Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 35
PSAL. XXXV. Is foreign.
THE parts of it are,
1. A prayer for defence againſt his enemies. In which he prayes, firſt for protection, verſ. 1, 2, 3, 17, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25. Then imprecates evil to fall on them, verſ. 4, 5, 6, 8, & 26.
2. A bitter complaint againſt the malice of his enemies, which he pours out into the ears of God, as motives to plead his cauſe, verſ. 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21.
3. A propoſal of his truſt and confidence in God for help and deliverance, his joy in it, verſ. 9, 10. His thanks for it, verſ. 18, 28. and a motive to others to do the like, verſ. 27.
1. The firſt part. He prayes God. to be his Advocate.In the Courts of men and Princes innocents are often oppreſſed by falſe accuſations and calumnies, perſecuted, and over-borne by power. He then,
Firſt, Prayes to God to be his Advocate, his Patron and Protector.
1. Litiga: Plead my cauſe, O Lord, with them that ſerive with me. Vers. 1
2. Fight againſt them that fight againſt me. Take hold of the ſhield and buckler, and ſtand up for my help. Dram out alſo the ſpear, and ſtop the way againſt them that perſecute me.
3. Say unto my ſoul. Aſsure me, I am thy ſalvation.2He imprecates againſt his enemies.
Secondly, He falls to an Imprecation againſt his enemies.
1. Let them be confounded and put to ſhame, &c. verſ. 4.
2. Let them be as chaff before the wind, &c. verſ. 5. Vers. 4
3. Let their way be dark and ſlippery, &c. verſ. 6.
4. Let deſtruction come upon him at unawares, verſ. 8.
And here he interſerts ſome reaſons of his Petition and Imprecation.
1. From the juſtice of his cauſe, and their unjuſtice: 3The reaſons of both.Without cauſe they have hid a net, &c. verſ. 7. Vers. 7
2. Vers. 9 From his gratitude, that being deliver'd he would be thankful: And my ſoul ſhall be joyful in the Lord, &c. verſ. 9, 10.
3. From his enemies dealing with him, from verſ. 11. to 17.
And ſo enters upon his Complaint, The ſecond part. His complaint of his enemies.which is the ſecond part of the Pſalm, and upon this he ſtayes long. And he layes to their charge,
1. Perfidiouſneſs and extream malice, and perjury: Falſe witneſſes did riſe up, Vers. 11 they laid to my charge things that I know not.
2. Vers. 12 Ingratitude: They rewarded me evil for good: Good he did to them, he, when they were, faſted, and pray'd for them: But they were cruel to him.
3. foreign. In my adverſity they rejoiced, &c.
4. Mocking, jeſting, jeering: The abjects gather'd themſelves againſt me, they rent me, and ceaſed not, with hypocritical mockers in feaſts, they gnaſhed upon me with their teeth.
5. And then prayes again to be delivered from them.And a Conſpiracy in all, to verſ. 20, 21.
Then he returns to his Prayer again, and expoſtulates his cauſe with God, wondering that he ſhould be ſo patient: Lord, how long wilt thou look on? reſoue my ſoul from their destruction, and my Darling from the lions. And to move God the ſooner to do it, he repeats his former reaſon, verſ. 9. engaging himſelf to be thankful, Vowing thanksI will give thee thanks in the great Congregation, I will praiſe thee among much people.
And yet ſo he gives not over, He continues his prayer.but continues his ſuit even unto the end of the Pſalm, ſometimes praying, ſometimes imprecating.
1. He deprecates, Let not them which are mine enemies, wrongfully rejoice over me, 1Deprecating.neither let them in ſcorn wink with their eyes at me, without a cauſe. And that God be the readier to hear him, and ſtay this their joy and triumph, he ſubnects this reaſon; For they ſpeak not peace, but they deviſe deceitful matters againſt them that are quiet in the land. Again, they are impudent, lying people: Yea, they opened their mouth wide againſt me, and ſaid, Aha, aha, our eye hath ſeen it.
This is a Truth, this not hid from thee. This thou haſt ſeen, and from them to thee I turn my eyes, 2And praying God to protect him.and thus make again my prayer.
1. Keep not still ſilence. Neglect not alwayes my cauſe, or grant them impunity.
2. Stir up thy ſelf, and awake to my judgement, even unto my cauſe, my God, and my Lord: defend me, and puniſh their impudence.
3. Judge me according to thy righteouſneſs: which ſuffers not the juſt to be oppreſſed alway.
4. Let them not rejoice over me. And in me over the Truth, and a juſt cauſe.
5. Let them not ſay in their hearts, So would we have it; let them not ſay, We have ſwallowed him up.
6. But rather, let that befall them, which I have before pray'd for, Let them be aſhamed, 3And bring them to ſhame.and brought to confuſion, that rejoice at my hurt, let them be cloathed with ſhame and diſhonour, that magnifie themſelves againſt me.
The concluſion is drawn from the conſequent of Davids prayer, The third part. He moves the Church to give thanks.if heard, then he, and the whole Church, all good men would rejoice with him.
1. To them he firſt turns his ſpeech, Let them ſhout for joy that favour my righteous dealing; yea, let them ſay continually, The Lord be magnified which hath pleaſure in the proſperity of his ſervant.
2. Which he would be ready to do.Then he profeſſeth for his own particular as he had done before, verſ. 9, 10. & 18. My tongue ſhall ſpeak of thy righteouſneſs, and of thy praiſe all the day long.
The Prayer collected out of the thirty fifth Pſalm.
O Lord, thou ſéeſt with how many enemies I am beſet, and how maliciouſly they are bent againſt me, they ſet their ſnares, and hide their nets as in a déep pit, that I may unawares fall into the miſchief that they imagined. And that their injuſtice and ingratitude may the ſooner move thée to have pity on me: Behold, they have ſuborn'd againſt me falſe witneſſes, who laid to my charge things of which I was no way conſcious. When they were afflicted, I humbled my ſoul with faſting; when they were in trouble, I poured out my prayer for them, I behaved my ſelf, as though they had been my friend or my brother; I went heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother. But they have rewarded me evil for good, to the great diſcomfort of my ſoul. Their words are not the words of peace, but they deviſe deceitful matters againſt thoſe that are quiet in the Land. Even they who had nothing but ſwéet words of peace in their mouths, took their opportunity to open their mouths wide againſt me, to inſult and boaſt, Ah, ah, we have now ſeen what we deſired with our eyes. Thus have they rejoiced in my adverſity, and gather'd themſelves together for my ruine; yea, the very abjects gathered themſelves together, who did dayly tear my good name, and never gave over. In their feaſts I was their mirth, and the drunkards and ſcurrilous perſons made their Songs of me. Yea, ſo much they were enraged againſt me, that for very anger and indignation they gnaſhed on me with their teeth, being ready and very deſirous to devour me.
Lord, how long wilt thou look upon this? how long wilt thou leave me in the hands of theſe ungrateful and cruel men? Vp, Lord, reſcue my ſoul at laſt from deſtructions, and my darling from theſe lions.
O thou the Lord of the whole world, although thou hitherto ſeemeſt not to ſee what I have unworthtly ſuffered, yet I know thou haſt ſeen it, becauſe thou ſeeſt all things: Keep not then ſtill ſilence in my cauſe, but thou, who haſt been alwayes preſent with me, and ſhewed me thy favour, withdraw not now thy help, and be not farre from me. Thou, who to my prevalent enemies, haſt ſeemed to ſleep, now rouſe up thy ſelf, awake, and ſhew, that my judgement and cauſe is dear unto thee, O Lord my God, to whom I have alwayes committed my ſelf, and on whom I do wholly depend. Plead thou my cauſe, O Lord, with them that ſtrive with me. Do me juſtice according to thy righteouſneſs, and ſuffer not mine enemies to have their deſire, and to rejoice over me. Never let them ſay in their hearts, 'Tis well, So would we have it, neither let them have occaſion to boaſt, We have ſwallowed him up. Wrongfully they purſue me, without a cauſe they hate me, let them not then exſult at my ruine, nor in ſcorn wink at me with their envious and bloody eyes.
That this happen not, fight thou againſt them that fight againſt me, lay hold on the ſhield and buckler, and ſtand up for my help. Draw out alſo the ſpear, and ſtop the way againſt them that perſecute me, and aſſure my ſoul, that thou wilt be my ſalvation.
Let them be aſhamed and confounded that ſeek after my ſoul, let them be turned back, and brought to confuſion, that deviſe my hurt. And as the lighteſt chaff is blown hither and thither by the wind: ſo let them (the Angel of the Lord ſcattering them) be carried up and down by the paſſions and impulſes of their own luſts, and knowing not what counſels to follow, be driven headlong from one evil to another, till they come into ſuch dark and ſlippery ways, that they know not what to refuſe, and what to chooſe, and ſo at laſt be taken and fall by the darkneſs and lubricity of their own counſels and imaginations. In which let deſtruction come upon them unawares, and let the net, that they hid privily, catch themſelves, into that very deſtruction let them fall. Let them be aſhamed, and brought to confuſion together, that take pleaſure at my hurt, and let them be cloathed with ſhame and diſhonour, that magnifie themſelves againſt me.
So ſhall my ſoul be joyful in thee, O Lord, it ſhall rejoyce in thy ſalvation: I will not be unthankful, nor ſtupid upon the ſenſe of thy mercy; my heart ſhall exult, and all my bones, ſinews, ſtrength ſhall join in thy praiſe, and ſay, O Lord, Who is like unto thée, in goodneſs, power, mercy and juſtice? Who I ſay, is like unto thée, who by thy immenſe power and goodneſs, delivereſt the poor man who is deſtitute of all help, from the violent hands of thoſe who are too ſtrong for him, the indigent and afflicted from him that ſpoileth him.
As for me, I will give thee thanks in the great Congregation, I will praiſe thee among much people, and my tongue ſhall ſpeak of thy righteouſneſs, and of thy praiſe all the day long.
O Lord, be merciful to thy poor afflicted and perſecuted Church, and in thy good time deliver thy people from the hand of the Oppreſſor: Let them ſhout and be glad, that favour, and ſtand up in the defence of a righteous cauſe; yea, let them ſay continually, let the Lord be magnified, who hath pleaſure in the proſperity of his ſervants. Amen.