OF THE
HUNDREDTH AND NINETEENTH PSALM
DALETH
25 M y soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken me according to thy word.
26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
27 Make me to understand the way of thy commandments: and I will meditate of thy wondrous works.
28 M y soul melteth with very heaviness: raise me up according unto thy word.
29 Take from me the way of lying: and grant me graciously thy law.
30 I have chosen the way of truth: and thy judgments have I laid before me.
31 I have sticken unto thy testimonies: O Lord confound me not.
32 I will run the way of thy commandments: when thou halt enlarge mine heart.
DAVID SHOWETH UNTO US in these eight verses what the joy and
contentation of the children of God ought to be. And this is a doctrine for us, most profitable. For there is not that man which longeth not to have the thing that may content and delight him: but there is none of us which holdeth the true means. So much the more therefore ought we rightly to record the lesson here contained: to wit, that all our rejoicing is accursed, and will come to an evil end if we look not to God and to his word. Lo wherefore here he saith,
My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken me according to thy word. David confesseth here that he was driven to an extremity. For behold what he meaneth by this saying, That his soul (or life) cleaveth unto the dust: As if
he should have said, O Lord, there is nothing that I more looked for than my grave, I am like to a poor castaway and forlorn creature. Now whether or to whom should he have recourse? Even unto God, he desireth to be restored. And how may that be? according to the promise which he hath received. We see then whether, and to whom we must have recourse in all our necessities. And thus much for the first point. The Second is, when that we shall have had our refuge to God, we might find in him wherewith fully to rejoice us. Thus much then for the second. The third is, That if we will obtain to be restored at God’s hands, we being as it were dead and confounded, should look unto his promises: For behold he will give us encouragement to come unto him. We have here then a good admonition and very profitable: that is, That as often as we shall be overwhelmed with all the misery that can be, we should yet look unto God, because that then he will seek after us more than ever he did before, willing us to come unto him. But here we are to note, that there is not any so great a misery which ought to let [hinder] and stay us from coming straight on unto him: For David confesseth that he was become as a dead man. When then we shall be even as it were at the last cast, as we say, that we can no more, that we should be as a man would say, oppressed and overcome with sorrow and grief, yea and that the grave even gapeth [opens wide] to swallow us up, let us not for all that cease to beseech God to restore us. For it belongeth properly unto him, when he hath appealed and brought us to death’s door, to restore and quicken us again. But we are to understand that we must not come unto him after an hypocritical manner: we must not require him to restore us and yet have our minds wandering here and there, neither yet must we seek for that thing in the world, which we make countenance to seek for at his hands: We must not make us two ways to the wood as we say, but our whole delight and contentation must be in God and in his grace, that it sufficeth us to have him only, and to feel his mercy and compassion towards us: and when we have gotten that, to be contented only therewith. But because we cannot come unto God, without he himself draweth us, when as we desire him to restore us, and to stretch out his hand unto us, we must add thereto this saying here expressed, to wit, that he will quicken us according to his word. Now by this, as I have already said, we are taught that in the midst of death we find salvation and health, because the promises of God never fail us. It followeth in the second verse, I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
Here David allegeth another reason that GOD heareth him, to wit, that this is not the first time that he had heard him, neither yet that God is merciful and liberal, to grant unto his faithful, their petitions and requests. But we in very deed must, in continuing the matter which we are here in hand to open, be thoroughly assured and resolved, that it is not in vain, when as we make our prayers unto God, neither yet that we lose our labors, but that our prayers shall profit us. We must therefore be fully resolved herein. And how must that be? Forsooth [in truth], David even very now alleged unto God, his promises assuring himself that he received them through his mere mercy and goodness. And this is no foolhardiness. Even so then, let us in no case fear to come unto God boldly and cheerfully upon this condition, yea so long as we build upon his promises. We must not come unto him according to our own fantasies: neither must we allege and say, my God, I present myself here before thy majesty, because I think or suppose that thou oughtest to hear me: this were too fond and lewd arrogancy: but to say, Alas my good God, it is very true that I am not worthy to come near unto thy presence: and although it shall seem to me that I might approach to thee, yet must I pull back that foot again:
Nevertheless, since thou biddest me to come unto thee, and hast commanded me to call upon thee, and promised also for to hear me: Lo here my God the cause which maketh me so bold, not to doubt to come unto thee, because I believe thy word. And now O Lord, I stand in no doubt that thou wilt not receive me, when as I thus build upon thy promise. After David hath used this kind of speech, to stir himself up to pray unto God, and also to obtain his request, he addeth, O Lord, I have acknowledged my ways, and thou heardest me. As if he should have said, Over and besides thy promise, my God, there is another reason which enboldeneth and encourageth me to come unto thee: to wit, the experience which thou hast showed unto me of thy great goodness. I never required anything of thee in my necessity, but thou didst hear me: to wit, but that thou satisfiedst my request, but that I have felt how thou hast relieved thy servants, and hast always been ready to succor [help] them in their
distress: Yea, O Lord, and that thou hast not tarried nor waited until they came unto thee, but hast even offered thyself first unto them. Seeing then it is so that thou hast showed thyself to be so good and liberal, O, I now doubt not but that thou wilt continue the same thy goodness: Wherefore I beseech thee teach me thy statutes. See here a text worthy the marking:
For, as I have before said, we must not come unto God doubting and wavering: but with full resolution, that he will hear us.
And how is that? O, we have a most sure and infallible testimony: to wit, he hath promised to be near unto all those which shall crave and beg of him in truth: we may then say, we beseech thee, O Lord, to have regard unto us according to thy word. It is very true, that we are unworthy that thou shouldest be careful over us: But so it is, that having thy word and promise, we may boldly come unto thee: and besides, let us add thereto the experience which God hath already showed unto us: that he never forgetteth his, but preserveth and keepeth them, and always watcheth over them. And why so? That we ought to be much more heedful than we are of all the benefits of God, to the end we might come to this consideration of the reason which David here bringeth in: to wit, that we might say unto God, that he hath heard us. Now there are very few of us that can do this.
And why so? Because that when we are in any distress, we never think to call upon God, yea although the grief or disease press and grieve us never so much. And yet if we do then call upon him, it is so, that as soon as we have escaped the danger, we will not acknowledge it to be God that hath had pity and compassion upon us, but is quite out of memory and trodden clean under foot. Because then we remember not the benefits of God, Lo what is the cause why we cannot say, when we come afresh to pray, O Lord, thou hast heard me. For (as I have before said) our unthankfulness hindereth us that we cannot have any such experience and practice to pray unto God incessantly. And see also what is the cause of our so cold and faint prayers: for if we were ready to call to mind the graces of God: O, we should be sure and certain to be always fenced, when as we meant to present ourselves before him, to say, Alas my God, this is no novelty unto me: neither ought I, Lord, to think it strange to present myself before thee, for thou hast granted me free access and liberty: this is not the first time that thou hast done me good, no, I have felt thy favor by experience even from my youth: and when as I shall speak of the number of times which thou hast heard me, I shall find them infinite: I may very well then repose and put all my trust in thee, hoping that thou wilt continue thy goodness towards me, as thou art always ready so to do. Now because we are so unthankful unto God, as not to acknowledge his benefits as becometh us, and as to him appertaineth [pertains]: Lo here, why we cannot benefit
ourselves by this confession in truth, to confirm our hope to come unto him, as should be good for us.
Moreover, we are to note, that we must not deal with God, as with mortal men. For if any man hath done us a pleasure, we may truly say, as we commonly do: I shall be the more beholding unto you, because you have already bound me thereto, this shall come in amongst the rest: But yet if we shall have borrowed much of any man, we shall be ashamed that we have troubled him so often. But the case standeth not so betwixt God and us. And why so? For God is never weary of well doing as men are, and besides he never diminisheth his substance when he doeth us any good. If any man bestoweth his goods liberally upon us, he hath so much the less:
if he give his word for us: he will say, this is all that I can do for you. But God so aboundeth in riches, that it is like to a Spring which can never be drawn dry: and the more that is drawn out of it, the greater abundance is to be seen. So then, we must not be afraid to come unto God, when as he shall have bestowed upon us store of wealth and that we shall be so much bound unto him, as is possible to be thought: but the same ought to make us the bolder, as David here declareth unto us. And of this are many like sayings in the Scripture.
O Lord (saith Jacob) I was never worthy of the benefits which thou hast bestowed upon me: but yet thou hast so bountifully dealt with thy servant, as that I must needs call upon thy name continually. (<013210>Genesis 32:10)
See then, how GOD moveth us to come familiarly unto him, by reason that he showeth himself so liberal, and hath his hands wide open, to the end he might give us whatsoever we stand in need of. And when as he shall have continued thus all the days of our life, we ought the boldlier to call upon him as David himself showeth us here by example. And now let us mark his saying:
I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
David here protesteth that God hath given ear unto his particular matters, to wit, when as he was perplexed and full of sorrow, he then called upon God. Lo what this word, Way, in the Hebrew meaneth, where it is said, I have acknowledged my ways, and thou answeredst me: to wit, heardest me. Hereupon he desireth that God would teach him his Statutes: to wit,
that he would show him the right rule to live well. Here we are to note, that God yieldeth his consent even unto us, and that he will assist us in all our several needs. We see that our Lord Jesus hath taught us to ask our daily bread, which importeth all that concerneth this transitory life. Even so when we have anything to do or to treat of, God granteth unto us this privilege and license to come unto him: yea if we should step on but one pace, or but remove our hand, we may come unto God, beseeching him to direct and conduct us. Let us then mark this inestimable goodness which God useth towards us, when he seeth well that we have showed unto him all our ways: to wit, all our desires and smallest matters. If a man had his brother or dear companion, he durst hardly show himself so familiarly, for fear he would be importune upon him, as God giveth us leave to come unto him. What bounty is this? Now when we see that God maketh himself so familiar in our small affairs: so much the more ought we to beseech him, after the example of David, that he would conduct us according to his law:
to wit, that he will grant us his grace to live in such sort, as that we may follow the rule which he hath set down here unto us. See then, how that by the less, we must come to the greater, as by particularities we must come to generalities. From the less to the greater, say I, is this, That if God giveth unto us our daily bread, let us also crave of him health for our souls.
If God will so humble himself, as to advise us: when we have anything to do amongst men, about the earthly affairs of this transitory life, let us also beseech him to do us this good, as to conduct us likewise according to his law. Lo here how we may come from the lesser to the greater. We may also descend from particularities to generalities, when as we shall say, O Lord, thou hast heard me in such a thing, which is a special matter: now by a more forcible reason, I may call upon thee for a thing which may serve me all the days of my life, which is, that when thou hast set me into the way of salvation, thou wouldst keep me therein, and that thou never forsake me, until such time as thou hast brought me unto that end and perfection, whereunto thou hast called me. It followeth, Make me to understand the way of thy commandments: and I will meditate of thy wondrous works.
Mark here the third reason which David allegeth to obtain of God, that he might be taught in his law. O Lord, (saith he) make me to understand the way of thy commandments, and so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. As if he should have said, O Lord, if it be thy good pleasure instruct me according to thy will, and it shall not serve for myself only: but also for my neighbors: for I will endeavor myself to bring also others unto thee.
And thus we ought to use the graces and gifts of God: to wit, that they be not as it were buried in us, but that we may also profit our neighbors: and to communicate them unto such, as they may do good unto, to the end that God may be honored, and that they all may serve to the common salvation of the members of our Lord Jesus Christ. But here we have in this Text to note, that it is impossible for us to instruct others, except we have been before the disciples and Scholars of God. There are a great many which will put forth themselves, as if they were sufficient and able Clerks enough to teach others: And in so thrusting in themselves, they have not once known what they ought to understand, either for themselves or yet for any others. Let us then consider the order which is here observed: to wit, that every of us do acknowledge our own ignorance. David was a most excellent Prophet, and yet notwithstanding he besought God that he would make him to understand the way of his commandments. Yea, but had not he the Law written? Wherefore then desired he that which he had already in his hands? For he knew well enough that to read, to preach, and to hear, was not all that was needful: For unless God open our ears, we shall never be able to understand it. And therefore it behooveth that he enlighten us, or else we shall never be able to see the brightness thereof, albeit it lie wide open before our eyes. If David made this request (as we have already heretofore entreated) I beseech you what shall we do then? Let us then even so confess our ignorance, and beseech God that it would please him to teach us. See now that we must needs be first scholars: before we usurp the office of a Master: and before we thrust ourselves in, to speak unto others, that we hear God first speak unto us, and that we be grounded in his word, that we may protest as Saint Peter (<600411>
1 Peter 4:11) telleth us, that it is the word of GOD which cometh out of our mouths.
Whosoever speaketh, (saith he) let him speak the word of God. For it is no reason that a mortal man should extol himself, and prefer his own dreams and fantasies. And although that this sacrilege be overcommon in the world, it behooveth us to have great regard thereto: and that we all keep silence, and that both great and small, ignorant and wise, the simple and learned, give ear to the word of God, and suffer themselves to be taught by him: and after that, every man according to those graces which he hath received, to communicate them unto his neighbors. And when any of us shall be better instructed in the word of God than any of our brethren, we ought so much the more to exhort them that have need thereof to
reprehend and rebuke those which make default, and to instruct the