Verse 5. — And herein, upon the account of the forgiveness that is with thee, O Lord, do I wait with all patience, quietness, and perse- verance. In this work is my whole soul engaged, even in an earnest expectation of thy approach unto me in a way of grace and mercy. And for my encouragement therein hast thou given out unto me a blessed word of grace, a faithful word of promise, whereon my hope is fixed.
Verse 6. — Yea, in the performance and discharge of this duty, my soul is intent upon thee, and in its whole frame turned towards thee, and that with such diligence and watchfulness in looking out after every way and means of thy appearance, of the manifestation of thyself, and coming luito me, that I excel therein those who, with longing desire, heedfulness, and earnest expectation, do wait and watch for the appearance of the morning ; and that either that they may rest from their night Avatches, or have light for the duties of thy worship in the temple, which they are most delighted in.
Verses 7, 8. — Herein have I found that rest, peace, and satisfaction unto my own soul, that 1 cannot but invite and encourage others in the like condition to take the same course with me. Let, then, all the Israel of God, all that fear him, learn this of me, and from my expenence. Be not hasty in your distresses, despond not, despair not, turn not aside unto other remedies ; but hope m the
Ver.l-S.] GENERAL SCOPE OF THE WHOLE PSALM. o20
Lord : for I can now, in an especial manner, give testimony unto this, that there is mercy with him suited unto your relief. Yea, whatever your distress be, the redemption that is with him is so bounteous, plenteous, and unsearchable, that the undoubted issue of your performance of this duty will be, that you shall be delivered from the guilt of all your sins and the perplexities of all your troubles.
GENERAL SCOPE OF THE WHOLE PSALM.
The design of the Holy Ghost in this psalm is to express, in the experience of the psalmist and the worhing of his faith, the state and condition of a soul greatly in itself perplexed, relieved on the account of grace, and acting itself towards God and his saints suitably to the discovery of that grace unto him ; — a great design, and full of great instruction.
And this general prospect gives us the par^s and scope of the whole psalm ; for we have, —
I. The state and condition of the said therein represented, with his deportment in and under that state and condition, in verses 1, 2: —
" Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice ; let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my sup- pUcations."
II. His inquiry after relief And therein are two things that pre- sent themselves unto him ; the one whereof, which first offers the consideration of itself to him in his distress, he deprecates, verse 3 : —
" If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, 0 Lord, Avho shall stand ? "
The other he closeth luithal, and finds relief in it and support- ment by it, verse 4: —
" But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.''
Upon this, his discovery and fixing on relief, there is the acting of his faith and the deportment of his whole person : — ■
1. Towards God, verses 5, 6: —
" I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning : I say, more than they that watch for the morning."
2. Towards the saints, verses 7, 8 : —
" Let Israel hope in the Lord : for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities."
330 AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM cxxx. [Ver.1,2.
All which parts, and the various couccruments of them, must be opened severally.
And this also gives an account of what is my design from and upon the words of this psalm, — namely, to declare the perplexed entanglements which may befall a gracious soul, such a one as this psalmist Avas, with the nature and proper workings of faith in such a condition ; principally aiming at what it is that gives a soul relief and supportment in, and afterward deliverance from, such a perplexed estate.
The Lord in mercy dispose of these meditations in such a way and manner as that both he that writes and they that read may be made partakers of the benefit, relief, and consolation intended for his saints in this psalm by the Holy Ghost !
VERSES FIRST AND SECOND.
The state and condition of the soul represented in the psalm — The two first
verses opened.
The state and condition of the soul here represented as the basis on which the proceiss of the psalm is built, with its deportment, or the general actmg of its faith in that state, is expressed in the two first verses: —
" Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice : let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my sup- plications."