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. XC.

A Prayer of Moses the man of God.

JEROME moveth a Question; why, if this were made by Moses, it * 1.1 was not inserted amongst his writings as well as his Song, Exod. 15. and another compiled by him, Deut. 32. But to this he answereth no more, but it pleased the spirit of God, that he who wrot of the Creation of the World and of man, and his sinning, whereby he became mortall, should write of his short continuance, and the short continuance of this World al∣so, and Gods Eternity. And he noteth, that foure Psalmes are singularly intituled prayers, this, and Psal. 86. 15. 100. But the two last of these are intituled Psalmes of David, not prayers, as he saith, Basil saith, that some think to have been made by David, but because fitted to the arguments handled by Moses, intituled, The prayer of Moses. I see no reason, why we should take it to have been made by any other, but by Moses; and being compiled, but not written, a little before his Death, he left it to the Chil∣dren of Israel to be used for their comfort, it being delivered from the Fa∣ther to the Son, by word of mouth, till that David caused it to be penned, and amongst the Psalmes inscrted. Yet Augustine saith, that it is not proba∣ble * 1.2 that Moses made it, but to procure the more attention, it is intituled by his name, who was so great with God; his reason is that rendred by Jerome, that it is not in all his Writings, although his Songs be. But I cannot herein assent unto him, because it were some disparagement to holy Writ, to say for any end, that this, or that was such a mans, when indeed it was not, but made by another: Therefore the Cald. par. to put it out of doubt, saith of Moses, When Israel sinned in the Wildernesse, Numb. 14.

In expounding it, instead of these words, Thou hast been our dwelling place * 1.3 in all generations, he rendreth it, Generation, and Generation. That is, in the time of the Law, and of the Gospell. And least it should be thought, that God was not, till he was a dwelling place for man; he addeth, Before the mountains were brought forth, &c. From everlasting to everlasting thou art God. By the mountaines understanding the Angels, and by the Earth, men, and other Creatures here. But although Hebrew it be, Generation and Ge∣neration; yet it is an Hebraisme, setting forth all Generations before the floud and after, and under the Gospell. God is alwayes a refuge for the faithfull, that seek unto him, and this God is everlasting; both a parte ante, and a parte post. Before mountaines: for he made the Earth and all the World, doing this in time, but he himselfe being before all time. Thus it is with God; but let us consider man, and he saith, Thou turnest man to de∣struction, and again thou saist, return yee Children of men. Hebrew, Thou * 1.4 shalt turn and shalt say: that is, according to Calvin, thou givest him a little liberty of life, whereby he setcheth a little compasse, as it were, and then, if thou dost but speak the word to call him out of this, he soon returneth to the earth from whence he was taken. But others, he saith, expound turning again, of returning to life at the Resurrection from death; censuring it as too ar∣gute; and so it is indeed: for here is nothing about the Resurrection said, but about our mortality only; neither is the word again, in the Hebrew, but, and thou shalt say: meaning, whereas I have said, Thou shalt turn man to

destruction, there belongs no more to the doing of this, but that thou speak the word by calling the children of men from hence by death, and so they shall dye Generation after Generation. Ainsworth, and some others, will have a double turning here set forth.

1. Of the body to dust, Gen. 3. 12. of the Soule to God, Eccle. 12. 1. But the plain sense hath been already shewed, teaching God only to be ever∣lasting, and all men so easily by him called hence, as a Father calleth his Son [Note.] going out from him, upon this or that occasion, unto him again; that we may not make account of our time in this World, but alwayes watch, till our Lord come to call us.

For a thousand yeares in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, yea as a * 1.5 watch in the night. Here the Eternity of God is further set forth, by shew∣ing, how little a large compasse of time is, being compared to his said Eter∣nity, a thousand yeares are but as a day, yea but as a watch in the night which consisteth of foure watches, three houres going to a watch.

Thou carryest them away as with a floud, they are as in a sleep. Hebrew, * 1.6 Overflowest them, they shall be a mutation, or changeable thing. For the word is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifying to change, from whence a yeare is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: and if we render it by change, the similitude of the grasse put next, that proweth in the morning and is green, but it soon is cut down and withereth, followeth most aptly. The Vulgar, Quae pro nihilo habentur eorum anni erunt, holding to the word yeare and to the sense, though not to the first word here.

The dayes of our yeares, are seventy yeares in them. That is, in them that * 1.7 live to old age: And if by fortitude 80 yeares, even their latitude is labour and sorrow; New Translation, their strength, Calvin, their pride; but the pro∣per signification of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is latitude; that is, this in larging of the time bring∣eth nothing but labour and misery, because now the body is diseased, and so * 1.8 decaying, that a man hath no pleasure in his life, but even to live is a pain unto him. For seventy yeares here spoken of, although Moses and Aaron lived a hundred and twenty yeares, and Caleb at eighty were as strong as at forty; these were singular examples, and it is of the generality of the peo∣ple, that Moses here speaketh, especially when as by their murmuring they had provoked God so, that he slew them in the Wildernesse, so that of 600000. only two escaped, all the rest being cut off in forty yeares, as is shewed, Numb. 26. 64. 65. And this it is which he speaketh of here, V. 8. 9. All our dayes are passed away in thy wrath, &c.

According to thy feare thy wrath. That is, men are sensible of thy * 1.9 wrath, according to the feare to the feare of thee that is in them; for in the first words of the Verse, he saith, Who knoweth the strength of thy anger. For prophane and Atheisticall men, whose hearts are hardned, have no sense of Gods anger against them, to be moved hereby to turn to him, but such as feare him have. The one sort are smitten and murmure and fret, and this is all; the other by being smitten is so affected with the apprehension of Gods wrath, that he feares God, and escheweth evill yet more. To this effect Calvin; but * 1.10 he bringeth another Exposition of some; as men feare thee, so for their sinnes they are more severely punished by thee; for Judgment beginneth at Gods house; but is very improper by such as feare God he••e, to under∣stand such Rebels, as Moses speaketh of: who though they had the true reli∣gion amongst them, yet had no power of it in them, but were made examples for their murmuring against God, to all Generations to come af∣ter, as the Apostle sheweth, 1 Cor. 10. 7. The Cald. paraphrast, Who know∣eth * 1.11 the strength of thy anger to appease it, but the just by turning to thee. Ains∣worth, either by feare understandeth the Law, teaching, how terrible God is to sinners, as Psal. 19. the Law is also called the feare of God, or the Judgments of God striking feare into men; and then the meaning is, Feare and wrath are proportionable, and no man knoweth the power of Gods wrath, till that by his Judgments he is made to feare God. Or lastly, we may take

it thus, As thy feare is, so is thy wrath more or lesse: This being the end of Gods Judgments, to drive men to feare him; and if they do, it shall soon cease, if not, he will rage still against them, till they be destroyed for ever.

Teach us so to number our dayes, that we may apply our hearts unto wise∣dome. * 1.12 For teach us. Hebrew, Make us know, and we will make our heart come to wisdome. It may seem strange, that Moses having computed the number of our dayes, to be but seventy or eighty yeares, which even Children can number, should make such a Petition as this to God; but he meaneth not so much, that we may barely know our life here, to be of so sew yeares; but that we may know it, to make this good use of this knowledge, sith our time is so short, to let none of this passe, without labouring to get that wisdome, which is to salvation, as it is said, that the word of God is able, to make us wise to salvation. Wherefore they only are taught of God to number their dayes, whose hearts are set upon his holy word, to exercise themselves therein day and night; learning hereby the knowledge of God and of his will, to live and do accordingly. All others how expert soever in numerations, if they can tell how many miles to the Stars, or how many betwixt Star and Star, if their hearts be not brought to this wisedome, to provide for their eternall salvation, after this short life ended; are the most ignorant and untaught of all others: for they have not yet learned, to num∣ber to seventy or eighty yeares of their own lives, or to afar smaller num∣ber, which some of them may live.

Return O Lord how long? Let it repent thee concerning thy Servants. This is spoken, with relation to the divers Judgments which were upon the * 1.13 people of Israel, whilst they wandred in the Wildernesse, and were kept forty yeares together, from the promised Land; for they were now some∣time consumed by fire, sent from God: sometime by plague, sometime by fiery Serpents, and sometime by the Canaanites, who came out against them, and consumed them to Horma At these things Moses was grieved, and com∣plained, as thinking long to have an end put to this their misery; whereas he prayeth, that the Lord would repent, he meaneth nothing else, but his turning from severity to lenity again; setting the same forth first, by the word, Return, then by the word, Repent: Because as a King in his wrath, punishing his rebellious Subjects, yet when the heat thereof is over, he re∣penteth, and speaketh peaceably again unto them; so God turning, to shew savour to his people, whom he hath smitten, is said in condescending to our weaknesse, to repent; although to speak properly, he is not like man, that he should repent, as is said, 1 Sam. 15. Calvin for let it repent thee, hath it, Be pacified; and the word signifieth either repent, or be comforted. But I rest * 1.14 in the first, as giving the sense best.

Let thy work appeare to thy Servants, and thy glory to their Children. He∣brew, * 1.15 Let thy work be seen, and thy glory upon their Children. By work, he meaneth the great work of bringing them out of Aegypt, and putting them in possession of the Land of Canaan, which was yet imperfect, the first part only being done, but a great delay made for their sinnes, in doing the other. In praying therefore, that Gods work might appeare, he meaneth in both these parts; and not keeping them still to be consumed in the Wildernesse, now that he began to do for them, in bringing them out of Aegypt And this work he calleth his glory; because whilst it continued in suspence, some dishonour redounded to God, amongst the Heathen; whose mouths were ready to be opened, and to say. That he brought his people out of Ae∣gypt, to keep them to dye in the Wildernesse, as not being able to bring them into the Land, which he had promised, the Inhabitants whereof were too mighty for him to subdue. But the work being perfected, great glory would hence redound unto him; all Nations that should heare thereof, be∣ing made to reverence him, as Almighty. Ʋpon their Children. This is added,

according to the promise made, Numb. 14. 31. that although the men fell in the Wildernesse, yet their little Ones should inherit Canaan; for then Gods glory appeared upon their Children, when this was fulfilled.

Establish thou the work of our hands. He prayed before, that Gods work might be seen now, because he knew, that God would effect the great work * 1.16 of expelling the Canaanites by them, and yet they going about it by their own strength, were nothing; he prayeth, that when they should go about it, God would by his almighty power assist them, and so he doubted not, but that they should prevaile: and he doubleth his prayer, to shew with [Note.] what fervency he prayed, as we also must do, that our prayers may be ef∣fectuall; * 1.17 and in any work undertaken by man, especially going to War, it is his duty to look up to God for help, as being able to do nothing of him∣selfe, but through God, strengthening him in the work.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hieron.
• * 1.2

  August.
• * 1.3

  Vers. 1.
• * 1.4

  Calvin.
• * 1.5

  Vers. 4.
• * 1.6

  Vers. 5.
• * 1.7

  Vers. 10.
• * 1.8

  Eccle. 12.
• * 1.9

  Vers. 11.
• * 1.10

  Calvin.
• * 1.11

  Cald. par. Ainsw.
• * 1.12

  Vers. 12.
• * 1.13

  Vers. 13.
• * 1.14

  Calvin.
• * 1.15

  Vers. 16.
• * 1.16

  Vers. 17.
• * 1.17

  Iam. 5. 17.