pray with David, " Let thy mercy, O Lord, he upon me, according as my hope is in thee?" Verily, were this God's rule of acting towards us all, the greater part of us would never taste of his mercy to all eternity. But, thanks be to God ! he is sovereign in the exercise of his mercy, being " found often- times of them that sought him not, and made known to them that inquired not after him." Yet let us not presume on this : for, if he shew mercy to any, he will assuredly bring them to the state described in our text, and both put his " fear in their hearts," and " make them to abound in hope by the power of the Holy Ghost."]
Ps. xxxiv. 2, 3. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord : the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
A SENSE of gratitude to God for his mercies will ever abide in some measm'e on the soul of a true believer. But there are special occasions whereon he is so impressed with the Divine goodness, that he feels as if he never could forget it, and as if he would have the whole creation join with him in his devout acknowledgments. This was the frame of David's mind, when, by feigning himself mad, he had escaped out of the hands of Achish, who would probably have put him to death, or delivered him into the hands of Saul, his blood-thirsty persecutor ^
In discoursing on his words, we shall notice,
L His determination to praise God —
Ungodly men love to boast of themselves — [There is no man who has not some imaginary excellencies whereof to boast. If we possess any natural endowment either of mind or body, we are forward to bring it into notice, and to arrogate something to ourselves on account of it. One values herself upon her beauty ; another boasts of his strength or courage ; another prides himself in his wit, his penetration, or his judgment. Rather than pass unnoticed, the ungodly will boast of their iniquities and excesses ; yea, (strange to say !) of iniquities they have not committed, and of excesses to which they have never arrived.]
^ Compare 1 Sam. xxi. 10. to xxii. 1. with the title of this psalm..