Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 4
PSALM IV. The occaſion, Trouble from enemies.
THERE be three parts of it.
1. An entrance or petition for Audience, verſ. 1.
2. An Apoſtrophe to his enemies, which is
Reprehenſive. 2, 3.
Admonitory. 4, 5
3. A Petition for himſelf and Gods people, verſ. 6, 7, 8.The firſt part.
1. He propoſeth his requeſt and ſuit for Audience. Hear me when I call, Vers. 1 Have mercy upon me, or be gra…ious unto me, and hear my prayer. He prayes for audience and mercy upon four grounds.And he ſeeks to win attention from God by an inſinuation implicitely containing four Arguments.
1. Gods Covenant with man, who hath promiſed to hear when we call, 1Gods promiſe.Call upon me in trouble, and I will hear thee. I call; Hear me therefore when I call.
2. His own innocence. He ſuffer'd without fault, 2 His innnocence.God is the Judge and Revenger of innocents. Hear me therefore, O God of my righteouſneſs.
3. He requeſts no more, 3Gods former goodneſs to him.than what God had done for him at other times when he was in diſtreſs. Thou haſt enlarg'd me in trouble, and why not now?
4. It was mercy and favour to anſwer him then, 4And his mercy.and it will be mercy and favour to do it again. Have mercy upon me, or be gracious to me.
2. His Petition being thus headed and ended, The ſecond part.he deſcends to the doctrinal part of the Pſalm, and turning himſelf to his enemies, he 1. Sharply Reproves them. 2. Then warns them, and gives them good counſel.
1. He turns his ſpeech from God to men, the chiefeſt, but the worſt of men. 1He reproves his enemies.Filii Enoſh. O ye ſons Virorum. No Plebeians, Vers. 2 but Nobles and chief men. The charge he lays to them, is,
1. That they turn'd his glory into ſhame. 1That they fought againſt Gods decree.They went about to diſhonour him, that God had call'd and anointed to the Kingdom.
2. That they lov'd vanity. A vain attempt they were in love with.2That in vain
3. That they ſought after leaſing. 3That lyars.They purſued that which would deceive them; they would find at laſt, that treachery and iniquity lyed unto it ſelf; for God had ſaid he ſhould reign, and he muſt reign, whatſoever they conceiv'd to the contrary, was but a lye.
4. That this his charge might have the more life, 4That obdurate in their rebellion.he figures it with a ſtinging interrogation, Ʋſ que quo? it is not, Quare, Why? but Uſ que quo? How long? By which he doth aggravate their ſins. It had malice, and pertinacy in it. They did perſiſt and continue in miſchief. And he asks, How long they would do it? But he would have them know, that God had choſen, and would hear him.What never give over to proſecute him?
2. And that they might, if poſſible, be drawn from their attempts, he ſends them a Noverint to read, which hath two clauſes.
1. Let them know, That God hath ſet apart him that is godly for himſelf. Vers. 3
2. That God will hear, when I, or any good man, calls upon him.
2. 2He gives them good counſel.The Reproof both of Vanity and Malice of their attempts and ignorance being ended; He gives them good counſel.
1. Vers. 4 1That they ſin not by their anger.That though they be angry, yet that they let not the Sun go down upon their wrath. That they ſtand in awe of God, and ſin not in their anger.
2. 2That they ſeclude their paſſions and intereſts.That they commune with their own hearts, their own conſcience, that they do it in their bed, a fit time, a fit place, when retired from all Conſpiratours, that they be ſtill then, and ſeclude their paſſions and intereſts. Then they ſhould rightly judge, whether they were not in an errour, their anger cauſleſs, and their proſecution vain and unjuſt.
3. Vers. 5 3That they ſerve God with an honeſt heart.That they offer the ſacrifice of righteouſneſs. That they ſerve and worſhip God with an honeſt, ſincere, and contrite heart, which is the beſt ſacrifice.
4. 4That they truſt in God.That they put their truſt in the Lord. They truſt no more to their Lyes, nor love their Vanities, but relie upon Gods promiſes. For then they would depoſe all their vain attempts.
3. The third part. Verſ. 6. The Queſtion anſwer'd de Summo Bono.The third part of the Pſalm begins at the ſixth verſe, with this Queſtion of …hoſe men that David reproves and counſels, There be many that ſay, Who will ſhew us any good? And ſome Interpreters referre it
1. To their malice. As if they had ſaid, Who will ſhew us the good that we ſo much deſire and long for? When ſhall we ſee David dead and confounded, that which is ſo good in our eyes? 2. Others make them words of inſultation, in great diſtreſs David now was, and many ſaid, Who is there now that will ſtand by him, and take his part, and ſhew him and his any good, any kindneſs, favour or aſſiſtance?
2. Which conſiſts in the light of Gods countenance.But Interpreters generally make it a ſerious queſtion, and a diſquiſition de ſummo bono. Who will ſhew us, that good, which will make us happy? To which David returns his anſwer in effect, that it is not Bona animi, nor bona fortunae, nor bona corporis: but the light of Gods countenance; and therefore
3. His Petition or Prayer for it.He preferres his Petition. Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Gods countenance is his grace, his favour, his love: and the light of his countenance the exhibition and expreſſion of this grace, favour, The effects of it arelove, in which alone lies all the happineſs of man. Of which David expreſſeth two effects. Gladneſs, and Security.
1. Vers. 7 1Gladneſs.Gladneſs and joy, far beyond that, which may be had from any temporal bleſſings. Thou haſt put gladneſs in my heart, more than in the time, that their corn, and wine, and oyle increaſed. Gladneſs beyond the joy in harveſt, and this joy is from the light of Gods countenance. For tu poſuiſti. Thou putt'ſt: Thou ſignally.
2. Vers. 8 2Security.Security, expreſs'd under the Metaphor of ſleep, I will lay me down in peace, and ſleep; Juſt as in a time of peace, and ſleeping as ſecurely, as if there were at this time nor trumpet, nor drumme, nor claſhing of armour rattling in his ears.
3. For this ſafety God aſſur'd him.To which he adds the reaſon. For thou Lord alone, makeſt me dwell in ſafety.
The Prayer collected out of the fourth Pſalm.
O Moſt merciful and loving Father, merciful in promiſing, and faithful in performing thy promiſes, which haſt commanded us to call upon thée in time of trouble, Vers. 1 and promiſed to hear thoſe that call, we thy poor afflicted and diſtreſſed people ſtraitned with miſeries, and beſet with ſorrows in obedience to thy commands, are bold to preſent our ſupplications before thée. O God of our righteouſneſs, hear us when we call, enlarge us in diſtreſs, have mercy upon us, be gracious unto us, and hear our praper.
How long ſhall the ſons of men turn our glory into ſhame? Vers. 2 how long ſhall the vanity they have lov'd, and the lyes, which with an obſtinate and malicious heart they have ſought for and forg'd, and their miſch…ous counſels, Vers. 3 prevail againſt us? O make them know, that however they ſeek to oppreſs us, yet thou, whoſe power no man can reſiſt, haſt choſen to thy ſelf, and wilt take into thy love, thoſe who are godly, and that when they call and cry to thee, thou wilt hear them.
The Ark is departed from Irſael, and ſhame hath cover'd our faces, and wilt thou alſo turn away thy face for ever? Return, O Shulamite, return, return, that we may look upon thee. Vers. 4 Then perhaps thoſe who now deſpight and hate us, may be reconcil'd unto us, and turn their anger into love, and their rage into ſorrow, that they perſecuted them, whom thou haſt ſmitten. Move all our hearts, good God, that we map ſtand in awe, and ſin no more, that we may recollect our wayes, and examine our own conſciences upon our beds, that ſo out of compunction and godly ſorrow, we may lament our furious thoughts toward our brethren, and hereafter bear more peaceable and quiet minds one toward another.
And becauſe no ſacrifice can pleaſe thee, Vers. 5 but that of a perſon to whom thou art reconcil'd, bath our ſouls in thy blood, purifie our hearts by faith, that through thy Son, and in thy Son, we may preſent unto thee our thanks for thy favours beſtow'd upon us, and reſerv'd for us: and our bodies and ſouls a holy, reaſonable, and living ſacrifice upon the Altar of a broken and contrite heart: In a word, ſo adore thee in ſpirit and truth, ſo love and practice piety and charity, that we may alwayes find thée propitious unto us.
There is not any thing, O Lord, but deſires its own good and happineſs. Vers. 6 The Sea tells us, that it is not to be found in it, and the earth that it is not to be found in it. From thée our heart procéeded, and reſtleſs it will be, until again it reſts in thée. Lord, then lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us, ſhine upon us with thy favour, beautifie us with thy grace, Vers. 7 aſſiſt us with thy hand and help, ſo ſhall we be both glad and ſecure.
The joy of harveſt, the content of new wine, the plenty of oyle, are but fading pleaſures in compariſon of thy love. Never then ſo let us ſet our hearts upon them that we forget thée, but from theſe gifts let us riſe to love thée, which art the giver, and be better pleaſ'd with the light of thy countenance, in which there is ſolid and eternal joy, than when our corn, and oyle, and wine is inceaſed. So let us love theſe, that we live in thée.
In thée alone is reſt, in thée ſecurity, in thée tranquility, Vers. 8 grant therefore O dear Father, that amidſt all the ſtorms and troubles of this life, we may lie down in peace, and ſléep in peace. Thou only, O gratious God, art able to make us dwell in ſafety, to thée therefore we flie for protection, to thée alone for ſafety and ſuccour. Frée us from our ſins, deliver us from our dangers, protect us from our enemies, but eſpecially from our ſins, that we may live in thy love, dye in thy favour, reſt and ſléep in our graves in peace, riſe in thy power, and remain with thée in glory for ever and ever. Amen.