Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 30
PSAL. XXX. The occaſion of this Pſalm, was ſome grievous ſickneſs or danger from which David was delivered.
TWO parts there are of it.
1. The Rendition of praiſe and thanks, ver. 1, 2, 3.
2. An Exhortation to others to do it by his example, and Gods dealing with him, from ver. 4. to the laſt.
He beings with his profeſſion of praiſe; The firſt part. He praiſeth God.I will extoll thee O Lord; and adds the cauſes.
1. Ver. 1 For thou haſt lifted me up; as a man out of a dark deep pit.
2. And adds the cauſes.Thou hast not made my Foes to rejoyce over me; but turned their mirth to ſadneſs.
3. Thou haſt healed me, in body and mind.
4. Brought my ſoul from the Grave, &c. Lent me life, when I was dying.
Of all which effects, he conceals not the means by which he procured them: O Lord my God I cryed unto thee, Ver. 2 and thou didſt all I have mentioned for me.
2. The ſecond part: And exhorts the Church to praiſe him.After he had given Thanks, he ſpeaks to the whole Church, and exhorts by his example, to acknowledge and celebrate the goodneſs of God, in defending, and delivering thoſe which are his.
Sing unto the Lord (O ye his Saints) and give thanks at the remembrance of his holineſs. Ver. 4 And to perſwade them, he gives the inſtance in himſelf; in which he declares, Leſt they have experience of Gods anger as he had.That God was juſtly angry with him, but ſoon appeaſed.
1. Angry he was; but his anger endureth but for a moment; but life, and continuance of life, is from his favour: There may be heavineſs for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
2. And juſtly angry he was, for my ſin, my carnal ſecurity: In proſperity I was, and in my proſperity I ſaid, I ſhall never be moved; Lord, by thy favour, thou haſt made my Mountain to ſtand ſtrong.
3. And the effect of his anger, was, my Trouble: Thou didſt turn away thy face, and I was troubled.
This is the example he ſets the Saints, that they be not ſecure, when the World goes well with them; leſt they have experience of Gods anger, as he had: Next, he ſhewes how he behaved himſelf to avert Gods wrath, How he averted Gods anger.which alſo he propoſeth, as a pattern for them to follow in the like cauſe.
1. Viz. By prayer.He betook himſelf to prayer.
2. And ſets down the Form he uſed.
1. He that is ill, calls for the Phyſitian, ſo did I; this was the fruit of my chaſtiſement; I cryed to thee, O Lord, and unto the Lord I made my ſupplication.
2. The Form he uſed.And the Form I uſed, was this; thus pathetically I pleaded with God.
1. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?
2. Shall the duſt praiſe thee? ſhall it declare thy Truth? Can a dead man praiſe thee? or canſt thou make good thy promiſes to the dead?
3. To which I added; Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; O Lord, be thou my Helper.
3. And then ſhewes the effect of his prayer, that it was turned. And the conſequent of it, was, he was relieved.Thou haſt turned my mourning into dancing; Thou haſt put off my ſack-cloth, and girded me with gladneſs.
4. This God did for me, and he did it for this end, That my glory may ſing praiſe to thee, and not be ſilent: O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee for ever. Now O ye Saints, ye ſee my caſe, For which he gives thanks.you ſee what courſe I took, you ſee the effect, and the end, why God was ſo good to me, it was, That I ſhould praiſe him; and therefore I propoſe my example to you to imitate: Betake you to God in your neceſſities, and having obtained deliverance by your prayers, remember to ſing praiſes to God.
The Prayer collected out of the thirtieth Pſalm.
INTO thy hands, O Lord, I commend my body, my ſoul, my thoughts, my affections, my goods; whatſoever is mine, I dedicate to thée, beſéeching thée to dwell with me; for then no uncleanſpirits ſhall have power over me, nor heinous tranſgreſſions ſhall pollute and profane what thou haſt beſtowed upon me; ſanctiffe to my uſe, and to thy honour, all thy Creatures.
Thou, Lord, haſt béen a bountiful God unto me, and beſtowed upon me many bleſſings, which thou haſt denied to many of thy better ſervants, but I have béen an ungrateful wretch, and in my proſperity forgot thée my God; I forgot mine own condition, and was ſo ſecure of thy favour, that I began to be proud, and puff'd up upon the conceit of mine own wiſdom and ſtrength: Ver. 6 I ſaid in my proſperity, I ſhall never be moved: I thought thou hadſt made my hill ſo ſtrong, that I could not be ſhaken or overthrown by the force or practiſe of any enemy: But now this ſottiſh pride and preſumption is ſhaked off from me, experience I have, that it is thy favour and goodneſs alone, that muſt kéep me ſafe; for thou didſt only hide thy face from me, and I was troubled: Troubled in my body, troubled in my houſe, troubled in my eſtate; I ſaw my ſelf fruſtrate in my expectation. Great trouble, Lord, is now upon me, and thy wrathful diſpleaſure doth now for my ſecurity and pride go over me: But now, O Lord, take away thy hand from me, for I am even conſumed by thy heavy hand.
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? How ſhall my life be beneficial to thy honour, or to men, if being taken away by an untimely death, I be laid up in the Grave, and my body rot in the Earth; Shall the duſt praiſe thee, or ſhall it declare thy Truth? Shall a dead man reſolved into aſhes, ſing praiſes to thy honour among men? or make boaſt of thy faithfulneſs in performing what thou haſt promiſed? 'Tis for thine honour then to prorogue my life, and for thine honour ſake I entreat, that thou reſpite me, that thy ſervants may ſée that thou haſt made good thy Word unto me, and thy enemies may not have occaſion to deride the Truth of thy promiſes, and blaſpheme: For this reaſon eſpecially unto thee, O Lord, I cry in my diſtreſs, and unto the Lord do I make my ſupplication; Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; Lord, be thou my Helper.
And when I thus prayed, Thou O Lord, in mercy haſt heard me: I cryed, and thou haſt healed me; I called in the pit, and thou ſtaſt lifted me up: Thou haſt brought my ſoul from the Grave, Thou haſt kept me alive, that my enemies ſhould not rejoyce over me: Thou haſt turned for me my heavineſs into joy; Thou haſt put off my ſack-cloth with which I am cloathed, as became a Mourner, and girded and compaiſed me on every ſide with gladneſs.
For thine anger, in which thou didſt juſtly chaſtiſe me, though ſharp, was but for a moment, and in thy favour I have found life; weeping hath endured with me for a night, but joy came to me in the morning.
Therefore my tongue ſhall ſing and praiſe thee, I will not be ſilent of thee, O Lord my God, I will extoll thy Name, and give thee thanks for ever.
And all you, who are his Saints, joyn your voyces with me, and give thanks to him; remember that he is a good and merciful God; remember that he is a holy God, and will viſit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth Generation: Remember that he is a gracious God, and will not alway be chiding, nor keeps his anger for ever. Appear then before him, and where he is pleaſed to be preſent, ſing Praiſes to him. O Lord, we will …lwayes ſend forth thy honour through the Name of Ieſus Chriſt our Lord. Amen.