David's harp strung and tuned, or, An easie analysis of the whole book of Psalms cast into such a method, that the summe of every Psalm may quickly be collected and remembred : with a devout meditation or prayer at the end of each psalm, framed for the most part out of the words of the psalm, and fitted for several occasions / by the Reverend Father in God, William ... Lord Bishop of Gloucester.

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

DAƲID in banishment among the Philistines, and being there in great danger of his life, prayes, complains of his, professeth his confidence in God.

The Contents of it are,

• 1. Davids Prayer, vers. 1, 7, 8.
• 2. The cause, the fear of his enemies, whom he describes, vers. 1, 2, 5, 6.
• 3. His Confidence in Gods Word, vers. 3, 4, 9, 10, 11.
• 4. His Thankfulness, vers. 4, 10, 12, 13.

• 1. He begins with a prayer for mercy, little he was like to find from man, * 1.1 from his God he expected it, and therefore he prayes, Be merciful to me, O God.
• 2. And then presently be subjoins the cause, * 1.2 the danger he was in by his bloody and cruel enemies, whom he begins to describe,
  • 1. From their unsatiable raven, like a gulf, they would swallow me up, [Vers. 1] which he repeats in the next verse, Man would swallow me, [unspec 2] my enemies at home and abroad would swallow me up. * 1.3
  • 2. From the time, Dayly they would do it without intermission.
  • 3. From their number, Many there be that fight against me.

Of these he gives us a farther Description at the fifth and sixth verses.

• 1. From their uncessantmalice. Every day they wrest my words. [Vers. 5] All their thoughts are against me for evil.
• 2. From their secret treachery, craft, vigilance. [Vers. 6] They gather them∣selves together, they hide themselves, their counsels, lying, as it were, in ambush for me. They mark my steps. Go whither I will, they are at my heels.

• 3. From their implacable hatred, nothing could satisfie them, but his blood. They lay wait for my soul.

In the very midst of this Complaint he inserts his courage and confidence. * 1.4

• 1. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
• 2. I will not fear. He ariseth higher. Even when he fears, he will not fear. [unspec 3] His word, his promise is pass'd to me for protection, and I will trust to it. [unspec 4] In God I will praise his Word: In God have I put my trust, I will not fear, what flesh, for the proudest, the mightiest enemy I have, is but flesh, and all flesh is grass: I will not then fear, what flesh can do unto me.
• 3. [Vers. 10] This reason he repeats again, vers. 10, 11.
  • 1. [unspec 11] In God I will praise his Word: In the Lord I will praise his Word.
  • 2. In God have I put my trust, I will not fear what man can do to me.

And this his Confidence he quickens and animates. 2 1.5

• 1. First from his assurance, that God would punish and bring down his enemies. [Vers. 7] Shall they escape for their iniquity? No, no. In thine an∣ger thou wilt cast them down.
• 2. 2 1.6 From his assurance of Gods Tutelage, and paternal eye over him in all his dangers, griefs, complaints, petitions, banishment. Men think, [Vers. 8] Non vacat exiguis rebus adesse Jovi, he knew other∣wise.
  • 1. Thou tellest, and hast upon accompt my wanderings. My flights, [Vers. 9] exile.
  • 2. Thou putt'st my tears into thy bottle. Preserv'st them as rich Wine.
  • 3. Thou keep'st a Record of them. Are they not in thy book?
  • 4. Thou putt'st my enemies to flight. When I cry unto thee, then I know my enemies shall be turned back, for God is with me.

• 4. * 1.7 And therefore at last he concludes with thanks, to which he holds himself bound by Vow.
  • 1. * 1.8 Thy vows are upon me. Damnatus sum voti. I owe thee thanks by vow, and I will pay it. I will render praises unto thee.
  • 2. [Vers. 12] The reason is, For thou hast delivered my soul from death.
    • 2. [Vers. 13] Thou wilt deliver me. Wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling?
    • 3. And the end is, That I may walk before God in the light of the living. That I may live awhile, and walk as before thy eye, as in thy sight, uprightly, sincerely.

The Prayer collected out of the fifty sixth Psalm.

O Lord, [Vers. 1] to whom all hearts are open, no secrets are hid, thou knowest and seest the secret counsels, and open attempts of wicked men against thy people. [unspec 2] Their endeavours are to swallow us up, day by day they fight to op∣press us. [unspec 5] Many they are for number, and mighty they are for power, that fight against us, O thou most High. And their malice is no less than their might, [unspec 6] nor their watchfulness inferiour to their malice. For every day they wrest, and put what sense they please upon our words, all their thoughts are against us for evil. They conspire, assemble, lie in wait for us. Every word we speak, every action we do, they observe, and mark, that they may take away our lives.

In these extremities we have no security, [Vers. 1] but in thy mercy, arise, O Lord, and maintain thine own cause, be merciful unto us, defend thy

Truth, and thy people that suffer for thy Truth: Thou hast made to us many precious promises, upon which give us grace so to rely, that whatsoever sad∣ness, hardship, calamity fall upon us, that we may trust in thy Word, and praise our God for that gracious Word of protection, [unspec 3] that hath procéeded out of thy mouth: Why should we be afraid what man can do unto us, [unspec 4] when thou hast past thy word to be our Guardian. [unspec 11]

It is not as the profane of the World imagine, [unspec 8] That thou hidest away thy face, and wilt not see: For if we are in banishment and pursued, Thou tellest every step we take; if our eyes drop down tears, they are not lost, for thou puttest them into thy bottle; our sighs and groans are noted in thy Book.

When therefore now we are Exiles for thy sake, [unspec 9] and wander among a strange people, Bottle up our tears, hear our groans, register our sighs before us, and turn back our enemies: Shall they escape by their iniquity? [unspec 7] in thine anger cast down the people, O Lord.

So shall we have just reason to praise our God for his Word; [unspec 10] bound we are by duty, bound we have our selves by vow to do it: For thy vows are upon us, [unspec 12] and therefore we will render praises unto thee.

O Lord, deliver our souls from death, and keep our feet from falling, [unspec 13] and we will walk in sincerity of heart before our God in the light of the living; in this light, the light of thy countenance give us grace to walk, that we may live with thée for evermore, through Iesus Christ our Lord.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The first part. His prayer. The second part.
• * 1.2

  The cause, his danger from his enemies.
• * 1.3

  Whom he describes.
• * 1.4

  The third part. His courage 1. In Gods promise.
• 2 1.5

  In Gods justice.
• 2 1.6

  In Gods mercy in pro∣tecting him.
• * 1.7

  The fourth part.
• * 1.8

  His thankful∣ness for his de∣liverance.