Psalms 36

This Psalm seems to have been Composed by David, when he was persecuted by Saul and his Courtiers. Upon which occasion he enlargeth his Thoughts further, and Contemplates the sad state and Condition of the World, and of the Church at that time, in which Wickedness of all sorts greatly abounded and seemed to Prosper; and withal, he declares the great Felicity and Safety of God's People, and gives an Account of their supports and Comforts, under the Sense of these publick Dis-orders and Mischiefs.

THe transgression of the wicked says within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes When I consider the great and manifold Transgressions of ungodly Men, I conclude within my self, that they have cast off all Fear and Sense, and serious belief of the divine Majesty..

For So this is the Proof of that Assertion v. 1. Or, Although; and so it is an Anticipation of an Objection against it. he flattereth himself in his own eyes He deceiveth himself with vain and false Perswasions, Either, 1. Concerning God, that he does not see or mind his sins or that he will not punish them: Or, 2. Concerning himself and his sins, Either, that they are not sins; which a Mind bribed by Passion and Interest, can easily believe: Or, that they are but small and venial sins: Or, that they will be excused, if not justified by honest Intentions, or by outward Professions and exercises of Religion, or by some good Actions, wherewith he thinks to make some Compensation for them, or some other way. Oth. thus, He flattereth him (i. e. God) in his Eyes, (i. e.) Openly and publickly makes a show of Religion, as if he Designed to deceive or mock God, whilst inwardly and secretly, he is projecting Wickedness. But it seems better to understand the last Word Reciprocally of his own Eyes, as the same Word is used in the end of the foregoing Verse., until his iniquity be found to be hateful (i. e.) U... til God by some dreadful Judgment undeceive him, and find, (i. e.) Discover or make him and others, to find and feel by Experience, that it is a sin and a very hateful one too. Or, until his abominable iniquity be found out, (i. e.) Punished, as the same Word and Phrase is used, Numb. 32. 23. your sin shall find you out. (i. e.) Bring you to Condign punishment. In the Hebrew it is, to find out his iniquity to hate. But active Verbs are oft taken Passively, of which there are plain Instances, Ios. 2. 5. Esth. 6. 6. Psal. 32. 9. and 51. 6. Comp. with Rom 3. 4. and Psal. 119. 4. and so here, to find, is put for to be... ound, and to hate for to be hated, or to be hateful..

The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit (i. e.) Are wicked and deceitful.: he has left off to be wise, and to do good Once he had some shadows, or degrees of Wisdom, and sometimes did some things that were good in their kind, but now he has not so much as the appearance of it, and i... become an open Apostate from that which once he professed..

He deviseth mischief upon his bed Which notes that he does it, 1. Constantly and unweariedly, preferring it before his own Rest 2. Earnestly and seriously, when his Mind is freed from all outward Distractions, and wholly at leasure to attend that Business, about which it is employed; Comp. Psal. 4. 4. 3. Freely from his own inclination, when none are present to provoke him to it., he setteth himself He does not repent of his wicked Devices, but resolutly proceeds to Execute them, and persists therein. in a way that is not good; (i. e.) Which is very bad, as this Phrase is used, 1 Sam. 2. 24. Prov. 20. 23. and 24. 23. and elsewhere. he abhorreth not evil Though he sometimes pretends Remorse and desists from his Violent Practises against me as Saul did, yet he does not truly repent of, nor abhor his sin, and therefore is ready to return to it, when any occasion offers it self..

Thy mercy Though this be the Disposition and Carriage of mine Enemies towards me, and therefore I can expect no good from them, yet thou O Lord blessed be thy Name, art of another Temper; they are cruel and perfidious and unrighteous, but thou art infinite in Mercy, and Faithfulness, and Righteousness, and Loving kindness, as it here follows; and therefore though I despair of them, yet I trust in thee, as other men do for these Reasons, v. 7., O LORD, is in the heavens Or, is unto (as the Prefix B... th oft signifies, as Gen. 11. 4. and elsewhere, and as it is here explained in the following Clause) the Heavens. As it is on the Earth, of which there was no question, so it reacheth thence to the Heavens, (i. e.) It is infinite and Incomprehensible., and thy faithfulness The truth both of thy Threatnings, against thine and mine Enemies, and of thy Promises made to me, and other good Men. reacheth unto the clouds, (i. e.) Is far above our reach, greater and higher than we can apprehend it..

Thy righteousness In all thy Counsels and Ways, in the Government of the World. is like the great mountains Either, 1. Stedfast and unmoveable. Or, 2. Eminent and Conspicuous to all men: Or rather, 3. Very high and out of our reach: For so it agrees best with the foregoing, and following Expressions.; thy judgments (i. e) Thy Executions of thy Counsels, or thy Administrations of the Affairs of the World, and of thy Church. are a great deep (i. e.) Unsearchable, as the Ocean is in some Parts.: O LORD, * thou preservest man and beast The worst of Men; yea, and the Brute-beasts have Experience of thy Care and Kindness, and therefore I have no Reason to doubt of it..

How excellent is thy loving kindness Or, thy Mercy: For it is the same Word, which is used and so rendred, v.... The Sense is, though all thine Attributes now reckoned, and the rest of them be excellent and Glorious, yet above all thy Mercy is most Excellent or Precious and amiable, as being most necessary and beneficial unto us, poor sinful miserable Men., O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings (i. e.) Cheerfully commit themselves to thy Care and Kindness, notwithstanding their own Sinfulness, and the Rage and Power of their Adversaries, against all which thy Mercy is a sufficient security..

They (i. e.) Those Children of Men who trust in thee, as he now said. shall be abundantly satisfied Though now they are straitned, oppressed and Persecuted, yet they shall not only be Protected and Supported for the present, but in due time, shall have all their Wants and Desires fully satisfied. Heb. shall be made Drunk, (i. e.) Shall be as it were over-whelmed with the plenty of it, which they shall no more be able to comprehend, than a drunken Man is able, perfectly to understand and Judge of things; and shall be free as drunken Men, also are from all Cares and Fears, Either, of not obtaining it, or of losing it., with the fatness of thy house With those Rich and delightful Provisions, which thou hast prepared for them in thy Habitation, (i. e.) Either in the Tabernacle, where they used to Feast upon the Remainders of the Sacrifices; to which also he seems here to allude. Or rather, 2. In Heaven; which is called God's House, both in Scripture, as Io.... 14. 2. and in divers Antient heathen Authors. For the Expressions here used, as are too Magnificent to be bestowed upon those Feasts, or indeed upon any of the Enjoyments of this Life, and do ill become him, who professedly disowns the having of his Portion in this Life, and declares his Expectation of Happiness in the next Life, Psal. 17. 14, 15. And seeing it is apparent, from Heb. 11. and from many other Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, that both David and Iob, and Abraham, and the rest of the Holy Patriarchs and Prophets, had a firm Belief and Hope of the future Life, and their Felicity therein; it seems most reasonable to understand all those Passages of David, and the other Prophets of it, which naturally, and without any force may be so understood: Of which number certainly this Verse, and the following is one.: and thou shalt make them drink Before they had Fatness, (i. e.) Fat Meats, and New Drink, to note the Compleatness of their Feast., of the river Which notes both their plenty, and their Constancy and Perpetuity. of thy pleasures Which thou preparest, and which thou enjoyest; whence it is called the joy of the Lord, Mat. 25. 21. Or this notes their great Eminency; for things most excellent in their Kinds are entitled to God, as the goodliest Cedars, Mountains, &c. are called, Cedars of God, Mountains of God, &c..

For with thee (i. e.) In thy Power to give it, and in thy presence to be enjoyed. is the fountain Which notes, 1. Causality. It is in God as in a Fountain, and from him is derived to us, 2. Abundance, 3. Excellency. Water is sweetest in the Fountain: and Fountains were rare and highly prized in those hot Countries. of Life Of that Glorious and Blessed, and endless Life, which alone is worthy of the Name of Life, this Life being only a passage to Death, and a Theater of great and manifold Calamities. Although it be true, that God is the Fountain, both of Natural and Spiritual Life.: in thy light In the light of thy Countenance, or glorious Presence, which then shall be fully manifested unto us, when we shall see thee clearly, and Face to Face, and not through a Glass, and darkly, as we now see, 1 Cor. 13. 12. Comp. Psal. 17. 15., shall we (i. e.) Enjoy, as seeing frequently signifies; of which see on Psal. 34. 12: see light The light of Life, as it is called, Io.... 8. 12. Light in this Branch being the same thing with Life in the former, (i. e.) Joy and Comfort, and Happiness, which is oft signified by Light, as the contrary is by Darkness. See Iob 29..... Psal. 27. 1. Isa. 9. 2. There we shall have pure Light without any mixture of Darkness. The word Light, is Elegantly repeated, in another signification; in the former Clause, it is Light discovering, in this Light discovered or enjoyed..

O continue As this Word signifies, Psal. 85. 5. Eccles. 2. 3. Ier. 31. 3. As thou hast begun, so continue the Manifestation and Exhibition of it, both in this Life, and to the next. Or, extend: Or, draw forth. Let it not be like a Fountain sealed, but let it be drawn forth for their Comfort. thy loving kindness unto them, that know thee (i. e.) Sincerely love thee, as it is explained in the next Clause: for knowing implies Affection, as Psal. 9. 10. and oft elsewhere.: and thy righteousness Which will appear in giving them that Protection and Assistance, which thou art by thy Nature enclined, and by thy Promise engaged to give them. to the upright in heart.

Let not the foot of pride (i. e.) Of my proud and insolent Enemies: the Abstract being put for the Concrete, as Ier. 50. 31, 32. So also Prov. 12. 27. and 13. 6. come against me Or, upon me, to wit,... o as to overthrow, or remove me, as it is in the next Clause., and let not the hand of the wicked remove me Either, 1. From my trust in thee, or Obedience to thee. Or, 2. From my Place and Station, from the Land of my Nativity, and the place of thy Worship. Or, shake me, or ca... t me down, (i. e.) Subdue and destroy me..

There Where they come against me, and hope to Ruin me. He seems as it were to point at the place with his Finger, as if it were already done, and he could tell all the Circumstances of it. Or, Then, (i. e.) When they thought all sure, and me irrecoverably lost. t (i. e.) They shall certainly and suddenly fall; which the Prophets use to express, in the time past. are the workers of iniquity fallen t: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.