PSAL. LIX. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

THE Argument of this Psalm is the same with some of those before; but the occasion particular, Saul's purpose to kill him in his house; against whose treachery and cruelty he here complains, and prayes.

The Contents of this Psalm are four.

• 1. His prayer for deliverance, ver. 1, 2. and against them, ver. 5.
• 2. He complains of, and expresseth his enemies cruelty and improbity, from ver. 3. to 8.
• 3. He comforts himself, being confident of his own preser∣vation, from ver. 8. to 10.
  • 1. And of their punishment, for which he prayes, from ver. 11. to 14.
  • 2. And of their vain endeavours, for which he insults, ver. 14, 15.
• 4. He concludes with thanks, ver. 16, 17.

1. He begins with a Petition for deliverance, defence, salvation, and perswades it from the qualities of his enemies. *

• 1. Deliver me, defend me, save me from
• 2. [Ver. 1] Mine enemies: 1. Them that rise up against me: 2. From the workers of ini∣quity: [ 2] 3. From bloody men. These considerations made him pray, O my God deliver, &c.

2. * And yet more particularly he expresseth their cruelty and treachery, to aggra∣vate which, he pleads his own innocency in respect of them.

• 1. Their cruelty was, Lo, they lie in wait for my soul.
• 2. [ 3] Their treachery this, The Mighty men are gathered against me. They run and prepare themselves. [ 4]
• 3. [ 6] They are diligent about it, They return at Evening: 2. Mad, and set to do it, they make a noise like a Dog, and threaten boldly: 3. Unwearied, and obstinate in their purpose, They go round about the City: 4. Impudent, and brag what they will do to me; Behold, they belch out with their mouth: 5. And their words are bloody, Swords are in their lips;〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
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• 4. And the cause of this is, that they are proud and atheistical: Who, say they, doth hear? Secure they think themselves, supposing they may contemn God and man; neither regard what's done, or what becomes of poor David. [Ver. 3, 4.]
• 5. In the mid'st of which aggravations, he inserts his own innocency: *They gather themselves together; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord; they run and prepare themselves without my fault.

And upon this he renews his Petition. [Ver. 4]

• 1. Awake to help me, and behold:*
  • 1. Thou therefore the Lord God of Hosts, the God of Israel, the Lord God of Hosts, therefore powerful. [ 5]
  • 2. The God of Israel, therefore merciful.
• 2. Awake to visit all the Heathen: i.e. Punish the Heathen, and the Israelites in this no better.
• 3. And be not merciful to any wicked Transgressors: i. e. malicious, ob∣stinate.

To this rage and implacable hatred of his enemies, * he now begins to oppose the comfort he had upon the assurance of Gods promises; this I know:

• 1. Thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them; as it were, in sport destroy them, be their power never so great, yet thou wilt laugh them to scorn. [ 8]
• 2. Them, and all that are like them; Thou shalt have all the Heathen in de∣rision.
• 3. I confess that Saul's strength is great, but my Protector greater; Because of his strength I will wait upon thee, for God is my defence. [ 9]
• 4. This I am assured also, That the God of my mercy, [ 10] that hath hitherto shewed me mercy, shall prevent me, come in feason to my help: 2. *And God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.

And to the 16th. verse, he expresseth what his desires were. [ 11]

• 1. Negatively: He would not have them slain and eradicated, * and be gives his Reason for it: Slay them not, lest my people forget; for a dead man is quickly out of mind, and his punishment out of mind, and so few are the better for it.
• 2. Positively: The first degree of which, is dispersion, * vagrancy and banish∣ment: Scatter them; which, how heavy a judgment it is, let the Jewes be witness.
• 2. The second degree, is Humiliation: Bring them down, O Lord, our shield.2 Bring them from their power, command, honour, to a low degree, which is no small heart-breaking to a great spirit: Fuimus Troes, is never re∣membred without a groan.

And now he assigns the cause why he would have them scattered and brought low, * that their blasphemies and lies may never be forgotten, [ 12] but they stand as a terrour to all lyars and blasphemers.

• 1. For the sins of their mouths, and the words of their lips, 1 let them be taken in their pride: The Jewes cryed Beelzebub, Nolumus hum, and taken they were.
• 2. And for cursing and lying, which they speak: They cursed themselves, his blood be upon us, and upon them it is with a witness.
• 3. He goes on in his desires: Consume them, O Lord, emphatically, con∣sume them in wrath that they may not be; [ 13] which at first sight seems con∣trary to his first desire, Slay them not: But it is not so, 4 for he speaks not of their life, as if he would have them so consumed, that they should not remain alive; but he desires only a consumption of their power, roy∣alty, command; &c. And so these words are a farther explication of his second desire, Bring them down: He would have them so brought down and consumed in their strength, dignity, command, wealth, riches, that made them proud, that they never be able any more to oppose God, hurt his people, trample upon Religion, and his Church; he would have them live.
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• 4. * And shews the end why he would have them live and remain still, it is ut cognoscant, that they might know by their calamities and miseries, That it is God that ruleth in Jacob, and unto the ends of the Earth; that he doth wonderfully govern and preserve his Church that is scattered over all the Earth.
• 5. * And now by a bitter Epitrope or Synchoresis rather, he insults over them; before at the 6th. verse, he shewed their double diligence, threats, ma∣lice to do mischief.
  • 1. They return at Evening: Well, esto, be it so; And at Evening let them return. [ 14]
  • 2. They make a noise like a Dog: Well, Let them make a noise like a Dog.
  • 3. They go round about the City: Well, Let them go round about the City.

So withall, they know that they shall be but in a miserable, poor, mean condition.

• 1. [ 15] Let them wander up and down for meat: Let them find no setled habita∣tion, but wander among strange Nations to seek for necessary food.
• 2. And grudge if they be not satisfied: Let them be famelici, so hunger∣bit, that is, nor little that will satisfie them, let them be alwayes grudging, if they have not content; so that if they be not satisfied, they will stay all night, be importunate and unmannerly Beggars, vexed with a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

4. * The Conclusion is a Doxology, and contains Davids thanks, in which he acknowledgeth, That God is his defence, his refuge, his strength; of him there∣fore he would make his song.

• 1. But I will sing of thy power.
• 2. [ 16] I will sing of thy mercy: 1. Aloud: 2. In the morning.
• 3. The Reason he gives: For thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Both he repeats again.

• 1. [ 17] Ʋnto thee, O my strength, will I sing.
• 2. * The Reason: For God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

And he joyns these two Attributes, strength and mercy very well; for take a∣way strength from him, and he cannot; remove morcy, and he will not protect; both must go together in any one that will defend: Power, that he can; mercy, that he will; otherwise 'tis but in vain to hope for help from him. David found God to be both, and for both he extolls him.