PSAL. LXXVII. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

In this Psalm, the Prophet shews the bitter agony which a troubled spirit un∣dergoes upon the sense of Gods desertion, and the comfort again it receives upon the consideration of Gods great and gracious works.

Two parts of this Psalm.

• 1. He sets forth the strife betwixt the flesh and the Spirit, and how the flesh tempts to despair, and calls into question the goodness and favour of God, from ver. 1. to 10.
• 2. Next he shews the victory of the spirit over the flesh, be∣ing raised, encouraged, and confirmed by the Nature, Promises, and Works of God, from the 10th. verse, to the end of the Psalm; an excellent Psalm this is, and of great use in all spiritual desertions.

1. * I cryed unto God with my voyce, even unto God with my voyce, and he gave ear unto me; [Ver. 1] in the day of my trouble, I sought the Lord, ver. 1, 2.

Here David shews the course he took to find ease in his extream trouble of soul; [ 2] he accused not God of hard dealing to him, * he blasphemed not, he despaired not, nor filled the Aire with empty complaints; but he betook himself to his God, opened to him his grief, and of him he desired help and comfort. 1. He prayed. 2. He prayed often. 3. He prayed earnestly. 4. With a troubled foul.

• 1. His prayer was, a cry, 'twas earnest.
• 2. *With his voyce, with his voyce he cryed, it was often.
• 3. To God he cryed, I sought the Lord.
• 4. And it was in his agony; he no question had done it before in his prosperi∣ty, which is the best way, for then he is near; but yet now he does it a∣gain, even in the day of his trouble, and yet he despairs not to be heard then; and he gave ear to me. The Psalm is not then an expression of a de∣spairing soul, but of one that hath a conflict with tentation.

And now to the 10th. verse, he expresseth two things: First, What were the affrights of his troubled soul: Secondly, What did aggravate and increase this his trouble.

1. His complaint is bitter, and he sets down the particulars that troubled him, which were these. [Ver. 2]

• 1. *His sore ran in the night, and ceased not; whether he means his sore of body or mind, is indifferent, both troubled him, yea, and in the night, Page  213when he should take his rest, then he found no intermission; and this his hand, as some reads it, runs and extends it self in prayer; even in this night, when no man saw it, and so his complaint was in secret, and far from hypocrisie, which loves witnesses.
• 2. My soul refused to be comforted: All the comforts which were offered me were to no purpose, my soul respuebat, as a sick stomack delici∣ous meats; with Rachel, with Jacob, he would not be comforted, all friends were miserable comforters, as they were to Job; he was ready to say, There is no hope.
• 3. I remembred God, and was troubled: A heavy affliction, [Ver. 3] when the memo∣ry of Gods goodness, his example of mercy, his pardons to great sinners before us, cannot comfort us; this was Davids case, his memory pre∣sented to him all Gods favours to himself and others, and yet he was troubled still; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed, Selah. He was, as it were, in a swoon.
• 4. Thou holdest my eyes waking, my sleep is gone from me; [Ver. 4] by the benefit of sleep, the spirits are refreshed; these must needs be turbulent and fearful, when his sleep was departed.
• 5. I am so troubled, that I cannot speak; Curae leves loquuntur, ingentes stu∣pent: At the first verse, when he cryed with his voyce, he felt some ease; but in the extremity of his trouble, he was amazed, he had not a word to speak.

2. Hitherto of his agony, and trouble in body, soul, spirit; next, * he shews what did aggravate and increase his grief, which were, the happiness which Gods people, and he himself enjoyed before, the memory of which did increase his grief.

• 1. I have considered the dayes of old, the years of ancient times; how merci∣ful thou hast been to our fore-fathers in pardoning them, [ 5] in delivering them, in sending them comfort, of which I have now no sense. *
• 2. In particular, I call to remembrance my song in the night; I remember with how much comfort and joy of heart, even in the night-season, I was wont to sing unto thee, and praise thee. [ 6]
• 3. But now I commune with mine own heart, * and my spirit makes diligent search; I have a long dispute with my own heart, and make a diligent search betwixt me and my own soul, why it should be thus with me? why I should be thus afflicted? why my God should upon the point cast me off?

3. And now by an elegant Hypotyposis in the three following verses, * he sets down what those disputes and disquisitions were he had with his own heart, when he strugled with the wrath of God, and his own heart tempting to despair of Gods goodness and performance of his Promises to his people; he said within himself:

• 1. Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? [ 7]
• 2. Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? [ 8]
• 3. Hath God forgotten to be gracious? [ 9] hath he in his anger shut up his tender mercies?

2. Now follows the second part of the Psalm, * in which David shews how he did recover out of this tentation; and first, he confesseth that it arose not from any change in God, or alteration of his good-will, but from his own weakness; and secondly, 1 shewes the way how he would secure himself from the like trouble for the future.

• 1. He begins with a correction of himself, And I said, [ 10] it is my own infir∣mity, it is my own weakness of faith that puts me to all this trouble, 2 which if it were stronger, I know I should hope better; the Nature, the Promises, the Works of God being sufficient to confirm me.
• 2. That therefore I relapse not:
  • 1. I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High;1 I will re∣member Page  214the power of Gods right hand, which is able to turn the most desperate and darksom nights of trouble, into the pleasant and joyful dayes of content, according to our Saviours words, Your sorrow shall be turned to joy.
  • 2. [ 11] I will remember the works of the Lord, surely I will remember thy wonders of old, 2 viz. That God calls not his people to the pleasures of this World, but to dangerous conflicts with Satan, sin, &c. And yet his presence is such, that he doth defend them, yea, and miraculously save them; This is the work of God, these are his wonders of old, which I will remember.
  • 3. [ 12] And I will so remember them, that I will seriously and sadly meditate upon them, * and speak of them; I will meditate also of all thy works, and talk of thy doings.

Upon which works of God he makes a stand, and insists to the end of the Psalm; first in general, and then by name, in Israel.

• 1. At the 13th. verse, he turns his speech to God.
  • 1. [ 13] Thy way, O God, is in the Sanctuary; that is, in secret, and hid from the World; * he that will understand the way of God to his people, must by faith enter into his Temple, and enquire of his Word, as it is, Psal. 73.17. 'tis too hard for him else to know; else he shall never perceive why God brings them into the case that David here was.
  • 2. To which he adds a Doxology, Who is so great a God as our God? which he confirms in the following verse, Thou art the God that dost wonders, Thou hast declared thy strength among the people; [ 14] thy power, thy wisdom, thy protection of thy Church even to all people, the Heathens them∣selves, and strangers to Israel, may see it, and acknowledge it, if not blind.
• 2. 2 But in particular, Thou hast declared thy strength in defence of Israel. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

And he amplifies this story of their deliverance from Aegypt, [ 15] by several in∣stances of Gods power in it.

• 1. In the red Sea; The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; not only the Aegyptians, but the sensless Element felt thy power, they were afraid, [ 16] the depths also were troubled, Exod. 14.
• 2. [ 17] In the Heaven; The clouds poured out water, the skies sent out a sound, thine arrows also went abroad; the voyce of thy Thunder was in the Hea∣vens, [ 18] thy lightnings lightned the World, Exod. 14.24, 25.
• 3. In the earth, The earth trembled and shook; and all this was done, that Israel might have a passage through it; [ 19] Thy way is in the Sea, and thy passage in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.

And the final cause of this miracle was, * that he might shew his severity toward his enemies, [ 20] and his goodness toward his people, for whose deliverance he sent Moses and Aaron, ordained a King and a Priest; by them, Thou leddest thy people like sheep, by the hands of Moses and Aaron.