Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 25
PSAL. XXV. This Pſalm is a continued and earneſt Prayer of a man preſſed with enemies, danger, and ſenſible of Gods heavy diſpleaſure for his ſin.
AND the ſeveral Petitions which he makes, may make the Partition.
1. His firſt Petition is, that his enemies triumph not over him, ver. 2, 3.
2. His ſecond is for inſtruction, ver. 4, 5. which he urgeth, ver. 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14.
3. His third for mercy and forgiveneſs, ver. 6, 7, 11.
4. He inforceth and renews his firſt Petition, ver. 15, 16, 17, &c. with many Arguments.
5. He prayes for Gods people, the Church, ver. 22.
1. He prefaceth with the profeſſion of his faith and confidence in God, The firſt part.which is the chief wing of all prayer: Ʋnto thee O Lord do I lift up my ſoul, Ver. 1. & 2. O my God I truſt in thee: He relies not on, nor ſeeks not after any humane helps; David relies on God, and prayes.and upon this living hope he prayes.
1. For his hope, that it ſhame him not, as it doth, when a man hopes, 1That his hope be not fruſtrate.and is fruſtrated: Let me not be aſhamed; make it appear, that I hope not in thee in vain.
2. Let not my enemies triumph over me, glorying that I am deſerted; Ver. 3 and this Petition he perſwades by this Argument; the conſequent may prove dangerous, if thou ſend me no help; but it will be to thy glory, if I be relieved; for if he were delivered, the faith and hope of others would be confirmed; if deſerted, the good would faint and fail, the wicked triumph; and therefore he prayes, O let none that wait on thee, be aſhamed; but let them be aſhamed, which tranſgreſs; that is, do me wrong maliciouſly, without any cauſe given them by me.
2. Then he petitions for inſtruction, The ſecond part for inſtruction.that he may be ſo alwayes governed and confirmed by the Word of God, that he ſink not under the Croſs, but relie on Gods Promiſes.
1. Shew me thy ways, and teach me thy paths; Ver. 4 that thou dealeſt harſhly with thy beſt ſervants, bringeſt down before thou exalteſt; mortifieſt, before thou quickneſt; ſetteſt the Croſs before the Crown: Teach me, ſhew me, that this is thy way.
2. Ver. 5 Direct me in thy Truth, and teach me: Make me remember that thy promiſes are firm and true; yea, and Amen to thoſe that truſt in thee; this makes me hope ſtill, Thou art the God of my ſalvation, on thee do I wait all the day.
3. The third for mercy.He prayes for mercy, and a remove of his ſin that might obſtruct it.
1. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies, and thy loving kindneſses, which have been ever of old; Ver. 6 i.e. Deal mercifully with me, as thou haſt ever done to thoſe that flie to thee in their extremities
2. Ver. 7 Remiſſion of ſin, eſpecially of the rebellious concupiſcence, which in youth moſt domineers: And remiſſion.Remember not the ſins of my youth, nor my: ranſgreſſions; Ver. 11 according to thy mercy remember me, for thy goodneſs ſake, O Lord: This Petition he repeats, ver. 11. For thy Names ſake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, and upon this my confeſſion; for it is multa or magna, great.
David here breaks off his prayer, Of which, that he may be the more aſſured, he calls to mind Gods goodneſs.and to confirm his confidence diſcourſeth of the Nature and Perſon of God; even in the greateſt fervency of our prayers, the greatneſs of our ſins, the unworthineſs of our perſons, the anger of God againſt ſin come into our minds, ſtagger our hope, and tell us we ſhall not be heard; no better way than to confirm us, than to call to mind the nature and the wayes of God with his people, and this courſe David here takes; he ſaith:
1. 1That he is good.Good and upright is the Lord. 1. Good; for he receives ſinners gratis. 2. Ʋpright; conſtant and true in his promiſes, therefore inſtruet, He will grant me my requeſt, ver. 4. He will teach ſinners, and me, though a great ſinner in the way.
2. 2Favourable.The meek he will guide in judgment; He will not ſuffer them to be tempted above their ſtrength, but will teach them what to anſwer, and will not proceed ſecundnm rigorem juris, but will interpret all in the moſt favourable ſenſe.
3. 3All his wayes mercy and truth.In a word; All the wayes of the Lord are Mercy and Truth: Mercy, in that he freely offers remiſſion of ſins, the graces of his Spirit, government in this life; mitigation of our calamities, and at laſt a diſcharge from them, and eternal life: Truth, in that he will perform what he hath promiſed: To thoſe that keep his Teſtimonies.Non eſt mendax ſed verax: But with this caution, that men perform with him; for it is unto ſuch as keep his Covenant and Teſtimonies; i. e. in faith and a good conſcience walk before him; the Covenant being this, I will be thy God, and the God of thy ſeed; upon which follows, Walk before me, and be thou perfect.
4. Upon the confidence of which Promiſe and Covenant, David repeats his prayer: Upon which he repeats his prayer.For thy Name ſake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great; Multa & magna.
And yet David proceeds in the conſideration of Gods Nature, his Goodneſs, his Truth and Mercy to thoſe that keep his Covenant; And admires the happineſs of him that truſts in God.and by way of admiration asks, Quis, i. e. Quantus & qualis: O how happy, how bleſſed is the man that fears the Lord, worſhips God, loves his Word, and caſts not away his hope and faith in the day of trouble and tentation, Ver. 12 which happineſs he ſets forth by the fruits that follow his piety.
1. The firſt fruit and benefit that he ſhall reap, is, inſtruction and direction in his Vocation and private life: For God ſhall direct him.Him ſhall he teach in the way that he ſhall chooſe.
2. Ver. 13 The ſecond is, that his happineſs ſhall not be momentary, but firm and laſting; 2He ſhall dwell at eaſe.not moleſted, but quiet: His ſoul ſhall dwell at eaſe.
3. 3Happy in his ſeed.A third is, that he ſhall be happy in his children and poſterity: His ſeed ſhall inherit the land.
4. The fourth is, that Redemption of Mankind by the blood of Chriſt, and all the effects of it, Remiſſion, Reconciliation, &c. which is a ſecret unknown to fleſh and blood, ſhall be revealed and applied to him: Ver. 14 The ſecret of the Lord is with them that fear him, 4Gods Covenant applied to him.and he will ſhew them his Covenant.
Being confirmed with theſe promiſes, and cheered with theſe fruits, he,The fourth part.
1. Teſtifies his acquieſcence and faith in God for deliverance: My eye… are ever towards the Lord; he ſhall pluck my feet out of the Net.In this he acquieſceth.
2. And then returns to his Prayer again, being in effect the very ſelf-ſame that he began with; which he offereth in ſeveral Clauſes.
1. Turn thee unto me.He renews his former prayer.
2. Have mercy upon me.
3. O bring thou me out of my diſtreſſes.
4. Look upon my affliction and trouble, and forgive me all my ſins.
5. Conſider mine enemies.
6. O keep my ſoul, and deliver me.
7. Let me not be aſhamed.
8. Let integrity and uprightneſs wait upon me.
Petitioners and men in miſery think that they can never ſay enough; this makes him ſo earneſt, and ſo often repeat the ſame thing; in which longing, there is yet an incrementum: The ſum is, That God would hear, and grant him defence and deliverance in his dangers, remiſſion of ſins, which cauſed them, and protect, direct, and govern him in his troubles.
Now that he might prevail in his Suit, as an excellent Orator, And uſeth many Arguments that God be propitious to him.he uſeth many Arguments to induce God to be propitious to him.
1. His faith and truſt in his promiſes: Min… eyes are ever towards the Lord.
2. The danger he was now in: His feet were in the Net. Ver. 15
3. He was oppreſſed and alone, had none to help him: I am deſolate, and afflicted. Ver. 16
4. His inward afflictions and pain was grievous: Ver. 17. & 18. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; by which he was diſtreſſed, in pain, in ſorrow.
5. And without his enemies, powerful, many, mercileſs, cruel, Ver. 19 My enemies are many, and they hate me with cruel hatred. Ver. 21
6. And yet I am an Innocent, and deſire to be ſo, thy ſervant: Let integrity and uprightneſs preſerve me, for I wait upon thee.
And thus David having through the whole Pſalm pray'd for himſelf, He prayes for the Church. The fifth part.at laſt in the cloſe, he offers up a ſhort, but earneſt Petition for all the People, and for the whole Church; which proceeded from that foreign, Ver. 22 which ought to be among the Saints.
Redeem Iſrael, O God, out of all their troubles.
The Prayer collected out of the twenty fifth Pſalm.
UNTO thée, O Lord, I do lift up not only my eyes and hands, Ver. 1 but my very ſoul and heart; early in the Morning will I direct my prayer unto thée, and will look up. O Lord, I am not ignorant, how uncapable I have made my ſelf of thy favour by my tranſgreſſions multiplied againſt thée; but, O Lord, Ver. 6 declare thy ſelf mindful of thy pity and mercy which thou haſt ſhewed to Mankind from the beginning of the World, and according to the multitude of thy mercies deal with me; My ſin is very great, more in number than the ſand, heavier in weight than the greateſt burden; O pardon my iniquity for thy Name ſake. The offences of my younger years are over-many, Ver. 11 into which the boyling of concupiſcence, inconſideration, and my youthful heat and imprudence, hath caſt me head-long; but, O good God, I beſéech thée, Remember not the ſins of my youth, nor the tranſgreſſions of my unruly and unbrideled Age; but according to thy mercy think thou upon me, blot out of thy remembrance my abominations, and remit my crying exorbitances, for thy goodneſs ſake, O Lord.
O Lord, Ver. 8 Thou art good and upright, all thy paths are Mercy and Truth: Thy Goodneſs and Mercy is ſhewed, in admitting ſinners to Repentance; and thy Vprightneſs and Truth, in pardoning them, and making good thy Promiſes; admit me then among the number of thy Penitents, and ſeal my pardon as thou haſt promiſed to penitent and believing ſinners: Thou art the God of my ſalvation, Ver. 5 on thee do I wait all my life long; from thy Mercy I look for my Inſtruction, Ver. 4 from thée my Direction; Shew me thy wayes. and reach me thy paths, and lead me in thy Truth: I am a man of a broken and contrite ſpirit, guide me in the day of Iudgment, and ſuffer me not to be tempted above my ſtrength; and whatever way I chooſe, be thou my Teacher and Monitor, that I ſlip not, and fall not in it. I deſire, O Lord, to kéep thy Covenant and Teſtimonies, let therefore that great ſecret of Mans Redemption, by the blood of thy dear Son, be made known to me, and the mercies of thy Covenant aſſur'd to my ſoul, by which alone my heart ſhall dwell at eaſe, and my Conſcience be quieted from the guilt of ſinne, and ſenſe of thy wrath.
Theſe my ſins have procured me many enemies, and thou haſt juſtly raiſed up theſe Rebels, to revenge my Rebellions againſt thée; with theſe I am ſo compaſſed, that I know not what to do: But mine eyes are toward thee, O Lord; and except thou pluck my ſéet out of the Net, I muſt néeds periſh in the ſnares that they have privily laid for me: Turn thee then unto me, and have mercy upon me, for I am deſtitute of all humane help, left alone by my friends, and afflicted by my enemies: The ſorrows of my heart are multiplied, my ſins are repreſented to me in the largeſt manner, my diſtreſſes are inſtant, my pain grievous, O look upon my affliction, bring me out of my troubles, and forgive me all my ſin; for which I openly confeſs, I have juſtly deſerved to ſuffer what I now féel and complain of.
Make it known, gracious God, that thou doſt ſee and confider the multitude of my enemies, who hate me with cruel hatred, and perſecute me without any juſt cauſe; for though I have juſtly deſerved at thy hand thoſe things which I ſuffer, yet to them I have done no wrong, neither do they purſue me in revenge of my ſin, but méerly out of malice and envy, ſerving and gratifying their own luſts, not any way intending thy Glory.
O keep then my ſoul, which they ſéek to deſtroy, and deliver me from their multitude and injuſtice; I wait on, and put my truſt in thee, let me not, nor any that truſt in thee, be aſhamed of their hope: For it will derogate from thy glory, that any that truſt in thée, be fruſtrated of their expectation; but fruſtrate their counſels, and let them be aſhamed of their undertakings, who without any juſt cauſe given them, Ver. 21 do plot the ruine of thy people, who endeavour to ſerve thée with an entire and upright heart.
Redeem Iſrael, O God, out of all his troubles: Iſrael is thy people that thou haſt choſen; Iſrael the people that thou haſt bought and purchaſed with thy own blood; many troubles and enemies they have, for them I pray, and not for my ſelf alone: O Lord, deliver them for thy Names ſake, and for thy Sons ſake, out of all their afflictions and preſſures. Amen.