Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 16
PSAL. XVI. Mictham David; Davids precious Jewel, or Pſalm of Gold, literally to be underſtood of David, but primarily and principally of Chriſt, Acts 2. whom he calls Chaſid, Gods Holy One, ver. 10. and foretels his Paſſion, Reſurrection, Aſcenſion, ver. 9, 10, 11.
TWO parts there are of this Pſalm in general:
1. A Petition, ver. 1.The firſt part. Davids Petition for conſervation.
2. A Thankſgiving, ver. 7.
1. The Petition begins the Pſalm, 'tis for preſervation: Preſerve me O God; Ver. 1 keep me to the Kingdom both temporal and eternal that thou haſt promiſed; He perſwades it.guard me, guide me, keep me: To perſwade God to this, he produceth his Reaſons.
1. His confidence: For in thee I truſt, this is a powerful plea; 1By his confidence in God. 2. That his Godfor to truſt God, is the higheſt honour we can do him, it ſets the Crown on his head.
2. His relation: O my ſoul, thou hast ſaid unto the Lord, Ver. 2 Thou art my God.
3. For this I would ſhew my ſelf thankful, and return thee beſt of my beſt: But what can I give, ſave foreign. My goods, or goodneſs; my benificence, or bounty, is nothing unto thee: 3By his charity to the Saints.Sacrifice thou needeſt not, Pſal. 50.8. Nor art delighted in them; but mercy thou requireſt, Hoſea 6.
4. Then I will ſeek out thy Receivers, Thy Saints that are in the earth. Ver. 3 The Family of the Saints were the object of Davids bounty, and his delight: In whom he delights. Illuſtratur à contrario. But not in wicked men and Idolaters.But my liberality and charity ſhall extend to the Saints that are in the earth, and unto ſuch as are excellent, in whom is all my delight.
5. But as for wicked men and Idolaters, I have no delight in them, they ſhall not partake of my bounty and goodneſs, rather the contrary.
1. They haſten after another god, or endow another god; They ſpare no coſt, but are laviſh in endowing their gods: Ver. 4 Iſrael part with Jewels, &c.
2. They offer their children to Moloch; therefore,
1. Their ſorrows ſhall be multiplied: I will puniſh them.
2. I will not partake with them: Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer.To the Saints he would be liberal, becauſe God had dealt liberally with him.
3. But deteſt them: I will not take up their names with approbation within my lips, ver. 4.
6. And yet he gives another Reaſon, why he would ſhew himſelf ſo thankful to God, and bountiful, and liberal to his Saints; it was Gods great bounty and liberality to him. Ver. 5. & 6.
1. That God had ſet him out his portion, and it was ſatisfactory: The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, and my cup.
2. That God defended him in it: Thou maintaineſt my lot; ad corroborandum.
3. And it was a fair portion: The lines are fallen unto me in a fair ground, or pleaſant places: yea, I have a goodly heritage: Goodly indeed, for it was a Crown.
2. The ſecond part of this golden Pſalm, is, Davids Thankſgiving; it begins, The ſecond part. David gives thanks.I will bleſs the Lord, not only for thoſe temporal bleſſings formerly mentioned, but rather for theſe ſpiritual following. Ver. 7
1. 1For illumination.For the illumination of my mind, that I may underſtand the thing that is right. I will bleſs the Lord who hath given me counſel.
2. 2For Sanctification.For my ſanctification: My reins inſtruct me in the night ſeaſons, when I am moſt retir'd; methinks I hear a ſtill voyce within me, This is the way, walk in it.
3. 3For his perſeverance.For my confidence and perſeverance; I ſay, the eye of my faith full upon him, without irregular affections and paſſions.
1. I have ſet the Lord alwayes before me; I do not forget him.
2. Becauſe he is at my right hand; to help me, that I fall not.
3. I ſhall not be moved. Satan may ſtand at my right hand to reſiſt and trouble me, Zach. 3.1. But God is on my right hand to aſſiſt and deliver me, Ver. 9 or comfort me, therefore I ſhall not be greatly moved.
4. 4His joy in it.For that joy I find in me; I am in a good plight, as much as heart can wiſh, or need require; therefore my heart is glad; wicked men rejoyce in appearance, And for his aſſurance: 1. Of the Reſurrection by Chriſt.their joy is but skin-deep, but Davids is deeper, his heart, glory, fleſh rejoyceth, ſpirit, ſoul, body overjoyed; the cauſe is, The Reſurrection of the Body. Reſurgam.
1. My fleſh ſhall reſt in hope, or dwell: In this world, as in diverſorio; in the grave, as repoſitorio; in heaven, as in foreign, a Manſion.
2. Ver. 10 Thou wilt not leave my ſoul in Hell. My body, ſay ſome, in the grave, but there is more in it.
3. Neither wilt thou ſuffer, Chaſid, Thy Holy One, to ſee Corruption; the Meſſiah, that is to come out of my loi…s. Chriſts Reſurrection, is the cauſe, Ve. 9. & 11. the pledge, the ſecurity of ours, Job 19.25.
5. And eternal life, which he illuſtrates.The promiſe of a future life, which is here illuſtrated.
1. From the quantity; Fulneſs of joy.
2. From the quality; Pleaſures.
3. From the conſtancy and honour done us; At thy right hand; and his hand is ſtrong, and none can take us out of it.
4. From the perpetuity, duration, continuance; for evermore.
5. From the cauſe; the preſence, ſight, beatifical viſion.
Thou wilt ſhew me the path of life, in thy preſence is the fulneſs of joy, and at thy right hand are pleaſures for evermore.
The Prayer out of the ſixteenth Pſalm.
O God, thou haſt béen a merciful God unto me through my whole life, and beſtowed upon me many ſpiritual and temporal bleſſings, which thou haſt denied to many of thy better ſervants; Ver. 6 that inheritance which thou my heavenly Father haſt alotted to me, Ver. 5 is fallen to me in a rich and pleaſant place, and it is ſufficient for me, becauſe thou haſt beſtowed it, who art all-ſufficient. O Lord, though I am altogether unworthy of this favour, yet be thou ſtill the portion of my cup, repleniſh it, and uphold, and maintain me in it; for I ſhall quickly loſe and forgo it, if it be in mine own kéeping.
But upon theſe outward things I ſet not my heart, Ver. 2 for my goods are nothing to thee; for can a man be profitable to his God, as a man that is wiſe, is profitable to himſelf? The ſole way that I can honour thée with theſe outward bleſſings, is, by doing good to the Houſhold of faith; make me therefore carry a charitable mind, Ver. 3 and a liberal hand to theſe; make me ſet my delight upon the Saints that are in the earth, and upon ſuch as excel in vertue; for theſe thy Son hath ſuffered, for their ſalvation he ſhed his blood, in theſe thou delighteſt, and let it be my delight then to do them good.
Increaſe to that end, Ver. 7 and continue unto me thy Graces, illuminate my mind with thy Counſels, Ver. 6 let my reins alſo inſtruct me in the night ſeaſon; that I may yield to thy holy inſpirations, let thy Spirit, that continual ſpring of comfort and counſel, dictate and ſuggeſt unto me what I ought to do, and to chooſe that good part that ſhall never be taken from me.
I know, O Lord, that they who depend upon lying vanities, Ver. 4 and run after another god, do but multiply ſorrows to themſelves; never let me then joyn with them in their bloody offerings, nor let their names be mentioned by me, or come within my lips with approbation and honour; Theſe are enemies unto thée, O Lord preſerve me from them; and I know thou wilt preſerve me, Ver. 1 becauſe I put my truſt in thee; Thou art my Lord, I have ſet thee alwayes before me, Ver. 8 be at my right hand, and I ſhall never be moved.
So ſhall I have cauſe to bleſs thée, and rejoyce in thée: Ver. 7 My heart alſo ſhall be glad, while I remain in the Land of the living: And when this Tabernacle in which I ſojourn ſhall be taken down, and I gather'd to my Fathers, Ver. 9 My fleſh ſhall reſt quietly in the grave, in hope of a joyful Reſurrection; for I am aſſur'd, Thou wilt not leave my ſoul in hell, becauſe thou haſt not ſuffer'd thy Holy One to ſee corruption. I am a Member of that Body whereof he is the Head, he the Redéemer, I one of thoſe that he hath redéemed, and therefore I hope to ſée God in my fleſh, and to ſee him, not with other, but with theſe ſame eyes.
Confirm me in this hope, ſtrengthen me in this faith, ſhew me in the valley of death, the path of life; while I live here, conduct me in the way of grace that leads to glory, where in thy preſence I ſhall have fulneſs of joy; I ſhall ſée thée face to face, and enjoy that happineſs in a full meaſure, which nor eye hath ſéen, nor ear hath heard, neither can enter into the heart of man to underſtand; neither ſhall this joy admit of any end or ſatiety; for at thy right hand there is pleaſures for evermore. This happineſs O Lord is only in thy power to beſtow, vouchſafe therefore to give it unto us we beſéech thée, for the merits of thy only Son our Saviour Ieſus Chriſt our Lord. Amen.