Verse 11. Thou hast turned for me, &c.-Having gladness, or rejoicing: or with joy, as with a garrelated his prayer, he now declares the gracious an- ment, surrounding me on every side; as Psa. xviii. swer which God gave him. Thou hast put off my 32, for a similar reason he is said to be girded with sackcloth-Hast given me occasion to put it off, al- || strength. luding to the sackcloth which they used to wear in times of mourning, and with which possibly, in an humble compliance with the divine providence, David had clothed himself, in his distress; or, perhaps, he speaks figuratively, and only means that God had taken away his sorrow with the causes of it. And girded me with gladness-Either with garments of

Verse 12. To the end that my glory-My soul, or rather, my tongue; for to the tongue both singing and silence most properly belong; may sing praise to thee-May bear testimony to thy truth and faithfulness, manifested in fulfilling thy promises, and may ascribe to thee the glory and praise due to thy infinite perfections.

PSALM XXXI.

This Psalm was composed either when David was in great distress, or afterward in remembrance thereof. Bishop Patrick thinks it was written soon after the straits he was reduced to in the wilderness of Maon, when he fled from Keilah, and was so closely pursued by Saul that, without the extraordinary protection of God, he would infallibly have fallen into his hands. It is mixed of prayer and praises, hopes and fears. David professes confi. dence in God, intermixing prayer to him, 1-8. Complains to God, and prays for deliverance, 9-19. Concludes with giving glory to God, and encouraging others to trust in him, 19–24.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

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a

A. M. 2962. IN thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: b deliver me in thy righteousness.

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2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily be thou my strong rock, for a house of defence to save me.

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therefore for thy name's sake lead A. M. 2962.
me, and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid
privily for me for thou art my strength.
5 Into thy hand I commit my spirit: thou
hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
6 I have hated them that regard lying vani

3d For thou art my rock and my fortress; ties: but I trust in the LORD.

a Psa. xxii. 5; xxv. 2; lxxi. 1; Isa. xlix. 23.- b Psa. cxliii. 1. e Psa. lxxi. 2.- Heb. to me for a rock of strength.

NOTES ON PSALM XXXI.

Verses 1-3. Never let me be ashamed-Namely, of my confidence in thy promises. Deliver me in thy righteousness-By, or for, or according to thy faithfulness and goodness, both which often come under the name of righteousness. Deliver me speedily-Because of the greatness and urgency of my danger, which is even ready to swallow me up. For thy name's sake lead me— -For the glory of thy name, that is, of thy power, and truth, and mercy to thy miserable servant. And guide me-Lead and guide are two words expressing the same thing with more emphasis. Direct me clearly and continually in a right and safe path: for, without thy conduct, I can neither discern the right way nor continue in it.

Verse 5. Into thy hand-That is, to thy care and custody; I commit my spirit-My soul or life, either to preserve it from the malice of mine enemies, or, if they are permitted to kill my body, to

d Psa. xviii. 1.

Le Psa. xxiii. 3; xxv. 11.- Luke xxiii. 46;

Acts vii. 59. Jonah ii. 8.

receive it. For my case is almost desperate, and I am ready to give up the ghost. But our Lord used those words, when expiring on the cross, in a more proper and literal sense than they can be applied to David. He used them, probably, to convince the Jews that, though suffering, he was the Messiah, and that son of David who should sit on his throne for ever. For thou hast redeemed me-Thou hast delivered me formerly in great dangers, and therefore I willingly and cheerfully commit myself to thee for the future: O Lord God of truth-Who hast showed thyself to be such to me in making good thy promises.

Verse 6. I have hated them--Not the persons, but the ways of them, that regard-Hebrew,, hashomerim, that observe; that is, are attached to, depend upon, or expect help from, lying vanities, han, hablee shave, vanities of emptiness, or, most vain vanities, such as are foolish, deceitful, and

David rejoices

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A. M. 2962. from the hand of mine enemies, and || thou hast wrought for them that trust A. M. 2962, from them that persecute me. in thee before the sons of men!

16" Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake.

17 Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let 3 them be silent in the grave. 18 Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

19 O how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which

"Numbers vi. 25, 26; Psa. iv. 6; lxvii. 1. Psa. xxv. 2. 1 Sam. ii. 9; Psa. cxv. 17.-3 Or, Let them be cut off for the grave. Psa. xii. 3.— 1 Sam. ii. 3; Psa. xciv. 4; Jude 15. Heb. a hard thing.

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d

20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

21 Blessed be the LORD: for he hath showed me his marvellous kindness in a 5 strong city. 22 For I said in my haste, h I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

Isa. Ixiv. 4; 1 Corinthians ii. 9.- - Psa. xxvii. 5; xxxii. 7. d Job v. 21. Psa. xvii. 7.-1 Sam. xxiii. 7.- Or, fenced city. - 1 Sam. xxiii, 26; Psa. cxvi. 11.- Isa. xxxviii. 11, 12; Lam. iii. 54; Jonah ii. 4.

in thy hand--The time of my life, how long I shall words can express the greatness of thy love and live; or, all the affairs and events of my life are blessings; which thou hast laid up—Hebrew, niDY, wholly in thy power, to dispose and order as thou tzapanta, hast hid, namely, with thyself, or in thy seest fit; and not at all in the power of mine ene- own breast. The word is very emphatical, and remies, who can do nothing against me, unless it be moves an objection of ungodly men taken from the given them from above. They can no more dispose present calamities of good men. His favour, it is of my life at their pleasure than I can appoint the true, is not always manifested to them, but it is laid time of my deliverance. This I leave to thy wis-up for them in his treasure, whence it shall be drawn dom, O Lord, to whom it belongs. Make thy face forth when they need it, and he sees it fit. Which to shine upon thy servant-Manifest thy love and thou hast wrought-Or hast prepared, or wilt prefavour to me, by answering my prayers and deliver-pare, the past time being put for the future, to signify ing me from mine enemies. For I have called upon the certainty of it, as is very common in the prothee-And therefore thy honour will be eclipsed in phetical writings; before the sons of men—Publicly, my disappointment, and it will seem as though thou and in the view of the world, their very enemies didst not hear prayer, nor keep thy promises, nor seeing, admiring, and envying it, but not being able make any difference between the righteous and the to hinder it. wicked. Let the wicked be ashamed-Frustrated in their wicked designs and carnal confidences. Let them be silent in the grave-Seeing they are implacable in their malice against innocent and good men, do thou cut them off by thy just judgment; and since either the righteous or the wicked must be cut off, let destruction fall upon them who most de

serve it.

Verse 20. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence-Or, as in the secret of thy presence: either, 1st, As if they were in thy presencechamber, where thine own eye and hand guard them from all the assaults of their enemies; called his secret, partly because the greatest part of the world are strangers to God and his presence: and partly because it is a safe and secure place, such as Verse 18. Let the lying lips-The slanderous secret and unknown places are. Or, 2d, As if they tongues; be put to silence--Either by thy discovery were in the secret of God's tabernacle, as it is called and vindication of my integrity; or by some immi- Psa. xxvii. 5, the place of God's special presence, nent judgment, which may either convince them, or where none might enter save the high-priest. Or, 3d, take them off. Which speak grievous things-Heb. With thy secret favour and providence, which works pry, gnatak, what is hard, or hard things, the sin- mightily, yet secretly, for thy people, and saves gular number being put for the plural; he means them by hidden and unknown methods. From such things as were grievous and hard to be borne, the pride of man-From their vain-glorious boasting such as bitter calumnies, cruel mockings, terrible and threats, and from their bold and insolent atthreatenings, and the like. Proudly and contempt- || tempts. In a pavilion-Or, as in thy pavilion, or uously--With great arrogance, and confidence of tabernacle. From the strife of tongues-From consuccess, and contempt of me and my friends, whom tentious and slandering tongues. they look upon as few in number, and impotent fugitives, and such as they can blow away with their breath; against the righteous--Against us, whom thou knowest to be righteous, notwithstanding all their false accusations, and therefore for thy love of righteousness save us, and silence our unjust ene

Verses 21, 22. He hath showed me marvellous kindness in a strong city-Namely, in Keilah, where God had wonderfully preserved him; of which see 1 Sam. xxiii. 7. Or, as in a strong city. He hath kept me as safe in woods and caves as if I had been in a fenced city. I said in my haste-In my hasty flight from Saul, when he and his men had almost Verse 19. O, how great is thy goodness-No || encompassed me, 1 Sam. xxiii. 26. This happened

mies.

Blessedness of the man

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A. M. 2962. 23 O love the LORD, all ye his 24 Be of good courage, and he shall A. M. 2962. saints: for the LORD preserveth the strengthen your heart, all ye that hope faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. in the LORD.

i Psalm xxxiv. 9.

* Psalm xxvii. 14.

presently after his deliverance in and from the strong || ever, y, may be rendered, who keepeth city of Keilah. Or the Hebrew, 15, bechaphzi, || faithfulness, or faithfulnesses, that is, is faithful in may be rendered, in my fear, or trembling, when fulfilling his promises; and plentifully rewardeth my passion took away my consideration, and weak--Hebrew, y, gnal jether, rewardeth_with ened my faith. I am cut off from before thine eyes abundance, the proud doer-The enemies and per-That is, cast out of thy sight, and out of the care secutors of God's faithful ones, before mentioned, of thy gracious providence; my case is desperate: are here intended. These he terms proud doers, or cut off while thou lookest on, and dost not pity because of their rebellion against God's will, and nor help me. Nevertheless, thou heardest, &c.—My their contempt of his threatenings and judgments, fears were quickly confuted by thy gracious answer and their most insolent and contemptuous conduct to my prayers. toward his people; all which proceeded from the

Verse 23. O love the Lord, all ye his saints-pride of their hearts, Psa. x. 4. Those that have their own hearts full of love to God, Verse 24. Be of good courage-Or, be strong, cannot but desire that others also should love him: namely, in the Lord, and through confidence in his for in his love there is no need to fear a rival. It is promises, which will not fail you, as I have found by the character of all the saints, that they love God; experience. And he shall strengthen your heart— and yet they must still be called upon to love him; The God you put your trust in, will, by that trust, to love him more, and to give better proofs of their impart fortitude and strength to you; all ye that love. For the Lord preserveth the faithful-Who hope in the Lord-That rely on him for grace and receive and walk in the truth, who are steady and glory, and the supply of all your wants. They that constant in their attachment to God and his cause, hope in the Lord have reason to be of good courage, and are faithful to every trust reposed in them by and to be strengthened; for as nothing truly evil can God and man. They are opposed to the proud doer befall them, so nothing truly good for them shall be mentioned in the next clause. The words, how-withheld from them.

PSALM XXXII.

This Psalm is properly entitled Maschil, which signifies, giving instruction. For it gives us clear and satisfactory information concerning the most important of all subjects, the nature of true blessedness, and the way that leads to it. Some other Psalms have this title, and most or all of them are of a moral nature, and are designed to convey some salutary advice, and to dispose the mind of the reader to attention and reflection. But this is peculiarly instructive and interesting. The LXX. entitle it, ovveσews тw David, of the understanding of David, or his return to a right understanding of himself. And it is thought that being awakened to a fresh sense of his sin, in the affair of Uriah, by his son Absalom's rebellion, he in this Psalm expresses his deep repentance for having so heinously offended God. The Arabic title asserts, that David spoke this prophetically of the redemption of mankind; and the Syriac informs us, that it treats of the sin and fall of Adam, and contains a prophecy of Christ, by whom we are delivered from hell. And St. Paul gives great support to this assertion by his quotation, Rom. iv. 8. Though composed on a particular occasion, the Psalm was afterward adapted to public use by the Jewish Church, and was solemnly repeated on the great day of expiation, when the whole nation made a general confession of their sins.-Dodd. We have here, (1,) The happiness of them whose sins are forgiven, 1, 2. (2,) The necessity of confessing our sins, and of prayer, 3–6. (3,) God's promise to them that trust in him, 7–10. (4,) An exhortation to rejoice in God, 11.

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A Psalm of David, Maschil. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom A. M. 2962. C. b BLESSED is he whose transgres- the LORD imputeth not iniquity, sion is forgiven, whose sin is covered. and in whose spirit there is no guile. 1Or, A Psalm of David giving instruction. Psa. lxxxv. 2; Rom. iv. 6, 7, 8.- b 2 Cor. v. 19.- John i. 47. possession of the wealth or honours of the world, or in the enjoyment of its pleasures, but in those spiritual blessings which flow from the favour and grace of God; whose transgression is forgiven-He

NOTES ON PSALM XXXII.

Verse 1. Blessed is the man, &c.-We are here taught wherein true happiness consists, and what is the cause and foundation of it. It consists not in the

Dr. Dodd thinks, is taken from writers who obliterate what is faulty in their writing.

Verse 2. Unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity-Whom God doth not charge with the guilt of his sins, as he justly might, but pardons and accepts him in Christ. And in whose spirit there is no guile-Who freely confesses all his sins, without dissembling, is truly sorry for, and sincerely hates them, and turns from sin to God with all his heart.

radi

does not say, Blessed is the man who never transgressed. For he knew no such man could be found;|| all having sinned and come short of the glory of God, and consequently of that happiness conferred on man at his first creation. But he lays the foundation of fallen and sinful man's happiness on the only foundation on which it can be laid, and that is on the pardon of sin. For as all our misery came in by sin, so it is not likely, nay, it is not possible, it should be removed, or even alleviated, without the Verses 3-5. When I kept silence-Namely, from forgiveness of sin. It is true that, in the first Psalm, a full and open confession of my sins, and from David pronounces the man blessed who walks not in pouring out my soul to God in serious and fervent the counsel of the ungodly, &c., but delights in, and prayers for pardon and peace. My bones waxed old meditates on, God's law: and that, Psalm cxix. 1, he || My spirits failed, and the strength of my body determs the undefiled in the way blessed who walk in || cayed; through my roaring all the day long-Bethe law of the Lord. But it must be observed that cause of the continual horrors of my conscience, and in these and such like passages he is describing the sense of God's wrath, wherewith I was, as yet, racharacter of the truly blessed man, and it is certain ther oppressed and overwhelmed than brought to a he that has not that character cannot be happy. But thorough repentance. For thy hand was heary here he is showing the ground of the righteous man's upon me-Thy afflicting hand, bringing my sins to blessedness, the fundamental privilege from which remembrance, and filling me with thy terrors for all the other ingredients of this blessedness flow. Sin them. My moisture is turned, &c.-My very is here termed transgression, for it is the transgres- cal moisture is, in a manner, dried up and wasted sion of the law, 1 John iii. 4, and when it is forgiven, through excessive fears and sorrows. I said, I will the obligation to punishment which we lay under, confess my transgressions, &c.—At last I took up a by virtue of the sentence of the law, is vacated and full resolution that I would no longer vainly seek to cancelled. It is lifted off, as w, nasui, may be hide my sins from the all-seeing eye of God, but that rendered; so that the pardoned sinner is eased of a I would openly and candidly confess and bewail all burden, a heavy burden which lay on his conscience, my sins, with all their aggravations, and humbly imand of the weight of which he began to be sensible plore the pardon of them. Observe, reader, this is when he began to be awakened out of his spiritual the true and only way to find peace of conscience. lethargy, and to be truly convinced of his sinfulness Those that would have the comfort of the pardon of and guilt, and of the sentence of condemnation gone their sins must, like David, take shame to themselves out against him. The remission of his sins gives by a penitent confession of them. And we must be rest and relief to his weary and heavy-laden soul, particular in our confessions, Thus and thus have I Matt. xi. 28. Whose sin is covered-Namely, by done; and, in so doing, I have done very wickedly. God, and not by man; who ought to confess, and not And we must confess the justice of the punishment, to hide it, verse 5. Sin makes us loathsome, filthy, or correction, we have been under for sin, saying, and abominable in the sight of God, and utterly unfit The Lord is just in all that he hath brought upon for communion with him; and when our consciences us, and we deserve much severer chastisement. I am are truly enlightened and awakened, it makes us no more worthy to be called thy son. We must conloathsome and abominable in our own sight. But fess our sins with shame and holy blushing, with when it is pardoned, it is covered, as it were, by the fear and holy trembling. And if we bring forth fruit mantle of the divine mercy, in and through the worthy of this repentance, we shall surely, like sacrifice and intercession of Him who is made of David, obtain forgiveness. And thou forgavest the God to believers righteousness; who is the true pro- iniquity of my sin-That is, the guilt of my sin, or pitiatory, or mercy-seat, where mercy may be found my exceeding sinful sin; two words, signifying the in a way consistent with justice, Rom. iii. 24. Our same thing, (iniquity and sin,) being here put togesins, when forgiven, are covered, not from ourselves, ther by way of aggravation, according to the manno: my sin, says David, is ever before me: not from ner of the Hebrews. Observe again, reader: David God's omniscience, but from his vindictive justice; speaks with confidence that the Lord had forgiven when he pardons sin he remembers it no more; he him. He received a sense of pardon, the knowledge casts it behind his back, it shall be sought for, and of salvation, by the forgiveness of his sins, and so not found. And the sinner, being reconciled to God, mayest thou: see Luke i. 77. O seek this blessing begins to be reconciled to himself. The metaphor, with all thy heart!