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« To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. » Hear this, all [ye] people; give ear, all [ye] inhabitants of the world:

Hear this, all ye people — This that is of so great consequence and universal concernment, viz. that the saints should not be frighted nor perplexed at the present prosperity of graceless persons; but consider that death at utmost shall render them extremely miserable, and at the day of judgment men shall return and discern a manifest difference between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not, Malachi 3:18 .

Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world — "Hear, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken it," Jeremiah 13:15 . The inhabitants of the world, Heb. of the transitory world, are like men in a mill, through hurry of business; or as one that is running a race, to whom, though never so good counsel be given, he cannot stay to hear it. Of such we use to say, that they hear with their harvest ears (harvest is a time of great pleasure, and great business), and hence it is that we have so ill a seedtime for the word. We had need to wish, as Harding once did, that we could cry out against sin as loud as the bells of Oseny; yea, as those catholic preachers, whose voice is heard in all speeches and languages, Psalms 19:3 .

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Both low and high, rich and poor, together.

Both low and high, rich and poor together — Heb. Both sons of Adam, or earthy man, and sons of Ish, or nobleman

Ex meliore luto finxit praecordia Titan.

Diogenes once made a like outcry at Athens, Aκουσατε ανδρες , Hear, O ye men; and when a company came about him expecting what he would say to them, he looked upon them and said, Aνδρας εκαλεσα ου ακθαρματα , I called for men, and not for slaves (varlets).

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My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart [shall be] of understanding.

My mouth shall speak of wisdom — Heb. Wisdomns and understandings; and yet the matter of this psalm was nothing extraordinary for the main of it; so that a profane person would have come out with his

But good points are not therefore to be slighted, because commonly handled; but therefore the better to be heeded, and proof to be made by practice, what that good and holy and acceptable will of God is that is so much pressed upon, as Romans 12:2 .

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I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

I will incline mine ear to a parable — q.d. I desire you to do no more than I will do myself. I believed, therefore have I spoken; I have wrought my doctrine upon mine own affections first, and shall dig it out of mine own bosom for your benefit. It is a parable I must tell you, or a master sentence, yea, it is a mystery, a riddle, as the other word here signifieth.

I will open my dark sayings — The doctrine of life eternal, and the judgment to come, here more clearly delivered than anywhere else almost in the Old Testament, is a mystery.

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Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, [when] the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

Wherfore should I fear in the days of evil? — All the days of the afflicted are evil, Proverbs 15:15 . But why should either I, or any other afflicted servant of God, be overly troubled, as if some strange thing had befallen us; or staggered at the better condition of worse men, all things considered?

When the iniquity of my heels — Or, of my supplanters, mine enemies, those naughty men (called here iniquity in the abstract) who seek to trip up my heels, and do surround me with their snares for that purpose. See Psalms 56:7 . Or thus, "When the iniquity of my heels," … That is, as some will have it, when my sins come to my remembrance, or are chastened upon me. Every man’s heel hath some iniquity. As we shall have some dirt cleaving to our heels whiles we walk in a dirty world; so there is some defilement upon all our actions, which we may call the iniquity of our heels. "He that is washed," saith our Saviour to Peter, "needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit," John 13:10 . The comparison seems to be taken from those that wash in baths; for although their whole bodies are thereby made clean, yet going forth they touch the earth with their feet, and so are fain to wash again; in like manner the saints, although bathed in that blessed fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness, Zechariah 13:1 , and thereby freed from the stain and reign of sin; yet their feet or heels have some filth on them, some relics of corruption do still cleave to them, and cause them some sorrow; yet ought they not to fear, or be dismayed, but by the practice of mortification purge themselves daily from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, 2 Corinthians 7:1 .

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They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

They that trust in their wealth — Which was never yet true to those that trusted in it; and yet it is wondrous hard to have wealth, and not in some measure to trust in it; that is, to think ourselves simply the better and the safer for it, as our Saviour showeth, and his disciples, after some wonderment, at length understood him; so Mark 10:23-24 . Hence that strict charge, 1 Timothy 6:17 .

And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches — Contrary to Jeremiah 9:23 . This psalm sets forth the better gloriation of a believer in the grace of God, and in his blessed condition, wherein he is lifted up above the greatest worldlings.

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None [of them] can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

None of them can by any means redeem his brother — And therefore all money that hath been given for masses, dirges, trentals, A set of thirty requiem masses, said on the same day or on different days, ŒD …, hath been cast away; seeing Christ is the only Redeemer, and in the other world money beareth no mastery. Neither can a man buy off death, though he would give never so much. Death will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content though thou givest many gifts, as Solomon saith in another case, Proverbs 6:35 . Fie, quoth that great Cardinal Beaufort, will not death be hired? Will money do nothing? Why should I die, being so rich? If the whole realm would save my life, I am able either by policy to get it or by riches to buy it (Acts and Mon. in H. 6). Lewis XI would not hear of death all the time of his last sickness, but when he saw there was no remedy, he sent for holy water from Rheims, together with Aaron’s rod, as they called it, and other holy relics, thinking therewith to stop death’s mouth, and to stave him off; but it would not be (Epit. Hist. Gall.). O Miser (saith one thereupon) hoc assidue times quod semel faciendum est? Hoc times quod in tua manu est ne timeas? Pietatem assume, superstitionem omitte; mors tua vita erit, et quidem beata atque aeterna (Val. Max. Christ., p. 391).

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(For the redemption of their soul [is] precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

For the redemption of their soul is precious — i.e. The price of life is greater than that any man, how wealthy soever, can compass it. Money is the monarch of this world, but not of the next.

And it ceaseth for ever — i.e. The purchase of a longer life ceaseth, there is no such thing, believe it, Job 36:18-19 Deuteronomy 23:22 Zechariah 11:12 . To blame, then, were the Agrigentines, who did eat, build, plant, …, as though they should live for ever.

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