object of contemplation to the wicked, and a knowledge of him as
undesirable. Pride consists in an unduly exalted opinion of one's
self. It is, therefore, impatient of a rival, hates a superior,
and cannot endure a master. In proportion as it prevails in the
heart, it makes us wish to see nothing above us, to acknowledge
no law but our own wills, to follow no rule but our own
inclinations. Thus it led Satan to rebel against his Creator, and
our first parents to desire to be as gods. Since such are the
effects of pride, it is evident that nothing can be more painful
to a proud heart than the thoughts of such a being as God; one
who is infinitely powerful, just, and holy; who can neither be
resisted, deceived, nor deluded; who disposes, according to his
own sovereign pleasure, of all creatures and events; and who, in
an especial manner, hates pride, and is determined to abase and
punish it. Such a being pride can contemplate only with feelings
of dread, aversion, and abhorrence. It must look upon him as its
natural enemy, the great enemy, whom it has to fear. But the
knowledge of God directly tends to bring this infinite,
irresistible, irreconcilable enemy full to the view of the proud
man. It teaches him that he has a superior, a master, from whose
authority he cannot escape, whose power he cannot resist, and
whose will he must obey, or be crushed before him, and be
rendered miserable for ever. It shows him what he hates to see,
that, in despite of his opposition, God's counsel shall stand,
that he will do all his pleasure, and that in all things wherein
men deal proudly, God is above them. These truths torture the
proud unhumbled hearts of the wicked, and hence they hate that
knowledge of God which teaches these truths, and will not seek
it. On the contrary, they wish to remain ignorant of such a
being, and to banish all thoughts of him from their minds. With
this view, they neglect, pervert, or explain away those passages
of revelation which describe God's true character, and endeavour
to believe that he is altogether such a one as themselves.
How foolish, how absurd, how
ruinous, how blindly destructive of its own object, does pride
appear! By attempting to soar, it only plunges itself in the
mire, and while endeavouring to erect for itself a throne, it
undermines the ground on which it stands and digs its own grave.
It plunged Satan from heaven into hell; it banished our first
parents from paradise; and it will, in a similar manner, ruin all
who indulge in it. It keeps us in ignorance of God, shuts us out
from his favour, prevents us from resembling him, deprives us in
this world of all the honour and happiness which communion with
him would confer; and in the next, unless previously hated,
repented of, and renounced, will bar for ever against us the door
of heaven, and close upon us the gates of hell. O then, my
friends, beware, above all things, beware of pride! Beware, lest
you indulge it imperceptibly, for it is perhaps, of all sins, the
most secret, subtle, and insinuating. Edward Payson, D.D.,
1783-1827.
Verse 4. David speaks in Psalm 10 of great and potent
oppressors and politicians, who see none on earth greater than
themselves, none higher than they, and think therefore that they
may impuns prey upon the smaller, as beasts use to do; and
in the fourth verse this is made the root and ground of all, that
God is not in all his thoughts. "The wicked, through the pride
of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all
his thoughts." The words are diversely read, and all make for
this sense. Some read it, "No God in all his crafty presumptuous
purposes;" others, "All his thoughts are, there is no God." The
meaning whereof is not only that among the swarm and crowd of
thoughts that fill his mind, the thought of God is seldom to be
found, and comes not in among the rest, which yet is enough for
the purpose in hand; but further, that in all his projects and
plots, and consultations of his heart (the first reading of the
words intends), whereby he contrives and lays the plot, form, and
draught of all his actions, he never takes God or his will into
consideration or consultation, to square and frame all
accordingly, but proceeds and goes on in all, and carries on all
as if there were no God to be consulted with. He takes not him
along with him, no more than if he were no God; the thoughts of
him and his will sway him not. As you use to say, when a
combination of men leave out someone they should advise with,
that such a one is not of their counsel, is not in the plot; so
nor is God in their purposes and advisings, they do all without
him. But this is not all the meaning, but farther, all their
thought is, that there is no God. This is there made the bottom,
the foundation, the groundwork and reason of all their wicked
plots and injurious projects, and deceitful carriages and
proceedings, that seeing there is no God or power above them to
take notice of it, to regard or requite them, therefore they may
be bold to go on. Thomas Goodwin.
Verse 4. "Of his countenance." Which pride he
carrieth engraven in his very countenance and forehead, and makes
it known in all his carriages and gestures. "Will not
seek," namely, he contemneth all divine and human laws, he
feareth not, respecteth not God's judgments; he careth for
nothing, so he may fulfil his desires; enquires after, nor
examines nothing; all things are indifferent to him. John
Diodati.
Verse 4. "All his thoughts are, there is no
God;" thus some read the passage. Seneca says, there are no
atheists, though there would be some; if any say there is no God,
they lie; though they say it in the day time, yet in the night
when they are alone they deny it; howsoever some desperately
harden themselves, yet if God doth but show himself terrible to
them, they confess him. Many of the heathens and others have
denied that there is a God, yet when they were in distress, they
did fall down and confess him, as Diagoras, that grand atheist,
when he was troubled with the strangullion, acknowledged a deity
which he had denied. These kind of atheists I leave to the tender
mercies of God, of which I doubt it whether there be any for
them. Richard Stock.
Verse 4. "God is not in all his thoughts." It is
the black work of an ungodly man or an atheist, that God is not
in all his thoughts. What comfort can be had in the being of God
without thinking of him with reverence and delight? A God
forgotten is as good as no God to us. Stephen Charnock.
Verse 4. Trifles possess us, but "God is not in all our
thoughts," seldom the sole object of them. We have durable
thoughts of transitory things, and flitting thoughts of a durable
and eternal good. The covenant of grace engageth the whole heart
to God, and bars anything else from engrossing it; but what
strangers are God and the souls of most men! Though we have the
knowledge of him by creation, yet he is for the most part an
unknown God in the relations wherein he stands to us, because a
God undelighted in. Hence it is, as one observes, that because we
observe not the ways of God's wisdom, conceive not of him in his
vast perfections, nor are stricken with an admiration of his
goodness, that we have fewer good sacred poems than of any other
kind. The wits of men hang the wing when they come to exercise
their reasons and fancies about God. Parts and strength are given
us, as well as corn and wine to the Israelites, for the service
of God, but those are consecrated to some cursed Baal, Hosea 2:8.
like Venus in the poet, we forsake heaven to follow after some
Adonis. Stephen Charnock.
Verses 4, 5. The world hath a spiritual fascination and
witchcraft, by which, where it hath once prevailed, men are
enchanted to an utter forgetfulness of themselves and God, and
being drunk with pleasures, they are easily engaged to a madness
and height of folly. Some, like foolish children, are made to
keep a great stir in the world for very trifles, for a vain show;
they think themselves great, honourable, excellent, and for this
make a great bustle, when the world hath not added one cubic to
their stature of real worth. Others are by this Circe transformed
into savage creatures, and act the part of lions and tigers.
Others, like swine, wallow in the lusts of uncleanness. Others
are unmanned, putting off all natural affections, care not who
they ride over, so they may rule over or be made great. Others
are taken with ridiculous frenzies, so that a man that stands in
the cool shade of a sedate composure would judge them out of
their wits. It would make a man admire to read of the frisks of
Caius Caligula, Xerxes, Alexander, and many others, who because
they were above many men, thought themselves above human nature.
They forgot they were born and must die, and did such things as
would have made them, but that their greatness overawed it, a
laughing-stock and common scorn to children. Neither must we
think that these were but some few or rare instances of worldly
intoxication, when the Scripture notes it as a general distemper
of all that bow down to worship this idol. They live "without God
in the world," saith the apostle, that is, they so carry it as if
there were no God to take notice of them to check them for their
madness. "God is not in all his thoughts." Verse 4.
"The judgments of God are far above out of his sight;" he
puffs at his enemies (verse 5), and saith in his heart, he
"shall never be moved," Verse 6. The whole Psalm describes
the worldling as a man that hath lost all his understanding, and
is acting the part of a frantic bedlam. What then can be a more
fit engine for the devil to work with than the pleasures of the
world? Richard Gilpin.
Verse 5. "Grievous," or troublesome; that is, all
his endeavours and actions aim at nothing but at hurting others.
"Are far above," for he is altogether carnal, he hath not
any disposition nor correspondence with the justice of thy law,
which is altogether spiritual; and therefore cannot lively
represent unto himself thy judgments, and the issue of the wicked
according to the said law. Romans 7:14; 1 Corinthians 2:14.
"He puffeth;" he doth most arrogantly despise them, and is
confident he can overthrow them with a puff. John
Diodati.
Verse 5. "Thy judgments are far above out of his
sight." Because God does not immediately visit every sin with
punishment, ungodly men do not see that in due time he judges all
the earth. Human tribunals must of necessity, by promptness and
publicity, commend themselves to the common judgment, but the
Lord's modes of dealing with sin are sublimer and apparently more
tardy, hence the bat's eyes of godless men cannot see them, and
the grovelling wits of men cannot comprehend them. If God sat in
the gate of every village and held his court there, even fools
might discern his righteousness, but they are not capable of