have prayed that
the heathen may be judged in thy sight. And, that I
may be understood in what I say, my meaning is, that
thou Avouldst put within them the true understand-
ing of the law : then, without doubt, they will acknow-
ledge thee : for " by the law is the knowledge of sin :"
as it is said, Rom. iii. 20. And again, chap. iv. 15, " For
the law worketh wrath." And again, 1 Cor. xv. 56,
" The strength of sin is the law." For the reason why
the ungodly go on continually to swell with pride is
none other, than because they have not yet known the
law and its power and effects : for they know not that
it is spiritual, and that it kills all men by its letter : con-
cerning which things Paul speaks in his Epistles to the
Romans and Galatians ; and in his last chapter, Gala-
tians, he treats of them very fully; yea wholly. And if they
were not sufficiently and abundantly there handled, I
would say more of them here.

Hence mora, as it is a derived noun, signifies
this, — a person's being openly instructed and brought to
knowledge. Therefore, I would translate it ' the profes-
sion of the law,' or, ' instruction in the law :' that is,
that they might know the power of the law. On which
immediately follows terror of conscience, and a dread
of judgment. And this is the way in which Hieronymus
has rendered it. For the " legislator " does not terrify
any one until the law itself is fully understood.

And then it follows " that the nations may know : "
that is, that they might be endued with knowledge,
who, before the law, were ignorant of their sin. For the
verb here stands alone, and finishes the middle of the
verse by its meaning thus, " That the nations may
know :" that is, that they may become instructed and
brought to knowledge by the law being set before
them. Thus, we have it Rom. vii. 9, ' I should not have
known that concupiscence was sin. For I was without
the law once, but when the law came sin revived, and I

517

died.' And this is the meaning of that expression which
we meet with so often in the prophets, " And ye shall
know that I am the Lord," " And they shall know that
I am the Lord," " And he shall know that I am the
Lord," &c. Because the knowledge of the law brings
a man to the knowledge of himself, and compels him to
implore the mercy of God.

The other part of the verse, " Men themselves,
Sela," contains a feeling of singular power, shewing
what a miserable creature and thing of nought, man is.
As if he had said, " Let them do what they will ; let
them pretend; let them prevail; let them do all that
can be spoken of them as wonderful and great ; yet they
are but men ; that is, enos and miserable." And in-
deed, it is a great thing for a man to know himself to be
but man : that is, Enos, as David here says, and which
we have fully set forth. Psalm viii. And it is in the
same way of contempt that the prophet speaks, Isaiah
xxxii. 3, " For the Egyptians are men, and not God ;
and their horses flesh, and not spirit." And John ii. 24,
25, it is said, " Now Jesus did not commit himself unto
them, because he knew all men. And needed not that
any should testify of man, for he knew what was in
man." And Paul saith, 1 Cor. iii. 'Are ye not carnal?'
' Are ye not men,' &c. And the same Apostle, when he
sets forth modestly and with shame the vanity of human
nature, is accustomed to express himself thus, ' I speak
after the manner of men,' ' If ye walk after the flesh,' &c.

Because, Avith God, man is so accounted nought,
that whenever the Scripture speaks of the infirmity of
human nature, it most modestly and yet most sig-
nificantly uses the term "man:" as we have it, Gen.
xi. 5, " And the Lord came down from heaven to see
the city and the tower which the children of men
builded." Which some orator perhaps would more
vehemently have expressed thus, ' which the most un-
godly, most powerful, and most wicked of men were
building.' Therefore, wherever man is called by God in
the Scriptures " man," it is in a way of reproach ; be-
cause he is by this term considered to be a son of

518

Adam, that is, of a sinner. Instead of which he would
liave us designated by another name, that is, the sons of
God: as we have it set forth John i. 12, "To them
gave he power to become the sons of God;" and
again, Psalm Ixxxii. 6, " I have said. Ye are gods, and
all of you the children of the Most High."

And hence, " Sela " at the end of the verse, shows
that the feeling here described is rare and singular ;
namely, a feeling whereby the man sensibly feels that
both he himself, all men, are " men." And it is the law
that brings men to this knowledge, when the Lord rises
up and gives men the knowledge of it, and fixes terror in
their consciences.

PSALM X.

(without a title.)

Ver. 1 . — Why hast thou departed afar off, O Lord,
thou disregardest us in opportunities in trouble.

There is not, in my judgment, a Psalm which de-
scribes the mind, the manners, the works, the words,
the feelings, and the fate of the ungodly, with so much
propriety, fulness, and light, as this Psalm. So that, if
in any respect, there has not been enough said hereto-
fore, or if there shall be any thing wanting in the Psalms
that shall follow, we may here find a perfect image and
representation of iniquity. This Psalm, therefore, is a type,
form, and description of the ungodly and ungodliness :
that is, a description of that man, who, though he may
be in the sight of himself and of men more excellent
than St. Peter himself, is detestable in the eyes of
God : and this it was that moved Augustine, and those
who followed him, to understand the Psalm of Anti-
christ.

519

But as the Psalm is without a title, let us embrace
the most general and common understanding of it (as I
said,) and let us look at the picture of ungodliness which
it sets before us. Not that we would deny the propriety
of the acceptation in which others receive it : nay, we
will in our general acceptation of the Psalm, include also
its reference to antichrist. And indeed, it will not be
at all absurd if we join this Psalm with the preceding in
its order thus. — That David, in the preceding, spoke of
the ungodly converted, and prayed for those who were
to be converted. But that here, he is speaking of the
ungodly that are still left so, and in power prevailing
over the weak almuth, concerning whom he has no
hope, or is in a great uncertainty of mind, whether they
ever will be converted or not.

And see the greatness of David's zeal, when he
almost expostulates with God himself. " Why standest
thou so far off, O Lord ? " (for it is thus that Hierony-
mus renders the passage.) And this is that feeling of
mind, which, while still placed in the midst -of tribu-
lation, and oppressed with the want of all things, cries
unto God against the all-iniquitous tyranny of the
ungodly, and for the cause of the innocent saints. As if
it were said in plain and common language, How can
God put up with these things ? Thus, Habakkuk opens
his Book, as it were with indignation at the long-suffer-
ing of God. "■ O Lord how long shall I cry and thou
wilt not hear ! even cry out unto thee of violence, and
thou wilt not save ! Why dost thou shew me iniquity,
and cause me to behold grievance ? for spoiling and vio-
lence are before me : and there are that raise up strife
and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and
judgment doth never go forth : for the wicked doth
compass about the righteous : therefore wrong judgment
proceedeth." Hab. i. 2 — 4.

Why do we wonder if we suffer undeservedly, when
these men who were full of the Spirit declare, that they
suffered these things so deeply, aud cry out that the law
of God is destroyed? Whereby they plainly indicate the
war of ungodliness against godliness ; where zeal most

520

furiously rages. Who would not here say, that Ha-
bakkuk was under the influence of impatiency ? But in
the same chapter, he says, a little afterwards, verse 13,
" Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst
not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them
that deal treacherously, and boldest thy tongue when
the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous
than he ? And makest men as the fishes of the sea ? As
the creeping things that have no ruler over them ? " And
under the same feehngs, Isaiah saith, chap. Ixiii. 15,
" Where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of
thy bowels, and of thy mercies toward me? Are they
restrained ? " And Job makes the same complaint at
much length, chap. xxi. And so also David says here,
" Why standest thou afar off, O Lord ? " That is, thou
sufferest us to be oppressed and devoured, and dost not
hear nor save us. Thou strengthenest the hand, and
helpest the counsel of the ungodly. But, in a word, the
Psalmist seems to contradict himself, for he had said in
the preceding Psalm, " A refuge in opportunities, in
tribulation." Here he says, " Thou disregardest us in
opportunities, in tribulation." And he seems, moreover,
to tempt God, while he himself defines the time and
opportunity of being holpen, not fully waiting for the
hand of God. But the one is said under one feeling
aJiid the other under another. For, by this Psalm, the
persons both of the afflicting and of the afflicted are
perfectly pointed out. For the afflicted, although he
suffers courageously, is yet not insensible : he has still
flesh and -sensibility : and therefore will, according to
nature, yea, from an unconquerable infirmity, break out,
sigh, cry, feel indignant, and impatient. Thus Christ,
Matt. xxvi. 41, says, *'The spirit truly is willing but
the flesh is weak." And he himself prayed that the cup
might pass from him ; that is, he so prayed while la-
bouring under natural infirmity : but immediately he
afterwards corrected himself, and said, " Nevertheless,
not my will but thine be done."

Such is the condition and contest of the righteoujj
with the ungodly, that^ although the latter endure, it is

59.1

with pain and grief. At one time the spirit has bold-
ness, at another the weakness of the flesh groans. In
which conflict, occasion is given to the flesh to cry and
groan, whereas it ought rather to rejoice. All these
things are said for our consolation ; that we may know,
that the saints of God have been all men such as we are,
and that all those things which are said, concerning the
bearing of the cross and of death, are to be overcome by
bravely contending love, but that they cannot be en-
dured by any promptitude of the flesh or of human
sense.

Hence, the voice of the flesh and the inferior and
external man in the saints is this verse ; nay, it is the
whole Psalm, which cries out, while the spirit within,
nevertheless, courageously endures and waits for God
in his " opportunities."

Ver. 2. — While the wicked is in pride, the poor is
consumed: they are taken in the devices in which they
have imagined.

Hieronymus translates the passage thus, ' In the pride
of the wicked the poor is burned : they are caught in the
wickednesses which they have imagined.' But the pride
here spoken of, is not that by which any one is pufted
up and elated in self-conceit and self-opinion ; but that
pride of external pomp, in which he subjects and op-
presses another before men, being made superior to
him : as we have it, Exod. xv. 2, " We will sing unto
the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously :" that is, in
pride, he hath proudly triumphed, or, in prevailing, he
hath prevailed, that is, over the Egyptians. — It comes to
pass therefore, that when the Lord departs, stands afar
oft', and disregards in opportunities and in tribulations,
the wicked lifts himself up above the godly, and rules
over him in violence : that is, he is lifted up with pride
oyer him, and triumphs over him. Wherefore, let us
understand this expression as signifying the pomp,
boasting, and triumph, in which we see the conqueror to
sit and lord it over the conquered, in the sight of men ;
and wherein he feels a kind of secure })crsuasion that all

522

is over with the conquered ; and where, moreover, the
party of the conqueror, think that they have nothing
now to do but to utterly destroy every thing that the
conquered may still have remaining. This is what
the Psalmist calls the 'poor being burned' or 'destroyed
by fire.'

Reuchlin, however, says that the Hebrew word does
not signify, to be on fire, or to be burned only, but also
to persecute : and that David here says, ' The poor
suffers persecution.' But however the rendering, " is
burned," or ' is on fire,' is not at all foreign to the mean-
ing. Nay, the emphasis contained in the latter render-
ing, is greater than that contained in the former : where-
by we are to understand him as saying, that the poor,
while the wicked triumph, are utterly reduced to dust
and to nothing, as a house consumed by fire and
reduced to ashes, leaves no vestige whatever of what it
was. Wherein David beautifully sets forth the desires
and pursuits of the ungodly ; who are not contented
with being strengthened in power above the poor, but
will so use that power as to destroy utterly every single
thing that belongs to them, and even attempt more than
they can ever accomplish.

Thus Isaiah saith of such, chap. xvi. 6, " We have
heard of the pride of Moab : he is very proud : even of
his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath." In which
passage, we find the same noun which is here rendered
" pride." And the same prophet saith of the Assyrian,
chap. X. 7, " Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth
his heart think so ; but it is in his heart to destroy and
to cut off nations not a few." In which passage, again,
we have the same noun which is here translated " pride."
And again, Jeremiah xlviii. 29, saith of Moab, " We have
heard of the pride of Moab, he is exceeding proud : his
loftiness, and his pride, and his arrogancy, and the
haughtiness of his heart. I know his wrath saith the
Lord : but it shall not be so, his lies shall not effect it."
In all which places, we have none other word than that
which we find here so often repeated and rendered
" pride ; " which signifies the fury of the ungodly when

5Q3

he at all prevails ; and what the insolence and cruelty
of the conqueror are against the conquered.

Therefore, the Psalmist speaks these things with
deep feelings against the ungodly : for although they do
not really conquer even when they prevail, yet, it ap-
pears in the apprehensions of all, that the conquered are
exposed to cruelty and insolence, the weakness of the
flesh, ' that the poor are burned,' while the wicked are in
pride. For so mighty is the effort of the ungodly, that
they seem as if they would be superiors to all eternity. — •
And see the proof of this in examples. For you may
imagine to yourself the catholic bishops singing these
verses, when driven into exile, in the times of the Arians,
while the Arian impiety triumphed, and you will then
immediately understand the effects and force of it. Thus, k
Ciod will not have any one enemy conquered by our own
powers, but by his right hand only, that the work and
the glory may be his alone.

Wherefore, we are not to act at random with the
ungodly and with heretics, after the manner of philoso-
phical disputers ; they are not to be overcome with the
force of arguments, nor to be persuaded by arguments,
nor to be taken by quoted authorities : they proudly
triumph over all these things and prevail against them,
until the ricrht hand of the Most High itself chano;e
them. And that he may work this mighty work, he is
not to be presumptuously commanded wdth confidence
of spirit, or persuaded by eloquence, or biassed by eru-
dition, but to be implored with humble crying, accord-
ing to the example given us in this verse. Hence, in all
those wars, which ibr some ages we carried on against
the heretics and Turks, as they were presumptuously
carried on by the powers and decrees of men, we have
only seen fulfilled that of Job xli. 29, " Darts are
counted as stubble ; he laugheth at the shaking of a
spear." Satan and the enemy of Christians are not to
be overcome by our working and attempting, but only
by our suffering and crying.

" They arc taken in the devices which they have
imagined:" which Hieronym.us translates 'They are

524

taken in the wickednesses which they have imagined.'
Yet the sense in both cases remains the same, which is
this, The wicked while they were filled with pride and
oppressing the poor, are so far from repenting and ac-
knowledging their iniquity, that they rather delight them-
selves in these wickednesses and rejoice, are wrapped
up, and hardened in them, and blinded by them, for they
thought that they were by them doing God service.
And this is by far the most destroying of all captivity
for a man to be taken in and blinded by his own de-
vices and works ; by which captivity none but the
wicked are punished : as Isaiah saith, v. !20, " Woe
unto them that call evil good and good evil ; that put
darkness for light and light for darkness ; that put bitter
for sweet and sweet for bitter." — Here, mark, that the
first destruction of the ungodly is blindness : as we have
it in Eccles. ' Better is obedience than the sacrifices of
fools who know not what evil they do.'

The Latin words do not fully convey the power and
force of the Hebrew expression : for the being " taken,"
in this passage, does not signify a being taken violently
and hostilely, but a being taken sweetly and pleasantly.
Hence we have it said, Gen. iv. 21, " And Tubal was
the father of all such as sing to, (that is, understand,
handle, and hold) the harp and organ." So that David
here means, that the ungodly please themselves with
theii' own iniquities : as we have it written also, Prov. i.
" And all such rejoice when they have done evil, and
delight in the worst of things, while they themselves in
the mean time imagine that they are rejoicing in the best
of things."

And then we have " in the devices ; " which Hiero-
nymus renders ' wickednesses.' The Hebrew signifies
ambiguously, either ' wickednesses,' or ' devices,' or de-
signs.' So that if we put all these meanings together,
the word will signify those works which are done de-
signedly and with premeditation : for the wicked do
imagine to themselves that they act by chance or im-
prudently against the godly, but with a singular and
consummate prudence, and wisdom, and zeal, for God.

5^5

And this propriety of the Hebrew word aptly ex-
presses that madness which is the fountain of all evils ;
and which at this day, I see, is universally called ' a good
intention,' and ' the dictate of right reason.' And it is
wonderful how far men trust in this, ho\v ardent they
are in it, how they presume upon it, how they please
themselves with it, and how irrecoverably they are taken
with it and blinded by it ; and, above all others, popes
and religious ones ; and especially, among these the
more learned and more holy. As if it must necessa-
rily follow, that, as soon as they have said, ' I have
formed to myself, and now have, a good intention, for
the glory of God and the good of souls,' there should
be nothing whatever remaining of a sinister intention,
nor any thing of an evil work to follow it. And here they
add also this iniquity, they form or frame out to them-
selves this 'good intention' by their own natural powers
and the light of understanding, (as they call it) ; having
no need of divine grace till after the * intention' is
formed, and indeed not at all ; and yet they not only
dare to boast of, and contend for, this ' good intention '
without any fear, but also (if God so permit) fill the whole
world with blood and slaughter in defence of it. And
if you tell such, that this ' good intention' is most evil
if it be not wrought by the Holy Spirit, and that they
ought ever to despair of all natural powers, because
" All men are liars," and therefore can do nothing but
lie ; and if you tell them that they should cast away all
such ' good intention' and implore the aid of the hand
of God with all fear and humility ; they will immediately
cry out that you savour of heresy, that you deny free-
will, and condemn all pious intentions.

And hence for the instruction and warning of our
age, we may render the verse and explain it thus, * The
wicked are taken in, and please themselves with, their
good intentions ; and while they prevail by these the
poor is burned.' And this I can willingly consider is
what the apostle means when he says, 1 Tim, iv. 2,
*' Having their conscience seared with a hot iron :" that
is, formed by force, and in addition to the mark of a bad

59,6

intention, which is natural, branded with the mark of this
achilterine and feigned intention. Just in the same way
as a mark is branded on malefactors by a burning iron,
on purpose and by human force, quite contrary to the
natural form. For in the same way these most blind
wretches, being utterly ignorant of the malice of human
nature, w ish to alter its true form violently, by giving it
that unnatural form of a good intention, while they
cover over the natural lying form of the human heart by
this of an adulterine good intention ; being prepared to
do any thing for the glory of God (as they call it), for the
honour of the church, and from a zealous desire after
faith and the salvation of souls. And then, whatever
they have dared to do, they doubt not is most pleasing
unto God, a work of condignity, and a work of supere-
rogation. And if you attempt to touch such upon these
points, it will force them to compare their merits with
those of St. Peter. So long are the eyelids of this be-
hemoth, and so awfully are these most wretched of all
men taken in their own devices.

And now, the word " which they have imagined,"
is more significantly expressive in this particular than
can be set forth by any words of any language. For it
signifies in the Hebrew, ' to imagine or think, not sim-
ply, but artfully and ingeniously ; ' in the same way as
artificers think variously and inventively in their dif-
ferent kinds of work. Hence we have it, Psalm lii. 2,
" Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs all the day." And
hence Reuchlin says, that it is from this word that every
theoretical or mathematical art which investigates truth
by reasoning and demonstration is named. And herein
the Spirit beautifully paints forth to us the thoughts of
the ungodly : for as they do not yield themselves up to
be governed and directed by the grace of God, but
please themselves with their own good intentions, it is
incredible, how diligent, ingenious, and subtle, they are
both in doing and planning their works. — But in addi-
tion to these there is another signification of the word ;
namely, to think of, esteem, value, &c. ; so that we may
understand, that nothing is more precious in the eyes of

5Q7

the ungodly than their own counsels, their own thoughts,
and their own good intentions.

Behold, therefore, how far the Holy Spirit, that best
of all orators, is from wanting words to set forth and ex-
plain a thing appropriately, aptly, openly, and fully.
Who could describe the blindness of the ungodly more
exactly even in the longest oration, than the Holy Spirit
has in these three words : for only examine them mi-
nutely, and you will find that- nothing can be added to
them or taken from them. And he does not describe
the blindness of those ungodly ones only, but their whole
state of mind, and feelings, and nature also ; and that in
those few words.

And if any one make any difficulty about our trans-
lation when it says, " In which they have imagined,"
and not ' which they have imagined:' he may under-
stand it thus ; that the verb ' to imagine' here is put
alone and absolutely : so that the meaning is, " in which
they imagine : " that is, in which they are in an ima-
gining state of mind : that is, artful, inventing, and pre-
cious in their own sight, that is, taken with themselves.
For this is the reason why the psalmist so cries out unto
God and complains unto him, that he stands afar off;
because he sees the ungodly hardened more and more in
their wickednesses, so that he perceives no hope of their
being overcome by the patience of the poor, unless the
Lord come to help.

Ver. S. — For the sinner is praised in the desires of
his soul, and the wicked is blessed ; he hath exasperated
the Lord.

This verse and the following, are shamefully lace-
rated in translations : for the following verse begins with
these words, " The sinner hath exasperated the Lord :"
because in the Hebrew, both the following verse and the
present begin with the nominative ; and the words " hath
exasperated the Lord," refer to the latter verse. Hence
Hieronymus has translated it thus. ' Because the
wicked hath boasted of the desire of his soul ; and the
covetous praising himself, hath blasphemed the Lord,'

528

And again, the words themselves which are made
use of furnish matter for particular observation. This
"sinner" is the ungodly rasa, the saint of the devil.
The " desire of his soul " is his self-pleasing. The
" wicked," which Hieronymus renders the ' covetous,' is
a general noun, signifying either a covetous person, or an
offender; one who according to his own pleasure hurts,
molests, and injures just whom he will ; as the covetous
generally do. Our translator however has better ren-
dered it " wicked," than Hieronymus has * covetous ; '
because wickedness, injury, and the wanton licence of
hurting, have a wider signification than covetousness ;
and the former signification is more to the point,
because David is speaking of the oppressors of the
ungodly.

The meaning is therefore, after the wicked has pre-
vailed and has destroyed the poor, he becomes hardened
in and blinded by his wickednesses : and afterwards
does nothing but boast of his own things, proclaim them
abroad, and praise them : seeking only to become and
appear such in the sight of men as he is in his own eyes.
All his aim is to make those things which he devises,
imagines, and does for his own pleasure against the poor
and the godly, to be approved by all, and accounted
useful, holy, just, and supporting to the church; and
that there is nothing in them which all might not praise.
And, on the other hand, his aim is, that the desires of
the godly and their thoughts might be condemned by the
same consent of all, as injurious, ungodly, and heretical,
and, (according to those terms which have been univer-
sally used in our time, to the great offence of all godly
ears) scandalous, erroneous, and heretical. And in all
these things the wicked must prevail, that the prayer and
feelings contained in this Psalm may have their fulfil-
ment and use.

And hence, another destruction of the ungodly is,
that they proceed to such lengths in their ungodliness,
that they glory in their malice, and become powerful in
their iniquity, (as we have it set forth, Psalm v. 2 ;) so
that he stands as the abomination in the holy place.

529

And this verse in all its meaning has now been ful-
filled for many years by the ecclesiastical tyranny, and
will be still farther fulfilled in the times to come. For
here, as the name of Christ is used as a cover for all
evil, whatever injury these tyrants do to the people of
Christ according to their lust, whatever they decree
against them, whatever they are pleased to do, if you do
not bless and praise them therein, you will be im-
mediately called a heretic, a seditious person, and a
blasphemer : that the scripture might be fulfilled which
saith, ' Because they received not the love of the truth
that they might be saved, God shall send them strong
delusion that they should believe a lie,' 2 Thess. i. 10, 11.
For we must understand that Antichrist is painted
forth in this Psalm together with his whole body : who
must, in fulfilment of it, be adored and feared under the
name of Christ, as our ingratitude deserves.

It is not, however, foreign from the sense to under-
stand with Hieronymus, 'covetous,' instead of "wicked:"
excepting that iniquity is more atrocious than covetous-
ness. And indeed, covetousness is especially ascribed to
these ungodly popes and idols of Antichrist throughout
the whole scripture ; and particularly, Isaiah v. and
Psalm V. in which places of scripture their throat is
compared to an open sepulchre : and this will be at its
utmost height and in its highest power, when it is finally
brought to an end together with the end of the world : it
has never yet appeared at such a height, nor ever
will at any time hereafter, as it will at that final de-
struction.

This " hath exasperated the Lord," which Hierony- '
mus renders, * hath blasphemed,' sets forth the third
evil of these wicked ones ; which is, to irritate, exasperate,
and blaspheme God. Concerning which, Psalm v. 10,
hath said, " Cast them out in the multitude of their
transgressrons, for they have irritated thee." For we are
not to understand that the ungodly, and so Antichrist
himself, will openly and verbally blaspheme God, for
they most especially make use of the name of God to
accomplish the work of their error. Nay, the ungodly

VOL. III. 2 M

prevail over the poor by this very means ; for like
Rabshakeh, Isaiah xxxvi. they glory that they came
from God, and that every thing which they say, do,
wish, or enact, is of God : and here all must necessarily
be deceived who are not led by the Spirit of God.

But their blasphemy lies here, that they not only do
not acknowledge their ungodliness and iniquity, but
boast of it as being godliness and piety towards God ;
hereby ascribing unto God the worst of all works and a
most abominable name ; by which God is most terribly
irritated, whereas, if they confessed their sins he would
be to them a most sweet father. And again, they not
only do not reverence the work and A¥ord of God which
he hath wrought and put in his poor, and not only think
them unworthy the name of God, buit impute them to
the devil and to iniquity : thereby taking from God that
which is his own and giving it to the devil.

Hence, the apostle saith, 2 Thess. ii. 4, concerning
Antichrist, the prince of all the ungodly, that he exalteth
himself not only above God, but above all that is called
God or that is so worshipped ; or, as the Greek has it,
above all the named or worshipped God. Whereby the
apostle indicates, that nothing can be exalted above God
as he is in his own nature, and that it can be only raised
above him as he is preached, worshipped, and adored :
that is, above the worshsp of God : that is, in the
opinions and affections of men before whom he is
preached and worshipped by the Word and by faith.
Which I understand to be nothing else than that the
word of man should at some time be preferred to the
Word of God, and that man should sit in the place of
God, and be feared and worshipped above God. And this
they do with all their might who dbubt that the Roman
Pope is a man, but think him to be something more,
and prefer his words to the sacred Gospel of Christ ;
which is in truth the greatest of all blasphemies.

Ver. 4. — The wicked according to the multitude of
his anger will not seek: God is not in his sight.

Hieronymus translates it, ' The wicked according to

531

the height of his fury will not seek : nor is God in any
of his thoughts.' Where we have first to observe, how
vehement the spirit of this Psalm is, which so often re-
peats the words " wicked," and expresses them again
and again. And then, instead of " the multitude of his
wrath," Hieronymus has it more properly ' the height of
his fury;' for the Hebrew word gauah signifies lofti-
ness or pride i as we have it. Psalm ci. 5, '' With him
that hath an high look and a proud heart will I not
eat:" and again. Psalm cxxxi. 1, " Lord, my heart is
not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty." And, according to
my judgment, the translators have read Caph for Beth,
and so translated it, " according to the multitude," and

* according to the height ; ' when it ought to have been,

* in the height.' And the reason why some of the illus-
trious fathers referred this " multitude of anger" to God,
and not to the wicked, (which is its proper signification)
is, because the punctuation was erroneous.

And as to the difference in the renderings " in his
sight," which Hieronymus renders "in all his thoughts,"
that does not make any difference to the sense. The
word in the Hebrew, however, is the same as that above
in the second verse, which has been translated " in
counsels," and by Hieronymus " in wickednesses." So
that the reader will see, that I was right above when I
condensed all the significations into one, and understood
by this word, that monstrous enormity and external
mask of the ungodly which they call ' a good intention,'
pious zeal, and the love of the truth. For it is against
this hypocrisy that the spirit of this Psalm inveighs ;
because such men, being blinded with that hypocrisy, do
not appear to themselves to blaspheme God, but to
praise him above all things ; nor to be proudly domi-
neering over, nor to burn the poor, but to persecute and
punish the proud and ungodly ; nor to be taken in their
own counsels and deceived, but to act with the most
sure and certain truth. Hence, they feel assured and
most certain that God is in their counsels and good in-
tention. And in a word, they consider every thing that
is imputed to them in this Psalm so foreign to them,

2m2

532

that they look upon the whole when applied to them as
the greatest insult and abuse ; against which they think
they are sufficiently fortified by merit, if they fight for
the holy truth and the honour and glory of the church
with every possible execration, abuse, art, craft, and ef-
fort of power : and they consider that all such scriptures
belong rather unto those whom they persecute. Hence
it comes to pass, that blindness, the first great evil in the
ungodly, is the cause of all this war and of all these
evils. And we have abundant examples at hand in the
case of Christ, the apostles, and the martyrs.

The fourth might of these most holy and most
learned ones (I mean the ungodly,) therefore, is the
height of their anger : that is their pride, their elated,
inflated and pufi'ed-up mind : of whom also the apostle
foretold, 2 Tim. iii. ' Men shall be proud, heady, high-
minded,' &c. — And, only weigh the force of David's
words ; he does not simply say, Their anger, but, The
pride of their anger. That is, these most proud despisers
boast of, are puffed up with, and glory in their anger
against the poor and the godly, as if it was the greatest
of merit; so far are they from pitying the poor, and
from repenting of their evil and their furious rage. And
the cause of this iron neck and brazen forehead (as
Isaiah saith, chap, xlviii.) is this, that they fight not for
money or for any thing else belonging to the body, but
for God, for the truth, and for righteousness, (that is, for
their own counsels in which they are taken,) in which
there is nothing which can be too great in their judg-
ment.

Hence David rightly saith, " The wicked according
to the height, (or the multitude) of his anger will not
seek." For the verb "seek" is put absolutely and alone,
and signifies, that such do not make any search, do not
care, are not concerned. For he that seeks, is con-
cerned, is much in fear, and is careful about himself.
But this proud one is carried headlong, without fear;
he is quite secure, and follows on just where his good in-
tention leads him ; the pride of his anger will not allow
him to consider or deliberate, or inquire what he is

533

doing. For it is this precipitate thoughtlessness that
David means, when he says, " according to the height
of his anger he will not seek : " that is, he does only not
fear man, but even has not God in all his thoughts, or,
in his sight.

And is not this painting out the wicked most exactly
in his own colours, and touching his feelings and manners
at one stroke, yea, so as not to leave a hair unde-
lineated ? It is just like that description of the sons of
Benjamin, Judges xviii. And if you observe all these
things, and take notice of them against whom he is in-
veighing, that is, the powerful, the rulers, the magis-
trates, the priests, the righteous ones, the wise ones,
who, in their own eyes and before men are far different
to what David has described them to be, you will be
inclined to say that the spirit of the prophet was he-
retical, abusive, execrating, obnoxious, seditions, and
offensive to godly souls. — Hence, this verse, represents
the three colours of the ungodly; their pride or their
elated anger, their precipitate thoughtlessness, aod their
contempt and neglect of God. But so, (as I have said)
as to leave no one to boast of his modesty, prudence,
or piety, or to be praised for those virtues if he has
them.

Ver. 5. — His ways are polluted at all times: thy
judgments are removed away from his sight: he will
proudly rule over his enemies.

Instead of " are polluted," Hieronymus and the
Hebrew have " bring forth." And perhaps some Latin
translator might have written inquinatcE for inguietce :
as if he would have rendered it imjuietce, retaining the
feelings of one bringing forth, if Augustine and all the
old translators had not been against such a rendering :
for Augustine renders it " his ways are polluted." The
sense, therefore, of our text will be. Although the
ungodly man seems to himself to be clean in his ways,
yet as he is polluted himself, " his ways are polluted at
all times." As we have it written, Prov. xxx. 12 — 14,
" There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes,

534

and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a
generation, O how lofty are their eyes, and their eye-hds
are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are as
swords, and their jaw-teeth are as knives to devour the
poor from off the earth, and the needy from among
men." In which words the same ungodly character
is set forth that David describes in this Psalm.

Nay, the ungodly are of that presumption, that if
they suffer any thing, or if their plans have failed, they
glory in having obtained the crown for patience ; thus
always thinking the best of themselves : concerning
whom David says " at all times : " that is, whether it
be in prosperity or in adversity, whether they have suc-
ceeded or their plans have failed, their ways are polluted
and defiled. As if he had said with the apostle, Titus i.
16, " For they are abominable and disobedient, and to
every good work reprobate." And again, ver. 15, "To
the pure all things are pure ; but unto them that are
defiled and unbelieving, is nothing pure ; but even their
mind and conscience is defiled." For the ungodly, who
place all their righteousness in works, and rule them-
selves by their own counsels, cannot be men of all hours,
of all works, and of all things, with freedom and indif-
ference. But they cleave to certain works to which they
adhere, and in support of which, they war and fight.
And hence it is that David says, that their ways are
polluted at all times : wishing to say that they are the
most so at that time Mhen they seem to be the purest in
their own eyes. And therefore, this passage stands,
against those who place those works which are morally
good among those which are not evil ; on account of the
natural power that the free-will has (as they hold it) to do
good. But this text stands directly against them, saying
that their ways are polluted " at all times."

The Hebrew does not differ much from this, ' because to
bring forth' is to be unquiet and to be in pains. Wherein he
describes the pursuits of the ungodly although apparently
good ; — that they are not done with a joyful and grateful,
but with an unquiet, sad, and grieving mind : for as they
have not the richness of the spirit, they cannot do their

6$6

good works without a hatred of the law and difficulty ;
and^this difficulty and disquieted state of mind bring on
a sorrow and trouble of conscience. And this it is that
pollutes all their good works, that they do them with an
unquiet, rebellious, unwilling, and sorrowful heart. Or,
if they do them willingly, they are polluted with a still
more subtle defilement, because they do them with an
eye to their own advantage. And hence they walk in
polluted ways at all times, whether they be compelled to
their wofks by threats or allured to them by the hope of
advantage ; for they never do them from a love of God
and his righteousness. O what a mighty word is this !
How many does it condemn at this day, who, by doing
what is in their power, (as they term it,) intent upon
moral virtues, do not observe this iniquity of their heart!

In the Hebrew, " at all times " is joined to that
which follows, " Thy judgments are taken away out of
his sight." And it is simply said, " are polluted," or,
* bring forth.' As if it were said, Whatever good he
does is laborious to him, and yet after all it is unclean.
And as we have said before, Psalm i. he calls them
" ways " when they are rather errors ; because they
seem to be good outwardly unto men, whereas, they are
all the while walking in sheep's clothing, while inwardly
they are polluted and ravening wolves.

And to this unhappy name of the ungodly, whereby
their most showy life in the sight of man, is called
" polluted," we are to add this also, — ^that the judgments
of God are far out of their sight : wherein he has ex-
pressed that which he said just before, " God is not in
his sight." Thereby wishing to show how much they
are without the fear of God. " Thy judgments " (says
David ;) that is, those judgments whereby thou judgest
in defence of the poor, when thou risest up, and whereby
thou condemnest all who are proud. All these judgments
they consider to be so far from them, that they imagine
they will never come upon them. And of these same
persons, Isaiah says, chap. x. 3, " And what will ye do
in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall
eome from afar ? "

S36

Only observe, therefore. The godly man fears all
his works, like Job, even when they dre good : so near
are the judgments of God to him, before whom no flesh
can be justified if he should enter into judgment.
Psalm cxliii. But the ungodly man, even when all his
ways are polluted, never fears his works at all : so far
are the judgments of God from him. Nay, he goes so
far in this pride, that he expects to make God his debtor,
that is, by his works of condigmti/, which merit eternal
life ; and also by his wot^ks of congriiitif and superero-
gatioji, as our masters have taught in our day, who
ascribe to one momentary act a dignity of merit that de-
serves eternal glory ! But what Turk even, would believe
that such things were taught amongst us ?

" He shall rule over all his enemies," Hieronymus
renders it, '* shall despise all his enemies." And indeed,
I do not know what the genuine and true signification
of the verb jahiah is. For in Psalm xii. it is trans-
lated, ' I will act confidently in it.' And Habakkuk ii. 3,
" In the end it shall speak." And Proverbs xiv. 5, " But
a false witness will utter lies." How then shall all these
significations be made to agree, ' to despise,' ' to con-
demn,' ' to act with confidence,' and ' to bring forth?'
Our translator, indeed, aUvays consistent with himself,
seems to have understood -by ' ruling,' the same as ' con-
fidently acting,' which Hieronymus has more expres-
sively rendered ' despising ; ' for he that despises, acts
confidently, and, as it were, proudly rules over the one
conquered.

John Reuchlin says that the deepest Hebraists un-
derstand by that word, ' a meditating in ones own mind,'
* a preparing any thing by secret consideration,' * a dis-
posing or arranging of any thing,' ' a speaking of any
thing : * which understanding of the wor.d we will for the
present follow. So that the sense will be, that the un-
godly are so proud, and such despisers of all things in
their life, that they look down upon all their troublers or
adversaries with confidence, and speak against them in a
way of despising, as if th«y could receive no harm from
them. But if the tramelator had rendered it by a neuter

537

verb, or an impersonal verb, the sense would have been
clearer, and would have agreed better both with that
which precedes and that which succeeds ; in this way, —
He despises all his troubles : that is, he is so secure,
the judgments of God are so far from him and from his
sight, that he only laughs even when the punishments
that shall fall upon the wicked are declared unto him,
for he thinks that ^ they do not belong to him, so con-
temptuously does llti think of them and speak against
them.

And thts understanding of the passage is favoured
by that which went before, where David says that the
judgments of God were despised, by which tribulation
is threatened and brought upon the wicked. — And more-
over, zoRCERAF does not signify enemies but oppres-
sors : that is, those who reduce him to straits and trouble
him as it is expresed. Psalm iii. & vi. And the scrip-
ture ascribes this contempt of punishment to the wicked
everywhere. Thus Amos ix. 10, "All the sinners of
my people shall die by the sword, which say. The evil
shall not overtake nor prevent us." And again, Isaiah
xxviii. 15, " Ye have said. We have made a covenant
with death, and with hell are we at agreement ; when the
overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come
unto us." Hence, this verb in this passage signifies not
only to speak, but to speak with confidence, and to speaJs
with contempt, as a lord and a superior is wont to
speak. And hence, we may thus understand that pas-
sage of Proverbs xiv. 5, " But a false fitness will utter
lies :" that is, he speaks lies with confidence and a con-
tempt of all consequences, not fearing the punishment of
of his lying. And indeed, the following verse shows
that this is the meaning of the passage, when it says, —

Ver. 5. — For he hath said in his heart, I shall not
be moved from generation to generation, without evil.

Bohold here, the despiser of future tribulation and of
the judgment of God ! Our translator, however, not ex-
pressing the Hebrew, has given a contrary sense, such a
sense as the text has not. For this translation sounds

538

as if the ungodly had proposed to himself always to do
evil, whereas David's meaning is, that he says he shall
never be moved with evil, wherefore I make the punc-
tuation and the Hebrew sense to be thus — ' He hath said
in his heart, I shall not be moved from generation to ge-
neration, as not being in evil,' And this is the way in
which Hieronymus renders it, though he makes a little
difference, saying, ' He hath said in his heart, I shall
not be moved from generation to generation ; I shall be
free from evil:' adding the verb, * I shall be,' which, in
the Hebrew, is understood.

The meaning therefore is plainly thus, the ungodly
man contemptuously speaks of all the evils that, are de-
nounced against him : saying, ' I shall not be moved for
ever : I shall be free from evil to all generations.' Hence,
the sense in both parts of the verse is the same, and the
one is only a repetition of the other. And there is a
Hebrew idiom in the verb ' I shall be moved : ' as we
have it in Psalm xv. 5, " He that doeth these things
shall never be moved." And again in Psalm cxxv. 1,
" They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abideth for ever." For
herein is intimated that fear and trembling of conscience
which is often felt; and which is set forth negatively,
Isaiah xxviii. 16, " And he that believeth shall not
make haste : " and affirmatively Psalm i, 4, " But the
ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind
driveth away."

Ver. 7. — His mouth is full of cursifig and bitterness ;
and under his tongue is pain, labour, and grief .

Hieronymus translates the verse thus : * His mouth
is full of cursing, and deceit, and avarice : under his
tongue is mischief and vanity.' First of all it is evident
that our translator has erred in the word umirmos, bit-
terness; which Hieronymus has rendered from the
Hebrew, and that properly, ' and deceit.' For we have
it thus translated also. Psalm xv. 4, " He that hath
sworn to his neighbour with deceit." For the word that
signifies ' bitterness,' has not the Mem, the substantial

559

«

letter, as this word has. And what our translator has
rendered " pain," and Hieronymus ' avarice,' is in other
places rendered ' usury:' as in Psalm Ixxii. 14, " He
shall redeem their soul from usury and violence." And
both words are thus rendered Psalm Iv. 11, " Deceit
and guile depart not from her streets."

I know that this verse has been handled and ren-
dered in various ways, and has yet been left obscure.
Though I am fully persuaded, that, as it speaks of, and '
reproves the mouth and the tongue, it has reference to the
workers with the Word ; that is, that it speaks of priests,
popes, and such preachers and ministers of the Word.
And hence, it cannot be understood as referring to those
who madly curse and abuse privately ; but to that curs-
ing, which is connected with and committed by teaching,
and which hurts the people under the pretence of being
a blessino; to them. For when the Word of God is taught
purely and truly, grace and blessing are preached : as in
Rom. i. 16, where the Gospel is called " the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Which
blessing was of old promised unto Abraham, Gen. xii.
Though I have fully set forth this Psalm v. where it is
said, " For there is no truth in their mouth :" but as an
ungodly teacher is so powerful a monster to injure, it is
right that he should be thus spoken of repeatedly.

Here then we see, first, how David says these things
in this verse, as he has done every thing else, in a great
power of spirit ; calling this preaching a cursing, and the
doctrine of such preachers an execration ; which they
persuade the people is a blessing. Concerning whom
the Apostle says, Rom. xvi. 18, " who by good words
and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."
And indeed the same Apostle, 2 Tim. iv. 3, foretold that
there should come teachers " havincj itching; ears,"
These soft-mouthed preachings therefore, David calls
cursings, which indeed they are : as it it said also Ma-
lachi ii. 2, " I will curse your blessings."

And then, what a power of spirit is contained in
those words, " his mouth is full." It would have been
something more mild if he had said, ' his mouth uttereth

540

cursings.' But he says " is full :" that is, it speaks no-
thing else but that which causeth the people to be cursed
of God. — And this verse, would indeed induce me to
believe that the Psalm should be understood of Anti-
christ, if I did not see at this day the great ones of the
church, and the chosen ones of Israel, so immersed in
human decrees and earthly philosophy, that they can do
nothing else but fill the minds of the people with their
doctrines, that is, cursings; while the Gospel all the
while is put under the table (as we commonly say). For
if the administration of ecclesiastics and rulers of the
church was at this day filled with prayer, true, appro-
priate, useful, and full, and if all things were done per-
fectly and plainly, I would explain this Psalm as not
being applicable to them. But now the ungodliness of
our age has arrived at that pitch, that if you ask why
they are unwilling to hear the Gospel, they answer, that
by that means ' Bean would rub against bean;' that is,
that much would be taken away from their wealth and
tyranny, that many of the most difficultly-formed laws
that cost a great deal of trouble in forming, would be
done away with ; and, what is the most horrid of all,
that the church and all ecclesiastics must be reformed ;
that then, all pomp and pride, and all the dominion and
business of the world must be laid aside; that the
Word and prayer only must be continually attended to,
and a life lived, after the manner of the apostles, in po-
verty, and continual peril for the truth's sake. Whereas,
that this may not come to pass, we preach now a-days
all things the contrary, whether the souls of men be
thereby cursed, or whether they fall into something
worse still.

Hence, even though I should not dare to affirm that
Antichrist is already come, yet I cannot deny that all
those things which are now going on among us most ex-
actly and fully exhibit Antichrist. And I am not a little
confirmed in this by the authority of all the saints who
have preceded us, who all with one consent, as by the
teaching of the Holy Spirit, have applied this Psalm to
Antichrist ; and if we do not choose to receive it

541

thus, yet we cannot but confess, that the Psalm is ful-
filled at this day in every point, to a very iota.

" With bitterness and deceit," or rather, ' with de-
ceit and covetousness,' or ' with usury and fraud.' —
We have said above, Psalm v. that ungodly teachers so
leach, that they deceive the people, and act craftily, only
to satisfy their own bellies. As Paul also saith, ' think-
ing that gain is godliness:' and again, Rom. xvi. 18,
* For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus
Christ, but their own belly ; whose mouth is an open
sepulchre.' And perhaps the Holy Spirit would have
said, * Simony' in this passage, but he foresaw that there
would be some who would say that ' simony' had refer-
ence to some human rites : and therefore he says " co-
vetousness," or fraud, or usury, which have reference to
the law of God, which none can deny. He that does
not understand this part of the verse before us, let him
look at the decrees, decretals, and distinctions, among
our ecclesiastical teachers, in whom they will find no-
thing else breathing but covetousness, deceit, and ty-
ranny. In this way we shall the more easily understand
the verse, because it is exemplified openly before our
eyes. — I would not, however, without the divine will,
reject the rendering *' bitterness," which has been re-
ceived for so long a time : because, this soft-mouthed
preaching and these human traditions, in the same pro-
portion as they are preached, to the pleasing of the flesh,
will in the same proportion, afterwards embitter the
conscience, when such men, being ignorant of Christ,
begin to judge of their own works.

We now have, " labour and pain :" that is, ' aven
and AMAL,' which we have handled before, Psalm vii.
where we observed that aven properly signified ' pain,'
which is here rendered " labour," and amal ' labour,'
which is here rendered " pain." — David here sets before
us in a most excellent manner the doctrine of men. For
what does a man get out of all such doctrines but an
unquiet, miserable, and murdered conscience? There-
fore, truly are pain and labour under their tongue. And
yet, alas ! thousands and an innumerable number of such

542

have been made from these human laws, and from the
school theology, for now more than three hundred years.
I speak thus for example sake, that if possible the amend-
ment of our practices may leave it manifest that Anti-
christ is a different character, and one that does worse
things than these. And such an admonition as this is
highly necessary, for men are now so outwardly tickled
and pleased with the doctrine, because it shows them an
easy way to heaven by human works; but inwardly,
being devoid of faith, they are vexed with the unhappy
desire of making a good life ; they sweat and toil much,
but all is labour in vain ; so that like their generation
described Wisdom v. 7, ' They weary themselves in the
way of wickedness and destruction, they go through de-
serts where there is no way.' And as we shall have it
hereafter, Psalm xiv. " Destruction and misery are in
their paths, and the way of peace they have not known."
And as the Psalmist said above, ver. 5, ' Their ways
bring forth.' This is the people of Amon, the people of
bitterness, which are born from the abuse of their father ;
that is, from the drunken and corrupt doctrine of the
law ; which law- testifies of the righteousness of God by
faith, but they by human opinion, bring it down to their
own righteousness, and ascribe the whole to free-will.

Only see therefore, what it is to teach the people
without Christ. For what David here expresses by say-
ing " their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;" he
has expressed Psalm v. 9, thus, " There is no truth in
their mouth" (or ' faithfulness' or ' good'). And what
he here expresses by " deceit" or ' bitterness;' he there
expresses by saying " their inward part is very wicked-
ness ;" or, ' their heart is vain.' Here he says, ' covet-
ousness, or usury, or deceit;' there he says, " Their throat
is an open sepulchre." Here he says, " under his tongue
is labour and pain;" there, "they flatter with their
tongue," or ' act deceitfully with their tongue.' — And it
is not in vain that he says here, " under their tongue ; "
for he thereby shews that upon their tongue, or in ap-
pearance, where they are spoken, their words seem good,
(for this is the nature of a flattering or vain tongue,) but

543

under the tongue, or in reality, it is all labour and pain.
And hence this verse agrees with that of Psalm v. in all
particulars ; and there is the same power of the spirit in
both, (as we have shewn,) and the same force and weight
of words.

Ver. 8 — He sitteth i?i liirking-'places with the rich ;
in secret places, that he tnight murder the imiocent : his
eyes are set against the poor.

Hieronymus translates it thus, ' He sitteth lurking
near the entrances : in secret he murdereth the poor : his
eyes look about on the strong.' Hence, it is wonder-
ful in what kind of a spirit our translator could be when
he translated it " with the rich," because, in the Hebrew
there is neither the preposition with, nor near, nor that.
The word hazerim is put alone, which signifies a village
or a hall, according to the authority of Reuchlin. And
this Hieronymus seems to intimate when he translates it
' entrances.' Perhaps it is because the entrances or ves-
tibules of the rich, are accustomed to be thronged with
the multitude of the people : or because vestibules and
halls are peculiar to the rich. And again it is not satis-
factory where Hieronymus has rendered ' strong,' for
" poor."

Setting aside, however, all that others have variously
said upon this passage, I will shew my mind upon it. —
The prophet appears to me to be still going on with de-
scribing the depraved and corrupt pursuit, and the man-
ner of teaching persisted in by the wicked. He had said
in the preceding verse, what their doctrine was, and
what were the fruits of it; namely, cursing, covetous-
ness, deceit, pain, and labour. And now, in this verse,
he shews how they carry themselves toward godly
teachers, which teach things contrary to them. For
every teacher must not only teach his own opinions, but
also confute the opinions of all teachers that differ
from him : and this the wicked always strenuously
attempt and persevere in. But when they cannot do
this by reason and truth, (which weapons they cannot
use) they try the utmost of what powers they have ; that

544

is, they have recourse to violence and deceit, to prevent
any one from saying any thing contrary to them, or from
teaching any thing different to themselves. And then if
any one happen to say any thing different from them,
they will murder him; and for no other reason than
because he taught that which they prohibited. And
finally they employ others to look out for those who may
teach any thing contrary to them, that they may be deli-
vered into their hands : and thus, they extinguish the
Gospel of Christ by violence, and the doctrine of men
alone has dominion.

How strikingly could I prove this by adducing ex-
amples immediately before our eyes, if I did not fear
that those characters would only become worse by hav-
ing the truth told them ? But most certainly (to say no-
thing of thee, O Turk) if our searchers after heretics,
and our interpreters of human doctrines, have not already
fulfilled this verse, and if they are not now fulfilling it,
they most certainly are fast paving the way for Anti-
christ, and are by their example giving a most clear
sight and experience of what Antichrist is.

In the first place. Antichrist is to assume to himself
the right of interpreting the Scripture, as the Turk as-
sumes that right to himself also, and forces all others to
yield their judgment to his ; nay, he will not have them
to doubt that his voice is the voice of Christ ; to whom
no one must say. Why doest thou this ? And this they
will maintain, even though you bring the authority of six
hundred apostles to disprove what they say. And this
iniquity of Antichrist very many will support and
countenance ; and especially those who are something
in this world; namely, the great, the learned, the reli-
gious. For he will not openly take away the Gospel, but
with this crafty art and this secretly-working violence.

Hence Augustine says upon this passage, — that the
first persecution of the church was a violent one by the
rulers of the world : the second, a fraudulent one by
heretics : and that the third will be both a violent and
fraudulent one; that is, when both the temporal and
civil powers shall unite themselves together against the

545

Lord, and against his Christ. And this is what David
says, " He sitteth in hi rking- places :" that is, he is an
insidious and pestilential teacher. Hence, it is said ot
the good man. Psalm i. that he *' hath not sat in the
seat of the scornful." For this Antichrist does not teach
Christ, but aims at this with all possil>le art and craft, —
that he himself might sit alone, that all might hear him
only, that all might yield pre-eminence to him alone,
that he might become the judge of all tilings that are
to be taught in the church, and that he should judge
of and condemn all things that he may please, and
especially all those things which are contrary to his ty-
ranny, and approve of all that are in favour of it ; for
as to all things beside these, he cares nothing about
them.

And this insidious authority of teaching he will esta-
blish by force and power; for if he did not this, his
fraudulent dealing would not stand long, it could not
subsist without being fortified by violence, if good men
were allowed the free liberty of judging, disputing, and
doubting of his authority and doctrine. Wherefore, that
his opinion or decree, (which are to him in the place of
articles of faith,) might prevail, he will establish this sit-
ting of his in the halls, or near the entrance, or (as the
Holy Spirit has permitted our translator not very unap-
propriately to render it) with the rich, in the open place,
and publicly in the theatre of the world. And why did
David say halls in the plural and not hall in the sin-
gular? why? but because the sitting of this Antichrist,
his authority, his doctrine, his decrees, are approved,
confirmed, and adored, in all churches, schools, univer-
sities, colleges, and in a word, in all places where there
are any divine things going on, the Word administered,
or any causes of men under consideration ; it is, I say,
because his sitting is upheld in all such places, not only
by the commonalty and the vulgar, but by the powerful,
the rich, the wise, and the priests. For by halls or ves-
tibules in the scriptures are always signified open places,
where the people assemble when they separate from the
altars, the temples, and the presence of the priests : as

VOL. HI. 2 N

546

we have it written in Exodus and many other parts of
the scripture.

I, according to nny judgment, if I may presume to
any knowledire of the Hebrew, would translate this part
of the verse tlius : ' He sitteth in the lurking-places of
the halls:' for the word hazerim is put alone without
any point or distinctive mark. So that the sense is,
The halls uhicli are occupied by art and snares, or
which are prepared to accomplish all his deceits and
frauds, shall be his sitting-place, and in all these he shall
be absolute lord. For, as we have shewn, Psalm i. 1,
* to sit' is an indication of mastership or authority:
and by these halls he shall establish his authority most
insidiously. For who will dare to contradict all the
churches, schools, and judgment-seats ? And especially
when such are aided by those most specious arguments,
the multitude, the greatness of the persons, the length of
the time ; in which arguments alone, this Antichrist
may find for himself snares enough to enable him to sit
and rule with all security. And if any one wishes to
understand by the snares of the "halls" the snares of
the rich, (for they hold these halls and have these large
possessions,) he will be supported, and not improperly
perhaps, by our translator, who seems to have in his
view the riches, pomp, and pride, of the churches and
the Pope, whereby that impious Antichrist establishes
his sittincf.

And then we have, " in secret he will murder the in-
nocent," that is, he who, in his judgment, is a heretic, a
schismatic, a rebel, a disobedient one, a seditious fellow,
and offender of pious ears, because he professes the truth
ot the Gospel, and thereby offends the majesty and the
the reverence due to the seat of Antichrist. And
he will murder such an one " in secret." For deceit,
even though thus firmly established by violence, is not
yet fully safe from the light of the Gospel, if it be but
a-t all suffered to enter the hearts of men. And the
innocent is thus to be murdered, that his righteous cause
may not come to the light; and that he might not
iiave any need to be condemned by the authority of the

547

Word, he is condemned by the insidioBs seat and autho-
rity of the halls. And this John the Baptist prefigured
by his corporal death which he suffered in a prison.
Thus the voice of the Gospel is kept secret, its cause is
never heard, no reasons are given, and its preacher is
beheaded and murdered, or burnt at the stake. For
what is it to murder " in secret," as some of the martyrs
were murdered, such as Gernasius Prothasius, but to-
murder without any cause, or under a false and feigned
cause, and from fear of a tumult in public if the whole
matter were openly known ? For as it may be said of
one murdered in secret, It is not known where and how
he died, so it may be said also of all those who are mur-
dered unjustly.

But the Spirit saith " in secret," with reference to
the sight of the godly men themselves ; that is, those
who know not the reason why they perish, being inno-
cent. But the wicked man, obstinately bent on his
tyranny, boasts that he has a sufficiently manifest cause ;
that is, because he has been contradicted. And hence
no one dares say that any one was murdered in secret by
him, but must say that he did all things openly and in
the light of manifest truth. So that you are to under-
stand "secret" here as meaning, not that which is un-
seen by the bodily senses, nor as having reference to out-
ward things ; but as signifying the arts, causes, and judg-
ments, by which the mind and understanding are deceived ;
where an external cause is given, but where " in secret"
there is no cause at all. And here I leave it to the
reader's thoughts whether such enormities as these are
ever heard of among the Turks.

And again we have, " his eyes are set upon the poor."
That is, fraud is so fearful that it is even afraid of the
poor, though it sits with the rich and is supported by all
the powerful. Because, a man that is conscious of im-
probity, well knows the power and effect of truth ; and
knows also, that as soon as the truth is revealed and
made manifest, it will immediately gain the hearts of all
to itself, and will leave fraud naked and covered with
shame. And hence it is not enough for the tyranny of

2n 2

548

Antichrist that he has strengthened himself hy the power
of kings, princes, the wise, the learned, and the religious
ones : it is not enough that he has murdered the poor
and the innocent : but he must station Philistines also,
and set guards and watches every where, which may nar-
rowly observe the poor, lest he should let out one word of
the truth and so give trouble. So insidious are these halls !
Thus he imitates the customs and rites of the uni-
versities, in which an oath is taken thus, ' No one shall
teach any thing authoritatively which is contrary to the
most holy church and to certain articles of men ; ' which
must be observed for the eyes of the church, and not for
the ears of Christ. For they are all the while deaf to
the Gospel, yet nevertheless, they observe most acutely
what is contrary to the opinions and statutes of men.
So that Christ himself, when he has penetrated their
barred gates, yet cannot escape the acuteness of the sight
of these characters ; nay he is even found in many things
to be a heretic, and to have spoken against the church. —
Hence the verb " are set" does not signify a simple
looking, but that looking which is attended with close
and diligent observation ; just as spies look and observe
that the enemies form no secret plans. Hence a spy is
what the Greeks call einaKOTrog: as we have it Ezekiel iii.
17, *' Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto
the house of Israel." The emphasis of which word sets
forth in this place the fearfulness of mind that attends
this impious tyranny. Nor is there a less emphasis in
the words " his eyes" and " the poor :" which shew that
he is intent with all his care, aud observes with his eyes
(which are the most quick of all the members) lest any
peril should arise from any quarter.

Ver. 9. — He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his
den : he lurketh in his snare that he mioht catch the
poor : to catch the poor when he draweth him.

All this is one verse in the Hebrew, but with us it is
divided into three verses. And this solecism " to catch
the poor," has been sufficiently handled by many :
whereas it ought to be rendered " he will catch the

549

poor." But the whole meaning may be clearly under-
stood from the threefold power of the tyranny before
mentioned, and which vve have set forth in the preceding
verse. For he here explains what the wicked does with
his eyes when he sets his eyes upon the poor : namely,
like a ravenous lion ready to snatch and to devour, who
watches in his den for an opportunity, and to see if any
beast passes by unawares, and so falls into his clutches
without suspecting any such thing.

So shall it be also in the time of Antichrist : they
shall not only prohibit the poor from uttering a word about
the Gospel : but shall so watch him, that if he shall un-
awares say or do any thing which they can twist round
by violence or fraud, and tbrcibly interpret to be against
the holy seat of the Beast, they will immediately cry out
like those of our day, To the fire with him ! which
meaning he never once thought of who spoke the impru-
dent word, or never M'ished to say it. Nay, if he said a
thing never so cautiously, and so that he had no reason
whatever to fear any danger, yet these creatures will
make it their business to hnd fault with that which is
spoken most rightly ; like the Jews, who sought to cast
Christ in his words, and to iind poison in the most per-
fect and pure syllables ; as the spider does from the rose.

And this they do with no little wisdom ; because
they know well and have been taught by experience, that
the dominion and power of that tyranny cannot stand
very safe and prosperous where none are destroyed but
those who can be condemned with just cause, or sus-
pected under pretence. But for the terror of and an
example to others, those also must be attacked who live
quietly and harmlessly, never fearing any such as falling
on these dreadful rocks. So that there is no one who
does not fear a tyrant, not even he who has the best of
consciences and who is wholly ignorant of any design
against the tyranny. Hence we have it written Mi-
cah ii. 8, that this shall be done to those " who pass by
securely as men averse to war."

And now only see what it is for these to " lie in wait
secretly, like a lion in his den, that he may catch the

550

poor ; " it is, to watch for an occasion of catching and
destroying the poor : that they may catch him in this
word or that deed, which was utterly unknown to him,
and of which he was totally ignorant, and for that word
or deed to condemn him. For we have said that secret
in this passage, signifies that which is hidden by art and
ingenuity : while one cause is feigned for which the poor
is accused, and another is known in secret for which he
could not be accused ; nay, for which praise was due to
him. Or as Christ says, such " hate the light;" and,
as the Apostle says, " they speak lies in hypocrisy."
Of which we shall see more in the following Psalms.
The rage of the lion which is required to strengthen such
a tyranny has need of these arts.

That which follows, " He shall catch the poor while
he draweth him away in his net," seems to be said by
way of explanation, that no poor one might be thought
to be caught in any other way than that which has been
just described. That is, they shall entangle him in his
talk, if they cannot find any thing by which they can
prove him to have spoken openly against this most holy
seat of Antichrist. For David is not here speaking
of a corporal catching, which the verse following will
treat of, but of a spiritual one, a catching which they
have contrived " in secret" by snares. And these snares
he calls a net or a trap : and of these I would give abun-
dant examples, if our own times did not afford such a
number as to render all statement of them needless.

Ver. \0.—He will humble him, he idll bend himself
down, and he will faU when he has ruled over the 'poor.

The confusion of these expressions and of the punc-
tuation, makes us inclined to understand the whole of
this verse concerning the fall of Antichrist. But
Hieronymus renders it thus : ** He will put under the
poor when he has bruised him ; he will rush upon him
violently with all his might." And yet, our translator
does not render the former part of the verse badly if we
omit the pronouns him, and himself, (which are not in
the Hebrew), and if we insert the conjunction and be-

551

tween the two verbs thus ; (though that conjunction is
not in the Hebrew on account of the idiom of that
tongue) — He will humble and bend down, (that is, the
poor.) For the former verb dak ah signities ' to bruise,'
' to break in pieces,' and ' to shake :' and the latter verb
KAH signifies ' to bend down,' ' to curve,' and ' to hum-
ble ; ' as Reuchlin says.

The other part of the verse is thus in the Hebrew,
* And he shall fall with his strengths on the poor.' Which
sense our translation has nearly given. For ' to fall
with strengths,' and ' to fall with powers,' both signify
to prevail and have the mastery. But, however, John
Reuchlin thinks that the word poor being a compound,
sicrnifies the conureiiation of the <>;rievinii; and the af-
llicted : where Hieronymus has })ut the adverb ' vio-
lently :' in the same way fis, a little above, he rendered
" the poor," 'the strong:' but perhaps he had his eye
upon another word.

The meaning is, therefore, when Antichrist and his
s})ies have dragged the poor into their net, and have
caught and entangled him in his words ; there is then no
mercy to be found ; and they would consider it a less sin if
he had denied God, his works, and his words, than they
now consider his having spoken against this seat of decep-
tions. Here the poor is bruised and reduced to notliing ;
here they run with all their might upon the poor oppressed
people. — To this madness of Antichrist, ("whatever the
Turk may have done or not done,) have long ago attained
all those life-guards and flatterers of the virtual and repre-
sentative church : for they laugh at all the sins committed
against Ciod, and no longer consider them as sins : and
so far are they from rushing upon these, or taking any
watchful observance of them, that they do not spend one
hundredth part of their time and strength upon them.
But when you presume to doubt of their fstatute^ and de-
crees ; and to think whether or not God and man are
not mingled together in them, and whether they do not
proceed from an eartlily lord of the world : here, if you
mutter one syllable imprudently you are dragged into the
net and bruised to pieces ; they rush upon you with all

55^

their pov\ ers ; and not contented with the sword, and w ith
the thunders of the denounced sentence, together ^^ith
loads of curses which one could hardly be able to read,
they call in also the aid of the secular arm, and assemble
together the powers of the whole v\ orld : such a mighty
work is it to defend the seat of tyranny ! So that by
these words, " he will rush on with all his might," the
prophet seems to me to have expressed the tyranny of
these characters in our day, which are exerted either for
Antichrist to come, or by Antichrist already come.
Against which we do not dare to mutter a word, though
we see them all seeking their own with the most de-
praved avidity, and all most contemptuously disregarding
all the things of God.

Hence, " he will humble and bend down," is not
to be understood as referring to the person of Anti-
christ, but to the works of tyrannyi which he practises
upon the poor. As are also these words, " He shall
full when he has gotten the mastery :" for that also sig-
nifies his power. For from this violence of their assault
they are called giants niphlim, Gen. vi. : that is, ' falling
or rushing upon.' Because, says Moses, ' there were
powerful men in the world and men of renown (that is,
tyrants) who with violence rushed upon and oppressed
the poor.' As it is also said of Nimbroth, Gen. x.
' And he began to be a mighty man in the earth (that is,
a violent man) and a mighty hunter before the Lord.'

Ver. 1 1. — He hath said in his heart, God hath for-
gotten : he hideth his face, he will never see it.

Again, the wicked do not say this because they think
that God is not the punisher of evil and does not regard
the affairs of men, for they perpetrate all their enormities
under the name of the Lord ; as Christ foretold. Matt,
xxiv. 5, that they should do, '* Many shall come in my
name." ' But they say this, because they are so secure
and so destitute of the fear of God, that they think that
God has forgotten the poor and stands on their side
against the poor ; as the following verse shews, where it
says " forget not the humble.'" And they not only

665

think that God has forgotten the poor, but that he has
hidden and turned away his face from them, and will
never more look upon them for ever. Though there are
many at this day who really do not beheve that the soul
is immortal, nor that there is any future judgment and
retribution. It is this obstinate and obdurate presump-
tion of the wicked, that David reproves in this verse,
whereby they try to provoke the spirits of the poor to
blasphemy. Thus they said to Christ upon the cross,
" If he be the Son of God, let him deliver him now if he
will have him." For they do not think it enough to de-
stroy the godly, but by blaspheming and insulting they
tempt them to despair of the divine help ; or at least
they presume so to do ; concerning which the Psalm iii.
speaks more fully : and this is the last and ultimate ex-
tremity that the wicked can try : and therefore there
now follows the Second Part of the Psalm; in which
the })rophet prays for the godly against the ungodly :
saying,

Ver. 12. — Arise, O Lord God, and let thine hand be
lifted up : forget not the poor.

The ungodly say that thou hast forgotten the poor
(says David) : but do thou arise and lift up thy power;
\\hereby thou destroyest the things that are, and ex-
altest the things that are not : and thereby let the wicked
be convinced of their ungodliness. By which, (as I have
often observed), we are taught, that we should lay aside
all revenge, and commit it unto God and leave it with
him, and only by prayer entreat to be helped of him,
despairing of all our own strength and powers.

I take it for granted, that the figurative expression of
lifting up the hand, is well known ; and that it signifies
to shew forth or to exert strena;th : concernino; which we
have spoken Psalm iv. : and we shall often have the same
expression, ' Lift up thy hand against their pride,' And
by Isaiah God says, " I will lift up my hand to the
Cientiles."

I believe that as the preceding Psalm described the
times of the martyrs in the same manner ; so this Psalm

554

now describes the times down to the end of the world :
and therefore, it not only treats of Antichrist, but also
of all ungodly tyrants that shall rage in the church after
the times of the martyrs down to the end of the world :
even of such as Paul speaks of 2 Tim. iii. 5, " Having
the form of godliness but denying the power thereof:"
whom no one will correct or reform but he who shall
destroy the wicked with the brightness of his coming.
In the mean time the wicked shall wax worse and worse
until the end.

Ver. 13, — Wherefore doth the wicked provoke God?
he hath said in his heart, He ivill not require it.

It is blasphemy and mockery that gall most, and
therefore David touches upon and arraigns these first.
For all sufferings if they are borne under a consciousness
of the favour and good-will of God towards us are tole-
rable and not so heavy ; but when the conscience is
vexed with the thoughts of a God turned from us, the
sufferings are then unsupportable. In this verse, how-
ever, David refers to and brings forward that whicli the
ungodly said, ' He hath turned away his face, that he
might no more behold:' Just in the same way as he
confuted those in the preceding verse, who said ' that
God had forgotten.' For we have need of being ex-
horted with these spiritual verses, when we are under
tribulations, and our consciences are vexed with blas-
phemy and desperation. Then, according to the exam-
ple and counsel contained in this verse, the blasphemy
is to be managed and hurled back upon the head of him
who suggested it, as those experienced in and acquainted
with these things have advised. For it is a real blas-
phemy to say, that God forgets the poor, or turns away
his face, or does not require ; when he himself has com-
manded us in the First Precept to believe in him, and to
hope in him ; in the Second to call upon his name ; and
in the Third to expect his help. Why then does the
w icked provoke God by saying of him that he forgets
the poor ; when it is contrary to his precepts and will ?

We may observe also, that in the Hebrew it is said

565

in the second person, " Thou wilt not require it:"
though this is but a trifling thing : except that a more
ardent feeling is thereby commended to us, and the ex-
hortation is more powerful to arm us against this spirit
of blasphemy : while we turn ourselves unto God with
confidence, accusing and detesting the devil, justifying
God and his commandments, and thus taking hold of his
good-will towards us, and moving his displeasure against
the adverse party. Not that God stands in any need of
being thus moved : but this exhortation is given us that
we may not yield or fail in our faith and hope, but may
arm and strengthen ourselves by these wise means.

Ver. 14. — Thou seest it : for thou considerest labour
and pain that thou mayest deliver them into thine hands.
The poor is left unto thee : thou wilt be the helper of the,
fatherless.

He says absolutely. " Thou beholdest," in order to
raise up our confidence against the blasphemy of the
wicked. As if he had said. Thou beholdest and consi-
derest all ; thou hast not forgotten us nor art thou
turned away from us (as the ungodly tauntingly cast in
our teeth) and therefore thou considerest and attendest to
labour and pain : that is, thou so seest as to consider
attentively : thou hast by no means turned away, nor
hast thou forgotten.

Most refer this " labour and pain" to the poor ; but
Augustine refers it to God. I however, according to
my spirit, refer it to the ungodly. For this labour is
here amal: concerning which I have spoken above
upon those words " Labour is under his tongue." But
the Hebrew here for this " pain" has ' fury:' as Hie-
ronymus has also rendered it. And Augustine in his
Hebrew text reads it ' anger : ' and this is what made
him think of the labour and anger of God. — According
to my opinion, therefore, David here calls " labour"
that vain and most laborious pursuit of snares and arti-
fice by which the ungodly (as we have said) gain their
ends. And by this " pain," or ' fury,' he means that
violence and impetuosity by which he strengthens and

556

establishes crafty tyranny. As if the Spirit had said,
Thou most minutely considerest both the craft and the
violence of the ungodly : his craft in his words, (to use
the words of Augustine,) and his violence in his ruling :
in which rule, he rages against thy saints, and defends
his craft and deceit with much labour.

Violence is necessary for the crafty and insidious :
nay, craft is so impotent that it cannot but rage and stir
up violence, if it once begin to be revealed. Thus, after
the princes of darkness had got possession of the world
by their long reign of idolatry, through a multiplex ope-
ration of error and deceit, they \vere terribly enraged and
began to vent their fury against the apostles and martyrs,
whose work it was to detect and make manifest this
craft. And the same does every ungodly man for the
defence of his craft ; as the examples of our age abun
dantly shew. And therefore, that the presumption of
the ungodly may not render us weak and terrified, the
Spirit exhorts us ; saying, that both the craft and the
violence are naked and open to the eye of God ; with
whatever deceit they may work and rage against the
saints.

And God so ' considers,' not as if he thought it
enough merely to consider, and then to let the ungodly
pass by unpunished ; but the verse says, " that thou
mayest deliver them into thy hands," which Hieronymus
renders more correctly, ' that he may be delivered into
thy hands.' For the pronoun them is not in the Hebrew
text ; and it speaks of the wicked in the singular number.
And it is a terrible and " fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God," (as the Apostle says Hebrew x. :)
for here there is none to deliver : as it is said Psalm li. 22,
*' Now consider this, all ye that forget God, lest I tear
you in pieces and there be none to deliver." And in the
same way also David speaks. Psalm xxi, 8, " Thine
hand shall find out all thine enemies." And all this
seems to be taken from the law of Moses, and from other
books of the Old Testament, where we often read ' that
Israel was delivered into the hands of their enemies :'
and again, ' that the enemies were delivered into the

557

hands of the children of Israel;' wherever we see that
vengeance was to be taken on either side.

And tiierefore, in this place, to be delivered into the
hands of God, is to be punished by an avenging God,
who punishes with eternal vengeance. Whereby we un-
derstand that which I said ; that the prophet is speaking
in this Psalm of those who are punished with eternal ven-
geance at the end of the world, when their ungodliness
shall have fully ripened throughout the whole world,
and become wholly past all amendment. For God does
not deliver the corrigible into his hands, but, as it is said,
Psalm Ixxxix. " he visits their iniquities with a rod and
their ,sins with stripes." — Concerning whom he is now
going to speak.

" The poor is left unto thee." — Where Hieronymus
again translates it " strong." Out of the many words
whereby the holy language designates the poor, (such a
harmony is there between poverty and holiness,) three
are found in this Psalm; — aebion, which signifies sim-
ply ' poor ; ' ONI, which signifies rather ' one grieving and
afflicted;' and halecha, which signifies properly ' one
oppressed and suflfering violence.' And beside these,
there are dach, which we find in the preceding Psalm,
* And the Lord is become a refuge to the dach, that is,
to the poor.' And also there are dal, and rusch, and
MiscHEN. To mention all the distinctive differences of
which there is no need, nor is it our object in this place.
— The Hebrews, however, can maintain these differences
with great beauty. For dach, is derived from contri-
tion and bruising; dal, from diminishing and drying
up; ONI, from affliction and sorrow of heart; aebion,
from wishing or desiring, shewing that the person is des-
titute of that which he wants; mischen, from barns
and store-houses, shewing that the person is destitute of
such things ; and rusch, from perishing and being re-
duced to misery.

In this Psalm we have particularly repeated the
word HALECHA. Which Hieronymus derives from hail,
which signifies strength ; but which others derive from
the same root hail, or hel, which signifies an army

558

or assemblage of people, and capm, which signifies hea-
viness and sorrow ; thereby understanding the church of
the sorrowful and afflicted ; which derivation pleases me
very much, because David is speaking especially of those
who suffer the craft and violence of the wicked under the
pretext of the name of God, which the latter use ; where
the former cannot resist the name of the Lord, though
the thing proposed all the while terribly distresses and
grieves them ; and thus they suffer in secret. Such as
these were the Apostles at the supper of our Lord :
who, though they did not dare to apprehend Judas, yet
were greatly grieved when his treachery was judged of
Christ. The condition therefore of the martyrs and
teachers who fought against idols, the gentiles, and
strangers, was much less distressing than this. But our
Antichrist will make use of all our bishops and eccle-
siastical rulers ; (as he began to do among the heretics ;)
and as he will have us to obey all these in the place of
Christ, it will be a most perilous thing not to obey ; and
again, it will be most perilous to obey, for the elect will
hereby be led into error.

Wherefore, since we hear that the poor is left to God
only, we ought without doubt to understand, that the
great ones and the rulers of all states and conditions
will stand opposed to them : which conduct of theirs, as
it is a popular thing, and what is most apparent in the
sight and before the eyes of the commonalty, will easily
lead us to conclude, that the whole world will rush over
on their side into obedience unto Antichrist: and
that all will seek a proof and the truth, not out of the
Gospel, but from the multitude and opinion of the com-
mon people : as many do at this day.

And the same is shewn forth in these words, " Thou
art the helper of the fatherless." It matters not whether
we translate it " helpless," as our translator has it a little
afterwards, ver. 18, or "fatherless:" for David means
one that is without a father in the world, but whose
father is in heaven. No one therefore of all mankind
will defend the friends of the Gospel in the time of
Antichrist : no one will defend them but God only.

559

These things are most horrid ! — That the bishops and all
the great ones of the church will not be in the number
of the protected fatherless ones : none of those who at
this day ride in chariots, on horses, and amid surround-
ing arms : this any one may easily understand : unless,
that is, they be first brought back to the ancient class
and kind of priests and bishops. No ! all such will ne-
cessarily be contending for the temporal things, and for
the property and rights of Christ (as they call them) and
of the saints, according to their most holy laws : they
will all be cleaving to Antichrist against the fatherless
and the helpless.

Ver. 15. — Break thou the arm of the sinner and the
evil man : his sin shall he sought out and shall not be
found.

Our translator has here put " sinner " and " sin," for
" the ungodly," and "ungodliness:" so that Hieronymus
lias more correctly rendered it, ' Break thou the arm of
the ungodly and the evil man : thou shalt seek for his un-
godliness and shalt find none.' The distinctive expression
of the Hebrew seems to be this, ' Break thou the arm of
the ungodly, and seeking out the ungodly thou shalt not
find his ungodliness.' Hence you are to understand this
' evil man ' as an adjective in the neuter gender, and as
signifying ' evil : ' and you are to connect together those
two things, ' the arm ' and the ' unijodliness ' of the un-
godly man : and not to join together the ' evil man ' and
the ' ungodliness ; ' because the one is to be broken and
the other to be sought for ; that is, is to be called into
judgments. vSo that the sense is. Destroy thou the
violence and the power of Antichrist, and seek out
his ungodliness, that is, call it into judgment, that his
craft and iniquity might be revealed and condemned ;
which craft and iniquity his ungodliness uses as its
weapons. And when thou hast so destroyed his power
and sought out his iniquity, and thus stripped him both
of his violence and his craft ; thou shalt make his ungod-
liness utterly to cease, and it shall be utterly disarmed
and brought to nothing. And this is what David means

S60

when he says, * Thou shall not find his ungodliness:' not
that it will no longer exist, but that it will be utterly
brought to nought. This is according to that same
figure of speech, whereby it is said, Deut xxxii. " And I
said, Where are they ? I will blot out them out of the
memory of all." And Isaiah xiv. " How has the ex-
tortioner ceased ! tribute is no more." And it is in the
same way that we commonly ask and insultingly say of
those who are utterly destroyed, 'Where are they!'
* Where are they gone to ! '

Wherefore, we must here notice how very aptly these
words are used and placed. The arm is destroyed, and
the ungodliness is sought for. Both are taken away,
but the ungodliness still remains : excepting that, as its
weapons, violence and craft are taken away, it is not
found : that is, its power is destroyed together with the
ungodly man. The Hebrew expression and collocation
lead me to this acceptation of the passage : though our
text may be interpreted into the same meaning. " His
sins shall be sought for and shall not be found." That
is, there shall be an exulting over the ungodly at his
destruction ; and it shall be asked by some who shall
say, ' Where now is he who rushed upon us with his
strength and prevailed by his craft?' And this verse
moreover shews, that the scene of the last judgment is
set forth and invoked in this Psalm. Because at this
time, the ungodly are bruised and converted ; but then,
their power itself and their ungodliness will be destroyed ;
but the ungodly will remain in his ungodliness ; but yet
he shall not be found, for God shall take him away.

And David very appropriately applies each parti-
cular expression to each circumstance. ' Break the arm,'
and, ' Seek the ungodliness.' Because, violence is open,
and needs not the judgment of inquisition and searching ;
it is already condemned and considered to merit ' break-
ing.' But deceit and wicked craft must first be revealed ;
the very searching after which is its destruction. For as
soon as ever deceit is known, it is immediately stripped
of its strength, and is no longer craft and deceit, but be-
comes its own shame. But however, even though it be

66\

known, it does not cease : nay, when it is known, it th||i
puts forth its strength the more, and therefore it must
be broken and destroyed. And craft is to be made ma-
nifest and so destroyed in itself. And then it will be
said to the naked, defenceless, and confounded ungodly
man, ' Where is thy miserable ungodliness now, O thou
ungodly ? '

The Lord shall reign for ever, and unto all genera-
tions: ye nations shall perish from off his earth.

The Hebrew and Hieronymus have it, ' The Lord is
King of ages and of eternity, the nations have perished
from off his earth.' The sense however is the same;
"thereby we are exhorted not to doubt that Christ is
King for ever; who will save us, and destroy the wicked,
how much soever they may hope and feel assured of the
contrary. And this will be more clearly known at the
end of the world, when all things shall be so carried on
by Antichrist, that he shall persuade the whole com-
monalty, that whatever he does or attempts against the
godly, is upon the authority, and in the name of God.

Hence we are abundantly pre-admonished, and it
has been sufficiently foretold us, that we are not imme-
diately to embrace what either the Roman apostolic
chair, or any bishop shall come forth and promise or
threaten, under the name and authority of Christ, or of
his apostles Peter and Paul ; nor are we immediately to
believe that it is true or salutary, how much soever it
may be confirmed by the multitude, or the greatness of
the wise, the learned, and the powerful. We are to look
into the Gospel of Christ only and alone, for our judge
and our g-uide : accordinsr to that of Paul, " Prove all
things : hold fast that which is good." For if the dis-
ciples of the apostles, even in the apostles' lifetime,
dared, or fell so far as, to seduce the people into their
own opinions, what have we not to fear in their succes-
sors after their death? especially as perfidy and the
wisdom of the flesh have increased now for so many ages ?
Edom long ago went over and put themselves under
king Joram, that they might not be under Judah : which

VOL. III. 2 o

56^2

people nevertheless Isaac had long before put under
Jacob. What wonder, therefore, if the figure therein
shadowed forth be fulfilled by the church, in the world's
departure from Christ ?

But however, if you attempt to prove and enforce
these things, you v\ill not long be accounted a Christian
and one of the catholic faith. Wherefore, in the mean
time, thy only consolation will be this, — the day of judg-
ment, and faith whereby thou mayest believe that thy
T^ord reigneth for ever, and that all the ungodly will at
length perish. And if thou stand not fast in this faith,
and keep not thine eye continually on this, the present ap-
pearance of things, as they are among the ungodly, will
soon subvert thee : for it will raise scruples in thy mind,
will terrify thee with an empty declaration that thou art
acting in an ungodly way by thy wrong judgment, and
will accuse thee of sinning against the majesty of God
and of men.

Now we have " from off his earth." What earth is
this then ? For ' the heaven of heaven is the Lord's, but
the earth hath he given to the sons of men.' — All the
force of these words lies in the pronoun " his" As if
he had said, Ye ungodly ones, thus act in the earth as if
ye alone were the lords and masters of it : nor have ye
any respect unto God nor unto his dominion over the
earth : whereas, the earth and all things are not yours
but his, who is " King of ages and of eternity : " and as
he thus reigns, know ye that ye shall perish from off this
his earth. Hence Job saith, xii. 6, " The tabernacles of
robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure ;
into whose hand God bringeth abundantly." And
Ezekiel xxix. 3, " Behold, I am against thee, O Pha-
raoh, king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the
midst of his rivers, which hath said. My river is mine
-own, and I have made it for myself," &c.

Thus the wicked act in the earth without the fear of
God, as if they had made themselves, and all things were
theirs. Against whom David here denounces the final
judgment, saying, that they shall perish from off the
earth of God, which they with the most proud impiety

563

have subjected to themselves. Hence Peter also saith,
2 Epist. ii. that the heavens and the earth are reserved to
be destroyed by fire in the day of the destruction of
wicked men : wherein he seems to speak the same lan-
guage as the present verse.

And perhaps we may consider the word " nations" as
having a particular emphasis and indignation of the
spirit: or a peculiar force of expression, in this man-
ner,— Ye who ought to be the people of God and the
elect of Israel, are now, to your utter disgrace, dege-
nerated among the gentiles, and are now not the people
but the enemies of God, and as such shall perish. In
this kind of language Moses often predicted of the Jews,
that they should soon perish from off the land which
they should enter, if they did not keep the command-
ments of God. Wherefore, we must here understand
by these nations in the earth of the Lord, Christians,
who confess Christ in appearance, but in reality are gen-
tiles, for they deny him by their works, and lay claim to
his earth when they are not worthy of it.

Ver. 17. — The Lord hath heard the desire of the
poor : thme ear hath heard their preparation.

Hieronymus translates it, ' Lord, thou hast heard
the desire of the poor : thou hast prepared that thine
ear might hear (or attend.)' " Desire" here is the same
word in the original, as that which we find in the begin-
ning of this Psalm, " For the wicked is praised in the
desires of his own heart ; " and it is therefore to be ex-
pounded in the same way. This "preparation" how-
ever our translation refers to the heart of the poor, but
Hieronymus and the Hebrew refer it to God. For by
both these expressions is set forth the wonderful and
amazing readiness of God to hear the poor. In this
•^ay, — Thou, O Lord, art so prepared and ready to
hear, that, before they cry, thou hearest the very desires
of their heart. Nay, thou art more impatient of delay
in hearing than they are in praying ; and thou longest for
them to cry that thou mayest hear them ; so wonderfully
does thy willingness to hear precede the desire of their

2 o 2

564

heart to pray. So Isaiah saith, Ixv. 24, " And it shall
come to pass, before they call I will answer, and while
they are yet speaking I will hear." And again, " Then
thou shalt call unto the Lord and he will hear thee;
thou shalt cry unto him and he shall say, Here I am,
for I am the Lord thy God, full of mercy."

By which words we are not only commanded to
hope when we pray, but are stirred up to prayer when
we are negligent, for they set before us God all ready to
hear. And although these words are but cold things,
when they are sounded out of their place and season,
(that is, before a soul that is secure and full,) yet to the
soul of the poor and afflicted, (of which characters David
is here speaking,) they are most essentially necessary
and most consoling. For, by the machinations of some
ungodly and blaspheming tyiant, all things are repre-
sented and felt to be the contrary to what they really
are. And therefore, these words are to be spoken and
apprehended in the midst of things that are far beyond
all human sense and apprehension, and which appear to
faith only, and in the midst also of things that do appear,
which are to be despised. As I have often said. The
Psalms are a place of exercise for faith and the spirit :
and therefore, he that reads them without the spirit,
reads them in the midst of darkness and frost, and re-
mains without light and without heat. And faith lives
only in trials and tribulations ; and the more sharp they
are, the more brightly the faith shines.

Ver. 18. — To judge for the destitute and humble:
that mail, may not more oppose, to magnify himself upon
the earth.

Some have blamed our translator here as Greecizing
and rendering it ' to judge,' instead of ' that thou mayest
judge.' And he also renders the word " destitute" here
which he before renders " fatherless." And this " hum-
ble" one, is that bruised dach whom before. Psalm ix.
we rendered " poor," and whom Hieronymus here ren-
ders " oppressed," that we may understand it to be the
people of Christ who are forsaken by all, and over-

565

whelmed with sufferings. — The Hebrew expresses the
passage thus, * To judge the fatherless and the poor^
the man of the earth will not add any further (or for
ever) to magnify.' Where the verb ' add,' or ' oppose,'
seems to me to be put absolutely, in this way — he will
not ' add ;' that is, there will be no adding ; he will not
be increased ; he will here stop and end ; there will be
no farther opportunity for the man of the earth to be
powerful and terrible.

These words in the Hebrew have a wonderful pro-
priety and beauty. First of all, this man is called
ENOSCH, who, as we have before shewn, Psalm viii.
is a miserable, forgetful, and despairing creature, accord-
ing to the etymology of the word. To M'hich there is
set in opposition with a wonderful force of contrast, the
word LAAROz : that is, tq become or to make great.
As if the Psalmist detested the indignity of the thing,
that the wretched ends should arrogate so much to
himself in this world, that, by a tyrannical violence, he
should wish to be accounted great, powerful, and terrible
against the godly. And then there is a beautiful allu-
sion in the words ' to become great,' and ' of the earth,'
LAAROZ ENOs MiN HAAREZ ; which words include
a most powerful contrast ; setting forth the indignity
of the thing — that the man who is only an ends,
born of the earth, and destined to return to the earth,
should so pride himself upon having dominion over
the earth, and being great upon it. It is as David had
said with Ecclesiasticus, " Why art thou proud, O earth
and ashes !"

PSALM XL

TO VICTORY ; OF DAVID.

Ver. 1. — I trust in the Lord: hoiv say ye to mysouly.
Flee away i?ito the mountain as a sparrow.

The holy fathers understood this Psalm as applying
to heretics ; and rightly so ; if we understand by here-

666

tics all those who teach us righteousness contrary to the
righteousness of God ; such were the Jews, and such as
are all work-mongers or self-justiciaries, with whom the
church is at this day filled ; and especially those who
make it their chief business to persecute the heretics. —
The first word of the Psalm, " I trust in the Lord," shews
with sufficient evidence what the scope of the Psalm is :
namely, thatyft speaks in defence of the righteousness of
faith, which is the righteousness of God, against all art-
ful teachers of works, and all the flattering and alluring
shew of human righteousness. Hence, all that is said
on this Psalm is not concerning persecutions, but concern-
ing craft and deceptions ; against which things Paul copi-
ously inveighs. Col. ii. 8, where he says, among other
things, " Beware lest any man spoil you through philo^
sophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after^
the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

But the Psalm so treats these deceiving teachers as
being incorrigible, and reserved for the judgment of God
only : and it saith, that the godly, in these matters, can-
not be consoled in any other way than by waiting for
the righteous judgment of God : and that, in the mean
time, they are to bear with these teachers, after the
manner of Christ, and leave the blind to lead the blind :
that, as Paul saith, they may grow worse and worse,
deceiving and being deceived. But yet this Psalm is to
be referred as applying more especially to the beginning
of the church, to which nearly all these declarations and
predictions of lj;ie prophets have reference, and in which
time the greatest tumult was excited in the world on
account of Christ. — David says, therefore, " I trust in
the Lord ;" that is, my righteousness is this — believing
and hoping in the Lord. As it is written, Rom. i.
*' The righteous shall live by his faith." This is the
rock upon which I have built my bouse. But as to you,
who presume to teach my soul a something else, while
ye boast of this work, and that, on which I should trust
for salvation, — as to you, I say, I look upon you as
those who teach me to fly about in banishment and un-
certainty, and never to have an established and firmly

567

settdel conscience, like a bird whose nest is destroyed,
which flies and wanders about in the mountains, and is
driven here and there, having no certain dwelling-place
any where. Hence it is said, Proverbs xxvii. 8, " As
a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that
wand ere th from his place."

Not that those deceiving teachers say this, or that
we are to suppose they will say so ; for, on the other
hand, they wish their attempts to be considered as the
most safe and most certain foundations of salvation, and
far more so than the rock of pure faith, and true and
solid righteousness. For they persuade themselves that
there is nothing more certain nor more firm than their
own works. As Obadiah saith, ver. iv. " And though
thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring
thee down, saith the Lord." And again, ver. 3, " The
pride of thine heart hath deceived thee; that thou
dwellest in the clefts of the rock," &c. Indeed, these
characters boast that they teach nothing else but faith,
hope, and love ; and they will have it, that they are the
true and only ones who trust in the Lord, and contend
for that great point : whereas, the true state of the case
is, that if any one listens to them, he will find the uncer-
tain mountains instead of the rock ; and uncertain waves
of the heart instead of a secure nest. And here is the
source of a continual and never-settled contention be-
tween the true and the false teachers — they each assert
their own tenets to be solid and true, until God judges
and decides the matter : as was the case with Esau and
Jacob in the womb of Rebecca ; and with the two har-
lots who contended for the living and dead child : for
the determination of the church is not enough here, as
has been proved by the Arian heresy and every other :
nothing is sufficient, until God, in his time, puts an end
to the contention, as is shewn in the consolation admi-
nistered in this Psalm.

Whoever, therefore, omits Christ and teaches in the
church his own works, and productions, and ways of
living invented by himself, many floods of which kind oi
destructions are abroad at this day, (as John Taulerus

56S

continually and excellently observes,) which do nothing
else but butcher consciences ; ever learning, and never
able to come to a knowledge of the truth ; having the
form of godliness only, but denying the power thereof;
leading captive silly women laden with divers sins : and
such in reality only load and defile them with sins more
and more, rather than unload and console them. Among
this tribe we are to reckon the teachers of satisfactions,
indulgences, modes of confessing, and an infinite number
of such madnesses. Shall I therefore be taught by you
(says David), whom, if I follow, I shall lose all my con-
fidence in God, and be like as a bird is driven about
that has lost its nest ? Far be it from me ! I will not
follow you !

Hence, the word in the original which is rendered
" flee away," signifies ' a being cast out,' ' a fleeing and
wandering motion :' hence we have in Gen. iv. " And
thou shalt be a fugitive and a vagabond upon the
earth :" and afterwards, " And dwelt in the land of
Nod," (that is, as a fugitive.) And hence the mark that
the Lord put upon Cain, that no one might kill him, was
a trembling, which is attendant on all (f)pevo'jrarai, that is,
deceivers of minds, because they always have a trembling
and fearing conscience, how much soever they may
work their good works : nay, after the exact likeness of
their father, they fear that every one will kill them, they
quake at every clap of thunder and flash of lightning,
and are frightened at the sound of a moving leaf : for
" there is no peace, saith the Lord, to the wicked, but
they are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose
waters cast up mire and dirt." Isaiah Ivii. 20, 21.

I would render the Hebrew thus, ' I have hoped in
the Lord, why say ye to my soul. Move a bird of the
mountain ?' that is. Be a wandering bird in the moun-
tains: for the adverb Mike' is not in the Hebrew.
Hence David wishes to say, Be thou a wandering bird
of the mountain : for the expression is an allegory: and
mountain in this passage signifies a multitude of moun-
tains, such as are in the deserts and in woods far
removed from the habitation and the footsteps of man :

569

whereby he peculiarly sets it forth, that the soul which
flees from the nest of its confidence is cast out into a
desert. For the same word is here used which is used
Isaiah xl. " And the rough places (that is mountainous)
plain:" for such mountainous places are intricate and
impassable. And here the prophet plainly shews that
souls are brought down from these mountains by Christ,
(that is, from these intricate and impassable righteous-
nesses,) that they might walk in the straight and plain
way of righteousness by faith.

And moreover, though these righteousnesses are
difficult, rugged, and impassable, like the ways of such
mountains, yet they are puffed up and inflated with
pride ; so that they must be represented by the height of
mountains : and thus the prophet has expressed, in one
and the same word, both their misery and their pride, for
the men that walk in them and glory in them, glory in
that which costs them the most miserable toil, when
they ought rather to lament over it. This unhappy state
of righteousness we above heard called avei:^ and
amal; that is, labour and pam.

And perhaps it is hardly worth while to mention that
the Hebrew word which is rendered sparrow, does not sig-
nify that in particular, but any kind of bird ; the word is

ZIPOR.

Ver. 2. — For lo the sinners bend their bow, they
have made ready their arrows in the quiver, tliat they
may privily shoot at the upright in heart.

Hieronymus translates it thus, ' For lo the wicked
have bent their bow; they have made ready their
arrows upon the string, that they may privily shoot at
the upright in heart.' But I should rather translate the
middle clause of the verse thus, ' they have aimed their
arrows at the mark,' for the Hebrew seems to me to
speak of those who are on the point of shooting their
arrows, and have directed them at the intended mark ;
and this seems manifest from the word ' they have
directed : ' and I can find nothing properly said either
about the quiver or the string.

570

It is manifest that the Psalm speaks of the ungodly
and hypocrites whom we have before often said are
called RASA, walking in their own righteousness, and
being enemies to the righteousness of God, on account
of a pretended zeal for God and the truth. He says
therefore, I have said that the wicked have desired
that I should be as a wandering bird of the mountains,
having lost the nest of my confidence in Christ. And
this I have said truly (he repeats), for behold when
they teach what they imagine to be the best of things,
they seduce the upright in heart, and destroy those
things Avhich thou hast perfected. And by so doing,
what do they else but make trembling and disquieted
souls?

This allegory of the bow and arrows is in most
frequent use, not only in the sacred writings, but in
daily proverbs. We understand by ' bow,' the tongue,
or the speaker, or the manner of speaking : and by the
* arrows,' the thoughts, suggestions, and the like. Hence
the wicked use their tongue to this end, and the ungodly
direct the words of their doctrine to this point, — only to
hurt and destroy. As we have it John x. 8 and 10,
where Christ says of these same robbers, " All that
ever came before me were thieves and robbers. The
thief Cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to de-
stroy. But I am come that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly." And doest
thou know why the Evangelist says of his own accord,
when he records that Jesus said these things, " But
they understood not what things they were which he
spake unto them ? " Why was it ? but because these
wicked ones cannot understand that they are ravening
wolves under sheep's clothing. For they teach so
securely, and stand up for their doctrines so pertina-
ciously, (because they consider that they teach what is
most right and proper,) that unless God himself judge
and detect them, no man can do it. Hence Psalm v. prays
for none other judge to stand up against them than the
Lord himself, saying, " Judge them, O Lord." Though
there are some at this day who refer all things to the

571

determinations of the church, (that is, of one man,) as if
it were impossible for him to err.

" That they may privily shoot at the upright in
heart :" that is, that they may slaughter sheep. For the
doctrine of the ungodly, as it is taught among the people
of God, seeks after nothing else but destroying godly
souls, which, v\ithout being thus destroyed, would live by
right and simple faith in God : as the Apostle has given
us an example in his Epistle to the Galatians. And
what an upright heart is, we have abundantly shewn in
the preceding Psalms ; especially Psalms vii. and ix.

This " privily," or in ' obscurity, ' is in the original
a different word from that which is found in the pre-
ceding Psalm, " in secret places doth he murder the in-
nocent," For here it signifies " darkness;" and such a
darkness as is produced by nature or use, not by art or
contrivance. Just in the same way as when any one is
wounded in the night and in darkness, where the evil
person that wounded did not make the darkness, but
took advantage of it, and made use of it ; in the same
way as the wolf makes use of the night to slay the sheep.
Hence privily, or in obscurity, in this place, signifies the
very ignorance itself, or the simplicity of the people which
is exposed to ridicule and made a laughing-stock of by
the deadly malignant : as the apostle saith, Rom. xvi.
18, " Who by good words and fair speeches deceive the
hearts of the simple," who, without any judgment, are
always ready from their simplicity to believe all things,
and to admit the design for which any ihing is professed
to be done. And this it is that makes birds of the
mountains and disquieted consciences ; while they hear
many things, (as the Apostle warned the Hebrews,) and
are ' led aside by various and strange doctrines :' and, as
he says in another place, ' are tossed to and fro by every
wind of doctrine : ' for tliese often, contrary to the advice
of the wise Apostle, believe every spirit.

And it is in a way of odium that he calls it their
" bow" and their " arrows," which are deadly instru-
ments : and he.does this to alarm us, and warn us against
their flattery and the fair words of their doctrines. For

the wicked do not themselves think that they carry a
DOW and arrows, but believe that all their weapons are
feathers, pillows, and soft cushions, (as we have it set
forth Ezekiel xiii.) for they speak most pleasing and
soft things. By all these things, therefore, we are in-
structed to know that every thing which is thus taught
is deadlyj how much soever it may flatter us, and how
soft soever it may be. For it appears to our natural
senses and imaginations to be soft, but in reality the
whole is deadly arrows : as we have it Proverbs v. 3,
' For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honey-comb,
and her mouth is smoother than oil : But her end is bitter
as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword.'

So the arrows of Christ, also, are sharp to the feelings,
but in a contrary way, being more sweet than honey in
the honey-comb, for they kill, that they might make
alive : but these characters make alive that they might
kill. As it is said in Ezekiel xiii. 19, "They will pollute
me among my people for handfuls of barley, and for
pieces of bread, to slay the souls that would not die, and
to make alive the souls that should not live, by lying to
to my people that hear their lies," And what is it for a
people to believe lies, but for them to be an obscure and
simple people, always exposed to the derision of super-
stitions ? Wherefore, as I have said before, we are here
to understand an allegory of words, and an allegory of
things : because one thing appears to be going on, and
another is going on in reality. These fallacious doctrines
appear to be only feathers and a honey-comb, when they
are in reality the bow and arrows of death : whereas, on
the contrary, the arrows of Christ are thought to be
the instruments of death, when they are in reality the in-
struments of life.

And when he says, that have " bent their bow, and
made ready their arrows on the string," or have aimed
them at the mark, he sets forth their designs and their
zeal. For, as Judas with his band of men was more
watchful against Christ in the obscurity of the night,
than all the apostles together were for Christ, who even
fell asleep ; so pestilent teachers are most diligent to

573

abuse the simplicity of the people to their destruction,
while the true teachers scarcely live and breathe for the
people, nay, they are nearly all in a snoring sleep ; and
while they thus sleep, an enemy sows his tares. For
when was there ever so much watchful care (to except
the times of the apostles, and a few of those who imme-
diately succeeded,) for the people of God and the saving
doctrines, as watchfulness on the part of the wicked for
the accomplishment of their wickedness ? And the rea-
son is, that the glory and gain of the present life have more
influence upon the wicked teachers, than the glory and
honour of the life eternal influence the good. And so Paul
says, even in his time, " All seek their own;" how much
more applicable then shall his words be found to the
times after him ? And, in the present day, who is there
that preaches Christ with so much care and concern, as
the apostolic seat of Rome preaches the decrees of men ?
And the reason is, because in the doctrine of Christ there
is present want, the cross and ignominy ; but in the
deceits of man, there are glory, wealth, and plenty.

Ver. 3. — For they have destroyed that which thou
hast perfected, and what hath the righteou^s done ?

.— Hieronymus translates it, " For the laws are de-

l^stroyed." Whereby we see that the Psalm truly intends

* by " arrows," the doctrines of ungodly teachers, who are

always to be found among the people of God : as it is

said, ^ Peter ii. 1, " But there were false prophets also

among the people, even as there shall be false teachers

among you," &c. And Paul says, Acts xx. 9.9, " For I

rivnow this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves

' enter in among you, not sparing the flock. And also of

your own selves shall men rise up speaking perverse things,

to draw away disciples after them." These and many

other terrible things which are foretold us with so much

care, we at this day laugh at in full security, and dare

to teach the miserable commonalty any thing with the

greatest temerity. There come in unto us, and rise up

from among us lying teachers. Who then, I would ask,

can be safe ?

574

The Hebrew, properly, runs thus, ' For they have
destroyed the positions,' for the Hebrew signifies ' the
statutes,' ' the institutions,' ' the foundation buildings.'
And hence our translator seems, not improperly, to have
aimed at an antithesis, or contrast, saying, " For what

-__thou hast perfected they have destroyed." In which same
way Malachi says, chap. i. 4, " Whereas Edom saith,
We are destroyed, but we will return and build the deso-
late places ; thus saith the Lord of hosts. They shall
build but I will throw down." And Isaiah ix. 9, " And
all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the people
of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of their
heart, The bricks are fallen down, but M^e will build with
hewn stones : the sycamores are cut down, but we will
change them into cedars."

^ But we have said above. Psalm v. that by this build-
ing is meant the buiding of doctrines. As was prefi-
gured in the tower of Babylon : where the Lord, in op-
position to men, always destroyed what they had built up,
and they again destroyed what he built up. Hence
our translator here rightly says, ' They have destroyed
those things which were instituted, and laid as a founda-
tion by thee:' that is (as we have it Jeremiah xxiii.)
" They pervert the ways of the living God." And Mic.
iii. 9, 10, " Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house
of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor
judgment and pervert all equity. They build up Zion
with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity." And this is
done when we make the holy Word of God to serve our
own feelings and opinions. This is to make a molten
calf and idols of the ear-rings of the daughters of Israel,
and with the gold of the Lord, as we hear the prophets
continually censuring the people for doing. But if you
warn such characters, in the present day, against these
things, you will be accounted a heretic : for those who
do such things are, in the present day, the church of
God, as they were also in the time of the prophets.

But the Hebrew says, absolutely and impersonally,
' For they have destroyed the things which are fixed,' or,
' they have destroyed the things fixed :' it is not ' which

575

thou hast placed ot fixed.' As if he wished to say, that
those things only are fixed and established, which God has
fixed and established ; that it is wickedness to think of
any others, and that there is no need of any thing else.
And hence the Apostle says, ' It pleased him to gather
all things together in Christ :' whereby he would intimate
that nothing else pleased God but this his pleasure. Even
as when we speak of the sun, we speak of it as one,
without any difference.

P^ "And what hath the righteous done?" Augustine
applies this to Christ, and thereby fights against the
Donatists. And the same says Hieronymus, if the
Commentary be his. But I should divine, that " the
Just," or " the righteous," should be received as bearing
a general signification, and as meaning all those who
have to do with ungodly teachers in every age. And I
should consider that this question is made in their behalf.
^ First : in a way of grief, in this manner, — When the
contradiction of the wicked is the more powerful, and
(as Habakkuk says,) prevails against the righteous, as it
often happens, there is no one among men to judge or
avenge his cause, but he is condemned as an evil and a,
guilty person. Hence it is here said, "And what can]
the righteous do," where he cannot stand, where his
truth is not heard ? he is compelled to commit his cause
unto Him who judges righteously : as Peter says, 1 Epist.
ii. concerning Christ. For what would it profit him,
even if he were to fall into a maddened rage ? Wherefore,
he must wait with sighing and patience for the judgment
of God, letting the wicked in the mean time go on to
rage as they will, and to become worse and worse ; that
those who are filthy may be filthy still.
^' Secondly : This question may be asked in this way.
/v-It may be the feehngs of one disputing and expos-
ftulating, which is much more powerful ; and in which
^jQway, Paul also, 1 Cor. xv. 29, 30, speaks to those who
deny the resurrection of the dead, " Else what shall they
do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not
at all ? Why are they then baptized for the dead, and
why stand we in jeopardy every hour ? If after the

576

manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus,
what advantageth it me if the dead rise not ? " And
Psalm Ixxiii. 12, 13, Asaph says, " Behold, these are
the ungodly who prosper in the world, they increase in
riches. Have I then indeed cleansed my heart in vain,
and washed my hands in innocency ? " And so also
David says here, if the ungodly so prevail, if there be
no other judge but they, "What hath the righteously
\ "^one?" Why hath he laboured in vain ? Why has he
not lived at ease and without all these perils ? Has he
then done all these things in vain? God forbid! He has
not laboured in vain : there is a Judge that judgeth
righteously, as it now follows. And this acceptation of
the passage pleases me best, because the verb " hath
done " (fecit,) is of the preterperfect tense, paal, which
signifies ' hath wrought ; ' so that it comprehends the
whole life of the godly. As if he had said, Why hath
the righteous been thus laborious in vain? And more-
over, this acceptation more exactly agrees with that
which follows, and most beautifully sets forth that af-
flicted feeling of the righteous under which they labour
in their oppressions for righteousness and the truth's
sake; who, although they are fully satisfied that the
righteous will not be forsaken, yet, from the multitude
of those who prevail against and oppress the truth, they
begin to be indignant, and to be filled with grief, utter-
ing this question, and addressing these words with all
ardour of feeling against the wicked : and finally,
which is their last resource, they run to the seat of
judgment, saying,

?^ Ver. 4. — The Lord is in his holy temple: the Lord's

f^ throne is in heaven : his eyes look upon the poor, his eye-
\jids interrogate the children of men.

This verse with us is divided into two. And in the
Hebrew here there is no word " poor : " but the Hebrew
expression, which is much more expressive, is, absolutely,
" The eyes of the Lord behold." So that the sense of
the verse is. The righteous doth not labour in vain : and
although the wicked may prevail upon the earth, and in

.577

the visible Jominion, yet, says the rigliteous, it comfort'^
me that the Lord is in his temple, where the wicked see
him not ; and his throne is in heaven, about which tliey
know nothing ; nor is he only there, but his eyes are
open, they l^ehold all things, for all things are naked and v
open to his eyes ; "for he that keepeth Israel neither "V
slumbereth nor sleepeth ; " it is from hence that I
expect my judgment. Thus we are taught to boast of--^
and glory in God, against those who boast of and glory
in man.

But here it may be asked, What is the temple of
God ? — That David does not here mean the temporal
temple of Solomon may be gathered from this : that
temple did not exist in the time of David. And more-
over, David adds, " His throne is in heaven." So that
we must understand some other temple ; a temple that
is holy ; that is, one that is separate from all profane
use ; for this is what is meant by " holy." I am not
displeased with understanding in this place, that which
is said Psalm v. that the temple of the Lord is any
place where the people of God assemble to hear the
Word ; which people, as they are the true temple of
God, very properly name the place from themselves.
Hence, the church signifies the people of God, and the
house of God.

In this way of acceptation the sense will be. Let
them alone, they be blind leaders of the blind. They
know not the Lord. But there are some that know
him : and if he is not in those profane places, yet he is
in his holy temple : that is, in his own people, and in
the place where they assemble together. " For (saith
he) where two or three are gathered together in my
name, there am I in the midst of them." Which em-
phatic meaning he wished to convey by the addition of
the word " holy." " For what if some do not believe ?
shall their unbelief make the faith of God without
effect? God forbid." Therefore, there shall be some
who shall believe ; for the wicked aim their arrows at
many in this secret place and subvert the faith of some ;
nevertheless, the holy temple of God remains, and hig

VOL. III. 2 p

578

duelling in it. As if David had said with Paul, 2 Tim.
ii. 19, " Nevenheless, the foundation of God standeth
sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are
his ; and, let every one that nameth the name of Christ
depart from iniquity."

And that is the same, uhere he says again, '" The
Lord's throne is in heaven." Because, while the people
of the Lord is his holy temple, (that is, separated,)
their conversation is in heaven where Christ is : and he,
even while he was upon earth, said, " No one ascendeth
into heaven but he that came down from heaven, even
the Son of man who is in heaven." Here, observe, the
Son of man who was upon earth, is now in heaven.
And what else is the throne of God even in heaven, than
his spiritual and holy creature ? And such a soul is
godly, holy, and heavenly. And thus in a spiritual
sense, the heaven and the earth are one, and differ no-
thing at all iVom each other, but in faith and hope.
Though the angels in heaven (whose equals the saints
are in a similitude) are a more excellent and holy
temple and throne of God.

*-" But however, the greatest force of the expression
lies in this, where he says, " His eyes behold." And
the sense is the same with that of Psalm liii. " The
Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of
men." " From his habitation doth he look upon all them
that dwell among Xhe children of men." And Psalm
cii. 19, " For he hath looked down from the height of
his sanctuary : from heaven did the Lord behold the
earth." For these are the words of faith and of the

,/^pirit. For the wicked do not deny it, if you say, " The
eyes of the Lord see ; " nay, they talk and boast of it,
more than any other kind of men. And they do not
believe that these things are spoken against them ; be-
cause they consider that they do God service while they
destroy the laAvs of God, and deceive in secret the upright :
and they seem to establish laws for themselves and
to set right those that are in eiTor, continually fulfilling
this allegory, which is contrary to the allegory of the
godly. As therefore all things pass by Avith a deaf ear,

679

the whole of this cause must be referred unto the eyes
of God : as we have it described, Jeremiah xi. 20,
*' But, O Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, that
triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance
on them : for unto thee have I revealed my cause."

" His eyelids interrogate (or try) the children of
^^"^en." David here applies particularly, that which he
had said generally, " His eyes see : " that is, they are
open, they see all things ; and especially the sons of
men ; whom they not only see, but examine, prove, and
clearly know. And Augustine refers these eyelids as
applying to the holy scriptures, which are in some
places open and in others closed : which is a beautiful
figure. And some have given some significations of the
passage, and others have given others. I however, y-'
would rather understand the passage as a simple allegory
borrowed from men, and especially the great ones of the
world, whose peculiar manner it is to carry on all things
with a nod : for those whom they deign to favour, they
will look upon with clemency and with open eyes ; but
on those whom they hate, they will close their eyelids
and lower their eyebrows, or will raise them with a look
of ferocity.

Hence, the eyelids of God are kindly opened upon
the godly in a way of mercy, but against the ungodly
they are shut, or opened in a way of anger : Avhich two
things are thus spoken of Psalm xxxiv. 15, 16", " The
eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears
are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against
them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of thern] ,Ju
[from the earth." The eyelids of God, therefore, arei
opened differently upon the godly and upon the un-
godly, (as the Psalmist himself will now immediately
shew,) because he sees and searches the hearts of all
men ; but he approves the righteous and condemns the
wicked. But that which is here spoken in the Spirit is
now only understood by faith until it be lulfilied, be-
cause the ungodly think quite the contrary of them-
selves.

i80

Ver. 5. — The Lord interrogates the righteous and the
wicked: and he that loveth iniquity hateth his oivn soul.

The punctuation in the Hebrew is different; namely
thus, — ' The Lord trieth the righteous, but the wicked
and him that loveth iniquity his soul hateth.' But the
word that signities " righteous " is in the Hebrew^ put
before the verb " interrogate ; " so that it is not certain
Avhether we ought to render it by Dominus Justus, or
justi or ju stum. For Hieronymus translates the tirst
part of the verse thus, ' The Lord trieth the righteous :'
and then he joins 'wicked' and 'inicjuity' Avilh the verb
" hateth," and not with the verb " trieth." So that I
am inclined to imagine that this part of the verse, " Tire
Lord trieth the righteous," being put in an absolute form,
has this signiiication, 'The righteous Lord trieth;' that
is, he is the trier ; that is, is he that trieth and examineth
all; he is not a man that lieth, but the Lord himself
who judgeth righteously, whom no one deceiveth, whom
no one corrupteth, and from Mhom nothing is hid : as
we have shewn, Psalm vii. upon the m ords " O let the
wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but estabhsh
the just : for the righteous Lord trieth \he hearts and
reins."

Iniquity, in this passage, is the same as that which
we said Psalm vii, signified ' injury,' ' offence,' and
' hurt : ' in that verse ^\ here it is said, " His mischief
shall return upon his own head : " which word is
HAMAS : for he is speaking of the injury which the un-
godly do to the godly by shooting at the upright in
heart and by destroying the laws of God. The nature
of such men is, that they not only injure but delight in
injuring \ as it is said. Psalm iv. 2, " They love vanity
and seek after leasing." For the ungodly man aims
M'ith all his might at this, that he may do an injury to
godliness : and when he has done this he rejoices and is
glad that he has done it ; as it is said, Prov. i. ' They
are glad when they have done evil : ' for they think that
by these means they do God service.

And there is a great deal of emphasis in this also.

581

where he not only says '' he hateth," but " his soul
hateth ; " that he might thereby express in what great
degree, and how wholly God hates them. Not that
God has any soul, even as also he has no e^es. But the
prophet is speaking allegorically, according to that of
Numbers xxi. 5, " Our soul loatheth this light food/'
For we here see how that person who loathes, turns
against the thing loathed in every motion and gesture,
and with all his senses : and on the other hand, how
directly contrary every thing is, where he desires and
seeks after the thing. And desire and loathing are par-
ticularly attributed to the soul in the scriptures : as in
Levit. xxvi. 30, "And my soul shall abhor you." And
so also here, while the wicked think that they are such
whom God desires with the greatest longings, they are,
in truth, those whom his soul abhors and hates.

Our translation refers " his soul" to the wicked and
the lover of iniquity : which sense is true, but somewhat
strained and not usual in the holy scriptures : it savours
of a human feeling and imagination, which more subtilely
than appropriately affirms, that he who loves evil, (that
is, who seems to delight in doing evil,) hates good.
Whereas, there is no one that loves evil, as evil. And
if any one wishes to follow the whole sense of the verse
as given by our translator, it will be, — The Lord who
sees all things, and \Vhose eyelids interrogate the chil-
dren of all men in general, doubtlessly interrogates
every godly and ungodly man individually ; ^he godly,
that he may instruct and crown him ; and the ungodly,
that he may reject and condemn him : and this not from
any fault of God, for, as it is written, Hosea xiii. " O
Israel thy destruction is from thyself:" for he that
loveth iniquity, hateth and destroyeth his own soul,
doing that to his own soul, which he would not do to
any one of his enemies though the most inveterate.

Ver. 6. — Upon the wicked he shall t^ain snares ; Jire
and brimstone, and the poiver of tempests, are the por-
tion of their cup.

There is a frequent mention of " rain " and of a

i82

" cup " in the scriptures. And it is sufficiently manifest
that by rain, is signified, the delivering or preaching of
doctrine : as we have it, Deut. xxxii. 2, " My doctrine
shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew,"
Hence, we have that frequent saying of Isaiah, " Drop
down, ye heavens, and let the clouds rain down righte-
ousness." From whence also teachers in the church are
called clouds and heavens every where in the scriptures.
And it is by no means obscure that this verse is taken
out of that history, recorded Gen. xix. concerning So-
dom being destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven :
the allegory contained in which history, David handl&s
in this place : and every word has its peculiar emphasis

"He shall rain." — Whereby he signifies the abun-
dance of the evil. It would have been something
milder if he had said ' shall drop ' or ' distil.' But he
spoke thus that we might understand the multitude 'of
the teachers of ungodliness ; nay, of those who are
teachers of nothing else but ungodliness (by the anger
of God ;) and that sinners shall hear such ; that is, the
ungodly, the reschoim shall hear them. And this
first of all happened to the Jews, as Asaph saith Psalm
Ixxxi. 11, *' But my people would not hearken to my
voice : and Israel would none of me. So I gave them
up to their own hearts' lusts, and they walked in their
own counsels." And w^hat has the unhappy people of
the Jews at this day but clouds and showers of ungod-
liness ? Such are also heretics, and such are all tyrants
of human laws, and all who do not acquiesce in the
truth : these are the judgments sent of God and the de-
stroying angels that struck and smote Egypt : which
was a figure of the perishing synagogue : and Sodom
was also the same figure.

" Snares." — Expressed in the plural number, that
we may thereby understand the various kinds of errors
by which the above-mentioned characters are so taken,
that they seem to them to be any thing but " snares," as
they carry with them such a shining appearance of truth
and godliness. Hence, Paul also foretold that it should
come to pass in the last days, that God should send the

5S3

operations and workings of errors. And so we have it,
Psalm Ixix. 22, " Let their table become a trap before
them, and a recompence and an offence." And what
else is it to pervert the Word of God and to pollute it
with the opinions of men, than to lay snares for souls,
where they follow error under the appearance of the
truth of God.

This fire (igniJi) should rather be in the accusative
(ignem') and brimstone also, and be made governed by
the verb " shall rain :" even as God (in another sense)
is said to have rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom.
Here, David sets forth the zeal and fury of the ungodly,
who are madly determined to defend their doctrines.
For it is better to meet with a bear who has just been
robbed of her young, than to fall in with a fool who is
confident of his own righteousness ; that is, of his
wisdom ; that is, of his snares and errors. For these
are signs of the wrath of God and of his lowered eye-
brows,— that he not only does not acknowledge the un-
godly, nor illuminate them with his eyes, but closes his
eyelids upon them, and leaves them to go on in their
errors with all their mind, ardour, and fury, whether
they be followed or resisted. Hence the wrath, the
envyings, the strifes, and, (as the Apostle says, 1 Tim. vi.
where he seems to give a beautiful explanation of this
passage,) the " doting about questions and strifes of
words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil sur-
misings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds
and destitute of the truth," &c.

" Brimstone," is expressed on account of its dread-
ful smell ; and the ancient fathers have not improperly
considered that an ill fame is thereby intended ; for it is
clear, that by a smell fame is figuratively signified; as
we have it, 2 Cor. ii. 15, " For w^ are unto God a
sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved, and in.
them that perish. To the one we are the savour of
death unto death, and to the other the savour of life
unto life." And hence we are accustomed to say, and
to be commanded to smell, and to smell out, when we
are bidden to inquire into the fame or rumour of any

5S4

thing. Hence, ungodly teachers and their disciples are
not a good smell of Christ, but a stink of Satan, and a
terribly smelling brimstone, which, in the wrath of God,
is abundantly rained upon them. And therefore, it has
been found in the church that there is not a gi eater ill
fame, nor a more pestilential name, than that of heresy
and perfidy ; so that any intercourse or conversation
with them are subject to the greatest suspicion, because
there is sure to be left something of the brimstone, its
stink is so great.

But all these things so take place in, and are con-
cerned with, the Spirit, that it is impossible for them to be
apprehended but by faith. For the ungodly or wicked are
not described in this Psalm as they are before men, but
as they are in the sight of God, and as they are in them-
selves in reality. For what is more specious in all the
earth than this Saul and this Absalom ? Was not the
country of Sodom even as the garden of God, Gen. xiii.
10? For these, apparently, are the most useful, the
most fruitful, most upright, and most savory : there
appears to be nothing here of fire, of brimstone, or of
storms, but every thing seems to be all flourishing Avith
flowers, fruits, and odours. Hence the 37th Psalm
says, " I have seen the wicked in great power, and
spreading himself like a green bay-tree. I went by, and
lo, he was gone; I sought him, but his place could not
be found."

Hence, when we pass from the sight of men to the
sight of God, it immediately appears what the wicked
are, and w hat they are not. In the sight of God all
things that belong to them are reduced to cinders, to
ashes, to fire, and to brimstone. Which view of them
Abraham prefigured, Gen. xix. 27, where it is said,
" And Abraliam gat up early in the morning to the
place where he stood before the Lord, (behold, here is
the sight of the Lord) : and he looked toward Sodom
and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain,
and beheld, and lo, the ashes of the country went up as
the smoke of a furnace." — That is, such is the st«,te of
the wicked in the eyes of the godly, and in truth, while

585

they shine most splendidly in the eyes of the world. And
hence it is said, that those things which grow near the
dead sea, are oi an unusual appearance, black and
empty, and disappear as it were in ashes. And what
else is figured forth by such a dreadful phenomenon of
nature, but that which is set forth in this verse concern-
ing the wicked ?

On the other hand, the godly, because they are by
the Word of the Cross subjected to all kinds of evils with
respect to the flesh, imagine that Ciod rains upon them
snares, and burning coals, and brimstone, and every thing
that is stormy and tempestuous. And hence, the Word
of Christ is called in the 2d Psalm " bands" and " cords,"
from which they fear more than they do from lightning
and from a tempest : by which, nevertheless, they are
overwhelmed instead of the Word, and are destroyed by
their ungodly teachers. And it is of this same spirit
of tempests that Hosea says, viii. 7, " For they have
sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind." And
again, chap. xii. 1, " Ephraim feedeth on wind, and fol-
loweth after the east wind : he daily increaseth lies and
desolation." By which words and descriptions the pro-
phets set forth the vanity of the ungodly, and also a
disquieted conscience, and an unfitness for all good :
and each prophet paints it forth in his own peculiar way.
By "cup" is signified, according to a most frequent
scriptural figure of speech, the vessels of doctrine ; that
is, it signifies the words of eloquence by which the sense
of the teachers is poured into the soul, as wine is poured
into the body out of a vessel. Hence Augustine says,
Confess. 5, of Faustus the Manichee and his eloquence,
' What has a most elegant and graceful cupbearer pre-
senting the most splendid cups, to do with my thirst.^'
And again afterwards, he says, * Wisdom and foolishness,
are like the most useless and the most useful meats ;
and ornamental words, are like graceful and awkward
persons ; each food can be administered, and in each
way.' And hence, there was frequent mention made by
our fathers of the golden cup of Babylon, that should
make all the earth drunken ; as we have it Jeremiah li.

VOL. III. 2 Q

586

And again, ' A golden cup in the hand of a great \\hore,
full of abomination and of the wine of prostitution,' Rev.
xvii. And moreover, all the vessels of the tabernacle
and of the temple, figure forth both the books and the
words of doctrine. And under the law also, there was
a particular use of phials, to hold, pour out, and sprinkle
blood, because the doctrine of the law treats of, and
reveals sin : of \^hich mysteries we have not time or
place to speak here. In the same manner, we have it
Psalm xvi. 5, " The Lord is the portion of mine inheri-
. tance and of my cup."
J But however, we are not to receive the "cup," as
signifying the spoken or written Word only, but that
which is conveyed thereby. For thus Christ prayed
that the cup might pass from him, by which we all under-
stand his passion. And Jeremiah li. says, ' She taketh
the cup of the wine of the fury of the Lord, from the
hand of the Lord, and giveth it to all nations and kings
to drink of it.' And Lsaiah li. saith, 'that Jerusalem
drank of the cup of the fury of the Lord even unto the
-bottom and the dregs.'

From these and other places of the scriptures it will
appear, when all the significations are contracted into
one, that ^' cup" signifies nothing more or less, than the
declaration and denunciation of the punishments and
wrath of'God. And so the cup of Christ was the wrath
of God, and his passion, which were foretold by the law
and- the prophets. Even as Peter, 1 Epist. i. 11, says,
that they prophesied beforehand of the sufferings of
Christ, and the glory which should follow. Wherefore,
he must be said to present the cup, who either by speak-
ing or by vfriting denounces the punishments ; as the
prophets and apostles every where do. So every one
must drink his cup : that is, sufferings and the cross are
marked out for him in the scriptures, or with God, which
he must bear.

Hence, we are brought to see that there are two cups :
^ the one of the godly, and the other of the ungodlv.
'The cup of the godly is, the suffering corporeal and tem-
poral appointed for them, even unto the destruction of

587

sin : by the drinking of which the soul is rather pre-
served and renewed than otherwise ; though the outward
man is destroyed day by day by this strong purifying
of the cup, until the soul be delivered from the body
altogether.

On the other hand, the "cup" of the wicked is an
internal and spiritual suffering, even unto the destruc-
tion of their righteousness and godliness : by the drink-
ing of which their souls are destroyed day by day, (even
though, in the outward man, they may thrive and flourish
with an appearance of abundance,) until they perish both
in soul and body, and be doomed to drink out the dregs
of the cup to all eternity : as it is said Psalm Ixxv. 8,
" In the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine
is red ; it is full of mixture ; and he poureth out of the
same : but the dregs thereof all the wicked of the earth
shall wrino; them out and drink them."

If, therefore, we follow this acceptation of the pre-
sent verse, the " cup" of the wicked will not in this
verse signify their doctrine, as we have said before, but
the Word of God declaring their destruction, the fire, the
brimstone, and the spirit of the storms which consume
them. But, that all things may not be far from harmo-
nizing together, — their " cup" is their doctrine of ungodli-
ness and all the evil consequent upon it, which distresses,
burns, and destroys their souls ; all which are foretold,
denounced, and pre-ordained in the determination and in
the Word of God.

" Portion," after the manner of the scriptures, does
not, as according to the philosophers, signify a part in
contradistinction to the whole ; but it has the same sig-
nification, as lot, inheritance, allotment; in the same way
as the inheritances were of old distributed among the
twelve tribes. Hence we have that of Psalm xvi. " The
Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup."
And again, " The Lord is my portion in the land of the
living." And again in the Lamentations of Jeremiah,
" The Lord is my portion, saith my soul." And we ought
to be acquainted with these significations of portion and
cu{), on account of the use ofthe sacred scriptures. The

588

sense is, therefore, The wicked shall inherit that which is
allotted to them of God, namely, the rain of coals, of
fire, of brimstone, and of the spirit of storms : that is,
ungodliness, and the wages of ungodliness, destruction,
and anguish of spirit, and eternal privation of rest.

^'^er. 7. — For the righteous Lordloveth righteousness :
his countenance doth behold uprighttiess.

Hieronvmus translates it thus : ' His countenance will
behold the upright :' (if the copy of the original be pure).
— Of this rectitude and equity we have said enough in
Psalm vii. and ix. And here it is uncertain whether we
.should read it ' upright' (j^ectum) in the masculine gender,
by synecdoche for the upright : or whether it should be
righteousnesses. But this is of little consequence, for
he that regard eth righteousnesses, and equities, regardeth
the righteous and the upright.

The Psalmist, therefore, concludes this Psalm against
the presumption of the ungodly ; saying, Man judges
unjustly and praises the ungodly ; but the Lord is he
who is not deceived by any external appearance, nor
moved by any magnitude nor multitude of the ungodly :
he is tenacious of, and loves righteousness, and his coun-
tenance looks upon them that are upright in their hearts.
And therefore, it is in vain that the ungodly presume
upon themselves before him, and hope and expect that
the godly will be contemned. The countenance of God
sees differently from the countenance of men : nay, the
countenance of God and the countenance of men are
most opposite to each other. For what is high in esteem
to the one, is abominable to the other : as Christ saith
Luke xii. ,

V

END OF VOL. III.

DATE DUE

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