Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 19
PSAL. XIX. This Pſalm is Doctrinal, and teacheth us the way to know God. His Glory is the Subject.
THERE be two parts of it. The firſt is Doctrinal. 2. Penitential. The Doctrinal parts …ath two Members.
1. The firſt member teacheth us to know God by natural reaſon, even from the book of the Creatures, from verſ. 1. to verſ. 7.
2. But becauſe this way is unſufficient to ſave a ſoul, therefore in the ſecond part we have a better way preſcribed, which is, The Book of the Scriptures, whoſe excellencies are deſcribed from verſ. 7. to verſ. 11.
The Penitential part begins at the twelfth verſe. For ſince the reward to be expected proceeds from the keeping of Gods Law, and Davids heart told him he had not kept it, therefore he beggs pardon and grace, from verſ. 12. to 14.
By the Glory of God underſtand his Goodneſs, The firſt part. The Declaration of God from the creatures, eſpecially the heavens.his Wiſdom, his Power, in a word, all his Attributes, of which we have a double Declaration.
1. A teſtimony from the Creatures, but eſpecially the Heavens, whoſe Magnitude, Beauty, Order, variety, perpetual motion, light, influences, &c. declare that there is an Omnipotent, wiſe, good God, and Creatour of them. Vers. 1 With this David begins, The Heavens declare the Glory of God, and the Firmament ſheweth his handy work.
2. Vers. 2 The viciſſitude of Day and Night proceeding from their motions, declare this alſo, Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night ſheweth knowledge, &c.
1. The Heavens then are diligent Preachers, for they preach all day and all night without intermiſſion. One day telleth another, and one night certifies another.
2. Vers. 3 They are leraned Preachers, for they preach in all Tongues: For there is nor speech, nor language, but their voices are heard among them.
3. Vers. 4 They are Univerſal and Catholique Preachers, for they preach to the whole world: Their ſound is gone through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
3. Vers. 4 But among all theſe Creatures, the Sun, for which God in heaven hath ſet a Throne, 2The Sun.or Tabernacle, makes the faireſt and cleareſt evidence or declaration, and that three wayes eſpecially.
1. Vers. 5 By his ſplendour, light, beauty. He riſeth as gloriouſly as a Bridegroom coming out of his Chamber.1By his ſplendour.
2. Vers. 6 By his wonderful celerity and quickneſs of his motion, running every ſeveral hour 225. 2By his motion.Germain Miles, as Math maticians teach. He rejoiceth as a ſtrong man to run his race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit is to the end of it: and yet is not tired, nor weary.
3. 3By his heat. The ſecond part.By his ſtrange and miraculous heat, that pierceth even to the Minerals, concocts, matures, enlives all things. Sol & homo generant hominem. Nothing is hid from the heat thereof.
2. 2The Declaration by his Word. Which is commendedBut becauſe this Declaration is not ſufficient to make man happy, therefore hath God made a farther Declaration, and revealed himſelf in his Word, the Scripture, call'd here, The Law, which is here commended,
1. Vers. 7 From the Authour. It is the Law of the Lord.
2. In many reſpects.From the Sufficiency thereof. It is perfect.
3. From the Utility It converts the ſoul, gives wiſdom to the ſimple.
4. From the Infallibility. The Testimony of the Lord is ſure.
5. Vers. 8 From the perſpicuity and plainneſs of it. The Statutes of the Lord are right. Without perplexities, ambiguities, ſophiſms, windings, turnings.
6. From the effect it breeds in the Soul, it quiets the troubled conſcience. They rejoice the heart. Juſtificati pacem habemus.
7. From the purity of it. The Commandments of the Lord are pure: they admit no feces of foul Opinions, nor give countenance to any ſin.
8. Vers. 8 From the effect it hath upon the ſoul. It enlighteneth the eyes, for it diſpells all ignorance, doubting of God, carnal ſecurity, diffidence, falſe worſhip. And makes us underſtand our own deformities, defects, &c.
9. Vers. 9 From the Sincerity of it. The fear of the Lord is clean. Other Religions are polluted with humane inventions, ſtrange Ceremonies, Sacrifices, Worſhips, Luſts, Wickedneſs, gods. This not ſo, but the contrary.
10. From the continuance of it. It is to be a perpetual ſtanding Law. It endureth for ever. Aeternum Evangelium.
11. And therefore both.From the truth and equity contain'd in it. True and righteous altogether.
Out of all which David concludes that it is both precious and ſweet. Ver. 10
1. The price of it beyond the beſt gold: More to be deſired it is than gold, Precious. Sweet.yea, than much fine gold; obrizo, the gold of Ophir.
2. The ſweetneſs thereof, beyond honey, than the honey-comb.
3. Yea, and beſides all this, Ver. 11 he ſhews upon his own experience the excellency of it. Moreover, by them is thy ſervant taught; probatum eſt.
4. Nay, ſuch is the fruit, benefit, uſe of it, Beneficial to thoſe that keep it.That the obſervers of it are like to be well rewarded; no man ſhall ſerve God for nought: For in keeping of them, there is Merces, a reward: 2. Ampla Merces, a great reward.
3. But theſe laſt words ſet David to his prayers, What a reward, The third part. Yea, but David kept it not.a great reward, only to thoſe who keep Gods Law? My conſcience then tells me, that the reward belongs not to me, for I cannot plead this obſervance; In many things we ſin all, and I among the many: There were but theſe wayes to help him, Confeſſion, Petition for Grace and Faith, and theſe he makes uſe of.
1. An offender he was, known ſins he had too many, Ver. 12 and many more that he knew not; and even for theſe he asked pardon, This he confeſſeth.deſiring to be quit of them, not only from the guilt, but the filth; Who can tell or understand his Errours? 2Asks pardon.Cleanſe thou me from ſecret faults.
2. However ſo long as he carried about him this body of ſin, Ver. 13 he could not chooſe but erre upon ignorance, infirmity, &c. 3Begs grace againſt preſumption.yet he petitions for ſo much grace, that he may not maliciouſly offend: Keep back alſo thy ſervant from preſumptuous ſins.
1. Becauſe the effect would be lamentable, ſin would become a King, For then ſin wold domineer and reign in him:and reign in his mortal body, which is inconſiſtent with grace: Keep back, &c. Ne, lest they get the dominion, the upper hand over me; command, rule, and I obey, and become a drudge, a ſlave, a vaſſal to ſin.
2. This is the great offence, a ſin not of a ſmall ſize; And make him guilty of the great offence.therefore keep back thy ſervant from theſe ſins, and then however I be a ſinner, and guilty, yet I ſhall be innocent from the great offence.
3. Laſtly, that his prayer be heard, he begs alſo; he prayes for his prayer, Ver. 14 and the meditations of his heart: Let the words of my mouth, 4That God would accept his prayer:and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy ſight.
And that which put him in heart, notwithſtanding his many Errours, to do it, to pray, to truſt, to confeſs, was, becauſe the Lord was his Strength, Who was his Strength and Redeemer.his Redeemer.
1. His Strength, his Rock, to keep him that he fell not.
2. His Redeemer, if he did fall. In the words he coucheth two benefits: 1. Conſervation: 2. Acceptance of his perſon through Chriſt; and expreſſeth his faith.
The Prayer out of the nineteenth Pſalm.
O God thou art a gracious God to the ſons of men, and becauſe this is life Eternal to know thee to be the only God, and him whom thou haſt ſent, Jeſus Chriſt; That man periſh not in his ignorance, Thou haſt revealed thy ſelf unto him in the Book of Nature, and in the Scripture.
The Heavens declare the Glory, the Wiſdom, the Goodneſs, Ver. 1 the Power of thee their Creatour, and that ample whéel of the Firmament beſtudded with infinite variety of Stars of ſeveral Magnitudes, doth manifeſt, that they are the work of thy hands, and not of any inferiour power: They ſpeak to us day after day, Ver. 2 and night after night, and plentifully teach the knowledge of thee. The conſtant and perpetual ſucceſſion of times and ſeaſons cauſed by the unceſſant motion of thoſe great luminaries, inform us, that there is a wiſe and infinite power that over-rules them: Neither do they ſpeak thy glory in an unknown tongue, or whiſper thy power and wiſdom in a low voyce, or to ſome people only, but they proclaim it in every Language and Idiom, they roar it louder than the voyce of Thunder in all mens ears; Ver. 3 there is nor ſpeech, nor language, nor Nation, nor people, that may not hear their voyce, and underſtand their language: Their light, Ver. 4 their conſtant and perpetual motion, their efficacy and general influence is ſo admirable, and well known, that their direction is gone out through all the Earth, and their words to the end of the World.
But among all thoſe celeſtial bodies, there is not any, which doth ſo clearly ſet forth thy Majeſty, as that bright Globe of the Sun, in which thou haſt, as it were, Ver. 5 ſet up thy Throne and Tabernacle; whoſe luſtre and ſplendour being far more beautiful than that of a Bridegroom, Ver. 6 when he comes out of his Chamber, whoſe motion is ſo ſwift, that in a few houres it cometh from one end of Heaven to another, and runneth to the end of it again; whoſe heat is ſo vigorous, that there is nothing hid from the power and vertue of it, proclaim and preach to the World, that there is a wiſe and potent God, who by his power made, and by his wiſe providence diſpoſeth, rules, and orders all things in Heaven and Earth.
Thou then, O God, haſt not left thy ſelf without witneſs, for the inviſible things of thée from the Creation of the World are clearly ſéen, even thy eternal Power and Godhead being underſtood by the things that are made; whence we confeſs, that we are left without excuſe: For we ought to have béen perſwaded by the authority and obedience of theſe thy Creatures, to love, to honour, to fear thée, and to adhere unto thée alone; but wrethes as we are, little regarding theſe good inſtructions, and inſtructors, we have followed the counſels of our own hearts, and béen ſeduced by our own vain imaginations, with the Fool, we have ſaid privately to our ſelves, There is no God.
But ſuch was thy goodneſs and care of us an ungrateful Generation, that in mercy pitying this our careleſsneſs, and that which followed upon it, our miſery and deviation from thée, thou haſt ſet us over a better Tutour; from whom we might not only learn to know thée, but a way to live well here, and a way to live for ever; Ver. 7 Thou gaveſt us in mercy thy Law, which is a perfect Maſter, and able to convert the ſoul, this is a ſure Teacher, and can make wiſe the ſimple: Theſe thy Commandments are pure, Ver. 8 and admit no admixtion of falſe-doctrine, falſe-worſhip, Ver. 9 or iniquity: Theſe thy Commandments are right, and rejoyce the heart, ſetling a quiet conſcience: Theſe teach us thy fear in ſincerity and Truth, and they teach it for ever; They enlighten the eyes, and keep us from the darkneſs of ſin and ignorance.
Good God, ſo affect my heart with the love of thy Law, that I may deſire it more than gold, Ver. 10 yea, than much fine gold; let it be ſweeter to my mouth than the honey-comb: Grant good Lord, that I who deſire to be thy ſervant, may be taught by it, Ver. 11 and from the kéeping of it, let me expect my reward, and have my reward in this preſent life, ſecurity, and peace of conſcience, and be refreſhed by the comforts of thy holy Spirit, and in the life to come live with thée in thoſe Manſions, which thou haſt prepared for thoſe who kéep thy Law, for ever.
But thou, O Lord, knoweſt the frailty of my fleſh, how weak my endeavours are, how imperfect my obedience: If none but the obſervers of thy Law ſhall be rewarded, I muſt néeds deſpair of a bleſſing, either in this, or another life; in that the Errors of my life, which I know are very many, and thoſe which I know not, are numberleſs: How often do I commit that wickedneſs, which I ought to leave undone, and omit thoſe Duties which I ought to have done? How often doth vice ſteal upon me in the cloaths of vertue; and Error and Falſhood in the ſhape of Truth? Who can tell how oft he offendeth? Ver. 12 Therefore, O my good God, I beſéech thée of thy infinite mercy, cleanſe me, and waſh oft theſe ſecret ſpots of my ſoul with the reſt, of which in particular I have no knowledge, yet my conſcience in general tells me, that of ſuch I am guilty. And however ſo long as I carry about me this body of fleſh, Ver. 13 I muſt alſo carry about with me this body of ſin; yet I beſéech thée keep me from preſumptuous ſins, never ſuffer my will to be ſo over-born, that I ſin againſt thée with a high hand; though it dwell, yet let it not reign; though it remain, yet let it not dominéer and tyrannize in my mortal body: Thy ſervant, Lord, I deſire to be, and no vaſſal, drudge, and ſlave to ſin; never then ſuffer it to have the dominion over me; This is that great offence which is inconſiſtent with grace, that turneth thée to be our enemy, that excludes from the Kingdom of Heaven, never, never O Lord, ſuffer me to be guilty of it.
Thou that heareſt prayers, to thée ſhall all fleſh come; Ver. 14 now with a proſtrate ſoul and a penitent heart I appear before thy Throne, and humbly beg audience: Let theſe words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be alwayes pleaſing and acceptable to thee: O Lord thou art my Rock, my Strength, hold me up, that through weakneſs I fall not from thée. Thou, O ſweet Jeſus, art my Redeemer, and haſt bought my ſoul with a dear price, that of thy precious blood; frée me from the power of ſin, the ſorrows of death, the power of Satan, and pains of Hell, and bring me by thy Merits and Paſſion to everlaſting life, that I may reign with thée for ever.