Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 10
PSAL. X. A Prayer to God to deſtroy the enemies of the Church, and the oppreſſours of his people.
THERE be three parts of this Pſalm.
1. A Complaint.
2. A Narration of his enemies malice.
3. A Petition to be deliver'd from them.The firſt part is a Complaint
1. The Complaint is contain'd in the two firſt verſes, Vers. 1 and it is double.1Of Gods abſence.
1. Of Gods abſence, which is quickned by an foreign. Vers. 2 1. Why ſtandeſt thou ſo far off, O Lord? 2. Why hideſt thou thy ſelf in times of trouble?2Of his enemies.
2. Then he complains of his enemies, Whoſe Characters are.The wicked in his pride doth perſercute the poor. Theſe he deſcribes by many Characters.
2. The firſt is Inſolency, Pride; and the effect, perſecution of good men. The ſecond part.They being gotten to dignity, places of honour, and enrich'd, Vers. 2 they become perſecutours. And they do it in Pride. 1Inſolency and perſecution.This occaſions an imprecation againſt them, Let them be taken in the devices they have imagined. They conſpire, and make Leagues to oppreſs good men, let them be taken when they leaſt think of it.
2. The ſecond Note of this wicked man, is, that he gloryeth in miſchief: 2Boaſting in wickedneſs.which is a ſign of extream malice; Vers. 3 The wicked boaſteth of his hearts deſire.
3. A third, is, that he applauds, encourageth others in their rapine, 3Encouragement of others in miſchief.plunder and ſpoil, to which they are moved by their covetouſneſs, He bleſſeth the covetous, whom God abhorreth.
4. A fourth is his Contempt of God and man: and Perſeverance in evil. Vers. 5
1. Man he contemns. His wayes proſper, all ſucceeds well with him, 4A contempthe never thinks to be call'd to an account. 1Of Man.Thy judgements are far out of his ſight, and therefore in ſcorn he ſlights and puffs at all his enemies.
2. And God he reverenceth not; Vers. 4 Through the pride of his countenance he will not ſeek after God, 2And God.neither is God in all his thoughts.
5. The fifth Note is his profane ſecurity, He ſaith in his heart, Vers. 6 I ſhall never be moved, I ſhall never be in adverſity. Exceſſere metum mea jam bona. 5Profane ſecurity.Major ſum quam cui poſſit fortuna nocere.
6. The ſixth Note is his falſhood, His mouth is full of curſing, 6Falſhood.Vers. 7 deceit and fraud; under his tongue is miſchief and vanity. Verborum faditas.He will not ſtick at an Oath, and curſe himſelf, and imprecate God to be a revenger if he perform it not, that ſo under the colour of Religion and Piety he may deceive.
7. The ſeventh is his Cruelty, ſet out in the ninth and tenth verſes, 7Cruelty and Hypocriſie. Factorū rabies.where he is compared to a Thief, an Archer, a Lyon, Vers. 8 and if force will not do it, craft ſhall, Ʋbi non valet vellis leomnia, aſſuit vulpinam, for, Vers. 9 he falleth down, croucheth and humbleth himſelf, Vers. 10 that the Congregation of the poor may fall into the hands of his Captains and ſtrong ones. He is animo, verſ. 6. Ore, verſ. 7. Opere malus, verſ. 8, 9, 10.
8. The eighth Note upon him, is, that he is a cloſe Atheiſt. 8Atheiſm.Vers. 11 He hath ſaid in his heart, God hath forgotten, he hideth away his face, A petition to be freed from this wicked man.and will never ſee it: Which is the cauſe of his Cruelty, Falſhood, Security, &c.
The third part of the Pſalm is a Petition to be freed from this wicked man; The third part.Ariſe, O Lord, lift up my hand, forget not the humble. Vers. 12
To perſwade which, he uſeth two Arguments.
1. Vers. 13 That thereby God ſhould aſſert his own glory. For why ſhould the wicked be ſuffer'd to blaſpheme in this manner?. Wherefore do the wicked contemn God, while he doth ſay in his heart, Thou wilt not require it?
2. Vers. 14 Taken from Gods glory, nature, office. 1. In puniſhing wicked men. 2. And defending the helpleſs. Surely thou hast ſeen it, for, &c. verſe 14.
Then he returns to his prayer, 2That God would ſet an end to his power.and enforceth his ſecond Argument taken from the juſtice and office of God.
1. That he would out this wicked man from his power and ſtrength, Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: Vers. 15 ſeek out his wickedneſs till thou find none. Till thou find none to puniſh, let none eſcape. Let them appear no more.
2. Vers. 16 Then that he would hear and defend the righeous, be no worſe now to his people than he had been. 3That he would hear and defend the righteous: as he had formerly.1. The Lord is King for ever and ever. 2. He had expell'd the Canaanites before them, The heathen are periſh'd out of the land. 3. Thou haſt heard the deſire of the humble.
Upon which he concludes with the expreſſion of his confidence full of much comfort.Of which he is confident.
1. Thou wilt prepare the heart of the humble to wait on thee.
2. Vers. 17 Thou wilt cauſe thine ear to hear.
3. To the ſafety of the oppreſſed. To judge the fatherleſs and poor.
4. Vers. 18 To the ruine of the Oppreſſour. That the man of the earth may no more oppreſs.
The Prayer collected out of the tenth Pſalm, for deliverance from tyrannous and oppreſſive enemies.
O Almighty and Merciful God, whoſe eyes go through the world, and doeſt ſée to how many dangers thy poor Church is expoſed, and the rage and tyranny of wicked men againſt thy people, we grievous ſinners, yet thy humble ſervants, juſtly at this time for our tranſgreſſions againſt thée environ'd with cruel enemies, and ready to be ſwallow'd up by oppreſſing tyrants, do proſtrate our ſelves before thy Throne of mercy, Vers. 1 and earneſtly beſéech thée to look upon our afflictions, and not for ever to hide thy face from us.
O Lord, why ſtandeſt thou ſo far off, as if thou hadſt depoſed all care of us, and hadſt quite forgotten us? why hideſt thou thy ſelf, and withdraweſt thy eye, thy hand, thy help in this néedful time of trouble when our preſent calamities are ſo great, that now we ſtand in moſt néed of thy ayd and ſuccour.
The wicked being exalted to dignity and power, Vers. 2 in the pride of his heart doth perſecute the poor, breathing nothing but fire and flames, to devour thy people; he conſpires, makes Leagues, and takes counſel to oppreſs the juſt. The wicked boaſteth and gloryeth, Vers. 3 that he hath attain'd to what his heart and ſoul deſired; and the covetous wretch flyes upon other mens goods Sacred and prophane, Vers. 4 he catcheth and heaps up riches, and bleſſeth himſelf in his rapine, judging that he is the ſole happy man. Yea, as if it were too little to inſult over poor miſerable men, he abhorreth even the Lord, he laughs at, and contemns the anger and judgement of thee our God, as if he were gotten to that heighth, Vers. 4 that he ſhould never be caſt down. Through the pride of his countenance he ſnuffeth at thee, he ſaith in his heart, There is no God. No God that will regard, Vers. 5 enquire into, and avenge the deeds of men. There hath been hitherto ſucceſs and proſperity in his wayes, and therefore his endeavours are alway grievous, afflictive and heavy through oppreſſion, thy judgements are far above out of his fight, he conſiders not that there is another day when the works of all men ſhall be examin'd, and their impious works puniſhed, and therefore he goes on ſecurely, and puffs at, contemns, derides, and with the breath of his mouth thinks to blow away all thoſe he counts his enemies. Vers. 6 He ſings a Requiem to his ſoul, He hath ſaid in his heart, I ſhall never be removed, I ſhall never be caſt down from this ſtate and honour, dignity and power, from generation to generation, I ſhall not be in adverſity. Yea, Vers. 7 his mouth is full of curſing, deceit and fraud, under his tongue is miſchief and vanity. He is of a fraudulent and inſidious nature, and that he may the eaſilier cover this his craft and ſubtilty to deceive the imprudent, he will not ſtick to bind himſelf with a vow, an oath, a curſe, when under theſe fair and religious words there lies nothing but vanity, miſchief and poyſon. And at laſt, when all theſe frauds and deceits break forth, as a high-way-man, Vers. 8 he ſits in the lurking-places of the Villages, in the ſecret places he murders the innocent, Vers. 9 his eyes (as thoſe of an Archer) are privily levelling and aiming at the goods and life of the poor. What by his For-like fraud he cannot compaſs, he will do by violence, for he lieth in wait ſecretly as a Lyon in his Den; he lieth in wait to catch the poor harmleſs man, when he takes him in his net, he deſtroye him. He faſts, he prayes, Vers. 10 he croucheth, he humbleth himſelf, that the Congregation of the poor may fall into the hands of his Captains or ſtrong Ones. O God his impiety, his pride, his covetouſneſs, his cruelty, his hypocriſie, his perjury is ſo great, Vers. 11 becauſe he hath ſaid in his heart, God hath forgotten, he hides his face, and will never ſee it.
Ariſe, O Lord, lift up thy hand; Vers. 12 hitherto thy hand hath ſéemed remiſs and féeble in our protection, but now, O God, declare thy power, and ſhew the ſtrength of thy arm, and ſmite theſe our enemies on the cheek-bone, let it never be caſt in our téeth, that thou haſt forgotten the humble. Why ſhould he dare with his blaſphemies thus to contemn and revile thee? Why ſhould he ſay in his heart, Thou wilt not require it, that thou careſt not for things below, Vers. 13 that thou wilt not puniſh the wicked, nor avenge the juſt?
The imaginations of mans heart are but vain; for ſurely thou haſt ſeen it, Vers. 14 for thou behold'ſt miſchief and ſpite, thou weigheſt the miſchievous actions and ſpiteful dealings of the wicked againſt the innocent, Vers. 15 to requite and revenge it in a ſeaſon beſt known to thée. And therefore. O Lord, we thy poor afflicted people, as deſtitute of help, as poor Orphans depriv'd of their Parents, look for no humane ſuccour, nor ſeek after unlawful wayes but commit our ſelves and cauſe wholly to thee, who art the helper, and haſt promiſed relief to the fatherleſs.
Break thou the arm and power of the wicked and evil man: Vers. 16 ſeek our and take away his wickedneſs, that there may remain no ſign or ſtep of his impiety, puniſh him, till thou find nothing to puniſh, being condemn'd let him periſh, and come to eternal ignominy and contempt.
So ſhall thy people have reaſon to bleſs thee, Vers. 17 break forth into ſinging and ſay, The Lord is King for ever and ever, and the wicked are periſh'd out of the good land which he hath given to his people for an inheritance. They are rooted out of the land of the living.
Thou, O Lord, art a gracious God, Vers. 18 for thou haſt heard the deſire of the humble. Hear us now then, now in our diſtreſs; O good God, prepare our hearts to ask, and cauſe thine ear to hear our Petitions. Iudge the fatherleſs, who is deſtitute of counſel, help, and ſtrength, frée thy oppreſſed people from the tyranny of the Oppreſſour, let not the man of the earth, who is from the earth, and minds nothing but the earth, be any longer exalted.
So ſhall thy afflicted people ſing of thy mercies, and return thée due praiſes through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord. Amen.