2 Eithzc our Age, or our Strength. +þ 1c doth not now dec/ineby F3& many
Oe
rv
as it doth in our young and flouriſh- ing age, but decayerh apace, and ſuddenly flecth away. i cod nor now go to Death, as we do from our ve:y Zirth, nor run,but fle: ſwiftly away like a Bird, as this word fignifics. :
- x1 Who knoweth & the power of thineanger /: even
according to thy fear m, ſo is thy wrath + Few or none ſufficiently apprehend it, or ftedfaſtly beleve ir, or duly conſider it, or are right:y affffe&ed with it For all rhefe things are comprehended under this word knoweth. I The great- neſs and force and dreadful effe&s of thine anger conceived againſt the ſons of men, and in particular againſt thine own people for their miſcarriages. m #5. e. According to the fear of thee ; as my Fear is put for the fear of me, Mal. 1 6. and his knowl: dg for the knon © ledge of him, Ija. 53. 11. According to that fear or dread which ſinful men have of a juſt and holy God. Theſe fears of the Deity are not vain Bugbears, and the <ff-&s of ignoranceand foily or ſu- perſttition, as Heathens and Atheiſts have ſometimes ſaid, bur are juſt and builr upon ſolid grounds, and juſtified by the terrible "I . lets of thy Wrath upon Mankind. » It bears full proportion to it, nay indeed doth far exceed it. It carnor be ſaid of Gods Wrath, which 15 ſaid of Death, that the fear of it 1s worſe than the thing it ſelf. But this Verſe is by many both antient and Jater Interpre- ters'rendred otherwiſe, and that very agreeably to. the Hebrew Text, Who knoweth the power of thine anger, and thy wrath according tothy fear ? te e. Either, t- According to the fear of thee, or {0 as thou art to be feared, or anſwerably to thy terrible diſpleaſure againſt ſin and ſinners. Or. 2. So as to fear and dread thee in ſuch manner
EXCL
many degrees and ſlow ſteps,
ded Majeſty of God their Creator and Judge, and Soveraign, and thereby to b moved to humble himſelf before thee, and ferventiy ro ſeek thy face and favour; which is the only true wiſdom, for -which he prayeth in the next Verſe.
12 * 50 teach us 0 to number our days p, that we
may + apply our hearts unto wiſdom 4.
o By thy Spirit and Grace, as thou haſt already tavght us by thy Word. Or, Teach us rightly ( as this wor is uſed Numb. 27. 7. and 2 Kings 7. 9. ) to number, &c. as it follows. p To conſider the ſhortneſs and miſcries of this Life, and the certainty and ſpeedineſs
Pſ-39. 4. Heb. P pauſe to Me.
- and meaſare as ſinful Creatures ought to fear the infinite and offen-'
d O thou believing picus Sou?,n ho after my exampleſhalt make Gold thy refuge, thou ſhalt partake of the ſame priviledge which I enjcy. e From the Peſtilence, which like a Fowlers ſnare taketh men ſuddenly and unexpecd:y, and holdeth them f:ſt, and come monly delivers them up to Dearth.
4 * He ſhall cover thee with his feathers, and under »pp __ bis wings ſhalt thou cruſt ; his truth f ſhal/ be thy ſhield > and buckler. 7
f Whereby he is obliged to fulfil all his gracious promiſes, and amongſt the reſt, that of proteQtion in dangers. :
5 * Thou ſhalt not be afraid for the terror by night
g ; norfor the arrow h that fleeth by day ::
g When evil accidents are moſt terrible and leaſt avoidable. bh The Peſtilence, or any ſuch common and deſtrutive Calamity ; for ſuch are frequently called Gods arrows, as/Dy4t, 32. 23, 42. Lam. 3- 12, 13, ©c. #i Which is the time for ſhootfhg of Arrows. The ſenſe of the Verſe is, He ſhall be kept ra, Tk and open miſe Ccinefs at all times. y
6 Nor for the peſtilence & that walketh 7 in darkneſs
73 : nor tor the deſtruction that waſteth at noon day ».
k 'This Verſe explains the former, and ſheweth what that zerror and arrow ſignifies. / That ſpreadeth or maketh progreſs. m Ei- ther 1nviſibly, ſo as we can neither foreſee nor prevent it. Or ra- ther, by night ; as w- 5- » Thatlike a bo!d Enemy aſlaults us o« penly, and though diſcovered cannot be reſiſted.
7 A thouſand ſhall fall at thy ſide e,and ten thouſand at thy right hand : ut it ſhall not come nigh thee p.
e At thy left fede, becauſe this is oppoſed to the r:z4t ſide here fol lowing. See the like EVipſis,, Numb. g. 16. Pſal. 84. iz. p This and ſuch like promiſes are not to be underſtood abſolutely and univerſal- ly, asif no truly good man could be cut cff by the Plague or other common Calamities, which is confuted both by other plain Texts of Scripture, and by unqueſtionable experience, but with due li« mitations and conditions, either on mans part, as if there be a de= feCt in his Faith or Obedience ; or on Gods part, when God ſees that Death is more for his good than Life, as it apparently is when righteous men are taken away from theevil to come, as is
* Job. 5, 19, &Cc.
Pro, 3.27, Ifa. 43. 2,
hearrily devote our lelvesto the ſtudy and praftice of true wiſdom, which is nothing elſe but pity, - or the fear of God. And why fo? Not that the 1ſraelites might thzreby procure a revocation of that peremprory {enrence of Death patled upon all that Generarion ; 'Ror thar other men might hereby prevent their Death, both which he very well knew to be impoſſible, but thit men might arm and
D:ath, and might make fure of the happineſs ofthe future Life. Of which this Text is a plain and pregnant proof.
12 Return, O LORD r, bow long s ! and let it re-
pent thee concerning thy ſervants 7.
r To us in Mercy ; for thou ſeemeſt to have forſaken us and caſt us off, s Underſtand, wilt th:ube angry ; or, it it be ere thou return tous, t i e, Of thy ſevere proceedings againſt us, and change thy courſe and carriage to us. {
' 14 O ſatisfie usearly « with thy mercy, that we may rejoyce, and be giad all our days.
# Speedily or ſeaſonably, tefore we te utterly conſumed.
15Make us glad according to the days whereinthou haſt afflicted us, and the years wherein we have ſeen evil x.
x Our AfffMi@ions have been ſharp and Jong, let not our Proſpe- rity be {mall and ſhort.
16 Let thy work appear unto thy ſervants, and thy glory unto their children y. .
7 Let that great and glorious work of giving thy people a com- ple: d:liverance, which thou haſt long ſince deſigned and promij- ted, be at laſt accompliſhedand maniteſted unto us,and in the fight of the World.
17 And let the beauty of the LORD &z our God be pp9N us, and eſtabliſh chou the work of our hands upon
us 2 ; yea the work of our hands eſtabliſh thou it.