Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 25
The Twenty Fifth PSALM.
A ‖To, or, for David. foreignPſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The Twenty Fifth Pſalm, compoſed by David in ſome time of diſtreſs, is a divine mixture of Prayer for pardon of ſin, and deliverance from evil, and alſo of meditation of Gods gracious dealings with his ſervants.
1. Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my ſoul.
Paraphrase. 1. O Lord, I have none but thee to whom to addreſs my prayers in times of diſtreſs; to thee therefore I come with the tribute of an humble heart, the offering of a devout ſoul: be thou pleaſed to accept it from me.
2. O my God, I truſt in thee, let me not be aſhamed; let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Paraphrase. 2. In thee, O my gracious God, do I repoſe all my confidence; O let me not be left deſtitute or forſaken by thee; let not my adverſaries have occaſion to rejoyce and deride me, as one that have been diſappointed, or fruſtrated in my dependences on thee.
3. Yea let none that wait on thee be aſhamed: let them be aſhamed that †deal perſidiouſly in vain.tranſgreſs without cauſe.
Paraphrase. 3. Yea let all thoſe that rely and depend on thee, be conſtantly owned by thee: let not any man that hath repoſed his whole truſt in thee, find himſelf diſappointed: Let that be the fate of treacherous perfidious perſons, thoſe that rely on their own ungodly policies, let them miſcarry and be diſappointed of their hopes, and ſo appear ridiculous among men. (The only way that may moſt probably work reformation in them, Pſal. 83.16.)
4. Shew me thy wayes, O Lord, teach me thy paths.
Paraphrase. 4. O Lord, be thou pleaſed by thy ſpecial grace to direct me in the performance of all that may be acceptable in thy ſight.
5. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art the God of my ſalvation: on thee do I wait all the day.
Paraphrase. 5. Preſerve me from all ſtraying and wandring out of the right way. On thee I depend for this, and every minute look up to thee, for the directions and ſupport of thy good ſpirit.
6. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies, and thy loving kindneſs; for they have been ever of old.
Paraphrase. 6. Lord, thou haſt allwayes abounded to thy ſervants in compaſſion and bounty, relieved the diſtreſt, and plentifully ſupplyed all wants to thoſe that have addreſt their prayers to thee. Be thou pleaſed at this time thus in mercy to deal with me.
7. Remember not the ſins of my youth, nor my tranſgreſſions: According to thy mercy remember me, for thy goodneſs ſake, O Lord.
Paraphrase. 7. Lord, the ſins of my younger dayes are many, the breaches innumerable, wherewith I have ignorantly or fooliſhly, for want of knowledge or conſideration, offended againſt thee: Lay them not, I beſeech thee, to my charge; but of thine own free mercy and compaſſion to a wretched ſinner, be thou pleaſed to be reconciled to me, O Lord.
8. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore will he teach ſinners in the way.
Paraphrase. 8. It is an act of the great purity and juſtice and rectitude of God, to direct and aſſiſt toward the wayes of virtue, all thoſe that are by error and weakneſs fallen away and departed from it. and timely to reduce them to good life.
9. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way.
Paraphrase. 9. Thoſe that are truly humbled before, him for their ſins and failings, and de voutly addreſs to him for pardon and grace, he will never fall to allow them his aſſiſtance and direction in the wayes of virtue.
10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto ſuch as ‖obſerve, take care of; ſee note on Pſalm 119. a.keep his Covenant and his teſtimonies.
Paraphrase. 10. God will never fail either in mercy or fidelity any man, that walks diligently and induſtriouſly in obedience to him. The pardon and the grace that he hath promiſed to ſuch, the pardon of all their frailties, and the donation of ſufficient ſtrength to ſupport their weakneſs, ſhall never fall to be performed to them that remain thus faithful to him.
11. For thy names ſake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
Paraphrase. 11. I have many wayes greatly ſinned againſt thee, and have no ground of hope for mercy, but only from thy free abundant pardon, which, I know, exceedeth my ſins, and for which I am the more abundantly qualified, by how much my ſtate is more ſadly miſerable, without the interpoſition of this mercy. On that only account therefore of thy free pardon to the greateſt, ſo they be truly penitent ſinners, I beſeech thee to be reconciled unto me, who unfeignedly repent and return to thee.
12. What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him ſhall he teach in the way that he ſhall chuſe.
Paraphrase. 12. Where the fear of God is planted truly in the heart, there God will not fall of his directions and illuminations, but will certainly afford him knowledge what will be acceptable in his fight.
13. His ſoul ſhall †abide in good, foreigndwell at eaſe, and his ſeed ſhall inherit the earth.
Paraphrase. 13. And beſide this, all the comforts of this life are his portion here, and his poſterity have a greater aſſurance of proſperity intailed on them, than any other.
14. *The Counſel and Covenant of the Lord to them that fear him, is to make known, or reveal to them.The ſecret of the Lord is among them that fear him, and he will ſhew them his Covenant.
Paraphrase. 14. It is part of the gracious decree and Covenant of God, ſtricken in Chriſt with all thoſe that truly fear and ſerve him, and endeavour ſincerely to do what he commands, never to conceal from them the knowledge of his will ſo far as their practice is concerned in it.
15. Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he ſhall pluck my feet out of the net.
Paraphrase. 15. Whatever my ſtreits are, I ſhall not fail to wait and attend on thee confidently, aſſuring my ſelf that thou in thy good time wilt deliver me out of them.
16. Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me, for I am deſolate and afflicted.
Paraphrase. 16. And now that I am in ſuch a condition, I have no other motive to invite thy mercy, but my ſhewing thee that I have need of it. All humane aids failing me, 'tis now thy ſeaſon to interpoſe for me.
17. The ‖preſſures foreignTroubles of my heart are inlarged: O bring thou me out of my diſtreſſes.
Paraphrase. 17. My anxieties and deſtitutions daily increaſe: O be thou pleaſed to deliver me out of them.
18. Look upon mine affliction and my pain, and forgive all my ſins.
Paraphrase. 18. My ſins, I know, they …, that have brought theſe puniſhments on me: be thou of thine own goodneſs pleaſed to pardon the one, and remove the other.
19. Conſider my enemies, for they are many; and they hate me with †unjuſt foreigncruel hatred.
Paraphrase. 19. My adverſaries daily increaſe, and their hatred to me is perfectly cauſeleſs, let their power and my innocence move thee at length to chaſtize the one, and vindicate the other.
20. O keep my ſoul, and deliver me: let me not be aſhamed, for I put my truſt in thee.
Paraphrase. 20. Preſerve and deliver me out of their hands: my confidence is wholly in thee, O let me not be diſappointed in that hope.
21. ‖or perfectneſs and uprightneſs ſhall preſerve—Let integrity and uprightneſs preſerve me, for I waite on thee.
Paraphrase. 21. Let my innocence be ſupported and defended by thee, for I have none elſe to depend upon, Or, thy mercy and thy fidelity ſhall ſecure me, as one that have no other hold, and therefore wholly depend and rely on thee, that as thou haſt promiſed thou wilt perform for me.
22. Redeem Iſrael, O God, out of all his troubles.
Paraphrase. 22. And in thy good time deliver all thoſe that rely on thee, from all the difficulties that encumber them.
Annotations on Pſal. XXV.
foreignV. 3. Without a cauſe] foreign ſignifies any falſeneſs, perfidiouſneſs, violation of oath or league; and not ſimply any kind of tranſgreſſion, but thoſe of lying, or falſeneſs. The only difficulty is, what is meant by foreign, that is joyned with it, an adverbe from foreign inanis, or vacuus, vain, empty, or void. It is by the LXXII. rendred foreign, by the Latine ſupervacuè, in vain, or to no purpoſe; and it ordinarily belongs to thoſe that do any thing, and receive no reward or advantage by it. So Gen. 31.42. Surely thou hadſt ſent me away foreign we render it empty, the LXXII. foreign, that is, without any reward for all my labour. So Exod. 23.15. thou ſhalt not appear before me (i. e. before God) foreign empty, without ſome preſent to offer him. So 1 Sam. 5.3. if ye ſend the Ark, ſend it not empty, i. e. without ſome preſents to accompany it. And thus it ſeems to ſignifie here, being applyed to the falſe perfidious perſons, that had violated their faith to David. Thoſe, if they were fruſtrated in their miſchievous deſigns, if they proſpered not, ſhould be perfidious without any reward, and ſo be put to ſhame, rendred ridiculous thereby, as thoſe that are diſappointed of their expectations: and ſo that is the meaning of the phraſe.
foreignV. 14. The ſecret] The Hebrew foreign, the ſecret, is by the LXXII. rendred foreign, by the Latine firmamentum, the firmament or foundation, by the Arabick the ſtrength; all either reading foreign a foundation, or elſe ſuppoſing foreign, which is a primitive, to be derived from foreign fundavit. But the Chaldee reads it in the notion of foreign the ſecret; which ſignifying a thought alſo, or counſel, or conſultation, the Syriack read it to no ill ſenſe, The thought of the Lord is of them that fear him, as thought ſignifies care, or conſultation, and ſollicitude for or about any thing, and ſo the thought of God, his careful providing all that is wanting for them. In the notion of a counſel or conſultation we have it, Gen. 49.6. My ſoul come not foreign into their ſecret, i. e. into the conſultations of thoſe brethren in iniquity. And either this notion, or that for a ſecret, may moſt fitly be retein'd in this place. If it be the ſecret, then 'twill be anſwerable to the ſhewing or revealing, that follows in the end of the verſe, foreign, which is thus literally to be rendred; and his Covenant (is) to declare (viz. his ſecrets) to them. So the LXXII. foreign, and his Covenant of declaring, or, to declare to them; and the Latine, & Teſtamentum ejus ut manifeſtetur iis, and his Teſtament or Covenant is, that it, i. e. the ſecret preceding, be revealed to them, i. e. it is part of Gods Covenant with his faithful, to reveal his will to them, and not to keep it ſecret, ſo that they may know it, and practice it, which without knowing they cannot do. See Deut. 30.11. And to this ſenſe the Aethiopick paraphraſe it, his law ſhall teach them. And this is no incommodious ſenſe of theſe words. But then conſidering that this of the Pſalms is a Poetical writing, in which trajections are not unuſual or ſtrange, it may I ſuppoſe, yet be more probable, that there ſhould be place here for ſuch an eaſie trajection, as we obſerved Pſal. 2.11. and ſo the whole verſe lie in conſtruction thus foreign. 'Tis the counſel (or ſecret) of the Lord, and his Covenant to them that fear him, foreign ad notificandum iis, to declare to them, or reveal, or let them know, i. e. to reveal his will unto them, viz. that part of his will, which is ſo oft mentioned in this Pſalm, v. 4, 5.8, 9, 10, 12. and that which alone is uſeful for us to know, his will, or Commandments, wherein we are to walk, if ever we hope to be accepted by him. And this I ſuppoſe to be the fulleſt and cleareſt rendering of theſe words, which muſt be acknowledged to have ſome obſcurity in them.
foreignV. 16. Deſolate] foreign anus, one,] oft uſed for unigenitus, an onelyonly ſon, doth alſo ſignifie a ſolitary and deſolate perſon; ſo Pſal. 68.6. God ſetteth foreign the ſolitary in families, i. e. gives them children that had none. So Pſal. 22.20. deliver my ſoul from the ſword, foreign my onelyonly one, i. e. my ſoul, which is now left deſtitute, from the power of the dog. and ſo here, as muſt be concluded from foreign and afflicted] which is added to it. Yet have the LXXII. rendred it in the other ſignification, foreign, onelyonly-begotten; and ſo the Arabick, onelyonly ſon: But the Latine more to the letter, unicus & pauper ſum ego, I am alone and poor.
V. 21. Integrity] For foreign integrity and uprighteſs, in the abſtract and ſingular, the LXXII.foreign read in the concret… and the plural, foreign the innocent and right: foreignand then foreign from foreign to keep or preſerve, is by them rendered foreign, ſtuck, or adhered to me, as if it were from foreign colligavit, to be bound up in league with any. But the Chaldee render it clearly, Perfectneſs and uprightneſs ſhall preſerve me. And thus alſo 'tis capable of two ſences; one in relation to himſelf, the other to God. If it refer to David himſelf,foreign then foreign will beſt be rendred ſimplicity, that ingredient in Jacobs character, as that is ſomewhat inferior to goodneſs, which v. 8. is joyned with uprightneſs, and both ſpoken of God, beſides whom none is good in that ſenſe, as Chriſt ſaith. But it may not unfitly refer to God, and then it will ſignifie perfectneſs in the higheſt degree: and as that denotes the greateſt goodneſs and mercy, as when Chriſt ſaith, be you perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect, Mat. 5.48. 'tis Luk. 6.36. be ye merciful, as your heavenly Father is merciful; and then as Pſal. 23.6. we have, Surely goodneſs and mercy ſhall follow me all the days of my life, referring queſtionleſs to Gods goodneſs, &c. ſo here it may well be, Perfectneſs and uprightneſs, i. e. Gods perfectneſs and uprightneſs, his mercy in promiſing, his fidelity in performing, ſhall preſerve me.