A Brief Explication of the First Fifty Psalms, Psalm 32
PSAL. XXXII. A Psalme of David, Maschil.
David in this Psalm describeth the blessednesse of the man justified by faith, by way of general Doctrine, set down, ver. 1, 2. Which he cleareth by his own experience, ver. 3, 4, 5. Then he sheweth the uses both of the general doctrin, & of his own experience; First, for inducing the godly, to go to God by prayer in trouble. v. 6. Secondly, for confirming of his own faith▪ ver. 7. Thirdly, for teaching all men submission to God, and not to strive with him when he doth correct or exercise them, ver. 8.9. Fourthly, for believing in God in all conditions, ver. 10. And fifthly, for making the Lord the joy and delight of the justified man.
MAschil is put in the inscription of the Psalm, signifying instruction; to teach us, That the Doctrine of justification by faith is a lesson which all men have need to learn, and to learn more and more solidly; because salvation and daily consolation in all the exercises of a mans soul dependeth on it.
Ver. 1. BLessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity: and in whose spirit there is no guile.
IN the Doctrine set down in these two verses; Learn, 1. That sin draweth on a debt which no man can satisfie for: such a debt, as a man must perish, if it be not forgiven. 2. Sin is a filthinesse, which neither God can behold, without abominating the sinner, nor the guilty conscience can look upon without horror, except it be covered. 3. Sin draweth on a guiltinesse, which may draw men to damnation, if it shal be imputed. 4. There is no justification of a sinner by his good works before God, but only by the forgivenesse of his evil works, as the Apostle, Rom. 4.6, 7, 8. citing this place, proveth, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. 5. Justification by faith, or remission of sins is accompanied with right unto salvation, because it is written, Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven. 6. Justification by faith, or absolution from sin, is accompanied also with the upright endeavour of sanctification; for of the justified man it is said, Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile. 7. Albeit no man liveth and sinneth not, yet God hath a way to cleanse the conscience of the upright man; who honestly and without guile, endeavoureth to walk before God, by bringing him to give account of his debt, and to acknowledge his filthinesse, and his guiltinesse before God, and then for Christs sake forgiving him, and with Christs righteousness covering him, and for Christs mediation, not imputing iniquity unto him.
Ver. 3. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
4. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moysture is turned into the drought of Summer. Salah.
He declareth this Doctrine by his own experience, how Gods wrath never left pursuing of him, til he came to make use of this doctrine, acknowledging his sin, and fleeing to the benefit of remission of sin, for the blood of the Messiah, the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world, in the symbole of the expiatory sacrifice then daily offered for sin. Whence learn, 1. That man is fittest to speak of the Doctrine of mans sin and misery, and of Gods free grace and mercy, who hath felt the bitternesse of sin and wrath, and the sweetnesse of Gods grace by experience of Gods pardon; therefore is this Doctrine recommended to the Church by David, who had felt both. 2. A justified man who knoweth the Doctrine of Justification by faith in Christ, possibly, yea readily may forget to make use of this precious truth, when he hath most need of it, being under guiltinesse, and the pressure also of Gods fatherly wrath for it; for David for a while being in this condition, was silent, and came not off at first to seek relief the right way: for he kept silence, and did not come to the acknowledgement of his sin, but was taken up only with the sense of the Rod. 3. When the Lord is about to make his child sensible of his sins, and of the necessity of a free remission of them, through the Mediatour, he can awake the conscience of sin, by the sense of sad affliction, and can encrease the heat of the furnace, and make his child roar for sorrow and paine, and thereby weaken his natural strength, and waste his spirits and his flesh, and his bones, and drive him to deaths door, til he make use of the Doctrine of Justification, or remission of sin by faith in God the Redeemer; This was Davids case, when he kept silence, his bones waxed old. Gods hand was heavie upon him night and day, and the sap of his body was dried up as a piece of moist earth is dried in the drought of Summer.
Ver. 5. I acknowledged my sinne unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid: I said, I wil confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
At last the Lord led him to the right remedy, pointed out the way unto him of humiliation, and confession of sin, and seeking of mercy, as it is prescribed in the Word, and so he was relieved. Whence learn. 1. Before the Lord let his child go from under the Rod, after he hath given him an essay of himselfe, and of his own way how unprofitable it is, he will bring him about to the right way of relief, as here we see. 2. The only way to quiet the conscience, to pacifie wrath, and remove judgment, is ingenuously to confesse sin, and to aggravate it sincerely (laying aside extenuations, excuses, and subterfuges, for justifying of Gods dealing with us, and for humiliation of our own selves before him,) and to flie to Gods mercy, laying out all before him; as before a gracious God, who doth pursue controversies with his own, only to th'intent, that they may make peace with him in the Mediatour, and so be reconciled. So did David, He acknowledged his sin, and that unto God, he hid not … iniquity. 3. Reconciliation with God, and renewing our peace is ready at hand, when we take the right way (as is said) to be delivered, for so sonne as David resolved opon this course, and said, he would confesse, it followeth, Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
Ver. 6. For this shal every one that is godly pray unto thee, in a time when thou maiest be found: surely in the floods of great waters, they shal not come nigh unto him
The first use of this Doctrine and of Davids experience, is to teach others how to behave themselves in their trouble. Whence learn, 1. The Doctrine of Justification by gracious forgiving iniquity, is the ground of all the godlies approaches to God, and right worshipping of him; for to shew the use of this Doctrine, thus tried by experience, he saith, Every godly one shall pray unto thee. 2. There is a time when God may be found, to wit, so long as God is offering grace, and sparing extremity of wrath, which time men ought to lay hold on, not knowing how short while it may last: They shal pray in a time when thou mayest be found. 3. It is possible, that a godly man may be in the middest of the waters of sore troubles, and yet these troubles not come near unto him, because God can furnish the man an Ark in Christ, whereby he shal swim above the deluge: and when God keepeth off trouble, that is proveth not hurtful, (much more when he: maketh trouble a means of spiritual good to a man, and giveth the man true peace and contentment in himself) it is verified what is promised here, Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come near him.
Ver. 7. Thou art my hiding place, thou shalt preserve me from trouble: thou shalt compasse me about with songs of deliverance
From the second use wherein David confirmeth his own faith for time to come, Learne, 1. Experience of Gods mercies by gone should fasten resolution, to make use of faith hereafter in all troubles, as here. 2. The godly after one trouble, should prepare for another, after one delivery expect another, as here. 3. What God hath proved himself to be to us before, we may promise, he shal be the same to us in effect hereafter, because he is that by Covenant and promise to us, what in practice we have found him to he; for David reasoneth thus, Thou art mine hiding place, thou shalt preserve me from trouble; that is, I shal have no dammage by trouble, as is said. 4. A justified soul resolving to make use of God in every condition that can come unto him, according to the Covenant, may promise to himself a comfortable out-gate of all his troubles, and matter of praise and joy from God on all hands, yea, he may confidently say with David, Thou shalt compasse me about with joyfull deliverance.
Ver. 8. I will instruct thee, and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I wil guide thee with mine eye.
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule which have no understanding: whose mouth mu…t be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come n…er unto thee.
From the third use of teaching others to be wise, by his example, Learn, 1. The right use of experience is to edifie others as our calling requireth; when we are converted, we should strengthen our brethren; for this David doth, I wil instruct thee, &c. 2. When we have heard how others have been afflicted, we should be wiser, and take instruction by their example, that we strive not with God, but submit our selves under his hand, acknowledge our sins, and seek mercy of him: Be not as the horse or the mule. 3. Whosoever wil not submit unto God, and seek unto his favour, shal find themselves so much the more hardly dealt with, as horses and mules are bound in with bit and bridle.
Ver 10 Many sorrows shal be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shal compasse him about.
From the fourth use of maintaining a course of adhering to God in all conditions, because it shal be better with the believer, then with the wicked; Learne, 1. There is no advantage to be had by repining against God, only the multiplication of sorrows shal follow thereupon, sin upon sin, wrath upon wrath, judgement upon judgement; and after temporal evils, everlasting shal follow, for many sorrowes shall be to the wicked. 2. Not repining against God, taking with our chastisements, acknowledging of our sins in our affliction; seeking in to Gods mercy, and leaning unto him, putteth difference between the wicked and the godly; for here the believer is set in opposition to the wicked, and to the man that is like a horse or mule; for he is called the man that trusteth in the Lord. 3. Whatsoever tentation, trouble, or opposition shal make assault against the believer; mercy shal make the defence; and shal give the deliverance on all hands, for mercy shall compasse him about.
Ver. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoyce, yee righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
From the last use of making God our joy and delight; Learne, 1. Such as understand the way of Justification by grace, and have fled to God for pardon of sin, and so are justified, have great matter of rejoycing, and should make conscience to rejoyce in God: for to them it is said, Rejoyce ye righteous. 2. The justified man is no counterfeit in the matter of Religion, nor hypocrite in the matter of outward obedience to the Lords Law, He is a righteous man, he is upright in heart. 3. The matter of his joy and triumphing is the Lord himself, his grace, his good wil, his Covenant, his promise, and constant kindnesse and mercy, for it is said to them, Be glad in the Lord.