Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 31
PSAL. XXXI. For one in anxiety of ſpirit.
THIS Pſalm is compoſed, and mixt of diverſe affections; for David ſometimes prayes, ſometimes he gives thanks; now he complains, now he hopes; one while he fears, another while he exults.
This viciſſitude of affections is ſixfold, and it may very well divide the Pſalm.
1. With great confidence he prayes to God, from ver. 1. to 6.
2. He exults for mercy and help received, ver. 7, 8.
3. He grievouſly complains of the miſery he was in, from ver. 9. to 14.
4. He prayes again, upon the ſtrength of Gods goodneſs, from ver. 15. to 18.
5. He admires and exults, and proclaims Gods goodneſs, from ver. 19. to 22.
6. Laſtly, He exhorts others to love God, and be couragious, ver. 23, 24.
In the ſix firſt verſes, He prayes. The firſt part.he prayes to God, and ſhews his Reaſons.
1. Ver. 1 That he be never ſhame in his hope: Let me never be aſhamed.
2. That he be delivered, ſpeedily delivered.
3. Ver. 3 That God would be his Rock, and Houſe of defence to ſave him.
4. That God would lead him and guide him: Lead me, guide me.
5. That God would pull his feet out of the Net that they privily laid for him.
In effect his Petition is the ſame, His Reaſons.viz. to be delivered from his danger; and his Reaſons to perſwade God to do this for him, Ver. 1 are:
1. His faith and confidence: In thee, O Lord, I put my truſt.
2. The reaſon of his faith, God a Rock; Thou art my Rock and Fortreſs.
3. That this would redound to Gods honour: For thy Names ſake lead me.
4. Thou art my ſtrength.
5. I rely upon thee: Into thy hands I commit my ſpirit.
6. Do to me, as thou haſt ever: Thou hast redeemed me heretofore.
7. I do not as other men, truſt to vain helps, but on thee only: I have hated them that regard lying Ʋanities, but I trust in the Lord.
And in effect as his Petition was the ſame, ſo are his Reaſons alſo: His confidence in God to be his Deliverer, his Fortreſs, Rock, Redeemer…, &c.
In which we have an example of a man in miſery, that thinks he can never ſay enough for himſelf, and that makes him deſcant on the ſame thing, which is no flat Tautology, but an elegant foreign, or Expolition, Then again, we have a pattern for a pious ſoul in trouble to imitate, Ver. 1 that be the preſſure never ſo great, yet he ſayes to his God, Thou art my Rock, my Fortreſs, my Strength: Thou haſt redeemed me, I know I ſhall not be aſhamed of my hope; therefore I will trvſt in thee: So he begins, ſo he concludes this firſt part of his prayer.
2. Next he exults and gives thanks for ſome former deliverance, The ſecond part.and by the experience of that, doubts the leſs in this. Perhaps the Chorus ſang this.He exults and gives thanks, Moller.
1. I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy. And his reaſon follows from his experience.
2. For thou haſt conſider'd my trouble. 2. Thou haſt known, i. e. Vers. 7 ſeen my ſoul in adverſity. I have ſeen, Upon his deliverance.I have ſeen the afflictions of my people, &c. 3. And haſt not ſhut me up into the hand of the enemy. 4. But haſt ſet my feet in a large room.
3. And now he prayes again. 2. The third part. He prayes again.And complains of what he ſuffer'd within, and without.
1. He prayes. Have mercy upon me, O Lord. Vers. 9
2. Then he complains, Complains.and in his complaint ſhews the reaſon of his prayer for mercy.
1. Within, at home he was in a ſad caſe: For I am in trouble, my eye is conſumed with grief, yea my ſoul and my belly. Totus marceſco. Of the ſad caſe he was in.My life is ſpent with grief, and my years with ſighing, my ſtrength faileth, becauſe of my iniquity, and my bones are conſumed.
2. Without, I have little comfort either from friends or enemies;
1. I was a reproach among all my enemies.
2. Then for my friends, they ſtood afar off. They eſpecially; but especially among my neighbours, and I became a fear to my acquaintance. They that ſee me without, fled from me.
2. And then he aggravates the greatneſs of his grief, and ſcorn, This he aggravates.and contempt. I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind, u muertos y ydos no ſon amigos. I am become as a broken veſſel. What more vile, what more uſeleſs?
3. And which is yet more, the people they mock me. I have beard the ſlaunder of the many.
4. And the Conſequent was miſchievous. Fear is on every ſide. 2. While they conſpire, or took counſel together againſt me. 3. And their counſel was, they deviſed to take away my life. What could enemies do more, or friends permit?
And after his Complaint, The fourt… part.he comforts himſelf with his firſt and chief reaſon again. But I have truſted in thee, O Lord, and ſaid, Thou art my God. Vers. 14 Let them conſpire, take counſel, and deviſe what they can, yet I know, He comforts himſelf in God.except thou permit them, they are not able to do it. Thou art my God, in thee I truſt. For my time is in thy hand, not in theirs, i. e. My life.
And then he falls to prayer again, which conſiſts of three parts.
1. A Deprecation. 2. A Supplication. 3. And an Imprecation.He prayes yet againn.
1. A Deprecation, for he prayes that he come not into their power. 1He deprecates.Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from them that perſecute me.
2. A Supplication. Make thy face to ſhine upon thy ſervant: ſave me for thy mercies ſake: Let me not be aſham'd, for I have call'd upon thee, 2Supplicate…O Lord.
3. An Imprecation. Let the wicked be aſhamed, and be ſilent in the grave: as we uſually ſay, ſilent, leges inter arma, when they are of no force. 3Imprecates againſt the wicked.So let the wicked dye, be ſilent, and have no power. 2. Let the lying lips be put to ſilence: which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuouſly againſt the righteous.
In which there be ſo many Arguments to quicken the grant of his Imprecation.
1. The quality of their perſons. They are wicked, impious men.Whoſe qualities he ſets forth.
2. There is no truth in them; they have lying lips. Their words are falſe.
3. And their actions worſe; they ſpeak grievous things, and that against the righteous.
4. Then their intention is worſt of all, for they do it proudly, contemptuouſly, diſdainfully, deſpitefully. It proceeds ex malo habitu.
In the fifth part, he ſets out the abundant goodneſs of the Lord to his people, The fifth part.and, He admires Gods goodneſs to his people.as it were a little carried beyond himſelf by a divine rapture or extaſie, in a holy admiration he exclaims, O how great is thy goodneſs, which thou hast laid up, Vers. 19 which thou haſt wrought for them that truſt in thee before the ſons of men! This goodneſs of God is often laid up and hid, as it was to the Iſraelites in Egypt, not ſeen for many years, but after a long time it was brought forth and wrought, even before the ſons of men.
But then obſerve, this goodneſs is laid up for none, nor wrought for none, but ſuch as fear him. 2. Put their truſt in him, expect and believe his promiſes. Vers. 20 And the Acts and Works of his goodneſs are here ſpecified.
1. The ſpecialties of it.Thou ſhalt hide them in the ſecret of thy preſence from the pride of man.
2. Thou ſhalt keep them ſecretly in a Pavilion from the ſtrife of tongues.
Upon which conſideration in gratitude he breaks out into a Benedictus.
1. Bleſſed be the Lord, for he hath ſhew'd me his marvellous kindneſs, &c.
2. For which he bleſſeth God.And corrects his errour and former miſtake. I ſaid in my haſte, taſhly, imprudently, I am cut off from before thine eyes. Such was his raſh judgement. But he confeſſeth and amends this his folly: And corrects his errour.Nevertheleſs, thou heardſt the voice of my ſupplication, when I cryed unto thee.
6. The ſixth part. He exhorts the Saints toAnd ſo he falls upon the laſt part, which is an Exhortation to the Saints. 1. That they love God. 2. That they be of good courage, for it was the ſame God ſtill, and he would be as good to others, as he was to him.
1. That they love for two reaſons. 1. For that the Lord preſerveth the faithful. 1Love God.2. That he plentifully rewardeth the proud doer: That was his Mercy, this his Juſtice.
2. 2That they be couragious.That they be of good courage. For then he ſhall ſtrengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. They deſpair not, but keep their heart fix'd and firm to the profeſſion of truth; which would be a ſeal of their hope.
The Prayer collected out of the 31. Pſalm.
O Merciful Father, who art wont to take pity on thoſe who are diſtreſſed, have mercy on me a poor wretch, Vers. 9 who am in trouble and great miſery: So many and ſo great are the ſorrows of my heart, that my eye is grown dim, and conſumed with grief, my ſoul pines away, and the activeſt parts of my whole body are dryed up, and become unſerviceable. The beſt part of my life is ſpent in heavineſs, Vers. 10 and my years are unpleaſant for mourning, my iniquity and tranſgreſſion againſt thée is ſo great, that when I ſadly think thereupon, my vital ſpirits and ſtrength fails me, and the ſolidity and firmneſs of my bones is waſted with a conſumption.
Yea, though my affliction be ſo great and urgent, yet among men I found not any to comfort me. To my enemies I am become a proverb of reproach, and to the many a ſcorn and deriſion, they load me ſo thick with ſlanderous reports, that fear is on every ſide, they take counſel together to take away my life.
But theſe were enemies, and I expected no other from them, that which moſt déeply pierceth my heart, is, that all my friends ſhould become miſerable comforters; theſe, even theſe when they ſaw me deſtitute of thy help, have forſaken me, conveyed themſelves away, and fled from me; there's not a Neighbour that doth not ſcorn me, not any of my acquaintance who is not afraid to own me: I am forgotten as a dead man, of whom, being laid in the grave, there is no remembrance, I am of no more accompt than a broken veſſel, of which there is no eſtéem, becauſe of no uſe, but is caſt to the Dunghill.
Yet though I am brought to this pitiful condition. I do not deſpair, in thee, O Lord, I do put my truſt. I have ſaid, Thou art my God. Suffer me not to be aſhamed of my hope and expectation; Vers. 2 Bow down thine ear to my complaint, and deliver me for thy righteouſneſs ſake, ſave me ſpeedily from the hands of my enemies, and from them that perſecute me. Make thy gracious countenance to ſhine upon thy ſervant, and ſave me for thy meer Mercy. It is only to thy hands, to thy power and care, I commend my ſpirit and life, which they go about to take from me. This, at other times, Vers. 5 thou haſt redeem'd from their fury, be then a good God now unto me, and trus in thy promiſes, and deliver me now. They have laid a net and ſnare to take me at unawares, but do thou pull me out of it. Be my houſe and defence to ſave me, my ſtrength to confirm me, my Rock to uphold me, my light to lead and guide me. They lie in wait for my blood, but my time is in thy hand, who art the Lord of life and death, thou giveſt, thou takeſt away, O then ſhut me not up in the hand of the enemy, ſet my feet in a large room, and let me enjoy my liberty.
O how great is thy goodneſs which thou haſt laid up for them that fear thee? It paſſeth mans underſtanding to conceive, and the eye of humane reaſon ſées it not, which judgeth of all things by the preſent ſucceſs: This thou haſt reſerv'd in ſecret for thoſe which ſerve thée with a ſincere heart, and in thy good time, thou by great works, which thou wilt do for thoſe who truſt in thee, wilt manifeſt it, even before the ſons of men.
The pride of man is great, and in their pride they attempt to throw down thoſe who in ſincerity worſhip thée, their tongues are ſharp and contentious, and in their malice they invent many lyes and ſcandals againſt them, but thou O Lord, wilt hide thoſe thou loveſt in the ſecret of thy preſence from the pride of man, and wilt keep them ſecretly, as in a Pavilion, from the ſtrife of tongues.
And yet I preſſed with the conſideration of many evils, in which I thought my ſelf forſaken, ſaid raſhly in my haſt, Surely I am cut off from before thine eyes, thou wilt never certainly caſt any favourable look toward me. Such was my infirmity, ſo great my inconſideration. But thy mercy paſſed by even then my weakneſs, and ſetled my ſtaggering ſoul. Notwithſtanding my imperfections, thou heardſt the voice of my Supplications, when I cryed unto thee.
Hear me then now, O Lord, conſider my troubles, know that my ſoul is in adverſity, have mercy upon me, for I call unto thée for help, and let me not be aſhamed. But as for the wicked, let them be put to confuſion, and let them be cut off for the grave, that they be able to do no more miſchief. Let thoſe that invent and ſpeak lyes be put to ſilence, that with pride, disdain, and cruelty ſpeak againſt the righteous.
Bleſſed be the Lord, and praiſed be his name, who hath not only delivered me out of danger, but hath ſhewed unto me, in a ſuperabundant manner, his marvellous great kindneſs, and loaded me with happineſs, glory, and ſuperfluity of all things, yea and ſet me in a ſafe and defenced place.
O lov… ye the Lord, all ye his Saints, all ye that ſerve the Lord in holineſs, murmure not againſt his providence, but when ye ſée me a man deſtitute of all humane help, delivered, hope for the ſame favour from his hands, be of good courage, and ſtrengthen your hearts.
O Lord, preſerve the faithful, and though the wicked flouriſh, and pride it in their ſucceſs, yet look upon our affliction, and plentifully reward the proud doer. As for thoſe, who with an honeſt heart ſerve thée, give them conſtancy and perſeverance in thy love, fear, and Truth, and let their hope in thée be well rooted and confirmed through the Son of thy love, Ieſus Chriſt our only Lord and Saviour. Amen.