Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 73
The lxxiii. PSALM.
The Psalmist being delivered out of an extraordinary temptation of corrupt & fleshly reasoning, occasioned by the wickeds prospiritie, and his own infelicitie, that had almost cost him a fall, and made him cast off all care of religion, and fear of God, had not God taken up the business that was in controversie in his mind, he abruptly thereupon, silenceth all doubts and disputes, and in the very beginning, and first entrance into the Psalm, breaks through all difficulties and dissidences wherewith he had been sore pestred, affirming, and declaring for the instruction, and strengthning of the godly, that ma…ger all objections to the contrarie, God is every jot as good as his word, for so he had found by experience, and befools himself for his misjudging of God, and the Godly as he had done, and too highly prizing the wicked mans happie condition in this life; acknowledgeth Gods infinite merciemercy in this his seasonable illumination, and supportation of his faith so much staggered, but now resolved, and thereby enabled to declare God to be righteous in all his works, and that to the faithfull, he will ever approve himself such.
Psalm lxxiii. A Psalm of Asaph.A Psalm made by Asaph.
1TRuly God is good to Israel: even to such as are of a clean heart.1 I Have had my share of trials, and my share of temptations thereupon, and also my share of experimented providences and mercies from God; so that when all things are rightly weighed after a long debate and conflict betwixt flesh and spirit concerning the one, and the other, whether God be, or be not to his people as he hath promised. I must needs conclude, he is God, and as good as his word to Israel, but to what Israel? for there was my mistake, not to all that go under that name, because they are the seed of Jacob so called; for all are not Israel, that are of Israel; but to the Israel in spirit, not in the letter; to them belongs the promise, and performance of grace and goodness, to such as are purified by faith, not onelyonly in the outward part, by legal purifyings, which are but umbrages, but in the hidden man of the heart, by effectual operation of faith, and the spirit of grace: to such the Lord is gracious, and ever will be, I know it by experience, and so shall they, let them never doubt it, nor question the truth of Gods word and promise, because of seeming contraridictoriness in his work of providence thereunto, but take it upon the word of a Prophet, as well as a promise, it is a truth, whatsoever is suggested to the contrarie by carnal, and corrupt reason; God is so, will be so, and cannnot be otherwise.
2 I confess it is no easie matter to be thus perswaded,2But as for me, my feet were almost gone: my steps were well nigh slipt. considering the strange order that is in Gods providences and dispensations; I my self, for all I can now speak it boldly, yet the time was, when I was as misbelieving as other men, extreamly staggered I was in my faith and judgement, touching the truth of the promise, and the goodness of God according thereunto; I was almost fallen from faith, and consequently from hope, reverence, and every thing of that nature, ready to to turn Atheist, as touching the points of Gods truth and goodness, truly I was even going, if God had not staied me, to deviate, and shift for my self by carnal policie, and creature-confidence, as I saw others do.
3 For like a fool,3For I was envious at the foolist: when I saw the prosperitie of the wicked. as I was, I fastened mine eyes upon the outward face of things, I saw them that are best, suffer most, & those that are worst, prosper best, which put me into a passionate envy of them that clouded my judgement, so that I could not but raise foolish conclusions upon foolish premises, and think with my selfe, that surely it is not God, but Fortune that orders matters thus; or if it be God, that then he cannot bring both ends together, punish his people, prosper the wicked, and yet be good to the one, and just to the other.
4For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.4 Whom contrarie to their demerits, he lets live in such felicitie all their daies; for, for all their sins, they have the world at will, their minds, and consciencies free from trouble, their constitutions strong, and bodies healthfull, they feel no punishments, nor pains in either, neither living, nor dying, for after a prosperous life, I thought I should see God meet with them at their deaths, whereas they died as they lived, without either pangs of bodie, or horrour of conscience, to mine admiration and stumbling.
5 A man would almost think that judges with worldly judgement as I did,5They are not in trouble as other men: neither are they plagued like other men. that sin and wickedness, were the high-way to happiness, and that the promises were rather made to the bad, than the good; for whilest the godly undergo concussions, and agitations within, and without, they live in a serene clime, under a perpetual calm, and feel not the twentieth part of what the righteous suffer.
6 And therefore they brave it over them, and pride themselves as the onelyonly men on earth,6Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain: violence covereth them as a garment. whom God favours, far above the Godly, whom they look contemptibly upon, maligne, and oppress them, even for their pietie, and povertie sake, judging them therefore hated of God, and so justly persecuted of men, and themselves his onelyonly friends, and he theirs.
7 They pamper their carcasses,7Their eyes stand out with fa…ness: they have more than heart can wish. live deliciously, fair well, and thrive well upon it, they have no want of Worldly wealth and outward felicitie, God pours honey into their hive, they prosper wondrously even beyond their own desires and expectations.
8 Their plentie and voluptuousness makes them quite forget God to be above them,8They are corrupt and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. they live sensually and sinfully, as if they were controlable by none, and with open face do injustice and wrong, bragging of their power to oppress, and threatning thunderbolts to the poor and despised people of God.
9 Who if they make their appeal to heaven,9They set their mouth against the heavens; & their tongue walketh through the earth. pray for, and plead Gods power to protect them, against theirs, they contemn them, and blaspheme God, yea, bid defiance both to God and man, not caring for God above them, and thinking all the world else to be below them, for their proud and presumptuous speeches import no less.
10 Whereupon it is that the people of God are in my very case,10Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. they stumble and allmost fall, and are in grievous agonies not onelyonly by outward affliction, but every way which is worse, by inward diffidences and debates in themselves, whilest the good are thus extreamly under, and the bad a top of the wheel.
11 Insomuch,11And they say, how doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most high? as I did, so do they, begin to question through the infirmitie of the flesh and their astonishment at the strangeness of such proceedings, the providence and administration of God, whither at all he that is in heaven heed these things below, or if he do, then how they can stand with his wise and righteous dispensations and word of promise.
12Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the World, they increase in riches.12 For thus they say within themselves, who are they that come on and prosper in the World, why generally the wicked and ungodly have most and do best, is it not so every where?
13Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed mine hands in innocencie.13 And who are they that have least and are most under hatches? why truly they that fear God most, that labour to keep a good conscience, and to walk uprightly and innocently both towards God and man, but to little purpose if the cards play on this fashion.
14For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.14 For as they see nothing but good, so I nothing but evil, all my life long from day to day, and from weeks end to weeks end, have I been harrowsed with one trouble and miserie in the neck of another, and have had the rod never off my back, who labour to please God and to do well, whereas they that take no such thought, but live as they list, feel not the smart of any one twig.
15If I say I will speak thus: behold, I shall offend against the generation of thy children.15 Thus have I been pressed upon by my corruptions and fleshly apprehensions, as others are no doubt by theirs to give way to such thoughts, yea, and to break out through discontent into such speeches and to utter such things for irrefragable positions, but I would not for a World I had done so, O the sad consequences that would have followed thereupon, what discouragement would thy people have taken upon it from mine example, both at present and in future ages also should it have been upon record to my shame, thy dishonour, and a stumbling-stone to the Godly to the Worlds end.
16When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me.16 And I confess loth I was to let go my hold-fast of thee, and to let my faith fail, and therefore I sought by all means to give my self satisfaction, and to quiet my doubts by debate of reason, and to make it speak all it could for thee, to justifie these thy dispensations thus to the good and bad, but alas, it would not do, my reason was too weak for my affections, my mind would not be satisfied with all the arguments I could bring by my natural discourse, to think that such dispensations could possibly be of God, or if they were, how they could stand with thy truth on one side by reason of thy promises, and with thy justice on the other side by reason of thy threatnings.
17 Thus did I reason the matter with my self,17Untill I went into the sanctuarie of God; then understood I their end. too and again, all in vain, lost my labour, rested still unsatisfied, till at last when I saw that, then I resolved to take another course, to make mine addresses to thee to be resolved in this great and difficult case of conscience touching the strangeness of thine administrations, whereupon I used all holy means, I prayed earnestly to thee in heaven, prostrating my self before thee in thy tabernacle, studied thy word, and at last it pleased thee effectually to inspire me with a right understanding, taughtest me to judge of occurrents by spiritual and divine principles, then, and never before, could I apprehend, to any purpose, the end that thou wilt make with these kind of men, how that then is time enough for the wicked to be miserable, and for thee to punish, which shall wofully, certainly, and eternally conclude this their temporarie happiness, so much wondred at.
18 And how ever they think they have firm footing,18Surely thou didst set them in slipperie places: thou calledst them down into destruction. and are greatly in favour with thee, yet its far otherwise, they (and we) are much deceived, for though thou raisest them high, it is that they may have the greater fall, their standings upon carnal and creature-confidences cannot hold long, they will fail them, when death comes they must part, and then the everlasting perdition that in hell by thy just judgements they shall endure, shall far surpass the moment of carnall contentment this life afforded them.
19How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment? they are utterly consumed with terrours.19 O Lord, what a sudden and sad change will there be, when in the moment of dissolution their souls shall be overwhelmed and seized upon with the dreadful sense and apprehension of their eternal perdition, how unspeakably shall they be confounded at it.
20As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest thou shalt despise their image.20 When their sins are ripe, and thou, O Lord, art disposed to take vengeance on them and execute judgement, how shall all their phanatical imaginarie happiness of Worldly wealth and prosperitie be annihilated, and vanish into forgetfulness and non entity, as a dream when one awakes, and how despicable shall this their so much Idolized honour and felicitie (mistaken tokens of thy favour) and themselves, notwithstanding it, be to thee then.
21Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.21 Thus wast thou pleased to shew me with what a vain transitorie shadow I troubled my self, and made the imaginarie felicitie of the wicked a real infelicitie unto me, in disquieting my mind about it, which when I saw, it was no small trouble to me that I should commit such an errour.
22So foolish was I, and ignorant; I was as a beast before thee.22 And be so bruitishly blockish in my foolish misapprehensions, and sottish conceits of these prosperous conditions of wicked men, and of thee because of them, to my shame I now confess my sin & folly before thee, …hat more like a beast than a man I have been thus sensually misled.
23 But,23Nevertheless, I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. O the trial I have had of thy grace by this experiment, insomuch as I can say it for the establishment and strengthening of the generation of the righteous (whom by my foolishnes I had like to have offended and stumbled, as much, and more than the prosperitie of the wicked,) that truly God is good to Israel, for, for all my sinful censuring and misjudging thee, being now by thine infinit merciemercy brought thus to my right wits, I see I am and so are they alwayes under thy special care, who by thy mightie power and secret grace hast upheld me from blaspheming and miscarrying under this temptation, when my feet had well nigh slipt and of thine infinit goodness set me clear of it the worst of evils.
24 I hope,24Thou shalt guid me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glorie. Lord, through thy grace to take warning by it, and no more to be ruled by my corrupt reason, nay, I am confident I shall do so by thy blessing, thou wilt instruct me better for time to come, than to let me fool it in this sort any more, while I live I hope never to follow any other guide but thine, nor to be wise with any other wisdom, that now hath set me into the right way again, so that I am well assured by this pledge, thou wilt certainly conduct me through all the rest of my temptations and difficulties of this life that I am to undergo, until thou hast safely landed me in heaven above all storms and tempests, there to enjoy the sweet imbraces of thy favour in a glorified estate, which shall put a happie period to all my troubles, the whilest the prosperitie of the wicked that so much stumbled me, I now see shall end in endless miserie.
25Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.25 I have had enough of deviations from thee, it hath cost me so dear, and I see so much vanitie in every thing else, as that I am resolved to stick to thee alone, thou shalt be mine all in all, thy word and spirit shall solely rule me, thy providence shall satisfie me, and thy self in the love and favour thou vouchsafest me, shall be a portion sufficient for me. Let whom will, I for my part will no more, either care for, or set by creature-comforts or creature-confidence, but mine heart shall be staid on thee, fall back fall edge.
26My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of mine heart, and my portion for ever.26 I have so surfeited of self-deceit that abstracted from God I see now what I am, one that hath neither reason to judge aright, nor strength to hold out in a temptation, if it had not been for the grace and supportation of the Almightie and my good God, and that I had not left all and taken to him, what had become of me? but I bless his name I did so, and find him more my friend than I was or could be mine own, yea, when my wit was non-plussed and my courage cow'd, the Lord restored me to both, so that when all fails▪ he shall not; my faith in him shall uphold me, and my proprietie in him shall satisfie and content me.
27For lo, they that are far from thee, shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.27 For it is sure enough, that they that take other courses shall but deviate and go astray; men that depart from thee by devided hopes and creature-confidence, the ground they stand upon shall fail them, it will be their ruine; as it hath been thy practice to be faithful to them that are faithful to thee, so thou hast and wilt not fail to disappoint the confidences of misbelievers, power and policie, and such like harlots, that carnal minded men do court, shall not onelyonly deceive them, but also destroy them; for thou hast often enough made it appear, how thou dost blast such men with contrarie events to their expectations, and destruction to themselves.
28 But I in my particular have found the contrarie course most beneficial and establishing,28But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works. to draw off my mind and heart from every thing but thee, and by prayer and faith to support my spirit and seek mine advantage, the effects whereof I have lately felt, which hath so corroborated my faith in God, that I am now resolved and fixed upon him satisfactorily, for ever hereafter, to trust him, his Almightie power and never failing faithfulness, above and against my fleshly reasoning, for the making good his word by his works; whereof nothing shall fail, which now I am able confidently to affirm to his praise, and the establishment of the generation of the righteous, whom ere-while I had almost scandalized, being enlightened by faith and experience, I have changed my mind, and declare the contrarie to what I then thought, that his works and wayes (of what kind soever) are all of them just and holy, as the faithful shall ever find.