The Book of Psalms Paraphrased, Book 5 · Psalm 139
PSALM CXXXIX.
To the chief Muſician. A Pſalm of David.
ARGUMENT.
The two laſt Verſes of this Pſalm ſeem to me a ſufficient indication that David (to whom the Title aſcribes it) compoſed it, when he lay under the imputation of having evil deſigns upon Saul, 1. Sam. XXIV. 9. which as he proteſts againſt, in ſeveral parts of other Pſalms, and calls God often to witneſs his integrity; ſo here he appeals unto Him in a ſet and ſolemn meditation, compoſed on purpoſed to repreſent before Him the clearneſs of his intentions: which never ſuffered ſuch deſigns to enter into his thoughts. And who could believe that a man who ſeriouſly acknowledged, it was impoſſible to conceal any thing from God's all-ſeeing eye, who formes us in the womb; ſhould be ſo impudent as to make this appeal unto Him; if he were conſcious to himſelf of any ſuch guilt? And which is more, how could he be confident (as he declares he was Ver. 19.) that God would make his innocence evidently appear, by deſtroying his oppoſers; if he did not know they were calumniatours? whoſe vile aſperſions when God had effectually confuted, he delivered this Pſalm to the Maſter of the Muſick; as a laſting teſtimony of his ſincerity all along before he came to the Kingdom; and a conſtant admoniſhment to himſelf and others, never to promote any deſigns for the future by ſiniſter arts, though managed ſo ſecretly that they lay hid from the eyes of all the world: ſince God cannot but be privy to them; who loves righteouſneſs, and hates all iniquity.
1. O LORD, thou haſt ſearched me, and known me.
1. I Am accuſed, O Lord, of grievous crimes; but my comfort is, Thou ſeeſt I am not guilty of them: For the exacteſt ſurvey cannot make any thing ſo well known to us, as I am to Thee; who art thoroughly acquainted with me.
2. Thou knoweſt my down-ſitting, and mine upriſing, thou underſtandeſt my thought afar off.
2. Thou knoweſt what deſigns I have, when I ſit muſing at home; and what I go about when I ſtir abroad: nay my inclinations are ſo perfectly underſtood by Thee; that before I have conceived any deſign, it is viſible unto Thee.
3. Thou compaſſeſt my path, and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
3. Nothing can be ſo narrowly ſifted, as all the motions of my body and mind, both by day and by night, are ſcanned by thy all-penetrating eye: which comprehends, and is intimately privy, to all the ends which I purſue.
4. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O LORD, thou knoweſt it altogether.
4. When I am about to ſpeak, Thou, O Lord (ſuch is thy moſt admirable wiſedom) needeſt not to be informed what it is: but knoweſt before I open my mouth, every thing I intend to utter.
5. Thou haſt beſet me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
5. Whatſoever I have done long ago, is as well known to Thee, as that which is lately paſt, or which I am about to doe: For I am ſo invironed, by Thee, and ſo abſolutely in thy power; that I cannot poſſibly eſcape thy notice, nor ſo much as ſtir without thy leave.
6. Such knowledge is too wonderfull for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
6. O amazing height of underſtanding! It is in vain to think I can hide any thing from it: which ſo far ſurpaſſes all I can ſay or conceive; that it excells even my admiration.
7. Whither ſhall I go from thy ſpirit? or whither ſhall I flee from thy preſence?
7. Into what world ſhall I go, where Thou art not as preſent as Thou art in this? It is impoſſible for me, ſhould I make never ſo much haſte, to get out of thy ſight.
8. If I aſcend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
8. If I could get up into the higheſt part of heaven, I ſhould not be out of thy reach: or go down and lie in the loweſt depth of the earth, I ſhould find Thee ſtill as near unto me.
9. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermoſt parts of the ſea:
9. If I could move as ſwiftly as the light of the riſing Sun; and in an inſtant flie from hence, and take up my dwelling in the remoteſt parts of the world:
10. Even there ſhall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand ſhall hold me.
10. I ſhould not be a jot the further from Thee; without whom as I could not get thither, ſo I ſhould be ſtill ſubject to thy Government, and beholden to thy Providence to ſupport me there.
11. If I ſay, Surely the darkneſs ſhall cover me: even the night ſhall be light about me.
11. If I ſhould have ſuch a thought as this in my mind, that, though Thou art preſent every where yet, in the dark I may lie undiſcovered by Thee; it would be very fooliſh: For when the Sun is gone down, all that is in me is as apparent unto Thee, as if it were noon day.
12. Yea, the darkneſs hideth not from thee; but the night ſhineth as the day: the darkneſs and the light are both alike to thee.
12. The darkneſs cannot conceal any thing from Thee; who, being the Fountain of light, feeſt as well in the blackeſt night as in the brighteſt day: the night and the day, the moſt open and the moſt covert practices, are equally clear unto thy view.
13. For thou haſt poſſeſſed my reins: thou haſt covered me in my mothers womb.
13. For my very thoughts (and what is there more abſtruſe then they) my moſt retired thoughts and contrivances, and my moſt ſecret deſires, are apparent to Thee: whoſe I am, and by whom I was wrapt up in thoſe skins, which incloſed me in my mothers womb; then which there is nothing more hidden and dark.
14. I will praiſe thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are thy works, and that my ſoul knoweth right well.
14. Yet there (ſuch is thy ſtupendious wiſedom, which I will never ceaſe to praiſe, and thankfully acknowledge) I was, I know not how, in ſuch a wonderfull manner, formed; that the thoughts of it ſtrike me with aſtoniſhment: thy operations in that work are moſt admirable; and of that I am exceeding ſenſible, but I can ſay no more; for they are incomprehenſible.
15. My ſubſtance was not hid from thee, when I was made in ſecret; and curiouſly wrought in the loweſt parts of the earth.
15. Though I was made in ſo ſecret a place, yet not the leaſt joint in my body was concealed from thy eyes: but I received from Thee there (where no more light can come, then there doth into the loweſt depths of the earth) ſuch a comely diſtinction of parts, and variety of powers; that no embroidery can be ſo curiouſly wrought.
16. Thine eyes did ſee my ſubſtance yet being unperfect, and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were faſhioned, when as yet there was none of them.
16. For when the matter out of which I was made, was without any form, it was viſible to Thee how every muſcle, vein and artery, with all the reſt of my body ſhould be wrought; out of the pattern of them, which was in thy mind: and accordingly in time, when there was not ſo much as one of them, they were all faſhioned, for the ſeveral uſes to which they are deſigned; and not the ſmalleſt of them omitted, or left imperfect.
17. How precious alſo are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the ſum of them!
17. How invaluable alſo, and incomprehenſible (O God, I am not able to expreſs the high and gratefull ſenſe I have of it) is thy tender care and providence, which Thou haſt exerciſed over me ever ſince I was born! All the ſecret paſſages of it amount to ſuch a ſumme; that I am not able to give an account of them.
18. If I ſhould count them, they are mo in number then the ſand: when I wake, I am ſtill with thee.
18. When I attempt to reckon how many they are, I find that I may as well undertake to number the ſand: For, though I continue the whole day in this employment, and, after a nights reſt, begin again the next morning to think how numerous thy mercies are; I am ſtill as far as ever from ſeeing any end of them.
19. Surely thou wilt ſlay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore ye bloudy men.
19. Which makes me conſident, O God, Thou wilt not now deſert me; but rather deſtroy that wicked man, (CXL. 1.) who, forgetting thy allſeeing eye, regards not by what means he plots my ruin: And therefore it will be beſt for you all, O ye men of bloud, who have ſlain the Prieſts of the Lord, (1 Sam. XXII. 18.) and now thirſt after my life, to make your retreat, and deſiſt from perſecuting me any further.
20. For they ſpeak againſt thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
20. For it is not ſo much me that they perſecute, as Vertue and Piety; to which, though they are not open yet, they are the moſt dangerous enemies, becauſe they make it ſerve their wicked ends: having godly pretences for their doing miſchief; and not ſticking (ſo little belief have they of thy Omniſcience) to call Thee to witneſs the truth of their lies and calumnies.
21. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with thoſe that riſe up againſt thee?
21. And have I not reaſon then, O Lord, to hate thoſe, who have ſuch an inveterate hatred unto Thee? and to take the greateſt diſtaſte to them, that oppoſe themſelves ſo induſtriouſly to thy holy Laws?
22. I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
22. I deteſt them with all my heart; and as their impiety is the onelyonly cauſe of it, ſo I cannot loathe them more then I do: but declare my ſelf upon that account, to be their utter enemy.
23. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.
23. If I have any other ground of my enmity, or am guilty of ſo much as deſigning any evil to them, merely becauſe they have done ſo much evil to me; I deſire to find it out, and ſubmit my ſelf to the ſevereſt trials, which may diſcover to me any ſuch thought that lurketh in my heart.
24. And ſee if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlaſting.
24. For I would not continue in ſuch a pernicious courſe: But if in any thing I doe I intend them any hurt, or ſo much as to be grievous to them; my humble requeſt is, either that I may not live, or live more exactly by the unchangeable rules of righteouſneſs, ſincerity and truth.