A Brief Explication of the Other Fifty Psalms, Psalm 88
PSAL. LXXXVIII. A Song or Psalme for the sonnes of Korah. To the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.
THis Heman the Ezrahite, was one of those foure wisest men in all Israel, next after Solomon, who is preferred above them all, 1 Kings 4. 31. The exercise of this wise and holy man is set down here under the heaviest condition of a wounded spirit, of any that we read of; wherein first, he prayeth for comfort to his soul, now afflicted under the sense of sad wrath and long desertion, ver. 1, 2. In the second place, he poureth out his soul to God, and layeth before him a most pitiful lamentation of his distressed condition, ver. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. In the third place, he wrestleth by faith in his prayer to God for comfort, ver. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. And lastly, finding no comfort, he reneweth his lamentation, leaveth his prayer before the Lord, and writeth it for the edification of the Church in all time coming, as the matter of a joyful Song.
From the Inscription; Learn, 1. David was not the only man acquainted with sad exercise and affliction of spirit, for here is another, to wit, Heman the Ezrahite, as deep in trouble of spirit, as he or any other beside. 2. They are not all men of …eak mindes and shallow wits, who are acquainted with trouble of spirit, and borne down with the sense of Gods wrath; for here is Heman, one amongst the wisest in all Israel, and inferiour to none for wisdom, except to Solomon alone, under the heaviest exercise we can imagine possible for a Saint. 3. When it pleaseth God to exercise a man of parts, of great gifts and graces, he can make his burden proportionable to his strength, and give him as much to do with the difficulties he puts him to, as a weaker man shall finde in his exercise, as appeareth in the experience of Heman. 4 Wise men in their trouble must take the same course with the simpler sort of men, that is, they must run to God as others do, and seek relief only in his grace, who as …e distributeth the measures of trouble, can also give comfort, …se and deliverance from them, as the practice of Heman doth …h us. 5. What trouble of a wounded spirit some of Gods children have felt in former times, others dear to God may finde the like in after ages, and all men ought to prepare for the like, and should not think the exercise strange when it cometh, but must comfort themselves in this, that other Saints, whose names are recorded in Scripture, have been under like affliction; for the Psalm is appointed to give instruction; it is Maschil of Heman. 6. What is at one time matter of mourning to one of Gods children, may become matter of joy and singing afterward, both to himself and to others, as this sad anguish of spirit in Heman is made a song of joy, unto Gods glory and the comfort of all afflicted souls, labouring under the sense of sin and felt wrath of God to the worlds end; It is a Song, a Psalm for the sons of Korah. 7. Such as are most heavily afflicted in spirit, and do flee to God for reconciliation and consolation through Christ, have no reason to suspect themselves, that they are not esteemed of and loved as dear children, because they feele so much of Gods wrath: For here is a Saint who hath drunken of that Cup, (as deep as any, who shall read this Psalm here is one so much loved and honoured of God, as to be a Pen-man of holy Scripture, and a patern of faith and patience unto others; even Heman the Ezrahite.
Ver. 1. O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee.
2. Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine eare unto my cry.
In the first place, he fasteneth his faith and resolution to pray constantly to God, till he receive answer, and requesteth for comfort now at last. Whence learn, 1. Whosoever have fled to God for grace, and have received the offer of reconciliation made to the Church in the Messiah, are entered in Covenant with God for their everlasting salvation, and ought to stand fast in the holding of this Covenant, whatsoever hard condition they may fall into, as Heman doth here, saying to God, O Lord God of my salvation. 2. When'a soul hath received the offer of grace made to the Church, in the common tender of the Covenant of grace, he is entered into Covenant with God so particularly, as if the Indenture were past between God and that soul by name, so that the beleever may reade his own name in Gods everlasting stiles and titles, and may reade in himself the mark of Gods interest unto him, and the mark of his interest in God for evermore; for, O God of my salvation, importeth no lesse. 3. When a beleever hath laid hold on eternal life, he may by the same right ask and expect comfort in, and deliverance out of every trouble, as an Appendix of the great salvation, which is coming unto him, as here Heman doth. 4 God can love a man, and keep him in faith and exercise of prayer a long time, without a comfortable answer, and all in love, wise love: I have cried day and night before thee, saith Heman, and the answer is not come yet. 5. There is a difference of the lamentation of the worldly man, and of the beleever: The worldly man sighes and cries, and he knows not to whom, but the godly do present themselves in their lamentations to God; I have cried day and night before thee; as his d…lour did cleave unto him, or was renewed upon him, so he had his recourse to God at all times. 6. Albeit our prayer being presented before God, do seem to us …ot to have been admitted, yet must our bill lie still, and be put up to God again and again, till it be received to our sense and knowledge; Let my prayer come before thee 7. The beleevd may be sure to have a good answer at length, but he must be instant, and deal still with God for it, and presse it hard, and patiently wait for it, as Heman here doth; Incline thine eare unto my cry.
Ver. 3. For my soule is full of troubles, and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
In the second place, he layeth out his trouble before God in nine degrees thereof each of them superadding something to the former: under which he is not only wonderfully upheld, but also he maketh use of this lamentation and long catalogue of miseries, as a ground of his hope, to have a gracious answer at last, which came to passe, as the turning of this lamentation into a Song, to the comfort of others in the Church, that should feel the like in any measure thereafter, doth shew; for his condition, he setteth it down under the name of trouble, soul-trouble: more troubles then one or two: and the first degree thereof is, that his soul is ful… of troubles, replenished so as it can hold no more. Whence …. …. Albeit we h…d nothing to bring before God but our grief and miserie, we want not matter of confidence to finde favour from our pitiful God, as this example teacheth us; Incline thine eare, for my soul is full of trouble…. 2. If the godly should sm…ther their grief, and not go to God with it, then sorrow were able to ch…ke them; but this is no small ease to them that they have God to go unto, to whom they may freely vent their minde, as here we see. 3. Soul troubles are the most pressing troubles, and with those readily will the Lord exercise his children, when he mindeth to trie their faith, making their spirits to smart with trouble after trouble, with a number of troubles, which they are neither able to reckon nor to beare; My soul is full of troubles. 4. The dolours of the minde are able to waste away the body, which cannot but shrink and pine away when the soul is sick with anguish; My life draweth near to the grave, saith he; and this is the second degree of his trouble.
Ver. 4. I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength.
The third degree of his trouble is, that in the judgement of them who knew his condition, and possibly lamented i…, he was counted a lost man: yea and he himself did finde no strength to beare out, or to recover himself. Whence learn, 1. It is no small tentation and vexation of spirit to the godly beleever, to be in the judgement of beholders a lost man, because of the seeming desperate condition of his soul, and yet it may befall a dear childe of God; I am counted with them that go down in the pit. 2. Albeit God hath by grace severed death from hell unto the believer, yet the connexion of these two, if justice were not satisfied in the Redeemer, should never be forgotten, as the Scriptures giving the same name to death, grave and hell, may teach us; I am counted with them that go down to the pit, or grave, or hell. 3. Whatsoever strength of soul or body a man hath in his possession, shall be soon emptied when God putteth him in distresse, except new furniture be supplied unto him, and that no losse then unto the weakest; I am as a man that hath no strength.
Ver. 5. Free among the dead, like the slaine that lie in the grave, whom thou remembrest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
The fourth degree of his trouble is, that he is like the Leper in the law, shut out from the living, and put among the dead, and no more fit for any duty of the living; which teacheth us, that the beleever in God may at some time be so burdened with trouble of spirit, as he can neither think, nor speak, nor go about any duty of the living for a time; I am, or I am counted (saith he,) as one free among the dead, or shut out, and separate among the dead.
The fifth degree of his trouble, he is a man whose life is violently pluckt from him; who gets not liberty to die at leasure or in peace, but is thrust out of the world suddenly with a deadly wound; and such may the condition of a soul dear to God, seem to it self to be: I am like the slaine that lie in the grave.
The sixth degree of his trouble is, he seemeth to be deprived of the comfortable vicissitude of the common benefits of life, and of those changes which ordinarily Gods visitations do make, as if he were left under the power of death, there to lie without a change of that condition for ever: and such may the case of a beloved Saint seem to be, both to himself and to others; I am as one in grave, whom thou remembrest no more; yea, the beleever at a time may lose the sight of everlasting promises, and seem to himself to be rejected of God; I am as they that are cut off from thy hand.
Ver. 6. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit: in darknesse, in the deepes.
The seventh degree of his trouble: he seemeth as a man already condemned and possessed of the torment of hell, in the extricable misery of the damned, deprived of all light of consolation, in the gulfe of desparation, wherein a man cannot finde ground, nor deliverance from it. Whence learn, 1 That this also may be the case of a beleever in his own sense; Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit: in darknesse, in the deepes. 2. Whatsoever trouble we are in, or how great danger soever we seem to our selves to be in; it is the beleevers wisdom still to look to God, as our party with whom we have to do, and to lay it forth before him: for albeit this may augment grief and fear on the one hand, yet it prepareth way for the remedy, and keepeth the beleever in termes with God on the other hand, as this example doth teach us; Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit: in darknesse, in the depths.
Ver. 7. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
The eighth degree of his trouble is, the felt wrath of God pursuing him, overtaking him, lying heavie upon him, tossing him with new affrightments and assaults, as the waves of the sea do, when they come one after another, and do beat with endlesse dashing upon what they finde in their way; and such may be the case of a beloved soul in its own sense, which when we consider, we may say, How gentle is the ordinary exercise of weak beleevers, when this exercise is looked upon? Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves.
Ver. 8. Thou hast put away mine acquaintance farre from me: thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and cannot come forth.
The ninth degree of his trouble is, that beside all the burden of the foresaid vexation, the Lord deprived him of all comfort, and did not bestow upon him so much as any consolation from his friends, or from the fellowship of the godly wise; but by Gods providence they did leave him as a man desperate, yea as a man whose condition they were afraid to look upon; yea they abhorred his case and forsook him: and he being thus in appearance shut out from heaven, and followed with wrath from God, was not onelyonly left comfortlesse among men, but also was looked upon by his friends as a damned and abominable reprobate; dealt with as a man shut up for the plague of pestilence, so that he kept his chamber and could not come abroad to look any man in the face: and this also may be the case of a soul precious in Gods eyes, beloved and accepted of him in the very mean time of all this hard exercise: Thou hast put aw…y my acquaintan…e farre from me, tho…ast m…de me an abomination to them: I am shut up, and cannot come forth.
Ver. 9. Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction, LORD, I have called daily upon thee: I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
In the third place, he wrestleth by prayer with God for comfort, using for this end four reasons to st…engthen his faith, and hope to be comforted. The first is, from the conscience of his earnest seeking his comfort and …elief from this his trouble onelyonly in God. Whence learne, 1. G…dlinesse doth not make men senselesse of griefe, nor doth it hinder te…re, or mourning, or any other effects of sorrow to be seen in thei… body; Mine eye mourneth because of affliction. 2. Sorrow should neither hind… the godly to seek God, nor move them to seek their consol… elsewhere: Lord, I have called daily upon thee. 3. It is possible that a go…ly man may be instant daily with God, praying with teares for comfort, and yet not obtain for a long time, as this example doth …each. 4. As in serious prayer, specially in secret, the affections of the heart do utter themselves in the answerable gestures of the body, as well as in the voice and words of the mouth: so those gestures have their own speech unto God, no lesse then the words o… the mouth have; as here, I have stretched out my hands unto thee, is brought forth to expresse his submissive rende…ing up of himself unto God, and his dependance upon him.
Ver. 10. Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the deadrise and praise thee? Selah.
11. Shall thy loving kindnesse be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulnesse in destruction?
12. Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousnesse in the land of forgetfulnesse?
The second reason is because if God do not shortly answer him, (as he thinks) he cannot choose but die, and then it wil… not be time to give an answer to his prayer, for the edification of others, and glorifying of his Name among men in this world, by relieving of a poor supplicant, such as he was, except he would raise him up again after he is dead extraordinarily and miraculously, which he cannot look for, and therefore he hopeth and prayeth to be comforted in time; wherein he puts it out of question, that he cannot but die quickly, if the Lord comfort him not shortly. Here he speaketh his own sense, and hasteth a little to be comforted, and doth somewhat indirectly set a time to the Lords manifesting of himselfe, and sheweth some humane infirmity, yet such as the Lord useth not to quarrel for with his children in their lamentations, mean time in this he sheweth himselfe a noble wrestler; First, that he assureth himselfe God would not faile so comfort him before he died; and again that the Lord would rather miraculously raise him from the dead, then not glorify himselfe in his deliverance: and in this also he taketh a safe course to seek for what he might expect, rat…er in an ordinary way, then to look for miracles. Whence learn, 1. When the Lord delayeth to comfort a believing supplicant, he doth call him to wrestle in prayer, and to exercise his faith so much the more, as here we finde this Saint to do, expounding Gods dispensation, and bending his sp…rit in his supplication to w…estle for comfort, as those often interrogations do make evident. 2 When faith is fixed upon the Covenant, and p…omises and power, and goodnesse of God; it will expect miracles, rather then sea breach of Gods Promise: as, wilt thou shew wonde…s to the dead? doth import. 3. A t…ue believer should love to be comfored, yea and to live in the wo…ld, not so mu…h for his own satisfaction, as …hat he may glorify God in his life: as, shall the dead rise and praise thee? doth import. 4. It will not content a believer to have the use of any benefit unto himselfe alone, but resolveth to make it forthcoming, as to the glory of God; so also to the edification of others: and therefore loveth to have the benefit which he seeketh, mainly for that end; as, Shall thy loving kindnesse be declared in the grave? doth import. 5. The onelyonly time to glorify God, so as others may be edified, is this present life; after death a man may praise God in heaven, but shall not instruct any ignorant person there by his example or counsel; as, Shall thy faithfulnesse be declared in destruction? doth import: and that which followeth also sheweth the same; Shall thy wonders be known in the dark, and thy righteousnesse in the land of forgetfulnesse? 6. There is no commerce between the living and the dead, the dead do not know what men are doing on the earth, for death is the land of forgetfulnesse, wherein the living and dead so part and go asunder, as those do who forget one another. 7. A soul acquainted with God, hath no will to die, till the sense of wrath be removed; and the feeling of the sense of reconciliation be granted, as this example doth shew; and no wonder in this; for it is a fearful thing to have the terror both of temporal and eternal death to set on at once.
Ver. 13. But unto thee have I cried, O LORD: and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
The third reason of his hope to have his request granted is, from his resolution never to give over praying, but as he had done before, so to continue still in his supplication. Whence learn, 1. Instancy in prayer, and resolution never to give over, as it argueth solid and strong faith: so doth it give good ground of hope to be heard, as in this example of the Prophet may be see… 2. Albeit we do not finde an answer to our warrantable prayers so soon as we would, yet we must not conclude that our by-past prayer hath been amisse, but rather must avow our by-past exercise, and resolve to continue as the Psalmist doth here: But unto thee have I cried, O Lord, and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
Ver. 14. LORD, why castest thou off my soule? why hidest thou thy face from me?
The fourth reason is, from the impossibility of his being a castaway, albeit it seemed so or that God should alwayes hide his face from him, albeit it seemed so, as his asking Why, in the reasoning of faith against sense and outward appearance, doth shew to be his meaning, especially if these words be compared with the …ceding ver. Whence learne, 1. As the faith of Gods dear children …y be assaulted with suggestions moving them to suspect their …ection from God; so is it the nature of faith, and the duty of …ievers to reject those thoughts, to lay them out before God, …d to dispute against them; Lord, why castest thou off my soul? …. When God doth hide the sensible signes of his favour toward …s, we are allowed to deal with God to remove the vaile; Why hidest thou thy face from me? 3. A glimpse of Gods face, or of his sensible manifested love may mitigate the sorest trouble of … s…d soule, and satisfy the afflicted, as the Petition involved in this speech, Why hidest thou thy face from me? doth import: for if he could have found any glimpse of favour, he would not have so complained.
Ver. 15. I am afflicted and ready to die, from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
In the last part of the Psalm, the Prophet finding no conselation, returneth to his lamentation, by which he made way to his wrestling in prayer, from ver. 3. to the 9. and layeth down his misery at the Lords feet, as the object of the bowels of his pity: in which misery he is perswaded, that he could not but finde the effects of the Lords compassion in due time. The parts of the lamentation are three. The first is, for the long continuance of his sad exercise, even from his youth up, wherein he sheweth first, that he was afflicted, that is, put to great strait… by calamities. Secondly, that he was ready to die, as a man overset and able to bear no more. Thirdly, that he was as much vexed with what he feared to come, as he was troubled with what he felt; He suffered the terrors of the Lord. Fourthly, that he was exercised frequently, and of a long time this way; From his youth …p. Fifthly, that by the hard exercise, and returning terrors of God upon him, he was so rent and perplexed, that oft-times he could not; make use of his natural reason; as he did reckon. Whence learn, 1. When we have assayed all meanes for having comfort of God, it is safest for us to lay our griefe before God, till he be pleased to shew pity: The childe of God hath no oratory but mourning to his Father, as here we see. 2. A grieved minde can reckon all its afflictions, and call to remembrance those troubles that are long since past, as here we see. 3. It is an ordinary doctrine, but hardly believed, when it cometh to application, that God loveth them whom he chastiseth, as the Proph… … mentation and wrestlings do teach us. 4. In a through … the Lord bringeth the soul to the b…ink of death. I am ready … die. 5. The weight of present troubles, is accompanied readily wi…h the fear of worse to come, and the fear of evill to come dot… ▪ double the weight of evill that is present; for the Lords terrors here are reckoned as his saddest sufferings. 6. Some of Gods children are more exercised in their consciences then other some, yea some soules may all their dayes be frequented with the terrors of the Lord and fears of his wrath; as this example of Heman exercised from his youth up, doth shew. 7. Sore trials may put fait… sometimes to stagger with doubting, and by perplexity put a mans reason to a stand, and make him many times like a man beside himselfe; I am distracted. 8. Albeit the godly may be p… to doubt, yet are they not driven to despaire; Albeit they be cast down, yet they are not destroyed, as he…e we see.
Ver. 16. Thy fierce wrath goeth over me: thy terrors havo cut me off.
17. They came round about me daily like water: they compassed me about together.
The second part of the lamentation, is for the feeling of the apparent effects of Gods wrath; fierce wrath, overwhelming wrath going over him, fears and terrors of more & heavier wrath coming: affrighting wrath in appearance, surrounding wrath and terror compassing about, like deep waters, from which no event can be seen. Whence learn, 1. Trouble hath its own weight, but wrath maketh it unsupportable; the wrath of a Father, when it is seen, is terrible; but fierce wrath of a Judge, when it appeareth, is unspeakable: it ove wh…lmeth, swalloweth up, and yet this may be the exercise of a childe of God; Thy fierce wrath goeth over me. 2. Albeit the exercise of a childe of God may seem to himselfe to be the very case of 2 damned reprobate, yet in the midst of it the footsteps of gr…e and evidence of faith may be seen by a beholder, as in the experience of …, who in his deepest trouble adhered to God, may be seen: For first, the sea… which set upon him, is called the terror of God, which importeth not only wrath, present wrath, but also unresistible wrath: yea and growing of Gods wrath, comi…g▪ apace upon him, for terror importeth this. 2. The terrors of God in the plural number are upon him, that is, frequent terrors, and multiplied terrors. 3. The effect of those terrors as th… seemed; they were aff…ighting terrors, which did threaten to separate his soul from God utterly, altogether, and for ever to his …ense and likelihood; they sp…ke no lesse then that he was to be sound a cast…way: Thy terrors (saith he) have cut me off. 4. L…st of all, for the manner of the assault made by those terrors upon his poor soul, they are compared to wate…s inclosing a man before he be aware, compassing him so about that he can finde no event; and like the returning of the tide, compassing him daily; yea like contrary tides one of them thrusting another, and setting upon him on all hands together; whereby the inexpressible trouble of a soul under the sense of Gods wrath is described, bu… so as none can understand it, except he, who either in lesser or greater measure hath felt i…; and all this may b…all a chil…e of light: Thy fierce wrath goeth over m…, thy terrors have cut me off, they came round about me daily like wa…er, they compassed me abo…t together.
Ver. 18. Lover and friend hast thou put farre from me: and mine acquaintance into darknesse.
The third and last part of the lamentation is repeated from ver. 8. that there was no man compassionate towerd him▪ … ▪ none to pity him, none to counsel or comfort him, none to whom he might imp…rt his minde fully for easing of him; b…t his ol… friends, and such as loved him before, did faile him and forsake him: and God m…de it manifest, that he did thrust them away from him; none were to be…r him company, but he demea…ed himselfe to sit solitary in darknesse. So then L…rn, 1. A…beit a friend be made for the day of trouble; and a…beit it would have been an ease to have had any friends company, …or means of c… fort, yet he could finde none: God withheld them all for the triall of his servant he…e: and such a heavy and comfor…lesse co…di ion may be the lot of a beloved childe; Lover and frien… h…st thou put fa…re from me, and mine acquaintance into …. 2. In that he endeth the P…alme wi…hout any comfort fo… the time, it maketh this Psalme no lesse comfortable, then any other▪ Psalme; because it sheweth that he was suppo…ted insensibly for the …ime, and had comfort given to him the …after, so much as to make this sad complaint to be turned into a song both to hims…lfe, an… …o the Church. and it teacheth, that seeing God can sustain a …, secret supporting of a mans faith, without comfortable sense; yea and that under the sadd…st …ense of wrath; therefore a believ… ▪ in G…d must lay hold on … goodnesse, Promise, a…d Covenant, and must trust still in the Lor…; a…beit he should seem to s…ay him, as the example of Heman the Ezrahite here doth teach us.