Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 36
The Thirty Sixth PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian, A Pſalm of David the ſervant of the Lord.
Paraphrase. The Thirty ſixth Pſalm was compoſed by David, in reflection on himſelf, and his own ſincerity and dependance on God, in the time of his diſtreſs, (when Saul perſecuted him, ſaith the Syriack and the Arabick;) and it was committed by him to the Praefect of his Muſick:
1. The tranſgreſſion of the wicked ſaith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
Paraphrase. 1. The actions of wicked men are ſuch, ſo abſolutely contrary to Gods laws, and threats, and promiſes, to all that we know of God, that a man that conſiders them, cannot chooſe but reſolve, that either they do not believe at all that there is a God, or that they do not really and in earneſt fear or care for him.
2. For he ‖hath ſmoothed it to him in his own eyes, when his iniquity is ready to be found out, and hated.flattereth himſelf in his own eyes, untill his abominable ſin be found out.
Paraphrase. 2. For committing theſe ſins that God ſees, and hates, and abhors, and is even ready to puniſh, they think they can put ſo fair a gloſs upon them, that God ſhall not find any fault with them. They pretend, forſooth, that they have done nothing amiſs, varniſhing over the fouler parts of them with ſome ſpecious colour of pious intentions, &c. And ſo impudent they are, that they do this, flatter God, and pretend to Religion, even then when their ſin is ready to be found out, and puniſhed by him.
3. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to ‖underſtand that he may do good. foreignbe wiſe, and to do good.
Paraphrase. 3. All their ſpeeches are deſigned to miſchief, and cheat others, and advance and benefit themſelves; and for juſtice or charity, they give over all care or ſtudy of them, being ſo far from the practice of them, that they do not ſo much as deſire to underſtand what belongs to them.
4. He deviſeth miſchief upon his bed; be ſetteth himſelf in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evill.
Paraphrase. 4. They plot, and ſtudy, and meditate wayes of wronging other: there is nothing ſo ill, that they will not adventure on, if it be for their turn: they overcome thoſe averſions, that even corrupt nature hath, to ſome greater more enormous ſins; it will go down with them, if it ſeem contributive to their intereſts.
5. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, and thy faithfulneſs reacheth unto the clouds.
Paraphrase. 5. But from all their machinations I have my ſure and ſafe reſort to thy goodneſs and thy fidelity, O Lord; each of which are infinite, and unmeaſurable, and ſhall never fall them that are qualified to receive benefit from them.
6. Thy righteouſneſs is like the great mountains, thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preſerveſt man and beaſt.
Paraphrase. 6. What thou haſt once promiſed, ſhall moſt certainly be performed; thy faithfulneſs is unmoveable. What thou pleaſeſt to have done, ſhall certainly come to paſs, though by means unfathomable, and unſearchable, ſuch as no man can give account of. Thy over-ruling and wiſely diſpoſing providence it is, by which all creatures have their being and preſervation.
7. How excellent is thy loving kindneſs, O God? therefore the children of men ‖under the ſhadow of thy wings ſhall have confidence. foreignput their truſt under the ſhadow of thy wings.
Paraphrase. 7. Thy mercy, and favour, O Lord, is of all things in the world moſt highly valuable: and therefore for them that have their hold in it, that have not forfeited their tenure in thy favour, and fatherly providence, they may be moſt confident, that no evil ſhall befall them.
8. They ſhall be abundantly ſatisfied with the fatneſs of thy houſe; and thou ſhalt make them drink of the river of thy pleaſures.
Paraphrase. 8. All the good things of this life ſhall be in the greateſt abundance of ſatisfaction reacht out unto them; their life ſhall be filled with pleaſures, continually flowing in to them, in all their performances. 'Tis out of an unexhauſted magazin, that they are provided for; out of a moſt fluent ſtream of divine plenty, that they are filled.
9. For with thee is the fountain of life; and in thy light ſhall we ſee light.
Paraphrase. 9. God is an ever-flowing ſpring and vein of all felicity, of this and another life: All the good that any man injoyce, or aſpires to, comes only from his free favour and mercy.
10. O continue thy loving kindneſs unto them that know thee, and thy righteouſneſs to the upright in heart.
Paraphrase. 10. The continuance of thoſe comprehends all manner of bliſs. O bleſſed Lord, do not withdraw them from thy ſervants; make good thoſe exceeding rich promiſes, which thou haſt confirmed to all thoſe that ſincerely adhere to thee, and depart not from thee.
11. Let not the foot of pride come againſt me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.
Paraphrase. 11. O let not the violence of proud and wicked men be able to do me any hurt.
12. There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are caſt down and ſhall not be able to riſe.
Paraphrase. 12. And in this I am confident thou wilt hear my prayer; and ſo I rely on thee for the performance as chearfully, as if they were already ſubdued, and brought ſo low, that they ſhould never recover, or make any more aſſaults upon me.
Annotations on Pſalm XXXVI.
foreignV. 1. My heart] For foreign my heart, the Syriack reads foreign his heart, The wicked man thinks wickedneſs in his heart; and the LXXXII. foreign, within himſelf, as reading foreign his heart. But the Chaldee accords with our reading of the Hebrew, in the middle foreign of my heart; and ſo we have all reaſon to continue it. And the meaning of it, though ſomewhat Poetically expreſt, will not be obſcure. For wickedneſs, by a proſopopoeia, is made to ſpeak and declare what are the thoughts of that man wherein it is, viz. that he hath no fear of God before his eyes (i. e. I ſuppoſe in Hebrew ſtyle, before Gods eyes; as to fear before him, to do evil in his eyes, and many the like phraſes are obvious.) This, ſaith the Pſalmiſt, it declares, in the inner part of my heart; not to my ears, but to my underſtanding: it ſaith it in my heart, i. e. gives me reaſon ſo to reſolve and conclude it.
V. 2. He flattereth] The conſtruction of this v. 2. which is ſomewhat perplext, may beſt be cleared by obſerving the notion of foreign, which we render,foreign flattereth, in the beginning. foreign as it ſignifies to divide into equal parts, ſo alſo it ſignifies laevigare, to ſmooth (and ſo in ſpeech to flatter;) and ſo in Hiphil it is here taken, and being applied to ſin, whether foreign in the former verſe, or foreign in this verſe, it ſignifies to put a ſoft, and ſmooth, and fair guiſe on it, as if there were nothing courſe or rough, nothing amiſs in it. Next then, it muſt be conſidered to whom foreign to him, foreignrefers; which, by reaſon of the double antecedent, the wicked, and God, may ſeem uncertain, but is by our Engliſh referred to the wicked himſelf. But the deſign of the verſe being to prove, that the wicked hath no fear of God before his eyes, and that, as was ſaid, before Gods eyes, it will be moſt reaſonable to interpret foreign of God, he hath ſmoothed his ſin to him, i. e. to God, made it appear very fair and ſmooth; but this not really, but foreign in his own eyes, foreignto his own thinking. And thus certainly the LXXII. underſtood it, who render it paraphraſtically foreign, he hath dealt deceitfully before him, i. e. God, hath indeavoured to cheat God, and give him a very fair gloſs, and ſmooth appearance of his ſin. And then follows foreign when his ſin is ready to be found out,foreign to bs hated; ſo foreign ſignifies, ſee Joſ. 2.5. foreign when the gate was ready to be ſhut: the Syriack renders it moſt fully, when the time was come that the gate is ſhut in the evening; and the Arabick, when the gate was to be ſhut, for it follows, they went out. This is a moſt perſpicuous rendering of thoſe words. The LXXII. have followed the letter very cloſe, foreign, literally rendering the two infinitives by infinitives, but omitting only the prepoſition foreign in both places, and ſupplying it by the article foreign, and ſo leaving it free to be rendered as foreign imports, when his ſin is ready to be found out, meaning ſtill when God is ready to puniſh, i. e. to find out, and hate their iniquity.