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. IX.

TO The cheife musician upon Muth-Labben. Some hereby understand, the counter-tener, as Junius, Ainsworth, &c. Some the beginning of a

Psalme, according to which the tune should go; Some a musical instru∣ment thus called: Some again because Ben is named, as one of the cheife singers, 1 Cron. 15. 14. will have it intituled from him; some go∣ing to the signification of the words, upon the death of Labben; that is, Goliah, some upon the death of Nabal, by incerting the words, as Pagninus, Augustine, and Basil, Super occultum Filis. Referring it to the mystery of the Son of God, by death overcoming all spiritual enemies for ever; and this from the Sept. which hath it, Ʋpon the secrets of the Son. Theodotion, Of the Son of David. Amongst so great varieties, it is hard to determine, but because it is said, Verse 5. 6. Thou hast brought the wicked one to perdition; the desolations of the enemy are wholly wiped out to perpetuity. There must needs be some greater destruction meant here, then either of Saul, or Absalom, or other men in Israel, enemies to David, or of forrain enemies, Phylistims, Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, &c. Viz. Of spirituall enemies, whom Christ by his death destroyed, Heb. 2. 15. And therefore I with the most ancient Expositors, refer it to the death of the Son of God, the utter overthrow of all infernall forces being wrought hereby, and here prophesied of, as the ground of greatest comfort, yet forsomuch as the destruction of Davids enemies did not obscurely typifie this; we may first understand these things literally of them, and then mystically of spiritual enemies subdued by Christs death.

When mine enemies turned backward they stumbled and fell, or perished * 1.1 from thy face. Having praised God, Verse 1. 2. Here he sheweth the cause of this his so great thankfulnesse, Viz. His enemies overthrow, not some but all, for God in time delivered David from all his enemies, Psal. 18. 2. Sam. 23. 1. And this he aseribes to God, by saying, From [Note.] thy face: Teaching us likewise to ascribe all our deliverances to God, and to praise him therefore.

Thou hast made my judgment: That is, Hast righted my cause, finding my enemies unjustly to have risen up against me, as a Judge sitting upon * 1.2 the judgment seat, judgeth for the wronged, and against those that wrong them, acquitting the one and doing execution upon the other: And if we would in misery look up to God with confidence, we must likewise take heed that our cause be good, and let none that unjustly trouble any, think finally to prosper.

Thou hast blotted out their name for ever. And he cals them altogether, * 1.3 The wicked one: Because they all perish, that be wicked persecutors and rebels, as one man, and they perish forever, not only here but hereafter in Hel-fire: Augustine applyeth all this mystically, as is intimated Verse * 1.4 1: That it should be applyed, for, I will speake, saith he, Of all thy won∣derfull works. And what so wonderful, as the turning of the spiritual ene∣my backward, whether the Devil, as when he said, Get thee back behinde me Satan. Or the old man, which is turned backward, when he is put off and the new man put on: Thou hast made the judgment mine, the voice of the Son of God unto the Father, men judged and condemned me as wicked, but thou hast made it to work on my side, which was by thus destroying death, and him that had the power of it, the Devil, and raising me up to greater glory: Thou hast rebuked the heathen: That is, After thy resurrection (Thou O Son of God) giving gifts to thy Apo∣stles, didst set them to rebuke the wickednesses of the Heathen in all places, whereby The wicked one came to be destroyed: That is, Sin reigning before in our mortal bodies, and The name to be blotted out for ever and ever. Because a sinner being converted, and sin in him mortified, he is no more called wicked but righteous, being justified from all his sinnes, and that unto eternity, set forth by these words; Ever and ever:

Thou hast destroyed Cities. Here some, saith Calvin, will have an Iro∣ny, * 1.5 as if David had derided his enemies, by saying, (O yee mine enemies)

yee have in your thoughts the ruine of me, and of my House and King∣dome, and yee are so strong I grant, that none can keep you from destroy∣ing my Cities, and putting them and me out of all remembrance; but God sitteth upon the Throne, who judgeth all men in righteousnesse and therefore yee shall be disappointed of your intentions, Verse 7. 8. Some read it interrogatively, yet ironically, (O enemy) are destructions come to an end, and Cities so wasted, that they can never be repaired. No it shall not be so, The Lord sitteth in the Throne: Some again, The desolations of the enemy are wholly ended, &c. But he preferreth the first; * 1.6 but when I consider, that the destruction of the wicked is the theam in han, not their destroying of others, and that David speaks unto Jehovab, Verse 4: 5: Thou hast destroyed the heathen, and blotted out their name for ever: I cannot but think that he goes on to amplyfie the same further here; Thou hast destroyed Cities: That is, Thou O Lord, For he hath not only judged particular persons, but whole Cities and Nations for sin; as Sodom and Gomorrah; &c. And the Nations of Aegypt, and in Canaan: Their memoriall is perished with them. Hebrew, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 rendred in Vulgar, Cum sonitu. So that the sound hereof ringeth all over the World, and so indeed it signifieth, athough I deny not but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifieth them also, but then it must be reade, the memorial of them, then with a gemination to make the deeper impression: And for the first words of the V. (O enemy) desolations are come to a perpetual end, or are perfected for ever. So that the desolations of the wicked shall never have end; they may better be read so, for it begins 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (O enemy) and there is no need to turn it into a Genitive, but we may take it, as an Apostrophe to the wicked enemy, whereby David insulteth over him upon the premises, Verse 4, 5. And then goeth on in speaking to the Lord again, Thou hast destroyed Cities Which Augustine proceeding in his allegorical exposition, understand * 1.7 of those persons, members and faculties that come, as it were, and dwell together to minister to sin, thus making whole Cities, but are destroyed when these evil lusts and affections by the word are mortified, and the old man is turned into the new.

Praise the Lord inhabiting Zion. which is so said, because his house * 1.8 was there, and in opposing him to all false Gods, to whom houses were by superstitious persons built in other parts, yet he did not so inhabite there, but that he fils Heaven and Earth, only providing for the weak∣nesse of his people under the Law he would have an house amongst them, for a sign of his special presence, where all sacrifices must be offered to him and not elsewhere: From hence Calvin rightly gathers, that this Psalme was not made for the victory obtained against Goliah, because the * 1.9 house of God was not then built in Zion, nor the Tabernacle neither.

Because inquiring bloods, he remembers them, &c. That is, According * 1.10 to his justice, he revengeth the blood of the weak and poor, unjustly shed by wicked persecutors, and tyrannical Judges; so that there is cause, why wicked enemies raging against the innocent should tremble and [Note.] feare, they may wrong and kill them, but God will inquire into it, and be revenged upon them; and contrariwise there is cause, why such as suffer unjustly should be comforted, because God will take their part, although he may seem to defer it.

The heathen are swallowed up in the pit which they made. That is, The * 1.11 wicked, for they are all before God, as heathens that know not God, and he only is counted one that knows him, who feares and obeys him: And in speaking of their Pit and Net, he intimates, that they do not only persecute the righteous with open force, but by subtle devices, which they can hardly discern, as the Hunter or Fowler deales with Beasts and Fowles to take them, but the comfort is, their Pits and Nets, shall be turned to their own ruine by the wise God, in comparison of whose wise∣dome, the wit of the wisest is but foolishnesse.

God is known executing judgment. That is, When he from time to time * 1.12 thus turnes the crafty devices of the wicked enemies of his people against themselves, he is known and cannot but be by all, whose eyes are not blinded, acknowledged to be a most wise and righteous God, to deter them from the way of wickednesse, and to incourage in the way of righ∣teousnesse. Higgaion Selah, that is, as Ainsworth renders it, Meditation Selah: Shewing that this ought to be seriously considered of: The word Higgaion is again had, Psal. 92. 3. Being mentioned amongst other musical instruments, whereby we may gather it to be one of them, for there is, Saltery, Nable, Higgaion, and Harp. The residue of the Psalme Verse 17, 18, 19, 20. Is nothing else, but a confident assertion, of the * 1.13 everlasting destruction of the wicked, and of the remembrance wherein God hath the righteous, though afflicted and much impoverished, and a prayer for judgment upon the wicked, under the name of Heathen: And for terrour to be laid upon them, that they might finde themselves to bee but miserable, as indeed they are, and so bee confounded in re∣spect of their own weaknesse, and abate of their feirceness against the righteous, as perceiving their strength to be but weakness, and able to effect nothing against them, but that the worst will be their own in the end: Hereupon Augustine saith, To know a mans selfe, is the beginning of true humility.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vers. 3.
• * 1.2

  Vers. 4.
• * 1.3

  Vers. 5.
• * 1.4

  August.
• * 1.5

  Vers. 6. Calvin.
• * 1.6

  Sept:
• * 1.7

  August:
• * 1.8

  Vers. 11.
• * 1.9

  Calvin:
• * 1.10

  Vers. 12.
• * 1.11

  Vers. 15.
• * 1.12

  Vers. 16.
• * 1.13

  Vers. 17. Vers. 18. Vers. 19. Vers. 20.