Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 4 [i.e. 5] · Psalm 119 · Stanza 9
9. CHETH.
IN this Octonary, The Contents.we have Davids Proteſtation, that God is his portion, and his Reſolution upon it, Davids choice of God for his portion.to keep Gods Law; to which, becauſe he was unable of himſelf, he, 2. Prayes for grace. 3. Which being granted, he makes a profeſſion of his Duty, and of a holy life, ſhewing in what it doth conſiſt. 4. And concludes with a prayer.
1. Ver. 1 Thou art my portion, O Lord. Let other men chooſe as they pleaſe, make choice of honours, riches, &c. Here abrenuncio, I renounce them all in compariſon of thee; Thou art my portion, my inheritance; Thou ſufficient for me, I require no more.
2. Vows himſelf his ſervant.And upon it I reſolve: Dixi, ſtatui, decrevi; I have ſaid, reſolved, Ver. 2 decreed to be an obedient ſervant: I have ſaid I would keep thy words.And prayes God to enable him.
3. But, O Lord, Thou knoweſt how unable I am to do this without thy grace and help, therefore I intreated thy favour with my whole heart; and I yet intreat it, Be merciful to me according to thy Word.
Three helps there are of a godly life; Determination, Supplication, Conſideration; and here we meet with all three.
1. Determination; this makes a man begin well: This in the firſt verſe, Dixi, I have ſaid.
2. Supplication; this makes a man to continue well: This in the ſecond verſe, I intreated.
3. Conſideration; this makes a man when he goes wrong, to come to the way again, which is expreſſed in the third verſe; for David goes on.
4. Ver. 3 I have thought on my wayes, and turned my feet unto thy Teſtimonies: 'Tis not ſufficient to pray to God, And is ready to co-operate with grace.except we co-operate with his grace, which co-operation lies in two things; in Averſion from evil, and Converſion to good, without which we can never be ſanctified perſons, which David here aims at; both he did.
1. Take into conſideration his wayes; 1In Averſion from evil.he ſought not ſo much into other mens lives, as into his own; and examined his actions, whether they were conformable to the Law of God or no; and where he found them irregular, left them out of queſtion.
2. But he ſtayed not there; 2Converſion to good, which he declares.for he conformed his life to the Law and Will of God, which was the only right way: I turned my feet unto thy Teſtimonies.
5. And this his care of Sanctification, is declared many wayes. Ver. 4
1. By his readineſs and zeal in it, he delayed not: I made haſte, 1By his zeal.and delayed not to keep thy Commandments.
2. By his magnanimity and conſtancy, notwithſtanding all oppoſition: 2Conſtancy.The bands of the wicked have robbed me, and plunder'd me for keeping thy Law; but for all that, I have not forgotten thy Law.
3. By his fervour about it; he would omit no time to perform his duty, 3Fervour.no not the night; he would abate rather of his reſt and ſleep, than be defective in this neceſſary. At midnight will I riſe to give thanks unto thee, becauſe of thy righteous judgments. He would obſerve his Vigils, and his nights Pſalmody.
4. And he would have a care of his company. Qui cum claudo habitat, 4His companyclaudicare diſcet: And therefore avoiding the ſociety of lewd men, I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.
6. And laſtly, he concludes with an Acclamation and Petition.
1. The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercies: Not a Creature, Ver. 8 but is partaker of thy goodneſs one way or other; Concludes with a prayer for mercy and inſtruction.let me then have my ſhare in it, and in this eſpecially, that I may know and obey thy Will; for,
2. Teach me thy ſtatutes. I account it the greateſt miſery not to know thy Law, let thy mercy remove this miſery from me; for this is that one thing I deſire, of this I am ambitious, becauſe I account thee my portion.
The Prayer.
O Lord, whereas the men of this World, chooſe their parts and inheritances in, and of the earth, I deſpiſing theſe tranſitory good things, Ver. 1 have made choice of thée for my portion, whom I alone deſire, and in whom I know all good things are repoſed; and in order to the poſſeſſing of thée, I have ſaid, I have decréed, and am fully reſolv'd, that I would keep thy words: But, O merciful God, I know, that without thy gracious aſſiſtance, Ver. 2 all my reſolutions will be fruſtrate, therefore I intreat thy favour with my whole heart, be merciful unto me according to thy Word, in which thou haſt promiſed to be preſent with thoſe who ſtudy to pleaſe thée, and call upon thée.
Give me grace, O Lord, ſeriouſly to think upon, and conſider all my wayes, Ver. 3 and to co-operate with thy grace; and by a diligent examination, where I find them irregular, and no way conſonant to thy Will, to conform them to thy Word, and to turn my feet unto thy Teſtimonies; yea, and to do this chearfully, without murmuring; and readily, without delaying; Ver. 4 being neither deterred by the difficulty of the work, nor yet affrighted through fear of thoſe who perſecute juſt men, and juſt works: Ver. 5 Though the bands of wicked men ſhall rob and plunder me for continuing in that which is good, yet let me be content to leave all, and follow thée; never ſuffer either dangers or loſſes ſo far to prevail over me, that I forget thy Law.
To this make me obedient in the day, to this in the night-ſeaſon, Ver. 6 and to ſpare ſome houres from my ſtéep, and meditate, and give thanks to thée duplicate page duplicate page for thy righteous judgments, being fully perſwaded, that thou doſt moderate all things with a juſt hand, and art a juſt Iudge, even in thoſe things which I ſuffer.
Lord, Ver. 7 forſaking the conſpiracies and ſocieties of rebellious men, I deſire to be a Companion of thoſe that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. Thou art a merciful God, Ver. 8 and the earth is full of thy mercy, I humbly then beg of thée this mercy, that by thy Spirit, Thou wouldſt teach me thy ſtatutes; that in all things I may know what I am to do, and by the power and perſwaſion of the ſame Spirit, I may be ready to do it, to the honour of thy holy Name, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord. Amen.