Psalms 129:5-8

Let them all be confounded, &c. Hebrew, יבשׁו ויסגו אחור, they shall all be confounded, and turned back Forced to retreat with shame and disappointment. And so in the next verse, instead of Let them be, read, They shall be as grass upon the house tops Which there were flat, and therefore more capable of grass, or green corn, growing between the stones than ours are; which withereth, &c. Which, having no deep root, never comes to maturity. And so all their designs shall be abortive. Thus the enemies of God's church wither of themselves, and stay not till they are rooted out by the judgments of God. Neither do they which go by According to the ancient and laudable custom of saluting and praying for the prosperity of harvest labours; say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you, &c. Which was a usual salutation given by passengers to reapers, as we see Ruth 2:4. If, in a similar way, we acknowledge God's providence, testify our good-will to our neighbours, and commend their industry, our kind wishes will be accepted as pious ejaculations, if they come from devout and upright hearts. But religious expressions, being sacred things, must never be made use of in light and ludicrous actions. Mowing the grass on the house-top would be a jest, and therefore those that have a reverence for the name of God will not prostitute to such an action those forms of salutation which savour of devotion; for holy things must not be jested with.