This psalm is a pithy psalm, and therefore is called a psalm of degrees. Other reasons the Jews give of this title, but they agree not. Some will have it that these psalms were sung upon the fifteen stairs that went up to the temple. Some call them thus, for that they say they were sung with an extraordinary high voice. But in these difficulties, Melius est dubitare de occultis, quam litir/are de incertis. All historical truths are not necessary to be known, for Christ did many things that were not written, John xx. 30.
The author is not named. However, we may assure ourselves the Spirit of God indited it, setting down, first, the state of the writer, ver. 1 ; secondly, his carriage in that estate : ' He prayed, being in depths,' ver. 2 ; thirdly, the ground of his prayer, which was God's mercy, ver. 3 ; his own faith, hope, and patience ; his waiting, is simplj^ laid down, ver. 5, and comparatively, ver. 6 ; and fourthly, an application to the whole church, ver. 7, from his own experience of God's mercy and sufficiency.
Out of the first part, concerning the state of the writer, of this psalm, let US observe these particulars, following in their order: first, i^^at the children of God do fall into depths ; that is, into extremity of misery and affliction, which are called ' depths ;' because as waters and depths, so these, do swallow up and drown the soul, and because they do compass about the soul, bury- ing it in great, terrible, continuing deep dangers ; and these depths of a Christian are either outward or inward. The outu-ard troubles and depths are those of the body. These God's children are afflicted with, as Jonah was when he was in the bottom of the sea, Joseph in prison, and Paul in the dungeon ; and these are like the man of God to the Shunamite, 1 Kings xvii. 18, they do but call our sins to remembrance. But the inward spiritual troubles are the great depths ; that is, trouble of mind for sin that lies upon us, causing us to doubt of our estate, to feel God's wrath, to fear rejection and excluding from God's presence. This is the soul of sorrow ; other outward sorrows being but the carcase of sorrow. * The spirit of a man will bear his infirmities ; but a wounded spirit who can bear ?' Prov. xviii. 14. In such an estate, in regard of the extremity of the burden of the sins of the whole world laid on him, was our head, Christ Jesus, making him sweat
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* drops of blood,' Luke xxii. 41 ; and when ho was on the cross, when ho cried with strong cries and tears, ' My God, my God, why hast thou for- saken me?' Mark xv. 3-4. But uhi is this thui, that tlic Prince* of our salvation should be in such a depth of misery ? I answer, because it was requisite that salvation should be repaired by the contrary means to that whereby it was lost. It was lost by lifting up. Adam would be like a god ; and Christ he regained us by abasing himself. The Son of God must become man, and a man of sorrows ; and as the head was, so the members have been and must be, llom. viii. 29, ' for we are predestinated to bo like the imago of his Son,' and so to pledge him in the same cup wherein he drank deep to us. In this plight we find David often, though a man after God's own heart, Ps. vi. 2, 3, Ps. Ixxxviii. 2, &c., Ps. xl. 12 ; and Jonah, a prophet, Jonah ii. 2, &c. ; and Hezekiah, Isa. xxxviii. 13 ; and Job especially. Job vi. 4. But why is this thus, seeing our head, Christ Jesus, hath suffered for us ? I answer, we must suffer,
Reason 1. First, 'That we may know xchat Christ siiffned for us b;/ our own experience, without which we should but lightly esteem of our redemption, not knowing how to value Christ's sufferings sufficiently, which is a horrible sin, Heb. ii. 3.
Eeason 2. Secondly, By our sufferings we know wliat a hitter thinfi sin is, Jer. ii. 19, as by the ill consequents thereof : for without the taste of God's wrath, we find nothing but sweetness and pleasure in sin ; and therefore, we have so much sense of God's wrath as to humble us, but shews not the extremity of the depth of sin, lest we should sink down into despair.
Beason 3. Thirdly, By our afflictions and depths, ice manifest God's power and f/lory the more in our deliverance : for the greater the trouble is, the greater is the deliverance ; as the greater the cure is, the greater credit the physician gets.
Beason 4. Fourthly, Many times, by less evils, it is GocVs manner to cure qrcater ; and thus he suff"ers us to feel wrath, to cure us of security, which is as a grave to the soul ; as also to cure spiritual pride, that robs us of grace, dealing with us as he did with the Israelites. He would not cast out all the nations from before them, but left some that might be employed in hunting and destroying the wild beasts, which might else multiply against the children of Israel. And thus God dealt with Paul, gave him to be vexed by a base temptation, lest he should be lifted up with spiritual pride, through the abundance of revel-ations, 2 Cor. xii. 7.