A commentary upon the whole Old Testament, added to that of the same author upon the whole New Testament published many years before, to make a compleat work upon the whole Bible. Vols. 2-4. Wherein the divers translations and expositions, literall and mysticall, of all the most famous commentators both ancient and modern are propounded, examined, and judged of, for the more full satisfaction of the studious reader in all things, and many most genuine notions inserted for edification in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. A work, the like unto which hath never yet been published by any man, yet very necessary, nor only for students in divinity; but also for every Christian that loveth the knowledge of divine things, or humane, whereof this comment is also full. Consisting of IV parts. I Upon the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses. II Upon the historical part, from Joshua to Esther. III Upon Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Solomons Song. IV Upon all the prophets both great and small. By John Mayer, doctor of divinity.

PSAL. XI.

TO him that excelleth, of David to be supplyed thus, a Psalme of David, and so it is supplyed in Sept. Tran. It seemeth to have been made, when he fled from place to place from Saul. Flee yee to your mountain as a Bird. The Verbs Plural here, saith Calvin, is by the Rabbins turned * 1.1 into a Singular, Flee thou. Because they could not see otherwise, how it should agree to one man, David alone, but there is no such need of go∣ing from the word in the Text, because David was not alone, but had many others with him, fleeing together from the presence of Saul, who sought to slay him, 1 Sam. 23. and 24. Ainsworth is for the double read∣ing, flee thou, that is, David, and yee, that is, His company with him: For the next word, Mountain. It is without any thing prefixed, either To or From. And therefore some read it, From your mountain: But forsomuch as they fled into the Wildernesse, where there were Mountaines and strong holds, it is most probable, that any such place is meant, where they might think to be most safe, and out of danger; For they are some∣time said to have been on one side of the Mountain and Saul on the other, ready to overtake them, but that news coming of the Philistims invading the Land, he was instantly called off. As a Bird. That is, Being full of feare, for so the Bird being in danger to be taken, fleeth from her neast, Prov. 27. 8. and 1 Sam. 26. 10. He likeneth Saul to one persuing a Partridge in the Wildernesse.

That they may shoot in secret against the upright in heart. That is, Against * 1.2 me, how secretly soever I lurk, for I see stil, that I am in daily danger of death by Saul and his forces; thus Calvin, but some, saith he, under∣stand * 1.3 it of Sauls practises against him secretly and cunningly, when be seemed not to attempt any such thing, which is also true, because he for∣merly for a pretence, offered to make him his Son in law, aiming at his de∣struction: And thus Basil expounds it of subtleties, saying, That David here brings in some, counselling him to s••ee, to whom he answereth with * 1.4 indignation, How say yee to my soule, Flee as a Bird, they bend their bow, &c. Their plottings against me are but as Spiders webs, for they are wick∣ed, and in the preparation of the wicked against the righteous, there is no force, for nothing is weaker then a treacherous person.

For the foundations are razed, and what hath the just done? It is a meta∣phorical speech, whereby David sheweth, that he was even as a man, * 1.5 whose house was ready to fall down upon his head, because the foun∣dation thereof is demolished, he had sometime by one meanes saved him∣selfe, sometime by another; but now his case began to be desperate, there being no place left, wherein he might save himselfe any more: And this seems to have been, when after many flittings about, he thought, that if he tarried in the Land of Israel, he should not he safe, but at sometime or other, fall into the hands of Saul, and therefore he fled into the Phi∣listims * 1.6 country; yet for his part, he was just and had done nothing wor∣thy of this enmity on Sauls part against him, yea he was justified out of Sauls own mouth, when he spared him in the Cave, and another time, when he took away a spare and a water-pot standing by him, when he * 1.7 could as easily have taken away his life, whereupon he covenanted to suffer him thence-forth to live in peace, but kept no touch; and this breach of his covenant, is not amisse thought by some to be pointed at also, as Calvin saith, when he speakes of the foundations razed: But where as * 1.8

he saith, Some expound these foundaions of the snares, which his ene∣mies laid for him, or their preparations, by reason of which they made just account that he should not escape, it is frivolous and altogether dis∣agreeable to the context, because it is added, What hath the just done? Augustine turneth all this into an allegory thus, I trust in God, saith he, that holds the true faith, how say yee then, that I should flee to my * 1.9 Mountain. That is, Yee Hereticks, who are daily seeking to draw the simple to your parts, how dare yee say, if yee will injoy Christ, yee must come to us, who are a Church consisting of none but holy persons, but yee live a mixt multitude, and communicate together good and bad: For so Donatus taught, that they, that would have part in Christ, must come out of such mixt Congregations, and joyne themselves with the pure and holy, and not rest in the Baptisme received from the wicked, but be bap∣tized again by the holy: And Christ is aptly set forth by a Mountain, for the Church built upon him, is said to be like a City set upon an Hill, and he is a stone out of a Mountain, growing so, as that he filleth the whole Earth; and Isa. 2. We read of a Mountain lifted up higher then all Mountaines: But I trust in God, and so am already upon this Mountain; yee by pride make Mountaines of your selves. The wicked bend their bow, &c. Though they boast of their holinesse, they are wicked, because full of contentions and violence. By their bow he meaneth, their beating of their braines, and by their arrows, places of Scripture carnally under∣stood, these they shoot and that very dangerously, when they deceive the simple hereby, to the wounding of them, as it were, with venomed arrows, and this is done in secret, in the moon-light, because in Conven∣ticles, to which they are drawn, to the poisoning and destroying of their soules: Thus Augustine most aptly expressing the practises of these times, that all, who are indeed upright hearted, may take heed of such.

The Lord in his holy habitation, the Lord his throne in Heaven, &c. Herein lay Davids comfort, and must lye the comfort of every one * 1.10 wrongfully persecuted, that God beholds it, who approves the righteous, but hates the wicked, Verse 5. He is not in Heaven, lying in Bed, as it were, as Epecurus taught, neglecting things below, but in his Throne as a Judge, hearing and marking mens causes, and ready to give judgment and to do execution accordingly.

He shall rain upon the wicked, snares, fire and brimstone. Here he shews the end of Gods sitting in his Throne in Heaven. Viz. Not only to judge * 1.11 of every one, but to reward them according to their deserts, the wicked with his terrible judgments, fire and brimstone, wherein it is alluded to Sodom, before which he putteth snares, least any should think to escape; as if he had said, They shall be taken, as by snares, whethersoever they flee, and held to indure his judgments: And he speaks of raining snares, to shew the suddennesse thereof; as men going abroad in faire weather, are suddenly sometimes drenched with a great rain falling upon them: * 1.12 By these metaphors, saith Basil, are set forth inevitable condemnation, the abundance of punishment, the readinesse of the judgment, and the power of destroying the first being set forth by snares, the second in tem∣pests, * 1.13 the third in winds, the fourth in fire.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Calvin.
• * 1.2

  Vers. 2.
• * 1.3

  Calvin.
• * 1.4

  Basil. mag∣nus.
• * 1.5

  Vers. 3.
• * 1.6

  1 Sam. 27. 1.
• * 1.7

  1 Sam. 26. 21.
• * 1.8

  Calvin.
• * 1.9

  August.
• * 1.10

  Vers. 4.
• * 1.11

  Vers. 6.
• * 1.12

  Basil.
• * 1.13

  Condemnatio∣nem inevita∣billem supplicij abundantiam, Plagae prompti∣tudinem, & vim consumend per haec signifi∣cavit.