grievous and vexatious to every good man. times of great Diſtreſs and Calamity, Rn _ flouriſh, ( of which the Pſalm ) and good men are oppreſſed and perſecuted./j he underſtands either, 1, Hisaffi:Rions : which he might = Frve- the puniſhment of his ſioful a&ions : for iniquity is commonly put for the puniſhment of it, and che Heels are put for a Mans Foet-ſteps and Metaphorically, for ones wayes or aQions, as Pſal. 56. 6. and 89* 51. Or 2. The imgquity, 4, e, The violent and injurious deſigns and praQtices of his ungodly and malicious Enemies, who as he here ſaith, did compaſs him about. Whereby he notes their proſperous ſuc ceſs againſt him, and his being indangered and vexed by them, as this Phraſe implies, Job £6, 13. Pſal. 19. 9, 11. and 24. 12, and 140. 9. Habak, 1.4. 2nd withal their intention and eadeavour to vex ang perſecute and deſtroy him, as this Phraſe is uſed, Pſal. 17. 9. and 22, 12, 16, and it many other places. This Senſe is favour- cd both by the Syriick and Arabich Interpreters : whereof the former renders the words. thus, the iniquity of mine Enem;
| es hath compaſſed me and the latter thus, hen mine Enemies (hal compaſs me oh And
by the main fcope of the Pſalm which is to comfort himſelf and other good men, againſt that great ſcandal ofthe proſperity of the Wicked
and the oppreſfions and miſcries of the Righteous, But all the diffi. culty is, wby or how he calls this, the iniquity of his Heels, For the clearing whereof, it is humbly propoſed to Conſideration, that this Genitive Caſe, of my Heels, ſeems to note not the efficient or meritoci= ous cauſe of this iniquity, or puniſhment of it, but the Obje& about which this iniquity is exerciſed ; as Nouns in the Genitive Caſe are frequently takeo, Thus the ſpoil of the Poor, iſaiah 3. 14. is not that ſpot! which was made by them, but upon them : and the violence of che Children of Judah, as it is in the Rebrew Text; Joel 3« 9. is that which was done againſt them, as we truly —_— if, Sce alſo Dan. 4. 27. Matthew to. 1. Ads 4. 5, In likemanner here, the inj- quity of my Heels, is the iniquity wherewith they compaſs and ſeckto trip up my Heels ; for we ſhal find David oft ſpeaking of the mali- cious praftices of his Enemies, with :cſpe&t to his Heels or Feet or Steps So he tells us they pierced his Hands and Feet Pſal, 22
16. they compaſſed and marked and prepared « Net for his Steps, P/al,17. 11. and 56. 6. and 57. 6.as Jeremy alſo complains of his E- nemies, that they hid Snares for his Feet. ch. 18, 22, And therefore it is nor ſtrange that the iniquitie of his Enemies js here noted to be exercited about his Heels or Footfleps, as this word ſtenifies, cither becauſe they did malignantly obſerve all his ſteps or ways that they might find occaſion to load him with reproaches in order to his Ruinz or becauic they purpoſed to trip up his Heels, or to overthrow his goings as he complains Pjal 140- 4» Beſides the words may be rendred the mniquity of my Supplanzers ; for the Hebrew word rendred Heels, may be and 15 by ſome icarned Interpreters, taken for a Particle of that Verb which {5gnifies to ſupplant or trip up T
the Heels or circumvent, from whence Jacob had his Name. And this CharaQter fitly agrees to Davids
Enemies, who were not only moſt malicious, but alſo very deceitful and treacherous, as he every where complains, |
6 They that * truſt in their wealth &, and boaſt them- *ſob: r: ſelves in the multirude of their riches, EO
k As that which can and will ſecure them, from Gods Jadg- Pl. 52-'% ments and from the Calamities of humane Life» The Pſalmift hay- Mark 19 ing ſaid that he and other good men, had no ſufficient cauſe of Fear, 24+ from their preſent ſufferings from ungodly men, now he proceeds 1 T' 6, on the contrary to ſhew, that his unzodly Enemies had no reaſon to 17»
be ſecure and confident, becaufe of their preſent Riches and proſ- perous ſucceſs :
7 None of them can by any means redeem 1 his bro- ther »2, nor give to God » a ranſom for him.
{ To wit, from Death, as appears from v. 9, 10, &c. neither from the firft Death, nor from the ſecond, which he points at ver: 14. 19 m Whom he would do his utmoſt to preſerve in Life : and conſequently not himſelf. But he ſeems to mention' his Brother
open e my dark ſaying f upon the harp, c This is a nother Argument to perſwade them to hearken to him : I will hearken what God by his Spirit ſpeaks to me, and that and no-
3S+
thing elſe will I now ſpeak to you: and therefore it is well worth
your hearing. I alſo fhal joyn with you ln attending to it, that whilſt 1 teach you, I my ſelf may learn the ſame Lefſon. For as
Miniſters now teach themſelves whilſt they teach others, ſo the Ho- |
ly Prophets did oft times ſearch into, and ſtudy to find out the meaving of their own Prophecies, as appears plainly from 1 Pet. 1, 1O, 1, The thralc is thought to be taken from the Muſicians, who lay their Ear cloſe to the Inſtrument when they tune it, and by
their Ear try how the Voice ard Inſtrument agree. d Which proper- ly is a Figurative ard Allegorical Speech, but is oft more largely tas ken for apy excellent and importapt,are wi.haldarkor difficult Do&-
rather than himſelf, becauſe when his Brother is ſick, he being 10 | Health hath the full command and free uſe of all his Wealth,and | Strength, and Wit, and all other mcans of redeeming his Brother 5
which he hath not, when he himſelf is dangerouſly or deſperately
ſick. n The only Lordof Life, and the Judge who hath paſſed upon him the Sentence of Death,
8 ( For * the redemption of the ſoul o is precious p, * and it ceaſeth forever g. ) . 0 7, &. Of their Life, as Soul is commoly uſed, p ( #, e. _) Rates as the word is uſed, 1 Sayuel 3, r. Daniel -2, 14. haid to be obtaired, But Le doth not cail it fin ply impoſſible, becauſe Chrift hath pu:chaſcd £t:i: priyileCge for his true Dilciples, that in ſome _
” SIKe 1h ASD D they
Job 38, 8, 19.
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o 1 62.10% rk 10,
Tim, 6,
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Job 36, 8, 19.
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