great Waters, as calling or conveying Intelligence to one another, by means of thefe Water-Pipes. By this the Pfalmift intended to defcribe the wretchedness of his prefent Condition in a figurative. and poetick manner, it being ufual in the Scripture, and particu larly in the Palms. by Waters to denote great Afflictions, and by the Waters or Depths calling to one another, we are to underftand several forts of Calamities provoking and joining, with each other, in order to make a flood or inundation of Mifery: So the plain meaning of this Verfe is as follows, viz. One great Calamity does by fecret and unfeen means, as it were, invite another to affault me. All manner of Tryals and Afflictions have fallen upon me with their united Forces, their greatest Weight: Yet at laft all is over.] 10 [The Lord hath granted his loving-kindness on the day time: and in the night-feafon did I fing of him, and made my prayer unto the God of my life.] I will fay unto the God of my strength, Why haft thou forgotten me: why go I thus heavily, while the enemy op preffeth me? 12 My bones are fmitten afunder as with a fword while mine enemies that trouble me caft me in the teeth to Do 13 Namely, while they fay daily unto me; Where is now thy God? 14 Why art thou so vexed, O my foul: and why art thou fo difquieted within me? 15 O put thy trust in God: for I will yet thank him, [which is the help of my countenance,] and my God. 10 [My Time has been divided between giving Thanks, and receiving Mercies and what fresh Bleffings I have received in the Day, it has been my in the Night, and make them one great part of my conftant Devotions, which I pay to that God in whom I move, and five, and have my being.] courfe to commemorate Is The help of my Countenance,] or of my is often turn'd: And Prefence,for to the word when he calls God the belp of his Countenance, his meaning is, that God gave Safety and Succefs where-ever he was prefent. And it does not appear that David had ever been defeated in Battel when he penn'd this Pfalm: So the sense of this Phrase is this; [God is he who always affords me his Affiftance, and crowns me with Succefs, fo that Victory feems to attend my Perfon, and never to depart from my Prefence.3 This Pfalm feems to have been composed on the fame mournful Subject, and probably on the fame occafion with the former. Judica me, Deus. Pfal. XLIII. 3Thy Light: thy 6 See Pfal. xlii. 15. G 1. Ive fentence with me, O God, and defend my caufe against the ungodly people: O deliver me from the deceitful and wicked man. 2 For thou art the God of my ftrength, why haft thou put me from thee and why go I fo heavily, while the enemy oppreffeth me? : 3 Ofend out thy light and thy truth, that they may lead me: and bring me unto thy holy hill t, and to thy dwelling. 14 And that I may go unto the altar of God, even unto the God of my joy and gladness: and upon the harp will I give thanks unto thee, O God, my God. 4 Why art thou fo heavy, O my foul: and why art thou fo difquieted within me ? 6 O put thy truft in God: for I will yet give him thanks, which is the help of my countenance, and my God. Pfalm The Ninth Day, Morning Prayer. This Pfalm was certainly compofed after David's Time, and when the Jewish Affairs began to be in a declining Condition; as may appear from what is here faid from the 10th Verfe forward. Bishop Patrick afcribes it to the times of Hezekiah, when the Affyrians, after having made feveral Inroads, at last invaded Judea with a great Army, 2 Kings xviii: 13, 17. Deus auribus. Pfal. XLIV. TE have heard with our WE have told us: what thou haft done in their time of old. : 2 How thou haft driven out the heathen with thy hand, and planted them in: how thou haft destroyed the nations, and caft them out. 3. For they gat not the land in poffeffion through their own fword: neither was it their own arm that helped them. 4 But thy right hand, and thine arm, and [the light of thy countenance] : because thou hadft a favour unto them. · 5 Thou art my King, O God: fend help unto Jacob. 6 Through thee will we overthrow our enemies: and in thy Name will we tread them under that rife up against us. 7 For I will not trust in my bow it is not my sword that fhall help me. 8 But it is thou that faveft 4 [Thy favourable Prefence. us from our enemies, and putteft them to confusion that hate 11 [Rob us of, or, Plunder,] that is the meaning of the word again, Mat. xii. 28. fo the Latin Spolio, and the Hebrew word here used, do fignify, not to marr, or destroy. 13 [Thefe Heathen Affyrians do not purchafe us, but take us for nothing: Thou difpofeft of us, as Masters of their Slaves that are unferviceable, without demanding any price.] 18 What is faid in this and the following 1 Thou makeft us to turn our backs upon our enemies: fo that they which hate us [fpoil] our goods. 12 Thou letteft us be eaten up like fheep: and haft fcattered us among the heathen. 13 [Thou felleft thy people for nought: and takest no mo→ ney for them.] 14 Thou makest us to be rebuked of our neighbours: to be laughed to fcorn, and had in derifion of them that are round about us. 5 Thou makeft us to be a by-word among the heathen: and that the people shake their heads at us. 16 My confufion is daily before me and the fhame of my face hath covered me; 17 For the voice of the flanderer and blafphemer: for the enemy and avenger. 18 And though all this be come upon us, yet we not do Verfe, does very well fit the times of Hezekiab, who reformed the Jewish Church. for forget thee nor behave our felves frowardly in thy covenant. 19 Our heart is not turned back; neither our fteps gone out of thy way; 20 No, not when thou haft fmitten us into the place of dragons and covered us with *the fhadow of death. 21 If we have forgotten the Name of our God, and holden up our hands to any ftrange! god: fhall not God fearch it out? for he knoweth the very fecrets of the heart. 22 For thy fake alfo are we killed all the day long: and are counted as fheep appointed to be flain. 23 Up, Lord, why sleepest thou: awake, and be not abfent from us for ever. 24. Wherefore hideft thou thy face and forgetteth our mifery and trouble? 25 [For our foul is brought low, even unto the duft: our belly cleaveth unto the ground.] 26 Arife, and help us and deliver us for thy mercies fake. G 4 |
