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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>P S A L M S</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>PSALM LXXXVI.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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This psalm is entitled "a prayer of David;" probably it was not penned
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upon any particular occasion, but was a prayer he often used himself,
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and recommended to others for their use, especially in a day of
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affliction. Many think that David penned this prayer as a type of
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Christ, "who in the days of his flesh offered up strong cries,"
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+5:7">Heb. v. 7</A>.
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David, in this prayer (according to the nature of that duty),
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I. Gives glory to God,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:8-10,12,13">ver. 8-10, 12, 13</A>.
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II. Seeks for grace and favour from God, that God would hear his
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prayers
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:1,6,7">
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ver. 1, 6, 7</A>),
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preserve and save him, and be merciful to him
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:2,3,16">
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ver. 2, 3, 16</A>),
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that he would give him joy, and grace, and strength, and put honour
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upon him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:4,11,17">ver. 4, 11, 17</A>.
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He pleads God's goodness
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:5,15">
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ver. 5, 15</A>)
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and the malice of his enemies,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:14">ver. 14</A>.
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In singing this we must, as David did, lift up our souls to God with
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application.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Ps86_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Humble Petitions.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<CENTER>
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<P>A Prayer of David.</P>
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</CENTER>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 Bow down thine ear, O L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, hear me:
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for I <I>am</I> poor and needy.
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2 Preserve my soul; for I <I>am</I> holy: O thou my God, save thy
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servant that trusteth in thee.
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3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
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4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I
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lift up my soul.
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5 For thou, Lord, <I>art</I> good, and ready to forgive; and
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plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
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6 Give ear, O L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of
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my supplications.
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7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt
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answer me.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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This psalm was published under the title of <I>a prayer of David;</I>
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not as if David sung all his prayers, but into some of his songs he
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inserted prayers; for a psalm will admit the expressions of any pious
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and devout affections. But it is observable how very plain the language
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of this psalm is, and how little there is in it of poetic flights or
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figures, in comparison with some other psalms; for the flourishes of
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wit are not the proper ornaments of prayer. Now here we may
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observe,</P>
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<P>
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I. The petitions he puts up to God. It is true, prayer accidentally may
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preach, but it is most fit that (as it is in this prayer) every passage
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should be directed to God, for such is the nature of prayer as it is
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here described
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>):
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<I>Unto thee, O Lord! do I lift up my soul,</I> as he had said
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+25:1">Ps. xxv. 1</A>.
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In all the parts of prayer the soul must ascend upon the wings of faith
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and holy desire, and be lifted up to God, to meet the communications of
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his grace, and in an expectation raised very high of great things from
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him.
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1. He begs that God would give a gracious audience to his prayers
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>):
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<I>Bow down thy ear, O Lord! hear me.</I> When God hears our prayers it
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is fitly said that he <I>bows down his ear</I> to them, for it is
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admirable condescension in God that he is pleased to take notice of
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such mean creatures as we are and such defective prayers as ours are.
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He repeats this again
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>):
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"<I>Give ear, O Lord! unto my prayer,</I> a favourable ear, though it
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be whispered, though it be stammered; <I>attend to the voice of my
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supplications.</I>" Not that God needs to have his affection stirred up
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by any thing that we can say; but thus we must express our desire of
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his favour. The Son of David spoke it with assurance and pleasure
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+11:41,42">John xi. 41, 42</A>),
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<I>Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me; and I know that thou
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hearest me always.</I>
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2. He begs that God would take him under his special protection, and so
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be the author of his salvation
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>):
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<I>Preserve my soul; save thy servant.</I> It was David's soul that was
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God's servant; for those only serve God acceptably that <I>serve him
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with their spirits.</I> David's concern is about his soul; if we
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understand it of his natural life, it teaches us that the best
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self-preservation is to commit ourselves to God's keeping and by faith
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and prayer to make our Creator our preserver. But it may be understood
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of his spiritual life, the life of the soul as distinct from the body:
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"Preserve my soul from that one evil and dangerous thing to souls, even
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from sin; preserve my soul, and so save me." All those whom God will
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save he preserves, and will preserve them to his heavenly kingdom.
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3. He begs that God would look upon him with an eye of pity and
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compassion
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>):
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<I>Be merciful to me, O Lord!</I> It is mercy in God to pardon our sins
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and to help us out of our distresses; both these are included in this
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prayer, <I>God be merciful to me.</I> "Men show no mercy; we ourselves
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deserve no mercy, but, Lord, for mercy-sake, be <I>merciful unto
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me.</I>"
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4. He begs that God would fill him with inward comfort
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>):
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<I>Rejoice the soul of thy servant.</I> It is God only that can <I>put
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gladness into the heart and make the soul to rejoice,</I> and then, and
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not till then, the joy is full; and, as it is the duty of those who are
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God's servants to <I>serve him with gladness,</I> so it is their
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privilege to be <I>filled with joy and peace in believing,</I> and they
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may in faith pray, not only that God will preserve their souls, but
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that he will rejoice their souls, and the <I>joy of the Lord</I> will
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be <I>their strength.</I> Observe, When he prays, <I>Rejoice my
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soul,</I> he adds, <I>For unto thee do I lift up my soul.</I> Then we
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may expect comfort from God when we take care to keep up our communion
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with God: prayer is the nurse of spiritual joy.</P>
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<P>
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II. The pleas with which he enforces these petitions.
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1. He pleads his relation to God and interest in him: "Thou art my God,
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to whom I have devoted myself, and on whom I depend, and I am thy
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servant
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>),
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in subjection to thee, and therefore looking for protection from thee."
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2. He pleads his distress: "<I>Hear me, for I am poor and needy,</I>
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therefore I want thy help, therefore none else will hear me." God is
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the poor man's King, whose glory it is to <I>save the souls of the
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needy;</I> those who are poor in spirit, who see themselves empty and
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necessitous, are most welcome to the God of all grace.
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3. He pleads God's good will towards all that seek him
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>):
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"To thee do I <I>lift up my soul</I> in desire and expectation; <I>for
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thou, Lord, art good;</I>" and whither should beggars go but to the
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door of the good house-keeper? The goodness of God's nature is a great
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encouragement to us in all our addresses to him. His goodness appears
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in two things, giving and forgiving.
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(1.) He is a sin-pardoning God; not only he can forgive, but he is
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ready to forgive, more ready to forgive than we are to repent. <I>I
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said, I will confess, and thou forgavest,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+32:5">Ps. xxxii. 5</A>.
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(2.) He is a prayer-hearing God; he is plenteous in mercy, very full,
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and very free, both rich and liberal unto <I>all those that call upon
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him;</I> he has wherewithal to supply all their needs and is openhanded
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in granting that supply.
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4. He pleads God's good work in himself, by which he had qualified him
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for the tokens of his favour. Three things were wrought in him by
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divine grace, which he looked upon as earnests of all good:--
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(1.) A conformity to God
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>):
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<I>I am holy,</I> therefore preserve my soul; for those whom the Spirit
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sanctifies he will preserve. He does not say this in pride and vain
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glory, but with humble thankfulness to God. <I>I am one whom thou
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favourest</I> (so the margin reads it), whom thou hast <I>set apart for
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thyself.</I> If God has begun a good work of grace in us, we must own
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that <I>the time was a time of love. Then was I in his eyes as one
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that found favour,</I> and whom God hath taken into his favour he will
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take under his protection. <I>All his saints are in thy hand,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+33:3">Deut. xxxiii. 3</A>.
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Observe, <I>I am needy</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>),
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yet <I>I am holy</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>),
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holy and yet needy, <I>poor in the world, but rich in faith.</I> Those
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who preserve their purity in their greatest poverty may assure
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themselves that God will preserve their comforts, will preserve their
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souls.
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(2.) A confidence in God: <I>Save thy servant that trusteth in
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thee.</I> Those that are holy must nevertheless not trust in
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themselves, nor in their own righteousness, but only in God and his
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grace. Those that trust in God may expect salvation from him.
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(3.) A disposition to communion with God. He hopes God will answer his
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prayers, because he had inclined him to pray.
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[1.] To be constant in prayer: <I>I cry unto thee daily, and all the
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day,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>.
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It is thus our duty to pray always, without ceasing, and to continue
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instant in prayer; and then we may hope to have our prayers heard which
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we make in the time of trouble, if we have made conscience of the duty
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at other times, at all times. It is comfortable if an affliction finds
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the wheels of prayer a-going, and that hey are not then to be set
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a-going.
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[2.] To be inward with God in prayer, to <I>lift up his soul</I> to
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him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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Then we may hope that God will meet us with his mercies, when we in our
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prayers send forth our souls as it were to meet him.
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[3.] To be in a special manner earnest with God in prayer when he was
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in affliction
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>):
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"<I>In the day of my trouble,</I> whatever others do, <I>I will call
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upon thee,</I> and commit my case to thee, for thou wilt hear and
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answer me, and I shall not seek in vain, as those did who cried, <I>O
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Baal! hear us; but there was no voice, nor any that regarded,</I>"
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+18:29">1 Kings xviii. 29</A>.</P>
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<A NAME="Ps86_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps86_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Petitions and Praises; Prayer for Mercy and Grace.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>8 Among the gods <I>there is</I> none like unto thee, O Lord;
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neither <I>are there any works</I> like unto thy works.
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9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before
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thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.
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10 For thou <I>art</I> great, and doest wondrous things: thou <I>art</I>
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God alone.
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11 Teach me thy way, O L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>; I will walk in thy truth: unite my
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heart to fear thy name.
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12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I
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will glorify thy name for evermore.
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13 For great <I>is</I> thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered
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my soul from the lowest hell.
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14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of
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violent <I>men</I> have sought after my soul; and have not set thee
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before them.
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15 But thou, O Lord, <I>art</I> a God full of compassion, and
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gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
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16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength
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unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
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17 show me a token for good; that they which hate me may see
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<I>it,</I> and be ashamed: because thou, L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, hast holpen me, and
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comforted me.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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David is here going on in his prayer.</P>
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<P>
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I. He gives glory to God; for we ought in our prayers to praise him,
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ascribing kingdom, power, and glory, to him, with the most humble and
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reverent adorations.
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1. As a being of unparalleled perfection, such a one that there is none
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like him nor any to be compared with him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>.
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<I>Among the gods,</I> the false gods, whom the heathens worshipped,
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the angels, the kings of the earth, among them all, <I>there is none
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like unto thee, O Lord!</I> none so wise, so mighty, so good;
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<I>neither are there any works like unto thy works,</I> which is an
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undeniable proof that there is none like him; his own works praise him,
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and the best way we have of praising him is by acknowledging that there
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is none like him.
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2. As the fountain of all being and the centre of all praise
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>):
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"<I>Thou hast made all nations,</I> made them all of one blood; they
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all derive their being from thee, and have a constant dependence on
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thee, and therefore <I>they shall come and worship before thee and
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glorify thy name.</I>" This was in part fulfilled in the multitude of
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proselytes to the Jewish religion in the days of David and Solomon, but
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was to have its full accomplishment in the days of the Messiah, when
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some out of every kingdom and nation should be effectually brought in
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to praise God,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+7:9">Rev. vii. 9</A>.
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It was by Christ that God made all nations, for without him was not any
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thing made that was made, and therefore through Christ, and by the
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power of his gospel and grace, all nations shall be brought to
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<I>worship before God,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+66:23">Isa. lxvi. 23</A>.
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3. As a being infinitely great
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>):
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"Therefore all nations shall worship before thee, because as King of
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nations <I>thou art great,</I> thy sovereignty absolute and
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|
incontestable, thy majesty terrible and insupportable, thy power
|
|
universal and irresistible, thy riches vast and inexhaustible, thy
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|
dominion boundless and unquestionable; and, for the proof of this,
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<I>thou doest wondrous things,</I> which all nations admire, and whence
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|
they might easily infer that thou art God alone, not only none like
|
|
thee, but none besides thee." Let us always entertain great thoughts of
|
|
this great God, and be filled with holy admiration of this God who
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|
doeth wonders; and let him alone have our hearts who is God alone.
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|
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4. As a being infinitely good. Man is bad, very wicked and vile
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|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>);
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no mercy is to be expected from him; <I>but thou, O Lord! art a God
|
|
full of compassion, and gracious,</I>
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|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>.
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This is that attribute by which he proclaims his name, and by which we
|
|
are therefore to proclaim it,
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|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+34:6,7">Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7</A>.
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|
It is his goodness that is over all his works, and therefore should
|
|
fill all our praises; and this is our comfort, in reference to the
|
|
wickedness of the world we live in, that, however it be, God is good.
|
|
Men are barbarous, but God is gracious; men are false, but God is
|
|
faithful. God is not only compassionate, but full of compassion, and in
|
|
him <I>mercy rejoiceth against judgment.</I> He is long-suffering
|
|
towards us, though we forfeit his favour and provoke him to anger, and
|
|
he is <I>plenteous in mercy and truth,</I> as faithful in performing as
|
|
he was free in promising.
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|
|
|
5. As a kind friend and bountiful benefactor to him. We ought to praise
|
|
God as good in himself, but we do it most feelingly when we observe how
|
|
good he has been to us. This therefore the psalmist dwells upon with
|
|
most pleasure,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:12,13"><I>v.</I> 12, 13</A>.
|
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|
He had said
|
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|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>All nations shall praise thee, O Lord! and glorify thy name.</I> It
|
|
is some satisfaction to a good man to think that others shall praise
|
|
and glorify God, but it is his greatest care and pleasure to do it
|
|
himself. "Whatever others do" (says David), "<I>I will praise thee, O
|
|
Lord my God!</I> not only as the Lord, but as my God; and I will do it
|
|
with all my heart; I will be ready to do it and cordial in it; I will
|
|
do it with cheerfulness and liveliness, with a sincere regard to thy
|
|
honour; for <I>I will glorify thy name,</I> not for a time, but for
|
|
evermore. I will do it as long as I live, and hope to be doing it to
|
|
eternity." With good reason does he resolve to be thus particular in
|
|
praising God, because God had shown him particular favours: <I>For
|
|
great is thy mercy towards me.</I> The fountain of mercy is
|
|
inexhaustibly full; the streams of mercy are inestimably rich. When we
|
|
speak of God's mercy to us, it becomes us thus to magnify it: <I>Great
|
|
is thy mercy towards me.</I> Of the greatness of God's mercy he gives
|
|
this instance, <I>Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell,</I>
|
|
from death, from so great a death, as St. Paul
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+1:10">2 Cor. i. 10</A>),
|
|
|
|
from eternal death, so even some of the Jewish writers understand it.
|
|
David knew he deserved to be cast off for ever into the lowest hell for
|
|
his sin in the matter of Uriah; but Nathan assured him that the Lord
|
|
had <I>taken away his sin,</I> and by that word he was delivered from
|
|
the lowest hell, and herein God's mercy was great towards him. Even the
|
|
best saints owe it, not to their own merit, but to the mercy of God,
|
|
that they are saved from the lowest hell; and the consideration of that
|
|
should greatly enlarge their hearts in praising the mercy of God, which
|
|
they are obliged to glorify for evermore. So glorious; so gracious, a
|
|
rescue from everlasting misery, justly requires the return of
|
|
everlasting praise.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. He prays earnestly for mercy and grace from God. He complains of
|
|
the restless and implacable malice of his enemies against him
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>):
|
|
|
|
"Lord, be thou for me; for there are many against me." He then takes
|
|
notice of their character; they were <I>proud men</I> that looked with
|
|
disdain upon poor David. (Many are made persecutors by their pride.)
|
|
They were <I>violent men,</I> that would carry all before them by
|
|
force, right or wrong. They were <I>terrible formidable men</I> (so
|
|
some), that did what they could to frighten all about them. He notices
|
|
their number: There were <I>assemblies</I> of them; they were men in
|
|
authority and met in councils and courts, or men for conversation, and
|
|
met in clubs; but, being assembled, they were the more capable of doing
|
|
mischief. He notices their enmity to him: "They <I>rise up against
|
|
me</I> in open rebellion; they not only plot, but they put their plots
|
|
in execution as far as they can; and the design is not only to depose
|
|
me, but to destroy me: they seek after my life, to slay me; after my
|
|
soul, to damn me, if it lay in their power." And, <I>lastly,</I> He
|
|
notices their distance and estrangement from God, which were at the
|
|
bottom of their enmity to David: "<I>They have not set thee before
|
|
them;</I> and what good can be expected from those that have no fear of
|
|
God before their eyes? Lord, appear against them, for they are thy
|
|
enemies as well as mine." His petitions are,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. For the operations of God's grace in him,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>.
|
|
|
|
He prays that God would give him,
|
|
|
|
(1.) An understanding heart, that he would inform and instruct him
|
|
concerning his duty: "<I>Teach me thy way, O Lord!</I> the way that
|
|
thou hast appointed me to walk in; when I am in doubt concerning it,
|
|
make it plain to me what I should do; let me hear the voice saying,
|
|
<I>This is the way,</I>"
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+30:21">Isa. xxx. 21</A>.
|
|
|
|
David was well taught in the things of God, and yet was sensible he
|
|
needed further instruction, and many a time could not trust his own
|
|
judgment: <I>Teach me thy way; I will walk in thy truth.</I> One would
|
|
think it should be, <I>Teach me thy truth, and I will walk in thy
|
|
way;</I> but it comes all to one; it is the way of truth that God
|
|
teaches and that we must choose to walk in,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+119:30">Ps. cxix. 30</A>.
|
|
|
|
Christ is the way and the truth, and we must both learn Christ and walk
|
|
in him. We cannot walk in God's way and truth unless he teach us; and,
|
|
if we expect he should teach us, we must resolve to be governed by his
|
|
teachings,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+2:3">Isa. ii. 3</A>.
|
|
|
|
(2.) An upright heart: "<I>Unite my heart to fear thy name.</I> Make me
|
|
sincere in religion. A hypocrite has a double heart; let mine be single
|
|
and entire for God, not divided between him and the world, not
|
|
straggling from him." Our hearts are apt to wander and hang loose;
|
|
their powers and faculties wander after a thousand foreign things; we
|
|
have therefore need of God's grace to unite them, that we may serve God
|
|
with all that is within us, and all little enough to be employed in his
|
|
service. "Let my heart be fixed for God, and firm and faithful to him,
|
|
and fervent in serving him; that is a united heart."</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. For the tokens of God's favour to him,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:16,17"><I>v.</I> 16, 17</A>.
|
|
|
|
Three things he here prays for:--
|
|
|
|
(1.) That God would speak peace and comfort to him: "<I>O turn unto
|
|
me,</I> as to one thou lovest and hast a kind and tender concern for.
|
|
My enemies turn against me, my friends turn from me; Lord, do thou turn
|
|
to me and have mercy upon me; it will be a comfort to me to know that
|
|
thou pitiest me."
|
|
|
|
(2.) That God would work deliverance for him, and set him in safety:
|
|
"Give me <I>thy strength;</I> put strength into me, that I may help
|
|
myself, and put forth thy strength for me, that I may be saved out of
|
|
the hands of those that seek my ruin." He pleads relation: "I am <I>thy
|
|
servant;</I> I am so by birth, as <I>the son of thy handmaid,</I> born
|
|
in thy house, and therefore thou art my rightful owner and proprietor,
|
|
from whom I may expect protection. <I>I am thine; save me.</I>" The
|
|
children of godly parents, who were betimes dedicated to the Lord, may
|
|
plead it with him; if they come under the discipline of his family,
|
|
they are entitled to the privileges of it.
|
|
|
|
(3.) That God would put a reputation on him: "<I>Show me a token for
|
|
good;</I> make it to appear to others as well as to myself that thou
|
|
art doing me good, and designing further good for me. Let me have some
|
|
unquestionable illustrious instances of thy favour to me, <I>that those
|
|
who hate me may see it, and be ashamed</I> of their enmity to me, as
|
|
they will have reason to be when they perceive that <I>thou, Lord, hast
|
|
helped me and comforted me,</I> and that therefore they have been
|
|
striving against God, opposing one whom he owns, and that they have
|
|
been striving in vain to ruin and vex one whom God himself has
|
|
undertaken to help and comfort." The joy of the saints shall be the
|
|
shame of their persecutors.</P>
|
|
|
|
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