The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 1 — Section 366

likewise the fool and the brutish person them, allows none to qnit the fold. And the perish. 'fhe rich man must see that any upright shall have dominion over them in hope of raneoming himself by means of hie the morning. When the resurrection morn wealth, and so eeco.ping death and the comes-and no other explanation appears to grave, is vain, since the law of mortality, be possible (see even Cheyne)-it will bring which is in operation oll oround him, is them no release ; the righteous will then universo.l. No one is redeemed from death, "have domination over them," and will cer- in the sense of escaping "the first death." tainly not set them free (Rev. xxi. 8). And Not only do "the fool and the brutish their beauty shall consume in the grave person" perish, but the fate of "the wise" from their dwelling; rather, and their beauty is the same. All die; all quit the eo.rth: iR for Hade, to con,ume out of it& dwelling • all leave bel.Jind them everything that they i.e. its clay tenement (so Dr. Kay). ' possessed on earth ; no one can take with Ver. 15.-But God will redeem my sonl from him the gold in which he has trusted (ver. the power of the grave. Here is the solution or Ci); all leave their weaJ.th to others. the" dark saying," the key to the" parable." Ver. 11.-Their inward thought is, that The souls of tho righteous will be redeemed, their houses shall continue for ever, and not by themselves, but by God-they will their dwelling-plaoes to e.11 generations, be delivered "from the power of the grave," Still, though they know this, the rich and or riithcr of Hades; and, while the ungodly worldly have an idee.-an "inward thought" are held under by death and the gre.vo (ver. -which they cherish, that they can in a 14), they will be released, end enter upon a certain sense eece.pe death by founding higher life. For he shall receive me. As fo.miliee o.nd leaving to their children sub- God "took Enoch,'' when he "was not" stantial houses, which will keep up the (Gen. iv. 24)-took him to be with himself- fo.mily reputation, and oconmulating landed so he will ••receive" every righteous soul, esto.tcs, to which they may affix their no.me, and take it home, and gh-e it rest and peaco so keeping their memories alive to future in his own dwelling-plRce. As Professor o.ges. They call their lands after their own Cheyne observes, "It is the weakest of names (see Gen. x. 2, 4, 6, 22, 23, 29, eto. ; explnnations to say that the psalmist re- and compare the Greek traditions with re• joices thus in the prospect of mare deliver- spect to Hellen, Ion, Achmus, Pelops, Cad- nnre from the de.nger of deo.th. A few mus, etc.), To call cities after their own yeo.ra le.ter, o.nd the prospect will return in names, or the names of their sons, wo.e n still a heigl,tened form." The fact is that " the commoner prnotice of grent men in the olden poet hns that religious intuition which forws times (Gen. iv. 17; xL 31; Exod. i. 11; the kernel of the hope of immortality." At • Records of the Past,' vol. i. p. 14 ; vol. iii. the so.me time, we me.y admit, ns Hupfeld pp. 45, 92, 112; Tol. vii. pp. 32, 39, eto. ). argues, that the belief in immortality is Ver. 12.-Nevertheless man being in "not here stated as a revealed doctrinu, honour abideth not. Ago.inst these" inward but as a presentiment, a deep inward con- thoughts" nnd outward notions, the psulmist viction, inseparable from renl living faith simply maintains the ground alreudy tnkcn in a living God." (var. 10): "Man, in whatever honour he Vere. 16-20.-The conclusion "repeats may be, nbideth not "-hns but o. abort time and confirms the general lessons of tho to Ii ve. He is like the beasts the. t perish. Ho has no more continunnce than many of psalm." Ver. 1G is a cutegorical answor to the bee.ate; like them, he passes from ee.rth. the donb"t propounded in var. 5, Vera. 17- Ver. 18.-This their way is their folly; 19 are nn ooho of var. 14, and nt the same or, their '1ain conceit (Kay). By "thoir time a counterpoise to the views put forth way" must be understood the course of in ven 6, 11. Ver. 20 is a repetition, but conduct described in vors. 7-12. Yet their with an importnut modification, of ver. 12. posterity approve their sayings. Their de- scendants, or those who come after them, Ver. IG.-:Be not thou afraid when one is notwithstanding the foolishness of their made rich (see vers. 5, G). Thero is no course, adopt their prinoiples and delight ground for fonr, nor even for perplexity, in them. when the wicked grow rich and prospor. Ver. H.-Like sheep they are laid in the '!'heir wculth will not mnsom their souls grave; dee.th she.11 feed on them, With tbo (vers. 7-9). They oo.nnot take it with foolish fancies and vain conceits of tho them to another world (vor. 17). 'fhoy will ungC'dly rich men, the psalmillt now con- have no advantage from it there. On the trasts the reulity. When they dio they are contrary, their misory in another world will "laid in the grave," or "ranged in Hacles" bo such as to for outweigh any enjoyment (Kay), as sheep in a sheepfold, There is no which they nmy huve had on earth (vere. escupe for them. Death is their shepherd; H, 19). When the glory of his house is he keeps them, wntches over them, tends increased (sco ver. 11). 380 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. XLIX, 1-20,