2. We should be jealous over ourselves, lest prosperity lead us to forgetfulness of God. A sad but a common character is that in v. 19. because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God; because their schemes prosper, they think they are in the right; and because the means answer, imagine they are justifiable. Prosperity and success are dangerous temptations; and it will be our wisdom to guard our hearts against the snare. Let us then not trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, and in every circumstance of life fear him.

3. Whatever are our circumstances, we should be constant and serious in our devotions. It was an excellent resolution of David, as for me, whatever they attempt or hope for, in all my distresses and fears, I will call upon God. Let us keep near to God, pray to him evening, morning, and at noon. Whatever burdens our minds, let us cast it upon the Lord, by faith and prayer, trusting his providence and his promise. This will support the mind. When enemies attack, God will save us; when friends desert us, he will prove faithful. Whatever troubles may surround us, we shall find peace and joy in secret retirement and converse with God; a peace which nothing can interrupt, and a joy that will last and be increasing for

ever.

PSALM LVI.

To the chief musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, which was probably the beginning of some ode, to the tune of which this was set, Michtam, or, a golden psalm, of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath when they had a mind to seize upon him, after he put himself into their hands, as a dangerous person, 1 Sam. xxi. 11.

BE merciful unto me, O God: for man, Saul and his cour

tiers, would swallow me up, devour me like a lion; he fighting daily oppresseth me; I am no sooner fled from one cruel enemy, 2 than I am fallen into the hands of another. Mine enemies would daily swallow [me] up: for [they be] many that fight against me, O thou most High; thy almighty power is alone able to deliver me 3 from the malice and the multitude of my foes. What time I am afraid, or have most cause to be afraid, I will trust in thee for help. 4 In God, by his assistance, I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I doubt not but I shall soon have reason to adore thy faithfulness to thy promise: in that promise I trust; and I will not fear what flesh, what weak mortal man, can do unto me 5 to hinder the fulfilling of it. Every day they wrest my words; make them speak a language I never intended: all their thoughts [are] against me for evil; they are constantly employed in conɓ triving some mischief against me. They gather themselves together, to hold frequent consultations, they hide themselves, to watch me narrowly, and discern me off my guard, they mark my

steps, like thieves or assassins, when they wait for my soul, to 7 take away my life. Shall they escape by iniquity? by such subtile mischievous practices? in [thine] anger cast down the people, O God; this insolent, barbarous people, who seek my destruction. 8 Thou tellest and rememberest my wanderings, my motions from place to place; put thou my tears into thy bottle; suffer them not to fall to the ground unnoticed and forgotten:* [are they] not in thy book? dost thou not keep an exact register of all the tears 9 I shed in these circumstances, or on this occasion? When I cry '[unto thee,] then shall mine enemies turn back; I need no other weapon but prayer, and on that I place my dependence; this I know; for God [is] for me, or with me, to plead my cause and 10 deliver me. In God, that is, by his assistance, will I praise [his] word in the LORD, the unchangeable, faithful Jehovah, will I praise [his] word; he supporting my faith, and enlarging my 11 heart. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what 12 man can do unto me. Thy vows [are] upon me, O God; my

vows to thee, of which thou art a party and a witness: I will ren13 der praises unto thee, by a faithful performance of them. For thou hast delivered by soul from death; from the great danger I was in at Gath; [wilt] not [thou deliver] my feet from falling? may I not hope that thou wilt keep me from falling into sin, or by the snares my enemies lay for me, and that I may walk before God in the light of the living? walk before thee, live in thy fear, and spend the residue of my days in thy service?

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REFLECTIONS.

E learn from the example of the psalmist, whatever may not be in his deplorable circumstances, hunted by enemies from place to place, yet we are liable to many evils and dangers that may occasion distressing fears. Let us therefore make the Lord our refuge, as the most high and faithful God; then we need not fear what flesh can do unto us; for God has all the power of man under his control. This trust in God will be an anchor to the soul, firm and steadfast; and enable it to ride out a thousand storms. The apostle Paul, in Heb. xiii. 6. puts this resolution of David into the mouth of every christian, and teaches us to argue from the promise of God, and to say boldly, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear.

2. We need God's assistance to enable us to trust in him, and to praise him. Do we resolve to perform these duties? let us remember that it is in God alone, that is, by his assistance, that they can be performed. We know not how to govern our affections and order our speech without him; his spirit helps our infirmities; assists us to depend on his promise, and to believe his faithfulness;

The Romans had little urns or vessels, into which they let those tears run which they shed for their friends, and buried them with their ashes.

and keeps us from despairing and fainting in the day of adversity. Let this engage us daily to pray for his spirit to help us in every time of need.

3. It is a comfortable thought, that all our distresses and sorrows are known to God. He observes what difficulties we have to struggle with, and where we are forced to wander; our tears are put into his bottle, and registered in his book; he observes them with compassion and tender concern; he remembers and reviews them. They will have a sad reckoning who persecute and injure God's people; who cause them to wander, and make them weep. When he makes inquisition for the blood of his saints, and reckons up the num ber of their tears, he will dreadfully punish their oppressors.

4. Let us charge our souls with a sense of our deliverances and our vows. Has God delivered our souls from eternal death, and our lives from the grave? and have not such deliverances excited engagements and vows to be his? Let us gratefully remember his delivering goodness, and give glory to him, who keepeth the feet of his saints. Let us remember our resolutions and vows under afflic tions, and after deliverances. And let us praise him and walk be fore him live near to him, and faithfully discharge our duty. The remembrance of his past goodness should encourage our hope, that he will yet deliver our feet from falling, amidst the dangerous ways in which we are walking; the many stumbling blocks and snares that lie in them, and all our own ignorance and weakness. In him let us trust that he will still deliver; yea, trust, with the apostle, that he will deliver us from every evil work, and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom.

PSALM LVII.

To the chief musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.

Saul and his soldiers pursuing David, he and his attendants hid themselves in a cave; Saul coming in there to sleep, and not seeing David, he had an opportunity to destroy him, as his servants advised him to do; but he bravely and piously declined it. To this soma suppose that Altaschith, destroy not, refers. See 1 Sam. xxii. 1. and chap. xxiv.

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E merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings, thy protecting care, will I make my refuge until [these] calami2 ties, by which I am in danger of being destroyed, be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth [all things] for me; I will commit myself by prayer to God, whose providence I will own in all events, who will fulfil what he has promised, and perfect what he has begun. Sooner than I shall be

2 destroyed, He shall send from heaven and save me from Saul and his hosts, [from] the reproach of him that would swallow me up; or, he will put him to shame that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth; manifest his good4 ness by preserving me according to his promise. My soul [is]

among lions, fierce and bloody men : [and] I lie [even among] them that are set on fire, who are full of rage and revenge, [even] the sons of men, whose teeth [are] spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword; who utter every false and spiteful speech, 5 to sink my credit and expose me to ruin. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, in my vindication and in their confusion; [let] thy glory, in my deliverance, [be] above all the earth; be spread 6 through the whole world. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down, almost overwhelmed: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they have fallen [themselves;] they are fallen into the same danger they designed for me; referring to the power David had over Saul when he 7 found him sleeping in the cave. Selah. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; firmly resolved, and in a proper frame 8 for the work: I will sing and give praise. Awake up my tongue, which is my glory : awake, psaltery and harp : I[myself] will awake early to this delightful work; I will not be content with 9 private acknowledgments, but I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people; among the greatest assemblies in this nation, yea, I will sing unto thee among the nations; when I come among the heathen I will not be ashamed of my religion, but on all proper occasions, utter thy praises, and confess that the God of Israel is my 10 only confidence, For thy mercy [is] great unto the heavens, beyond all expression or conception, and thy truth unto the clouds, il greatly beyond our full discovery. Be thou exalted, O God, in this mercy and truth, above the heavens : [let] thy glory [be] above, or spread over, all the earth.

REFLECTIONS.

1.

"L

ET us keep in mind that important truth, that God performeth all things for us. The various events of our lives are under his direction, whether they are prosperous or afflictive : whatever is the immediate cause or instrument of these things, it is good to look higher and acknowledge God's hand in all; particu larly let us remember, that he will perform his promises, and secure his servants until every calamity be overpast.

2. With fixed hearts and a holy courage, let us acknowledge his mercy and goodness. It is fit we should do it with fixed hearts, with serious attention, with close application of mind, and suitable affections. This is necessary to render it pleasing to God. It is fit we should do it with courage, because it is unfashionable to speak of the goodness and truth of God; and we may find some ready to reproach us for so worthy and commendable a practice. But we should stir up ourselves and strengthen our resolutions to praise

God; and speak of his glory, his goodness and faithfulness to us. What ever reproach may fall upon us for this, it should still be our prayer that God may be exalted, and though we suffer contempt, that his glory may be spread, known, and adored through the whole earth.

PSALM LVIII.

To the chief musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David.

This psalm was composed when David was declared at Saul's counsel board to be a traitor, and was outlawed. He prophesies of the sudden punishment which should overtake those wicked counsellors, and begins with expostulating with them.

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O ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation of coun-, sellors and judges, in the sentence you have pronounced against me? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? I appeal to your own consciences whether you can believe the reports which have been raised of me, and can imagine that your late conduct has been according to the rules of justice. No, the con2 trary is most apparent. Yea, in heart you work wickedness, or mischief against me; you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth; you use caution and craft, and under the appearance of justice and holding a fair balance, you pronounced an unrighteous sentence: your complaisance to the king and malignity 3 against me have influenced you to act thus. The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies; surely these wretches must have been born with malignity in their hearts, and have been bred up in falsehood and cruelty, or they never could have arrived to such a shameful degree 4 of them. Their poison [is] like the poison of a serpent; their lies are of a venomous and fatal nature; [they are] like the deaf 5 adder [that] stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely ;* the meaning is, they will not believe the remonstrances I make in my own vindication, though there is such evident truth and reason in them. 6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth : break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD; or rather God will destroy the power of these enemies, who in their fierce and cruel temper re7 semble lions. Let them melt away as waters [which] run continually; some of them shall be destroyed gradually and insensibly, like water that evaporates by the heat of the sun, [when] he bendeth [his bow to shoot] his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces;

Here is an allusion to a custom among the easterns of tharming serpents. There are persons who have the art of making certain noises, and playing certain tunes, which will bring serpents out of their holes, make them discharge their poison, and become tame and gen tle. Such accounts have been given by very credible witnesses: but there are some serpents that will not be thus wrought upon, and inay figuratively be said to stop their ears.