for the truth I haue determined to keepe thy word This he brings in by way of probation of that which hee said in the former words Many wil say with Dauid that God is their portion but heere is the poynt how doe they proue it If God be their portion then they would loue him if they loued him they would loue his word if they loued his word they would liue by it and make it a rule of their life If it were demaunded of these bastard Christians as Chrysostome enquired of the like Wherby shall I know you to be Christians their onely defence behoued to stand in their tongue for if yee looke to the works of their hands yee shall not discerne them from Infidels Looke to their eating and drinking they are like Epicures look to their garments they are vaine-glorious looke to their feet they delight in any place more then in the courts of the Lords house Is not this then a small defence all the parts of their conuersation testifie against them onely their words speak for them let them beware for this will bee no sufficient proofe of true Christianitie when God shall iudge them Hee saith not onely that hee will keepe Gods word but he had determined to keepe it Many enter into religion but not vpon determination these doe no otherwise saith our Sauiour then if a man should goe to battell and not consider if he may fight it out or as if a man should build a house and not lay his count whether or no he is able to finish it for this man leaues it at the last with more shame then if he had not begun it so fareth it with many who embrace religion lightly and as lightly fall away from it they not beeing rooted nor grounded nor built vpon Christ Iesus Three helps of a godly life are heere vsed by Dauid the first is Determination this makes a man to begin well The second is Supplication this makes a man to continue well The third is Consideration and this makes a man when hee goes wrong to come home againe to his determination He that begins to liue well not laying his grounds by Determination is easily altered and hee that vpon Determination beginneth to do well if by instant prayer he obtaine not grace from God shall ouer readily faint and fall away for what are best purposes if grace from aboue strengthen vs not to performe them but vanishing motions And in the third roome because in many things we sin all wee haue need of Consideration whereby we doe examine our waies and returne againe to our first course when wee haue wandred from it VER 58. I haue made my supplication in thy presence with my whole hart be mercifull to mee according to thy promise THese words stand of a protestation and prayer They teach vs to second our determinations vvith prayers both because our purposes shall perish if God blesse them not as Psal. 127 as also for that Satan then doth most busily impugne vs when hee sees wee haue most resolutely concluded to serue the Lord. Three things are to be obserued in Dauids praier 1. His reuerence 2. His sinceritie 3. His faith His reuerence is heere that he made his supplication in Gods presence if we did so thinke when we go to pray we goe to shew our selues in Gods presence how would it humble vs in our selues make vs reuerent toward God Wee know what we do when we come before Kings of the earth wee prepare our selues wee come with the reuerence of Hester to Ahasuerus of Bathsheba to Dauid and good reason so we should doe But how much are we bound to do as Abraham did when wee come before the Lord to remember wee are but dust ashes and that it is a great benefit that wee should get license to speake to the Righteous Iudge of all the world And this reuerence our Sauiour commends vnto vs when in the preface of the prayer which he hath taught vs he remembers vs that our father to whom we speak is in heauen we should not be rash with our mouth nor hasty in our hart to vtter a thing before God For God saith Salomon is in heauen and we are in the earth Let faith mooue our harts to goe to him when we haue neede let feare bridle vs that we be not suddaine but first temper our harts ere wee speake with our tongue to so reuerent a Maiestie It is abhomination to offer vnto the Lord the Sacrifice of fooles that is words without affection and yet alas how often doth our infirmitie miscarie vs to doe so Magni certè ingenij est seuocare mentem à sensibus cogitationem à consuetudine abducere It is a worke of great difficultie in prayer to sunder our soule frō our senses and to withdrawe our cogitations from their custome The second thing to be obserued in his praier is his sinceritie in these words With my vvhole hart Hypocrisie is a vile sinne in dealing with men but much more abhominable when by it men presume to mocke the Lord making a shew in his presence of that which they are not Rebecca decked vp Iacob in so subtile a maner that Isaac his father mistooke him but Satan now pranks vp his coūterfet Christians in more subtil maner for there Isaac tooke some notice of him by his voice but now men haue learned to speak so cunningly and Christian-like that hardly can a man think how a false hart should lodge vnder so faire a tongue But let not men deceiue themselues God wil not be deceiued his eyes are not dimme as Isaacs but liuely quick and pearcing like vnto flames of fire he can see they are but a potshard ouer laid with siluer drosse and a little time shall discouer them Certum est nihil simulatum aut fictum verae esse virtutis sed nec diuturnum for it is sure that a counterfeit thing can neuer haue solid vertue nor continuance in it Let vs studie with Dauid to make our hart good vpright before God The third thing to be marked in his prayer is his faith grounded vpon the promises of God in these words Be mercifull vnto me according to thy promise He protested before that he sought the Lord from his whole hart and now he prayeth he may find mercie So it is indeede boldlie may that man looke for mercy at Gods hand vvho seekes him truely there Mercie and Truth meet together and embrace one another where truth is in the soule to seeke there cannot be but mercie in GOD to embrace If truth be in vs to confesse our sinnes forsake them wee shal find mercy in God to pardon and forgiue them Again we see that as our prayers should be sent vp in Christes name so shold they be groūded on Gods promises It is a shame that the prayers of many Christians
that as Dauid first got life to his soule by the word so by it life was conserued vnto him and if at any time hee fell it was the word that wakened him to turne againe to the Lord by repentance When we are tempted vnto sinne the word armes vs to resist it when we are vvounded with sinne the word lets vs see how to cure it And as the crowing of the Cock wakened Peter to mourne for the deniall of Christ so the warning of the word wakens vs to repent when we haue sinned Happy vvere we if such affection vvere in vs toward the vvord of God as here was in Dauid So should we finde that manifolde comfort in it which hee found to the reioycing of his heart If vve receiue it vvhen vvee heare it vvith a liuelie faith Fiet nobis quodcunque desideramus It shall be vnto vs what euer we desire if wee be in trouble it shall be to vs a word of consolation if we be in ioy it shal augment our ioy Certainly if vve knew it we would be more delighted with it It is the seede of our new birth it is the foode that conserues an immortall life in vs it is a preseruatiue against all euill it is the restoratiue of our soules in all diseases it is the staffe of our infirmityes it is our armour against our enemies it is the light of our eyes euen that day starre that shineth in darknes If we walke in the light thereof it shall leade vs to the bright-shining sunne of righteousnes Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the Holy-ghost be praise honor and glory for euer Amen FINIS A Prayer commonlie vsed by the Author before his Euening Doctrine to the people O Lord prepare our hearts to seeke thee and open thou thy mercifull eare to heare vs. Let the meditation of our heart the words of our mouth and the lifting vp of our hands be vnto thee an acceptable Euening sacrifice and let thy blessing descend vpon vs thy people that by the ministery of thy word holy spirit light may increase in our mindes by which wee may knowe thee life in our hearts by which we may liue vnto thee that so long as wee are here in this miserable absence from thee we may continually be guided with thy grace and in thy owne good time receiued vp to thy glory through Iesus Christ to whom with thee and thy holy spirit be praise and glory for euer Another LOrd quicken vs that we may call vpon thy holy name Lord make vs wearie of our sinnes that we may come to thee and thou may refresh vs powre thy spirit vpon vs that we may hunger and thirst for thy righteousnesse and saluation that thou according to thy promise may satisfie vs. Declare thy presence in mercie vpon vs who heere wait for thy louing kindnes in the midst of thy Temple Water thine inheritance with the deaw of thy grace that we may fasten our roots in Christ and may growe vp in him in all holines fruitfull in euery manner of good worke which may be to thy glory through Iesus Christ. To whom with thee and thy holie spirit be praise and honour and glory for euer Amen A TABLE DIRECTING the Reader how to finde out the Principall points of Doctrine contained in this Book A A Brahams infirmity to teach vs strength P. 143. Gods Acceptation of any thing at our hands a great fauour for three respects 246. Accesse to God by Prayer while we are in the body will make vs not affraide to go out of the body 137. Adam had all graces except Perseuerance 260. Affections to be feruent in seeking spirituall things 356. Affections if strong will breake forth in Actions 368. Afflictions are fauours and proued such 166. 245. They are profitable 206. Afflictions and offences humble the Godly 170. Affliction not affecting Purgation is an argument of fearefull induration 171. In Affliction we see three things better then in prosperitie viz. What of the Lord what of our selues what of the world 181. The goodnes of the Wicked endeth with their Affliction It doth not so with the Godly 182. In Affliction to praise God a great grace 189. Afflictions of good and bad differ and how in the measure and in the end 191. They make the fruitfull more fruitfull 219. Alexanders and Caesars parting the night 159. Almuggim trees are such as rot not 156. The Anchor of the soul is Gods word 340. Angels to be imitated 332. Answere of Prayer delayed and why 199. Appeale to God frō the wrongfull iudgements of men 62. 344. Application of the word a speciall grace 377. Armour of the godly the Word and Prayer 65 The Art of Arts is the practise of piety 187. Assurance of saluation is no Arrogance 123. 215. Assurance confirmed by Arguments 124. The Awe-band of the wicked is without them of the godly within them 362. B THe Bands Combinings of the Wicked auaile not P. 155 Banishment and Pilgrimage bringeth vs neerer to God the farther from Men. 131. Beginnings nothing without perseuerance 252. God is a Beholder of our afflictions and Wrestlings 342 Benefits receiued well vsed beget Boldnes to aske more 38. Benefits should binde vs to Obedience 308. The fruite of Gods Benefits is our profit and Gods praise 393. Benignity of God generall speciall 163. Blessednes of Man described foure wayes 6. Mans Blessednes is in Gods Approbation 9. Desire of the best Blessings pleaseth God best 93. Blindnes of Man by Nature 51. Our Bodyes are houses of Bondage 132. Christs Burden beareth the Bearer 79. C CAlumnies are heauy Crosses Page 275. To commend a wrong Cause to Gods protection is dangerous 276. Bee our Cause neuer so good our owne wisedom will not help it ibid. Christians more honourable then Kings not Christians 48. Christians maimed which haue an eare to hear a tongue to speak but no hand to practise 119. Christians called Christs Companions 162. Christians are Prophets 388. Commandements all to be kept not with halfe obedience 21. Solide Comfort and Counsell commeth from the word 67. Comforts to bee sought from God for Gods sake 110. The Comfort of the Crosse vnknowne to Worldlings 171. Comfort the lesse worldly the greater heauenly 182. Comfort not comming from Gods word hath two euils with it 218 Comfort cōsisteth in two things 254. A three-fold Comfort 314. The Comfort of the worde is common to all the Godly 370. A man knowne by his Company 161. 257. Wicked Company to be for born for two causes 257. A threefolde Complaint against three sorts of Enemies 383. Confession of Sinnes confoundeth Sathan 274. 396. Confusion twofolde either a Desertion of God or Oppression of Men. 88 A Good Conscience affordeth continuall boldnesse in Prayer 273. 302. 343. 354 Consideration necessary in all things 150. Dauids Constancy in religion 174. Constancy of Christiās 250. 351. Conuersion to God not of any freewill in nature 85. Nothing can giue a
your Master My Lord at yee haue learned to serue most faithfully a King on earth and for good seruice haue receiued the recompence of his Princely liberality so thinke with your selfe how greatly ye shall be conuinced if ye doe not learne to serue the King of heauen whose wage to his seruants doth as farre exceed any thing yee haue as the heauens are aboue the earth The third is Ye are now striken in yeares your Almond tree is flourished these fiftie and eight yeares hath God spared you and not taken you away in your ignorances and sinnes as he hath done many others both at your right hand and at the left My Lord the patience of God is called long but his mercy euerlasting the vse of his mercy toward his owne is to beare with them till they be deliuered into the hands of his mercie then are they out of all danger for his mercy endures for euer and whom once he receiues he neuer casts away again But wo is to the wicked for they abuse Gods patience to fulfill the measure of their iniquity heaping vp wrath to themselues by the multiplication of sinnes as it were in a treasure against the day of wrath Thus as the Fish of Iorden goe sprinkling and playing in the streame thereof till at length they fall into the Loch or salt Sea of Sodome where they die so are all the wicked abusing Gods patience carried on by their deceitfull pleasures of sin to a miserable end For where in their young yeares they will not repent in their olde age custome of sinne so confirmes them in euill that they cannot repent no more then a Leopard can change his spots or a Blacke Moore his colour Of this your ◅may perceiue that God his long pattence whereby he spares a man is not a blessing if mercy to pardon sins past and grace to renne for the time to come doe not follow it yea rather quo diutius expectat districtius iudicabit the longer he tarie and spare the sharper will he strike when he comes Let this waken in your L. a care to redeeme the time and a resolution to sacrifice the residue of your few yeares vnto the Lord your God For which cause it shall not be vnprofitable your L. remember these counsels first that ye examine diligently your by-gon life No man knowes the things of a man but the spirit of a man this will tell you more of your selfe then all the world can tell you In this examination spare not your selfe if you would haue God to spare you iudge your selfe accuse your selfe correct your selfe and GOD shall not iudge you Remember when yee come to iudgement there will be none to stand against you if it be not your owne sinnes so long therfore as you haue time fall vpon them fight with them and doe all that ye can to vndoe them Where if your L. would know how is it that a man may vndoe the euill which he hath done The answer is that two manner of waies ye may doe it first if with good Ezechia ye recount your by-gon sinnes in the bitternesse of your heart mourning for them euer when ye thinke vpon them and with the eyes of faith looke to him who being righteous died for our sinnes sending vp strong supplications to God that by the merit of Christs death your sinnes may be buried in the graue and haue neuer place to stand against you in iudgement If they be such as may be m◅nded by restitution faile not to do it after the manner of good Zaccheus if they be not of that nature mend them by doing the contrarie good This is that holie reuenge which the Apostle commends as a not able effect of repentance That we should be reuenged of our by-gon euils by doing the good which we know is most contrarie vnto them This being done for annulling of your by-gon sinnes let your next care be to rectifie your life for the time to come Salomon saies The end of a thing is better thē the beginning thereof His meaning is of good things for euill men waxe worse and worse but an elect man by grace makes his latter end better then his beginning and they who are planted in the Courts of the Lords house flourish and bring forth fruit euen in their olde daies And here againe I recommend to your L. a three fold duetie First remember how manie are the obligation vvherein ye stand bound to the Lord your God thinke vppon that question of godlie Dauid What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me Take an answer for it out of these vvords of Salomon My sonne giue me thine heart Euerie morning offer vnto the Lord Primitias cordis oris tui the first fruits of your heart and mouth thinke vpon nothing before yee thinke on him speake of nothing till first yee speake vnto him be feruent and continuall in prayer Si non semper precamur semper debemus habere paratum precantis affectu◅ ◅f we be not alway praying we should alway haue readie a heart disposed to pray The vessels of mercy should smell of mercie and the Temples of God should neuer want the sacrifices of God giue to the Lord both the thankes and the seruice of all the good ye haue receiued from him Many giue him verball thankes for his benefites acknowledging themselues debitors to him for the good which they haue who will not serue him with his owne benefites Let these men know that their thanks are not acceptable to him The second point of your care I would haue entended to the poore and needy as ye haue receiued mercy from God or looke to get it shew mercy for Gods sake to such as are vnder you Salomon saith The mercies of the wicked are crueltie but the mercies of a righteous man extend euen toward his beast how much more then will he be mercifull to his Christian brother Remember what comfort Iob found in the day of his trouble arising from this That he restrained not the poore of their desire and caused not the eyes of the widdow to faile that he did not eate his morsels alone but the fatherlesse eat thereof that he saw none perish for want of clothing nor suffered the poore to be without a couering that the loynes of the poore blessed him because hee was warmed with the fleece of his sheepe It is a great grace where a man not onely sets his owne heart to praise God but hyreth the heart and tongue of others to praise God with him and for him therfore To do good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is pleased And with these thinke it a peece of your honour to honor the seruants of the Lord. Beautifull saith Esay are the feet of those who bring the glad tidings of peace If their feet be beautifull what should their face be Looke not to their weakenesse but for their Master and their
turne asâ—…e after their crooked wayes So that in the life of euery man there are two motions courses the one seene which is common to good and euill the other more secret the seene course is the way of a man from the wombe to the graue this is common and as Ioshua calles it The way of all flesh this is so sensible that all men perceiue it the growing of a man from infancie to child hood from child-hood to young age from young age to olde age the other I said is more secret wherein some by the crooked wayes of sinne walke on vnto perdition others by the way of holinesse to glorification And this way I call more secret because the course of wicked men is oft-times couered with hypocrisie the course againe of godly men obscured by calumnie both of them being esteemed among men the one for good the other for euill that which indeed they are not Who walke in the Law of the Lord. What before he spake obscurely hee now deliuers more plainly namely that they who walke in the Law of the Lord are vpright in way The Lawe of God is the rule of our life that narrow rodde within the limits whereof we should alway containe our selues neyther declining to the right hand nor to the left but euer proceeding by this one rule we should forget that which is behind and endeuour our selues to that which is before and truely seeing by the lawe onely our actions will be iudged wisedome requires that by the lawe onely our actions should be squared VER 2. Blessed are they who keepe his testimomonies and seeke him with their whole heart EVery man desires to be blessed euen they who had but the light of nature sought after it but could not find it here the Lord who in the last day will pronounce some to bee blessed and some to be cursed dooth now tell vs who they are What can comfort them to whom the Lord shall say Depart from me ye cursed Where away shall they goe whom the Lord shall command to depart from him And what greater ioy can com to a man then to heare the Iudge of all saying vnto him Come to me ye blessed Oh that we were wise in time to thinke of this that so we might endeuour to becom such men as to whom God in his word hath promised the blessing The doubling of the sentence Blessed blessed in the first verse and second is to let vs see the certainty of the blessing belonging to the godly The word of God is as true in it selfe when it is once spoken as when it is many times repeated the repetition of it is for confirmation of our weake faith That which Isaac spake of Iacob I haue blessed him and he shall be blessed is the most sure decree of God vpon all his childen Sathan would faine curse Israel by the mouth of such as Balaam was but he shall not be able to curse because God hath blessed Keepe his Testimonie The word of God is called his Testimony not onely because it testifies his will concerning his seruice but also his fauour and good wil concerning his own in Christ Iesus If the word of God were no more but a Law yet were we bound to obey it because we are his creatures but sith it is also a Testimony of his loue wherein as a father he witnesseth his fauour toward his children we are twise inexcusable if most ioyfully we doe not embrace it And againe sith the word is Gods Testimony let vs take heed what it testifies vnto vs. Achab complained to Iosaphat on Michaiah that he neuer prophecied good things vnto him but the blame was in Achab himselfe Are not my words saith the Lord good vnto him that walkes vprightly If the word of the Lord witnesse no good vnto vs it is because we are not good our selues Vtilis enim aduersarius est it is enemy to none but such as are enemies to themselues Let vs therefore take heed vnto it for if the word condemne vs then our conscience and the Lorde who is greater then them both will much more condemne vs but if we repent of our sinnes and continue in mourning seeking mercy amend our liues then shall the word bring vnto vs the glad tidings of peace yea not onely shall the word without but the spirit also testifie to our conscience within that our sinnes are forgiuen vs. Now as concerning the keeping of Gods Testimonies the children of God do it in minde in affection in action In mind as Mary laid vp the words of the Angell in her heart and Dauid laid vp the promises of God in his hart that he should not sin against the Lord in affection they haue euer a godly desire and a purpose to practise it ioyfull when they doe the commandements of God sorrowfull when they transgresse them in action they haue a begun obedience which God at length shall perfite in them for The righteousnesse of the Law shall be fulfilled in vs also And seeke him with their whole heart The seeking of God so often recommended in holy Scripture imports that naturally men are strangers from God diuided from him by sinne for what needeth a man to seeke that which he hath not lost This is man his most miserable condition by nature he hath lost the familiar presence of his God â—…or lo they that withdraw themselues from thee shall perish thou destrâ—…yest all them that goe a whooring from thee What shall we do to remedie it but practise that which there Dauid protests hee had concluded with himselfe As for me it is good for me to draw neere vnto God we lost him by sinne let vs seeke him by grace we went a whooring from him by our iniquity let vs returne vnto him by repentance other-way as he that will hide himselfe from the Sunne empaires not the light thereof hee may well shut himselfe in miserable darkenesse so he that departs from the Lord shall derogate nothing to his all-sufficient Maiesty hee may well plunge himselfe in the bottomlesse pit of remedilesse misery But this euill the losse of Gods familiar presence is not felt by carnall men so long as they enioy the comfort of his creatures and therefore is it that where they can seeke any other thing they want with solicitude and care eyther else they seeke him not at all or then seeke him not as they should As he that seekes a jewell which he hath lost lookes still to see it with so earnest an attention that what â—…uer other thing is in his way he sees it not casting all other things out of his minde Vnum illud intendit quod solum requirit so is it with him that seekes the Lorde Mundana omnia pertransieâ—…s illum solum inquirit passing by all other things in the world he makes inquisition for God only
not enough to confesse and declare our former errours to the Lord but ◅e should seeke to be coriected by his grace in ◅ime to come These two benefits the Lord giues them together ◅emission of sinnes and renoua◅ion of their sinfull nature and his Saints seeke them together Mercy and Grace Mercy for remission of former sinnes and Grace for renoua◅ion of their hearts in time to come And this is to be marked for carelesse and carnall professors who seek pardon of former sinnes but haue no care of amendment for the time to com these ◅buse the mercy of God and turne his grace into wantonnesse seeking as it were a libertie to sin and not a deliuerance from sinne More concerning this petition see out of the twelfth Verse in the second Section Beth. VER 27. Make me to vnderstand the way of thy precepts and I will meditate in thy wondrous workes DAVID yet continues in his former supplication for further illumination of his vnderstanding If the light that is in thee be darknes how great is the darknes Where the mind is darkned the heart can neuer be rightly ordered therefore prayes he the more instantly for light vnto his minde The wayes of sinne we know them and can walke in them without a teacher yea man out of his owne corruption hath been the first inuenter of many sinfull waies which before him haue not beene knowne but as for the wayes of God we can neyther know them nor walke in them vnlesse we be taught of God Againe in this continual opposition which he makes betweene his wayes and Gods wayes let vs remember how by nature man hath a way of his own different from the way of God This diuision began by the first transgression wherein man preferred the way of Sathan to the way o◅ God yet the diuision continues because man naturally is enclined to walke in a way contrary to that which God commaunds him which if in time it be not remedied will not faile to bring man to a miserable and vnhappy end for he who walkes not in the way of God can neuer come where God is but must be diuided frō the light ioyes of God and haue his portion in vtter darkneesse in that lake that burneth with fire brimstone And I will meditate If we seeke good things from God we should secke them for good ends specially that we may be enabled by them to serue God so will the Lord be intreated to giue them when he sees we seek them that we may return them to himselfe Ye aske saith S. Iames and receiue not because ye aske amisse that ye may consume them on your own lusts therfore Dauid seeking knowledge from God promiseth to vse it well not as many doe who by knowledge waxe proud seeking knowledge to get glory to themselues Dauid seeks it that he may be the more able to meditate on the workes of God and in them to shew forth his glory He stiles the works of God maruellous works and so indeed they are both his works of creation whereby he made the things which are and of his administration or prouidence whereby he conserues them but most of all maruellous are his works of mans redemption that is the Great mysterie of godlines But som of them we admire not because we know them not others of them custom drawes in contempt VER 28. My soule melteth for heauinesse raise me vp according to thy Word THe meaning is that he was sore weakned by the greatnes of his griefe therfore prayeth the Lord to reuiue strengthen confirm him Euen as a thing which melteth consumes away by piece-meale till nothing be left Vires eius paulatim difflu◅hant sicut aquae so did he finde the life strength of his soule docaying through the extremity of his griefe In the first part of the verse his eye is vpon him selfe in the second it is vp to the Lord. Happy is the man whose whole care is about one of these two that eyther he is looking to himselfe considering his necessities or looking to the Lord attending his mercies Heauiness There is nothing may comfort a naturall man but Dauid had it yet cannot all these keepe him from that heauinesse wherunto as witnesseth St. Peter the children of God are subiect in this life through their manifold tentations The men of the world are so farre from this disposition that if they haue health and wealth they maruell what it is should make a man heauie they are not acquainted with the exercises of a feeling conscience they know not the defects of the spirituall life are not grieued at them being dead in sinne they feele not that they want life all their care is to eate and drink and make merry But miserable are they for in their best estate they are as Oxen fedde for the slaughter Wo be to them who laugh now they shal mourne but blessed are they who mourne now for they shall be comforted The particular causes of the heauinesse of a Christian are according to their particular tentations which no man is able to rehearse where because it is a common disease to them all that euery one of them thinkes his own tentations singular let them remember that warning of the Apostle No tentation hath ouertaken you but that which appertaines to men But seeing our Sauiour saith that His yoake is easie and his burden light how is it that his children finde such heauinesse in bearing of it and following him It is true indeede the burden of Christ is light Quidenim leuius eo o◅ere quod non solum non oneraet sed portat omnom cui portandum imponitur for it is such a burden as is not burdensome but rather bears vp euery man who bears it not vnlike the wings of a fowle which are so borne by the body that they beare it and make it more agile or light If then we finde any heauinesse it is because our corrupt nature will not conforme her selfe to the similitude of Christ and refuseth to submit her neck vnto his yoke This is it that breeds in vs heauinesse and griefe that wee finde a power of corruption in vs which will not subiect it selfe to him whom our soule loueth Raise me vp according to thy word They haue not all learned to pray who vse prayer many in this age send vp vnto God confused prayers rising from the sense of their miseries whereof they desire to be relieued Pagans doe as much when they are in trouble they lift vp their eyes to God and desire to be deliuered from it But we must remember first to offer vp our prayers in the name of CHRIST whom because Pagans know not the Father cannot bee well pleased with them Next to frame our petitions according to Gods promises as heere Dauid doth otherwise to offer prayers for
are alway to take heede that if wee would haue the argument effectuall toward vs wee make it sure to our selues that we are of the number of them who loue him VER 133. Direct my footsteps in thy word and let none iniquitie haue dominion ouer me AS before he sought mercy so now he seeks grace There are many that seeke mercy to forgiue sin who seeke not grace to deliuer them from the power of sin this is to abuse Gods mercy turne his grace into wantonness He that praieth for mercy to forgiue the guilt of sin onely seeks not that by sin hee should not offend God but that he may sin and not hurt himself but he who craues deliuerance also from the commanding power and deceit of sin seekes not onely a benefit to himselfe but grace also to please serue the Lord his God The first is but a louer of himselfe the second is a louer of God more then of himselfe And truly he neuer knew what it was to seek mercy for sin past who with it also earnestly sought not grace to keep him frō sinne in time to come These benefits cannot be diuided he who hath not the second howsoeuer he flatter himselfe may be assured hee hath not gotten the first My steppes These steps Ambrose restraines ad profectus animae to the progresse of his soule onely but we may very well thinke that Dauid here commends the whole course of his life to be gouerned by God both outward and inward conuersation The body is carried to good or euill by steps of the feet the soule by the motion of affections is caried either to the Lord or from him therfore he praies that God would direct them for according to our gouernour or directour so goes the course of our actions Thy word By the word of the Lord all creatures are ruled At his word fire comes downe contrarie to the course of nature the sun stands or goes back the moone and starres keep forward their course yea the raging sea abides within his prescribed bounds Strange is it that man makes it not the rule of his life but let this be an awe-band to him That by this word he must be iudged at the length And let none iniquitie haue dominion Dauaid takes vp very wisely the controuersie that is betweene Satan and vs hee seekes by sinne to haue dominion ouer vs. Wherein wee may consider what an vnreasonable Tyrant Satan is and what iust cause wee haue to wage battell with him The Lorde our God made vs hee redeemed vs hee conserues vs none but he can claime any title vnto-vs Is it not then most vnreasonable that Sathan should seeke superioritie ouer vs or that we should be so beastly as giue it vnto him Neyther is it onely against all equity but also most hurtfull vnto our selues for what wages can Satan giue to his slaues but the wages of sinne to make them partakers of his owne damnation Can he giue vnto others better then he hath to himselfe Besides this also he exacts seruice without rest or intermission Most cruell oppressors Turks and Pagans giue some rest to their captiues Satan giues none in eating in sleeping he abuseth them to serue him And which is worst of all where this Tyrant sends out sundry officers and seruants that is sinfull affections to exact seruice from thee they are all so insatiable that they may well consume thee spend all thy means and all thy daies but thou shalt neuer bee able to satisfie the least of them And therefore great neede haue we to seeke the helping hand of God against them praying with Dauid that iniquity may neuer haue dominion ouer vs. VER 134. Deliuer mee from the oppression of men and I will keepe thy precepts NOt one but manifold are the troubles of the righteous they haue not onely to wrestle against their owne corruption but against Satans malice the pride and enuy of all his wicked impes and instruments Against them the best armour we can vse is patience and prayer they are but like roddes in the hand of the Lord as our Sauior said to Pilat Thou couldst haue no power ouer me if it were not giuen thee from aboue The rodde is not able to moue but by the hand of him that holdes it let vs runne to the hand of God let vs pacifie him by prayer and wee shall not neede to feare what flesh can doe vnto vs. But aboue all things let vs beware we fight neuer against the wicked with their own weapons From the oppression The word is generall imports not only oppression by violence but by calumnies and any other iniury And they are well ioyned together for such as doe euill one way will not faile to doe it another They who loose their tongues to calumniate Gods seruants will not faile if they may to loose their handes also to oppresse them and such also who oppresse them will not spare to speake euill of them that they may iustifie themselues None of all the seruants of Saul would drawe the sword to slay the seruants of the Lord albeit their Master commanded them onely Doeg who before had calumniated Dauid and so by his tongue had begunne the persecution spared not to murther with the bloudie swords such seruants of God as for Gods sake had shewed fauour to Dauid Let vs not looke for better from them whose tongues are bent to speake euill of the seruants of God but that their handes also when they may haue the occasion will bee ready to shedde their bloud Of men The word he vseth is Adam this is the first name that God gaue to man after his fall signifying earth or redde earth and it sheweth how weake and silly a creature man hath made himselfe by his sinne The consideration of it confirmes Dauid against his enemies that they were but men of earth if we could remember we would neuer be troubled at their inimity Who art thou Iacob that thou shouldst feare a mortall man and all flesh is grasse And againe the consideration of this serues to humble the pride of man Sith they are but men of clay why waxe they proude to oppresse others It was a very worthie warning which a certaine Ambassadour gaue once to Alexander the great that flies and wormes at length would eate the flesh of Lions If proude men considered this That they are but earth and that shortly their beautifull bodies will become carcases to bee eaten by the wormes it would abate their naturall pride by which they trample downe others poorer and weaker then they vnder their feete And I will keepe The benefites or deliuerances of God obtained by prayer should not bee abused to licentiousnesse to nourish our selues in our sinnes and wonted security but the more wee receiue from him the more should vvee acknowledge our selues bound and obliged to him Otherwise if benefites
si sanctus si iustus sit debet orare vt exaudiat eum Dominus secundum misericordiam suam non secundum merita virtutis alicuius quia rara virtus multa peccata A man were he neuer so iust or holy should euermore pray that God would heare him according to Gods mercy not according to the merit of his vertue whatsoeuer because in the best men their vertues are rare their sinnes are many It is true they vse also secondary arguments taken from God his graces in themselues as that they loue him or feare him or call vpon him but these in effect are but the alledging of the conditions whereupon God out of his kindnesse hath made the promises and so being his owne graces freely giuen may lawfully be vsed to moue the Lord to the performance of his promises Quicken me See ver 37. 40. 50. 88. 93. According to thy iudgement Iudgement is sometime taken for the execution of Gods threatnings against transgressors and this Dauid declines Psal. 143. Enter not into iudgement with me Sometime it is taken for the performance of his promises according to his word and this Dauid desires as in this Verse See ver 7. 13. 20. 30. 39. 43. 52. 62. 66. 75. 84. 102. 106. 108. 120. 137. 149. 156. 160. 164. 175. VER 150. They drawe neere that follow after malice and are farre from thy Lawe HEe reiterates againe his complaint against his enemies whom he describes after this manner That toward God they were impious men farre from his Lawe toward Dauid they were malicious yea such as followed malice and hunted after all occasions to doe him euill This is the condition of the children of God as their head and Lord Christ Iesus was set for a signe of contradiction so is it with his seruants they are set as a marke butte whereat Satan and his instruments shoot all the arrowes of their indignation but in vaine for God is their buckler And truely it should greatly comfort all the godly to remember that such as are their enemies are Gods enemies also sith they are farre from the obedience of Gods Law what maruell they be also farre from that duety of loue which they owe vnto vs It may content vs to want that comfort in men which otherwise we might and would haue when wee consider that God wants his glory in them Let this sustaine vs when we see that Godlesse men are enemies vnto vs. VER 151. Thou art neere O Lord for all thy commandements are true FRom the meditation of his enemies malice hee returnes againe to the meditation of Gods mercie and so it is expedient for vs to doe least the number and greatnesse and malitiousnesse of our enemies make vs to faint when we looke vnto them It is good that we should cast our eyes vpward to the Lord then shall we see they are not so neere to hurt vs as the Lord our God is neere to helpe vs and that there is no euill in them which we haue cause to feare but we shall finde in our God a contrary good sufficient to preserue vs. Otherwise we could not indure if when Satan and his instruments come neere to pursue vs the Lord were not neere to protect vs. Comfortable is it that when Laban with great fury followed Iacob the Lorde stepped in betweene them and commanded Laban not to hurt him and when Satan many a time intended to destroy Iob hee found that hee could not because the Lord was a hedge and defence vnto him This is of GODs marueilous working that wee being in the middest of the wicked who like so many rauening Wolues thirst for our bloud and before the mouth of that roaring Lion that seekes to destroy vs we should still be preserued for the which we may giue thankes with Dauid It is so O Lorde because thou art neere vnto vs. But let vs remember if wee would haue this presence of the Lorde rendring vs comfort wee must also bee moued by it to render him reuerence Prope est omnibus qui vbique adest nec refugere eum possumus si offendimus nec fallere si delinquimus nec amittere si colamus He is neere vnto all who is euery where present if we offend him wee cannot flie from him if we ◅ne we cannot siele nor couer his eyes if wee worshippe him we cannot want him neere to vs in all our necessities De sole non dubitas quod vbique resplendeat de Deo dubitas quod non vbique fulgeat Thou doubtest not of the Sunne that it shines into euery place why doubtest thou that the Lord is present in euery place Be where thou wilt hee is neere vnto thee be thou also in thy affection neere vnto him to feare and loue him in all thy wayes walke with him as Henoch did set him alway in thy sight as Dauid did Vnlesse thou be with him to waite vpon him and serue him how can he be neere vnto thee to preserue and comfort thee in all thy necessities Hee is neere vnto all illum tamen fouet qui appropinquat sibi but he comforts and nourisheth such as come neere vnto him He that hides himselfe from the light of the Sunne and closeth the dore and window of his house that it shine not vnto him what maruell hee haue no comfort by the light thereof In tenebris ambulat in omnium luce ipse sibi est causa caecitatis He walkes in darknesse and in the middest of light shining vnto all hee becommeth a cause of blindenesse vnto himselfe If by iniquity wee depart from the Lord wee may finde him neere as a Iudge to punish vs not as a Father to protect vs. For all thy Commaundements are true His meaning is Albeit O Lorde the euill will of wicked men follow me because I follow thee yet I knowe thy commaundements are true and that it is not possible thou canst desert or faile thy seruants who stand to the maintenance of thy word Then ye see Dauids comfort in trouble was not in any presumptuous conceit of his owne wisedome or strength but in the truth of Gods promises which he was perswaded could not faile him And heere also hee makes a secret opposition between the word of the Lord and the word of his enemies Somtime men command but without reason sometime they promise but without performance sometime they threaten but without effect Herods cōmanding Rabsac◅e his ray ling Iezabel her proude boasting against Elijah may proue this But as to the Lord our God he is alway better then his word and his seruants shall finde more in his performance hereafter then now they can perceiue in his promise like as his enemies shall finde more weight in his iudgements then now they can apprehend in his threatnings VER 152. I haue knowne long since by thy Testimonies that thou hast established them for euer THat which he hath
men knew this or could apprehend it they would not redeeme the pleasures of sinne so deerely as for them to defraude their ownesoules of saluation despising against themselues the counsell of God And this Oracle of God should confirme vs against all these tentations which arise vnto vs by looking to the prosperity peace and worldly pompe of the wicked What is the glory of their outward state to be regarded so long as this fearfull sentence lies vpon them that the saluation of God is farre from them This sustained the Apostle S. Paul when he saw the great pompe of Agrippa he would not for all that exchange estates with him he wished not to be like vnto Agrippa but rather that hee had beene such as he was Because they seeke not thy Statutes Heere is noted the cause of all their misery namely the contempt of Gods word they did not so much as seeke the Lords Statutes An argument they esteemed nothing of it for who will seeke that whereof they account not or who will despise that which they esteeme pretious and necessary to them This is much more then if he had only said They transgresse thy Statutes The children of God may be guilty of the one transgression for in many things we sinne all And if any man say he sinnes not he is a lâ—…ar and the truth is not in him but they are farre from the other to dis-esteeme of Gods word and cast off all care to seeke it VER 156. Great are thy tender mercies O Lord quicken me according to thy iudgements NOw Dauid turns his consideration from wicked men vnto himselfe acknowledging that he was no better by nature then they but that Gods his mercy had made a difference between him and them where there was none by nature And therefore prayes he that the work of Gods mercy may be continued with him to quicken him and giue him life that he defile not his conscience by dead workes as they doe nor yet haue fellowship with them in their vnfruitfull workes of darkenesse but that being quickned by God he may liue the life of God from which he saw them to be strangers Thus we see that how-euer the godly exercise somtime their consideration about other things yet in the end they returne still to themselues What-euer they heare or see or speake of others they enter into their owne hearts and edifie themselues by it if they looke to such as are godly they are confirmed to follow themâ—… if they looke to the manners of wicked men they are affraid of their owne weakenesse runne to Gods mercy praysing him who hath preserued them from the like impiety and praying also for grace to keep them that their harts incline not to walk with them Thus of euery thing they reape some profit to themselues but naturall men look so to things which are without them that they enter not into their owne hearts to edifie themselues by that which they heare or see in others Againe the manner of the children of God in their prayers is to flie alway to Gods mercy it is of mercy that they begin well of mercy that they continue well of mercy that they looke for any good at the hands of God let them leane to merits who will we wil depend vpon mercy Are we able to giue vnto God himselfe Are we able to requite his benefites which we haue gotten Quis potest debitum referre naturae debitum salutis gratiae Can any man requite him for benefits of nature which we haue receiued farre lesse for benefites of grace saluation these are debts which wee are neuer able to pay Where then are thy merits Quis nostrûm sine diuina potest miseratione subsistere Who among vs all can subsist without diuine miseration Quid possumus dignuÌ„ facere praemijs coelestibus Or what can we do worthy of a heauenly reward Let vs therfore learnat Dauid to send vp our requests Non secundum merita nostra sed misericordiam Dei not according to our merits but his mercies Two Epithets he ascribes to Gods mercies first he cals them great and then he cals them tender mercies They are great in many respects for coÌ„tinuance they endure sor euer for largenes they reach vnto the heauens are higher then they yea they are aboue all the workes of God And this is for the comfort of poore sinners whose sinnes are many and great let them not despaire his mercies are greater and moe for sith they are greater then all his works how much more greater then thou and all thy sinsull workes All the Nations of the earth are but like the droppe of a bucket or as a graine of sand compared with his Maiestie what art thou then that thou shouldst magnifie thy deedes aboue his rich mercie as if thy sinnes were so great that his mercie could not compasse them Onely doe not abuse his mercy neyther turne thou his grace into wantonnesse but if thou vnfeinedly repent then doe thou also stedfastly beleeue that thy sinnes were they neuer so great shall easily be swallowed vp by his infinite mercies As the Ocean when it flowes couers sands and rockes and all that they are not seene so where the floud of Gods compassions breaks out how easily doth it ouerflow and couer all thy transgressions This is the meditation of the Apostle that where before he had beene many manner of wayes sinfull and ignorant a blasphemer an oppressor a persecuter yet the grace of our Lord had beene exceeding abundant toward him where sinne had abounded grace had superabounded to ouer flow and couer it And in this he stands for an example to all that will beleeue that they should neuer distrust Gods great mercies for the greatnesse of their sinnes The other Epithet he giues them is That they are tender mercies because the Lord is easie to be intreated for he is slowe vnto wrath but ready to shew mercy S. Iames saith that the wisdom which is from aboue is gentle peaceable easie to be intreated If his grace in his children make them gentle and easie to be intreated what shall we thinke of him selfe Sith he will haue such pitie in vs poore creatures that seauenty times seauen times in the day hee will haue vs to forgiue the offences of our brethren O what pitie compassion abounds in himselfe Thus we see our comfort is increased that as his mercies are great so are they tender easily obtained where they are earnestly craued Quicken me Dauid found the life of grace in himselfe continually hindred impugned yea oft-times sore weakened by the power of his corrupt nature and therefore the more frequent is he in this petition that God would quicken him VER 157. My persecuters and my oppressors are many yet doe I not swerue from thy testimonies A New protestation of his constancy vnder affliction that albeit
Commended for the truth and righteousnes thereof 357. Euery thing contrary thereto is falsehood 366. It is the keeper of religious order 389. It is like Manna 392. Gods Works are wondrous 77. All his Works serue him 217. Worldlings treasure is without them The Christians is within them 33. The Worldlings ioy The Godlies griefe 69 Y YOuth and Old age both to be godly 30. To be considered 234. Z THe Zeale of the godly to Gods word not soon satisfied 317. The nature of Zeale ibid. Sundry sorts of Zeale 318. The effects of Zeale ibid. Zeale and Knowledge twowings of the Soule 319. The Tryall of Zeale ibid. Zeale in Prayer 328. What may seem wanting in this Table the references of certaine verses will supply FINIS Iob 31. Heb. 13. So many waieâ—… doth God teâ—…ch man that man is inexcusable if he learn not Matth. 11. 17. Euthym. Gods courle in dealing with man contrary to Sathans Esa. 5. 4. A commendation of the booke of the Psalmes Aâ—…ib Dauid both the heart and the tongue and the pen of the great King If we be partakers of Dauids disposition we shall also be partakers of his approbation ☜ A notable sentence of Cyprian to this purpole Iob 1. 1. 8. Pontius We should marke these verâ—…es for which God hath commended his seruants In euery verse of this Psalme except one Dauid makes mention of Gods word Vatablus Such as are regenerate by the word liue by it as by the food of their soules Others cannot account of it ☜ The order and diuision of this Psalme The felicity of man stands in a conformity with God Basil. praeâ—…in Psal. Rom. 9. 5. Foure wayes is mans felicity described in holy Scripture Ephes. 1. 3. Psalme Psal. 3â—… 1. Matth. 5. Euthym. Euery mans life is a Way wherein without intermission he walkes to the graue Basil. Psal. 125. The different courses of good and euill men in it For there is one common to them both which is seene one other proper to each of them which is secret A godly man directs his course by the word 〈◊〉 3. 1â—… Mans felicity stands in God his approbation No malice of Sathan no wrath of man can curse where God hath blessed Why Gods word is called the Testimony of God Euery man should take heed what Gods word testifies to him Mich. 2. 7. ☞ Aug. How the children of God keepe his word in mind affection and action Rom. 8. How necessary it is for vs to seeke the Lord. Psal. 73 27. Ver. 28. Miserable are they who seeke him not With what affection God should be sought Chrysost. in mat hom 24. Euthym. ☞ Six conditions to be obserued in the seeking of God 1 Seeke him in Christ. Heb. 7. 25. 2 Seeke him in truth Ier. 10 10. Ioh. 4. 2â—… Pâ—…l 51. 3 Seeke him in holinesse Heb 12. 1 Ioh. 3. 4 Sâ—…eke him aboue all things and for himselfe Hos. Aug. ☞ 5 Seeke him by his owne light Rom. 1. 21. 6 Seek him without wearying Psal. 34. 5. If we keepe Gods word it keepes vs. How it is that the Saints of God worke no iniquity Rom. 7. Three things concurre to the working of iniquity ☞ 1. Ioh. 3. Why the life of a godly man is called Gods way The sinnes of this age are either of obliuion or rebellion excuse of ignorance is taken from them By obliuion men are easily caried to rebellion Psal. 123. 2. Three reasons to moue vs to a carefull diligence to obey the Lord. The godly answer Gods preâ—…epts with a prayer It cannot be well with man when his way is contrary to Gods way It is a worke of Gods mercy and power to draw a man from his owne way to Gods way Euthym. The miserable effects of sin Iam. 1. It offends both God and man but hurts him most that did â—…ommit it Ierem. â—…asil Wee should make conscience of all God his commaundements The halfe obeâ—…ience of the wicked is like the voice of an Eccho Iam. 2. 10. Thankfulnes to God commended for foure causes Psalme First for the equitie of it sith wee take good things from God why should we not giue him glory Secondly for the obiect thereof which is God the treasure of all good Thirdly for the associates wee haue in this exercise namely Angels our elder brethren Lastly for the great good we get by it The best musicall instrument for Gods prayses is an vprigh â—…are Both the matter the grace of thankfulnes is from God Purposes wold be seconded with prayers A resolution to be godly is a great beginning of a godly life A fearefull plague to be forsaken of God â—…asil Gods children many times exercised with temporall desertions To a godly man a â—…hort time of Gods absence is long Gods word is a glasse representing to vs both Gods image and our owne As words and sentences cannot be without letters so no good in religioÌ„ or manners without the word ☞ Dauid edifies others with that which had done himselfe good The word is needfull for all specially for young men and why Amb. lib. de viduis Naziâ—…n orat 46. in Ecclesiast Prou. 22. 15. Lam. 3. 27. Youth commonly most profane Amos. 2. It is an euill diuision when young yeeres are giuen to Satan and olde age to the Lord. Leuit. 2. 14. Malach. How the strength of young age should be declared 1. Ioh. 2. 14 15 16. It a double sin and shame for old men to be vngodly A miserable euill to come to Canaans borders and be put backe againe ☜ Knowledge to gouern the life aright is the good gift of God Amb. Dauid practised that which he taught to others Hee was far froÌ„ Pharisaicall boasting of his owne perfection Basil. The beginning continuing and perfecting of our saluation is of God Heb. 12. Dauid hid not the talent hee receiued Psal. He that edifies not his owne heart with mercy is not meet to speake of it vnto others Christians haue their treasure within Worldlings without them The godly make not a vaine shew of grace but lock it vp in the heart to hide it from their enemies Basil. Worldlings carelesse of the heauenly treasure conuinced If we keepe the word it will keepe vs. The soule of the godly cannot be satisfied in this life Men are carelesse to seeke God because they know not what a iewell he is But seeke the creatures as if their happines stood in them To be taught by man is nothing if God teach not Amb. Doctrine shold be deliuered and receiued with prayer ☜ Such as haue solid knowledge of saluation desire to know more And none thinke they know enough but they who know nothing Bern. Benefits receiued being well vsed may make vs bold to seek more How sayth Dauid he declared Gods iudgements 〈◊〉 the Apostle saith they are vnsearchable Psal. 35. Rom. 11. Ambrose Iudgements of God are twofold secret and reuealed Men should learne before they teach Bern. Man made with such wisedome that no member in the body
can say to another I need thee not Speech taken from good men for two causes Iob 12. 1 For punishment of their people 2 For correction of themselues The ioy gotten by Gods word surmounts all worldly ioy whatsoeuer Basil. Ambrose In a miserable estate are they to whom Gods word is a wearinesse Sathans baits â—…e pleasure or profit but we should not be moued with any of them and why Amb. 1. Cor. 1. It is not the hearing or reading of Gods word that will worke vs ioy if we practise it not ☞ Basil. Of the vexation and vanity of worldly riches Ambros. in Luc. cap. 16. They flie farthest from vs when we haue most need of comforts A threefold internall action of the soule about the word ☜ How a godly man is euer fruitfull in good The necessity and vtility of meditation The minde of man is restlesse and vexes it selfe with euill if it be not exercised with good Gods word should be the matter of our meditation August Marcellinâ—… Iob 22. The word is Gods way because by it God commeth to vs and we go to him The more good a godly man doth the more he desires to do The graces of the Spirit are linked together lose one lose all keepe one keep all ☞ Our best estate vpon earth is that we haue not that which we should and yet want not altogether The strength of a Christian is in his prayer The greatest benefit men receiue from God is grace to obey him Constantine the great his notable saying It is more to be a Christian then a Monarch of the world So Dauid reioyceth more in this that he was Gods seruant then king of Israel Sith Angels serue him shal we think shame to serue him Naturall life makes a reprobate man in a worse case then if he had neuer been But to an elect man euen naturall life is a great benefit This life without grace is but a death Num. 19. Math. 8. Eph. 5. Miserable are they who desire to liue for loue of the pleasures of sin A worthy meditation of Nazianzen Satan by experience is found a false deceiuer How blind maÌ„ is by nature ☜ Our regeneratioÌ„ is wrought by degrees Ambrose If we be ignorant of the word the blame is in our darke mind not in it Vatab. 2. Cor. 3. 14. Why many learned men attaine not to the knowledge of the truth ☞ Basil. Illumination of the mind is Gods worke Psal. 104. Luk 24. 2. Cor. 3. 16. Euery Article of our faith â—…s a wonderful mysterie Man on earth is a stranger knowes not the way hee should walk till God shewes it vnto him Ambrose Worldlingâ—… shal not continue on earth yet cannot say they are strangers in it And that because in affection they be content with this desire not a better Phil. Reuel 8. Psal. 17. Worldlings â—…e inhabitants of the earth Christians are â—…ut strangers in it Basil. Luke The whole earth is but a place of banishment Nazian in vita Basil. A man euen in his owne house should esteeme himselfe a straÌ„ger This world can neither wil nor teach men a way to go out of her selfe we must seeke a guide froÌ„ heauen ☞ The right knowledge of the ten Commandements Two things required in true obedience Both the word and the plagues of God are called his iudgments how Such as are not moued by the first shall be confounded by the second A hart full of spirituall desires is an argument of great grace Ambr. Ambrose Comfort against coÌ„tempt of men wherby they scorne the godly for sighing and teares The begunne wrath of God on them shold confirme vs against their contempt But many wax worse with Lamech when they see euill men spared Gene. 4. 24. Few become better with Dauid when they see them punished Eccles. Wicked men coÌ„monly styled proud men and why Proud Satan hath made disciples prouder then himselfe Esay 14. Ambr. The miserable condition of a proud man Iam. ☞ Ambrose Euery error is dangerous but proud error accursed Sinnes of pride and of infirmitie should be distinguished Curse of God on the wicked is like a secret consumption Dauid his appellation to God from the wrongful iudgments of men How Dauid iustifies himselfe before God and man A triall of true religion A hard tentation to be troubled by men of great authority for two causes 1. For their power Prou. Rom. 13. 2. 〈◊〉 place Psalm Princes godly and râ—…us are a great blessing of God Great cause haue we to be thankfull for the King hee hath set ouer vs. Psalm christians measure not the veritie of religion by the number or greatnes of them that are with it or against it Such as persecure the godlie with their tongues will not faile to loose their hands against them if they may Where we find that God binds their hands we should beare their tongues the more patiently ☜ Ierem. 12. Armour of godly men is the word and prayer Ambrose ☞ The word renders vs both counsell for gouernment pleasure for delectation Comfort gotten by other recreations continues not ☜ No wisedome without the word The word of God is conuenient for euery state of life Dauid sore troubled with a spirituall oppression Tentations of the godly somtimes cannot be told sometimes it is not expedient they should be told In a worldling the very heauenly part is becom earthly Ambrose The contrary disposition of Christians Ambr. Cant. 4. 4. The royall towre of christ is a soule moâ—â—ting vp to heauen Change of estates wherevnto the godly are subiect ☞ Godly men by 〈◊〉 waÌ„ts falls infirmities become more godly The life of a ChristiaÌ„ wherin stands it It is great faith to belieuâ—… when there is no feeling of mercie Dauids argument to moue the Lord vnto mercie Where God begins to shew mercy he ceaâ—… not tâ—…ll hee crowne with â—…cie Mans liberality is but like a Strand Gods like the great Ocean Happy is the soule wherein mercy truth meet together An euill conscience hides it self from God Esa. What a great benefit it is to manifest our wayes to God in time Ambrose Sathan confounded when we confesse our sinnes ☞ A profitable rule to make vs liue godly Basil. After confession he ioynes prayer for amendment Ambros. See ver 12. Remission and renouation are two inseparable benefits ☜ We haue great need to pray for further light We can walke the wayes of sinne without a teacher not so the wayes of God Miserable is man so long as his way and Gods way are different Good things should be sought from God for good ends Iam 4. The works of God are all maruellous The godly sore humbled by affliction A Christian is eyther looking to his owne necessities or to God his mercies Naturall comforts cannot sustaine a man iâ—… spirituall troubles 1. Pet. 1. Luk. 6. Christians should not thinke that their tentations are singular 1. Cor. 10. Christs crosse is such a burden is easeth them on whoÌ„
our aduersary that seeks to snare vs by the transgression of them is diligent in tempting For he goes about night and day seeking to deuoure vs next because we our selues are weake and infirme by the greater diligence haue we need to take heed to our selues thirdly because of the great losse we sustaine by euery vantage Sathan gets ouer vs. For we finde by experience that as a wound is sooner made then ◅ is healed so guiltines of conscience is easily contracted but not so easily done away VER 5. O that my wayes were directed to keepe thy Statutes IN the former verse Dauid hath meditated vpon the commandement of God Now the fruit of his meditation is ye see a prayer vnto God wherein he wishes that all his actions were answerable to the commandements of God this is customable vnto the godly to answere all the precepts of God by prayers what he commaunds them to doe they seeke from himselfe grace to doe it My wayes In this Psalme sometime ye see mention is made of Gods wayes as Vers. 3. and sometime of man his wayes as Vers. 5. It is well with man when his wayes and Gods wayes are all one for if man haue another way then the way of God of necessity his end must be miserable God is the fountaine of life he that walks not with God abides in death God is the father of light he that will goe from him shall goe to blacknes of darknes yea to vtter darknes where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth Loe all they that withdraw themselues from thee shall perish therefore will we resolue with Dauid It is good for me to draw neere vnto the Lord. Dauid knowing that naturally man is diuided from God and hath a way of his own which will not faile to lead him vnto a miserable end he wisheth from his heart to be vnited with the Lord that Gods will were his will and Gods way were his way This is a worke aboue the power of nature and therfore he humbly prayes that God would worke it Dignoscens quod ex seipso nihil possit efficere nisi Dei ope gratia adiutus fuerit humbly acknowledging that in the framing of his waies to Gods will of himselfe he was able to do nothing without the help of grace We are not of our selues able to thinke a good thought our sufficiency is of God neither is it in him that wils nor in him that runnes but in God that shewes mercie VER 6. Then should I not be confounded when I haue respect vnto all thy commandements SInne hath many euill fruites it offends God and grieues his Spirit it hurts thy neighbour for by it thou temptst some and infectst others but the sosest wound it giues to thy selfe for it brings vpon thee shame confusion and in the end eternall death For sinne when it is finished brings out death Thy owne wickednes shall reproue thee and thou shalt knowe that it is an euill thing a bitter that thou hast for saken the Lord thy God How were Ad◅m and Euah consounded after their fall how ran they away from the Lord in whom they delighted before How lurked they among the b◅shes thinking shame of thēselues they sought to couer their nakednes Praeuaricationis enim fructus est cōfusio If we think to pluck better fruit from the tree of sinne we doe but deceiue our selues It standeth true in all which the Apostle spake of the Romans When ye were the seruants of sin yee were freed frō righteousnes what fruite had yee then of those things wherof yee are now ashamed The end of these things is death If therefore vvee thinke euill to be confounded with shame let vs bevvare we be not perverted by sinne Respect to all thy Commandements Wee must not make a diuision at our owne hand of the commaundements of GOD making a shew to keepe some and taking libertie to transgresse others as Naaman did who resolued that hee vvould offer no sacrifice vnto any other God saue onely to the Lord onely this he reserued that he would bow with his Master the King of Assur to the Idole Rimmon Like him are many now vvho professe they will serue the Lord but still reserue an Idole of their owne to the which their heart enclines so answer the Lord with halfe obedience like the Eccho which makes not a perfit respondence of the voice of men but of some part thereof But the commaundements of GOD are so vnited among themselues that hee who failes in one point of the law is guiltie of all and therfore to euery one of them should we giue obedience wherin if wee cannot doe what wee should yet at least should we haue a respect a purpose and a care so to do hauing a begun obedience to them all not exempting our selues frō any And this for them who thinke all is well if they be not adulterers when in the meane time they are idolaters and so forth of the rest VER 7. I will praise thee with an vpright heart vvhen I shall learne the iudgements of thy righteousnes IN this verse wee haue a prayer for further knowledge together with a protestation of Dauid his thankfull affection for it Thankfulnes is a dutie wherein we are all obliged to the Lord. It is a good thing for vpright men to praise thee Lord. It is good first in regard of the equitie of it Sith the Lord giues vs good things shal not we giue him praises againe especially seeing the Lord is content so to part all his works between his Maiestie and vs that the good of them be ours the glorie of them be his owne When we haue taken good things from him why shall we defraude him of his part that is glory by thanksgiuing Surely the earth vvhich renders increase to them that labour it the oxe that knowes his owner and euery beast in their kind that bowes to the hand of him who giues it meat shal condemne vnthankfull man who receiues dailie from the Lord but neuer returnes praises vnvnto him Secondly it is good to praise the Lord in regard of himselfe who is the obiect of our prayses Sith he is the treasure of all good the author of all blessings it cannot be but a good and blessed thing to blesse him Thirdly it is good in respect of our associates companions in this exercise the Angels Cherubins and Seraphins delight continually in his praises Our elder brethren that glorious congregation of the first borne are described vnto vs falling downe on their faces casting their crownes at the feet of the Lord to giue him the glory of their redemption Now seeing wee pray that the will of God may be done in earth as it is in heauen why doe we not delight in these exercises of praising God by which we haue fellowship with them who are glorified in heauen Lastly
it is good in respect of the great benefits vvee receiue by it nothing thereby accrues to the Lord all the vantage is our owne Gratiarum actio est ad plus dandum in vitatio With an vpright heart Many musicall instruments had they vnder the law where-with they praysed God as ye may see in the last Psalm but such as were spirituall among them knew that all these availed nothing vnlesse the hart had been well tuned and prepared This is to make them ashamed who now in a greater light come to praise GOD but forget their hart behind them or else bring it very euill tuned full of so many discordant desires that they cannot as they are commaunded make melody to the Lord in their harts When I shall learne But when saies Dauid he will be thankfull euen when GOD shall learne him both the matter and the grace of thankfulnesse is from God As he did with Abraham he commaunded him to worship and gaue him the sacrifice so doth he with all his children for he giues not onely good things for vvhich they should thanke him but in like manner grace by which they are able to thanke him VER 8. I will keepe thy Statutes forsake me not ouer-long THis verse containes a protestation that he was resolued to keepe the Lords Statutes which because he knewe of himselfe he was not able to accomplish with this protestation of his purpose he ioynes a prayer wherin he craues to be assisted and not forsaken of the Lord. It is a great helpe to godlinesse to resolue that we will liue godly for that which is not concluded how shall it be performed or what hope is there we should attaine to the end that is to the perfection of pietie when we are carelesse of the beginnings thereof which are purposes intentions and resolutions that wee will be godly Where when of weakenesse we faile in following foorth our resolution it shall be well done againe to renew it for by often renewing of our resolution to doe any good wee become the stronger to accomplish it Forsake me not ouer-long It is a feareful thing to be vtterly and finally forsaken of the Lord as Iudas was who therefore Parata inimico praeda factus est For man left vtterly to himselfe becomes a prey to the enemy and can no more stand by himselfe then a staffe not sustained by the hand of man and therefore doth Dauid pray that the Lord would not forsake him And yet because he knew that the Lord exercises his deerest children with temporall desertions forsaking them for a time and withdrawing his helping hand from them ex eo commodū ipsorum procurans as is euident in Peter vvho was left for a time to himselfe that the proofe of his owne weaknes might make him more humble and lesse confident in himselfe therefore he craues not simply to be freed of desertion but that if the Lord will desert him to try him or to humble him he would not desert him ouerlong Such as know what help and comfort the presence of the Lord in mercy brings to his childrē they think a short time of his absence a very long time Absalom spake out of his policie that it was better for him to die then liue and not see his Fathers face but in truth it is more bitter then death to the godly to liue in the body and not be refreshed with the fauourable beames of the countenance of God and therfore they preuent the desertion with prayer as heere Dauid doth Forsake me not ouer-long And when they are exercised with it al other comforts are loathsome to them they sigh and cry continually How long ô Lord how long Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer c. They run with the Spouse in the Canticles to fro seeking him and with the mourning Maries they shed teares vncessantly till they find him againe and hee shew his fauorable face vnto them BETH VER 9. Where-with shall a young man redresse his way in taking heede thereto according to thy vvord SAint Iames compares the word of God to a glasse whereinto hee vvho lookes rightly may see two images the image of God to the which wee should be conformable and our owne naturall image What we are by nature and how farre altered from that first exemplar of God his image wherevnto we were created may be euident to any man that vvill consider himselfe in the glasse of the word and that especially will try himselfe by this Psalme When we read it and dare not in a good conscience say that for our selues which Dauid protests of himselfe let vs thereby knowe how far we are from that which we should be and studie to amend it As the first section marked with the letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 containes eight verses euerie one of them beginning vvith that letter so the eight verses of this second section begin all with this letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For heere is deliuered vnto vs an A. B. C. of godlinesse consisting of 22. letters and eight times in euery letter is the vvord of GOD commended to vs to teach vs that as words and sentences cannot be without letters so no good in any religious dutie can be performed without the word of God This ninth verse containes a commendation of the vvord from the profitable effect thereof and it is proposed by way of a Dialogue a question asked and an answer giuen Dauid beeing a young man in the Court of Saul and refrained from that licentious conuersation whereinto others deborred now he deliuers that for the edification of others which hee had learned by experience had done good to himselfe The vvord is needfull for all sorts of men but specially for young men because this age of al other is most subiect to the dangerous disease of inordinate lusts Vicina lapsibus est adolescentia And therefore as they who are sicke of the Feuer haue need of cooling things and young vndaunted colts haue need of the stronger bits so is the furie of youth to be tempered and bridled by the word Iuuentut is assecla est stultitia stultitia autem ad exitium ducit the Page of youth is foolishnesse and foolishnesse if it be not cured leades to destruction Foolishnes said Salomon is bound in the hart of a child but the rodde of correction will driue it away And what better correction can be to cure it then the wholsome information of the word of GOD this is the yoke which is good for a man to beare in his youth But alas it is lamentable that no age doth so much despise the word as this which most stands in need of it It is now a rare thing to find among young men a Ioseph or a Samuel where they should liue as Nazarits consecrate to the Lord they are rather like men who haue vowed and
dedicated themselues vnto Sathan As the sonnes of Eli despised the rebuke of their father so young men now for the most part are impatient of the rebukes of the word contemning the medicine which Dauid by experience found most effectuall to cure the disordered affections of youth Among those sacrifices where-with God was honored in the law he required their first fruits to be consecrate to him eares of corne dryed by the fire and wheat beaten out of the green eares teaching vs to honour the Lord not onely with the first fruits of our increase but of our selues also It is an euill diuision that is made by many who giue their young age to Satan by the seruice of sin and behight their old age to the Lord for so they incurre that curse of Malachie Cursed be hee that hath a strong beast in his slocke and vowes and sacrificeth a corrupt thing vnto the Lord. The feruency strength of youth should be imploied not in the satisfaction of their lusts but in the seruice of their God in fighting against Sathan This is it which that youngest Disciple of our Lord requires of young men that hauing the Word of God abiding in them they may be strong to ouercom the wicked not louing the world nor things that are in the world such as lust of the flesh lust of the eyes and pride of life These are not of the Father but of the world and the world passeth away and the lust therof but he that fulfils the word of God abides for euer But how-euer mention be made here of young men only yet as no age is without the owne tentations and blemishes so haue they all need to take heed to the word that they may learne to redresle their wayes It is a double shame and sinne for an old man to be of an vncleane life or ignorant of the word Such as had liued long without making progresse in knowledge and godlinesse were properly called by Philo Longaeui pueri The neerer we drawe vnto Canaan the further should we be from the delights of Egypt otherwise it shall come to passe in God his righteous iudgements that when in regard of thy long iourney thou art at the very borders of Canaan thou shouldest be put further backe againe with these carnall Israelites yea neuer suffered to enter into it O miserable condition of that man whose body is declyning to the graue but his spirit hath not learned to ascend to him that gaue it he comes as I said to the border of Cana◅n to the very point of time wherein Gods children make their happy transmigration but by reason of his sinnes he is thrust backe againe when he should die and ascend to the blessed fellowship of God the Father of light he dies and descends to the pit of vtter darkenesse where is weeping and gnashing of teeth Now the maner of the answer which he makes to his former Interrogatiue commends the certainty of his counsell for he answers by turning his speech to the Lord from whom he had obtained by praier this knowledge How to gouern his life Vt sic non praesumptionis humanae sed dignationis diuinae remedium crederetur that so it might be knowne vnto others that this remedy came not from humane presumption but diuine reuelation VER 10. With mine whole hart haue I sought thee let me not wander from thy Commandements WHat Dauid deliuered by way of instruction vnto other yong men he now shewes that he practised himselfe for this Verse contaynes a protestation of that earnest desire hee had to haue his life ordered by the written worde of God That hee sayes I haue sought thee with my whole heart imports no presumptuous boasting of his owne perfection but rather a sense and feeling of his owne wants which made him the more earnestly to seek for seeking is of those things which a man wants faine would haue And where he saith he sought the Lord with his whole hart he speakes it by comparison Ad differentiam eorum qui Deum non toto corde quaerunt sed illud in curas seculares et concupiscentias absurdas partiuntur Let me not wander As our first calling so our cōtinuing in the state of grace is of the Lord for hee is both the author and finisher of our faith Customablie in holy Scripture elect men are called the Sheepe of Christ to tell vs that all our welfare consists in the prouident care of our Pastor who first must keepe vs that we wander not and next when of infirmitie vvee wander must reduce and bring vs home againe VER 11. I haue hid thy promises in mine heart that I might not sinne against thee IT is not Dauids meaning that hee had hid the talent vvhich hee receiued from the Lord after the manner of that vnprofitable seruaunt for that he did put his talent to the vttermost profit for the edification of others he witnesseth both by this Psalme and many other specially Psal. 40. I haue declared thy righteousnesse vnto the great Congregation lo I will not refraine my lippes O Lorde thou knowest I haue not hid thy righteousnesse within my heart but I haue declared thy truth and thy saluation I haue not concealed thy mercy and truth from the great Congregation What is this then Dauid affirmes that he hath not hid Gods righteousnesse within his heart Here he protests that hee hid Gods promises in his heart Surely here is no contradiction for in the one he shewes how his first care was to comfort and confirme himselfe by the promises of GOD and next to benefite others And truely he that doth not first edifie his owne heart in the assurance of Gods mercy can neuer be a meet instrument to declare the mercies of God vnto others There is great difference betweene Christians and Worldlings The Worldling hath his Treasures and Iewels without him the Christian hath them within Neyther indeede is there any recepracle wherein to receiue and keepe the word of consolation but the heart onely If thou haue it in thy mouth onely it shall be taken from thee if thou haue it in thy Booke onely thou shalt misse it when thou hast most to doe with it but if thou lay it vp in thy heart as Marie did the wordes of the Angel no enemie shall euer be able to take it from thee and thou shalt finde it a comfortable treasure in time of thy need They who possesse earthly riches expose them not to the eyes and hands of euery one they locke them vp in their surest places to conserue them from theeues and robbers it is euen so here with holy Dauid he knew no good spirituall can be possessed here in this earth without temptation That subtill Serpent who stole from our first parents the glorious Image of God wherein consisted their originall felicity and happinesse doth
yet enuy and rage when he sees the children of Adam restored to the possession of any spirituall graces and therefore Dauid like a wise man Abscondit illas in animo suo ne eas per inanem gloriam aut incuriam animarum depraedatores furentur This one example may condemne the folly of worldlings the smallest jewell they haue yea the Charter of their smallest possessions they can hide well enough and lay it vp sure from them who would defraude them of it but as for the promises of God which are the Charters of our heauenly inheritance they neglect them altogether For alas how many be there who affirm in word that heauenly inheritance to be theirs who if they be examined vpon their warrants cannot bring out of the treasure of their heart so much as one promise of God whereby it is made sure vnto them That I might not sinne Among many excellent vertues of the word of GOD this is one that if we keepe it in our heart it keepes vs from sinne which is against God and against ourselues We may marke it by experience that the word is first stollen eyther out of the minde of man and the remembrance of it is away or at least out of the affection of man so that the reuerence of it is gone before that a man can be drawne to the committing of a sinne So long as Euah kept by faith the word of the Lord she resisted Sathan but from the time she doubted of that which God made most certaine by his word incontinent she was snared VER 12. Blessed art thou O Lorde teach me thy Statutes THE soule of a man truely godly when he commeth to seeke God findes in himselfe so manifolde wants and in the Lord so plentifull mercies that he can neuer be satiate with seeking till he be filled and therefore is it that hauing sought much yea and gotten much yet he seekes more as through all this Psalme we may see Dauid can make no end of prayer and this may make vs ashamed of our cold faint and feeble prayers This Verse containes a prayer with a reason of the prayer The prayer is Teach me thy Statutes the reason mouing him to seeke this ariseth of a consideration of that infinite good which is in GOD. He is a blessed GOD the Fountaine of all felicitie without whom no welfare nor happinesse can bee to the creature And for this cause Dauid earnestly desiring to be in fellowship and communion with GOD which hee knowes none can attaine vnto vnlesse he be taught of GOD to know Gods way and walke in it therefore I say prayeth he the more earnestly that the Lord would teach him his Statutes Oh that we also could wisely consider this that our felicity stands in a fellowshippe with GOD. This meditation would weaken or diminish in vs those vnquiet and fruitlesse cares wee haue to enioy the creature for alas man seekes the creatures as if his life and happinesse stood in them but is negligent in the seeking of the Lord and all because he knowes not that his blessednesse stands in a communion with the blessed God Teach mee Dauid wanted not Prophets such as Nathan and Gad and Leuits his ordinary Doctors to teach him but he knew all these were nothing vnless he were taught of God Man his teaching if there be no more cannot remedy the ignorance of the minde farre lesse the corruption of the heart Pauls planting Apollo his watering is nothing if God worke not the increase and therefore Dauid so vses the one as knowing it could not profit without the other Hac à Domino quaerit discere quae homines docere non poterant If this were practised now to ioyne prayer with hearing that when wee offer our selues to be taught of men we would there with send vp prayer to God before preaching in time of preaching and after preaching we would soone proue more learned and religious then we are Againe Dauid was a Prophet himselfe and a man of great knowledge and yet often craues he that God would teach him more Farre was he from the presumption of this age which procures the perdition of many with whom if ye speake concerning their knowledge ye shal heare nothing but that they know their God their dutie their conscience and all they will seeme ignorant of nothing though indeed they doe nothing aright When they heare so excellent a Prophet so desirous of further knowledge and so desirous to be taught let them be ashamed to boast of their knowledge Vaemiserae huic generationi cui sufficere videtur sua insufficientia VER 13. With my lips haue I declared all the iudgements of thy mouth HEere is a protestation of the thankefull vse he had made of the benefits of God already receiued he had tolde vnto others what God had done to his soule he had not kept close God his louing kindnes And truly this is a strong reason to backe our prayers vnto God when we dare say out of a good conscience that the benefits which we haue receiued already we haue vsed them to the glory of him who gaue them But here it may be demaunded seeing the Psalmist sayes that the iudgements of God are as a great deep and the Apostle sayes that they are vnsearchable How saith he now that he hath declared all the iudgements of God To this we answer Non impugnat se velut contrarijs Scriptura venerabilis and therfore we must here make a distinction Sunt iudicia occulta quae Deus â—…obis non patesecit iudicia oris quae annuntiauit per os Prophetarum loquutus est there are secret iudgements and these Dauid leaues to the Lord there are againe the iudgements of his mouth which God hath declared and reuealed himselfe by the mouth of his seruants the Prophets And of these Dauid speakes here I haue declared all the iudgements of thy mouth So then here Dauid protests that what the Lord taught him he also taught others Some will teach who themselues are not taught of God these are in the Church non Conchae sed Canales Others what they haue learned of God declare not vnto others these are guilty of hiding of the Talent they haue receiued from the Lord. With my lips The tongue is a most excellent member of the body being well vsed to the glory of God and edification of others and yet it cannot pronounce without helpe of the lippes The Lord hath made the bodie of man with such maruellous wisedome that no member in it can say to another I haue no neede of thee but such is man his dulnesse that he obserues not how stedable vnto him the smallest member in the body is till it be taken from him If our lips were clasped for a time and our tongue enclosed we would esteeme it a great mercy to haue it
aduantage it is not so with the Lord our God all his commandements are for the vantage and benefite of his seruants Nihil iubet quod sibi profit May a man be profitable vnto God Is it any thing to the Almighty that thou art righteous Or is it profitable to him that thou makest thy wayes vpright yet are we bound to obey and we must be countable for them and therefore should they neuer goe out of our mind And consider thy wayes Dauid his second internall action concerning the word is Consideration where marke well how by a most proper speech he calles the word of God the way of God partly because by it God comes neere vnto men reuealing himselfe to them who otherwayes could not be knowne of them for he dwels in light inaccessible and partly because the word is the way which leades men to God So then because by it God commeth downe to men and by it men go vp vnto God and know how to get accesse to him therefore is his word called his way Of Consideration see Ver. 59. VER 16. I will delight in thy Statutes and will not forget thy word HEe protested before that he had great delight in the Testimonies of God now he sayth he will still delight in them A man truely godly the more good he doth the more he desireth delights and resolues to do Temporizers on the contrary who haue but a shew of godlines the loue of it is not rooted in their hart how soon are they weary of wel-doing If they haue done any small external duty of religiō they rest as if they were fully sanctified there needed no more good to be done by thē True Religion is known by hungring and thirsting after righteousnesse by perseuerance in wel-doing and an earnest desire to do more But to this he addes that he will not forget the word The graces of the Spirit do euery one fortifie and strengthen another for ye see Meditation helps Consideration who can consider of that whereof he thinkes not Consideration againe breedes Delectation and as here ye see Delectation strengthens Memory because he delights in the worde hee will not forget the worde and Memory againe renewes Meditation Thus euery grace of the Spirit helpes another and by the contrary one of them neglected workes a wonderfull decay of the remnant Faile in Loue or in Patience c. Praier decayes faile in Prayer all decayes We haue therefore so much the more carefully to eschue the neglect of any one grace because in the losing of one we lose many and if we want grace we are altogether inexcusable because if we haue a care to keepe any one principall grace one shall keepe many graces vnto vs. GIMEL VER 17. Be beneficiall vnto thy seruant that I may liue and keepe thy word IN the end of the former Section Dauid had protestations now in the beginning of this he hath prayers In his protestations he acknowledgeth the beginnings which by grace he had made in godlinesse to the praise and glory of God in the prayers he acknowledgeth his wants that he was farre from that which he should be and therfore still beseecheth the Lord to bring forward to perfection that which he had begun in him If ye marke the course of this Psalme ye shall see Dauid cannot long abide in any purpose without prayer he learned by experience that prayer is the life of the soule No more can the Soule liue without prayer then the Body can without breathing and as Samsons strength was in his haire so a Christians strength is in the grace of prayer If this be taken from vs we soone become a prey to the spirituall Philistims Now the first thing he craues as a speciall benefite is that hee may liue and keep the word of God Many benefits had the Lord bestowed vppon him of a Shepheard he made him a King to them all he seeks this benefit grace so to liue that he might keepe the word of the Lord he knew that without this all other benefits are nothing and so doe all Gods children illuminate with the light of God if they were preferred to be Monarches of the world They count more of this To be Christians wanting earthly Kingdoms then To be Kings wanting Christianity As good Constantine albeit he knew he was obliged to the Lord for making him an Emperor yet much more bound to his mercie for making him a Christian. And indeede this life without the other grace though it were seconded with the highest honour and wealth that euer befell to any man in his life what is it Not an Introduction onely to eternall death but a procuring and iust deseruing of it Thy seruant That hee stiles himselfe so frequently the seruant of GOD notes in him tvvo things first a reuerent estimation hee had of his GOD in that hee accounts it more honourable to bee called the seruant of God who was aboue him then the King of a mightie auncient and most famous people that vvere vnder him And indeede sith the Angels are styled his ministers shall man thinke it a shame to serue him with them and especially sith he of his goodnes hath made them our seruants Ministring spirits to vs Should we not ioyfully serue him who hath made all his creatures to serue vs and exempted vs from the seruice of all other and hath onely bound vs to serue himselfe That I may liue Dauid ioynes heere two together which whosoeuer disioynes cannot be blessed He desires to liue but so to liue that he may keep Gods word To a reprobate man who liues a rebel to his Maker it had bin good as our Sauiour said of Iudas that he had neuer been borne that the knees had not preuented him or that incontinent after his birth he had been buried The shorter his life is the fewer are his sinnes and the smaller his iudgements But to an elect man life is a great benefit for by it he goes from election to glorification by the way of sanctification The longer he liues the more good he doth to the glory of God the edification of others and confirmation of his owne saluation making it sure to himselfe by wrestling and victory in tentations and perseuerance in well dooing Without grace this life is but a death so the Spirit of God accounts of it and therefore giues to most liuely naturall men the name of dead men Omnia hic plena mortis sunt By the law if a liuing man had touched the dead hee was defiled and wee beside that wee carry death in our selues where can we go and not touch the dead Great need therfore haue wee with Dauid earnestly to seek this grace that we may liue keeping the word of God aunswering that commandement of our lord Relinque mortuos and of his Apostle Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead For as
are not so they are as I said pilgrims on earth not indwellers Suppose they walke on earth their conuersation is in heauen they are risen with Christ and set their affections on those things which are at the right hand oâ—… God They vse this world as if they vsed it not knowing that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the shape or figure thereof passeth away they soiourne in it but vvill not dwell in it But like vnto the Eagles as they are figuratiuely called in the parable they see and sent things which are aboue and mount vp toward their prey Christ Iesus counting the most excellent things on earth to be but doung in respect of him On earth He makes no exception heere the whole earth hee acknowledged a place of his pilgrimage Not only wheÌ„ he was banished among the Moabits Philistims was he a stranger but euen when he liued peaceably at home in Canaan stil he thinks himselfe a stranger This consideration mooued godly Basile to despise the threatning of Modestus the deputy of Valens the Emperor when he braued him with banishment Ab exilij metu liber sum vnam hominum cognoscens esse patriam paradisum omnem autem terram commune Naturae exilium And it shall moue vs to keepe spirituall sobrietie in the midst of pleasures if we remember that in our houses at our owne fire end and in our owne beds wee are but strangers from which we must shortly remoue and giue place to others Hide not The maner of Dauid his reasoning we touched before to be this I am heere a stranger and knowe not the way therefore Lord direct me The similitude is taken from passengers who comming to an vncouth countrey vvhere they are ignorant of the way seeke the benefit of a guide but the dissimilitude is heere In any Countrey the country people can guide a stranger to the place where he would be but the indwellers of the earth cannot shew the way to heauen and therefore Dauid seekes no guide among them but prayes the Lord to direct him Thy commandements We are not to thinke that Dauid was ignorant of the ten commaundements no doubt hee knew them and could distinctly repeat them but hee craues that GOD would further teach him the vse the necessity the vtility the obedience of them And this for our carnall professors who if they can repeat the beliefe and the commandements think they are religious enough albeit they neither belieue nor obey but remaine ignorant of the vse practice of theÌ„ both without which ignorance is better then knowledge for the seruant that knowes his Masters will and doth it not is worthy of double stripes VER 20. Mine hart breaks for the desire of thy iudgements alway HEre is a protestation of that earnest desire he had to the obedience of the word of God he amplifies it 2. waies first it was no light motion but such as beeing deeply rooted made his hart to breake when hee saw that he could not do in the obedience therof as he would Next it was no vanishing motion like the morning dew but it was permanent Omni tempore he had it alway Thy iudgements Gods iudgements are of two sorts first his Commands so called because by them right is iudged discerned from vvrong Next his plagues executed vpon transgressors according to his word Dauid here meanes of the first Let men who haue not the like of Dauids desire remember that they whose hart cannot break for transgressing Gods word because they loue it shall find the plagues of GOD to bruse their body and breake their hart also Let vs delight in the first sort of these iudgements and the second shall neuer come vpon vs. Now that Dauid this way presents his desire is an effectuall manner of supplication for desire of grace is a great grace Non est potestatis nostrae desiderium sanctum sed gratiae and the Lord hath bound himselfe by his promise to fulfill it Blessed are they vvho hunger and thirst for righteousnes they shall be satisfied And againe The Lord will fulfill the desires of them that feare him Cum oblectarinos viderit Deus cupiditate iudiciorum suorum sobrium auget affectum And therefore Dauid here presents his hart full of desires to the Lord that he may fill it And here because the profane world makes a scorne of the contrite disposition of the godlie laughing at their teares taunting them in their sighes and sobs let vs looke heere to Dauid If it cannot alway be an argument to mooue men to godlinesse yet is it forcible to moue God to mercie The broken hart for the griefe of sin and loue of righteousnes how euer the world despise it the Lord wil not despise it yea it is the sacrifice of God acceptable to him in Christ Iesus VER 21. Thou hast destroyed the proud Cursed are they that do erre from thy commandements HEre Dauid confirmes himselfe in godlines by meditation of the miserable estate of the wicked who lead a life coÌ„trary to Gods word wherof the sum is The begun iudgements of God executed on the wicked may let vs see the curse of God on them who follow their footsteps Walking in the trade of their sinnes how-euer they seem to prosper flourish for the present there is a curse of God vpoÌ„ them which will consume and destroy them Begun or present iudgements of God vpoÌ„ the wicked should moue vs to abhor their sins But in this great securitie we haue many Lamechs few Dauids Lamech saw the impunity of Caine because he was not punished for his cruell murthering of his brother therefore his hart was prouoked to the like impietie and he reioyced in it I would slay a man in my wound and a young man in mine hart if Caine shall be avenged seauen fold truly Lamech seauentie times seauen fold Thus in the pride and profaneness of his hart did he mock and abuse the patience of God And so fareth it with many of whom Salomon speakes Because iudgement is not speedily executed on the wicked therefore the hart of the children of men is set in them to do euil But few are like Dauid who when he saw Vzzah striken to death for vnreuerent touching of the Arke was mooued in his hart to a greater reuerence of God The proud This is a stile commonly giuen to the wicked because as it is our oldest euill so is it the strongest and first that striues in our corrupt nature to cary men to a transgression of the borders appointed by the Lord. From the time that pride entred into Adams hart that he would be higher then God had made him he spared not to eate of the forbidden tree And what else is the cause of all transgression but that man in his ignorant pride vvil haue his wil preferred to the will of God Satan in his
presumption vsurped to be equal with GOD Similis ero altissimo like vnto the most high Cum sit ne quissimus peiores tamen discipulos erudiuit He himselfe is a Prince of spirituall wickednesse yet hath he trained vp disciples more vvicked then himselfe such as That man of sinne who as if it were little to be equall with GOD extolls himselfe aboue GOD. And like him are many blinded captiues of Satan vvho in the pride of their heart doe all they can to subiect the Lord his throne his will to their wicked and corrupt will These are fooles and of all fooles the greatest they set themselues as parties against the Lord for he resists the proud not considering that he is stronger then they they cannot stand before him The Lord is the most high GOD but it is not height makes a man stand before him None so sure to stand in his sight as they who are humble and little in their own eyes to them he giues grace Humilis non habet vnde cadat where it is the iust recompence of the proud that because they vsurpe to be before all others the Lord puts them behind all casts them down to the lowest roome for mounting to the highest A notable example heereof we haue in that Pharisee who was not so farre before the Publican in his ovvne estimation as he was behind him in the account of Christ who iudgeth of things according as they are O quantum crimen superbiae vt ei etiam adulteria praeferantur Cursed are they which doe erre from thy commaundements Heere first we haue to see hovv these words must be vnderstood Saith not Dauid of himselfe that he wandred like a lost sheepe Saith he not also of others Who knowes the errors of his life How then doth he pronounce them cursed which erre from the commandements of God The answer is easily made if we conioyne his words together The proud which erre are cursed Heere then we must put a difference between sinnes of pride and of infirmitie he that of rebellion and pride departs from Gods comman dements not so he that sinnes of weaknesse in whom euery sin committed increaseth a griefe for sinne a hatred of sinne and a care to vvithstand it for these there is no condemnation These are not vnder the law but vnder grace Mercie alwaies waits on them as a refreshing medicine to restore them when of infirmitie they fall But as for the wicked who sinne are proud and impenitent in their sinnes the curse of God is vpon them though it be not seene at the first Like a Moth or secret cōsumption it eates them vp it shall deuoure their substance shal quickly turne their glory and prosperitie into shame and confusion VER 22. Remoue from mee shame contempt for I haue kept thy testimonies DAuid beeing a young man liued godlie in the Court of Saul and for godlinesse was mocked and disdained of others For so the blind world counts religion a matter of mockerie which in the estimation of Gods Spirit is man his greatest gaine and glory But from time they saw that Saul the King was displeased with Dauid then did all his flatterers speake against Dauid doing what they could to sley his honest name with calumnies and slaunders And hee borne downe with the iniquitie of time commits his cause to the Lord beseeching him who knew his conscience to cleere his innocencie Which he also did for the shame and contempt which they thought to bring vpon Dauid God poured it vpon themselues For I haue kept thy testimonies Sometime Dauid iustifies himselfe in regard of men And if at any time he reioyce in his vprightnesse before God it is not a boasting of his owne perfection but rather a comforting of himselfe from the honestie of his affection VER 23. Princes also did sit and speake against mee but thy seruaunt did meditate in thy statutes THese two last verses of this section containe two protestations of Dauid his honest affection to the word The first is that albeit he was persecuted and euil spoken of and that by great honorable men of the world such as Saul and Abner and Achitophel yet did hee still meditate in the statutes of God It is a hard tentation when the godly are troubled by any wicked men but much harder when they are troubled by men of honor authoritie And that first by reason of their place the greater power they haue the greater perill to encounter with their displeasure therefore said Salomon The wrath of a King is the messenger of death Next because Authorities and Powers are ordained by God not for the terror of the good but of the euill And therefore it is no smal griefe to the godly when they find them abused to a contrary end that where a Ruler should bee to good men like raine to the fields new mowen on the contrary hee becomes a fauourer of euill men and a persecuter of the good Then iustice is turned into wormwood that vvhich should bring comfort to such as feare God is abused to oppresse them And therefore it should be accounted a great benefit of God when he giues a people good and religious rulers The Christians in the Primitiue Church being sore troubled by the bloody persecutions of Nero and Domitian thought it a great benefit vnto them when vnder Nerua the persecution was relented Albeit he did not professe Christ with them yet he did not persecute them What then should we account of such a King as is not onely a protector of the Church but a professor himselfe so farre from persecuting Christian religion that for professing of it many times hath his Maiestie been persecuted to the death but blessed be the Lord who hath giuē many glorious deliuerances to his annointed Alway we learn here to arme our selues against the like tentation if at any time it shall please the Lord to try vs with it It was an argument the Pharisees vsed against our Lord Doth any of the Rulers belieue in him The Apostle confirmes vs against it Brethren yee see your calling Not many wise men not many noble hath God chosen c. We must not haue our faith in respect of persons nor measure religion by the authoritie of men that are with it or against it but resolue with Iosua Albeit all the vvorld should forsake the Lord yet vvee vvill worship him No Number no Greatnes of men can take out of the harts of such as are truly godly the loue of God and of his truth And speak In externall actions the first weapon wherby the wicked fight against the godly is their tongue Where Satan looseth their tongues to speak euill against vs we may be sure if hee be not restrained he will also loose their hands to do euill And where otherwise it falls out that wee are
the power of Grace preuailing but this comfort wee haue that at length Grace shall preuaile the power of corrupt Nature shal be captiued vnder the obedience of Christ. Quicken me Dauid being sore oppressed as I said and dead in himselfe doth now beseech the Lord to quicken him raise him vp againe for he knew that not onely the beginnings but the continuance of our life must come from the Lord. Thus we see how the children of God are wakened by their wants stirred vp by their falls and decaies to a greater feruencie in prayer And truely these changes of our life which this manner of waie wakens vs and prouokes vs to prayer we are to account them as the mercifull hand of God stretched out toward vs to drawe vs home to himselfe â—…et no man thinke euill of that trouble that chaseth him to the Lord. Yea I may say his falls which make him more humble and feruent in prayer are of Gods dispensation who when he will in most maruailous manner can bring light out of darknes But seeing hee was aliue how prayes hee that God would quicken him I answere The godly esteeme of life not according to that they haue in the body but in their soule If the soule want the sense of mercie and a heauenly disposition to spirituall thinges they lament ouer it as a dead soule for sure it is temporall desertions are more heauie to the godlie then temporall death According thy word This is a great faith that vvhere in respect of his present feeling he found himself dâ—…ad yet he hopes for life froÌ„ God according to his promise Such was the faith of Abraham who vnder hope belieued aboue hope And truly many times are Gods children brought to this estate that they haue nothing to vphold them but the word of God no sense of mercie no spirituall disposition but on the contrarie great darknes horrible feares and terrors Onely they are sustained by looking to the promise of God and kept in some hope that he will restore them to life againe because it is his praise to finish the worke which he beginnes VER 26. I haue declared my waies and thou heardest me teach me thy statutes THis verse containes a prayer vvith a reason after this forme O Lord I haue oft before declared vnto thee the whole state and course of my life my wandrings my wants my doubts my griefes I hid nothing sroÌ„ thee thou according to my necessity didst alway hear me therfore now Lord I pray thee to teach me by thy light illuminate me that I may know thy stâ—…tutes receiue grace to walk in theÌ„ This is a good argument in dealing vvith the Lord I haue gotten many mercies and fauourable answers from thee therefore Lord I pray thee to giue memo sor whom he loues he loues to the end where he begins to shew mercy he ceaseth not til he crown his children with mercy And â—…o gratious is the Lord that he esteemes heâ—… is honoured as oft as we giue him the praise that we haue found comfort in him and therefore come to seeke more It is farre otherwise with men if they doe vnto vs any small good they thinke it vncourteous importunity to require them to do any more But as the Strand is easily emptied where the Ocean can neuer be exhauâ—…ted so mans liberality is soon dried vp but the goodnes of the Lord remains for euer who hath not the less because he hath giuen but stil delights â—…o giue more to such as are thankefull vnto him Next is to be marked how he saith I haue declared my wayes and thou heardst me these two go well together Mercy Truth Truth in the nearâ—… of man confessing Mercy in God hearing forgiuing happy is the soule wherin these two meete together Many there are who want this comfort they cannot say God hath heard me â—…nd all because they deale not plainely and truely with the Lord in declaring their waies vnto him For the wicked neyther will nor dare manifest heir wayes vnto the Lord. As the eye which is â—…urt dare not look to the light so the conscience of him that doth euill dare not look to the Lord â—…ea they doe what they can to hide their wayes â—…rom him and to conceale the iniquity of their bosome against such the Prophet denounces a wo â—…o to them that seeke in the deepe to hide their counsell from the Lord their workes are in secret and they who sees it Their turning of deuises and flying to refuges of vanity in the infidelity of their hearts will no more auaile them then the figge leaues did Adam to hide his nakednes For the Lord will bring euery worke to iudgement Better were it for vs to iudge our selues in time and with Dauid to examin our harts in our secret chamber to declare truely our wayes vnto the Lord that if they be good he would by his grace confirm vs in them if they be euill he would diuert vs from them then that otherwise we should sleep securely in our sins tarry till our aduersary accuse vs and the Lord enter into iudgement with vs nay rather let vs tell our sins our selues that the Lord who is gratious may forgiue and Sathan who is a most shameless and malitious accuser may be confounded Qui se accusauerit vocem parati accusatoris excludit qui solet acerâ—…are peccata vniuscuiusque exaggerare â—…agitia obstruit â—…s eius qui de seipso fuerit ante confessus This is the great vantage we haue by declaring our own sins to the Lord Qui sua delicta non taâ—…uit videtur in se doluisse quod fecit in diabolo prodidisse quod suasit that in so doing wee shewe our selues sorrowfull and penitent for the euill we haue done and therwithall also becom accusers of Sathan by whose subtile instigation we did the euill Last of all we learne here that then our life is well gouerned when we declare the course of it to the Lord lay open our harts nakedly before him This Dauid protests of himselfe Acta mea tibi Domine manifestani omnia and in another place that he set the Lord alway before him And this is it which is praised in Henoch that he walked with God Happy is the man whose wayes are so ordered that before his actions he consults with the Lord in his actions he remembers the Lord when he hath done presents them to the Lord if they be good seeking his approbation if they be euil seeking pardon forgiuene â—…of theÌ„ Teach me thy Statutes Now follows his prayer wherein he seekes light from God to direct him in his waies Non satis est vt confiteamur errorem verumetiam si corrigi volumus à Domino postulemus vt doceat nos iustificationes suas ne postea errare possimus It is
remooued or remained according as they were directed by the clowde in the day and piller of fire in the night so should all the vvaies of our life be ordered by the direction of God Otherwise as the vvarriour qui praescripto non incedit ordine armatus non ambulat rectaque via iter non conficit mansionem paratam non invenit who walkes not the way prescribed to him and goes not into it armed to resist the enemy comes not to that mansion prepared by the Imperator for his followers to enioy such furniture as he hath caused to prouide for them so shall it be with the straggling Christian vvhose vvay is a declining from Christ he cannot come to those mansions which hee hath prouided for his followers in his Fathers house nor be resreshed with his delicates Dauid knew this very well and therefore is he so inquisitiue to knowe the way of his Commaunder and earnest to seek grace that he may walke in it Dauid as wee said before was a Prophet indued vvith great vnderstanding yet doth hee earnestlie desire to be further taught of God for the treasures of manifold wisedome locked vp in the word are so rich that no man can attaine to such measure of knowledge but still hee hath neede to learne more The Angels vvho are full of eyes vvithin vvithout so figured for the greatnesse of their vnderstanding for which also by Nazianzen they are called Secundaria lumina are scholars in the schoole of the Church for those things which are preached to vs in the Gospel by the holy Ghost sent down froÌ„ heauen The Angels desire to be hold and shal we not delight to learne with theÌ„ seeing for our saluation whereof they are surealready these things are preached And I will keepe it vnto the end Here is a promise of thankfulness not in word but in deede 〈◊〉 legeâ—… tuâ—…m serâ—…are studui prosequar haue cursum neque fatigabâ—…r in medio itinere vbi tu perrexer is me dâ—…cere If thou continue a teacher of mee saith Dauid I shall continue a seruaunt to thee Perseuerance cannot bee vnlesse continuall light and grace be furnished to vs from the Lord. As the tree which hath not sap at the roote may florish but cannot continue so a man whose hart is not watered with the dew of Gods grace continually may for a time make a faire shew of godliness but in the end shall fall away Wee beare not the roote but the roote beares vs let vs tremble and feare If wee abide not in him we become withered branches good for nothing but the fire Let vs alway pray that hee would euer abide with vs to informe vs by his light and lead vs by his power in that vvay which may bring vs to him VER 34. Giue me vnderstanding and I wil keepe thy law yea I wil keep it with mine whole hart HEre followes a prayer agreeable to this purpose with a promise of thankfulnes amplified WheÌ„ God appeared to Salomon in a vision and offered to giue vnto him whatsoeuer he would aske Salomon as hee had learned here from Dauid his father seekes a wise and vnderstanding heart which thing so pleased the Lord that because Salomon did so and sought not riches nor honour the Lord promised not onely to giue him wisdome which he sought but riches and honour which he sought not Let vs also be moued if we be the sonnes of Dauid to seeke best things from the Lord our God specially knowledge vnderstanding how we may serue him Certainly so great and gratious is the Lord so rich in mercy that then our prayers are most acceptable to him when we seeke most excellent blessings from him And I will keepe thy Lawe True vnderstanding rests not in speculation but breakes out in practise Naked knowledge breeds conuiction it were better to want it for greater knowledge makes the iudgement of the wicked greater because that when they knew God they glorified him not But true vnderstanding changes the heart for by it not only do we behold the glory of God as in the mirrour of his word but are changed into the same image from glory to glory by the spirit of the Lord. And this is that excellent knowledge of Christ wherein the Apostle reioyces to know the vertue of his resurrection the fellowship of his afflictions and bee made conformable to his death And indeede then onely is knowledge a blessing when it workes these happy effects in vs. Yea I will keepe it with mine whole hart As he promised before perseuerance in Gods seruice so now he promiseth sinceritie Some are temporizers in Religion these perseuer not in seruice Some are hypocrites these are not sincere they draw neere the Lord with their lippes but are from him in their harts Dauid promiseth both perseuerance sinceritie but so that stil he craues grace of God to performe theÌ„ When Dauid offred materials as gold siluer for building of the Temple he blessed the Lord ascribed to him the praise both of the things which hee had offred they were Gods own of the hart wherby he offred them Now therefore my God vvee thank thee and praise thy glorious Name But who am I and what is my people that we should be able to offer vvillingly after this sort For all things come of thee and of thy owne hand haue wee giuen thee But how much more should we acknovvledge this in spirituall graces Haue wee any thing that we haue not receiued And when we doe any good by his grace should not the praise be returned vnto him Yea indeed let vs all say with Dauid all comes of thee and of thine owne hand haue we giuen vnto thee And where hee promiseth that hee will keepe Gods law with his whole hart it is not a presuming of perfection Not as though I were alreadie perfect but a protesting of his sinceritie that he had not the false diuided hart of hypocrites VER 35. Direct mee in the path of thy commaundements for therein is my delight AS before hee craued light to his mind so now he craues grace to direct his heart that he may follow it Naturally man is ignorant of the way to eternall life and if any light or knowledge he haue of it yet is he easily miscaried to wander from it Euen as vvater if it be not walled in ad decliuia fertur of it ovvne nature declines to lowest places if the smallest passage be made vnto it Ita humana natura diabolo viam ad peccatum aperiente ad id quod peius est proruit so the nature of man rushes downeward to sinne vvhen any way thereto is opened to him by Satan And therefore Dauid fearing his owne infirmitie prayes so earnestlie that God would guide him and not leaue him to himselfe Now the way vvhich Dauid chooseth to
promise to Dauid The meaning is I knowe ô Lord that thy promise is sure enough in it selfe but I pray thee make it sure to me Sure it is the promises of God are most cercertaine the earth may mooue and mountaines may fall yea the earth at length shal be shaken and the heauens wimpled vp like a garment but one iot of the word of GOD shall not faile This is the maine poynt vvhereat in all our life vvee should aime To make sure our calling election that the promises of God most sure in themselues may be made sure vnto vs. Many waies hath GOD confirmed his promise to vs First by the blood of his sonne Next by his owne oath he hath not onely spoken that he will giue mercie to the penitent belieuer but hee hath sworne it that by two immutable things wherin it is impossible that hee should lie he might shew to the heires of promise the stabilitie of his counsell But for all this neuer is his promise sure vnto vs till we receiue the seale of the spirit of adoption For this let vs pray For so long as we are in this body of sinne our infidelitie will euer be sending out feares and doubtings and distrusts against vvhich vvee haue neede to pray the Lord alwaies to confirme vs. Omnes enim Dei benignitate indigemus et qui extremum consequutus est virtut is apicem hac indiget continuò No man hath made such progresse in faith but hee hath neede further to be confirmed Lord incrcase our faith Lord helpe our vnbeliefe And therefore let not our wants and great weakenesse driue vs to despaire but so much the more vvaken and prouoke vs to feruent prayer To thy seruant Dauid frequently vseth this stile as very honourable and indeed so it is The seruaunt of God onely is a free man yea and a King but hee who is not the Lords seruaunt though hee were a Monarch and ruler of the whole earth he is but Satans captiue and a seruaunt of seruaunts O quam multos Dominos habet qui vnum non habet Because hee feares thee Hee who hath receiued from the Lord grace to feare him with loue may be bold to seeke any necessary good thing from him because the feare of GOD hath annexed the promises of all other blessings vvith it Sometime Dauid brings the reason of his petition from the Lord as from his mercy or his truth sometime from himselfe as from this that hee trusts in the Lord ver 42 or that hee hath a great desire toward the Lord ver 40 or that he feares God as heere All the promises of God are conditionall if the condition bee no way in vs how shall the promise be performed vnto vs It is true the Lord is gracious mercifull readie to forgiue c. But what is that to thee who repentst not belieuest him not louest him not and trustest not in him VER 39. Take away my rebuke that I feare for thy iudgements are good THere is a rebuke which comes vpon the godly from men without a cause and this suppose it grieue the godly yet they feare it not but rather reioyce in it according to that of our Sauiour Blessed are yee when men reuile you and speake all manner euill of you for my names sake be glad and reioyce for great is your reward in heauen With this meditation did Augustine confirme himselfe against the detractions of his Aduersarie who sought to empair the credit of his name Quisquis volens detrahit famaemeae nolens addit mercedi meae Hee that willingly would empaire my name against his will increaseth my reward And Dauid glorieth in this that the rebukes of them who rebuked the Lord had fallen vpon him There is againe a rebuke and shame comming from God as the fruite and iust punishment of sin for this the godly are afraid if they looke to their begun sinnes they know they haue deserued it they feare it and therefore pray vvith Dauid Psalmo 6 Lord rebuke mee not in thine anger If againe they looke to the time to come they feare least their infirmities bring them to shame euery one of them according to their seuerall tentations And this also they preuent by prayer as heere Dauid doth For it is to be marked that a godlie man is more afraid for sinnes vvhich hee may doe then a vvicked man is for sinnes that he hath done as hee liues in a continuall sorrow for begun sinnes so also in a continuall feare of sinnes wherein he may fall Semper est in dolore et tremore the one for repenting of sinne the other for preuenting of sinne For thy iudgements are good This reason heere subioyned declares that the rebuke which he feared was Gods rebuke The meaning is As to man his iudgement it is so peruerse that I passe not for it at all I knowe hee condemnes vvhere thou vvilt absolue It is high many a time in mans eye vvhich is abhomination to thee but as to thy rebuke I know Lord it comes neuer vndeserued for thy iudgement is good And therefore prayes he that the Lord vvould keepe him from those sinnes which may bring shame and reproach vpon him VER 40. Behold I desire thy commandements quicken me in thy righteousnesse SOmetime he confesseth his naturall inclination to euill as yee may see out of his prayers in the verses preceding sometime his new disposition by grace vnto that which is good The children of God finde in themselues motions of sinne but not without motions of grace to restrain them the one fights against the other and in this battell are we militant here vpon earth let vs mourne for the one and giue thankes for the other with the Apostle Rom. 7. He offers his desires to the Lord to be looked vpon It is an argument of a well set and disposed heart when a man dare present it vnto the Lord that hee may looke vpon the desires and intention thereof An euill conscience dare not doe this for as an eye when it is hurt craues some couering to hide it from the light so the guiltie conscience flies from the Lord and hath no desire to come before him let vs refuse to liue in that course of life wherein we dare not be bold to looke to the Lord nor content that he should looke vnto vs. I desire Our perfection in this life is rather in godly desires then in a full obtayning of things desired Phil. 3. yet haue the godly this comfort that where desires goe before satisfaction shall follow for the Lord hath promised to fulfill the desires of them that feare him Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousnesse for they shall be satisfied yea sure it is how great soeuer our desires be we cannot desire so much as the Lord hath to giue vs for he is rich in mercy
able to doe abundantly aboue all that we can aske or thinke Example hereof we haue in Zaccheus he desired but to see Christ and hee got not onely a sight of him but familiar speech of him yea Christ went to his house and dined with him and made him by grace the childe of Abraham So shall the Lord do to all his children he shall giue them more then eyther they desired or looked for at his hands For the heart cannot vnderstand those things which God hath prepared for them that loue him Thy commandements He saith not I haue done thy commandements but I desire to do them Let this serue as a Commentarie to other places wherein he makes protestation of his begun obedience so gratious is the Lord that in his children he accepts their will for a deed There is no man so wicked but he desires mercie but the godly doe so desire mercy that first they desire the way to mercy They know that without sanctification no man can see the Lord therefore all their care is to purge themselues euen as God is pure as here ye see for this end Dauid prayeth for the grace of obedience It was a preposterous desire of Balaam who wished the death of the righteous and would not liue the life of the righteous no better are the desires of wicked men Quicken me He acknowledgeth that his desires were nothing vnlesse the Lord gaue him life As a false conception which evanisheth and comes not to the birth so is the desire of man not quickned nor continued by the grace of God More of this see ver 149. 159. VAV VER 41. And let thy louing kindnesse come vnto me O Lord and thy saluation according to thy promise OVt of this Psalme we see how feruent and continuall Dauid was in prayer Euery third Verse hee turnes him to prayer No maruell he was inriched with a great measure of spirituall grace for hee sought it diligently Not like the colde professors of our time to whom a colde morning prayer is sufficient for the whole day and of that also oftentimes they are weary before they haue done it A lamentable euill that hauing all good for the seeking yet we should not seeke If we would consider how many sinnes we haue contracted which we must craue to be forgiuen would offer vp but one supplication for euery one of them and againe that albeit all our sinnes vvere presently forgiuen yet hovv readily should we fall into new sinnes if we get no grace daily to reforme vs and thirdly how difficil a thing it is against so many strong enemies as Principalities Powers and spiritual wickednes which with restlesse tentations pursue vs vpon the right hand the left to enter through them all into the kingdome of God and lastly how our time is short and when it is done no more place of supplication will be left vnto vs If all these with many moe wee did consider they would waken in vs a more earnest care to call vpon our God while we haue time This whole section consists of petitions and promises Petitions are two ver 41. 43. Promises are six This among many is a difference betweene godly men and others all men seeke from GOD but the wicked so seeke that they giue him nothing backe againe nor yet wil promise in sinceritie to giue Their prayers must be vnprofitable because they proceed from loue of themselues and not of the Lord. If so be they obtaine that which is for their necessitie they haue no regard to giue to the Lord that which is for his glory but the godly as they seek so they giue praise to God when they haue gotten and returne the vse of things receiued to the glorie of God who gaue them They loue not themselues for themselues but for the Lord vvhat they seeke from him they seeke it for this end that they may be the more able to serue him Let vs take heed vnto it because this is a cleere token whereby such as are truly religious are distinguished from counterfet dissemblers Let thy louing kindnes c. In his first prayer he ioynes these two Gods louing kindnes and his saluation and so it is they goe together inseparably As for the kindnes of man thou maist haue it and not be the better for it the friend may loue his friend and not be able to help him yea the Father may looke with compassion vpon his child in danger and not be able to relieue him but the kindnes of the Lord euer works saluation he can doe what he will and none is able to resist him All creatures in heauen earth are vnder his commaund health sicknes life death heauen and hell for he hath the keyes of both Let vs seek his fauour that we may be saued let vs feele his loue and none euill present nor to come temporall nor eternall shall make vs afraid According to thy promise As Dauid seekes his comfort in GOD onely so seekes hee it for Gods sake alleaging nothing in himselfe for which hee should obtaine it but that the Lord as of his mercie hee had promised so of his truth hee vvould performe And this is first for Papists who either doe seeke from others beside the Lord or if they seek from him they seeke for others sake then for his founding their prayers vpō the merits of others not vpon the mercie of God and merits of Christ onelie And next it giues this vvarning vnto all men that seeing the chiefest argument vvee can vse in prayer to mooue the Lord to pittie is his own promise vvee should remember alwaie to make conscience of our promise of seruice and obedience vvhich vve haue made to the Lord otherwise vvee can not vvith boldnesse seeke comfort in that promise which God hath made vnto vs. VER 42. So shall I make aunswer to my blasphemers for I trust in thy word SEe what great effects the sense of Gods louing kindnes works in the harts of his children hee feares no malice nor power of man vvho finds the Lord kind and mercifull to him This works gloriation against euill men a bold confession before all men as after followes and toward God an holy conuersation in all his obedience to the law For I trust Confidence in the promises of Gods word is the anchor of the soule vvhich holdeth it fast that it abide stable not driuen to and fro with the wind of tentations nay not with the feares terrors of death I know whom I haue belieued VER 43. And take not the word of truth vtterly out of my mouth for I wait for thy iudgements BY the word of truth Euthymius vnderstands the grace of prophecie by which Dauid comforted his owne hart and was able to speake to the edification of others and to stop the mouthes of his Aduersaries This grace
The Lord when hee exhorts to repentance cryes My sonne delay not to turne to the Lord. This day vvhile it is called vpon you harden not your harts but Satans voice is Tarry till the morne Let me first goe and kisse my father that is delight yet a space in the pleasures of this life It was offred by Moses to Pharao When shall I pray for thee and he answered To morrow It is offred by the Lord to man When wilt thou that I haue mercie on thee and in effect it is answered by many Not till mine old daies Miserable was Pharao who delayed Moses but one day and more miserable are they vvho delay the Lord for many yeeres vvhen hee offers them mercy I knowe no difference betweene the vvise Virgins and the foolish but that the one did that in time which the other would faine haue done out of time and could not The most profane men of the world are forced in death to make their refuge to the Lord then the eye and the hand are lifted vp vnto him then they cry for mercie and desire all others to pray for them If wee be wise let vs doe that in time which al men are faine to doe at the length VER 61. The bands of the wicked haue robbed me but I haue not forsaken thy law TRue godliness will indure great tentations euen as trees wel rooted abides the blast of strong winds and gold that is fine abides the triall of fire Many waies was Dauid tempted and among the rest the wicked by troupes and multitudes combined against him yet did he not forsake the law of the Lord. The godly liue in this world like sheep among vvolues euery wicked man in whom Satan ruleth is like a Cananite to an Israelite a thorne in our eye a prick in our side yea and as a dart of Satan shot at vs to driue vs away from the fear of God if so wee can take them it should greatly strengthen vs to indure all troubles that come from them There will neuer be peace among those two parties between whom the Lord himselfe in Paradise proclaimed inimity And howsoeuer to strengthen themselues in an euill cause the wicked goe together by bands and companies yet shall it not availe them nor hurt vs. Babels builders Moab Ammon Edom conspyring in one may tell vs Though hand ioyne in hand the wicked shall not escape vnpunished the wickd are like thornes before the fire their multitude may well embolden it but cannot resist it VER 62. At midnight will Irise to giue thanks vnto thee because of thy righteous iudgements IN this verse we haue a protestation of Dauid his thankfull affection toward the Lord wherein we haue three things 1. The dutie promsed namely to giue thanks 2. The time at midnight 3. The cause because of thy righteous iudgements As for the dutie of thanksgiuing wee spake of it verse 7. As for the time hee saith hee will rise at midnight and giue thanks to God We pray that we may doe Gods will on earth as it is done in heauen now in heauen we know they praise God continually without ceasing we should doe so vpon earth but our necessities of sleeping eating and such like interrupt vs that wee cannot doe it as we should yet happy shall we be if wee season all our dyets and doings with prayer and thanksgiuing That as God in nature hath made the knee to bow at euery step so the hart in euery action might bow and blesse the Lord acknowledging our Maker and Redeemer and directing all our dooings to his glory When Salomon made harps and other musicall instruments for the praise of God he made them of Almuggim trees that is of such trees as rotte not Teaching vs by like signification how induring should bee those instruments of our heart and affections wherewith wee praise God that we should not suffer them to decay But alas how soone do we faile Oftentimes we begin the day with some feruencie in praysing and prayer but wee faintere euen yet shall we haue great comfort if when our performance faileth our purpose remaine for this will reuiue our former zeale and make vs to returne vnto an earnest calling vpon God and that with the greater feruencie That we finde our great infirmity hath carried vs away from our former purpose Let vs againe consider here how Dauid spends the time of his life that we may learne at him to be wise Time is a most pretious thing not such a jewell among all things perteyning to this life By this it may be esteemed that in a small point of time an infinite weight of glory may be acquired and men who haue beene prodigall of it spending yeares and moneths without consideration would haue giuen great riches yea all the jewels of the world if they had beene in their possession for prorogation of their life one year yea one moneth Let vs therefore learne at Dauid how he vsed his time when he lay downe at night he watered his couch with teares after the examination of his heart At midnight againe he rose vp to giue thankes there-after he preuented the morning watch that he might meditate on the word of the Lorde then in the day time morning noone and even hee made a noise to the Lord yea seauen times in the day he called vpon God Our Sauiour hath commended the like care vnto vs both by his precept and practise in the Temple at the table in the garden in the mountaine did he pray all night Vt te proprio ad de precandum inuitaret exemplo Happy were we if so we could spend our dayes for certaine it is when our last day coms we shal haue comfort of no by-gone time but that which we haue spent in the seruice of God Sleepe is most necessary for the intertainment of bodily health it is Ros naturae the dewe of nature more necessary then meate or drinke yet as Dauid protests ver that hee loued the word of God more then his appointed food so heere hee preferres the prayses of God to his sleepe and rest in the night This may make vs ashamed when we see how wicked men cannot rest except they haue done euill and how they defraud themselues of sleep that they may commit iniquity and how againe the superstitious Priests of Baal can wake in the night to attend vpon their Idols that Christians professing Gods true worship should so pamper themselues that they will not rise out oâ—… the bedde to bowe their knee to the Lord yea scarsely lying still with their bodies will raise vp their spirits to praise him Sleepe is compared by one to a sory customer that eyther takes vp more then wee should giue or then his Master allowes him The Lord allowes a certaine time for our sleepe and rest as he doth to all the
rest of his creatures Psal. 104. But this is intollerable That vnder pretence of a little time allowed vnto vs the halfe of our time should bee exacted from vs. Ethniques in this point may make vs ashamed It is written of Alexander and Caesar among many moe that they parted the night in three the first they tooke vnto rest the second to the workes of Nature the third to their studies for encrease of knowledge and learning and that because they were forced to spend the day time in gouernment of their Kingdomes and administration of their warlike affaires Yet we haue now such a number whom wee may call Monsters of Nature who are not content to spend all the night ouer in works of darknesse such as Drunkennesse and Gluttonie and Chambring and slumbring but they turne also the noon-tyde of the day into midnight Per diem illis fit media nox yea not sparing the holy Sabboths of the Lord they sleepe by themselues like Howlets in their holes when the Saints of God are assembled together to praise him but miserable are they for as they tooke no part of Gods seruice so shall they bee strangers from the recompence The third circumstance pointing out the cause or matter of his thankesgiuing is here because of Thy righteous iudgements Where by iudgements he vnderstands Gods iust working according to his word both in executing threatned plagues vpon the wicked and performing promised mercies to the godly And for this cause Dauid praiseth God because he found him alwayes as good as his word and what he promised with his mouth hee performed with his hand And this cause which moued Dauid to praise God should moue vs all for wee haue felt his promises kept to our selues and his iudgements executed on the wicked in so manifest a manner that men might say as in the Psalme Verely there is a God that iudgeth righteously on earth and there is fruit for the righteous There is no transgression of Gods law which in som wicked men we haue not seene punished If the Lord did only speake and neuer punish men would say There is not a God and if on the other hand all transgressions were punished here men might say we need not look for a iudgement to come Of such sinnes as we haue seene punished let vs learn that there is a Iudge and of such sinfull men as we see spared let vs also learne that there is a iudgement to come VER 63. I am companion of all them that feare thee and keepe thy precepts HE said in the first verse of this Section that God was his portioÌ„ now he saith All the Saints of God are his companions These two goe together the loue of God and the loue of his Saints He that loueth not his brother made to Gods image whom hee seeth how shall he say he loueth God whom hee hath not seen Seeing our goodnes extends not to the Lord if it be shewed to his Saints and excellenâ—… ones vpon earth for his sake it shall be no small argument of our louing affection toward him selfe Godly Dauid when Ionathan was dead made diligent inquisition Is there none of Ionathans posteritie to whom I may shew kindnes for Ionathans sake and at length he found a silly lame Mephiboseth So if we enquire diligently Is there none vpon earth to whom I may shew kindnesse for Christs sake who is in heauen wee shall euer find some to whom whatsoeuer wee doe shall be allowed as done to himselfe Euery mans company wherein hee delights tells what manner of man he is himselfe Qualiscunque quis fuerit cum tali se coniungit The fowles of heauen flocke together according to their kinds ye shal not see Doues assembling with Rauens Inter dispares mores quae potest esse amicitia What fellowship or friendship can be among men of inequall manners Non potest homini amicus esse qui Deo fuerit infidus he can neuer be friendly to man who is false vnto God But there is yet a greater argument the Lord IESVS hath honoured vs to be his companions so wee are called Psal. 44. God hath anointed thee aboue thy fellowes To worke this fellowship he assumed our nature he abased himselfe he was baptized as we are he died as vvee doe hee rose againe as we shall doe hee walked in all our waies that hee might traine vs vp to walke in his waies and might euery way make vs like himselfe and shal we thinke it a derogation to our honor to humble our selues for Christs sake to men of a rank inferior to vs and euen for the feare and loue of God that is in them to account them our companions Yet further his great modestie is to bee marked Non dixit imitantium te sed timentium he saith not I am companion to all that follow thee but to all that feare thee The feare of God is the beginning of wisedom Inter rudes se constituit humilitate cum veteranos superaret deuotione hee placeth himselfe among nouices in humilitie when he excelled antients in pietie That feare thee The godly are commonly described by this grace That they fear God but so that they also loue and obey him therefore Dauid ioynes these two together That fear thee and keepe thy precepts Apostat Angels saith S. Iames feare GOD but there-withall they hate him and rebell against him In the Godly feare prepares a way to loue when loue is perfected then feare shall cease but in the wicked fear prepares a way to despaire restlesse perturbation Abraham looked for no good in Gerar because he thought the fear of God was not there on the contrary Ioseph confirmed the timorous harts of his brethren that they should looke for none euil at his hands because said he I feare God Therby letting vs know that this is a sufficient reason to assure vs of all good duties from a man if truly it may be said of him He feareth God VER 64. The earth O Lord is full of thy mercies teach mee thy statutes HEere is a prayer with a reason Seeing ô Lord thou art good to all thy creatures shew thy goodnes also to mee in this that thou teach me thy statutes Gods generall benignitie is extended to all his creatures his speciall benignity is for his children and this is it that Dauid here craueth And indeed Gods generall goodness vnto all his creatures should serue to confirme his children in the assurance of his more speciall fauour toward them as heere Dauid vseth it If hee care for sparrowes if he feed the young Rauens when they cry if hee clothe the Lilies of the fielde are not his own children much more worth will he not much more care for them Seeing of his goodnesse he sends raine to the wicked makes his sunne to shine on the vniust will he not of his mercie lift vp the
light of his countenaunce vpon his owne and make the dewe of his grace to fall vpon them Yea if we our selues when we were enemies were reconciled how much more now beeing reconciled shall we be saued And this as it serues to confirme the godlie that the whole earth is full of Gods goodnes so doth it also convince the wicked of a blind stupiditie Euery creature hath in it some note of Gods goodnes and yet they cannot see it they looke to heauen they walke vpon earth they breathe in the ayre they warme at the fire euery moment they vse Gods creatures but neuer see nor feele his his goodnesse in them to lift vp their harts and praise him for them TETH VER 65. O Lord thou hast dealt graciously with thy seruaunt according to thy word IN the verse following Dauid seekes mercy in this hee giues thankes for mercy receiued Mercies receiued as they should be returned with praise to him who gaue theÌ„ so should they confirme our harts in an expectation of greater to bee receiued It is not with God as it is with man a man the more he giueth the lesse he hath it is not so with the Lord. Among men this is a reason as they alledge why they should not giue I haue giuen you already why then doe yee trouble mee any more but it is not so with God the treasures of his grace can neuer be emptied whom he loues he loues vnto the end and to him that hath hee giueth more Yea all that now wee get hee willeth vs to receiue as an earnest or a pledge of greater good hee hath to giue vs. So Dauid confirmes himselfe Psalme 23. that because the Lord had beene a Shepheard to him in time by-gone hee gathers this conclusion Doubtlesse kindnesse and mercy shall follow me all the daies of my life But how saith Dauid did God deale graciously with him seeing hee did humble him from his youth with many sore afflictions These agree very well together for the Lord is most louing when he chastiseth EtiaÌ„ in seueritate est bonitas Dei vt recurrat vnusquisque castigatus pedem referat à peccatis ad tramitem bonamque conuersationem reuertatur euen in seueritie Gods gracious goodnesse appeares in that hee vvho is chastised returnes from his sinnes to the right trade of a godlie conuersation Will any man accuse a Physition of cruelty because hee cutteth away the rotten member vvith yron or burnes with fire a fretting canker Or shall the Master bee blamed for correcting his negligent Disciple that hee may make him more diligent and attentiue to learning Sic castigare amantis est non execrantis ideo bonitatis est noncrudelitatis so to chastise is the vvorke of one that loueth not that hateth there is no crueltie in that but gratious goodnesse And albeit these chastisements seeme not sweete for the present yet afterward as the Apostle saith they bring the quiet fruite of righteousnesse to them vvho are thereby exercised And therefore Dauid still craueth to bee taught of GOD the same manner of way Sciebat namque Propheta disciplinae vtilitatem because hee had learned by experience vvhat great good Gods discipline doth to the soule of a man Yee may perceiue by this how Dauid kept remembrances of the seuerall proofes of Gods fauour shewed vnto him in performing to him the promised kingdome and in deliuering him from many outward and inward temptations Thus the children of GOD keepe with themselues memorials of mercie receiued for albeit the time of the full performance of Gods promises bee not yet come yet doth he performe so much of them as binds vs in all conscience to remember his praises who is a most true and mercifull God vnto vs. Thy seruaunt Dauid frequently delights in this stile Hee found that his greatest comfort stood in the seruing of GOD in a good conscience and if we do not so with what boldnes can we looke for comfort from him in the day of our trouble or houre of death who made no conscience of his seruice Yea rather iustly may the Lord giue vs that fearefull answer which he gaue to the rebellious Iewes wheÌ„ they sought his help in the day of their distresse Goe vnto the gods whoÌ„ yee haue serued and let them deliuer you According to thy vvord Naturall men will not belieue that GOD will doe according to his vvord they haue it in derision The vision say they is but wind In so dooing they highly offend the maiestie of GOD imputing this note of dishonestie vnto him That hee is not so good as his word but in experience they shall find the contrary The godly shall find the truth of his word in mercie as Ezechias did so shall they praise him The Lord hath said it and the Lord hath done it but the wicked shal find it in iudgement Your Fathers vvhere are they and doe the Prophets liue for euer But did not my word and my Statutes vvhich I commaunded by my seruaunts the Prophets take hold on your Fathers And they returned and said As the Lord of hosts hath determined to doe vnto vs according to our ovvne waies and works so assuredly hath he dealt with vs. So shall all the wicked find at the length that as God hath a mouth to speak so hath he a hand to execute it Then shall they discerne betweene the righteous and the wicked between him that serueth God and him that serueth him not VER 66. Teach mee good iudgement knowledge for I haue beleeued thy coÌ„maundements THis verse containes a prayer with a reason In the prayer he beseecheth God to teach him good iudgement The word Tob Tagnam signifieth the goodnesse of taste so Vatablus Bonitatem sensus doce me The naturall sense of tasting is heere by a Metaphortranslated to signifie iudgement and vnderstanding and that because as taste discernes meat makes choise of vvhat is to bee sent into the stomacke â—…o the vnderstanding discernes betweene truth to be embraced and falshood to be reiected This is the grace for which the Apostle prayeth to the Philippians I pray that yee may abound more and more in knowledge and in all iudgement that yee may discerne things which are excellent This is a rare grace For many by the iudgement of light knowes what is good and what is euill who knowe it not by the iudgement of taste for if by sense they felt the bitternesse of sinne and sweetnesse of righteousnesse they wold not so loue the one set light by the other as they doe And againe this puts a difference between that knowledge which wee haue in this life and that which we shall haue in the life to come Now we haue but a taste then shall we be filled and satisfied with his image now wee knowe but in part heereafter wee shall knowe fully now we
walke by faith then wee shall walke by sight now we haue but the earnest of the Spirit but in heauen wee shall be filled with his graces and receiue the principall summe Now that Dauidâ—…o â—…o frequentlie and feruentlie desires the Lord to teach him see ver 34. For I belieue Sometime Dauid brings the reason of his petition from Gods mercy goodnesse righteousnesse power and so forth sometime againe from himselfe as from his loue his feare his faith in God and some such like It is not sufficient to seeke from God because of that which he is wee must also consider what vvee are otherwise as Iehu said vnto one demanding Is it peace What hast thou to doe vvith peace So may it bee answered to vs Though the Lord bee good and gracious and mercifull yet vvhat is that vnto vs if vvee bee such as beleeue not in him loue him not and feare him not VER 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I keepe thy word IN this verse Dauid protests that the chastisements of God had made him more godlie Euthymius thinks Dauids meaning is that his sinnes had made him more humble This is true in the godly that their sinnes humble them and make them more godly as is euident in S. Paule but the former sense is most agreeable to these words as ye may perceiue ver 71. As the Philistims could not vnderstand Samsons riddle How sweet came out of the sowre and meat out of the eater so can not worldlings vnderstand what comfort is in the Crosse or what profit comes by afflictions But certaine it is there is none truly godlie but they will testifie this that either they first learned Religion or at least vvere confirmed in it by some notable crosse But this is to be vnderstood of sanctified crosses vvith the vvhich GOD ioynes grace such a Crosse changeth the nature of it and is not Poena sed remedium delinquentis a punishment of sinne but a remedie Otherwise as of their owne nature afflictions are euill being the fruits of sinne so they bring out euill fruites in the wicked as impatience murmuring blasphemie for if euen good things become euill vnto them what maruaile that by those which are euil they become worse But now I keepe thy word To be afflicted and not purged by affliction to be striken vvith the roddes of God and no correction to follow is an argument of fearefull induration As siluer metall put in the fire if nothing come of it but dross is found to be reprobat siluer so these men who are not fined in the fornace of affliction if they so continue shall be found reprobate men the lead is consumed the bellowes are burnt but their wickednesse is not taken from them Alas how many are there such among vs of whoÌ„ the Lord may complaine Wherefore should yee be smitten any more for yee fall away more and more God hath strooken them with Pestilence beside many other roddes he hath marked their bodies with the Byle but after their deliuerance they haue become more profane then euer they were before as if now they had escaped all wrath of God and no plague after this could ouer-take them sith the Pestilence had not deuoured them But as Esau spake of his fathers blessings Hast thou but one blessing my father so doe wee wish them consider of Gods plagues Hath the Lord but one plague The Sodomits escaped the sword of Chedarlaomer and the perill of the Lime-pits but they perished with fire from heauen And the Israelites who drowned not in the Red sea because they repented not many of them were stinged to death by fiery SerpeÌ„ts So the wicked escaping some heauie iudgement and still continuing in their sins are but reserued to a worse as if one flying a Beare should be deuoured of a Lyon for the last plague of God is euer heauiest to the impenitent VER 68. Thou art good and gracious teach mee thy statutes HE repeates his former petition desiring againe that God would teach him And no maruaile he frequently makes this prayer Diuinae doctrinae auidus couetous of heauenly instruction for he had not onely himselfe to gouerne in his priuat conuersation but being called to be a gouernour of others he prayeth so much the more earnestly that God would teach and gouerne him The reason is taken from Gods goodnesse in himselfe his beneficence toward his creature Bonus es beneficus When we haue to do with men we labour by praysing them to conciliate their fauour and oftentimes we praise them for that which is not in them but we would wish to be in them or else in so praysing them admonishing them what they should be Quanto magis Deo laus sua est deferenda cuius proprium est vt bonus sit qui nisi bonus esset super terram stare quis possit How much more should Gods owne praise be giuen to himselfe whose propertie it is to be good yea goodnesse it selfe And if he were not good none vpon earth could stand before him And it is this goodnesse of God that moues him to be beneficiall gratious to his creature Omne enim bonum est Communicatiuum sui for euery good thing communicates the selfe vnto another And as it excels in goodnesse so excels it in this vertue of communicating the selfe vnto others as ye see the Sunne which is a most excellent light doth aboue all 〈◊〉 lights communicate his light to other 〈◊〉 And if so it be with the creatures which are good how much more with the Creator who is goodnes it selfe And this is the reason whereby our Sauiour confirmes vs If ye who are euill can giue good thinges to your children how much more shall your heauenly Father who is good giue good things to them that seeke from him And surely if wee knew with Dauid how good the Lord is in himselfe how gracious and beneficent to them who wait vpon him we would account it a greater blessing then we doe to be in fellowship with him and would testifie it by a more carefull seeking of his fauour by prayer VER 69. The proud haue imagined a lie against me but I wil keep thy precepts with my whol hart HE professeth here again his constancy in religion amplifying it by this circumstance that albeit hee was hated persecuted by wicked men yet still he followed after godliness Here we haue three things First who were Dauids enemies Proud men Secondly how they did warre against him by lies Thirdly how they trimmed their lies To the first it is manifest by Dauids example how the godly are exercised with the continuall inimitie of the wicked Quanto magis quis Deo seruice â—…esiderat tanto magis in se excitat aduersarios yea the more a man sets himselfe to serue God the more stirs hee
nothing on earth more pretious then hee Sed in eo quod non videtur multo pulchrior est but in that which is not seene namely his soule hee is much more beautifull So ye see Dauids reasoning is very effectuall all one as if he should say as he doth elswhere Opus manuum tuarum ne deseras Te authorem conuenio te teneo conditorem aliena praesidia non quaro Forsake not ô Lord the worke of thine hands thou art my author and maker thine help I seek and the helpe of none other No man can rightly seeke good things from God if he consider not what good the Lord hath already done to him But many are in this poynt so ignorant that they knowe not how wonderfully God did make them and therefore can neither blesse him nor seeke from him as from their Creator and conseruer But this argument drawne from our first creation no man can righly vse it but he who is through grace partaker of the second creation for all the priuiledges of our first creation we lost them by our fall So that now by nature it is no comfort to vs nor matter of our hope that GOD did make vs but rather matter of our feare and distrust that wee haue mismade ourselues haue lost his image and are not now like vnto that which God created vs in the beginning Giue mee vnderstanding Dauid knew that a man without vnderstanding were hee of neuer so noble bloud or comely of personage he is but a companion of beasts and therefore the Spirit of GOD commonly giues the stile of a man vnto man eyther made or restored to the image of God But a man destitute of that image Aut serpentem aut equum aut vulpeculam aut iumentum vocare consueuit he cals either a serpent or a horse or a foxe or a beast That I may learne Hee sheweth heer what is the vnderstanding which he craued namelie that hee might learne to obey the commaundements of God It is not wisedome in Gods account for a man to knowe all other things and be ignorant of himselfe neither is this learning to haue knowledge of all Sciences and secrets of Nature and to be without godlinesse This is the beginning of all wisedome To feare GOD and the Art of Arts to practise pietie To this purpose said Ambrose Quid tam obscurum quam de Astronomia tractare profundi aeris spatia metiri relinquere causam salutis error is quaerere Where if saith hee it be obiected Was not Moses learned in all the learning of the Egyptians let it be answered So hee was but hee thought all this wisedom losse and foolishnesse in comparison and turned to seeke GOD with inward affection Ideoque vidit interrogavit audiuit loquentem Deum hee saw therefore hee asked and heard God speaking vnto him VER 74. So they that feare thee seeing me shal reioyce because I trusted in thee THe godly in ordering their life haue a respect first vnto God that he may haue glory Next to themselues that in conformitie with God they may haue peace and comfort And thirdly vnto his neighbour to giue vnto him that is godly matter of ioy and edification by his godly life according to that precept of our Sauiour Let your light so shine before men that they seeing your godly conuersation may glorifie your Father who is in heauen Beside this appeareth the great power vertue of godlines that euen the very sight of a godlie man ministers ioy to the godly terror to the wicked Plerisque iusti aspectus admonitio correctionis est perfectioribus verò laetitia to many men the sight of a righteous man is a warning of correction For they are admonished what neede they haue to amend their life that they may be like vnto him but to such as haue profited more in godlinesse it is alway a matter of ioy Quam pulchrum ergo si videaris prosis How excellent a thing then is this that as oft as thou art seene so oft thou doost good And againe there is such a fellowshippe and communion among all the liuely members of Christ his mystical bodie that they mourne together they reioyce together the grace of God cōmunicated to one is a cause of ioy to al the rest Bonis enim insitū est vt virtutes su as in alijs amēt It is the propertie of the godly to loue those vertues in others which either they haue or would in themselues to enuy the good of another and be grieued thereat is a diuellish thing Infirme Iosua may murmure when Medad and Eldad prophecie in the assembly of the people but meeke Moses shall reioyce and wish that all the Lords people did prophecie in like manner Because I trusted in thee Gods working with any one of his seruants is a confirmation of all the rest for what hee is to one that feares him he is vnto all that feare him So that mercy shewed to any penitent and promises performed to any beleeuing man should confirme vs in the assurance of the like fauour of God to bee found by our selues if we also repent and beleeue in him VER 75. I knowe O Lord that thy iudgements are right and that thou hast afflicted mee iustlie THis Verse consists of a thankesgiuing wherin he ascribes to the Lord the praise of truth and righteousnesse in afflicting him Many vse to praise God in prosperity who in time of trouble impatient of his heauie hand murmure against him but such as are truly godly do then blesse the Lord most heartily when he seems to deale with them most hardly giuing him the praise of equity and acknowledging that his greatest rodds are not so great as their sins as also the praise of fidelity that according to his word he afflicts his children for no other cause but to purge them and make them more capable of grace and consolation I know How is this seeing the Apostle saith Rom. II. that the iudgements of God are vnsearchable and his waies past finding out The answer is Dauid doth not so speake as if he were priuy to al the secret waies of God but that thus much hee knew in generall that all his iudgements whereby he strikes eyther the godly or the wicked were all right suppose the causes and particular ends of them were secret And this knowledge is learned out of the word The Lord is righteous in all his workes and holy in all his wayes And againe All the wayes of God are mercie and truth to them that feare him And againe All things worke for the best to them that loue him And it is the want of this knowledge that makes vs oftentimes to murmure or faint and be discouraged at the works of God apprehending in our ignorance that to be euill which in Gods working is good and directed to a good end For if
wee saw the end of Gods worke which is euer his glorie the good of his Church and euery member therof we would not offend at his workes whereby he works that end a way that is vnpleasant to vs because it is vnknowne to vs. That thy iudgement The iudgement of God is taken in two significations first for the plagues whereby hee punisheth wicked men in his anger proportionall to their sinnes And this iudgement Dauid declines Psal. 143. Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant Secondly for the roddes and corrections wherewith hee chastiseth his owne children And these are called iudgements because iudiciously he measures and moderates them according as the state of his children requires not powring out the ful viol of his wrath as he doth on the wicked but proffering a temperate cup to be drunken by his owne as their weakenesse may beare it And in this sense Ambrose speaking of Gods chastisements sayes Omnia Dei iudicio fiunt That hee sends sickenesse rather then health pouertie and not wealth it is because in his most iudicious consideration hee findes it expedient that it should be so Thus then wee see how among many other differences betweene the afflictions of the godly and the wicked they differ also these two wayes first in measure Hath hee smitten Iacob as hee smote those that smote him No no hee powers a violl on the one but proâ—…ereth a moderate cuppe to the other secondly in the end for the one hee strikes for punishment the other for purgation And that thou hast 〈◊〉 mee iustlie More of this see ver 7. 20. 30. 39. 43. 52. 62. 75. 67. 107. VER 76. I pray thee that thy mercie may comfort me according to thy promise made to thy seruant IN the former Verse hee acknowledged the Lord had afflicted him now in this he prayeth the Lord to comfort him This is strange that a man should seeke comfort at the same hand that strikes him it is the worke of faith Nature will neuer teach vs to doe it Come and let vs returne to the Lord for he hath spoyled and he will heale vs he hath wounded and he will binde vs vp Againe wee see that the crosses which God layes on his children are not to confound nor to consume them only to prepare them for greater consolations With this Dauid sustained himselfe against Shimei his cursing The Lord will looke on my affliction and doe me good for this euill with this our Sauiour comforts his Disciples Your mourning shall be turned into ioy As the last estate of Iob was better then his first so shall the Lord render more to his children at the last then now at the first he takes from them let vs therefore beare his crosse as a preparatiue to comfort According to thy promise Dauid had a particular promise of a particular benefit to weet the kingdome of Israel And this promise God performed vnto him but his comfort stood not in it For Saul before him had the kingdom but the promises of mercy belonged not to him and therfore when God forsooke him his kingdom could not sustaine him But Dauid heere depends vpon the general promises of Gods mercie made to his children wherein hee acknowledgeth a particular promise of mercie made to him For the generall promises of mercy and grace made in the Gospel faith makes them particular to euery beleeuer Of this see verse 41. 58. 76. 170. VER 77. Let thy tender mercy come vnto mee that I may liue for thy law is my delight HE prayed before for mercy now againe he prayeth for mercy The children of God haue such an earnest and feruent desire of mercy that what-euer sense therof they get they still cry for more and sure it is in this life they can neuer be satisfied Neuertheless happy are they who now hunger thirst for hereafter they shal be satisfied And when I awake I shal be satisfied with thine image But if we marke more narrowly we shall find that Dauid heere seekes another sort of mercie then he sought before For first he sought mercie to forgiue his sinnes then he sought mercy to comfort him in his troubles now hee seekes mercy to liue and sinne no more Alas many seek the first mercy of remission and the second mercy of consolation in trouble who are altogether carelesse of the third mercy to liue well It is a great mercy of GOD to amend thy life where this is not let no man think he hath receiued either of the former Magna est miseratio Dei quae non solem remissionem tribuit peccatoruÌ„ sed etiam certantibus addit calcaria vt in suscepto certamine pergant It is a great mercie of God which not onely pardons euill that is done but strengthens vs also to further good that we haue not done and this is the mercy which here Dauid seekes For thy law is my delight Of this reason see verse 70. VER 78. Let the proud be ashamed for they haue dealt wickedly and falsely with mee DAuid here praieth not against the person of his enemies but against their course their false wicked dealing against him Or rather as we may think with Basile Orat pro inimicis The reason hereof is giuen by Ambrose Pudor enim plerumque corrector est nostri dum incipit nos pudere commissi ne diutius pudeat deserere quaeerubescenda sunt admonemur For shame oftentimes corrects our waies when wee thinke shame of that which we haue done we are admonished not to doe that againe which may make vs more asham'd in time to com For where a gentle shame cannot moue men to amend it is a iust recompense of God to poure vpon them shame with contempt and confusion Still wee see how the Spirit of God stiles the wicked by the name of proud men for a wicked man shakes off the yoke of God and will not be subiect to his Maker and so spares not to exalt himselfe ouer men in such sort that there is nothing in man so sacred so worthy reuerence which he tramples not vnder his feet But heere is the iust recompence of his pride Let the proud be ashamed Hee would faine haue honour or preheminence which God will not giue vnto him hee flies shame contempt but God shall poure them vpon him For they haue dealt Hee complaines of the wicked and false dealing of his enemies against him and it is written to vphold vs in the like tentation For Satan is alway like himselfe hating them whom the Lord loueth hee may well be worse he can neuer be better and therfore with restlesse malice stirres he vp all his cursed instruments in whom hee raignes to persecute them who are loued and protected of the Lord. But I meditate Dauids enemies fought against him with the armour of flesh wickednesse and falshood he withstands
him his enemies The reason hee vseth lurks in the Interrogation How manie are my daies My time is not long my dayes are but few then let them not passe comfortlesse but let me see that thou art a God of iudgement who wilt do according to thy word and men There is fruit for the righteous Verely there is a God that iudgeth righteously on the earth To shew the breuitie of mans life he reckneth it not by yeers but by daies And this consideration of the shortnes of our life Dauid vseth it as an argument somtime to moue the Lord to compassion and sometime to stirre vp himselfe to further piety godliness as we may see Psa. 39. And truly it were good for vs oftner then we doe to thinke vpon this question of Dauids How many are my daies For we are deceiued vvith the shadow of this life cōceiting it to be longer then we shall find it to be whereof it comes to passe that men are prodigall of their daies as if they would neuer be done Their rents their money their garments or any other thing they haue they spend sparingly with moderation onely they are wasters of their daies as if they had Methusalems yeeres in a treasure Let vs pray vvith Moses for grace to number our dayes that wee may apply our harts vnto wisedome When wee look to the by-gone time and see how wee haue misspent it when we looke to the time to come and see how vncertaine we are of it let vs redeem the time we haue to vse it well When wilt thou execute Dauid was far from hatred crueltie or priuate affection for in all these his petitions he was the pen-man of the holy Ghost and spake nothing of any priuate motion Where that wee may know how farre forth wee are to follow him in these let vs remember that God executes two sorts of iudgements vpon men some are preparatiues to mercy such as were inflicted vpon Saul when hee went to persecute the Saints at Damascus he was cast from his horse and strooken with blindnesse and for these we may pray that God will execute them vpon them who are sleeping in their sinnes that rather they may be wakened by Gods iudgmēts and moued to repent then perish in their impietie Others again of his iudgments are but forerunners of that great and last iudgement which he wil execute on all the wicked such as were the punishments of Caine and Iudas The first works conuersion the second confusion and for these wee can not pray against our enemies because howsoeuer their works be euill for the present yet wee know not what the Lord may doe with them heereafter Who persecute mee Dauid was a godly man approued of God and a profitable instrument to his King and Country When Saul was vexed he did mitigate his trouble with the Harpe hee slew Goliah and ouerthrew the Philistims yet ye see how he is recompenced Such commonlie is the reward which godly men gette in this world at the hands of them to whom they haue been instruments of greatest good And this persecution many waies are the wicked guiltie of The railing of Shimei against Dauid the mocking of Isaac by Ismael these the world esteemes no sinnes or very small but the Lord ranks them in among bloudie sinnes and calls them persecution learning all men not to speake euill or scorne the godly least they fal into greater sinnes then they are aware of VER 85. The proud haue digged pits for mee which is not after thy law HE insists stil in his complaint against his enemies describes them first frō the quality of their persons They were proud Next from their labor subtilty They digged pits for him Thirdly from their manifest iniquitie Their courses against him were not according to Godslaw The proud See ver 69. 21. 51. 78. 85. Haue digged pits Their labour and subtiltie whereby they oppugned Dauid is heere noted Whereby this seemes strange that a proud man should be a digger of pits but so it is that pride for a time can submit it selfe for a greater vantage ouer him whom it would tread vnder foot The wicked is so proud that he seeks not God yet hee croucheth and boweth to cause heapes of the poore fall by his might So proud Absalom abased himselfe to do all men reuerence subiecting himselfe to meanest subiects that so hee might prepare a way to vsurpation ouer his king and father But mark he saith not that he had fallen in the pits which his enemies had digged No no in Gods righteous iudgmēts the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands while the godly escape free He hath made a pit and digged it and is fallen in the pit that he made his mischiefe shall return vpon his own head his cruelty vpon his owne pate Thus Haman hanselled the gallowes which he raised for Mordecai and Saul when he thought by subtilty to slay Dauid with the Philistims sword when he sent him out to seeke two hundreth of their fore-skinnes in a dowrie was disappointed of his purpose but he himselfe at length was slaine by their sword Which is not after thy law As Dauid by this aggrauates the grosse impiety of his aduersaries so doth he also greatly comfort himselfe For why shall we be discouraged to haue these men our enemies of whom we clearely see that neyther their persons nor actions are according to Gods lawe VER 86. All thy commandements are true they persecute me falsly helpe me HEere he reasons from the equity of his cause the iniquity of his enemies vpon these sends he vp his prayer Lord helpe me As for my enemies they persecute me falsly and without a cause as for me I know thy commandements are all true and that they cannot be deceiued who depend vpon them nor yet prosper that are against them He shal neuer want comfort in trouble who cleaues vnto the word of God who euer be against vs keepe it on our side and it shall be well with vs. Againe it is to be marked that he declines no persecution but seeks Gods help in it He knew that all they who will line godly in Christ must suffer persecution Deuotionem fidei praelia persequuntur Cito fides inexercitata languescit Faith not exercised with tentation easily languishes yea sith the Lord chastises euery one whom he loues hee may iustly suspect himselfe who liues without a crosse Si desint certamina vereor ne deesse videatur quicertare desideret If there be a man who hath no battell it is to be feared least he be such a one as desires not to fight and so what can he be but a captiue of Satan But in al our persecutions let vs euer take heed that our cause be righteous and we may say They persecute me falsly potest
enim quis persecutiones pati non iniustè and it is euer Causa non poena facit Martyrem But let none of you suffer as a murtherer or a thiefe or an euill doer or a busie body if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but glorifie God in this behalfe Helpe mee Profane mockers thinke that a man is weake when he is driuen to Gods helpe but indeed then he is strongest when he is weakest in him selfe and seeks help in his God So long as we depend on the arme of flesh whether it be our own or others the Lord will do the lesse for vs but when distrusting our selues we relie vppon him then is he strongest to worke for vs. VER 87. They had almost consumed me vpon earth but I for sooke not thy precepts IN this verse are two things a complaint of the malice of his enemies a protestation of his constant affection toward the word of God In the first he complains they had not only troubled him but almost consumed him the malicious cruelty of the wicked is insatiable it cannot be quenched nay not by death for euen after death they rent both the name and the bodies of godly men Dauid was not thus farre deliuered into his enemies hands but he complaines that their malice almost had vndone him We mark it for this end that we may know it is Gods great prouidence that at any time we liue among the wicked and are not consumed by them Secondly we marke here the great weakenesse and infirmity of Gods children who oftentimes are more discouraged w th those tentations which come immediatly from men then with those others which com immediatly from God in the one they stand strong in the other they faint and are ouercome Surely because wee are in a great parte carnall therefore is it that the want of mans comfort and countenance commoues vs. If we were as we should be or as Nazianzen compares vs like Rockes in the Sea what would we regard the wind of mens mouthes or raging waues of their turbulent affections As an arrow shot at a stone returnes to him who sent it or otherwise fals downe to the ground so an iniurie done to a spirituall man who is built like a liuely stone vpon the Rocke Christ Iesus returns to the doer but troubles not the receiuer If it be otherwise that we consume and faint for the iniuries of men all this weakenesse proceeds from our vnregenerate nature Thirdly we marke here the Lords dispensation in his manner of working with his children who not onely suffers them to be troubled but brought so lowe by trouble that in their owne sense they are almost consumed Both in outward inward troubles doth the Lord humble them so farre that they are brought euen to the doore of death that so their faith and his truth may be the more manifested Thus the Apostle protests that he receiued in himselfe the sentence of death all for this end that hee might learne not to trust in himselfe but in God who raiseth the dead For so long as in danger there is any hope of remedy our infidelity casts her eye a wrong way but when we are brought to such extremity that with Peter we begin to sinke in affliction then we looke to the Lord we câ—…aue the helpe of his hand and hee releeueth vs and wee cannot but acknowledge that our dâ—…iuerance is come from him onely and so by the greatnesse of our trouble our faith is â—…roborate and the praise of Gods truth more 〈◊〉 manifested VER 88. Quicken mee according to thy louing kindnesse so shall I keepe the testimonies of thy mouth MAny a time in this Psalme doth Dauid make this petition it seems strange that so often hee should acknowledge himselfe a dead man and desire God to quicken him But so it is vnto the child of God euerie desertion and decay of strength is a death so desirous are they to liue vnto GOD that vvhen they faile in it and find any inabilitie in their soules to serue GOD as they would they account themselues but dead and pray the Lord to quicken them According to thy louing kindnesse Hee oppones Gods kindnesse to his enemies malice and it is very comfortable I am troubled with their malice for thy sake and therefore I craue to be refreshed with thy kindnesse acknowledging that in Gods kindnesse there is comfort enough against all the malice of wicked men whatsoeuer according to that opposition vvhich hee makes in another place Why boastest thou thy selfe in thy malice the louing kindnesse of the Lord indureth daily Dauid knew a two-fold kindnesse or benignitie in God One generall extended to all his creatures whereof he speakes Psalm 145. All liuing creatures depend vpon thee and thou giuest them meate in due season Another speciall toward his owne beloued in Christ and for this hee prayeth Psalme 106. Visit mee with the saluation of thy people And againe Looke vpon mee and be mercifull vnto mee as thou vsest to those that feare thy name And for this now he prayeth that God would be good vnto him not onely by that generall kindnesse by the which as a Creator hee is good vnto all his creatures but according to his speciall fauour whereby as a louing father he abounds in kindnesse towards all his children in Christ Iesus So shall I keepe the testimonies of thy mouth Hee protests heere that 〈◊〉 the Lord quicken him there is no strength in him to obey nor to doe any other acâ—…â—…ing to Gods spirituall worshâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—… dead man can doe actions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 natural life But the presumptuâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his age find no difficultie in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they can pray well enough 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…m-selues but they are saire deâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord renew his mercy towarâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 daily by his spirit of grace wee â—…hall be buâ—… 〈◊〉 senselesse stocks in praysing praying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord our God Non enim communâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 custodit coeleste mandatum sed illa quae 〈◊〉 fulcitur aeterno per operationeÌ„ gratiae spiritualis for it is not this common life which keepes the heauenly commaundement but that life which is sustained by the eternall and spirituall operation of the grace of God which the Lord may encrease and conserue in vs for euer LAMED VER 89. O Lord thy vvord endureth for euer in heauen IN the last Section Dauid complained to God of the malicious doings of his enemies he comes now to shew what sustained him in his troubles to weet the certaintie and eternitie of the word of God by the which he considers that both heauen and earth were sustained and thereof concludes that so long as he trusted to Gods word he could not faile So that he giues this glory to the Lord that his word onely
him who is aboue vs who hath not onely bought vs with a deer price and promised to vs excellent things heereafter but daily rewards vs with wages that farre surmounts our seruice And this dutie should the more willinglie be discharged by vs because the seruice is honourable where-vnto the Lord imployes vs for it is not to doe any base or seruile thing as to worke in brick and clay which way the Israelites serued Pharao and common seruants serue their Lord and Master No Pretiosa hâ—…c seruitus virtutum constat expensis this pretious and honourable seruice stands in the practice of vertue in prayer and prayses of the Lord thy God These are the principall poynts of this seruice in this wee haue the Angels to bee our companions for in these same things they serue GOD with vs and serue vs for Gods sake And shame will be vnto vs if wee bee ashamed to serue GOD vvith them and one of vs to serue another for Gods sake VER 123. Mine eyes haue failed in waiting for thy saluation and for thy iust promise DAuid here renues the protestation of his earnest desire he had of Gods saluation Et vt desider ij vehemeÌ„tiam significet and to expresse the vehemencie of his desire he protests that his eyes failed in waiting meaning Oculos mentis as Euthymius thinkes of the eyes of his mind So also Ambrose expounds it Oculi animae tota fidei intentione in Deum defixi erant that the eyes of his soule and whole intention of his faith were fixed vpon God But what is this saluation for which he waited so earnestly Not that temporall deliuerance from his enemies for which also many times he prayeth to the Lord his God but especially here he prayeth for that saluation mentioned Ps. 106. Visit me with the saluation of thy people that I may reioyce with the ioy of thine inheritance and for which also he prayeth Many say Who will shew vs any good but Lord lift thou vp the light of thy countenance vpon me And this is it wherevpon the desires of our soule should alway be intended If a man shall separate himselfe in his cogitation and take a view of mens actions in the world he shall see them running with insatiable desires som after one thing som after another they are all in a restlesse businesse like rauening birds and beasts of the earth pursuing their prey But is not their laboura wandring after vanitie Will the fruite of their actions remaine with them Are they not fooles to be busie about many things with Martha carelesse about one thing which is â—…eedfull with Mary Let vs be wise in time Happy is he whose heart is well set to couet the best things if with Dauid we can waite and hunger and thirst for Gods saluation God will not faile in his owne time to satisfie vs. And for thy iust promise He sheweth here vpon what warrant he did wait for Gods saluation namely his promise There is no people who know there is a God but they wait for som good things from him neuerthelesse all these walke in vncertainties only we haue Gods warrant for our hope which is his sure promise hee hath made and sealed to vs in Christ Iesus But in this point also the vnthankfulnesse of this age is manifest for who now delight in the promises of God No no as if they were but vaine wordes men now account more of one of his temporall gifts presently giuen them then they doe of the most excellent promises of better things to come which he hath made to them and therefore is it they waite not for those which are to come but let loose their hearts to delight in these which are present An vnthankful vnfruitfull back-slyding generation is this wherein we are fallen God be mercifull vnto it VER 124. Deale with thy seruaunt according to thy mercy and teach me thy statutes HE protests now as oft before that hee was Gods seruant that he did not liue according to his owne will but depended on the will of God Euen as the eyes of a seruant looke to the Master and the eyes of a handmaid to her Mistresse so did hee looke vnto the Lord his God But because he was priuie to the conscience of his owne sinnes and that his seruice was not such as it should haue been therefore he appeales to mercy praying GOD not to deale with him after his seruice but after Gods mercie Non vno facto seruus Dei absoluitur It is not one dutie which completes the seruice wee owe vnto God Yea when we haue done all that we can we are but vnprofitable seruants for who can serue so great a Master as the Lord is according as he should be serued Yea to let be himselfe who can serue him worthy of that wage we haue receiued from him Quis tanta naturae munera vitae salutisque seruatae diuina beneficia digno possit aequare seruitio Quis potest soluere quod accepit ideoque misericordiam petit Dauid VVho can giue equall seruice for so great benefits of nature life and saluation which we haue receiued from God who can recompence him that which hee hath giuen or pay him that which he oweth vnto him And therefore Dauid knowing all these he cryeth for mercy And yet shall we not be defrauded of the comfortable stile of Gods seruaunts if wee find these two things First that wee are glad to doe any thing in his seruice that wee knowe is according to his will Next that wee are sorrowfull for the euill which wee doe and for the good which of weakenesse we leaue vndone Teach mee Dauid had Nathan and Gad the Prophets and beside them the ordinary Leuites to teach him He read the word of God diligently and did meditate in the law night day but hee acknowledgeth all this was nothing vnlesse God did teach him Other teachers speake to the eare but God speakes to the hart so Paul preached to Lydia but God opened her hart Let vs pray for this grace VER 125. I am thy seruant grant me therefore vnderstanding that I may know thy testimonies IN this verse his former petition is renewed with a reason The thing he seeks is vnderstanding Intellectus spiritale munus est ideo quod Dei est à Domino postulatur vnderstanding is a spirituall gift Dauid seekes it from God because it is at his Donation The reason he vseth I am thy seruant Non quasi extraneus poscit I am not a stranger to thee but thine own domestique seruant let me want no grace may enable mee to serue thee Omnes homines natura sunt serui Dei adoptione verò illi qui dominationem Dei cupidè sunt amplexi All men by nature are Gods seruants by adoption onely they who are glad to come vnder his Dominion these serue him not by
constraint nor for feare onely but willingly and with ioy as being such seruants as are also his sonnes He acknowledgeth here his owne wants that as a naturall man he had no vnderstanding of the wayes of God his Word is full of mysteries which we cannot know till God reueale them And as a Regenerate man hee had not so much knowledge as he should haue Habebat intellectum sed vt redundaret vberiorem inquirit he had vnderstanding but he craues he might more more abound in all knowledge iudgement We will not with Euah aspire to that knowledge which God hath forbidden but that which God hath reuealed vnto vs wee will neuer thinke wee can learne it so well but that still we haue need to learne it better To knowe thy Testimonies Hee prayed before for knowledge of Gods Statutes now he prayeth for the knowledge of Gods Testimonies The Statutes more strictly taken are that parte of Gods Word declaring his Will which wee should obey the Testimonies properly are that part of Gods Word declaring his Promises which we should beleeue To know the first without the second will not make vs godly for it is the sense of Gods loue and faith in his Testimonies that workes kindly obedience and therefore Dauid prayeth for it See vers 2. 14. 22. 24. 36. 46. 59. 79. 88. 95. 99. 111. c. VER 126. It is time for thee to worke for they haue destroyed thy Lawe HEe hath complained before of the oppression of his aduersaries besought the Lord to arme him against them with knowledge vnderstanding now he complaines their iniquity was come to such a height that they did giue battell euen to God himselfe and were not only enemies to Dauid but such as had done what they could to destroy the law of God So the verse containes a prayer that God would work and a reason taken from the ripenesse of the wickednesse of his enemies According to our sense there is a time wherin God worketh not whereof proceedes in the godlie the like of these complaints Arise Lord why sleepest thou How long wilt thou forget It is true in himselfe hee is a continuall working vertue but wee beeing ignorant of the waies whereby he walkes to his owne end think sometime that hee is not working because hee is not executing although euen then when wee so thinke hee be most busily working a way to effect his owne determinate conclusion But how is this that hee prescribeth a time to the Lord Is not this to fall into that fault which is reprooued Psalme 78 They limited the Holie one of Israel For answere of this GOD hath made some promises with a time declaring to his children when hee would performe them So hee promised to free Abrahams seede from the Egyptian persecution after foure hundred yeeres as hee did for it was no lesse between the beginning of that persecution in Ismael mocking Isaac the deliuerance from it in Pharao oppressing Israel with burdens Again he promised to bring Israel out of Babel after seauenty yeers and therfore the godly who thought very long for expiring of that date praied earnestly that God would haue mercy on Sion because the appointed time was come So also he promised to send Shiloh the true deliuerer of his people at that time when the Scepter shold depart from Israel and therefore at that time Simeon waited for the consolation and his eyes saw the saluation of God Other promises againe hee makes without a time that is not telling when he will performe them He put Noah in the Ark but told him not when hee would bring him out and hee taried a yeere and a day waiting Gods time with patience He sent Ioseph and Mary into Egypt commaunding them to tarie there till he told them they inquired not how long neither did hee tell them Learning vs when God layes a crosse on vs not to capitulate with him concerning the time of our deliuerance but patiently to beare it till his time come It was Sauls ouer-hastiness he taried for Samuel seauen daies but would tarie no longer And it was the blasphemous speech of Iehoram Why should I attend any longer Let vs not dishonour the Lord by prescribing a time to him If he should alway tell vs the time of our deliuerance the praise of our patience should be the lesse and our prayer the colder but when hee conceales the time and wee with patience wait vpon it we giue good proofe of our faith and patience and finde our deliuerance the sweeter when it comes Yet in publick troubles of the Church when the pride of the enemie is become great and the cup of the Amoâ—…ites seemes to be full when the children of God are brought low their soules humbled to the dust it is no limitation of the Lord when with Dauid they pray that GOD would haue mercy on them because the time is come For they haue destroyed thy law It is a great proofe of true godlinesse when we are more displeased with offences done against the Lord our GOD then with such as are done against our selues But it is now far otherwise with most part of Professors so that they bee not preiudiced in their names and commodities they care not what be done against the glory of God An euident argument that they neuer loued him In the second verse of this Section hee complained that the proud would oppresse him now he complaineth that they destroyed the law of God Who then are Dauids enemies and seek to oppresse him Onely such as are enemies to God and seeke to destroy his law A great comfort haue we in this that if we loue the Lord and studie in a good conscience to serue him wee can haue no enemies except such as are enemies to God And so long as God wants his due at their hands that is loue and seruice may not wee be content to want their affection toward vs Truly it should greatly increase our patience to remember that if they were not enemies to God they would neuer be ouâ—… enemies But how is this hâ—… 〈◊〉 They haue destroyed thy law Is this posâ—…ble that Gods law can be destroyed No indeed yet because their malice would if their power might they shall be charged with it There is a law of God written in holy Scripture which the wicked in all ages haue sought to destroy but GOD hath marueilously preserued it There is a law written in the booke of euery mans conscience which the most profane in the world doe what he can is not abloto scrape out but still it iudgeth him conuinceth him and rebukes him when he doth wrong And as for the execution of the law all the wicked in the world are not able to stay it when Gods time commeth yet because as I said the wicked would do it if they might they are charged with
so cleerely that in regard of time they might haue been teachers of others yet are they but children in knowledge and vnderstanding But to whom doth the word giue vnderstanding Dauid saith to the simple not to such as are high minded or double in heart or wise in their owne eyes who will examine the mysteries of godlines by the quicknes of naturall reason No to such as deny themselues as captiue their naturall vnderstanding and like humble disciples submit themselues not to aske but to heare not to reason but to belieue And if for this cause Naturalists who want this humility cannot profit by the word what maruaile that Papists far lesse become wise by it who haue their hearts so full of preiudices concerning it that they spare not to vtter blasphemies against it calling it not onely vnprofitable but pernitious to the simple and to the idiots And againe where they charge it with difficultie that simple men and idiots should not bee suffered to read it because it is obscure all these friuolous allegations of men are annulled by this one testimony of God that it giues light to the simple Eos qui ignorantia tenentur infantibus similes sunt intellectu replet lex tua that is Euen to such ignorants who are like infants saith Basill non solum viris sed mente intellectu paruulis it giues not onely light to men but to such as in vnderstanding are children To this purpose notable is that saying of Irenaeus Vniuersae scripturae et propheticae euangelicae in aperto et sine ambiguitate et ab omnibus audiri possunt The whole scriptures both prophetical and euangelicall are open plaine not doubtfull but such as may be heard of all men And to this purpose saith Lactantius Num igitur deus mentis linguae vocis artifex disertè loqui non potest Imò verò summa prouidentia carere fuco voluit ea quae diuina sunt vt omnes intelligerent quae ipse omnibus loquebatur Shall wee thinke that God who is the creator of the minde the tongue and voice cannot speake distinctly himselfe No truly by great prouidence he hath propounded his word in so plaine a manner that all sorts of men may vnderstand that which he speakes vnto all Many other witnesses might be brought to this same purpose but I cease VER 123. I opened my mouth and panted because I loued thy Commandements BY this manner of speech Dauid expresses as Basile thinks Animi propensionem that the inclination of his soule was after Gods word For this opened mouth Ambrose thinks is Os interioris hominis the mouth of the inward man which in effect is his heart and the speech notes Vehementem animi intensionem a vehement intension of his spirit saith Euthymius yet shall it not be amisse to consider heere how the minde of the godly earnestly affected moues the body also The speech may be drawne from trauellers who being very desirous to attaine to their proposed ends enforce their strength thervnto and finding a weakenes in their body to answere their will they pant open their mouth seeking refreshment from the aire to renew their strength or as Vatablus thinks from men exceeding hungry and thirstie who open their mouth as if they would draw in the whole aire and then pant and sigh within themselues when they finde no full refreshment by it So he expresseth it Tanto desiderio legum tuarum flagrat cor meuÌ„ vt subinde cogar haurire aerem propter assâ—…dua suspiria How-euer it be it lets vs see how the hearing reading or meditating of Gods word wakened in Dauid a most earnest affection to haue the light ioy grace and comfort thereof communicated to his owne heart For in the godly knowledge of good increaseth desires and it cannot be expressed how vehemently their soules long to feele that power and comfort which they know is in the word and how sore they are grieued and troubled when they finde it not And happy were wee if we could meete the Lord with this like affection that when hee opens his mouth wee could also open our heart to heare as Dauid heere doth Christus aperit os vt daret alijs spiritum Dauid aperuit vt acciperet Opening his heart to receiue the spirit of grace when God openeth his mouth in his word to giue it For it is his promise to vs all Open thy mouth wide and I shall fill it let vs turne it into a prayer that the Lord who opened the heart of â—…dia would open our heart to receiue grace when he offers by his word to giue it VER 132. Look vpon me and be merciful to me as thou vsest to do vnto those that loue thy name FRom praises Dauid now turns him to praier In our best estate we are farre from that which we should be our perfection in this life stands in the acknowledging of our imperfection Euen when the godly speake any thing to God out of a good conscience concerning their vpright affection toward him at that same time priuie to the conscience of their wants they take them to prayer and seek mercy Looke vpon me This prayer is vsed by the godlie in two respects first when they are vnrighteously iudged of men and charged with that whereof they are not guilty in this case they desire that God would look vpon them For sure it is vnlesse the conscience be sleeping no man dare present an euill cause to the eye of God but rather as Adam hid himselfe after his transgression so men whose consciences are euill flie the sight of God and dare not desire him to look vpon them And againe when they are vnder spirituall desertion and in their sense the countenance of God is turned from them whose fauour is better then life which after the manner of men turning their face from such as they are angry withall they take vp to be an argument of displeasure in this case also they pray that the Lord would looke vpon them that is as he expounds himselfe be fauourable and mercifull to them And be mercifull This is very well subioyned for God looks to some in his displeasure so hee looked to the Egyptians and vnloosed the pinnes of their chariots that they could not driue so he looked to Sodome and rained downe fire and brimstone vpon them The eyes of the Lord said Amos are vpon the sinfull kingdome to destroy it Dauid knew this and therefore desires the Lord so to looke on him as to be mercivnto him As thou vsest These words containe in effect a reason from Gods constant kindnes toward all his children Lord doe to me as thou hast vsed to doe to others that loue thee Orâ—… vt aequali cum illis sententia potiar The examples of Gods mercie are not only registred for our comfort but for our confirmation Wherein we
men hate the precepts and commandements of Gods law they are so contrary to the disposition of his corrupt nature that as the Apostle affirmes sinne takes occasion by the commandement to worke in man all manner of concupiscence for without the law sinne is dead and man his corrupt nature is the more bent vnto euill the more it bee for biddē but grace comming in to renue nature it works a loue euen of the commandements of God as being most holy in themselues most profitable for vs and that our felicity stands in a conformity with them Quicken mee Of this petition See verse 25. 37. 40. And out of Dauid his earnest frequent repetition of this petition let vs learne how spirituall things are to bee sought with a feruent affection It is pitty to see that the things of this world are sought so incessantly as if they were hardly obtained or being obtained were able to fulfil all our necessities or yet could continue and abide stil with vs wheras things pertaining to the life to come are sought in so cold a manner as if it were nothing to get them or being gotten they could doe vs little good or at least were not to continue with vs. Oh that we could rectifie our desires in this point and learne to seeke most excellent things with our best and most excellent affections and that we could alway remember these three things first it is vncertaine if we shall obtaine worldly things when wee seeke them next granting we do it is most certain that they will not fulfill our necessities and thirdly albeit they were able so to doe yet can they not continue with vs. Let vs therefore make choise as Mary did of the best part and couet as the Apostle counsels vs those gifts which are most excellent VER 160. The beginning of thy word is truth and all the iudgements of thy righteousnes indure for euer HEere is a commendation of Gods word from the truth and righteousnes thereof Some reade the words so as if Dauid should say the word of God hath beene true à principio from the very beginning of the world Some reade this way Ab ipso limine veritas tua conspicua est in verbo tuo in the very entry of thy word thy truth is manifest and some Caput verbi tui veritas this is the excellencie and great prerogatiue of thy word the very head and garland of it is verity This perswasion is the mother of all obedience to the word of God and it begets also such a comfort in our souls as no trouble nor temptation is able to ouercome Saint Peter calles the word of God a most sure word And the Lord himselfe calles the promises therof The sure mercies of Dauids house Wee may say with the Apostle We know whom we haue beleeued The Lord will not faile his people according to his word so shall it be vnto vs. And all the iudgements Here Dauid shewes what sustained him against the delay of iudgement vpon wicked men to weet a meditation of the eternall righteousnes of Gods iudgements He considered with himselfe that the righteousnes of God was not for one age but for all neither yet for one sinne only but for all then looking to by-gone iudgements executed vpon the wicked he collects that albeit for the present they were spared yet at length they would be punished seeing Gods iudgements are euerlasting And this should serue for a warning to wicked men of this age that the Lord who hath punished the wickednes of other ages before wil not let the impiety of this age escape vnpunished When the iudgements of God are executed then all men acknowledge Verely There is a God that iudgeth righteously in the earth Yea faithlesse men are amazed when hee strikes and forced to confesse that it is his hand but before the iudgement come to belieue that it will come is an argument of true faith So Noah mooued with reuerence prepared the Arke And Salomon saith A prudent man sees the plague before it come and hides himselfe in time God giue vs this wisedome SHIN VER 161. Princes haue persecuted me without cause but mine heart stood in awe of thy words IT hath pleased the Lord to teach vs not only by his word but by the exāples of others his seruants who liued before vs. For this cause hath hee registred the obedience of Noah the faith of Abraham the patience of Iob the meekenes of Moses the zeale of Dauid that we also should be zealous of those graces for which they receiued so honourable a commendation of God It is a great patience to sustaine iniurie from any wicked man but the greater the person be that persecutes vs the greater is the temptation whereof see verse 23. Onely now it comes to be enquired How can Dauid say that he was persecuted without cause seeing in all troubles which can befall vs if wee rightly examine our consciences we shall still finde within our selues causes which haue deserued sharper corrections 1. The answere is that Dauid here is not comparing himselfe with God for hee knew that in Gods sight no man could be iustified and none can say vnto him thou hast striken me without a fault but here he compares himselfe with men to whom hee had giuen no iust cause of offence It is true Saul pretended great causes against Dauid that hee was an enemie both to his life and crowne but Dauid not only by his words doth purge himselfe but by his deeds declare the contrary For when hee might haue slaine him hee spared him both in the caue and in the campe Thus we must also distinguish betweene causes pretended by euill men and those which are indeede But mine heart stood in awe of thy word Dauid renders not euill for euill but ouercomes euill with good Though Princes who should bee fathers and protectors of people should degenerate into oppressors and persecuters Is it lawfull for that to shake off obedience to refuse their tribute or to murther their persons Shall we become godless Atheists because they are becom faithless tyrants No no we see men truely religious doe practise no such vnrighteousnes This may tell vs from what spirit proceeds the Romish doctrine which not only permits but commands the deposition of Kings the loosing of subiects from their obedience yea the murthering of their persons It cannot be from that good spirit wherewith Dauid vvas inspired Princes persecuted him and he might haue slaine them as his seruants counselled him to murther Saul God saide they haue closed thine enemy into thine hand but he would not for his heart stood in awe of Gods word which told him as there he answered his men that it was not lawfull for him to touch the Lords anointed Againe we see heere an example of the constancy of Gods children no winde of temptation can remoue
we giue him the more profit by new benefits reap we at his hands And thy iudgements shall help me How Gods word is called his iudgement See verse 7. 13. 20. 30. 39. 43. 52. 62. 66. 84. 102. 106. 108. 120. VER 176. I haue gone a stray like a lost sheepe seeke mee for I doe not forget thy commandements IN this conclusion of the Psalme wee haue three things a confession of sinne a petition of mercy and a protestation The confession I haue wandred like a lost sheep Euthymius Vatablus vnderstand this to bee a complaint of his persecution he sustained of Saul who like a rauening Wolfe of Beniamins tribe chased Dauid like a poore sheepe from his natiue soyle hunting him to and fro like a Partrige through the mountaines of Israel and that therefore leaning to the testimonie of his good conscience he makes bolde with GOD that hee would reduce him and bring him home againe And this exposition is also agreeable to the Analogie of faith But wee rather take this with Basil and Ambrose to be a petition for spiritual deliuerance froÌ„ his sinnes wherein first he premiâ—…s a confession of his misery that he had wandred from God Hoc et propheâ—… a post peccatum omni humanae naturae dicere conuenit and this not onâ—…lie the Prophet but the whole nature of man after the transgression is bound to confesse Quod lapsum fateris in eo tibi cum omnibus commune consortium est quia nemo sine peccato negare hoc sacrilegium est solus enim deus sine peccato est confiteri hoc deo impunitatis remedium est that thou confessest thy sin in this thou hast a common fellowship with all mankinde there is no man without sinne that is Gods prerogatiue to deny this is sacriledge to confesse it is the waie to impunity Dic itaque et tu iniquitates tuas vt iustificeris Confesse thou therefore thy sins that thou maist be iustified It is the presumptuous voyce of Antichrist That a man in this life can be without sinne and fulfill the law in perfection If their eies were opened to see either the Lord or themselues they would be farre froÌ„ this abhominable presumption When holy Esay saw a vision of the Maiestie of God he cryed out Woe is me I am vneleane When patient Iob had seene the Lord it was his voyce Now I haue seene the Lord therefore I abhorre my selfe And Dauid heere by his deepe meditations of Gods word is moued to acknowledge his great disconformity from it by reason of his sinnes As the small motes of the â—…yre Atomi are onely seene where the sunne shineth so the manifold imperfectioÌ„s of our nature are best seene where the light of Gods word shines most cleerely And therefore to all such presumptuous papists as boast with the Pharisie of their perfection and fall not down with the penitent Publican and humble Dauid to make confession of their sinnes wee returne that answere of Bernard Site videres tibi displiceres mihi placeres If thou saw thy selfe thou wouldst be displeased with thy selfe shouldst please me Sed quia te non vides tibi places mihi displices but because thou seest not thy selfe thou pleasest thy selfe and displeasest mee Veniet autem dies quandâ—… nec tibi nec mihi placebis non mihi quia peccasti nec tibi quia in aeternum ardebis But the day will come wherein thou shalt neither please thy selfe nor mee thou shalt not please mee because thou hast sinned against mee neither shalt thou please thy self because thou shalt be punished with euerlasting fire In any spirituall disease the knowledge of our sinne and confession of it is the first token of the returne of health Soluit criminum nexus verecunda confessio peccatorum the bands of sinne are loosed when they are confessed And againe Erroris medicina est confessio Medicine for error is confession But to this purpose notable is the saying of Gregory Mirentur quâ—…cunque volent in quolibet castitatis continentiam mirentur viscâ—…ra pietatis egâ—… non minus admiror in â—…o confessionem humilimam peccatorum Let men admire as they please in others either their continency or commiseration I will much more admire in a man to see the humble confession of his sinnes Scio enim per infirmitatis verecundiam grauioris esse certaminis praeterita peccata prodere quam non admissa vitare For I knowe through the infirmitie of shame that the godly haue a greater battel to confesse sinne committed than to represse it that it be not committed Seeke mee The second thing in the verse is petition of mercy after the confession of sinne I haue wandred like a lost sheep but thou who art the great pastor of thy sheepe who causest ioie in heauen at the conuersion of a sinner thou that leauest ninetie and nine feeding in the mountaines to seeke one of thy sheepe that hath wandred from thee Come thou Lord and by thy grace bring me home againe Quaere me quia te requiro Seeke mee for by thy grace I seeke thee Potes inuenire quem tu requiris Thou maist finde him whom thou seekest Dignare suscipere quem inueneris Vouchsafe to receiue him whom thou hast found Impone humeris quem susceperis And lay him vpon thy shoulders whom thou hast receiued Non est tibi piuÌ„ onus fastidio It is no wearisom burden to thee to beare thine owne and bring them home againe vnto thy selfe Thus we see how not onely in our first conuersion God did communicate life to vs when wee were dead as he followed Apostate Adam that ranne away from him and brought him again but in all the course of our life he is the conseruer and restorer of life to our soules No man can reckon the errours of his life We should perish in the least of them if the mercy of God did not watch ouer vs to saue vs when we haue lost our selues to reduce vs when we wander to raise vs when we fall So that the whole praise of the beginning continuance and consummation of our saluation belongs to the Lord our GOD onely For I forget not thy commandements The third and last thing in the verse is this protestation Where if it be demaunded How do these agree with the former He hath euen now said that he wandred like a lost sheep now he saith that he forgets not the coÌ„mandements of God The answere is The godly neuer so fall but there remaines in them some grace quae spem medicinae reseruat which reserues a hope of medicine to cure them so Dauid here Licèt quaedam mandatorum dei transgressus est omnimodam tamen illorum obliuionem non admisit Albeit hee transgressed some of Gods commandements yet hee fell not into any full obliuion of them And last we see here
364. A warning for Iudges 344. Iudgements of God secret and reuealed 38. Iudgements of God double Directory Correctory 57. 191. Of Conuersion and Confusion 203. Iudgements of God diuersly applied by Dauid and by Lamech 59 Iudgements Awe-bands to keep vs in 266. Iudgement and Iustice distinguished 273. How Dauid desired to be dealt with in Iudgement how not 335. Iudgements past shold perswade the certainety of Iudgements to com it doth with the Godly 358. K GOds Kindness mans much different Pag. 110. Gods Kindnesse a sufficient defence against Mans malice and ill will 111. 209 Gods Kindnesse generall special 209. Gods Kindnesse is the Godlies argument in prayer 334. Knowledge which reformeth not is dangerous 93. Knowledge of this life farre inferiour to that of the life to come 169. Knowledge and Feare of God go together and so destroy both superstition and presumption 197 L THe Lawe of God the rule of mans life Pag. 8. Then learned when writ in the heart 83. A Lanterne and why so called 240. 241. Lawe written in the Scripture and in the conscience which the wicked would destroy if they could 287. Gods Lawe his image 315. True Libertie what and wherin it is 116. Carnall is thraldome 114. Naturall Life maketh a Reprobate worse because Life without grace is death 49. Our Life a race and restlesse battell 90. Mans Life measured by dayes not yeares 201. The Life of the Godly excelled diuersly but he in the Life of grace excelleth all 262 263. Of a Godly Life three helpes Determination Supplication and Consideration 145. Of Life naturall eternall 39◅ Light not onely to bee had but grace withall to be desired to walk after the Light 95. The Light of the Gospel clearer then the Light of the Law 240. At the Light of the Lanterne of the Word we must light the Light of the Lanterne of our mind 242. Light externall internall speciall of Creatures of Conscience of Gods Countenance 308 A Looke of mercy a Looke of displeasure 302. To Loue to liue to sinne is wicked but to Loue to liue to repent of sinne good 50. Louers of God loue the Godly 161. Gods Loue to his exceeding great 221. Dauids Loue to Gods Law not counterfeit but complete 228. Loue is all God asketh the tryall thereof 229. Loue coupled and conserued with feare 270. Loue of obedience an argument of Godlinesse 255. 289. Loue of creatures must be conditionall ibid. Loue in God the fountain of his benefits Loue in Man the fountaine of his obedience 320. Loue to God in vs assureth vs of the Loue of God tovs 371. Two trials of true Loue. 372. 278. A Lying way the way of nature 81. Lyes trimmed vp with the garment of truth 177. M MAn quick to works of sinne dead to works of grace 100 Man Gods work manship therfore loued by him 185. Man without vnderstanding a Beasts fellow 186. Man at the best standeth in need of mercy 301. Martyrs of inuincible courage whence 362. Meditation necessary 43. The matter of Meditation 44. Members naturall one neede another 39. Mercies begun moue God to more mercies 72. 165. Gods Mercy in forgiuing and mans Truth in confessing meete together 73. Desire of Mercy vseth the means of Mercy 106. Memorials of mercy to be maintained 167. Mercy receiued maketh men thirst for more 193. Mercy for remission for consolation for reformation ibid. Gods mercies are registred constant not onely for our consolation but for our confirmation 303. Mercy in God and grace in man meet together ibid. It is Gods mercy that differēceth the gratious gracelesse 347. 348 Gods mercies why called great why tender 349. Mans minding God may be seen by his godly life 133. The troubles of the minde distemper the body 200. 300. The godly shold open their mind when God openeth his mouth 301 Moabs curse 386. Mockeries of euill men a part of Christs crosse 126. Motions of sinne Grace 105 Mourning for our selues for others commended why 312. N A Good Name to be regarded and why Pag. 213. Naturall men cannot mount aboue the earth 268. Nature cannot conioyn whom Grace doth not 175. Not Nature but Faith leadeth vs to the hand that smiteth 192. Necessities hinder spirituall duties 156. As God is Neere vnto vs so we should be Neere vnto him 338. Nero his miserable end 376. O A Godly Oath necessary to a godly resolution Page 243. Obedience qualified how 57. Obedience resolued on by the Godly for eternity 114. The Oblation of a mans selfe most pleasing vnto God 248. The Oblation of his hart is euer in the godly mans hand ibid. Obl◅uion leadeth to rebellion and defection 17. 323. Offences offred God should grieue vs more then iniuries offered vs. 286. He must Offer to God that asketh of God 330. The Opening of sin before God 780. A spirituall Oppression in Dauid 68. Oppressors of our soules to bee most prayed against 274 P TWo great motiues to Patience Pag 246. Our Perfection is rather in desires then in deeds 105. 379. 396. Persecutions and Persecutors diuers 203. 306. 352. True Godlines neuer wants the crowne of Perseuerance 87. Gods last Plagues the more grieuous 172. Pleasures diuers 2. Pleasures earthly all vain 225. God is the Portion wherein a boue all the Godly do glory 138. Motiues to make God our Portion ibid. God a Portiō no whit lesse thogh communicated vnto all 141. Comfort to the Poore that God is their Portion 142. Our Practise must proue that God is our Portion 144 Pouerty not to want golde but grace 184. To Practise what we prescribe 31 Prayer the life of the soule 47. The Godly answer Gods precepts with Prayer 18 Rules for Prayer 80. Argument of Prayer ariseth out of all our diuers dispositions 82. Prayer to be feruent frequent why 108. 265 294. 385. When to be long when short 295 In Dauids Prayer 3. things his Reuerence Sincerity Faith 146. For Prayer Christs and Dauids precepts and practise 158. Nothing to be Prayed for but what warranted by the Word 199. Prayers to bee framed to God promises 261. 385. Praier is seed to be sowne 328. Prayers of the Godly interrupted 382. Euery crying is no piercing Praying 328. Prayer must be with Perseuerance 331. Prayers to be prayed for 382. Praiers reiected a sore plague ibid. Error of pride accursed 61. Prides policy 203. A preseruatiue against pride 307 Religious Princes a great blessing 64. Princes though Persecutors to be reuerenced 361. Presumptuous Professors reproued 210. Gods Promises most sure in themselues must be made sure vn to vs by Prayer 100 All Gods Promises are conditionall 102. 262. He that prayeth vnto God must Promise vnto God 109. 386. The generall Promise of mercy containeth euery mans particular comfort that is godly 120. It standeth with Gods honor to performe his Promise 122. Gods Promise is our hopes warrant 279. Gods Promises some made with a time set some without 284. 285. Not onely Gods Promises but his precepts
it â—…eth â—…ern Epist. 72. ☜ If we finde it heauâ—… blame â—…ur corruption They haue not all learned to pray who vse to pray Rules for prayer Our life should be ordered by the word All the wayes of sinne are long wayes The deceitfull way of sinne is within euery man by nature Amb. It is a worke of Gods power to separate vs from it Euery sight a godly man gets of himselfe is a spurre to prayer The law of God the way of truth in three respects 1. 2. ☞ 3. Ambr. Then haue we learned Gods law when it is written in the table of our hart A warning to the professors of this age If we haue not good purpose and desires let vs not looke that God will blesse vs. And yet good purposes haue we not till God by grace work them in vs. Aug. de donâ—… perseuer ca. 13. ☞ Another notable testimony of Augustines to proue that our good desires are of grace and not of the power of nature Augu. contra Pelag. lib. 2. cap. 5. ☜ Conuersion to God is not of any free will in nature Our election of Gods word proceeds from his election of vs. What great comfort they haue who sincerely loue the Lord. How far Gods loue is aboue ours ☞ Esay Gods word called his iudgement and why Constancie in godlinesse an effect of grace True godlines wants neuer the crowne of perseuerance Basil in princip Preuerb Confusion which godly men feare is either desertion of God Or contempt and oppression of men No constrained but cheerfull seruice pleaseth the Lord. Better not to begin then to breake off the course of godlinesse Our life is a race a restlesse battell Ambr. In it we should follow the direction of our Captaine Heb. 12. The losse of such as walke not and sight not by direction of their Lord. The wisedom of Gods book can neuer bee sufficiently learned Nazian Angels are scholars in the schoole of the Church shal we think euill of it 1. Peter 1. ☞ If God continue our teacher we shall continue his seruants Vatab. Perseuerance is of Gods grace Wisdom shold be sought from the most wise God We are most welcome to God when we seeke greatest gifts from him Knowledge which reforms not is dangerous 2. Cor. 3. 17. Phil 3. True godliness with perseuerance hath sinceritie Any good wee doe is from God 1. Chron. 29. ☞ Dauid no presumptuous boaster Phil. â—… See ver 10. It is not enough for vs to haue light we haue also need that God be our director to walke after it Bafil The narrow way that leads to heauen Euthym. The broad way that leads to hell Our guide in the way is Iesus and how we should follow him Man stands between two Suters that seeke him happy are wee if we incline to the best ☜ Miserable are they to whom the good word of God testifies euill tydings Mich. Couetousnes a vile sinne ☞ Why a Christian should take heed how he lookes with his eyes Three things requisite to keep the hart Gregor in Iob. lib. 2. Nazian Euery creature we see should waken vs to praise God Athanas. contra Gent. ☜ â—…ut corrupt nature makes them snares to intangle vs. Ambrose Naturall man quick enough to works of sin but dead to works of pietie Gods promises are sure in themselues but it is a great point to make them sure vnto vs. Many confirmations of Gods promises haue wee Hebr. 6. To remedy our naturall infidelitie Bafil It is an honourable stile to be called Gods seruaunt Aâ—…lrose He that feares and loues the Lord may boldly seeke grace froÌ„ him Gods promises are coÌ„ditionallâ—… if wee haue not the condition we haue no interest in the promise Rebukes of men how to be borne Math. 5. August The rebukes of God how they are to be eschewed A godly man is more afraid for sinne that he may do theÌ„ the wicked is for sinne hee hath done ☞ Dauid afraid of Gods rebuke not of mans Motions of sin in the godly are not without motions of grace It is a good heart which dares present it selfe to the Lord. Our perfection in this life is rather in desires then in deeds Matth. 5. Satisfaction shall follow desires and God shall giue vs more then we desired 1. Cor. 2. God accepts from his children a will for a deed As the godly desire mercie so they vse the meanes 1. Ioh. 3. Not so to the wicked Desires without grace are like a false conception The feruent prayer of Dauid may make vs ashamed Foure notable motiues to make vs more earnest and diligent in prayer ☞ It is not enough to seeke from God wee must also promise to giue him A triall of men truly religious from counterfet ☜ The kindnes of God euer brings saluatioÌ„ But man may be kind where he is not able to helpe As comfort shold be sought from God so for Gods sake onely Papists reproued Such as would haue God to remember his promise shold remember their promise The kindnes of God is a sufficient defence against all euil will of man Faith in Gods promises is the Anchor of the soule Dauid prayes for continuance of the grace of prophecie A great iudgement that men cannot vse Gods vvord which they haue learned to the edification of others Psalm 50. Ambrose God at length wil declare that his word is a iudgement and that he will execute it Psalm Malach. Because the Lord changeth not we are not consumed The resolution of the godly is not limited within termes but extended to eternitie Ambrose Euthym. Carnall liberty is but thraldome Ambrose This is euident in men giuen to couetousnes ☜ Esay 28. In men giueÌ„ to concupiscence True libertie wherein it consisteth A three-fold dutie of thankfulnes promised by Dauid Euthym. Basil. A good conscience makes great boldnes of speech No sort of men more obliged to God then Kings yet coÌ„monly none more vnthankfull 2. Kings 13. 25 The subiect of out talk should be Gods word Delight in Gods word is a proofe of true godlinesse None can discern between worldly spiritual pleasures but they who haue prooued them both ☞ Actions of Gods worship are nothing without a delight in them The world is now full of â—…outilate Christians Vatab. Act. 1. 1. Basil. ☜ How God is said to remember Euthym. Gods promise made to vs and our promise made to him would be remembred together Dauid had a promise of an earthly Kingdome but his comfort was not in it 2. Sam. 7. 18 25 28. In the promise of mercy stands the comfort of the godly In the generall promise there is included a particular to euery beleeuer The nature of faith How faith collects out of Gods promises assurance of saluation Ambrose It stands with the honour of Gods truth to performe his promise Assurance of saluation in the beleeuers is no arrogancie Ambr. ☜ An answer to 〈◊〉 who so speake of it Berâ—… in Septuagesiâ—… Ser. 1. Aug. Ser. 28. Arguments to confirme
a true word Malac. 3. 18. The Vnderstanding is the taster of the soule that discerns between truth falsehood Phil. 1. 9. Many want this Sense ☜ Our knowledge in this â—…ife â—…ar infeâ—… to that we shâ—… haue in the 〈◊〉 â—…o come 2. Cor. 5. 7. Gods promises cannot coÌ„fort vs if we be not of their number to whom they belong Affliction in the godly worketh humiliation Worldlings can not vnderstand how good can come by the Crosse. Onely sanctified Crosses worke good Ambrose ☜ To be afflicted not purged chastiâ—…ed not corrected is an euill token Ierem. 6. Esay 1. Many now become worse after deliuerance from trouble These are reserued to sharper scourges Gods last stroke is alway heauiest Amos 5. 19. A godly man is couetous of heauenly instruction How due vnto God is the praise of goodnesse Ambros. in Psa. 119. It is his owne goodnesse that makes him good to his creature Luke 11. A great blessing to be in fellowship with God Constancie in Religion Wicked men are restlesse enemies to the godly Ambr. in Psal. 119. No band of nature can conioyne them whom grace hath not conioyned Why wicked meÌ„ are termed proud men Pâ—…ide an horrible euill ☜ Grace workes humility in the godly Gen. 18. 27. Iudg. 6. 15. Examples prouing that they who are greatest in Gods estimation are least in their owne eyes Satans two armes wherby he wrestles against the godly are violence and lies ☜ Lies trimmed vp with the garment of truth We should not fight against Satan and his instruments with their armour ☞ Rom. 12. 20. Dauids disposition and his enemies contrary How different effects are wrought in godly men by their different sights Luke 18. Acts 26. 29. A soft and melting heart a great blessing A hard stony hart a fearfull cuâ—…se ☞ How a sanctied crosse may be discerned from a cursed Namely if the crosse be a correction Nature of affliction changed to the godly Three things wee see in trouble better then in prosperitie Iob. 5. Rom. 5. The crosse makes a man learned by experience The goodnes of wicked men ends wheÌ„ their trouble ends it is otherwise with the godly Esay 38. The less worldly comfort wee haue the stroÌ„ger is the coÌ„fort of Gods word The authoritie of Gods word should be distinguished froÌ„ the ministrie thereof 1. Sam. 3. Vanity of worldly riches It is not pouertie to want gold but to want grace Chrâ—…s in Mat. hom 9. Otherwise Angels might be called poore Man is Gods workmanship and euen in that respect beloued of God Ambr. in Psal. 119. None caÌ„ rightly seeke from God who consider not what he hath already done to them The priuiledges of our first creation are all lost We haue neyther hope nor comfort in theÌ„ A man without vnderstanding is a companion of beasts True knowledge is that which works godlinesse Practise of pieâ—…e is the art of Artes. Ambr. oâ—…i lib. 1. cap. 26. Moses learning The three designes of a godly man The power of godlinesse Amb. in Psal. 119. The sight of a godly man suppose he be silent teacheth others The communion which is among Christians The working of God with one of his seruants teacheth all the rest To praise God in affliction is a great grace ☜ All Gods waies are righteous suppose we see them not Ignorance of this makes men murmure where they haue no cause Iudgement put for plagues and for corrections Why the crosses of godly men are called iudgements Amb. in Pâ—…s 119 Afflictions of the godly and wicked differ 1. In measure Esa. 27. 7. 2. In their ends Faith and not nature teacheth a man to runne to the hand that strikes him Hos. 6. 1. Comfort for men vnder crosses Promise of mercy rendred more ioy to Dauid then the promise of a kingdome Mercy receiued makes the godly thirst for more Psalm 17. 15. Three ranks of mercy craued by the godly ☞ Prayer against enemies how it should be framed Basil in Psalme 119. Ambrose in Psalme 119. Shame with contempt reward of sin The wicked are proud men A proud man â—…is iust punishment Let vs not look for peace from the wicked Satan may wex worse but shall neuer be better Dauids armor Euery Christian hath need of anothers help By reason of the diuersitie of grace dispensed to theÌ„ Publique sin is like Miriams leprosie that separated her froÌ„ the Congregation Why God suffers the countenaÌ„ce of good men to bee cast down on other good men Knowledge â—…are of God â—…equired together Desertions spirituall doe sore cast downe the godly As a body wanting meat fainâ—…th so c. The godly neuer so faint that they lose all life ☜ Our petitions should all be warranted by the word Answer of our prayers delaied many times and why Chrys. in Math. The troubles of the mind distemper the body Gods children exercised with sharp afflictions Reasons hereof giuen The reason of Dauids supplication Psalm â—…8 11. Mans life measured by dayes not yeeres A question alway to be remembred ☞ ☜ Prayer against our enemies how it should be framed Such iudgements as are preparatiues to mercy may be prayed for But not those iudgements that are forerunners of wrath ☜ Godly men euil recompenced of the world Sundry sorts of persecution Enemies of Dauid described Pridecan humble it selfe for a greater vantage Psal. 10. 4. 10. The wicked are taken in their owne sâ—…are Psalm 7. 15. Example hereof in Saul and Haman Comfort when we see wicked men are our enemies The Word giues comfort against all trouble Profitable for vs to be exercised with afflictions Amb. in Ps. 119 ☞ We should take heed to the cause for which we are troubled Cyprian 1. Pet. 4. Malice of the wicked is insatiable against the godly They rent both their names and their bodies after they are dead It is mans infirmity to be cast down with tentations coÌ„ming from men more then those that come from God Nazian ☜ Why God will haue his children brought very low by affliction 2. Cor. â—… Infidelity readie to goe â—… whooring froÌ„ God Desertion is like death to the godly Gods kindness is our defence against mans malice Psalme 52. 1. A two-fold kindnesse in God Psal. 145. Psalm 106. Man without grace is but dead and can doe no good Presumptuous professors reproued ☞ A comfortable meditation of the eternitie of Gods word The word of God opposed to the word of man Cypr. lib. 4. Epist. 2. Philo. The good name of a christian should be regarded and why Innocence defends vs not froÌ„ the calumnies of mâ—…n Words of men most effectless when they are stoutest What is meant here by heaueÌ„ The changes of this world cumber our faith Vatab. Then it is good to looke vp vnto heaueÌ„ Heb. 6. 19. The visible frame of heauen a witnesse of Gods eternall truth The creatures cannot teach the way of saluation but coÌ„firme vs in it ☜ Iere. 31. 35. The certaintie of our saluatioÌ„ The glory of
without griefe nor yet griefe without ioy ☜ Of the right gouernement of our eyes Reasons mouing vs to mourning 1. If we mourn not for other mens sinnes they become ours 2. If we mourn many blessings follow it ☜ A three-fold comfort that sustained Dauid 1. A meditation of the righteousnesse of God 2. A meditation of the equity of Gods commands flowing from his righteous nature The Lawe of God represents to vs the image of God How horrible an euill sinne is ☞ If any man desire to know what will be his end let him inquire at Gods word The loue which godly men carry to the word cannot be satisfied in this lâ—…fe The nature of zeale Sundâ—…y sorts of zeale ☞ Rom. 10. 2. Ambrose The effects of holy zeale Rom. 12. Knowledge Zeale two wings of the soule How true zeale may be tried from false ☜ Who are enemies to godly men 3. A meditation of Gods constant and continual working according to his word As God hath a mouth to speake so a hand to doe as continuall experience hath proued ☞ Loue in God the fountaine of all his benefites Loue in man the fountaine of all his seruice ☞ Temporizers in Religion Carol. Sigon de rep 〈◊〉 lib. 1. c. 3 ☞ They are little esteemed of men who are great in the account of God Macar â—…om â—…â—… 1. Ioh. 3. Persons should â—…e regarded for heir faith Iam. 2. Obliuion of our duety is the first steppe to defection What a sure comfort we haue by the word of God The Crosse is necessary for a Pilgrime and why The kindly sonnes of God cannot want a Crosse. Carnal and spirituall ioy consist not together Delight in the word an argument of true Godline The fearefull recompence of them who loue not Gods word Vatab. Three things in this verse Praier is a seede which now wee should sowe plentifully that in haruest wee may reap the fruit thereof ☞ Feruency and zeale of heart required in praier Ambrose Psal. 119. Euery crying pearces not heauen The voice of the wicked in praier â—…uailes not Great things should be asked from the great God Praier a seruice due to God only He that seeks from God should also offer to him Continuance in praier recoÌ„mended vnto vs Ambrose in Psal. 119. ☜ How time posts away and we should striue with it ☞ How a man on earth may imitate the life of Angels Ambrose The first fruits of our hart and tongue euery morning shold be offered to God ☜ Gold professors reproued who spend all their time on the world If they cannot giue all at least they should giue the halfe of it vnto God Prayer mitigates trouble The common argument of al Gods children in Prayer Ambâ—…n Ps. 119 Is from his mercy not from their merit How Dauid desires God should deale with him in iudgement The godly are a mark of contradiction to Satan and al his instruments Comfort against the contempt of men No enemy so neere to hurt vs as God is neere to helpe vs. Comfortable examples therof Vpon what condition will the Lord be neere vnto vs. Amb. in Psalm 119. If we in our heart be also neere vnto him They that in affection goe farre from the Lord hurt themselues ☜ The word is a â—…affe to sutaine vs in trouble Man commands without reason he proâ—…es without performance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without effect not to the Lâ—… Experience of the truth of Gods word doth greatly comfort vs. The Word an Anchor of the soule The prouidence of God by stable order ruleth all things ☜ Eurip. Aug. in Matth. Ephes. 1. Dauids prayers proper to euery member of the Church How God is a spectator and partaker with vs in all our afflictions ☞ A good conscience makes a man familiar with God An appellation from men to God To be vsed of them who are wronged by men A warning to Iudges 2. Chron. 19. ☞ Wicked men are the authors of their owne wracke Amb. in Psalm 119. Basil. in Ps. 119. The word of God and his saluation are conioyned together Externall prosperity of wicked men not to be regarded Acts 26. The godly guilty of transgression but not of conteÌ„pt It is grace only by which one man differs froÌ„ another in godlinesse Godly men edifie their harts by euery thing they see in others In Gods mercy not in our merit stands our comfort Ambrose The mercies of God why they â—…re called great Esa. 40. Comfort against the greatnesse of our sinnes ☜ 1. Tim. 1. The mercies of God are called tender why Iam. 3. ☞ Life of grace should be cherished continually Constancy in Religion Trouble a tryall of true Religion Iob 1. Such as are not sincere worshippers will not continue ☞ Manifold were Dauids troubles There is one persecuter of the godly Satan but he hath many instruments Corrupt affections sore persecutors 1. Cor. 6. ☞ By visible enemies also he persecutes vs. ☜ The godly esteeme more of Gods glory then their owne liues A good thing that a man can desire God to look vpon him Ambrose Psal. 119. Vanity to hide our way from the Lord. Loue of Gods word in the godly is inuincible Not only Gods promises but his precepts also are loued of the godly Rom. 7. 8 Worldly things sought earnestly by worldlie men May make vs ashamed that cannot seek excellent things with an excellent affection Perswasion of the truth of Gods word brings out obedience Vatab. 2. Pet. 1. 19 The iudgement by-gon should warne the wicked of iudgements to come Euery man feares when iudgement comes Onely godly men feare before it come Euery example of godlie men learnes vs some lesson How Dauid saith he was persecuted without cause He compares not himselfe with God but with men Princes suppose they were wicked yet should they be reuerenced ☜ Murther of Kings is from the spirit of Saâ—…au 1. Sam. 24 The feare of Gods wrath ouercomes the feare of man his displeasure Psal. â—… The awe-band of wicked men is without them The awe-band of godly men is within them ☜ Ambrose Psal. 119. With what affection Gods word should be receiued ☞ Why naturall men esteeme not of Gods word The godly find ioyfull tydings by the word and therfore esteeme of it But the wicked finde it a message of their damnation What maruaile then they like it not Euery thing contrary to Gods word is a falsehood and why Colâ—… hatred of euill shortly turnes into a liking of euill ☜ Bodily vncleannes vnseemely for Gods people Ambrose Much more spirituall vncleannes He that hateth sinne must loue Gods law Affections if they be strong cannot lurke but will breake forth in actioÌ„s Ambrose Such is our coldnesse that we scarse pray so frequently on the Sabboth as Dauid did euery day Yet on the sabboth the daily sacrifice should be doubled ☜ It is not for one but for all the godly what euer comfort is in Gods word Godly men many wayes described in holy Scripture and why ☞ Yet are they