Matthew Poole and continuators on Psalms 25

1. UNto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul .

(i. e.) I direct my Desires and Prayers, (which are expressed by this Phrase, Psal. 24. 4. Ier. 22. 27. Lam. 3. 41.) with hope or Expectation of a gracious Answer, which also it implies, Deut. 24. 15.

Marginal references: Psal. 143. 8.

2. O my God, I trust in thee, let me not be ashamed : let not mine enemies triumph over me.

(i. e.) Disappointed of my Hope, which will be reproachful to me, not without Reflection upon thee, of whose Power and Faithfulness I have made my boast.

Marginal references: Psal. 22. 5. & 31. 1. & 34. 8. Psal. 28. 7. Rom. 10. 11.

3. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed , let them be ashamed which transgress without a cause .

With me and for me: For, if I be frustrated, all that trust in thee will be discouraged, and upbraided with my Example.

Blast their wicked Designs and Hopes.

Or, Prevaricate, or deal Persidiously with me, violating their Faith given to me

Without any Provocation of mine, or without any sufficient Reason.

Marginal references: Psal. 119. 78.

4. Shew me thy ways , O LORD, teach me thy paths.

(i. e.▪ ) The way of thy Precepts, what I ought to do in my Circumstances and Difficulties, by what Methods I may obtain thy Favour and Help. Whatsoever thou dost with me as to other things, grant me this Favour, teach me my Duty, and cause me to keep close to it, notwithstanding all Temptations to the contrary.

Marginal references: Psal. 5. 8. & 27. 11. & 86. 11. & 119. 27. & 143. 8. 10.

5. Lead me in thy truth , and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation , on thee do I wait all the day.

(i. e.) In the true and right way prescribed in thy Word, which is oft called Truth, as Psal. 119. 30. Ioh. 8. 45, 46. and 16. 13. &c. Or, by or because of thy Truth, (i. e.) Because thou art Faithful, do thou lead or guide me as thou hast promised to do.

(i. e.) Who hast saved me formerly, and hast engaged to save me, and from whom alone I expect Salvation.

Marginal references: Psal. 26. 3.

6. Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies, and thy loving kindnesses for they have been ever of old .

O▪ consider thy own merciful Nature, and thy former manifold Favours vouchsafed to me, and to other miserable Sinners, and do like thy self.

Thou hast been gracious to such as I am, from the beginning of the World to this day, and to me in particular from my very Infancy, as he oft acknowledgeth in this Book, yea, from all Eternity thou hast had a good Will to me, and therefore, do not now desist and desert me.

Marginal references: Psal. 103. 17: & 106. 1. & 107. 1. Jer. 33. 11.; Heb. thy bowels.

7. Remember not the sins of my youth , nor my transgressions according to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodness sake , O LORD.

So as to lay them to my Charge.

The sins committed in my young and tender years, Eccles. 11. 9, 10. which God frequently punisheth in riper Age, Iob. 13▪ 26. Ier. 3. 25: and therefore he now prays that God would not deal so with him.

Nor any of my succeeding or other sins, which either have been Acted by me, or may be imputed to me.

Being a sinner I have nothing to plead for my self, but thy free Mercy and Goodness, which I now implore.

Marginal references: Job. 20. 11.

8. Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way .

(i. e.) Bountiful and gracious to sinners, ready to good, and delighting in it.

Or, Right, (i. e.) Holy and True, sincere in making Promises, and in all his Declarations and Offers of Mercy to sinners, and faithful in fulfilling them.

Being such an one, he will not be wanting to such poor sinners as I am, but will guide them by his Word and Spirit, and gracious Providence, into the way of Life and Peace. By sinners, he doth not understand all that are so, not such [illegible: 1+ letters]s are obstinate and Proud, and scornful, whom God hath declared, that he will not teach nor direct, but will leave them to the Errors and Lusts of their own Hearts, and will blind and harden them to their Ruine, as is often expressed in Scripture, but only such as being truly sensible of their sins, do humbly and earnestly seek God for his Grace and Mercy, or such as are Meek, as the next Verse explains it; for these he will not fail to assist and Relieve.

9. The meek will he guide in judgment : and the meek will he teach his way .

(i. e.) The humble and lowly, such as meekly submit themselves to Gods hand and word, and are willing and desirous to be directed and governed by him.

(i. e) In the Paths of judgment, or in the right way wherein they should walk, as the next Clause explains this, or by the Rule of his word, which is oft called his Iudgment, or Iudgments. Or, with Iudgment, (i. e.) With a wise and provident Care, and a due regard to all their Circumstances. See Ier. 10. 24. 1 Cor. 10. 13.

Either Gods way, which God prescribes: Or, his own way, in which he ought to walk.

Marginal references: Heb. [illegible: 1 word] to go.

10. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth , unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

All the dealings of God with them, yea even those that are afflictive, and grievous to the flesh, are done in kindness and faithfulness to them, as being very necessary for them, and tending to their great advantage.

(i. e) The Laws or Conditions required of them by his Covenant, Or, as it followes, his Testimonies, (i. e.) His Precepts, which are the Testimonies or Witnesses of God's Will, and of mans Duty.

11. For thy names sake , O LORD, pardon mine iniquity: for it is great .

(i. e.) For the Honour of thy Goodness, and Truth, which is concerned herein.

And therefore none but such a God can pardon it, and nothing but thy own Name can move thee to do it; and the pardoning of it, will well become so great and good a God, and will tend much to the Illustration of thy Glory, as the greatness and desperateness of the Disease advanceth the Honour and Praise of the Physician. Or this may be urged, not as an Argument to move God, but as the Reason that moved him to pray so earnestly, and that for God's Names sake: Or, though (as this Particle is oft rendred, as Exod. 34. 9. Psal. 41. 4. and elsewhere) it be great. Possibly he speaks of his sin against uriah and Bathsheba. Or, for or though it be much or manifold: For the Hebrew word signifies both great and much.

12. What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose .

(i. e.) Whosoever he be, whether Iew or Gentile, whether more innocent, or a greater Sinner, which is my Case.

(i. e.) Which God appointeth, or approveth. Or, which he, (i. e.) such Person, should chuse; for the future Tense is oft put Potentially, and so as to express a Man's Duty, as Gen. 20. 9. Mal. 1. 6. and 2. 7.

13. His soul shall dwell at ease ; and his see[illegible: 1+ letters] shall inherit the earth .

Heb. shall Lodge, (i. e.) Continue, as this word signifies, Iob 17. 2. Pr[illegible: 1+ letters]v. 19. 23. It notes the Constancy and Stability of his Happiness, both whilst he Lives and when he is Dead; which the next Clause seems to suppose.

Heb. in Good, (i. e.) In the Pos[illegible: 1+ letters]ession and Enjoyment of the true Good.

Or, the Land, to wit, Canaan; Which was promised and given, as an earnest of the whole Covenant of Grace, and all its Promises, and therefore is Syne[illegible: 1+ letters]doehically put for all of them. The Sence is, his seed shall be Blessed.

Marginal references: Heb. shall [illegible: 1 word] in Good [illegible: 1+ letters].; Psal 37. 11. [illegible: 1 word]. [illegible: 1+ letters]9.

14. The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant .

Either, 1. His Word and Counsel, to direct and guide them in the right way, which he oft mentions here as a singular Blessing, v. 8, 9. 12. to shew them their Duty in all Conditions, and the way to their eternal Salvation. And so this may seem to be explained by the following Words, He will shew them his Covenant. And this though it was revealed, yet might be called a secret, because of the many and deep Mysteries in it, and because it is said to be hid from many of them, to whom it was revealed, Mat. 11. 25. 2. Cor. 3. 13, 14, 15. and 4. 3. and it is not to be understood to any purpose, without the Illumination of their Minds, by Gods Spirit, as is manifest from Psal. 119. 18, 19. and many other places of Scripture. Or rather, 2. His Love and Favour, which is called his secret, Iob. 29. 4. Prov. 3. 32. and that very fitly, because it is known to none but him, that enjoyeth it, Prov. 14. 10. Revel. 2. 17. Or his gracious and fatherly Providence: Which is here said to be with them. Or, as it is in the Hebrew, towards them, taking Care of them, and working for them; even then when God seems to frown upon them:

Or, and he will make them to know (for the Infinitive is here thought to be put for the future Tense of the Indicative, as it is Eccles. 3. 14, 15, 18. Hosea 9. 13. and 12. 3.) his Covenant, (i. e.) He will make them clearly to understand it, both its Duties or Conditions, and its Blessings or Priviledges; neither of which ungodly Men rightly understand: Or, he will make them to know it by Experience, Or, by God's making it good to them; as on the contrary God threatens to make ungodly Men to know his Breach of Promise, Numb. 14. 34. Or, as it is in the Margent of our Bibles, and his Covenant (is (i. e.) He hath ingaged himself by his Promise or Covenant) to make them know it, to wit, his secret, (i. e.) That he will manifest either his Word or his Favour to them.

Marginal references: Prov. 3. 32. See Joh. 7. 17.; Or, and his [illegible: 1 word] to [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] know it.

15. Mine eyes are ever towards the LORD : for he shall pluck my feet out of the net .

(i. e.) My trust is in him, and my Expectation of Relief is from him only.

He will deliver me out of all my Temptations and Tribulations.

Marginal references: Heb. bring [illegible: 1 word].

16. Turn thee unto me , and have mercy upon me: for I am desolate and afflicted.

Turn thy Face and Favour to me, O thou who now hast turned thy Back upon me, and forsaken me.

Destitute of all other Hopes and Succours, persec[illegible: 1+ letters]ted by mine Enemies. and forsaken by the most of my Friends, as he was in Absalom's Rebellion.

17. The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.

My outward Troubles are accompanied with grievous Torments, of my Mind and Heart for my sins, which have procured them, and thy great Displeasure manifested in them.

Marginal references: Psal. 68. 6.

18. Look upon mine affliction, and my pain, and forgive all my sins .

With Compassion, as Exod. 3. 7, 8. Psal. 31: 7: and 106. 44.

The procuring and continuing Causes of my Trouble.

19. Consider mine enemies, for they are many, and they hate me with cruel hatred.

Heb. Look upon, as v. 18. to wit, with a Revengeful Eye, as Exod. 14. 24. 1 Chron. 12. 17. Psal. 104. 32. For this general Expression of looking upon, is taken several wayes in Scripture, and is to be determined by the Context.

Heb. Violent or Injurious, Either without any Cause given by me: Or without any bounds, or in an implacable manner.

Marginal references: Heb. ha[illegible: 1+ letters]red of [illegible: 1+ letters]iolence.

20. O keep my soul and deliver me: let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee.

(i. e.) My self or my Life, as is that word commonly taken: For his Soul was out of his Enemi[illegible: 1+ letters] reach, who [illegible: 1+ letters]ould only kill his Body, L[illegible: 1+ letters]k. 12. 4.

21. Let integrity [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] preserve me : for I wait o[illegible: 1+ letters] thee.

Though I have greatly offen[illegible: 1+ letters]ed thee, [illegible: 1+ letters]et remember that I have dealt honestly and [illegible: 1 word] with mine Enemies, whilst the[illegible: 1+ letters] have dealt falsly and injuriously with me, and therefore judge between them and me, and deal with me according to the Righteousness of my Cause, and Carriage towards them.

22. Redeem Israel , O God out of all his troubles.

If thou wilst not pity and help me, yet spare thy people who suffer for my sake, and in my sufferings.