Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 71
PSAL. LXXI.
VErſ. 1. In thee; O Lord, do I put my truſts] See Pſal. 31.1. with the Note. It appeareth by verſ. 9.18. that this Pſalm was written by David in his old age, when Abſolom, or Sheba was in rebellion againſt him, though haply for haſte, and in that fright he could not ſuperſcribe it as he did the reſt. The Greek title, viz. of David, A Pſalm of the Sons of Jonadab, and of them that were firſt captived, hath no footing in the Original Hebrew.
Verſ. 2. Deliver me in thy righteouſneſs] Let my deliverance be the fruit of thy promiſe, and of my prayer; and ſo it will be much the ſweeter.
Verſ. 3. Thou hast given Commandement] ſc. To thine Angels, and all other thy Creatures. or, thou haſt commanded, that is, thou haſt promiſed.
Verſ. 4. One of the hand of the unrighteous] That ſeeketh by fraud to undermine me, and by force to overturn me.
And cruel man] Qui totus in fermento jacet; ſoure as leaven, ſharp as vineger.
Verſ. 5. For thou art my hope] Helpleſs I may ſeem, but hopeleſs I am not.
Verſ. 6. H… thee have I been bolden us from the womb As in the Womb I lived upon thee, ſo from the womb. The ſame that breede thus, feedeth us, that matter that nourisheth the Childe in the Womb, ſtriking up into the breaſts, and by a further concoction becoming white is mode milk for it.
Thou ar… … me out infamy to other bowels] Elſe I had never been born alive. That a childe is bound. … ſaith Galen, Sed quomoda fiat, admotoritar … calleth it, … ſupra mirabilo… muja mirabila the greateſt wonder in the World. Surely, if a Childe were born but once in an hundred years ſpace, we ſhould all then to ſee ſo ſtrange a work ſaith another.
Verſ. 7. I am as a wonder … ] Or, … the great ones a Monſter to the mighty, Quia credo … gloſſeth, becauſe I beleeve what I yet ſee not, viz. that this ſtorm ſhall blow over [and I he re…ed in my Throne.
Verſ. 8. ….
Verſ. 9. Caſt me not off in the time of old age] For now I have moſt need of thee. The white Roſe is ſooneſt cankered, ſo is the white Head ſooneſt corrupted.
Saepe nigrum cor eſt, capue albium —
Satan maketh a prey of old Salomon, Aſa, Lot, others; whom when young, hee could never ſo deceive. The Heathens therefore well warn us to look well to our old age, as that which cometh not alone, but is infeſted with many diſeaſes both of body and minde. This David knew, and therefore prayed, as here, Caſt me not off in the time of old age, for ſake me not when my ſtrength faileth. He is a rare old man that can ſay with Caleb, Joſh. 14.10, 11. Omnia fert at…, animum quo que .
Verſ. 10. For mine enemies.] Who, rather than their lives, would bereave me of mine; theſe would double murther me, firſt by detraction, and then by deadly practice.
Verſ. 11. God hath forſaken him] For his late fin againſt Ʋriah; and as may appear by his preſent diſtreſs, his forlorn proſcribed condition.
Verſ. 12. O God, be not farre from me] The inſolency of his enemies ſets an edge upon his prayers; Oratio ſine malis eſt avis ſine alis. Our Saviour in his Agony prayed the more earneſtly, Luk. 22.44.
Verſ. 13. Let them be confounded and conſumed.] Here he beginneth, Diris devovere, to devote his foes to deſtruction, who ſoon alſo found that theſe were not bruta fulmina, as the Popes Bulls are (wittily compared by one to a fools Dagger, ratling and ſnapping without an edge) but that there was an energy in them, though haply not felt for preſent: and that they had better have angered all the Witches in the Country than occaſioned David thus to curſe them in the Name of the Lord.
Verſ. 14. But I will hope continually] I will lengthen out mine hope, as a line drawn out. Tremellius renders it, I am in expectation ſtill of compleating thy praiſe, and will go on therein, viz. when thou ſhalt have compleated my deliverance.
Verſ. 15. My mouth ſhall ſhew forth thy righteouſneſs and thy ſalvation] Lo here a ſweet and comfortable conjunction of Gods Righteouſneſs, and our Salvation. See 2. Theſſ. 1.6, 7.
For I know not the numbers thereof] Or, Though I know not, &c. by a modeſt correction, ſith they may be celebrated, but not enumerated.
Littera quot conchas, quot amaena roſaria flores,
Quotve ſoporiferum grana papaver habet:
Sylva feras quot alit, quot piſcibus unda natatur,
Et teneram pennis aera pulfat avis.
So many, and ten thouſand times more are Gods loving kindneſſes. The Pſalmiſt elſewhere venteth himſelf by an Exclamation, Pſal. 31.19. See the Note there.
Verſ. 16. I will go in the ſtrength of the Lord God] Ingrediar in potentias Domini, I will do what I can, with Gods help, in glorifying his Name, though I cannot do as I would, and as I ought: Narrabo res inenarrabilos and then intreat thoſe that hear me to think higher things of God than I am able to utter.
Evan of thine only] For that is enough, and more than I can well do; I will not once mention (as profane perſons uſe to do) mine own Wiſdom, valour, &c. alas, they are not worthy to be named in the ſame day with thine.
Verſ. 17. O God, thou haſt taught me] Happy David in ſuch a School-maſter. All the faithful are taught of God; outwardly by his Word and Works, inwardly by his Spirit; Et quando Chriſt… …giſter quam cite diſcitur quod decetur? Aug. Ambroſ.Neſcit tarda molimina Spiritus ſancti gratia.
Verſ. 18. N… alſo what I am … and rray-headed] Now, that the Plumb-tree is full of bloomes, the map of age is figured in my ſore-head, the calendar of death appeareth in the furrows of my face: let me do nothing to ſpot my white head. Let me with the S…n give greateſt glimpſe at the going down, and with the Roſe …, though I have loſt my colour, See verſ. 9.
And thy power to every one that is to come] Mirus fervor David is in celebranda bonitate Dei, ſaith Vatablus here. David would propagate Gods praiſe to all poſterity.
Verſ. 19. Thy righteouſueſs alſo, O God, is very bigh.] Farre above the reach of human reaſon; yet for the ſtrengthening of my hope, I will look up after it, though mine eye ſhould be tired in the way.
Verſ. 20. Thou which baſt ſhewed me great and ſore troubles] Auguſtias magnas & malas, and haſt thereby taught me, verſ. 17, Quae nocent, docent.
Shall quicken me again] And this is one ſingular height of thy righteouſneſs, that thou carryeſt thy people thorough ſo many deaths; and cauſeſt them to aſcend from the loweſt ebbe of affliction, to the higheſt pitch of comfort. Stoicks aſcribe ſuch Occurrences to Fate, Epicures to Fortune, but David to God alone.
Verſ. 21. Thou ſhalt increaſe my greatneſs] Meam, id eſt Tuam, quam mihi dediſti, ſaith the Arabick gloſs here; My greatneſs, that is, thy greatneſs which thou haſt given me.
Verſ. 22. I will alſo praiſe thee with the Pſaltery] In Organo natali, with an inſtrument made like a bottle.
O thou holy one of Iſrael] Who ſanctifieſt thine throughout, and art to be ſanctified of thine throughout all eternity, Iſa. 5.16.
Verſ. 23. And my ſoul which thou haſt redeemed] Heart and lips ſhall concur in this work. The voyce which is made in the mouth, is nothing ſo ſweet as that which cometh from the depth of the breaſt. The deeper and hollower the belly of the Lute, or Viol is, the pleaſanter is the ſound: the fleeter, the more grating and harſh in our ears.
Verſ. 24. My tongue alſo ſhall talk of thy righteouſneſs] Adviſedly talk, and upon due deliberation. What a mad Edict was that of Henry the ſecond of France, that men ſhould not talk at all of Scripture-matters? And that of the Jeſuites at Dola, forbidding any talk of God, either in good ſort, or in bad?