Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 4 [i.e. 5] · Psalm 101
PSAL. CI. A Pſalm of David. Didaſcalicus.
DAƲID being Anointed by Samuel to be King, or as moſt conceive, newly made King, promiſeth and vows to God to reign in Righteouſneſs and Holineſs. In a word, he would ſo govern Himſelf, his Palace, the Church, the State, that all wicked doers being taken away, and all good men countenanc'd by him, God ſhould be honour'd, and juſtice, peace, temperance, piety flouriſh.
Two parts of the Pſalm.
1. The Syllabus, or brief of the Pſalm: with the Dedication of it, verſ. 1.
2. The full Explication of what he means by Mercy and Judgement, and how practiſed
1. Toward himſelf. For he ſhews what his life ſhall be, from verſ. 2. to 5.
2. Toward ungodly men, verſ. 4, 5, 7, 8. and the end of it, verſ. 8.
3. Toward all good men, verſ. 6. Theſe ſhould be his Counſellors and Servants.
1. The ſum of the Pſalm. The firſt part.He Summarily ſets down what he will treat of in this Pſalm, viz. Mercy and Judgement, the two great vertues of a King. I will ſing of mercy and judgement. Ver. 1
1. Mercy, Judgement, which he really vowes.Mercy, in countenancing, giving audience, judging for, and rewarding the good.
2. Judgement, in diſcountenancing, puniſhing, and being a terror to evil works, and workers.
And that he would do this really, not talk and ſeem to profeſs a great love to Mercy and Judgement, as Princes uſe to do, when they mean no ſuch matter. He makes a Solemn Vow to God to perform it. Unto thee, O Lord, will I ſing. From thee proceed theſe gifts, to thy honour they ſhall be referr'd, and by me, as in thy ſight, impartially executed. This I Vow and Promiſe to thee.
2. The ſecond part.And firſt I will begin with the reformation of my ſelf, and my own houſe, that I may be an example to my whole Kingdom.
1. 1In himſelf; for he would walk wiſely in his houſe.I will behave my ſelf wiſely in a perfect way. 1. Via, is Vita, and my life ſhall be perfect, pro statu viatoris. The way I ſhall chooſe, ſhall be the way of perfection. 2. And then I will walk wiſely in it; I will be wiſe as a Serpent, and as innocent as a Dove; for, for want of wiſdom, even in a perfect way, a man may be miſtaken. It is good to be zealous in a good matter, and in a good manner. We ſee in a good matter, zeal, where there wants prudence, commits foul errors.
2. God aſſiſting him with his grace.When wilt thou come unto me? Which ſome read with an interrogative point? and then it is an Ejaculation, When, O Lord, wilt thou perform thy promiſe to me? for as yet it is ſuppoſed by ſome, that he was not King: Or elſe, When wilt thou come unto me with thy aſſistance of grace? Others tead it, without the interrogative, and couple this clauſe to the former words, thus, I will behave my ſelf wiſely, when thou comeſt unto me, intimating that he was not able to do what he profeſſed, without the aid and help of Gods grace. But yet ſignifying thus much, that if God would come unto him to illuminate him, to teach him, to inflame him, to move, and inable him, he then would behave himſelf wiſely in a perfect way.
3. I will walk within my houſe with a perfect heart.
1. I will walk, it ſhould be his delight, his conſtant courſe, 2And with a perfect heart.as men take in their Garden-walks.
2. I will walk in my houſe; Not abroad only carrying himſelf modeſtly, but within doors, in his private Cloſet. Or elſe he would have a care of his Family.
3. I will walk in my houſe with a perfect heart. My heart, which is the fountain of life and death, I will keep with all diligence. That ſhall be ſincere, upright, innocent; though I may ſlip in my walk, yet it ſhall be far againſt my will. I will alwayes walk with a perfect heart:
Affirmatively he hath ſhewed what he would do; and in the next verſes, Negatively.Negatively he declares what he would not do; he had manifeſted the innocency of his heart, and now he ſhews what ſhould be the innocency of his eyes, and hands.
1. I will ſet no wicked thing before my eyes. Ver. 3 Death climbs up the windows, ſaith Jeremy. No wicked thing ſhould be eſteemed by him.Eve ſaw the forbidden fruit pleaſant to the eye. A chan ſaw the Wedge of Gold, and goodly Babyloniſh garment. Ut vidi, ut perii. So innocent he would be in judging his Subjects, and diſtributing honours, that nothing of Belial, 1His eye not love it.as the Hebrew hath it, ſhould come in his ſight, that might pervert his judgement. Oportet judicem non ſolum manus, ſed oculos habere continentes.
2. I hate the work of them that turn aſide. I hate it; for ſo he muſt, 2His heart hate it.that means to leave it; for when there is not a hatred of evil, the temptation will work too ſtrongly.
3. It ſhall not cleave to me. No part of it, God willing, 3His hands not touch it.ſhall cleave to his fingers.
2. Declared he hath, what he would be in himſelf, 2To others, if wicked, he would be ſevere:and now he ſets forth what he would be toward others, both bad and good. And firſt as touching naught and evil men.
1. A froward heart, that is, a man of a perverſe, froward, and crooked heart, ſhall depart from me. Ver. 4
2. I will not know, that is, approve, uphold, countenance, For inſtance ſuch he would be,love a wicked perſon.
Of which froward, malicious, and wicked people, he gives three inſtances in the following verſes, Detractors, proud, and fraudulent men. Such he would not endure. Ver. 5
1. Whoſo privily ſlandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: 1To ſlanderers.from the Court, from my friendſhip, from his government, from life it ſelf, if the flender deſerves it.
2. Him that hath a high look, is proud. 2To proud men.For pride is ſhew'd in the look and eye.
3. And a proud heart. Heb. Latus corde, 3To the ambitious and cove…ous.a heart ſo extended with ambition and coverouſneſs, that it cannot be ſatisfied with riches and honours. Him I will not ſuffer. He ſhall not eat with me.
Theſe ſhall not be about me, nor find any countenance from me, 3But to good men a kind Prince.ſuch I will puniſh, and not favour. Others there are whom I will prefer and honour, faithful and honeſt men: For he ſhews now how he would carry himſelf to honeſt men.
1. My eye ſhall be upon the faithful in the Land, Ver. 6 that they may dwell with me, be my Servants, ſit at my Table, and be my Counſellors.Theſe ſhould be his ſervants
2. He that walks in a perfect way, that ſerves God, ſhall ſerve me. For certainly, he that will not ferve God ſincerely, will never faithfully ſerve man.
And ſo having oppoſed by way of Antitheſis to the fifth verſe, But he would give no countenance,what kind of men ſhould be of his Court and Counſel. He proceeds in his Negative, and adds, whom he would not entertain; before not ſlanderers, no proud men, not ambitious, Ver. 7 nor covetous. But now,
1. 1To diſſemblers.No fraudulent perſons. He that works deceit, ſhall not dwell in my houſe. Enter they might, but upon diſcovery, ſtay they ſhould not, dwell they ſhould not there.
2. 2To Lyars.Nor Lyars. He that telleth lyes, ſhall not tarry in my ſight. He ſhall not find grace in my eyes.
And in Concluſion, 3To no evil Doers.that he need not inſtance in more, he ſhews his diſlike to all evil doers, and his zeal to purge the City of God from ſcandalous perſons.
1. With ſuch he would make quick work. I will early, that is, ſpeedily, and maturely do it, before the evil be too faſt rooted.
2. Ver. 8 I will deſtroy all the wicked of the Land. All of them ſhall go one and the ſame way, Theſe he would deſtroy.who are worthy of death, and whoſe life may endanger innocent perſons.
3. His end in this ſeverity was. That I may cut off all wicked doers from the City of the Lord, i. e. That to the Church, which is a holy and a peaceable City, I may reſtore Holineſs, Piety, and Peace; and to the ſociety of men that live within it, tranquillity, and adminiſtration of juſtice, all diſturbers of Peace and Piety, being utterly unrooted, which under Sauls government bore too great a ſway.
A Prayer for a King, or Chief Magiſtrate, collected out of the one hundred and firſt Pſalm.
O Thou mighty King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, by whom Kings and Princes decree juſtice, Ver. 1 that eſpecially which thou requireſt of thy Vicegerents on earth, is, That they ſhew Mercy, and execute Judgement, that they extend acts of Grace and Charity toward the good, and to be a terror to evil doers.
Come, Ver. 2 Lord, unto me with thy aid and Spirit, for without thy help I am not able to do any duty, and make me firſt to reform my ſelf and my houſe. Cauſe me to walk wiſely with zeal and prudence in a perfect way. Give me power to walk conſtantly, and with delight in my own family, with a perfect heart, Ver. 3 that I may be a pattern of good works unto all within my houſe, an example of piety, religion, iuſtice and charity to all about me.
Slip, Lord, and fall I may, but it ſhall not be willingly and maliciouſly, for I will ſet no wicked thing before my eyes, that I ſhould be tempted thereby; Thou, Lord, haſt hitherto put into my heart, a hatred of the works of them that turn aſide, Ver. 4 and gracious God, continue in me that hatred ſtill, for ſo I am ſure, that nor the Wedge of Gold, nor the Babyloniſh Garment, ſhall cleave to my fingers.
Give me ſo much courage, O Lord, as to execute judgement upon the wicked; Ver. 5 and ſo much charity, as to extend mercy to the good. Let my juſtice be ſo exemplar, that every man of a crooked and perverſe, froward heart, be afraid of me, and depart from me; let me never know, countenance, or ſhew the leaſt friendſhip to a wicked perſon Embolden me to cut off every one that privily ſlandereth his neighbour. Ver. 7 As for the men, who ſhew the pride of their heart with the rowling of their eyes; and for ſuch, who have a heart ſo full ſwoln with ambition and covetouſneſs, that nothing can ſatisfie, ſuffer me not to have any familiarity with them, not ſo much as to admit them to my Table.
Thou knoweſt, O Lord, how full the world now is of fraudulent perſons, and men of lying lips, make my ſevetity ſo awful, and my authority ſo reverential, that he that works deceit, do not dare to dwell, ſtay and remain within my houſe, and he that tells lyes, be afraid to tarry in my ſight.
As on the contrary, move me to diſcern, Ver. 6 and to be favourable is all thoſe who are faithful in the Land, men of truth and truſt, let my eyes be bent upon them to do them good, theſe let me call from all places to dwell with me, and if there be any that walk in a perfect way, bring him to be my ſervant, my Counſellor, my boſome-friend.
Iuſtice and Religion are the Pillars of any Kingdom, and at this time the foundations of the earth be out of courſe, make me to beat up the Pillars of it. Write the book of thy Law within my heart, and let the advancement of true Religion be my chiefeſt care. Ver. 8 After let me carry ſo great a love to juſtice, that the wicked of the Land be by me early and ſpeedily deſtroyed, and all wicked doers be unrooted and cut off from the City of my God. This is a City of Saints, far, far be removed from it, all yride and covetouſneſs, all fraud and lying, all Idolatry and falſe worſhip, all impiety and injuſtice. Let righteouſneſs flouriſh in the Gates, and piety in the Temples thereof, and holineſs ſhew it ſelf in the lives of the Citizens, to the glory of thy Holy name, and the ſalvation of our poor ſouls, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord and only Saviour. Amen.