Davids Learning, Diagram
The method of the 32. Psalme, followed in this Commentarie.
The parts of the Psalme are two,
1. A generall doctrine
1. Propounded in vers. 1. 2.
1. The matter of it, Blessednesse.
1. Cause,
1. Whose wickednesse is forgiuen.
2. Whose sinne is couered.
3. Whose sinne the Lord imputeth not.
2. Effect or fruit, And in whose spirit is no guile.
2. The man to whom it belongs, described by the
2. Proued by the Prophets experience of two things:
1. Of Gods wrath for his sinne: in it vers. 3. 4.
1. The touch of his conscience for sinne, described by the
1. Cause, While I kept close my sinne.
2. Grieuousnesse: by
1. Effects.
1. Change in his body.
1. Bones consumed.
2. Moysture turned into drought of Summer.
2. Roring of his voice.
2. Continuance, All the day long.
2. The reason. For night and day was thy hand on me.
2. Of Gods mercy in pardoning it: vers. 5. where,
1. The meanes, Confession, in which
1. The time, Then.
2. The ground of it, I said, I will confesse, acknowledge, not hide.
3. The matter, My sinne, my iniquitie, my wickednesse.
4. The manner: in respect of
1. God, To thee.
2. Himselfe, Against my selfe.
2. The end, Remission, And thou forgauest the iniquitie of my sinne.
2. The generall vse fourefold. concerning
1. Prayer: in it
1. The practice; where the
1. Inference, Therefore, by my example.
2. Person praying, EueryEvery godly man shall make his prayer.
3. Person to whom, To thee.
4. Time when, In a time when thou mayest be found.
2. The promise, Surely in the flouds of great waters, they shall not come neere him.
2. Affiance in God
1. For the present, Thou art my secret place.
2. For time to come,
1. Thou wilt preserue me in trouble.
2. Thou wilt compasse me with songs of deliuerance.
3. Obedience to God, where, three
1. A Preface to the instruction. In it the
1. Person teaching, I, Dauid.
2. Person instructed, Thee, eueryevery Christian.
3. Matter, in three particulars,
1. I will instruct thee, that is, by precept.
2. Teach thee the way to goe in, namely, by my example.
3. I will guide thee with mine eye, that is, keepe thee in that way.
2. A dehortation
1. From brutishnesse, Be not like the Horse or Mule.
2. Wherein
1. Vnteachablenesse, Which vnderstand not.
2. Vntractablenesse, Whose mouthes thou rulest with bit and bridle, lest they come neere thee.
3. The reasons
1. From Gods iudgements vponupon impenitent sinners, Many sorrowes shall be to the wicked.
2. From Gods infinite louelove to repentant sinners, described
1. By their qualitie, They trust in the Lord.
2. Measure of mercy, Mercy shall compasse them.
4. Praise of God the end of all, where
1. The persons
1. Righteous men.
2. Vpright of heart.
2. The dutie, threefold, expressed in three seuerall wordes
Be glad.
Reioyce.
Be ioyfull.
3. The limitation, In the Lord.
THE HIGH-WAY TO HAPPINES: Contayning THE EXPOSITION OF THE 32. PSALME.
THE ARGVMENT.
A Psalme of DAVID to giuegive instruction.
INscriptions are as keyes to open a doore into the Psalmes. This Title agreeth with the Argument of this Psalme. For it is the chiefe wisdome and learning of the Church, to know how to come to be happy, as this Psalme teacheth, which in the inscription is commended: First, From the matter. Secondly, The Author. First, The matter, that it was Dauids learning, and penned to teach the vnlearned: for it is not the will of God, that the vnlearned should want knowledge. Yea such a learning as is not eueryevery-where to be had, but onelyonly is to be drawne out of the Word of God. For nature and humane reason teacheth it not, nor can vnderstand it, no nor can endure to heare, that God should not respect any worthinesse or merit of man, but freely forgiue sinne to make a soule truely happy. Secondly, The Author was Dauid, here named, that we might know, that this chiefe doctrine of all other was not framed or deliuered to the Church from an obscure and vnknowne Author, but proceeded from the holy Ghost, who guided the Pen-men of Scripture: and by this Pen-man commended also to the vse of the Church, that so our faith might be more certaine: for neuer can the heart bee stable in any doctrine, which it is not perswaded to bee an Oracle of God. Whence obserue.
First, That as all the Scripture is profitable for doctrine, instruction, and comfort, so more especially the booke of Obserue.Psalmes, being inspired by God to this purpose, and All vse of Psalmes must edific.therefore must all of them in publike or priuate vse tend to our edification. First, In the publike vse of the Congregation, 1. Cor. 14. 15. I will sing with the Spirit, but with vnderstanding also, and 26. When yee come together, as any hath a Psalme, let all bee done to edifying. Secondly, In priuate; either in the family, Ephes. 5. 19. Col. 3. 16. speaking and admonishing your selues with Psalmes, &c. or apart alone. I am. 5. 13. Is any merry? let him sing: prosperitie must not force vsus to forget God, but remember his louing kindnesse. Hence hauehave we the examples of the Disciples of our Lord, singing a Psalme after the receiuing of the Sacrament together with himselfe, Mar. 14. 26. And Paul and Silas in prison sung to God, Acts. 16. 25.
To confute such as set out filthy, amorous, and lewd Ballads and Songs, Fictions, LoueLove-bookes, &c. which tend to the corrupting of men and youth especially. Dauids songs tended to instruction in the highest point of heauenly wisedome, and the vse of these would bring the other out of request: and it should teach Parents, that would not hauehave their Childrens bodies poysoned, to be much more carefull their mindes bee not herewith infected.
Secondly, Their sinne is iustly condemned, who either in publike or more priuate meetings sit like cyphers or mutes, when Psalmes are sung; who neither sing themselues nor attend to those that doe, nor hauehave any care to helpe their vnderstanding or their affections, but are as senselesse as the seats they sit vponupon: these highly take the name of God in vaine; or else they runne out at the Psalme, as not concerning them: hath the Lord fitted the Psalmes forthy instruction, and darest thou despise that high learning offred in them?
Thirdly, Those who in singing onelyonly respect the storie of the Psalme, as they doe other Scriptures, not instructing, comforting, or admonishing themselues by applying the matter to their hearts, but sing without all grace in their hearts: and lastly, those that respect in these songs musick more then matter, that are led away by sound, not by sense; by the eare, not by the heart; that are filled with vanitie, not with the Spirit, and sing to man, not to God.
Secondly note, that Dauid, though furnished with varietie of learning, accounteth none learning but this, being Obseru. 2.indeed a speciall knowledge to be instructed, and instruct No learning to Dauids learning.others in. He calleth all conditions of men to learne this doctrine, which so neerely concerneth all, and is of such speciall vse, as without it, eueryevery thing increaseth a mans miserie, and hauing it, he is onelyonly happy. Hence is this knowledge called wisdomes, or knowledges, Prou. 9. 1. as though it contayned all comfortable knowledge in it.
And indeed if we measure knowledge by the vse, that must needs be the best that makes vsus best, and brings in best profit; but that doth this learning: for how vaine are the deepest Philosophers in all their knowledge? What are they but lyars, while without this they dispute of truth? Vicious persons, while they entreat of vertue? Ignorant, while they dispute of knowledge? and miserable Creatures, while without it they grope at true blessednesse?
What were a man better, if he were able to comprehend the frame of the World, measure the parts of the Earth, to discourse of the course and motions of the Starres, if the sense of vnpardoned sinne proclaime himselfe a damned wretch, and a guiltie conscience tell him to his face, that Heauen is ashamed of him, the Earth is weary of him, and his owne sinnefull burthen beares him downe to Hell?
What profit were it to be able to discerne all diseases, and all remedies, and attayne all the skill of physicke to cure the body, when a mans owne soule is wounded to death without remedie?
What helpeth it to bee wise in worldly matters, and skilfull in cases of Law, to auoid vniust sentences and wrongs, when a man is condemned in himselfe, by the comfortlesse accusing of his owne conscience?
See the vanitie of rich and worldly men, that spend their dayes in gathering perishing riches, and drop into Vse.the graue before euer they thinke of this Learning: and the folly and madnesse of the most, that count nothing worthy to be knowne but these earthly learnings; spend all their time and studies in them as the Heathens did, till they become almost as heathenish.
Secondly, The shame it is of many profound Scholers, who in their ministrie seeke to be approued for other learning, in Tongues, Fathers, Arts, &c. (which in their places are excellent gifts:) but this onelyonly skill, this Danids learning, how to direct a troubled conscience to his peace, and a miserable soule to his happinesse, is not their aime; they hauehave no skill nor will this way.
Thirdly, And hearers who would bee taught in any learning but this, admire any teaching but this, whereas onelyonly this can make them wise to saluation, and only this knowledge hath life eternall accompanying it: that is, a learned tongue, that studieth out cases of conscience, and speaketh a word in due season. This is the learning and instruction of this Psalme, and therefore is worthy all our attention and diligence to carry away the seuerall instructions of it. So much of the Inscription.
VERSE 1. 2.
Blessed is he whose wickednesse is forgiuen, and whose sinne is couered.
Blessed is the man, vntounto whom the Lord imputeth no sinne, and in whose spirit is no guile.
This Psalme hath two parts.
1. A generall doctrine.
1. Propounded in the two first Verses.
2. Expoūded in the three next.
2. The general vse, which is four-fold.
1. Concerning prayer, vers. 6.
2. Affiance in God, vers. 7.
3. Obediēce to God, v. 8, 9, 10
4. Praise of God, which is the end of all, verse last.
The generall doctrine is first set downe in the precept in the two first Verses; and secondly, proued by example in the 3, 4, and 5.
The doctrine in the Precept is this. That eternall happinesse (called in the Text Blessednesse) standeth in the forgiuenesse of sinnes. Which forgiuenesse of sinnes is set forth by three phrases, tending al to expresse the same thing, namely the perfect iustification of a sinner in the sight of God, whose sinne is here said, first, to be forgiuen: Secondly, couered: And thirdly, not imputed: and then amplified by the inseparable fruit or companion of it, which is the sanctification of the soule, in these wordes; And in whose Spirit is no guile.
First therefore, we are to speake of the person, and secondly of his blessednesse. The person is he, whose wickednesse is, first, forgiuen: secondly, whose sinne is couered: thirdly, whose sinne is not imputed: and fourthly, In whose spirit is no guile.