Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 116 – Psalm 117
The cxvi. PSALM.
David being possessed of the Kingdom according to promise, looks behind him to see the difficulties God carried him through, to mind himself to his mercies, and his own ingagements for them. And in the first place offers the Lord his affections, promiseth him his faith for future, because of what is past, and therefore excites his soul to comfortable confidence and peaceable acquiescence, together with a gratuitous walking with God, recalling his offs and ons, he is in an extasie, how to return to God that brought him out of them, and resolves to celebrate his praises in the most publick and solemn manner according to the prescript of the Law. Assuring all Gods people from his example, that in their greatest danger, God hath the greatest care. Magnifies the Lord that hath made him his servant and freeman, for which he will publickly praise him.
1 I Cannot express how much the Lord is endeared to me for the grace he hath vouchsafed me,1I Love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice, and my supplications. my heart is glued to him in affection, such love hath he shewed to me, and such care over me in all mine extremities, whensoever I minded him of me and craved his help, that I am bound to love him as long as I live, and from my very heart I do so.
2Because he hath enclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.2 The Lord hath got my custom, I have had such faithful and good dealing from him, as if my condition were never so bad, I would seek no where else, for allwayes when necessitie wrung me I cried, and when ever I cried the Lord heard and helped; and this course I am resolved still to take, whensoever I have occasion, and doubt not of the same success.
3The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hellgate hold upon me, I found trouble and sorrow.3 I cannot but recount my by-gone difficulties, how that many a time I gave my self unavoidably for a dead man, so near have I been to mine end in mine own apprehension, that I made full account of my grave, the very pangs of death have seized on my soul, and it was seldom other with me.
4Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my Soul.4 Yet though my danger and fear was never so great, so that in all humane probability and visibilitie of means I was as good as gone, yet my faith would still have a saying to God, pray I must, and did, and I no sooner gave the word but God took the Alarm, if I but named my Soul, it was enough, and oft-times my surprises were so sudden, and danger so emergent, that I had scarce time to do that, which though they made my prayer short, yet sharp, they helped to put an edge upon mine affections, and when I prayed for my soul, it was with my soul, which in an ejaculation was quickly in heaven, and had as quick dispatch there.
5 For there had I the attributes of God presently to speak for me,5Gracious is the Lord, and righteous… yea, our God is merciful. his grace, justice, and merciemercy, and had an answer accordingly: Let others be incouraged by mine example to trust in the Lord, and seek to him, for they shall find as I did, that God is freely good, and free of his goodness, faithful of his promise, yea, though objections lie in the way, thy sins and his judgements flash in thy face, yet be not daunted if thou beest one of us, belongest to God; for he is merciful to pardon and pitie thee, and in an instant will break through all to do the good.
6 Those that suffer being innocent,6The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low and he helped me. although they be shiftless and have not worldly wisdom to do withall like other men, yet if with honest hearts they bequeath themselves to God, and unfainedly trust in him, he will find wayes to befool their enemies, and make good their confidence, I am sure none can be in greater danger, nor have less hope of help (but from him) than I a poor innocent man, and more than once or twice, and he alone served my turn, I never miscarried, but was ever delivered though many times strangely, yea, miraculously from time to time, till he brought me to this I am come to.
7 Be thou therefore at peace within thy self,7Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. and recumbent upon God, O my soul, that hath by his means gone through so many difficulties, and through him thy benefactour art arrived at so great happiness, out of all the storm that have blown over thee.
8 For the Lord hath as it were raised me out of the grave,8For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. so near death was I many a time when thou delivered me, and hath now made me a livesman again, in the full accomplishment of thy promise, whereby I am comforted beyond all my fore-past sorrows, which are as it were forgotten, and set me free from all those deadly traps and gins that were laid for me, by my mortal enemies.
9I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.9 Now that God by his power and merciemercy hath raised me to this estate, and brought me through those many perplexities to possess his promise, I doubt not of his further favour and protection, but in confidence thereof, I will comfortably and conscionably labour to discharge my place & high office, as in the presence, and to the well-pleasing of the Lord that hath set me over his people, compared to whom, all the world is in darkness and shadow of death.
10I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted.10, 11 O the several frames of heart and tempers of soul that I have passed through in my trials, sometimes chearing up my self with the faith of Gods promises,11I said in my hast, All men are liars. that they should certainly be fulfilled, and then could I hopefully address my self to God, and comfortably bespeak and incourage my soul to wait upon the Lord, at another time I have been as much dejected and cast down, and upon a surprize when my fear hath been great, because my danger was imminent, I have not stuck in that perplexitie of mind to think and say within my self, all that the Prophets had foretold concerning my succession to the Kingdom was a meer delusion, and that I must needs perish before that day could come, that they and their predictions would certainly deceive me and come to nought, and that they speak not of God, but of themselves.
12What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me?12 Now when I look back and consider what a world of dangers, nay, deaths I have past, what dismal apprehensions and perplexities of mind I have waded through, what admirable deliverances the Lord hath wrought, and how oft and how strangely I have been preserved, and now what an absolute complement he hath given to all those promises which I thought never to have seen fulfilled, and conclusion to my miseries, which many time I thought would have made an end of me, before I should thus have seen an end of them. I am at a stand, and in an extasie, how, and what to return to this good God, I am now in perplexitie by a plenitude of happiness, for the Lord hath so loaden me with benefits that I know not what to say, nor do, to, or for him in any proportion to them.
13,13I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. 14 I may fancie many wayes, and things to my self to gratifie God with all, and when I have done I am never the near,14I will pay my vows unto the Lord, now in the presence of all his people. for imaginarie retributions and will-worship he will not accept. Therefore I will content my self to do what he hath bid me, (for when I have all done I must live and die his debtor,) I will therefore make a feast to all Israel, (which he did at the bringing up of the Ark,) and then and there offer my peace-offerings, and in the sight and hearing of all the Lords people, with the cup of blessing and gratulation in mine hand, will joyfully and thankfully publish the praises of my God, and make open acknowledgement of the manifold benefits and deliverances from first to last that I have been partaker of; The mercies I gained by prayers and vows in mine extremitie, I will wear them by praise and sacrifice now in my prosperitie, all Israel shall be witness.
15 I have found it by experience,15Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. and speak it knowingly for the comfortable support of other of Gods people in affliction, that however they may unadvisedly misjudge themselves, as exposed of God in a regardless manner to the malice and furie of their enemies, when their lives are indangered, yet its far otherwayes. The Lord makes more account of the lives of his holy ones, which he will suffer no man nor men on earth to have the command and dispose of, but onelyonly himself, they are too precious to be set so light by, and therefore be confident such cannot miscarrie by any policie, power, or malice of men whatsoever, but by special commission from God, for special purposes, and when they do miscarrie by his ordination, they still remain dear to him aswel dead as alive.
16Oh Lord, truly I am thy servant, I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.16 Blessed Lord, I now well perceive those words true which sometime I thought to be false, how that thou hast indeed ordained me to the honour to be thy servant, and that in an eminent manner, which truly is my highest title, and preferment to be thy servant, and the son of thy spouse and handmaid the Church, visible and invisible; and thus to be delivered by thee from a state of thraldom and miserie, to a condition free to serve thee, is infinite goodness.
17I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanks-giving, & will call upon the name of the Lord.17 For which I will magnifie thee, and with publick praises and peace-offerings will make my thankful acknowledgements of thy power and goodness to me-ward.
18I will pay my vows unto the Lord, now in the presence of all his people.18 And what I vowed in my miserie, when I prayed for merciemercy, I will accordingly perform it, now that thou hast set me free to do it, all Israel being witness.
19In the courts of the Lords house, in the middest of thee, O Jerusalem, praise y… the Lord.19 Openly, in the publick convention of all thy people at thy sanctuarie in Jerusalem, the place appointed for thy solemn sacrifice-worship, there upon thine Altar will I offer my sacrifice of thanks-giving in the view of all Israel, and in their hearing, praise thee; with me praise ye the Lord all his people.
The cxvii. PSALM.
The Psalmist in Prophecie of the calling of the Gentiles, and uniting all in one Church through the head Christ, exhorts all to praise the Lord for so great goodness, and rich merciemercy so freely extended.Psalm cxvii.
1 O All ye nations and people throughout the world,1O Praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. Gentiles as wel as Jews, praise the Lord, praise him every where without exception.
2 For his saving grace and merciemercy by the redemption of Christ is extended unto both,2For his merciful kindness is great towards us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever: praise ye the Lord. in him we are made one Church that were a divided people, and an undeserving, the one as well as the other, his grace alike free and his goodness great to both of us: For, for his promise sake once delivered, and never to be reversed, hath he done this for us, and as well all other promises as this will he perform to the end, for and concerning his Church, his faithfulness cannot fail, though our sins deserves it should. Therefore in the faith of his faithfulness and love of his goodness that hath made all partake of Christ, let all men praise the Lord.