Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 2 · Psalm 58
PSAL. LVIII. foreign.
DAƲID deprecates the danger that hung over his head from Saul and his counſel.
The parts of the Pſalm are three.
A ſharp Invective or Reprehenſion of his Adverſaries, ver. 1.
An Imprecation or Denunciation of Gods judgments upon them, from ver. 6. to 9.
The Benefits that the reby would redound to the righteous, ver. 10, 11.
1. The firſt part. He reprehends his Adverſaries.David begins with an Apoſtrophe, and figures it with an Eroteſis, which makes his reproof the ſharper.
1. Ver. 1 O Congregation, O ye counſel of Saul: By which he intimates, that indeed they did neither.
2. Do you indeed ſpeak righteouſly? By which he intimates, that indeed they did neither.
3. Do you judge uprightly, O ye ſons of men? By which he intimates, that indeed they did neither.
2. Ver. 2 Which in the next verſe in plain terms he affirms, and layes home to their charge: Yea, in heart you work wickedneſs: 2. You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth; heart and hand are bent to do evil; which the words well conſidered, do exaggerate.
1. They were iniquities, a plurality of them.
2. It was their work.
3. Their hearty work.
4. Their handy work.
5. Weighed out by their ſcale of juſtice.
6. Which indeed under the colour of juſtice was but violence.
7. And it was in this earth, in Iſrael, where no ſuch thing was to be done.
3. He aggravates their crime.This their wickedneſs he amplifies, both from the Original, and the Progreſs of it.
1. Ver. 3 The root of it was very old, into the World they brought it with them.
1. 1From their birth.The wicked are estranged from the womb: Alienati, from God, and all goodneſs.
2. They go aſtray; even from their Cradle they take the wrong way.
3. 2From their malice and obſtinacy.Aſſoon as they be born, ſpeaking lyes, enclined from the very Birth to falſhood.
2. And in this their falſhood, they are malicious and obſtinate.
1. Ver. 4 Malicious: The poyſon of their tongue is like the poyſon of a Serpent, innate, adanct, deadly.
2. Obſtinate; for they will not be reclaimed by any counſel or admonition: They are like the deaf Adder, that ſtops her ear, which refuſeth to hear the voyce of the Charmer, charm he never ſo wiſely.
2. The ſecond part. He prayes againſt, 1. their wayes and plots.Their wickedneſs, malice, and obſtinacy being ſo great, now he prayes againſt, and devotes them to Gods judgments; he prayes in general for their ruine, eſteeming them no better than Lyons; Saul the old Lyon, and his counſel Lyons whelps.
1. To God he turns his ſpeech, and he prayes againſt their means to hurt, whether near at hand, or afar off.
2. And then againſt their perſons.
O God, break their teeth in their mouth, breakout the great teeth of the Lyons; O Lord, remove their ſtrength, their neareſt inſtruments to hurt, to deſtroy.
O God, when they purpoſe to harm us, eminus, afar off, let it be in vain; when he bends his Bowe to ſhoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
Thus let it fall to their arms and offenſive weapons; but as for their perſons,2Their perſons, that they may be as waters, a Snail, an Abortive, as a fire of chorns.
1. Let them melt away as waters, great Brooks, that run with a violent force from the Mountains, and over-run for a little while the Vallies, but quickly are received in the Channels, and run continually to the Sea, and ſo ſwallowed.
2. Let them be as a Snail, that melts in her paſſage, and leaves a ſlimy filth behind, which yet quickly paſſeth away, ſo let them; or elſe like a Snail, whoſe ſhell being taken off, growes cold, and dyes.
3. L…t them be as an Abortive, like the untimely fruit of a woman, that they may not ſee the Sun.
4. Before your pots can feel the thorns, ere they can do much miſchief, The benefits that thereby would redound to the Church.he ſhall take them away, as with a whirle-wind, both living, and in his wrath.
3. The benefit that from this judgment upon the wicked ſhould redound to the Church.The third part.
1. Joyfulneſs: The righteous ſhall rejoyce when he ſeeth the vengeance.
2. Amendment; being warned by their harms, he ſhall waſh his foot-ſteps in their blood.
3. Confirmation of their faith, and giving glory to God; So that a man ſhall ſay, verily there is a reward for the righteous; doubtleſs there is a God that judgeth the Earth.
The Prayer collected out of the fifty eighth Pſalm.
O Merciful Lord God, who ſaidſt to Moſes, I have ſurely ſeen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, by reaſon of their Task-maſters; for I know their ſorrows, and cameſt down to deliver them; behold, we beſéech thée, our ſorrows and afflictions, hear our cries, and come down and deliver us; for of a truth at this time, both Pharoah and his Hoſt are gathered againſt thy people, to do whatſoever thy hand, and thy counſel hath determined before to be done.
A Counſel under pretence of Religion and Piety they have eſtabliſhed; Ver. 1 a Court under the colour of juſtice they have erected, whence they weigh to us the violence of their hands, and turn judgment into gall, and juſtice into wormwood, they ſpeak not righteouſneſs, they judge not uprightly; in their heart they work wickedneſs, and their hands deal with violence.
From the very womb they brought evil into the World with them, and ever ſince they are gone aſtray, and yet continue to ſpeak lies. Their nature is corrupt, and full of poyſon; no Adder more venemous, no Serpent more bent on revenge; and though thou haſt given thy Word to charm them, and put it into the mouths of thy ſervants the Prophets to reclaim them; yet, They are like the deaf Adder that ſtops her ear, they refuſe to hear the voyce of thy Charmers, charm they never ſo wiſely.
O God, to whom ſhould we make our moan, but to thée? to whom ſhould we appeal and flie, except to thée; either thou muſt deliver us, or our condition is miſerable, thou muſt ſave us, or we muſt periſh; for our ſoul is among Lyons.
Break thou the teeth of the old Lyon, O Lord, in his mouth, break out the teeth of the Lyons whelps; O Lord, make all their inſtruments of danger to us of no ſtrength, and the means they truſt in to harm us of no efficacy: Let their Arrows they ſhoot againſt us be cut to pieces, and their Bowe broken.
As for their perſons, let them be as a violent Torrent, that ſuddenly ſwells and falls, even as water that runs apace, and returns no more: Pull them out of their houſes and habitations, and make their end like that of a Snail, which being outed of his ſhell, quickly ſhainks, and dies; or elſe let them and their endeavours be, as the untimely fruit of a woman, that never ſees the Sun: A noiſe they have kept, and a blaze they have made, like as the flaſh of thorns about a Pot; but thou, O Lord, take them away as with a whirlewins; while they ſéem moſt living and flaming, extinguiſh them as in thy wrath.
When righteous men ſhall ſée the vengeance thou takeſt on them, they will rej…yce; not ſo much at their overthrow, as for that thou haſt exalted thy juſtice, and avenged thine own cauſe, and pleaded for thy people: And we alſo which are thy people, and ſhéep of thy paſture, ſhall learn by their example, by our wicked wayes, not to provoke thy indignation. Good God give us the grace, to waſh our foot-ſteps in the blood of the ungodly; and that we may be warned by their harms, Ver. 1 not to work wickedneſs in our hearts, nor to weigh out violence with our hands; but rather, to ſpeak righteouſneſs, and to judge uprightly.
For verily there is a reward for the righteous, doubtleſs there is a God that now judgeth the earth, and will at the laſt day come to judge both the quick and the dead; even ſo come Lord Jeſus.