Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 4 [i.e. 5] · Psalm 119 · Stanza 19
19. KOPH.
DAVID in this Octonary fervently petitions for Audience, The Contents. Davids prayer.Deliverance, increaſe of grace.
2. The end he deſires it, is, to keep, to obſerve, and meditate on Gods Word.
3. His main reaſon to perſwade it, is, Gods mercy, and the danger he was in, by miſchievous enemies; from whom nothing could deliver him, but Gods goodneſs, of which he had had former experience.
1. For his prayer, it was very well conditioned.
1. Ver. 1 It was earneſt, a Cry, rather than a Petition, I cried; and again, ver. 2. I cried.
2. Ver. 3 It was ſincere; I cried with my whole heart: Toto affectu, totis viribus.
3. Seaſonable and continual, he did perſevere in prayer.
1. I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried.
2. Mine eyes prevent the night; morning and evening he prayed.
2. For audience, deliverance, increaſe of grace.That which he pray'd for, was,
1. Audience: Hear me, O Lord: And again, Hear my voyce, ver. 5.
2. Ver. 1 Deliverance: Save me, ver. 2.
3. Increaſe of grace: Quicken me, ver. 5.
3. Ver. 2 The end that he deſires, ſalvation and grace.
1. That he might keep Gods ſtatutes.Firſt is, That he might keep Gods Statutes: Hear me, I will keep thy Statutes.
2. Ver. 1 Save me, that I may keep thy Testimonies, ver. 2.
3. Ver. 2 I prayed and watched, that I might meditate in thy Word, ver. 4.
4. Ver. 4 Quicken me according to thy Word, for the ſelf-ſame end, ver. 5.
4. His arguments to perſwade it.The Arguments he eſpecially uſeth, beſides the former, to move God to hear and grant his Petitions, are:
1. His faith and hope: I cried, becauſe I waited, and hoped in thy Word and promiſes.1His faith.
2. Gods mercy: Hear my voyce according to thy loving-kindneſs. The common Argument to be uſed by all Gods children; 2Gods goodneſs.for were they never ſo righteous and juſt, yet in mercy they muſt deſire to be heard, and not for their merits.
3. The danger that he was now in by perſecuting enemies.
1. Ver. 6 They draw nigh; they are at hand, the danger is near.
2. 3The danger he was now in. His comfort, that God was near him.Yea, and great too; for they are miſchievouſly bent, they follow after miſchief, hunted after all occaſions to do evil.
3. Moſt impious men, they are far from thy Law, they hate it, ſhun it, labour to make it odious in every eye.
5. But the comfort is, that they are not ſo near, but thou art as near; they to do miſchief, but thou to defend me; let then their number, power, malice, be what it will, thy power and mercy is beyond it.
1. Thou art near, O Lord; let then theſe my enemies be far from thy Law, they cannot be far from thee, Ver. 7 Thou art near, and wilt reach them by thy juſtice, And would not deſert him.and this is my comfort.
2. For all thy Commandments are Truth. Albeit the evil of wicked men follow me, becauſe I follow thee, yet I know thy Commandments are true; and it is not poſſible, that thou ſhouldſt deſert thy ſervants, who ſtand to the maintenance of thy Word; their wickedneſs ſhall never eſcape thy hand of puniſhment; they may puniſh my body, but they cannot deprive me of my Crown of glory.
6. He concludes with an Epiphonema, Of which he is confident.being aſſured upon his own experience of the ſtability and immutability of Gods Word; I know thy Commandments are Truth; for, Ver. 8
1. Concerning thy Teſtimonies, thy Will that thou haſt teſtified in thy Word.
2. I have known of old, even ever ſince I began to look into them, ſtudy them, and practiſe them.
3. That thou haſt founded them for ever: They are of eternal Truth, immutable and indiſpenſable; and this is the Anchor of our ſouls, that we be not carried away with the winds and waves of tentations.
The Prayer.
OVL of a vehement deſire I have cried to the Lord for help, and that not only with my tongue and voyce, but with my whole heart; Ver. 1 hear me good God, which if thou wilt vouchſafe to grant, I will more ſtudiouſly and fréely ſéek to know and kéep thy ſtatutes. Ver. 2 I have called and eried to no other God but thée, therefore ſave me from theſe preſſures and dangers; Ver. 3 and being by thée ſaved and delivered, I will more diligently kéep thy Teſtimonies: Neither have I only called upon thée by bay, but I have prevented the bawning of the morning; with a great cry I have ſought thy face, and implored thy help, becauſe I repoſe my ſole hope in thy promiſſes. I have prevented alſo the night watches, my eyes day and night have béen intent upon thée, that I might be occupied in the meditation of thy words, both in thoſe in which thou haſt promiſed thy mercy, and in thoſe, in which thou haſt ſignified thy Will, and exacted my obedience. Hear therefore my voyce according to thy lovingkindneſs, and according to that equity by which thou uſeſt to procéed with all thoſe that love thée, and call upon thy Name; quicken me with the ſenſe of thy ſavour, and deliver me from this imminent death and danger.
And the impiety of my enemies makes me be the more inſtant to obtain this mercy; for they that perſecute my ſoul, are ſet upon miſchief, they hunt after my life; nay, they hate not me only, but thy Law; it is odious in their eyes, they look ſtrangely upon it, and deſire it ſhould be as odious in others: From this imminent dagger it is not poſſible for me to be ſafe, but by thy hand and guidance. As then they approach near to hurt, ſo do thou approach near to help, and make it appear by my deliverance, that all thy promiſes are truth. This I have known long ſince, and now Lord, let me have erperience of it again, ſo ſhall I have juſt cauſe to praiſe thy judgments, and ſing of thy mercies, and make it known, That thou haſt founded them forever; nor the rage of man, nor the malice of Devils, ſhall be ever able to ſhake thy-Truth, or evacuate thy promiſes, which thou haſt ma… to thy Church, in Ieſus Chriſt our Lord.