Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 26
PSAL. XXVI.
VErſ. 1. Judge me, O Lord] i.e. Judge betwixt me and mine enemies; not betwixt me and thee, as R. David expoundeth it; for then I am ſure to bee found faulty.
For I have walked in mine integrity] viz. Toward Saul, whatever his pickthank Courtiers ſuggeſt againſt me; as Pſal. 7. which is much like this, and made as it may ſeem about the ſame time as this, viz. about the beginning of Sauls perſecution raiſed againſt David, 1 Sam. 22.7. &c. who thereupon appealeth here to Gods juſt Judgment, and ſtands upon his Juſtification, as holding faſt faith and a good conſcience,
Therefore I ſhall not ſlide] Or, not farre; I ſhall not be greatly moved, Pſal. 62.2. Moved I may be, but not removed; ſhaken, but not ſhivered; thruſt at, but not thrown down, &c. becauſe bottomed and built upon the rock of Ages, Iſa. 26.4, 2 Cor. 4.8.
Verſ. 2. Examine me O Lord, and prove me] It muſt needs be a good Conſcience that thus boldly offereth it ſelf to Gods trial; ſo Job 31.6.
Try my reins and my heart] i.e. Mine affections and thoughts; for theſe are ſibi mutuò cauſa. Whilſt I muſed, the fire kindled, Pſal. 39. David was neither ambitious nor factious, as his adverſaries repreſented him.
Verſ. 3. For thy loving kindneſs is before mine eyes] And that's a ſtrong tye upon my Conſcience. The cords of love are the cords of a man, Hoſ. 11.4. To ſin againſt Mercy is to ſin againſt Humanity, it is no leſs than beſtial, than devilliſh. When therefore I am tempted to recompence evil for evil, thy loving kindneſs comes before me, and reigneth me in.
And I have walked in thy truth] i.e. according to thy Word: I have led a Bible-converſation, though ſollicited to do otherwiſe by the Courtiers, and Politicians, with that prophane Proverb of their foreign, comply with the times,Theog. and be not ſo ſtraight-laced: Religioſum eportet eſſe, ſed non Religentem.
Verſ. 4. I have not ſate with vain perſons] who are voyd of Gods holy fear, but filled with all unrighteouſneſs, wickedneſs, covetouſneſs, maliciouſneſs, &c. Rom. 3.29. Courtiers are ſuch for moſt part, and David never delighted in ſuch company, to ſit with them, eſpecially when they were acting miſchief; which whiles Gromwell did at the condemnation of Lambert Martyr, and Sir John Cheek, at other ſuch like meetings, they were caſt upon no ſmall ſnares and inconveniences. See Jer. 15.17.
Neither will I go in with diſſemblers] Heb. cloſe workers of iniquity,Qui ſecreto malè agunt, Chald. ſecret and ſly Sirs, ſuch as hide themſelves to do evil, as the Chaldee hath it, and can carry their wickedneſs cleanly and cloſely, ſo as that the World ſhall be little the wiſer, Verſatiles & verſutili, multiplices, Protei; ſuch as can ſerve the times, and ſhift their ſails to the ſitting of every Wind, Machiavellians, Ahitophels, Jonadabs, 2 Sam. 13.3. Theſe mens wiſdom may ſerve them, as the Oſtriches wings, to make them out-run others upon earth, though it be into Hell-mouth, but help them never a whit toward Heaven; David therefore would have nothing to do with them, he would neither enter, walk, nor ſit with any ſuch (Confer Pſal. 1.1.) they ſhould not ſprinkle him with their Court-holy-water.
Verſ. 5. I have hated the Congregation of evil-doers] The Church Malignant, whoſe lives are a Mystery of iniquity, as Joſephus ſaith of Antipater; qui emnia turbant & miſcent, tantum ut ipſi croſsere poſſint, as Ariſtophanes ſaith of Cleon; care not whom they ruine, ſo they may raiſe themſelves, nor what miſchief they work to others, ſo they may drive on their own ſinful deſigns. Luther ſaid of the Monks in Germany, that they were ſo bad, tam deſperate malitiae, ut nihil cogitent quod non idem patrare auſint, that they would ſtick at no villany whatſoever. David held it a hell to be in company with ſuch incarnate devils. It was once the prayer of a good Gentlewoman when ſhe was to dye, being in much trouble of Conſcience, O Lord, let me not go to Hell where the wicked are, for Lord, thou knoweſt I never loved their company here.
And will not ſit with the wicked] But hate the very garment ſpotted by the fleſh, Jude 2, 3. that is, a voyd evil company, ſaith Mr. Perkins, as Levit. 15.4. ſo Deut. 22.12. It is not ſafe coming near ſtinking Catrion, except one have the wind of it. Sin is as catching as the plague.
Verſ. 6. I will waſh mine hands in innocency] As Exod. 40.32. So 1 Tim. 2.8.Sic Egyptii ſacerdotes apud Herod in Euterpe, tertio quo que die corpus eradunt, &c. See Deut. 21.6. Iſa. 1.15. Iam. 5.8. If in our addreſſes to God we cannot waſh our hands in innocency, yet we muſt waſh them in tears; Quem pocnitet peccaſſe, penè eſt innocens, ſaith Soneca; Penitency is well-nigh as good as innocency; but one way or other be ſure to come clean when you come to Gods Altar, when you draw nigh to him in holy duties. We waſh our hands every day, and often, but when we are to ſit with ſome great perſon, we ſcoure them with balls; ſo here, we muſt be always holy, but eſpecially when we preſent our ſelves to the holy eyes of our Creator; And hereby David differenceth himſelf from the wicked in the uſe of Ordinances, wherein they were as forward as the beſt (Doeg may ſet his foot as farre into the Sanctuary as David, and cry, the Temple of the Lord, &c.) but cared not to come clear thereunto; their hands were full of bloud, their hearts full of wickedneſs.
So will I compaſs thine Altar, O Lord] i.e. I will cover it with Sacrifices and Oblations, and perform what is required of me diligently and cheerfully. The people might not touch the Altar, but only ſee afar off what was done there by the Prieſts.D. Am. Howbeit, thoſe that were more zealous among them, to the end that they might have a full view of the ſervices, ſtood not ſtill in one place, but ſtirred up and down on all ſides of the Altar; and ſome ſuch thing David did, when he is ſaid to have danced before the Lord, 2 Sam. 6.14.
Verſ. 7. That I may publiſh] This was the end David propounded to himſelf in all his ſolemn ſervices; that he might ſet up God, and not ſerve himſelf upon God.
And tell of all thy wondrous Works] All Gods Mercies to his are Wonders, if well weighed in their ſeveral circumſtances. But we commonly deal by them, as Solomon did by the braſs of the Temple, it was ſo much that hee weighed it not.
Verſ. 8. Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy houſe] Much more the people, and the Ordinances there, but moſt of all the Lord himſelf of that houſe (as if a man love the School-maſter for his Childes ſake, he loveth his Childe much more) and hence it is that I ſo hate the Society of the ungodly; For what communion hath Chriſt with Belial? The word rendred habitation, ſome derive from a word that ſignifieth the eye, and therefore render it ſight, or beauty; the Seventy foreign comlineſs. The Proteſtants at Lions in France called their publick meeting-place Paradiſe.
And the place where thine honour dwelleth] i.e. Where thou thy ſelf dwelleſt, or thine Ark, which is called Gods glory, 1 Sam. 4.21. Pſal. 78.61. yea Gods ſelf, Pſal. 132.5. and Gods face, Pſal. 105.4.
Verſ. 9. Gather not my ſoul with ſinners] I have loved thy Houſe, which ſinners never delighted in; therefore gather not my ſoul with ſinners; ſo the Syriack ſenſeth it. Let me not dye the death of Sinners, for I never cared for their company; ſo the Rabbines. See the Note on verſ. 5. Let me not ſhare with them in puniſhment, for I could never abide their practice. Balaam would dye the death of the righteous, but he liked not of their life. Euchrites would be Craeſus vivens, & Socrates mortuus. Sir Walter Rawleigh would live a Papiſt (there being no Religion like that for Licentious liberty, and laſciviouſneſs) but dye a Proteſtant. We have ſome that would gladly dance with the Devil all day, and then ſup with Chriſt at night; live all their lives long in Dalilaes lap, and then go to Abrahams boſome when they dye. But this cannot be, as David well underſtood; and therefore both eſchewed the life of a wicked perſon, and deprecated his death; Gather not, or take not away, &c. The righteous is taken away (Heb. gathered, Iſa. 57.1. as men gather Flowers and candy them, preſerve them) with ſuch to be gathered, David would hold it an happineſs, but not with ſinners, with ſanguinaries; for ſuch are gathered but as houſe-duſt, to be caſt out of doors.
Verſ. 10. In whoſe hands is miſchief] Wicked contrivance. Here we have the true portracture of a corrupt Courtier, ſuch as Sauls were.
Verſ. 11. But as for me, I will walk] Whatever others do, their example ſhall be no rule to me to deviate. See my Righteous mans recompence, D. 1.
Redeem me, &c.] For I am likely to ſuffer deeply, for my ſingularity.
Verſ. 12. My foot ſtandeth in an even place] i.e. Mine affections are in an equal tenour. A good man is foreign the ſcales of his minde neither riſe up toward the beam through their own lightneſs, or their over-weening opinion of proſperity; nor are too much depreſſed with any load of ſorrow, but hanging equal and unmoved between both, give him liberty in all occurrences to enjoy himſelf.
I will bleſs the Lord] For performance of promiſes; chiefly in that great Panegyris, Heb. 12.