are not able to apprehend the manner of his gracious dealing with us When the Lord turned againe the captivity of Sion Psal 116.1 they were like them that dreame Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing The Apostle himselfe in his gaole-delivery Act. 12.9 wist not that it was true which was done but thought hee had seene a vision At what time soever God is pleased to inspire his grace and comfort into us we ought to rejoyce therein and by night on the bed to seeke him whom our soule loveth Cant. 3.1 Circumscribatur nox aliquid ex illa in diem transferatur Senec. abridging that time of rest and ease that it may become as beneficiall unto us as the day it selfe David was not satisfied by offering the sacrifice of thankesgiving in the courts of the Lords house Psal 116.17 and paying his vowes in the presence of all the people But in the night also he would continue his song of Gods mercy Siquis adest auditor luâ—ciniae prius al imus quam cantus deficiet Like that excellent bird which is never weary or spent by continuing her delightfull notes So this sweete singer of Israel was uncessant in praising the Lord not giving sleepe to his eyes untill hee had blest his holy name In time of affliction hee made his bed to swimme praying unto the Lord to returne and deliver his soule Now in prosperity hee gives thankes for the blessings hee doth receive When our bones are vexed and our sleep departeth from us wee pray unto God to deale mercifully with us But when our diseases are healed wee doe not returne to give thankes being soone overtaken with heavinesse and security And yet David did endeavour to watch in the night that hee might sing praise unto the Lord. He did not then onely meditate in the Law of God when he could not take any rest as Ahasuerus had the booke of the records of the Chronicles read before him Esther 6.1 when hee could not sleepe for now hee might lye downe in peace and sleepe when God made him to dwell in safety Much lesse did hee intend to procure sleepe by a sinister performance of any good duty which notwithstanding is a corrupt practice of many men who by singing or reading or hearing or meditating will have an unworthy aime to bring themselves asleepe and yet confessing that the enemy is most busied when they are best exercised And therefore David saith Psal 149 5. Let the Saints sing aloud upon their beds Thereby to testifie their cheerefull devotion and also to prevent that spirit of slumber Such as shall thinke to obtaine quiet rest by performing any such action in it selfe commendable they doe like unto that people which followed Christ not because of the miracles Iohn 6.26 but because they were filled with the loaves So these seeke him not that their faith may bee strengthened but that their bodies may bee refreshed The words then used by them being as a charme to gaine their purpose Wee know how dangerous the fall of Eutichus was Acts 20.9 and yet he was overcome by a deepe sleep against his will whereas these men doe addresse themselves thereunto stretching out the arme to welcome sleepe rather than to declare any fervent zeale And therefore as their offence is more hainous so their fall will bee greater And they also offend in an high nature who in publike are not able to watch one houre but doe settle themselves to their repose With what horror may they feare to be awakened by the sound of the last trumpe who have despised the voyce of God And how can they sleepe without suffering many things Mat. 27.19 because of that Iust Man whom they so unjustly contemne in their neglect of his Word exhibited unto them This example may be very forcible to convince the sluggard that folds his hands to sleepe Shall David improve the night to so happy an use and wilt thou consume both day and night in drowsinesse and sloth Also this good act here mentioned doth confute them that neglect the frequent use of so heavenly a duty Whereas the Apostle doth call upon us to sing with a grace in our heart Ephes 5 29. Col. 3.16 making melody unto the Lord. Quod essent soliti stato die antelucem convenire câ—â—menque Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem Plin. Iun. And in former time Christians were so fervent in spirit that they would not forbeare their spirituall songs in the night though their lives were brought in danger thereby Vide Tertullian in Apologet Buâ— now excepting that generall exercise in the congregation where there be too many abridgments of abridgements the use thereof is not so common as it ought to be In some families it is rare in other it is never thought upon In Societies and Colledges where friends meeting privately in the end of the best day Luke 24.32 perhaps their heart may burn within them while they talke about the Scripture but yet this holy duty is much omitted which if it were conscionably performed in a religious manner would bring comfort unto the soule by letting the servants of God to depart in peace Mat. 26.30 That hymne which Christ sang with his Apostles may bee a president unto all that are in authority to doe likewise David saith that the Lords song shall be with him in the night Psal 118.14 And that the Lord is his strength and his song which doth confound the foolish love-songs and unreasonable poems which are too much in request Songs in praise of Venus and the great Diana to the dishonour of their Creatour the shame of the maker striving to get a name though it be by their owne confusion This their way is their folly yet their posterity approve their sayings Of these we may say as Ronsard spake of the famous Du-Bartas He hath done more in a day then I have done in my whole life So David hath done more by this song in the night than they by the writings of their whole life Wherefore let them forbeare any longer to exceed their bounds in loose dittyes and wanton catches whereby youth is soone taken as appeares by the lewd songs so common in their night-walks more harsh to every good eare than the voyce of the raven or any prodigious bird VERSE VIII And my prayer unto the God of my life BEfore he spake of the blessings received God commanding his loving kindnesse in the day time Of his thanks-giving for those blessings singing praise unto God in the night And now he betakes himselfe unto Prayer for the continuance of those blessings and supply of all graces needfull Wee see our poore and weake estate in this life If God withdraw his right hand we fall and perish If he stop the fountaine of his mercies we dye for thirst Wee cannot say that we are rich
excited to seeke for heavenly blessings and spirituall graces VERSE II. When shall I come and appeare before God IT was Davids resolution One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seeke after Psal 27.4 that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life Here you see the performance thereof He doth not grieve for the losse of any outward benefit nor so much as mention his former estate but onely desireth to appeare before God whereby he hoped to obtaine that for which his soule thirsted It is true that God seeth us in all places Whither can I goe from thy face O Lord or whither can I flee from thy presence But his favour and loving countenance is chiefly revealed in the assembly of the Saints Cant. 6.2 My beloved is gone downe into his garden to the beds of spices God is present in the congregation where the prayers praises of his children are offered up as sweet odours before him In it selfe the presence of God may seeme a cause of horrour and feare to us sinners who are as stubble be him a consuming fire Wee know that the Israelites were afraid to come nigh Moses Exod. 34.30 unto whom the Lord had appeared Naturally we are ready to hide our selves from the presence of the Lord God â—en 3.8 But in Christ we have confidence and free accesse and having found him a loving Father we for ever pray Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon us Psal 4 which wee desire above any good above all the good in the world The father in the parable said Luk. 15.31 Sonne thou art ever with mee and all that I have is thine So we by presenting our selves before the Lord come to be made partakers of all his blessings Thereby wee are gathered under his wings of providence and mercy Mat. 13.48 Thereby wee are within the compasse of the net and shall be taken with the good Thereby wee have communion with God and his Angels and one with another Then let us come and appeare before God The children of this world are wise in their generation If they have hope of benefite or advancement from any superior how diligent will they be in their attendance Oâ—arem ut oâ—â—endas me 〈◊〉 esse hominâ—â— non ingâ—atum Poâ—â—â— an Nâ—â— indignus quâ—m tu alâ—qâ—â—ndo respicâ—â— How desirous to bee ever in view How politicke in that which they give chusing some Present of use and remembrance Happy were we if wee were thus provident for our soules Then would we set our selves before the Sunne of Righteousnesse the light whereof would be sweet and pleasant unto our eyes Our darke understandings should be illuminated and we made glorious within But if wee neglect such precious means of salvation our danger is greater than that of Queene Esther Esther 4. shee feared to perish by a temporall death because shee went unto the King not being called We may feare to perish both body soule unlesse wee doe come unto the great King who hath so often called us who hath held out the golden scepter of his word unto us Absalom having lived two yeares in Ierusalem and not seene the King shewed the dutifull affection of a good sonne in this particular 2. Sam. 14.32 that hee had rather bee put to death if there were any iniquity in him than to bee any longer deprived of the sight of his father By which example wee may learne to value this royall priviledge that wee have in appearing before God And to count it more deare unto us than life it selfe And yet most men do not value this singular prerogative that God hath given them even the whole world abideth in this sinne There was a day Iob. 1. when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord but the sonnes of men care not for the seaventh day nor any other day wherein to present themselves before him Some there are that be worse than the three guests invited to the marriage Luk 14.18 for they pretended that they could not come these absolutely deny and say they will not come and before that they will come they will pay the earnest peny here and reserve the greatest payment untill the last For with what comfort can they expect to appeare before God in that great day who never cared to appear before him in their life yea rather than they would then appeare they wil call to the hils to cover them There be others that are so encumbred with the affaires of this life that they little thinke of appearing before God untill that hee doth punish them for that neglect As the Law was our School-master to bring us unto Christ by instruction Gal. 3.24 so the judgements due by the Law for our sinnes have beene as our Schoolemaster to bring us unto Christ by correction When wee have beene as wanton children addicted unto play and omitting that which wee ought most seriously to intend the Lord hath dealt with us as hee did by Lot and his wife being mercifull unto them Gen. 19.16 while they lingred and were backward in departing from Sodom God sent his Angels which layd hold on them and brought them forth While wee have beene unwilling to forsake our sinnes and ascend up into the holy mountaine God hath sent his Angels with their swords drawne some great plague which hath cut off many thousands in the way that could not then come and appeare before God and hath scourged others into the TeÌ„ple which before were carelesse in that duty though formerly wee would not say with Samuel Speake Lord for thy servant heareth then wee have beene enforced to say Heare Lord for thy servant speaketh Being poore wee have spoken supplications wee have humbled our soules in fasting and mourning and the Lord in wrath hath remembred his wonted mercies Some there bee that come abruptly without due preparation as if they were brought thither unawares by some greaâ— strong wind 1. King 19 â— but the Lord was not in that winde They looke for the same immediate and miraculous assistance of Gods spirit which the Apostles had who tooke no thought what to speake Mat. 10.19 for it was given them in the same houre So they take no thought what they heare nor how they heare thinking it shall bee given them in the same houre Their customary performance in the first entrance I cannot relate without indignation how rude and insufficient it is doth appeare unto all men Will God regard that prayer which thou thy selfe dost so little regard Whereas thy Soliloquie then though performed with the best reverence should be but as the Amen to thy private devotions that went before judge in your selves is it comely so to doe Holy David who so earnestly desired to appeare before God when hee had that liberty granted unto him did hee rashly and unadvisedly thrust himselfe into
doth behold us as hee did his servant David delivering us out of all afflictions And in the performance of holy duties hee seeth us as he did Nathaneel Ioh. 1 48. sending his grace to prevent accompany and follow us Lastly when that which is perfect is come wee shall with Paul see him face to face 1. Cor. 13.12 Truly the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sun Eccles 11.7 If this outward light bee so delightfull then what an excellent blessing is it Num. 6. verse 25 26. when the Lord doth make his face to shine upon us and is gracious unto us and doth lift up his countenance upon us That wee may obtaine this benediction wee must bee obedient unto his Word When hee saith Psal 27.8 Seeke yee my face Our heart must answer Thy face Lord will I seeke Not for a short time 105.4 but continually And though a man beholding his naturall face in a glasse goeth away Iam. 1.24 straightway forgetteth what manner of man hee was yet wee when the Lord hath in mercy revealed himselfe unto us must not forget his benefits but ever bee mindfull of his gifts that are without repentance and alwayes praise him for the help of his countenance Wee cannot expect deliverance out of trouble unlesse God doth helpe us and when wee have received many blessings wee shall neither desire nor yet bee able to praise him without the helpe of his countenance So that God doth provide both the altar and the sacrifice Hee freely bestowes his benefits and he doth enable us to offer our thankes-giving and to praise him for the help of his countenance VERSE VI. O my God my soule is cast down within mee VVHen the disciples could not cure him that was lunaticke Mat. 17.15 they bring him to Christ himselfe So when David could not by his owne endeavours cast out this spirit of heavinesse hee seeketh unto the Lord of life to speake the word and this disease of his â—oule shall bee healed Haâ— he recovered his life of comfort by a stedfast hope in Gods mercy which hee laboured for in the formeâ— verse yet then hee must have confessed that it was the grace of God whereby iâ— was effected But that which is obtained by prayer doth come more immediately from Gods right hand and for such blessings wee are most thankfull Wee come with confidence unto the throne of grace when wee have used and doe use all good meanes to recover strength and assurance Doth God bid us doe some great thing we doe it willingly Doth hee command some small thing therein also we yeeld our cheerefull obedience I cannot give sufficient testimony unto these two so excellent duties serious examination of the soule and fervent praier unto the Lord The former like Mount Sinai full of terrour when by looking into our selves wee feare and tremble because of our guiltinesse having offended against the lawes of God The latter like Mount Sion Heb. 12. bringing consolation through Iesus the Mediator of the New covenant whose bloud speaketh better things than that of Abel In the right performance whereof our griefe is asswaged if we prostrate our selves before the Lord in prayer hee will raise up our soules with spirituall comfort This is the best refuge of every beleever whereby he hopeth for these sure mercies of David And this is the Sanctuary of a Christian from whence hee cannot bee taken and wherein hee shall not perish Our sorrow may often cause us to call upon the Lord but the soule is never cast downe so low as to bee wholly disabled from prayer Being of a sorrowfull spirit though wee cannot expresse our misery yet wee can speake in our heart unto the Lord. David being dejected by griefe and heavinesse doth yet lift up his soule in prayer and beleeves that God is his God though now hee seemed to forsake him When the winde doth blow wee wrap our garments more close about us in trouble wee draw neere unto God and labour to apply his promises unto our soules The childe walking in the darke doth adhere unto his father and takes hold upon him that hee may guide him and preserve him from danger So wee in the most disconsolate estate doe cleave unto the Lord and repose our whole confidence in his love Our Author in speaking of God and his soule doth thus plead for himselfe Thou art my God and I am thy servant Let the wicked bee clothed with shame and dishonour let their heart dye within them But redeeme my soule that I may not bee desolate because I trust in thee Deliver mee from all my feares and thou Lord shalt bee magnified which hast pleasure in the prosperity of thy servant My soule is thy gift it came from thee and I have given it unto thee How can it ascend towards thee when it is thus pressed downe by manifold troubles The waters are come in unto my soule Psal 69.1.2 I sinke in deepe mire where there is no standing My soule abiding in this darke house of earth lyeth prostrate upon the ground and is not able to rise Lord heare the poore and despise not thy prisoner Let thy salvation O God set me up on high let thy light and thy truth lead mee and bring mee unto thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles VERSE VI. Therefore will I remember thee from the land of Iordan and of the Hermonites from the hill Missar ANother help which David used to sustaine himselfe in this time of trouble was by calling to minde the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of Iordan Iosh 3. where God provided a passage for the Israelits preserved him when he passed over to shun Saul So now going over the river 2. Sam. 17.22 hee hoped that God would make a way for him to escape the danger that might come by Absalom Whereas hee nameth the land of Iordan and of the Hermonites he suggesteth to our remembrance the victory which God gave unto his people when they tooke the land that was on this side Iordan from the river of Arnon unto Mount Hermon at which time Og Deut. 3.8 who was of the remnant of the giants was overthrowne And thereby his hope might bee confirmed that although high-minded Absalom was swoln with proud conceits 1. King 20.11 and girding on his harnesse diâ— boast himselfe as if hee had put it off yet the right hand of God was not shortned noâ— his power diminished Buâ— hee will save and deliver all them that put their trust in him Now these three places here mentioned being the bounds of that countrey inhabited by the Israelites Iordan towards the East Hermon the North and the hill Missar the South hee might from thence have this comfortable assurance that God who was pleased to give unto his people so fruitfull a land after their tedious passage through the wildernesse would likewise in
Revel 3.17 and increased in goods and have need of nothing For in our selves wee are wretched and miserable Going out full in the morning we may be brought home againe empty in the evening Having in the day given thanks unto God who filleth us with his blessings before night we pray unto him for our dayly bread In our thankfull acknowledgment of the benefits we doe enjoy we humbly pray unto God to renew his wōted mercies and to multiply his favours upon us How can we testifie our due valuation of the bounty and goodnesse of the Almighty but by ascribing all glory unto him when our soules doe blesse the Lord and all that is within us doe praise his holy name How can we better declare the sincerity and devotion of our thanks-giving than by our fervent prayer for the increase of those graces for which we desire to give thanks He that is in want may move compassion He that is gratefull will soone obtaine reliefe Can we presume to beg any thing of God not having rightly priced those blessings which we have formerly received from his bountifull hands David was so far from forgetting any benefit that God had bestowed upon him that in this prayer he doth insinuate a dutifull remembrance of Gods gracious dealing with him in that he calleth Him The God of his life who breathed into him the breath of life who in sicknesse healed his diseases and brought up his soule from the grave Who delivered him from the Beare and the Lion and that lion-like man Goliah and that Fox who sought after the blood of this Lambe and yet confessing him to be innocent And here from this ravening Woolfe Absalom who in the morning devour'd the prey slew his brother Amnon And now thought to divide the spoyle by casting his father out of his throne into his sepulchre laboured to have the Sun turned into darknesse that himselfe might have shined like a blazing meteor But God was the God of his life The living the living he shal praise thee as I doe this day Having received so great a blessing he doth use it to the praise of his name And from Him he hoped for that better life when this should be finished for which Bathsheba prayed That the King might live for ever Our life being a good gift doth come from the Father of lights In him we live and move and have our being And whether we live or dye we are the Lords Then let us live to his glory and bee willing to forsake all things to follow Christ and to lose our lives that we may save them at the last day not like the unregenerate who wil preserve their lives though they destroy their soules and will keepe their goods though they spend their lives as Ananias did Act. 5.5 Mat. 21.19 being like the fig-tree which brought forth the broad leaves of outward profession whereby hee thought to cover his nakednesse Gen. 3.7 But wanting sound fruit he was blasted by the breath of divine justice and withered away By this example of David we may be taught unto whom to direct our prayers Even unto the God of our life who hath given us so great a blessing is able to give us all things requisite for our good How voyd of all sense and understanding are they that neglect praying unto the eternall and everliving God and doe pray unto Saints which are dead which never were living and doe represent their prayers unto images in a language equally unknowne to the idoll and themselves Psal 115 8. They that make them so is every one that trusteth in them VERSE IX I will say unto God My rocke why hast thou forgotten me why goe I mourning because of the oppressions of the enemye DAvid doth here premeditate what he should say when he comes to speake unto the Lord in prayer And in so doing he becomes a good example unto us duely to consider our necessity that we may performe this holy duty with the more reverence and thereby obtaine the more comfort As wee use to examin our selves before we come to the Lords supper where we are made the partakers of the body blood of Christ So likewise we ought to search our hearts before prayer at which time we partake of the benefit of his sufferings Mat. 6.7 And then we must omit vaine repetitions for we are not heard for our much speaking A few words with fervency zeale are better than ten thousand without importunity holinesse The Pharisee made a great sound in his prayer But the Publican like a vessel full of pretious liquor strikes himselfe upon the breast drawes out these few words God be mercifull to me a sinner Our care must be to fitt our prayer unto the present occasion And that estate wherein we then are Sometime the soule is lifted up with joy and then there is cause of thanksgiving and praysing the name of the Lord for his manifold blessings Sometime it is weighed downe with sorrow and then we must be humbled in confession of our owne vnworthinesse and labour to strengthen our selves by trusting in Gods mercyes All helps are good that may either assist us therein or enable us thereunto But above al the Holy Spirit which teacheth all things and sheweth unto every man the griefe of his owne heart leading him in the way of life By the which we must be guided instructed all the dayes of our lives In comparison whereof all other are but blind guides And not fitted to every particular exigent Paul being unable to see was led by the hand Act. 9.8 But after the scales fell from his eyes he needed no such helpe And that other blind man cured by Christ Iohn 9.21 being of age was able to speake for himselfe They that are strong men in Christ doe poure out their complaint before the Lord Yea the new-borne child doth cry though not able to speake In the beginning we cry unto the Lord in sighs and grones And afterward growing from milke to strong meate as the flax which at first did but smoke in the end doth burn bright wee are able to make expression of our want When Zacharias his mouth shall bee opened Luk. 1.63 and his tongue loosed that hee could speake to the praise of God the writing table may bee laid aside Naturally wee are all borne with this infirmity and unlesse God put forth his hand and touch our mouth as hee did Ieremiahs Ier. 1.9 wee are not able to speake unto him Let us then covet this excellent endowment and pray unto God to open our lips and to touch our tongue with a coale from the altar that we may obtaine this originall and fundamentall blessing whereby so many graces are derived unto us and wee come to bee built up in our most holy faith In our voyage to heaven take heed of these two dangerous rocks Either to withdraw the shoulder Nehem. 9.29 laying