Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_200.lzh/4_219.TXT

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meat is very grievous, Heb. x. 26--29. and now partly
on account of the daring impiety of wicked men, who
stretch out their hands against God, and strengthen
themselves .against the Almighty, and run upon him,
even on the thick bosses of his bucklers; because of
the shocking nature of their sins, the sad examples
thereby set to others, the detriment they are of to them-
selves, and dishonour they bring to God; and partly
because of the dreadful punishment that shall be in-
flicted on them here, and especially hereafter, when a
horrible tempest of wrath will come upon them.
IIence such trembling seized the psalmist; and often
.so it is, that good men tremble more for the wicked
than they do for themselves; see ver. 120.
Ver. 54. Thy statutes have been my songs in the house
of my pilgrimage.] Meaning either his unsettled state,
.fleeing from place to place before Saul; or, literally,
his house of cedar, his court and palace, which he con-
sidered no other than as an inn he had .put into upon
Iris travels homeward; or rather the earthly house of
his tabernacle, in which, as long as. he continued, he
was but a pilgrim and stranger; or, best of all, the
whole course of his life; which Jacob calls the days
of the years of his pilgrimage, Gen. xlvii. 9. so Hip-
parchus the Pythagorean {i} calls this life a sort of a pil-
grimage; and Plato also. This world is not the saints'
house and home; this is not their rest and residence;
they confess themselves pilgrims and strangers here;
and that they belong to another city, and a better coun-
try, an heavenly one, which they are seeking and tra-
velling to, tIeb. xi. 13--16. And as travetlers sing
songs to themselves as they pass on, which makes the
way the more easy and pleasant to them, so the psalmist
had his songs which he sung in his pilgrimage-state;
and these were the statutes, or word of the Lord, and
the things in it, which were as delightful to him as the
songs of trave!lers to them. Or the songs he made
and sung were composed out of the word of God; and
which may serve to reoommend the psalms, hymns,
and spiritual songs, made by him, the sweet psalmist
of Israel, to the Gospel churches, to be sung by them,
Ephes. v. 19.
Ver. 55. I have remembered thy name, 0 Lord, in the
night, &c.] In the night of distress and affliction, as
Jarchi; or rather literally, in the night-season, when
on his bed and awake: whilst others were asleep, he
revolved in his mind the greatness ofthe divine Being;
the perfections of his nature; his wonderful works of
creation, providence, and grace; his word and ordi-
nance.s, by which he was made known unto the sons
of men; and these he called to mind and reedStated
upon in the night-watches, to encourage his faith and
hope in the Lord, and draw out his love and affection
to him. And have kept thy law: though imperfectly,
yet spiritually, sincerely, heartily, and from a principle
of love and gratitude, and with a view to the glory of
God, and without mercenary and sinister ends.
Ver. 56. This I had, because I kept thy precepts.]
Either the comfort he had from the word, the pleasure
and delight he had in it, being his songs in his pSI-
grimage, ver. 50, 54. see ver. 1($5. or this knowledge
of the name of God, and the remembrance of it, and
his carefulness and diligence in it in the night-season,
were of the Lord, and gifts of his: or rather this he
had from the Lord, that he kept the precepts and com-
mands of God in the manner that he did; it was all
owing to grace and strength received from him; for so
the words may be rendered, this was given unto me,
that I have kept thai precepts {k}.

     \^x\^, r7, Cit~.Tlt.--The Eighth Part.
Ver. 57. Thou art my portion, 0 Lord, &c.] Which
he chose and preferred to all others; to the riches, ho-
hours, and profits of this world; the grant of which
was made to him in the covenant of grace; the first
discovery of it was from the Lord himself; and the
choice and claim were made under the influence of his
grace; and a great act of faith it is to assert this, and
a wonderful blessing to enjoy it. This is a large por-
tion indeed, immense and inconceivable, soul satis-
fying, safe, and for ever! see Psal. lxxiii. 26. I have
said that I would keep thy words; keep his command-
ments, lay up his promises, observe his doctrines, pro-
fess and retain them; this he determined within him-
self to do, under a sense of the love of God to him, in
being his portion and inheritance. Some render the
words, in connex:,on with the former, thus, roy portion,
0 Lord, I said, is, or shall be, to keep thy words {l}; it is
the part and portion of sortie to preach the word, and
of others to hear it; and of all to keep or observe it, its
precepts, promises, and truths. Aben Ezra gives the
sense of them thus, "This I said to many, perhaps
"they will keep thy words ;" namely, that the Lord
was his portion, which he thought might induce them
to an observance of them, as he had done.
Ver. 58. I eatrented thy fayour with my whole heart,
&c.] Or, thy foce "{m}; to see it; or thy presence, to en-
joy it; to have communion with God, and the light of
his countenance; than which nothing is more desirable
and delightful to a gracious man: as also to be remem-
bered with the special favour of God, in which is life;
to have his love shed abroad in the heart; to have
large views of interest in it, and to be rooted and
grounded therein; and this the psalmist eatreared, not
in an hypocritical manner, but with all sincerity, hear-
tiness, and affection, having tasted that the Lord was
gracious. Or, made thy face sick{n}; wearied him with
supplications, gave him no rest until he obtained his
request. Be merciful unto me, according to thy word:
have compassion on me; sympathize with me in all
my troubles; grant me fresh supplies of grace; and
particularly shew and apply thy pardoning grace and
mercy to me, according to thy word of promise in the
covenant of grace, in which provision is made for for-
giveness of' sins; see Psal. IS. 1. Aben Ezra and
Kimchi think reference is had to Exod. xxxiii. 19, but
rather it is to 2 Sam xii. 13.
Vet. 59. I thought on my ways, &c.] What they
were, whether right or wrong; whither they led, what
would be the consequences of waiking in them: the

{i} De Anim. Tranquill. inter Fragm. Pythagor. p. 11. Ed. Gale.
{k} \^yk\^ quod, Pagninus, Montanus.
{l} So Montanus, Piscator.
{m} \^Kynp\^ tuam faciem, Pagninus; tuae facies, Montanus.
{n} \^ytylx\^ tuum velut fatigavi vultum, Gejerus. So Horace, Carmin.
l. 1. Ode. 2. v. 26. prece qua fatigent virgines.