Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 2 · Psalm 57
PSAL. LVII. Ne Perdas, foreign, aut Deprecatoriùs.
THIS Pſalm was compoſed by David, when he hid himſelf from Saul in the Cave, 1 Sam. 24.
The contents of it are:
His Petition, ver. 1.
The Reaſons that perſwaded him to it, from v. 1. to 6.
His profeſſion of thanks, ver. 5, 7, 8, &c.
1. His Petition is ardent, the Epizeuxis ſhews it, The firſt part. His Petition for mercy.and it is for grace and protection: Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me.
2. And he preſently ſubjoins his Reaſons to perſwade God to be merciful.
1. From his faith and confidence he had in God alone: The Reaſons. The ſecond part. 1. His affiance in God.For my ſoul truſteth in thee, and under the ſhadow of thy wings, as the Chicken doth under the wing of the Hen, ſhall be my refuge untill this Tyranny be over-paſt.
2. From the ſufficiency and efficiency of God: I will call upon God.
1. The moſt High; ſufficient then he is, and able to deliver me.
2. That performeth all things for me; and will therefore effect it.2Gods ſufficiency and efficiency.
And upon this Argument he inſiſts in the following verſe.
He ſhall ſend from Heaven, ſome miraculous way he ſhall do it; ſend from Heaven, and ſave me from the reproach of him that would ſwallow me up. Selah. God ſhall ſend forth his Mercy and Truth; perform his word, and mercifully ſave me.
3. The third Reaſon of his Petition, was, 3His great danger.the extream danger he was then in by a cruel and mercileſs enemy.
1. My ſoul is among Lyons; a ravenous, bloody creature. Ver. 4
2. I lie even among thoſe that are ſet on fire; their anger and hatred to me is implacable.
3. Even among the ſons of men, whoſe teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a ſharp Sword: They calumniate me, and wound deeper than theſe weapons: A Spear wounds near, an Arrow afar off, a Sword at hand; near or far off, they ſpare not to diſgrace me, fortiter accuſant.
4. And now he draws an Argument more ſtrong than all the reſt; for he puts God in mind of that which he will not part with, 4Gods honourhis Glory: A glory it would be to him to be merciful, to ſave and deliver, and therefore he prayes:
Be thou exalted, O God, above the Heavens, and let thy Glory be above all the earth; that is, ſhew thy Power, and aſſert thy Glory, let not the wicked thus exult, which if thou ſhalt do, thy Glory will be conſpicuous above in Heaven, and below over all the earth.
And then he falls again upon his complaint, deſcribing the practiſes of his enemies.
1. He reiterates his danger. But foretels the event.They have prepared a Net for my ſteps; inſidiantur, as Fowlers.
2. So that my ſoul is bowed down; my life is in great danger.
3. They have digged a Pit before me, intending to take me, as ſome wild Beaſt; but praiſed be God, I foreſee the event; They are fallen into the Pit themſelves.
foreign.
Ne que enim lex juſtior ulla eſt, quam necis artificem arte perire ſuâ.
Upon the confidence of which David gives thanks, The third part. For it gives thanks, which conſiſts of.which alſo may be a fourth Argument; for no ſuch way to procure a new favour, as to be thankful; and by his example we may learn how to give thanks, two eſpecial points our thankſgiving muſt conſiſt of, and we meet with both of them here; the firſt is, Commemoration; the ſecond, Annunciation.
1. He that will be thankful, muſt treaſure up in his heart and memory, the courteſie that is done him; 1A Commemoration.ſo had David done, and therefore he mentions his heart; and to make it more emphatical, he names it again, My heart.
2. 2An AffectionAfter he remembers it, he muſt be affected with it, and reſolve upon it; ſo doth David, My heart is ready, or elſe, My heart is fixed, confirmed, I am in it to be thankful, and I cannot be altered.
3. 3An Annunciation.'Tis not enough that a man carry about with him a thankful heart, he muſt anunciare, tell it abroad, and make it known publickly what God hath done for him; 1With joy.yea, and do it joyfully too: I will, ſaith David, ſing and give praiſe.
4. He muſt uſe all means he can to make it known, Tongue, Pſaltery and Harp, 2By all means poſſibleare all little enough; whence by an Apostrophe, David turns to theſe, Awake my Glory; i.e. Tongue awake, Lute and Harp, I my ſelf will awake.
5. 3With fervency.He muſt not do it in a ſleepy manner, but with contention, and earneſtneſs of ſpirit: Awake, awake, I will awake.
6. 4Opportunely.He muſt take the firſt opportunity to do it, and not hang off, and delay it: I will awake early.
7. 5Publickly.He muſt do it in ſuch a place, and ſuch an Aſſembly, as may moſt redound to Gods honour: I will praiſe thee, O God, among the people; I will ſing of thee among the Nations.
Now that all this be done, The Reaſon.David, ver. 10. gives a ſufficient Reaſon, that which may move any man to do it, Gods Mercy and Truth; his Mercies, his infinite Mercies in promiſing; his Truth in performing, For thy Mercy is great to the Heavens, and thy Truth to the Clouds.
And then, as is uſual in Poeſie, he repeats the verſe before, in which we meet with this foreign, Be thou exalted Lord, above the Heavens, and thy Glory above the Earth.
The Prayer collected out of the fifty ſeventh Pſalm.
O Lord, our enemies are many and mighty, they roar againſt us like Lyons, they are ſet on fire to devoure us; their teeth are as ſpears and arrows, and their tongue a ſharp ſword, to wound us in our good name; crafty they are, for they have digged a Pit; and cunning they are, for they have ſpread a Net to enſnare, to take us.
O Lord be merciful, O God be merciful unto us, ſend down, we beſéech thée, help from Heaven, and ſave us from the reproach of them that would eat us up. Declare thy power, O Lord, and come amongſt us, and ſend forth thy Mercy and Truth for our deliverance; thy Mercy is infinite, thy Word is paſt, and in that my ſoul truſteth, and in the ſhadow of thy wings; in thy protection only, ſhall be my Refuge, till theſe calamities be over-paſt.
Continually, and with an ardent ſoul, I will call upon that God which is the moſt High, moſt potent; that God that hath ſo often done me good, and I doubt not but be will perform his word, and make perfect his ſalvation.
Do thou, O Lord, declare thy power, and ſhew that thou art the Lord of the whole Earth, get thy ſelf a Name by the puniſhment of theſe wicked men, that all things both in Heaven and Earth may exalt thy juſtice, and give thée the glory.
To do this, O Lord, my heart is ready, my heart is fixed, for thy benefits ſhall never ſlip out of my memory, nor thy goodneſs recede from my heart; neither will I remember them alone, but they ſhall be my ſong in the houſe of my pilgrimage; I will compoſe Hymns to the honour of thy Name, and in my ſong praiſe thée.
I will ſay to my heart and tongue, which art my glory, awake out of thy bed of forgetfulneſs, ſhake off this dulneſs in which thou haſt ſlept ſo long, and readily and chearfully ſing Hymns to the honour of thy Saviour; and that the praiſe may be the fuller, call for thy Harp and Pſaltery, and all other inſtruments of Muſick, which in theſe troubleſome times have béen broken and caſt by; call for theſe, I ſay, and make a melodious ſound in the ears of the God of Jacob.
Come along with me, and we will enter together into the houſe of our God, then before the morning Sun, that we may praiſe him early with joyful lips: There will we praiſe thee, O Lord, in the Aſſembly of many people; there will we chant Hymns to thy honour before many Nations.
For thy mercy is ſo great, That it reacheth to the very Heavens; and thy faithfulneſs in keeping thy promiſes ſuch, That it extends above the Clouds; for both theſe mount up to the Heavens above, and paſs through the Earth beneath; both theſe are ſo high and wonderful, that they can never be comprehended by us.
Therefore I pray, and I pray again, that thou wouldſt ſhew thy ſelf Lord of the Heaven, and that thou wouldſt ſhew thy Glory in the whole Earth; which, though thou doſt eminently, when thou doſt frée the innocent from the hand of the Oppreſſor, yet then thou ſhalt perfectly bring it to paſs, when the goodneſs and mercy, and glory of thy juſtice being divulged through the World by the preaching of thy Goſpel, all falſe-worſhip being deſtroy…, thou ſhalt drow all men unto thy ſelf.
Ariſe therefore, O good Father, Be thou exalted, and make thy glory illuſtrious, convert all Nations to the Truth; break the Nets, fill up the pits, make the craft and ſubtilty of Antichriſt and his Followers of none effect, which they uſe to eclipſe the light of thy Goſpel; ſo ſhall our hearts be every day more and more confirmed to confeſs, praiſe, and celebrate thy Name, and to exalt it above all things, through Ieſus Chriſt thy only Son, and out only Saviour. Amen.