Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 16
The xvi. PSALM.
David having praied for divine preservation shews he expects to be saved by Gods goodnes, and not his own, which onelyonly is gratuitous not meritorious. Then he shews the vanitie and miserie of false religion and worship, which he for his part disclain…s, and by faith chuses to be happie in God onelyonly. Blessing God that hath by his word and spirit given him the wisdom to believe in him. Which stablishes his heart in peace during life, and in assured hope after death, touching perseverance to the end, and heaven in the end.
A Psalm made and set by David to a special tune called Michtam.Psalm xvi. Michtam of David.
1 O God of power uphold me from falling from thee,1PReserve me O God: for in thee do I put my trust. & lead me on in the knowledge, love, & obedience of thy truth to the end, for on thee only & on thy good grace do I trust for preservatiō unto salvatiō.
2 My soul hath firmly entred covenant with thee,2O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord; Thou art my Lord, my goodnes extendeth not to thee. and chosen thee for its Lord, to serve thee, and to be saved by thee of thy free merciemercy, abandoning all worth or goodnes of mine own, as any ways meritorious or beneficial to thee, that needeth nothing, but hast all fulnes and cause of full contentednes in th… self alone.
3 OnelyOnly to thy children and sanctified ones here on earth do I labour to express my gratitude,3But to the s…ints that are in the earth, and to the excellent in whom is all my delight. by what offices of love and respect I can shew for thy sake, as they that to me are most excellent of all men in the world, be their outward condition never so mean, being happy to be a fellow servant and true worshipper of thee amongst them.
4Their sorrows shall be multiplied, that hasten after another God: their drink-offerings of bloud will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.4 Discomfort and destruction, insted of peace and salvation shall be heaped upon them, that forsaking thee, have their hearts set upon any other God. For my part I renounce all but thee, and will serve, and sacrifice to thee alone, and will have nothing to do with their false worship, nor once open my lips to any God but thee to swear by him, or to pray to him.
5The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.5 With the Lord alone am I well satisfied, a singular portion & rich inheritance do I account my knowledge of him, & interest in him, thou art full content to me, in thee and by thee shall I be ever happie & blessed, when other men of other confidences shall be miserable.
6The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places: yea, I have a goodly heritage.6 In having thee for my God I have my hearts desire, and think my self enriched beyond all earthly pleasures and profits, which many in the world have, which have not thee.
7I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.7 I will ever bless and praise the Lord for revealing to me in his word the way of life and salvation, when others sit in darknes and in the shadow of death, and also teaching me effectually by the inward and secret inspiration and whisperings of his spirit, consciously to walk in it, when as others that know it externally for want of inspiration, do wander from it.
8I have set the Lord alwayes before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.8 In what condition soever I have been, I have still kept the eye of my faith full upon God, and not suffered it to take to other things, and because I make God my support, and lean so wholly upon him, I know he will not deceive my confidence, but will sustain me in his favour, and support me with his power and grace for ever, till he bring me to glorie.
9Therefore my heart is glad, and my glorie rejoyceth: my fl…sh also shall rest in hope.9 And in the faith hereof my heart is comforted above all worldly sorrows, even to the causing my tongue to break out in holy boastings and praises, that instrument of speech, wherein man transcends other creatures. Yea in this confidence I dare die as well as live, and by virtue of it, cheerfully bequeath my body to the grave in certain expectation of a blessed resurrection thence.
10 For as thou wilt enable Christ (whose type I am,10For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither …ilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. and who shall spring from me) to overcome all his sufferings, and preserve him who is thy beloved son, and solely without sin, from the putrefaction which all men else that are sinners must sustain in the grave, making him to triumph over death, who is the resurrection and the life. So by Christ shall I be set free in soul and body from wrath and mortality, by a glorious resurrection to immortality and life.
11 Yea thou wilt teach me the way of life and salvation,11Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. and lead me in it, until thou bring me into thy heavenly presence, to partake and be possessed of those soul-satisfying and substantial joyes that are there, and of those everlasting and immortal pleasures, which Christ the head of his Church at thy right hand hath to bestow on all his glorified members.