Psalm 61

The prophet encourageth himself and all others to trust in God, und serve him.

1 Shall not my soul be subject to God? for from him is my salvation.

2 For he is my God and my saviour: he ts my protector ; I shall be moved no more.

3 How long do you rush in upon a man? you all kill, as if you were thrusting down a leaning wall, and a tottering fence.

4 But they have thought to cast away my price: I ran in thirst: they blessed with their mouth, but cursed with their heart.

5. Be thou, O my soul, subject to God: for from him is my patience.

6 For he is my God and my saviour: he ts my helper, I shall not be moved.

7 InGod is mysalvation and my glory: he is the God of my help, and my hope is in God.

8 Trust in him, all ye congregation of people: pour out your hearts before him: God is our helper for ever.

9 But vain are the sons of men, the sons of men are liars in the balances: that by vanity they may together deceive.

10 Trust not in iniquity, and cover not robberies: if riches abound, set not your heart upon them.

11 God hath spoken once, these two things have I heard, that power belongeth to God,

12 And mercy to thee, O Lord; for thou wilt render to every man according to his works,

EXPLANATION

1 ‘Shall not iny soul be subject to God? for from him is my salvation,”

A jast man, fiercely assailed by various concupiscences, every one of which contend for a mastery over him, in his brave struggle, exclaims, ‘ Shall not my soul be subject to God 2” Is it not better and fitter for me to serve God than be a slave to avarice, pride, or concupiscence? * For from him is my salvation.” Those evil passions and desires offer me nothing but death everlasting; but God promises, and will certainly confer, eternal happiness, if I remain faithful to him.

2 “ For he is my God and my saviour : he is my protector ; I shall be moved no more.”

My salvation not only depends on him, but “ he is my God and my Saviour.” The Hebrew has the word “rock” for God, to signify that in this world he is the rock we are to build upon, to take refuge on, and in the other world to be our Saviour. In both he will be our protector here to defend us, here-

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after to crown us; and, therefore, ‘‘ Z shall be moved no more.” I will not be much concerned or troubled, but remain firm, however grievous the temptations may be.

3“ How long do you rush in upon a man? you all kill, as if you were thrusting down a leaning wall, anda tottering fence.”

Having spoken of himself, he now turns to deplore the dreadful ruin of souls by the evil spirits, through the agency of the various concupiscences. In truth, nobody can calculate the numbers brought to ruin by the evil spirits, through the agency of avarice, ambition, lust, anger, envy, and such evil passions. Full of indignation, therefore, against the evil spirits, he exclaims, “ How long do you rush in upon a man 2 will you never cease from persecuting man? “ You all kill;” you all seek to destroy souls in various places and by various means, but with one common object. ‘‘Asifa leaning wall and a tottering fence;” waging war upon poor, fallen human nature, so weak and corrupt, that it may aptly be compared to a tumbling wall and a rotten fence. A beautiful description of the malice and power of the demons, as well as of the frailty and weakness of human nature; for, in truth, since his fall, man may be compared to a tottering wall or heap, that requires the very smallest push to tumble it; for he is frail, and, as Genesis, chap. vili., has it, ‘* Prone to evil JSrom his youth;” and, therefore, the Apostle justly exclaims, ‘* Unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death ?” and he immediately answers the question thus, ‘‘ Zhe grace of God by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

4 “ But they have thought to cast away my price: I ran in thirst: they blessed with their mouth, but cursed with their heart.”

He returns to the subject he began with, and shews that the object of our spiritual enemies, in their attacks upon the just, is to deprive them of the everlasting rewards for which they envy them, and which themselves lost through their own fault. ‘ But they have thought to cast away my price.” They tempt, assault, excite my concupiscence to baulk me of “ my price;” that price by which I was redeemed, and thus deprive me of the dignity and great honour of everlasting glory. But I, on the contrary, ‘‘ran in thirst.” The more they sought to keep me back, the more ardently and thirstily I ran; for ‘‘ Zhe prize of the supernal vocation,” Phil. iti. 14; “ They blessed with their mouth, but cursed with their heart.” Their words were those of kindness, gently alluring to enjoy the present, and yield to pleasure; but, meanwhile, ‘ They cursed with ther heart,” knowing those yery pleasures to be poison to the soul, and the most direct means of marring me in the pursuit of eternal happiness,

5 ‘ But be thou, O my soul, subject to God: for from him is my patience.

6 “ For he is my God and my saviour: he is my helper, I shall not be moved.

7 “In God is my salvation and my glory: he is the God of my help, and my hope is in God.”

He now repeats the two first verses, to shew the greatness of the temptations by which he was assailed; and that he so confided in God that he was in no way afraid of them. ‘ But be thou, O my soul, subject to God.” However the enemy may rage, do you, my soul, in silence and subjection, be obedient to God, “ Mor from him is my patience ;” say nothing, for he will certainly help you. ‘ Yor he ts my God;” this is word for word in the Hebrew with verse 2, which see. In verse 7 he concludes by saying he expects everything from God}; that is, our true end, and the means to obtain it. Our true end consists in being delivered from all evils, and the possession of the supreme good; salvation implying the one, and glory the other: the means are God’s assistance and our own hope, as they are properly named in the text, “Jn God is my salvation and my glory.” From God I expect salvation and deliverance from all harm, and eternal glory, the supreme good; for when we shall see God, and become like him, and perfectly united to him, we shall be truly safe and happy.

8 “ Trust in him, all ye congregation of people : pour out your hearts before hin: God is our helper for ever.”

He now exhorts every one to the practice of that virtue, that God had so bounteously and gratuitously granted him to practise; first reminding them to put their trust in God alone, and not in anything created. “ Trust in him, all ye congregation of people; including every family, assembly, people, all men, not only Jews, but gentiles. ‘* Pour out your hearts be- Jore him.” Make a sincere and open confession of your sins and wretchedness; make all your wants known to him; pray to him to have mercy on you, as Anna did, when she said, “ J have poured forth my soul in the sight of the Lord;” and, as a matter of course, “ God is our helper for ever ;” there is no doubt but he will help you.

9 “ But vain are the sons of men, the sons of men are liars in the balances: that by vanity they may together deceive.”

Conscious of the smallness of the number that would follow his advice, he, therefore, inveighs now against the multitude of the wicked, saying, the greater part of men are quite devoid of true wisdcem, though they apparently abound in it; but it is that wisdom designated by the Scriptures as “ the prudence of the flesh;” and, therefore, most men are vain, senseless, and imprudent; because “* They are liars in the balances ;” in false and fraudulent weights and measures. This observation applies not only to those who are engaged in trade and cummerce, but to all mankind ; for we, all of us gifted with reason, get that reason as a sort of balance or measure wherewith to distinguish real from apparent good, and then to choose the one, and reject the other. Now, the greater part of mankind, in doing so,

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.

miserably deceive themselves and others, by making use of such false measures, and, what is worse, by doing so wilfully. No one can deny that the greatest evil that can befal man is to commit sin, and thereby deserve hell’s torments ; and that the greatest good that can be secured is grace in this life, and happiness in the next; and yet, when we come to weigh or to measure one with the other in the balance, temporal gain will generally preponderate; and to secure it, the risk of eternal punishment will be incurred. ‘* That by vanity they may together deceive ;” though lies and vanity assume various shapes and forms, they agree in one point, in deceit.

10 ‘ Trust not in iniquity, and cover not robberies : if riches abound, set not your heart upon them.”

He comes again to exhort, and especially against avarice, it being “‘ the root of all evil;” secret frands being expressed by the word ‘‘znequity,” and open wrongs by the term ‘‘ robberies ;” and be goes farther, in prohibiting even an affection for riches, saying, “ Tf riches abound, set not your heart on them.” St. Augustine beautifully remarks, that they who rob, see their plunder, but-they do not see who, at the very moment, robs themselves; that is, the devil, who robs them of their soul. The same Augustine and Basil remark, that when riches abound, they begin to overflow and run away, and the blind and the covetous look only to their abundance, and never’ consider their flowing, nor perceive it. We are, therefore, reminded “‘ not to set our heart on them,” — for fear it, too, may flow with them, and be lost. When riches abound, then, having our hearts firmly and securely fixed on God, we should take care to let the riches flow, but to flow to advantage ; like the prudent farmer, who directs the course of the stream to irrigate and enrich his land, but will be. most careful in not allowing it to carry himself along.

11 “t God hath spoken once, these two things have £ heard, that power belongeth to God,

12 ** And mercy to thee, O Lord; for thou wilt render to every man dccording to his works.”

He concludes by assigning a reason for not wish-. ing for riches, and for guarding against all manner of sin; God, once for all, in one word, comprising everything, The two things announced to David are God’s power and mercy, for us to fear the one, and love the otber; and, secondly, that he will “render to every man according to his works;” that his power will not unjustly oppress any one, nor will his mercy obstruct his justice; and they who seriously reflect on those two points, * and set their hearts on them,” may be called the truly wise.

PSALM LXII. The prophet aspireth after God.

1 O God my God, to thee do I watch at break of day. For thee my soul hath thirsted ; for thee my flesh, O how many ways?

2 Ina desert land, and where there is no way, and no water: so in the sanctuary have ee before thee, to see thy power and thy

ory.

3 For thy mercy is better than lives: thee my lips shall praise.

4 Thus will I bless thee all my life long: and in thy name I will lift up my hands.

5. Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness: and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.

6 IfI have remembered thee upon my bed, I will meditate on thee in the morning:

7 Because thou hast been my helper. And I will rejoice under the covert of thy wings:

8 My soul hath stuck close to thee: thy right hand hath received me.

9 But they have sought my soul in vain, they shall go into the lower parts of the earth:

_ 10 They shall be delivered into the hands of the sword, they shall be the portions of foxes.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God, all they shall be praised that swear by him: because the mouth is stopped of them that speak wicked things.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALM.

1 “ God my God, to thee do I watch at break of day. For thee my soul hath thirsted ; for thee my flesh, O how many ways!”

A just man tells us his first impulse at the dawn of day, and that is to seek God, to desire God, to confess his misery to him. ‘* O God, my God;” my help, my strength, for without you I am nothing, can do nothing. ‘* To thee do I watch by break of day.” The moment I open the eyes of my body, I open those of my mind, to behold you, the increated light ; and thus I watch to look for you, instead of looking for the things of this world. Ido so, because ‘ For thee my soul hath thirsted,” it longs for thee as its meat and drink, its light and gladness. My flesh thirsts in various ways for thee, the fountian of all good. Though the flesh, properly speaking, cannot be said to thirst for God, it is said to thirst, because, by reason of its manifold miseries, it needs his mercy, just as parched land is said to thirst for rain, without which it can produce nothing. Every one has experienced the necessities, wants, and miseries of our corruptible flesh, which he alone, of whom it is said, “‘Who heals all your infirmities,” ean heal.

2 “In a desert land, and where there is no way, and no water: so in the sanctuary have I come before thee, to see thy power and thy glory.”

The characteristics of a desert are three, uninhabited, imaccessible, without water; the second

being the effect, and the third the cause, of the first ; for a country is generally deserted by reason of a want of water; for that makes the ground dry and barren, and when so deserted aud barren, it becomes inaccessible. The prophet means to conyey that such uncultivated land, wanting not only the luxuries, but even the necessaries of life, was of great use to him in finding God. For the more the soul is destitute of the goods of this world, or, certainly, the more it takes its affections off them, and betakes itself to a spiritual desert, the more easily it ascends to the contemplation and enjoyment of things celestial. ‘Jn that desert land, and where there is no way and no water;” here I come to thee in spirit, raising up my soul to thee, as if I were ‘‘in thy sanctuary,” so that the desert became a sanctuary to me, “‘ to see thy power and thy glory.”

3 ‘‘ For thy mercy is better than lives: thee my lips shall praise.”

The word ‘‘ For’ must be referred to the following, and not to the preceding; and the meaning is, I will not only see thy power and thy glory, but my lips shall daily praise you, for your mercy is better to me than life itself; for it was your mercy that gave me that life, that preserves that life; and the same mercy will make that life a much happier one to me, should I lose it for your sake; but if, for the purpose of preserving that life, I should fall from your grace and mercy, I will lose both my life and your mercy.

4 “ Thus will I bless thee all my life long: and in thy name I will lift up my hands.”

With such daily praise “I will bless thee my life long;” whatever may befall me, whether in prosperity or adversity, I will bless you for ever ; “ And in thy name I will lift up my hands.” Whenever I invoke your name, I will raise up my hands in prayer, expecting help from you alone in adversity ; and, on the other hand, thanking you alone in my prosperity. The custom of raising the hands in prayer was practised in both the old and the new law ; for, when Moses lifted up his hands to God, the people conquered. And the Apostle, 1 Tim. ii., says, ‘* avsing their pure hands.” St. Augustine reminds those who raise their hands to God in prayer, that if they wish to be heard, they should also raise their hands to do good works. Raising the hand also was used by the Jews as a form of oath ; thus, we find Abraham saying “ J lift up my hand to the Lord God, the Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth, that from the very woof thread unto the shoe latchet, I will not take of any things that are thine.” And, in the Apocalypse x., ‘* He lifted up his hand to heaven, and swore by him that liveth for ever and ever.” The expression, then, may mean, I will swear by your name, and thus worship you alone as the true God.

5 ‘¢ Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.”

Here is what he asked when he lifted his hands in prayer to God, that his “ soul should be filled as with marrow and fatness; that his soul should become replete with that spiritual marrow and fatness that acts upon the soul as the natural marrow and fatness do upon the body. Those who enjoy it are generally sound, strong, active, ruddy, and goodhumoured ; on the other hand, those who lack it are shrivelled, weak, deformed, and gloomy; so those who are full of grace, of the spiritual richness here described, are devout, fervent, always in good temper; while, on the contrary, those who have it not, nauseate every thing spiritual, are wasted away by listlessness ; being quite weak and infirm, they can neither resist any thing bad, nor do any thing good. St. Augustine properly observes, that while we are in this desert, we cannot ask for and desire the feast of wisdom and justice, which we can only enjoy when we shall have arrived at our country ; then will the expression of the Psalm, ‘‘ And filleth thee with the fat of corn,” be fulfilled, as also that in Mat. viii., “ Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall be filled ;” and then, “‘ my mouth,” for praise shall succeed to prayer, shall perfectly, without end, without tiring, praise God, “* with joyful lips;” when we shall be so full that we shall want nothing; for, at present, no matter what we have, we always want something still; and thus we must have recourse to daily and constant prayer.

6 ‘If I have remembered thee upon my bed, I will meditate on thee in the morning.”

Not only in the next life, when “ filled with marrow and fatness,” he will praise God with exultation, but also, while in this world, will he remember God and his gifts. “‘Jf/I have remembered thee upon my bed;” in the depth of the night, as I lay thereon, much more so will I do it by day; and, therefore, “ I will meditate on thee in the morning ;” I will think and reflect on your power and glory for the following reason :

7 ** Because thou hast been my helper. And I will

rejoice under the covert of thy wings:

8 ** My soul hath stuck close to thee: thy right hand hath received me.”

No wonder I should always reflect on your power and glory, ‘ because thou hast been my helper,” always remembered me by helping and protecting me. St. Augustine gathers a useful lesson from this passage, for those who, while at their work, wish to remember God and to keep his fear and love before their eyes. To do that, they must, while lying on their bed at night, remember him, and reflect on his mercy and his promises. Most people go through their daily work as if God were not over them at all, and that because they have no fixed time for reflection or meditation. “And I will rejoice under the covert of thy wings.” Having said, ‘because thou hast been my helper,” for fear he may be considered as looking upon himself as now secure and indifferent

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.

as to God’s protection, he now adds, “ And 1 will rejoice under the covert of thy wings.” I will keep myself under the cover of your wings, trusting in your protection. ‘J will rejoice,” being perfectly secure from the birds of prey. “ IZy soul hath stuck close to thee.” Such protection, so many favours so moved me, that “my soul hath stuck close to thee,” united by a tie of charity so strong, that nothing can separate it; and for fear it may be supposed be was taking credit to himself for being so ardently attached to God, he adds, “* Thy right hand hath received me.” I follow you, because you draw me; I love you, because you first loved me, and by loving me made me love you. Happy is he, who, however perfect he may be, ascribes all to God, and like a chicken, shelters himself under God’s wings. More happy is he who can truly say, ‘‘ My soul hath stuck close to thee,” who, not only puts his trust in the covering of God’s wings, but also loves him so entirely, with his whole heart, that he can say with the Apostle, “ Who shall separate me from the love of Christ?” and more happy than that again is he, who, by his own experience, or by the testimony of his conscience, has learned “that thy right hand received me,” for of such the Lord says, ** And no man shall snatch them out of my hand. And no one can snatch them out of the hand of my Lather, I and the Father are one.”

9 ‘+ But they have sought my soul in vain, they shalt go into the lower parts of the earth:

10 ‘* They shall be delivered into the hands of the sword, they shall be the portion of foxes.”

In the three last verses the prophet foretells the ultimate destruction and extermination of the persecutors of the just, and the everlasting happiness and felicity of the same just. ‘‘ But they,” the wicked persecutors, “have sought my soul in vain,” endeavoured in vain to have my life, to put me to death; for the wicked persecute the just, with a view of becoming masters of every thing, and revel in pleasure and power ; but to no purpose, for instead of being masters of the earth, they will be swallowed up by it: and when so condemned to hell, instead of the luxuries, the ease, and enjoyment they set their hearts on, they will never be allowed even a moment’s rest, but will be consigned to eternal punishment, inflicted by the demons who tear them more cruelly than so many ravenous Wolves and foxes, “* They shall go into the lowest parts of the earth.” See why they laboured in vain, they thought to become masters, but instead of that, they will be hurled beneath the earth, into its very heart, and compelled to take up their abode for ever in hell, ** Zhey shall be delivered into the hands of the sword.” They will have no rest in hell, much less will they enjoy the blessings of the earth, but will be ‘‘ delivered into the hands of the sword,” given up for torment; for God’s punishments, as coming from a supreme and angry Judge, will be both grievous and interminable. ‘ Zhey shall be the portions

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.

of foxes.” Instead of lording it over the just, they will be lorded over by the unjust demons, as being now their ‘‘ lot and inheritance.” These demons are styled foxes, rather than lions or wolyes, because they entrap sinners, and enslave them more by the cunning of the fox, than the strength of the lion.

11 ‘+ But the king shall rejoice in God, all they shall be praised that swear by him : because the mouth is stopped of them that speak wicked things.”

How vain have been all the labours of the wicked ! They will not only be disappointed in what they set their hearts upon, but they will not be able to deprive the just of their own, for ‘ theer king,” Cliist, of whom the Jews said, ‘‘ Away with him, away with him, crucify him,” whose name the pagans, with all their power, endeavoured to eradicate, and which is blasphemed by all the wicked, will live and reign for ever, and “‘ shall rejoice in God,” sitting in glory on the right hand of the Father; and “ all they shall be praised (on the day of judgment) that swear by him,” they, who in this life, in spite of all persecution, religiously worship him as the true God, and swear by his name, or rather swear faithful obedience to him. All Christ’s faithful ‘‘ well be praised,” “ because the mouth is stopped of them that speak wicked things.” In the day of judgment, the mouth of all the wicked will he stopped, for then the truth will be manifest, and cannot be demurred to or gainsayed ; and then the wicked will exclaim, as we read in Wisdom v., * Therefore we have erred from the way of truth, and the light of justice hath not shined unto us, and the sun of understanding hath not risen upon us. Behold, how they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot 1s among the saints.” Thus the just will be praised by their very enemies, when the truth, having been exposed by God’s judgment, shall shut up the mouths of those who now, by their blasphemies, maledictions, calumnies, detractions, reproaches, and lies, “speak evil things.” Some apply those verses to David, others to Christ. Saul and the other enemies of David, who sought to kill him, that they might reign in security, truly ‘‘ laboured in vain,” for they were destroyed, and David had a glorious reign of it. So with the Jews, who sought to put Christ to death, ‘lest the Romans should come and take away their place and their nation,” they would not have a Lamb for their King, they preferred a fox and a lion together, for the Romans sacked their city, took away their kingdom, nearly annihilated themselves ; while Christ rose again, had a glorious reign of it, “ and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”