Page images
PDF
EPUB

AIN.-PART XVI.

121. I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors.

He who is engaged in a righteous cause, and hath acted uprightly in the support of it, may so far, without incurring the censure of boasting, or trusting to his own righteousness, make David's plea, "I have done judgment and justice;" as if he had said, Thou, O my God, knowest I am innocent of the crimes whereof my implacable enemies accuse me, and that I have done no wrong to those who seek to take away my life; deliver not thine injured servant, therefore, into their hands; "leave me not to mine oppressors." The Son of David might use the words in their full and absolute sense, and plead for a glorious resurrection, on the foot of his having performed a perfect obedience to the law.

122. Be surely for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me.

The Psalmist finding himself ready to be seized by his insolent adversaries, like a helpless and insolvent debtor, entreateth the Almighty to appear in his defence, to take the matter into his own hands, to interpose and plead his cause, as his surety and advocate in the day of trouble. Good Hezekiah uses the same word in the same sense, speaking of the time when death was about to make his claim upon the mortal part of him; "O Lord, I am oppressed, ">, undertake, be surety for me;" Isa. xxxviii. 14. Happy the creatures, whose Creator is their surety, and hath interposed to rescue them from those great oppressors, sin, death, and Satan!

ness.

23. Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteous

Salvation, whether temporal or spiritual, may be delayed; the "eyes" of the sufferer may "fail" with looking upward, and his earnest expectation may be ready to break forth, in the words of Sisera's mother, "Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariot ?" But what saith God, by his prophets and apostles? "Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come" Hab. ii. 3. "Yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come:" Heb. x. 37. The "word" which hath promised it, is the word of truth, faithfulness, and "righteousness;" the attributes of God are engaged for its accomplishment, and he cannot deny himself.

124. Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes. 125. I am thy servant: give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.

The consideration that we are the "servants" of God, if indeed we are so, will always be successfully urged to the best of masters, as an argument why he should "deal with us according to his mercy," in the pardoning of our offences; "teach us his statutes," that we may know and do his will; and instruct us in his "testimonies," that we may believe aright concerning him.

126. It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law.

The "law" of God "is made void" by those who deny its authority, or its obligation; by those who render it of none effect through their traditions, or their lives. When a deluge of wickedness and impiety entering at these gates, hath overwhelmed a land, "it is time for the Lord to work;" the great lawgiver will then exert his power, and vindicate his authority speedily. There is a certain measure of iniquity, which when communities, or individuals respectively, have filled up, the destroying angel comes forth, and executes his commission. How ought a man to fear, lest the next sin he commits should fill up his measure, and seal his eternal doom!

127. Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. As the wickedness of those increaseth who "make void the divine law," the zeal and "love" of believers should increase in proportion, to stem the torrent; and this may be done to a surprising degree, by a few persons, who, after the example of the first Christians, can forsake all, to follow their Master; who have the sense and the courage to prefer truth, wisdom, holiness, and heaven, to falsehood, folly, sin, and the world; who can resolutely reject the glittering temptation, and say, without hypocrisy, to their God, "I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold."

128. Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; or, Therefore all thy precepts, even all, have I approved; and I hate every false way.

For the same reason that the children of God, in the worst of times, "love his commandments," they love them "all," not observing such only as they can observe without giving offence, but, regardless of the censures of the world, doing their duty in every particular; not "hating" some "evil ways," and at the same time walking in others, but extending and manifesting their aversion to all alike. Of such persons it is evident, that they make a conscience of their doings, and their conduct appears to be uniform; the adversary will have no evil thing to say of them; they will do real service to the cause which they maintain; and, after having honoured their Master before men, they will by him be honoured before men and angels.

PE.-PART XVII.

129. Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep, or, observe, them.

The Scriptures are "wonderful," with respect to the matter which they contain, the manner in which they are written, and the effects which they produce. They contain the sublimest spiritual truths, veiled under external ceremonies and sacraments, figurative descriptions, typical histories, parables, similitudes, &c. When properly opened and enforced, they terrify and humble, they convert and transform, they console and strengthen. Who but must delight to study

and to "observe" these "testimonies" of the will and the wisdom, the love and the power, of God most high! While we have these holy writings, let us not waste our time, misemploy our thoughts, and prostitute our admiration, by doting on human follies, and wondering at human trifles.

130. The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple.

The Scriptures are the appointed means of "enlightening" the mind with true and saving knowledge. They show us what we were, what we are, and what we shall be; they show us what God hath done for us, and what he expecteth us to do for him; they show us the adversaries we have to encounter, and how to encounter them with success; they show us the mercy and the justice of the Lord, the joys of heaven, and the pains of hell. Thus will they "give to the simple," in a few days, an "understanding" of those matters, which philosophy, for whole centuries, sought in vain.

131. I opened my mouth and panted: for I longed for thy commandments. An eastern traveller, fatigued through toil, and parched by heat, doth not, with more vehement desire, gasp for the cooling breeze, than the servant of God, in time of temptation and trouble, "panteth" after that spirit of refreshment and consolation which breathes in the Scriptures of truth. The affections are the springs of human actions; no arguments are needful to impel, and no difficulties are sufficient to retard, the man who is in pursuit of an object which, with all his heart, he loves and "longs for." How happy is it when heaven, instead of earth, is that object!

132. Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.

A child of God is never so much afflicted, as when his heavenly Father seemeth, for a time, to have turned away his face from him. All lesser troubles vanish, when God doth but vouchsafe a "look" of paternal compassion. And since the love of Jehovah to his people is unchangeable as his nature, mercies formerly shown to others are most forcibly urged by the Psalmist in his petition for the like: "Be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name."

133. Order my steps in thy word; and let not any iniquity have dominion

over me.

By the instruction of his "word" God bringeth us into the way of life; by the aids of his grace he "directeth" and "supporteth" our "steps" in that way, enabling us, as we proceed, to overcome the sins which do beset us, so that they prevail not to turn us back, or to make us desist from travelling toward the city of our eternal habitation.

134. Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts. He truly loveth God. who requesteth "deliverance" from " op

pression" and persecution, that he may again enjoy the opportunities of "keeping his precepts," and of serving him without distraction. And gratitude for his deliverance will be, with such an one, an additional reason for using those opportunities, when they are restored, to the best advantage.

135. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.

The same sentiment is again expressed in different language. The Psalmist prayeth for a return of the divine favour, and for better days, that in peace and tranquillity he may learn and do the will of God. Tribulation is a dark and tempestuous night; but Jehovah causeth "his face to shine" upon his people, and the effects are like those produced by the sun at his rising, when universal nature revives and rejoices, and clouds and darkness fly away.

136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.

David, who, through this whole Psalm, so often and so ardently beseecheth God "to teach him his statutes," declareth in this verse his continual grief of heart, occasioned by seeing others break those statutes. Thus Lot, among the Sodomites, was "vexed from day to day," not so much at their usage of himself, as at "seeing and hearing their unlawful deeds :" 2 Pet. ii. 8. Thus Jeremiah telleth the ungodly of his time, "If ye will not hear, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eyes shall weep sore, and run down with tears:" Jer. xiii. 17. Thus the holy Jesus "looked round about on the Pharisees, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts," Mark, iii. 5; and "wept over" a city which had always persecuted, and was then about to crucify him, because it "knew not the things which belonged to its peace:" Luke, xix. 41. Accept, O Lord, the tears which our blessed Redeemer shed, in the days of his flesh, for us, who should, but, alas! too often cannot, weep for our brethren, or for ourselves; and give us, at least, the grace of holy mourning, which in thy sight is of great price.

TZADDI.-PART XVIII.

137. Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments. This portion of our Psalm is employed in celebrating the righteousness of God, manifested to us by his word, and by his dispensations, which that word both recordeth and explaineth. It is said of the emperor Mauritius, that, upon seeing all his children slain before his face, at the command of that bloody tyrant and usurper, Phocas, himself expecting the next stroke, with a philosophy truly divine, he exclaimed aloud, in these words of David, “Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments."* By faith he was assured of this great truth, and nobly confessed it, notwithstanding all appearances to the contrary. The last day will demonstrate

* Baron. Annal. ad Ann. 602.

the same thing to the whole world, and open the mouths of men and angels to declare concerning all the divine proceedings, what the good Mauritius acknowledged, at the time, with regard to the murder of his children.

138. Thy testimonies, that thou hast commanded, are righteous and very. faithful.

The revelations of God's will are "righteousness" and "truth;" his commands are just, and ought to be obeyed; his promises and his threatenings will infallibly come to pass, and deserve, above all things, to be regarded.

139. My zeal hath consumed me; because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.

"Zeal" is a high degree of love; and when the object of that love is ill treated, it venteth itself in a mixture of grief and indignation, which are sufficient to wear and "consume" the heart. This will be the case, where men rightly conceive of that dishonour which is continually done to God by creatures whom he hath made and redeemed. But never could the verse be uttered, with such fulness of truth and propriety, by any one, as by the Son of God, who had such a sense of the Father's glory, and of man's sin, as no person else ever had. And, accordingly, when his zeal had exerted itself in purging the temple, St. John tells us, "his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." The place where it is so written, is Psalm lxix. 9, and the passage is exactly parallel to this before us.

140. Thy word is very pure; therefore thy servant loveth it.

"Thy word is very pure," in the original, "tried," refined, purified, like gold in the furnace; absolutely perfect, without the dross of vanity and fallibility, which runs through human writings. The more we try the promises, the surer we shall find them.* This pure word hath likewise in it a power of purifying us. It containeth precepts and examples of purity, helps and encouragements to purity, and the Spirit of purity goeth with it, and worketh by it. "Therefore thy servant loveth it;" and no one, but a true servant of God, can "therefore" love it, because it is pure; since he who loves it must desire to be like it, to feel its efficacy, to be reformed by it, and conformed to it.

141. I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.

Faithfulness to God will often reduce men to straits, and bring upon them the contempt of the world; happy are they who, under these difficulties and discouragements, "forget not his precepts," but still continue faithful, looking unto Jesus, who once "endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of God." Heb. xii. 2.

Pure gold is so fixed, that Boerhaave informs us of an ounce of it set in the eye of a glass-furnace for two months, without losing a single grain.

« PreviousContinue »