Psalms 101 commentary

In this psalm we have David declaring how he intended to regulate his household, and to govern his kingdom, that he might stop wickedness, and encourage godliness. It is also applicable to private families, and is the householder's psalm. It teaches all that have any power, whether more or less, to use it so as to be a terror to evil-doers, and a praise to them that do well. The chosen subject of the psalm is God's mercy and judgment. The Lord's providences concerning his people are commonly mixed; mercy and judgment. God has set the one over against the other, both to do good, like showers and sunshine. When, in his providence, he exercises us with the mixture of mercy and judgment, we must make suitable acknowledgments to him for both. Family mercies and family afflictions are both calls to family religion. Those who are in public stations are not thereby excused from care in governing their families; they are the more concerned to set a good example of ruling their own houses well. Whenever a man has a house of his own, let him seek to have God to dwell with him; and those may expect his presence, who walk with a perfect heart, in a perfect way. David resolves to practise no evil himself. He further resolves not to keep bad servants, nor to employ those about him that are wicked. He will not admit them into his family, lest they spread the infection of sin. A froward heart, one that delights to be cross and perverse, is not fit for society, the bond of which is Christian love. Nor will he countenance slanderers, those who take pleasure in wounding their neighbour's reputation. Also, God resists the proud, and false, deceitful people, who scruple not to tell lies, or commit frauds. Let every one be zealous and diligent to reform his own heart and ways, and to do this early; ever mindful of that future, most awful morning, when the King of righteousness shall cut off all wicked doers from the heavenly Jerusalem.

PSALM 101

David was not as yet put in possession of the kingdom, but having been already created king by the appointment of God, he prepares himself for exercising the government in the best manner. And he not only stirs up himself to perform faithfully the duties of his kingly office by devoutly meditating on this subject, but also engages by a solemn vow to be God’s faithful servant, in order to induce Him to put him speedily in possession of the kingdom.

Psalm 101:1-5

A Psalm of David.

1. I will sing of mercy and of judgment: unto thee, O Jehovah! will I sing psalms. 2. I will behave myself prudently in a perfect way, till thou comest to me: “Ou, quand viendras-tu a moy?” — Fr. marg. “Or, when wilt thou come to me?” I will walk in the integrity of my heart in the midst of thy house. 3. I will not set a wicked thing before my eyes: I hate the work “Toute oeuvre.” — Fr. “All the work.” of those who turn aside; it shall not adhere to me. 4. The perverse heart shall depart from me: I will not know evil “Ou, le mauvais.” — Fr. marg. “Or, the evil man.” 5. Whoso slandereth his neighbor in secret, him will I destroy: the man whose eyes are lofty, and whose heart is wide, I cannot endure.

1 I will sing of mercy and of judgment What David here says concerning singing must be understood by the reader as intimating that this psalm contains the substance of his meditations with himself, as to what kind of king he would be whenever he should be put in possession of the sovereign power which had been promised him. To sing therefore of mercy and of judgment, is equivalent to declaring in solemn terms, that he would be a just and an upright king. Augustine understands this as meaning that God is to be praised, whether he punish men with severity, or whether he show himself merciful to them; but this interpretation is too refined. David does not speak of God’s secret judgments, but of the due administration of the kingdom, that he might both by words and deeds fulfill his vocation. When he asserts, Unto thee, O Jehovah! will I sing psalms, he acknowledges that it was by the favor of God that he was appointed to so distinguished and honorable an office; for it would have been an act of presumptuous rashness for him to have thrust himself into it, at the mere impulse of his own mind. He very properly comprehends all princely virtues under these two particulars, mercy and judgment; for as it is the principal duty of a king to yield to every man his own right, so he is also required to possess a considerate love and compassion towards his subjects. Solomon therefore justly says, (Proverbs 16:12) “The throne is established by righteousness.”

PSALM 101

Psa 101:1-8. In this Psalm the profession of the principles of his domestic and political government testifies, as well as actions in accordance with it, David's appreciation of God's mercy to him, and His judgment on his enemies: and thus he sings or celebrates God's dealings.

2. He avows his sincere purpose, by God's aid, to act uprightly (Ge 17:1; Psa 18:30).

3. set ... eyes--as an example to be approved and followed.

no wicked thing--literally, "word," plan or purpose of Belial (Psa 41:8).

work of ... aside--apostates.

not cleave to me--I will not be implicated in it (compare Psa 1:1-3).

4. A froward heart--or, "perverse heart" (Psa 18:26). Such a temper I will not indulge, nor even know evil or wickedness.

5-6. The slanderers and haughty persons, so mischievous in society, I will disown; but--

7. not dwell--literally, "not sit," or tarry, or be established.

8. will early--or, "diligently."

city of the Lord--or, "holy place" (Psa 48:2), where wicked men shall not be tolerated.

I will sing of mercy and judgment - David might say, Adverse and prosperous providences have been of the utmost use to my soul; therefore, I will thank God for both. Or, as he was probably now called to the government of all the tribes, he might make a resolution that he would show חסד chesed, incessant benevolence, to the upright; and משפט mishpat, the execution of judgment, to the wicked; and would make the conduct of God the model of his own.

I will behave myself wisely - God's law prescribes a perfect way of life; in this perfect way I have professed to walk, and I must act wisely in order to walk in it.

When wilt thou come unto me? - I can neither walk in this way, nor grow wise unto salvation, unless thou come unto me by thy grace and Spirit; for without thee I can do nothing.

I will walk within my house - It is easier for most men to walk with a perfect heart in the Church, or even in the world, than in their own families. How many are as meek as lambs among others, when at home they are wasps or tigers! The man who, in the midst of family provocations, maintains a Christian character, being meek, gentle, and long-suffering to his wife, his children, and his servants, has got a perfect heart, and adorns the doctrine of God his Savior in all things.

The original is very emphatic; אתהלך ethhallech, "I will set myself to walk," I will make it a determined point thus to walk. I will bear and forbear with children, servants, etc., not speaking rashly, nor giving way to bad tempers. Through various motives a man will behave with propriety and decorum among others; but none of these motives operate in his own house where he feels himself master, and consequently under no restraint.

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes - I will undertake no unjust wars; will enter into no sinful alliances; will not oppress my subjects by excessive taxation, to support extravagance in my court. I will not look favourably on things or words of Belial. What is good for nothing or evil in its operation, what is wicked in its principle, and what would lead me away from righteousness and truth, I will never set before my eyes.

Them that turn aside - I shall particularly abominate the conduct of those who apostatize from the true religion, and those who deny its Divine authority, and who live without having their conduct governed by its influence, such shall never he put in a place of political trust or confidence by me.

A froward heart - Rash and headstrong men shall not be employed by me.

I will not know a wicked person - I will give no countenance to sinners of any kind; and whatever is evil shall be an object of my abhorrence.

Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor - All flatterers and time-servers, and those who by insinuations and false accusations endeavor to supplant the upright, that they may obtain their offices for themselves or their dependants, will I consider as enemies to the state, I will abominate, and expel them from my court.

The Chaldee gives a remarkable meaning to the Hebrew, מלשני בסתר רעהו melasheni bassether reehu, which we translate, Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, and which it renders thus, דמשתעי לישן תליתי על חבריה demishtaey lishan telitai al chabreyah: "He who speaks with the triple tongue against his neighbor." That is, the tongue by which he slays three persons, viz.,

1. The man whom he slanders;

2. Him to whom he communicates the slander; and,

3. Himself, the slanderer.

Every slanderer has his triple tongue, and by every slander inflicts those three deadly wounds. Such a person deserves to be cut off. On this subject St. Jerome speaks nearly in the same way: Ille qui detrahit, et se, et illum qui audit, demergit; "He who slanders ruins both himself and him who hears him;" he might have added, and him who is slandered, for this is often the case; the innocent are ruined by detraction.

A high look and a proud heart - One who is seeking preferment; who sticks at nothing to gain it; and one who behaves himself haughtily and insolently in his office.

Will not I suffer - לא אוכל lo uchal, I cannot away with. These persons especially will I drive from my presence, and from all state employments.

Mine eyes - My approbation.

Upon the faithful - The humble, upright followers of God.

That they may dwell with me - Be my confidants and privy counsellors. No irreligious or wicked man, whatever his abilities may be, shall be countenanced or supported by me. I will purify my court from the base, the irreligious, the avaricious, the venal, the profligate, and the wicked.

He that walketh in a perfect way - He that is truly religious.

He shalt serve me - Shall be my prime minister, and the chief officer in my army, and over my finances.

He that worketh deceit - that tenets lies - I will expel from my court all sycophants and flatterers. Tiberius encouraged flatterers; Titus burned some, banished several others, and sold many for slaves.

I will early destroy - I will take the first opportunity of destroying all the wicked of the land. I will purify my court, purge Jerusalem, and cleanse the whole land of every abomination and abominable person; so that the city of my God, where holiness alone should dwell, shall indeed become the Holy City; that the state may be made prosperous, and the people happy. Such an administration must have been a good one, where such pious caution was used in choosing all the officers of the state.

I will sing - I will praise thee, O Lord, for thy mercy and justice, which thou hast so eminently discovered in the government of the world, and of thy people; and I will make it my care to imitate thee herein.

I will - I will manage all my affairs with wisdom and integrity. When - God is often said in scripture to come to men, when he fulfills a promise to them. House - In my court and family, as well as in my public administrations.

Depart - Shall be turned out of my court. Know - Not own nor countenance.

Early - Speedily; as soon as I am seated in the throne.

1 I Will sing of mercy and judgment : unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.

Either 1. of God towards me; of Gods mercy towards me, and of his just judgments upon mine Enemies. Or 2. of mine towards my people, I will in my Song declare my obligation and full purpose to execute mercy and judgment in my Dominion; which are the two Pillars of Government: of which he speaks in the following Verses. Interpreters are much divided which to chuse. Possibly both may be joined together, and the sence may be this, I will praise thee, O Lord, as for all thy other excellencies, so particularly for those two Royal perfections of mercy and justice or judgment, which thou hast so eminently discovered in the Government of the World, and of thy people Israel; and I will make it my care and business to imitate and follow thee as in other things so especially in those vertues which are so necessary for the discharge of my trust and the good government of thy and my people.

2 I will behave my self wisely in a perfect way ; O when wilt thou come unto me ! I will walk within my house with a perfect heart .

I will manage all my affairs with wisdom and integrity; which are the two chief qualifications requisite for all men, Mat. 10. 16. and most necessary in Princes.

O when wilt thou give me the Kingdom which thou hast promised me, that so I may be capable of executing these good purposes both for my own comfort and for the benefit of thy people? Or, without an interrogation, as this Particle is used, Exod. 20. 24. when thou shalt come to me, to wit, in the performance of that promise to me. He speaks not exclusively, as if he would not walk wisely and righteously in the mean time, but emphatically, that he would continue to do so when he was advanced to the Kingdom, and that he would not suffer himself to be corrupted by his Royal Power and Dignity, as the Princes of the World commonly were. Withal he may intimate, that now he could not do as he desired, and that by the necessity of his affairs he was forced to make use of such men as he did not like, and to wink at those miscarriages, which it was not now in his power to reform. God is oft said in Scripture to come to men when he fulfils a promise to them, or confers a favour or blessing upon them, as Gen. 18. 10. Exod. 20. 24. Psal. 80. 2. Isa. 35. 4. &c.

In my own Court and Family, as well as in my publick administrations; knowing how great an influence the example of my private conversation will have upon my people either to reform or corrupt them.

This Clause adds weight to the former, I will not onely walk in a perfect or right way (which a man may do for politick reasons or with evil design, but I will do so) with an upright and honest heart, which is most acceptable to God.

3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes : I hate the work of them that turn aside , it shall not cleave to me.

To wit, to look upon it with deliberation and design, or with desire and delight, as this phrase here and elsewhere implies. If any ungodly or unjust thing shall be suggested to me, whatsoever specious pretences it may be covered with, as reason of state or worldly advantage, I will cast it out of my mind and thoughts with abhorrency, so far will I be from putting it in Execution.

From God and from his Laws.

To wit, such work: Or, the Contagion of such Examples. I will neither imitate nor indure such works, nor such workers.

Marginal references: Heb. thing of Belial.

4 A froward heart shall depart from me : I will not know a wicked person.

A man of a corrupt mind and wicked life, such as other Princes chuse and prefer as being suitable to themselves, and to their wicked designs.

Shall be turned out of my Court, lest they should tempt me or infect the rest of my Family, or be injurious or scandalous to my people.

i. e. Not own nor countenance.

5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour , him will I cut off: him that hath an high look, and a proud heart , will not I suffer.

Such as by secret and false informations and accusations of others seek to gain my favour and to advance themselves by the ruine of others; which are the common pests of Courts and Kingdoms;

These he mentions, because Pride is the common Plague of Courts, and the Fountain of many enormities in Courtiers; it makes them imperious and insolent towards the poor oppressed Subjects that resort to them for relief; it inclines them to those counsels and courses not which are best for the publick good, but which are most for their own honour and advantage, it makes them oppressive and injurious to others that they may have wherewith to satisfy their own lusts.

6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me : he that walketh in a perfect way , he shall serve me .

Either 1. to find them out. Or 2. to favour and encourage them, as this phrase is oft used, as Psal. 34. 15. Ier. 39. 12. and 40. 4.

Men of truth, justice and integrity, who will be faithful first to God and then to me and to my people.

Or, to [illegible: 1+ letters]it or abide or converse with me, in mine House and Counsels and publick administrations.

In the way of Gods precepts which are pure and perfect.

In domestick and publick employments.

Marginal references: Or, perfect in the way.

7 He that worketh deceit , shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies , shall not tarry in my sight .

He who shall use any frauds, or cheats, or subtil artifices to abuse or wrong any of my people. Which Davids Courtiers were more likely to indeavour, because he would not permit any open violence.

He that shall abuse me with lies, as Courtiers usually do their Princes, either to defend and excuse the guilty, or to betray the innocent.

I will certainly and immediately banish him from my presence.

Marginal references: Heb▪ shall not [illegible: 1 word].

8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land: that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD .

Speedily and without delay, as soon as I arise in the Morning, or, as soon as I am seated in the Throne, that so I may both prevent all that mischief which otherwise they might do; and hinder the infection of others by their evil example; and discourage and deter all my Subjects from the like practices. Heb. In the mornings, i. e. every Morning, as the same phrase is used also, Iob 7. 18. Psal. 73. 14. Isa. 33. 2. The Morning was the time allotted for the exercise of judgment. See Ier. 21. 12.

Either 1. from Ierusalem, which, though now in the hands of the Jebusites, he looks upon by an eye of faith as if he had it in possession; which he designed for the chief and Royal City of his Kingdom, and for the seat of the Ark and worship of God. And therefore this place above all others was to be purged and preserved from wickedness and wicked men. Or 2. from the whole Nation or Commonwealth of Israel: for David did intend and was obliged to reform not onely that one City, but his whole Kingdom, which also may come under the name of a City, as being combined and united under one Government: for which reason the name of City is given both to the whole Church of Christ, as Isa. 26. 1. Heb. 12. 22. Revel. 20. 9. and to the great Anti Church, the Kingdom of mystical Babylon, Revel. 11. 8, 13. and 17. 18, &c.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word]. 21. 12.

Psa 101:1-8

This is the “prince’s Psalm,”Eyring, in his Vita of Ernest the Pious Duke of Saxe-Gotha, v. 1601, d. 1675, relates that he sent an unfaithful minister a copy of the 101st Psalm, and that it became a proverb in the country, when an official had done anything wrong: He will certainty soon receive the prince’s Psalm to read. or as it is inscribed in Luther’s version, “David’s mirror of a monarch.” Can there be any more appropriate motto for it than what is said of Jahve’s government in Psa 99:4? In respect of this passage of Psa 99:1-9, to which Psa 100:1-5 is the finale, Psa 101:1-8 seems to be appended as an echo out of the heart of David. The appropriateness of the words לדוד מזמור (the position of the words is as in Psa 24:1-10; 40; 109:1-110:7; 139) is corroborated by the form and contents. Probably the great historical work from which the chronicler has taken excerpts furnished the post-exilic collector with a further gleaning of Davidic songs, or at least songs that were ascribed to David. The Psalm before us belongs to the time during which the Ark was in the house of Obed-Edom, where David had left it behind through terror at the misfortune of Uzzah. David said at that time: “How shall the Ark of Jahve come to me (the unholy one)?” 2Sa 6:8. He did not venture to bring the Ark of the Fearful and Holy One within the range of his own house. In our Psalm, however, he gives utterance to his determination as king to give earnest heed to the sanctity of his walk, of his rule, and of his house; and this resolve he brings before Jahve as a vow, to whom, in regard to the rich blessing which the Ark of God diffuses around it (2Sa 6:11.), he longingly sighs: “When wilt Thou come to me?!” This contemporaneous reference has been recognised by Hammond and Venema. From the fact that Jahve comes to David, Jerusalem becomes “the city of Jahve,” Psa 101:8; and to defend the holiness of this the city of His habitation in all faithfulness, and with all his might, is the thing to which David here pledges himself.

The contents of the first verse refer not merely to the Psalm that follows as an announcement of its theme, but to David’s whole life: graciousness and right, the self-manifestations united ideally and, for the king who governs His people, typically in Jahve, shall be the subject of his song. Jahve, the primal source of graciousness and of right, it shall be, to whom he consecrates his poetic talent, as also his playing upon the harp. חסד is condescension which flows from the principle of free love, and משׁפּט legality which binds itself impartially and uncapriciously to the rule (norm) of that which is right and good. They are two modes of conduct, mutually tempering each other, which God requires of every man (Mic 6:8, cf. Mat 23:23 : τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τὸν ἔλεον), and more especially of a king. Further, he has resolved to give heed, thoughtfully and with an endeavour to pursue it (השׂכּיל בּ as in Dan 9:13), unto the way of that which is perfect, i.e., blameless. What is further said might now be rendered as a relative clause: when Thou comest to me. But not until then?! Hitzig renders it differently: I will take up the lot of the just when it comes to me, i.e., as often as it is brought to my knowledge. But if this had been the meaning, בּדבר would have been said instead of בּדרך (Exo 18:16, Exo 18:19; 2Sa 19:12 [11]); for, according to both its parts, the expression דוך תמים is an ethical notion, and is therefore not used in a different sense from that in Psa 101:6. Moreover, the relative use of the interrogative מתי in Hebrew cannot be supported, with the exception, perhaps, of Pro 23:35. Athanasius correctly interprets: ποθῶ σου τὴν παρουσίαν, ὦ δέσποτα, ἱμείρομαί σου τῆς ἐπιφανείας, ἀλλὰ δὸς τὸ ποθούμενον. It is a question of strong yearning: when wilt Thou come to me? is the time near at hand when Thou wilt erect Thy throne near to me? If his longing should be fulfilled, David is resolved to, and will then, behave himself as he further sets forth in the vows he makes. He pledges himself to walk within his house, i.e., his palace, in the innocence or simplicity of his heart (Psa 78:72; Pro 20:7), without allowing himself to be led away from this frame of mind which has become his through grace. He will not set before his eyes, viz., as a proposition or purpose (Deu 15:9; Exo 10:10; 1Sa 29:10, lxx), any morally worthless or vile matter whatsoever (Psa 41:8, cf. concerning בליּעל, Psa 18:5). The commission of excesses he hates: עשׂה is infin. constr. instead of עשׂות as in Gen 31:28; Gen 50:20; Pro 21:3, cf. ראה Gen 48:11, שׁתו Pro 31:4. סטים (like שׂטים in Hos 5:2), as the object of עשׂה, has not a personal (Kimchi, Ewald) signification (cf. on the other hand Psa 40:5), but material signification: (facta)declinantia (like זדים, Psa 19:13, insolentia; הבלים, Zec 11:7, vincientia); all temptations and incitements of this sort he shakes off from himself, so that nothing of the kind cleaves to him. The confessions in Psa 101:4 refer to his own inward nature: לב עקּשׁ (not עקּשׁ־לב, Pro 17:20), a false heart that is not faithful in its intentions either to God or to men, shall remain far from him; wickedness (רע as in Psa 36:5) he does not wish to know, i.e., does not wish to foster and nurture within him. Whoso secretly slanders his neighbour, him will he destroy; it will therefore be so little possible for any to curry favour with him by uncharitable perfidious tale-bearing, of the wiliness of which David himself had had abundant experience in his relation to Saul, that it will rather call forth his anger upon him (Pro 30:10). Instead of the regularly pointed מלושׁני the Kerî reads מלשׁני, melŏshnı̂, a Poel (לשׁן linguâ petere, like עין oculo petere, elsewhere הלשׁין, Pro 30:10) with ŏ instead of ō (vid., on Psa 109:10; Psa 62:4) and with Chirek compaginis (vid., on Psa 113:1-9). The “lofty of eyes,” i.e., supercilious, haughty, and the “broad of heart,” i.e., boastful, puffed up, self-conceited (Pro 28:25, cf. Psa 21:4), him he cannot endure (אוּכל, properly fut. Hoph., I am incapable of, viz., לשׂאת, which is to be supplied as in Isa 1:13, after Pro 30:21; Jer 44:22).In both instances the Masora writes אותו (plene), but the Talmud, B. Erachin 15 b, had אתו before it when it says: “Of the slanderer God says: I and he cannot dwell together in the world, I cannot bear it any longer with him (אתּו).”

On the other hand, his eyes rest upon the faithful of the land, with the view, viz., of drawing them into his vicinity. Whoso walks in the way of uprightness, he shall serve him (שׁרת, θεραπεύειν, akin to עבד, δουλεύειν). He who practises deceit shall not stay within his house; he who speaks lies shall have no continuance (יכּון is more than equivalent to נכון) before (under) his eyes. Every morning (לבּקרים as in Psa 73:14; Isa 33:2; Lam 3:23, and לבקרים, Job 7:18), when Jahve shall have taken up His abode in Jerusalem, will he destroy all evil-doers (רשׁעי as in Psa 119:119), i.e., incorrigibly wicked ones, wherever he may meet them upon the earth, in order that all workers of evil may be rooted out of the royal city, which is now become the city of Jahve.

Mercy and Judgment; David's Pious Resolution.

1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord , will I sing. 2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. 4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. 5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath a high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. 6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. 7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. 8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord .

David here cuts out to himself and others a pattern both of a good magistrate and a good master of a family; and, if these were careful to discharge the duty of their place, it would contribute very much to a universal reformation. Observe,

I. The chosen subject of the psalm (v. 1): I will sing of mercy and judgment, that is,

1. Of God's mercy and judgment, and then it looks back upon the dispensations of Providence concerning David since he was first anointed to be king, during which time he had met with many a rebuke and much hardship on the one hand, and yet, on the other hand, had had many wonderful deliverances wrought for him and favours bestowed upon him; of these he will sing unto God. Note, (1.) God's providences concerning his people are commonly mixed—mercy and judgment; God has set the one over-against the other, and appointed them April-days, showers and sunshine. It was so with David and his family; when there was mercy in the return of the ark there was judgment in the death of Uzza. (2.) When God in his providence exercises us with a mixture of mercy and judgment it is our duty to sing, and sing unto him, both of the one and of the other; we must be suitably affected with both, and make suitable acknowledgments to God for both. The Chaldee-paraphrase of this is observable: If thou bestowest mercy upon me, or If thou bring any judgment upon me, before thee, O Lord! will I sing my hymns for all. Whatever our outward condition is, whether joyful or sorrowful, still we must give glory to God, and sing praises to him; neither the laughter of a prosperous condition nor the tears of an afflicted condition must put us out of tune for sacred songs. Or,

2. It may be understood of David's mercy and judgment; he would, in this psalm, promise to be merciful, and just, or wise, for judgment is often put for discretion. To do justly and love mercy is the sum of our duty; these he would covenant to make conscience of in that place and relation to which God had called him and this in consideration of the various providences of God that had occurred to him. Family-mercies and family-afflictions are both of them calls to family-religion. David put his vow into a song or psalm, that he might the better keep it in his own mind and frequently repeat it, and that it might the better be communicated to others and preserved in his family, for a pattern to his sons and successors.

II. The general resolution David took up to conduct himself carefully and conscientiously in his court, v. 2. We have here,

1. A good purpose concerning his conversation—concerning his conversation in general (how he would behave himself in every thing; he would live by rule, and not at large, not walk at all adventures; he would, though a king, by a solemn covenant bind himself to his good behaviour), and concerning his conversation in his family particularly, not only how he would walk when he appeared in public, when he sat in the throne, but how he would walk within his house, where he was more out of the eye of the world, but where he still saw himself under the eye of God. It is not enough to put on our religion when we go abroad and appear before men; but we must govern ourselves by it in our families. Those that are in public stations are not thereby excused from care in governing their families; nay, rather, they are more concerned to set a good example of ruling their own houses well, 1 Tim. iii. 4. When David had his hands full of public affairs, yet he returned to bless his house, 2 Sam. vi. 20. He resolves, (1.) To act conscientiously and with integrity, to walk in a perfect way, in the way of God's commandments; that is a perfect way, for the law of the Lord is perfect. This he will walk in with a perfect heart, with all sincerity, not dissembling either with God or men. When we make the word of God our rule, and are ruled by it, the glory of God our end, and aim at it, then we walk in a perfect way with a perfect heart. (2.) To act considerately and with discretion: I will behave myself wisely; I will understand or instruct myself in a perfect way, so some. I will walk circumspectly. Note, We must all resolve to walk by the rules of Christian prudence in the ways of Christian piety. We must never turn aside out of the perfect way, under pretence of behaving ourselves wisely; but, while we keep to the good way, we must be wise as serpents.

2. A good prayer: O when wilt thou come unto me? Note, It is a desirable thing, when a man has a house of his own, to have God come to him and dwell with him in it; and those may expect God's presence that walk with a perfect heart in a perfect way. If we compare the account which the historian gives of David (1 Sam. xviii. 14), we shall find how exactly it answers his purpose and prayer, and that neither was in vain. David, as he purposed, behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and, as he prayed, the Lord was with him.

III. His particular resolution to practise no evil himself (v. 3): "I will set no wicked thing before my eyes; I will not design nor aim at any thing but what is for the glory of God and the public welfare." He will never have it in his eye to enrich himself by impoverishing his subjects, or enlarge his own prerogative by encroaching on their property. In all our worldly business we must see that what we set our eyes upon be right and good and not any forbidden fruit, and that we never seek that which we cannot have without sin. It is the character of a good man that he shuts his eyes from seeing evil, Isa. xxxiii. 15. "Nay, I hate the work of those that turn aside from the paths of equity (Job xxxi. 7), not only I avoid it, but I abhor it; it shall not cleave to me. If any blot of injustice should come on my hands, it shall be washed off quickly."

IV. His further resolution not to keep bad servants, nor to employ those about him that were vicious. He will not countenance them, nor show them any favour, lest thereby he should harden them in their wickedness, and encourage others to do like them. He will not converse with them himself, nor admit them into the company of his other servants, lest they should spread the infection of sin in his family. He will not confide in them, nor put them in power under him; for those who hated to be reformed would certainly hinder every thing that is good. When he comes to mention particulars he does not mention drunkards, adulterers, murderers or blasphemers; such gross sinners as these he was in no danger of admitting into his house, nor did he need to covenant particularly against having fellowship with them; but he mentions those whose sins were less scandalous, but no less dangerous, and in reference to whom he needed to stand upon his guard with caution and to behave himself wisely. He will have nothing to do, 1. With spiteful malicious people, who are ill-natured, and will bear a grudge a great while, and care not what mischief they do to those they have a pique against (v. 4): "A froward heart (one that delights to be cross and perverse) shall depart from me, as not fit for society, the bond of which is love. I will not know," that is, "I will have no acquaintance or conversation, if I can help it, with such a wicked person; for a little of the leaven of malice and wickedness will leaven the whole lump." 2. With slanderers, and those who take a pleasure in wounding their neighbour's reputation secretly (v. 5): "Whoso privily slanders his neighbour, either raises or spreads false stories, to the prejudice of his good name, him will I cut off from my family and court." Many endeavour to raise themselves into the favour of princes by unjust representations of persons and things, which they think will please their prince. If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked, Prov. xxix. 12. But David will not only not hearken to them, but will prevent the preferment of those that hope thus to curry favour with him: he will punish not only him that falsely accuses another in open court, but him that privily slanders another. I wish David had remembered this vow in the case of Mephibosheth and Ziba. 3. With haughty, conceited, ambitious people; none do more mischief in a family, in a court, in a church, for only by pride comes contention: "Therefore him that has a high look and a proud heart will I not suffer; I will have no patience with those that are still grasping at all preferments, for it is certain that they do not aim at doing good, but only at aggrandizing themselves and their families." God resists the proud, and so will David. 4. With false deceitful people, that scruple not to tell lies, or commit frauds (v. 7): "He that worketh deceit, though he may insinuate himself into my family, yet, as soon as he is discovered, shall not dwell within my house." Some great men know how to serve their own purposes by such as are skilful to deceive, and they are fit tools for them to work by; but David will make use of no such persons as agents for him: He that tells lies shall not tarry in my sight, but shall be expelled the house with indignation. Herein David was a man after God's own heart, for a proud look and a lying tongue are things which God hates; and he was also a type of Christ, who will, in the great day, banish from his presence all that love and make a lie, Rev. xxii. 15.

V. His resolution to put those in trust under him that were honest and good (v. 6): My eyes shall be upon the faithful in the land. In choosing his servants and ministers of state he kept to the land of Israel and would not employ foreigners; none shall be preferred but true-born Israelites, and those such as were Israelites indeed, the faithful in the land; for even in that land there were those that were unfaithful. These faithful ones his eyes shall be upon, to discover them and find them out; for they were modest, did not crowd into the city to court preferment, but lived retired in the land, in the country, out of the way of it. Those are commonly most fit for places of honour and trust that are least fond of them; and therefore wise princes will spy out such in their recesses and privacies, and take them to dwell with them and act under them. He that walks in a perfect way, that makes conscience of what he says and does, shall serve me. The kingdom must be searched for honest men to make courtiers of; and, if any man is better than another, he must be preferred. This was a good resolution of David's; but either he did not keep to it or else his judgment was imposed upon when he made Ahithophel his right hand. It should be the care and endeavour of all masters of families, for their own sakes and their children's, to take such servants into their families as they have reason to hope fear God. The Son of David has his eyes upon the faithful in the land; his secret is with them, and they shall dwell with him. Saul chose servants for their goodliness (1 Sam. viii. 16), but David for their goodness.

VI. His resolution to extend his zeal to the reformation of the city and country, as well as of the court (v. 8): "I will early destroy all the wicked of the land, all that are discovered and convicted; the law shall have its course against them." He would do his utmost to destroy all the wicked, so that there might be none left that were notoriously wicked. He would do it early; he would lose no time and spare no pains; he would be forward and zealous in promoting the reformation of manners and suppression of vice; and those must rise betimes that will do anything to purpose in the work. That which he aimed at was not only the securing of his own government and the peace of the country, but the honour of God in the purity of his church, That I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord. Not Jerusalem only, but the whole land, was the city of the Lord; so is the gospel-church. It is the interest of the city of the Lord to be purged from wicked doers, who both blemish it and weaken it; and it is therefore the duty of all to do what they can, in their places, towards so good a work, and to be zealously affected in it. The day is coming when the Son of David shall cut off all wicked doers from the new Jerusalem, for there shall not enter into it any that do iniquity.

PSAL. CI.

A Psalme of David.

MErcy and judgement I will sing to thee, Iehovah will I sing Psalme. I will doe wisely in the perfect way, when wilt thou come unto me? I will walke in the perfection of mine heart, in the middest of mine house. I will not set before mine eies any word of Belial: I hate the doing of them that turne aside, it shall not cleave unto me. A froward heart shall depart from me, I will know none evill. he that in secret hurteth with tongue his fellow-friend, him will I suppresse: the haughty of eyes, and large of heart, him I cannot suffer. Mine eyes shall be on the faithfull of the land, for to sit with me; hee that walketh in the perfect way, hee shall minister to me. He shall not sit within my house that doth deceit, hee that speaketh lies shall not be established before mine eies.

In the mornings I will suppresse all the wicked of the land, for to cut off from the Citie of Iehovah all the workers of iniquity.

Annotations. MErcy and judgement] This may be meant of Davids owne administration: howbeit the Chaldee understandeth it of Gods, saying, If thou dealest mercifully with me, if thou dost judgement with me, for all, I will sing praise. Vers. 3. doe wisely] behave my seife prudently; as David is said to doe, 1 Sam. 18. 14. when wilt thou come] namely, to assist me in the performance hereof: or, when thou shalt come] namely, to call me unto an account of my life, &c. Vers. 3. of Belial] that is, mischievous (or wicked) word or thing. See Psal. 41. 9. Vers. 4. know] or acknowledge, that is, regard, or approve; so Psal. 1. 6. Vers. 5. hurteth with tongue] that traduceth, or (as the Hebrew phrase is) betongueth. Hereupon a man of tongue, is for a pratler or calumniator, Psa. [illegible: 1 word]. [illegible: 1 word]. 12. The Chaldee paraphraseth, He that speaketh with a third (or threefold) tongue, against has neighbour; meaning a back-biter or calumniator, which is said of the Hebrew Doctors to have a three sold tongue, because hee hurteth three therewhich, both himselfe by his sinne, and his neighbour whom he backbi[illegible: 1 letter]eth, and the receiver of his tale whom he corrupteth. Hereupon is that saying of Ben Syrach, A third tongue hath disguieted many, Eeclus. 28. 14. and a third tongue hath cast out vertuous women, Ecclus. 28 15. meaning the back biter, or tale-bearer. See the Annotations on Levit. 19. 16. large] or wide, broad of heart; meaning proud, as Prov. 21. 4. So, large of soule, Prov. 28. 25. is proud in minde. I cannot] here the word heare, or suffer is to be understood, as is expressed, Prov. 30 21. So Ioh. 31. 23. and in Greeke, 1 Cor. 3. 2. Vers. 8. In the mornings] that is, every morning, or early: see Psal. 73. 14.

PSAL, CI.

A Pſalm of David] Wherein he promiſeth and pre-ingageth, that whenever hee came to the Kingdome, he will be a ſingular example both as a Prince, and as a Maſter of a Family: In which reſpect this Pſalm ſhould be often read and ruminated by ſuch, that their houſes may be as the houſe of David, Zach. 12.8. and as the Palace of George Prince of Anba[illegible: 2 letters], which was, ſaith Melanctben, Eccleſia, Academia, Curia, a Church,Act. & Mon. fol. 1559. an Academy, and a Court. Biſhop Ridley read, and expounded this Pſalm oftentimes to his houſhold, hiring them with money to learn it, and other ſelect Scriptures by heart. A good Governour is like that Noble-man who had for his Impreſs two bundle of ripe Mi[illegible: 2 letters]et bound together, with this M[illegible: 1 letter]tto, Servare & Servari me[illegible: 2 letters] est; for the nature of the Mi[illegible: 2 letters]et is both to guard it ſelf from all corruption, and alſo thoſe things that lye near it. That is a rare commendation that is given the late Reverend and Religious Dr. Chatterton, that he was an houſe-keeper three and fifty years, and yet in all chat time, he never kept any of his ſervants from Church to dreſs his meat,His life by Mr. Clark. ſaying, That he deſired as much to have his ſervants know God, as himſelf.

Verſ. 1. I will-ſing of Mercy and Judgement][illegible: 1 letter] Davids Ditty was compoſed of diſcords. Mercy and Juſtice are the brighteſt ſtars in the ſphere of Majeſty; the main ſupports of a Throne Royal: How heit there ſhould be a preheminence to Mercy; as one well obſerveth from Micah 6.8. Mercy muſt be loved, and not ſhewn onely: Juſtice muſt be done, and no more. The ſword of Juſtice, muſt be bathed in the oyl of Mercy; A well-tempered mixture of both, preſerveth the Commonwealth, Rom. 13.34.

Ʋnto thee, O Lord, will I ſing] Acknowledge thee alone, the beſtower of theſe graces and thy glory [illegible: 1 letter]s the end. Theſe are matters that Philoſophers and Politicians mind not.

Verſ. 2. I will behave my ſelf wiſely] I will begin the intended reformation at my ſelf, and then ſet things to rights in my family, which while Auguſtus did not, he was worthily blamed by his ſubjects, and told, that publick perſona muſt carefully obſerve, Aedibus in pr[illegible: 1 letter]priis quae recta [illegible: 1 word] prava gerantur.Plu[illegible: 2 letters]

Cate ſaid, that he could pardon all mens faults, but his own. But Cate the wiſe, wanted the wiſdome from above, and was therefore ſhort of David, who promiſeth here ſo be merry, I will ſing, and yet wiſe, I will behave my ſelf wiſely in a perfect way; that is, in an upright converſation, and in a faithful diſcharge of the great truſt committed unto me.

O[illegible: 1 letter] when wilt then come unto me?] In the performance of thy promiſe concerning the Kingdom? For I am reſolved not to [illegible: 3 letters]evert thee, but to wait thy coming; Eſt ſuſpirium [illegible: 1 span] ex abrupto, like that of Ju[illegible: 3 letters], I have waited, O Lord; for thy ſalvation Gen. 49, 18. Or, When wilt thou come, viz. to reckon with me? For come thou wiles

I wilt walk within my houſe with a perfect heart] And although my house [illegible: 2 letters] not ſ[illegible: 1 letter] with God, 1 Sam. 23.5. yet this is all my deſire (and ſhall be mine endeavour) although be make it not to grow, ib. Indeſinentes [illegible: 1 letter]m[illegible: 1 letter]ulabo. Kimchi. I will walk unceſſantly, walk in the midſt of mine houſe, [illegible: 1 span] 2 King. 4.35. and this I will do in the [illegible: 1 word] of mine heart▪ for that a man is in truth, that hee is at home. Follow hypocrites home to their houſes, and there you ſhall ſee what they are. Look upon Stage-players, and you may ſee them act the parts of Kings and honeſt men; but follow them to their tyring-houſes, and there they are but baſe Varlets.

Verſ. 3. I will ſet no wicked thing (Heb. thing of Belial) before mine eyes] that is, in my thoughts, ſaith Kimchi; for the thinking-faculty is in the fore-part of the brain, as are alſo the eyes. I will not gaze upon forbidden objects, nor venture upon a temptation to, or an occaſion of ſin. I will alſo be wiſe and wary in the choice of my ſervants, and under-officers. Theodoſius his Court was virtutu[illegible: 2 letters] officina, non vitior[illegible: 1 letter]m ſentina, ſaith One. And Archbiſhop Granniers houſe was Schola vet palaestra pieta[illegible: 3 letters] & literarum, Pare us. Tremellius. ſaith another. See above on the title of this Pſalm.

I hate the work of them that turn aſide] Of treacherous men and Apoſtates;Euſeb. ſuch as Conſtantius Chlorus, the Father of Conſtamine the Great ſound (by proof made) ſome of his Counſellors and Courtiers to be, and therefore turned them off, ſaying, He cannot be faithful to me, who is unfaithful to God: Pietate ſublata fides to llitur.

It ſhall not cleave to mee] Ile none of them, neither ſhall any ſuch wickedneſs hang at my heels, to hinder my progreſs in piety and good government.

Verſ. 4. A froward heart ſhall depart from me] i.e. ſay ſome, I will endeavour to put off the old man with the luſts thereof, Eph. 4 22. the old crooked frame ſhall be diſſolved, and a better erected. I will not know evil, that is, regard, or allow it, Pſal. 1.6. Others underſtand the Text of rotten-hearted, and wicked Counſellors, whom David would abhor and abandon.

Verſ. 5. Whoſe privily ſlandereth his neighbour] Heb. Him that in ſecret, tongue-ſmiteth his fellow-friend, will I ſuppreſs. This David purpoſed to do, but this hee did not ſo throughly in the caſe of poor Mepbibeſ[illegible: 1 letter]eth, belyed by falſe Zita; his reſolution was Maledices & maleficot à ſe depellere, to drive away from him ſycophants, back-byters,Sorices & tineas palatii appellabat Conſtan. Mag. flatteres; but there is a great ſympathy betwixt Princes, and ſuch Peſts, thoſe Harpye[illegible: 1 letter], and gaping Crows of Courts, as one calleth them. David promiſeth fair to purge and diſempeſter his houſe and Court of ſuch, and to cut them off, ſecundum leges regni, according to the Laws of the Kingdome, as Aben-Ezra gloſſeth.

Him that bath ax bigh look] Pride will ſit and ſhew it ſelf in the eyes aſſoon as any where. A man is ſeen what he is, in oculis, in poculis, in loculis, ſay the Rabbins, See Prov. 6.17.

And a proud heart] Heb. a wide, or broad heart, that thinketh great things of himſelf, and ſeeketh great things for himſelf.

I will not ſuffer] Heb. I will not, ſc. away with, or endure at any hand. The Greeks, Leguntocal pro ucal. and after them others read, I will not eat with them; and by large of heart, they underſtand belly-gods, men of large appetites, ſuch as were the two ſons of Eli, Belialiſts, and Hellicones.

Verſ. 6. Mine eyes ſhall be upon the faithful of the land] i.e. Let them live where they will, I will hearken them out, and find them out. The Rabbins ſay, that here David repenteth him of taking into his ſervice and tuition thoſe indebted and diſcontented perſons, men of broken fortunes, and looſe manners, 1 Sam. 22.1, 2. and reſolveth to be better adviſed in the chuſing and uſing of his retinue, when he cometh to the Kingdom, that his Court might be like that of Cyrus, whereof Xenophon ſaith,Cyrop. l. 8 that though a man ſhould ſeek or chuſe blindfold, he could not miſs of a good man. Zonaras mainly commendeth Valentinian the firſt, and Les Armenius, Emperours, for their good choice of both Civil and Military Officers. He condemneth as much Macyinus for the contrary.

He ſhall ſerve me] [non-Latin text not transcribed] he ſhall be of honourable imployment about me, as Joſeph was to Pharaoh, Cromwel to Hen. 8. his Vicar General.

Verſ. 7. He that worketh deceit ſhall not dwell in my houſe] If I may know him to bee ſuch an one, I ſhall ſoon caſhiere him, and ſerve him as Philip of Macedon afterwards did two of his evil ſervants; the one whereof he compelled to run out of his Country, and the other to drive him. David was not guarded and ſurrounded, as many Princes are now adayes, Mag[illegible: 2 letters] [illegible: 2 letters]gmine Ai[illegible: 4 letters], Nego[illegible: 2 letters]m, Gan[illegible: 1 letter]o[illegible: 2 letters]m, Palpenum, Gnathenum, Balatrenum.

He that telleth lyes ſhall not t[illegible: 1 letter]rry in my ſight] Liars are frequent in Courts; as in Sauls, and do much miſchief. The good Emperor Aurelius was much abuſed by them. Lewis the eleventh of France complained that he had plenty of all things, but of only one: And being asked of what? O[illegible: 1 letter] truth quoth he. Auguſtus took on exceedingly, when Va[illegible: 2 letters] was ſlain in battel, and gave this for a reaſon, Quòd non eſſet à quo verum oudire[illegible: 1 letter], becauſe he had not now a friend from whom he could hear the truth of things.

Verſ. 8.Indefinenter regnum, regiam Eccleſiamque purgabo [illegible: 1 letter] malo, Trem. I will early deſtroy all the wicked of the land.] All, without partiality, and beti[illegible: 2 letters]s, in Matutinis, without delay, making it my mornings work to do juſtice; for then was judgement executed, Jer. 21.12. Or, I will do it daily, and as duly as the houſe is ſwept. See Lam. 3.23.

That I may cut off all wicked doers from the City of God] All the notorious Deboyſheers from the Church; that I may weed out thoſe wicked ones, thoſe Trouble-towns, thoſe Deſper[illegible: 1 letter]does, the botches of humane ſociety. And here David deſcribeth the utmoſt and chief end of Civil Government (that which the Philoſophers never dreamed of) viz. That God may be purely and ſincerely ſerved in his City, that is, in his Church.

I will sing of mercy and judgment. He would extol both the love and the severity, the sweets and the bitters, which the Lord had mingled in Iris experience; he would admire the justice and the goodness of the Lord. Such a song would fitly lead up to godly resolutions as to his own conduct, for that which we admire in our superiors we naturally endeavour to imitate. Mercy and judgment would temper the administration of David, because he had adoringly perceived them in the dispensations of his God. Everything in God's dealings with us may fittingly become the theme of song, and we have not viewed it aright until we feel we can sing about it. We ought as much to bless the Lord for the judgment with which he chastens our sin, as for the mercy with which he forgives it; there is as much love in the blows of his hand as in the kisses of his mouth. Upon a retrospect of their lives instructed saints scarcely know which to be most grateful for —the comforts which have, or the afflictions which nave purged them. Unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. Jehovah shall have all our praise. The secondary agents of either the mercy or the judgment must hold a very subordinate place in oue memory, and the Lord alone must be hymned by our heart. Our soul's sole worship must be the lauding of the Lord. The psalmist forsakes the minor key, which was soon to rule him in the one hundred and second psalm, and resolves that, come what may, he will sing, and sing to the Lord too, whatever others might do.

I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. To be holy is to be wise; a perfect way is a wise way. David's resolve was excellent, but his practice did not fully tally with it. Alas! he was not always wise or perfect, but it was well that it was in his heart. A king had need be both sage and pure, and, if he be not so in intent, when he comes to the throne, his after conduct will be a sad example to his people. He who does not even resolve to do well is likely to do very ill. Householders, employers, and especially ministers, should pray for both wisdom and holiness, for they will need them both. O when wilt thou come unto me? —an ejaculation, but not an interruption. He feels the need not merely of divine help, but also of the divine presence, that so he may be instructed, and sanctified, and made fit for the discharge of his high vocation. David longed for a more special and effectual visitation from the Lord before he began his reign. If God be with us we shall neither err in judgment nor transgress in character; his presence brings us both wisdom and holiness; away from God we are away from safety. Good men are so sensible of infirmity that they cry for help from God, so full of prayer that they cry at all seasons, so intense in their desires that they cry with sighs and groanings which cannot be uttered, saying, "O when wilt thou come unto me?" I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. Piety must begin at home. Our first duties are those within our own abode. We must have a perfect heart at home, or we cannot keep a perfect way abroad. Notice that these words are a part of a song, and that there is no music like the harmony of a gracious life, no psalm so sweet as the daily practice of holiness. Reader, how fares it with your family? Do you sing in the choir and sin in the chamber Are you a saint abroad and a devil at home? For shame! What we are at home, that we are indeed. He cannot be a good king whose palace is the haunt of vice, nor he a true saint whose habitation is a scene of strife, nor he a faithful minister whose household dreads his appearance at the fireside.

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. I will neither delight in it, aim at it or endure it. If I have wickedness brought before me by others I will turn away from it, I will not gaze upon it with pleasure. The psalmist is very sweeping in his resolve, he declines the least, the most reputable, the most customary form of evil —no wicked thing; not only shall it not dwell in his heart, but not even before his eyes, for what fascinates the eye is very apt to gain admission into the heart, even as Eve's apple first pleased her sight and then prevailed over her mind and hand. I hate the work of them that turn aside. He was warmly against it; he did not view it with indifference, but with utter scorn and abhorrence. Hatred of sin is a good sentinel for the door of virtue. There are persons in courts who walk in a very crooked way, leaving the high road of integrity; and these, by short cuts, and twists, and turns, are often supposed to accomplish work for their masters which simple honest hearts are not competent to undertake; but David would not employ such, he would pay no secret service money, he loathed the practices of men who deviate from righteousness. He was of the same mind as the dying statesman who said, "Corruption wins not more than honesty." It is greatly to be deplored that in after years he did not keep himself clear in this matter in every case, though, in the main he did; but what would he have been if he had not commenced with this resolve, but had followed the usual crooked Policy of Oriental princes? How much do we all need divine keeping! We are no more perfect than David, nay, we fall far short of him in many things; and, like him, we shall find need to write a psalm of penitence very soon after our psalm of good resolution. It shall not cleave to me. I will disown their ways, I will not imitate their policy: like dirt it may fall upon me, but I will wash it off, and never rest till I am rid of it. Sin, like pitch, is very apt to stick. In the course of our family history crooked things will turn up, for we are all imperfect, and some of those around us are far from being what they should be; it must, therefore, be one great object of our care to disentangle ourselves, to keep clear of transgression, and of all that comes of it: this cannot be done unless the Lord both comes to us, and abides with us evermore.

A froward heart shall depart from me. He refers both to himself and to those round about him; he would neither be crooked in heart himself, nor employ persons of evil character in his house; if he found such in his court he would chase them away. He who begins with his own heart begins at the fountain head, and is not likely to tolerate evil compamons. We cannot turn out of our family all whose hearts are evil, but we can keep them out of our confidence, and let them see that we do not approve of their ways. I will not know a wicked person. He shall not be my intimate, my bosom friend. I must know him as a man or I could not discern his character, but if I know him to be wicked, I will not know him any further, and with his evil I will have no communion. "To know" in Scripture means more than mere perception, it includes fellowship, and in that sense it is here used. Princes must disown those who disown righteousness; if they know the wicked they will soon be known as wicked themselves.

Whose privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off. He had known so bitterly the miseries caused by slanderers that he intended to deal severely with such vipers when he came into power, not to revenge his own ills, but to prevent others from suffering as he had done. To give one's neighbour a stab in the dark is one of the most atrocious of crimes, and cannot be too heartily reprobated, yet such as are guilty of it often find patronage in high places, and are considered to be men of penetration, trusty ones who have a keen eye, and take care to keep their lords well posted up. King David would lop the goodly tree of his state of all such superfluous boughs, Him that hath an high look and a proud heart him will not I suffer. Proud, domineering, supercilious gentlemen, who look down upon the poor as though they were so many worms crawling in the earth beneath their feet, the psalmist could not bear. The sight of them made him suffer, and therefore he would not suffer them. Great men often affect aristocratic airs and haughty manners, David therefore resolved that none should be great in his palace but those who had more grace and more sense than to indulge in such abominable vanity, Proud men are generally hard, and therefore very unfit for office; persons of high looks provoke enmity and discontent, and the fewer of such eople about a court the better for the stability of a throne. If all slanderers were now cut off, and all the proud banished, it is to be feared that the next census would declare a very sensible diminution of the population.

Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me. He would seek them out, engage their services, take care of them, and promote them to honour: this is a noble occupation for a king, and one which will repay him infinitely better than listening to the soft nothings of flatterers. It would be greatly for the profit of us all if we chose our servants rather by their piety than by their cleverness; he who gets a faithful servant gets a treasure, and he ought to do anything sooner than part with him. Those who are not faithful to God will not be likely to be faithful to men; if we are faithful ourselves, we shall not care to have those about us who cannot speak the truth or fulfil their promises; we shall not be satisfied until all the members of our family are upright in character. He that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. What I wish myself to be, that I desire my servant to be. Employers are to a great degree responsible for their servants, and it is customary to blame a master if he retains in his service persons of notorious character; therefore, lest we become partakers of other men's sins, we shall do well to decline the services of bad characters. A good master does well to choose a good servant; he may take a prodigal into his house for the sinner's good, but if he consults his own he will look in another quarter. Wicked nurses have great influence for evil over the minds of little children, and ungodly servants often injure the morals of the older members of the family, and therefore great care should be exercised that godly servants should be employed as far as possible. Even irreligious men have the sense to perceive the value of Christian servants, and surely their own Christian brethren ought not to have a lower appreciation of them.

He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house. He had power to choose his courtiers, and he meant to exercise it. Deceit among most orientals is reckoned to be a virtue, and is only censured when it is not sufficiently cunning, and therefore comes to be found out; it was therefore all the more remarkable that David should have so determinedly set his face against it. He could not tell what a deceitful man might be doing, what plots he might be contriving, what mischief he might be brewing, and therefore he resolved that he would at any rate keep him out of his house, that his palace might not become a den of villainy. Cheats in the market are bad enough, but deceivers at our own table we cannot bear. He that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. He would not have a liar within sight or hearing; lie loathed the mention of him. Grace makes men truthful, and creates in them an utter horror of everything approaching to falsehood. If David would not have a liar in his sight, much less will the Lord; neither he that loves nor he who makes a lie shall be admitted into heaven. Liars are obnoxious enough on earth; the saints shall not be worried with them in another world.

I will early destroy all the wicked of the land. At the very outset of his government he would promptly deal out justice to the worthless, he would leave them no rest, but make them leave their wickedness or feel the lash of the law. The righteous magistrate "beareth not the sword in vain." To favour sin is to discourage virtue; undue leniency to the bad is unkindness to the good. When our Lord comes in judgment, this verse will be fulfilled on a large scale; till then he sinks the judge in the Saviour, and bids men leave their sins and find pardon. Under the gospel we also are bidden to suffer long, and to be kind, even to the unthankful and the evil; but the office of the magistrate is of another kind, and he must have a sterner eye to justice than would be proper in private persons. Is he not to be a terror to evil doers? That I may cut off all the wicked doers from the city of the Lord. Jerusalem was to be a holy city, and the psalmist meant to be doubly careful in purging it from ungodly men. Judgment must begin at the house of God. Jesus reserves his scourge of small cords for sinners inside the temple. How pure ought the church to be, and how diligently should all those who hold office therein labour to keep out and chase out men of unclean lives. Honourable offices involve serious responsibilities; to trifle with them will bring our own souls into guilt, and injure beyond calculation the souls of others. Lord, come to us, that we, in our several positions in life, may walk before thee with perfect hearts.

That I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD. As the kingdom of David was only a faint image of the kingdom of Christ, we ought to set Christ before our view; who, although he may bear with many hypocrites, yet as he will be the judge of the world, will at length call them all to on account, and separate the sheep from the goats. And if it seems to us that he tarries too long, we should think of that morning which will suddenly dawn, that all filthiness being purged away, true purity may shine forth. —John Calvin.

Early. From some incidental notices of Scripture (2Sa 15:2 Ps 101:8 Je 21:12), it has been inferred that judges ordinarily held their sessions in the morning. In a climate like that of Palestine, such a custom would be natural and convenient. It is doubtful, however, whether this passage expresses anything more than the promptness and zeal which a righteous judge exercises in the discharge of his duty. —E.P. Barrows, in "Biblical Geography and Antiquities".

The holy vow "to destroy all the wicked of the lands": and to "cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord, "must begin at our own hearts as his sanctuary, the temple of the Holy Ghost. —Alfred Edersheim.

Whole Psalm. The contents of this psalm show that it was written at some remarkable period of David's life. Three different times have been fixed upon as respectively giving occasion for the solemn resolutions which are announced in it. The first is supposed to be when David, immediately after the death of Saul, succeeded to the government of a part of the kingdom; the second, when the whole kingdom was united under the dominion of David; and the third, when he removed the ark from the house of Obededom to Zion, and placed it in the vicinity of his own abode. It is certainly of little importance which of these periods we select, but the second verse of the psalm has some appearance of relating to the last mentioned. The psalmist here says, When wilt thou come to me? which seems to intimate that when he was to have the symbols of God's presence so near to him, he experienced a solemn sentiment respecting the holiness that was now more than ever incumbent upon him —a sentiment which induced him to form the sacred purposes and resolutions which he has specified. These purposes relate to the character of the persons whom he would select for his household, and those whom he would employ in carrying on his government, which appeared to be more firmly established by the divine condescension that was manifested to him, in having the earthly residence of God placed so near to himself. It was quite in agreement with David's character to form purposes of more fervent and steadfast obedience, in proportion to the advantages and favours which the divine goodness bestowed upon him. —William Walford.

Whole Psalm. This psalm has been appropriately called "The House-holder's Psalm"; and assuredly if every master of a family would regulate his household by these rules of the conscientious psalmist, there would be a far greater amount, not merely of domestic happiness and comfort, but of fulfilment of the serious and responsible duties which devolve on the respective members of a household. David in some measure may be supposed to speak of the regulation of a royal court and household; and of course with such we in our humbler sphere can have but little in common; yet though there may not be the same duties and the same requirements, yet the same principles should actuate all alike, and the same virtues that adorn the lowlier station may shed a radiance even on the highest. —Barton Bouchier.

Whole Psalm. This is the psalm which the old expositors used to designate "The Mirror for Magistrates"; and an excellent mirror it is. It would mightily accelerate the coming of the time when every nation shall be Christ's possession, and every capital a "City of the Lord", if all magistrates could be persuaded to dress themselves by it every time they go forth to perform the functions of their godlike office. When Sir George Villiers became the favourite and prime minister of King James, Lord Bacon, in a beautiful Letter of Advice, counselled him to take this psalm for his rule in the promotion of courtiers. "In those the choice had need be of holiest and faithful servants, as well as of comely outsides who can bow the knee and kiss the hand. King David (Ps 101:6-7) propounded a rule to himself for the choice of his courtiers. He was a wise and a good king; and a wise and a good king shall do well to follow such a good example; and if he find any to be faulty, which perhaps cannot suddenly be discovered, let him take on him this resolution as King David did, `There shall no deceitful person dwell in my house.'"It would have been well both for the Philosopher and the Favourite if they had been careful to walk by this rule. —William Binnie.

Whole Psalm. Eyring, in his "Life of Ernest the Pious" (Duke of Saxe Gotha), relates that he sent an unfaithful minister a copy of Ps 101:1-8, and that it became a proverb in the country when an official had done anything wrong: He will certainly soon receive the prince's psalm to read. —F. Delitzseh.

Whole Psalm. Ps 101:1-8 was one beloved by the noblest of Russian princes, Vladimir Monomachos; and by the gentlest of English reformers, Nicholas Ridley. But it was its first leap into life that has carried it so far into the future. It is full of a stern exclusiveness, of a noble intolerance, not against theological error, not against uncourtly manners, not against political insubordination, but against the proud heart, the high look, the secret slanderer, the deceitful worker, the teller of lies. These are the outlaws from king David's court; these are the rebels and heretics whom he would not suffer to dwell in his house or tarry in his sight. —Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, in "Lectures on the History the Jewish Church", 1870.

Whole Psalm. Such a hymn of praise as the grand doxology of Ps 99:1-9 could not die away without an echo. Accordingly Ps 100:1-5 may be regarded as forming the chorus of the church, and this as taking up and applying that part of the doxology which celebrated the present manifestation of the "King in his beauty." —Alfred Edersheim.

Whole Psalm. Mr. Fox reports that Bishop Ridley often read and expounded this psalm to his household, hiring them with money to get it by heart. —Thomas Lye, in "The Morning Exercises."

I will sing. If thou bestowest mercies upon me; or if thou bringest any judgment upon me; before thee, O Lord, will I sing my hymn for all. —Chaldee Paraphrase.

I will sing. The manner of expression imports a cordial resolution; heart and will are engaged in it; there is twice I will in the text. The manner of expression imports a humble resolution; I cannot sing of merit; but I will sing of mercy, and through mercy I will sing of mercy. To sing of mercy must be a humble song, for mercy towards a miserable sinner is a melting word; and to sing of judgment must be a humble song, for judgment in every sense is an awful word. The manner of the expression imports a skilful harper, a dexterous musician, even in a spiritual sense; he knew what should be the subject of the song, and he says, "I will sing of mercy and judgment"; and he knew what should be the object of the song, or to whom it should be sung, and therefore says, "To thee, O Lord, I will sing"; he knew who should be the singer, and therefore says, "I will" do it; he knew what should be the manner; and therefore says, "I will sing of mercy and judgment; to thee, O Lord, will I sing." It is before the Lord he resolves to sing, as he did before the ark, which was a type of Christ; and so is it s song to the praise of God in Christ. The manner of the expression imports a firm, fixed, and constant resolution; so the redoubling of it seems to import; "I will sing, I will sing." He had a mind this exercise of singing should not go down, but be his continual trade, "I will sing, I will sing"; I will sing on earth and I will sing in heaven; I will sing in time and I will sing in eternity. And, indeed, all on whom the spirit of praise and gratitude is poured out resolve never to give over singing... David had heard once, yea, twice, that mercy as well as power belongs to the Lord; and therefore not only once, but twice in a breath he resolves to sing unto the Lord. The word hath a great deal of elegancy and emphasis in it; I will sing of mercy, I will sing of judgment; O, I will sing, O Lord, I will sing; and I will sing unto thee. —Ralph Erskine.

This song of the sweet singer of Israel is peculiar to earth; they do not sing of judgment in heaven, for there is no sin there; they do not sing of mercy in hell, for there is no propitiation for sin there. Time was when the song was not heard even on earth; for in Paradise man walked in innocence, and walking in innocence he walked in the light of his Father's face. —Hugh Stowell, 1856.

I will sing of mercy and judgment. It comes all to this, as if the psalmist should say, "I will sing of merciful judgements"; for judgment is mercy, as it is the matter of the song: or, to take them separately, "I will sing of mercy in mercies, and, I will sing of mercy in judgment"; and so I will sing of my blinks and of my showers; I will sing both of my cloudy and my clear day; both of my ups and downs. —Ralph Erskine.

Mercy and judgment. As the pedge of the ship S.Paul sailed in was Castor and Pollux, twin brothers, so the badge of this Psalm is Mercy and Judgment, inseparable companions; of whom it may be said, as our prophet sometimes spake of Saul and Jonathan, "They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their deaths they were not divided." These are the two brightest stars in the firmament of majesty; the two fairest flowers, and choicest jewels in the imperial crown; like the carnation and the lily, the ruby and the sapphire, or the carbuncle and the diamond, yielding a mutual and interchangeable lustre each to other. They resemble not unfitly the two supporters of the king's arms, or the two seraphim stretching out their golden wings over the propitiatory, or the white and red rose in the same escutcheon.

We read that Solomon set up two goodly pillars in the porch of the temple, the one called Jachin, the other Boaz, which signify stability and strength; such pillars of the state are mercy and judgment. The throne of the King is borne up by them, as Solomen's was with lions of ivory on each side. Therefore I as in one place it is said that "the throne is established by justice" (Pr 16:12); so in another that it is "upheld by mercy" (Pr 20:28); justice being as the bones and sinews in the body politic, and mercy as the veins and arteries. They are the two hands of action, the two eyes of virtue, and the two wings of honour. And as the eyes, if they be rightly set, do both look one way; so do mercy and judgment, however in the apprehension of the vulgar they seem to look contrary ways. And as the treble and the bass accord best music; so do they in managing the commonwealth. Wherefore David promiseth to make them both sound tunable in his song without jar or discord: "I will sing of mercy and judgment." ...

As mercy is here set in the first place; so shall the sentence of mercy and absolution be first pronounced at the last day. And it is a laudable custom of princes, at their first entrance to their kingdoms, to shew mercy, by hearing the mourning of the prisoner, and delivering the children of death, by loosing the bands of wickedness, by taking off the heavy burdens, by letting the oppressed go free, and by breaking every yoke of former extortions. Thus, our prophet himself, as soon as the crown was settled on his head, made inquiry if there remained yet alive any of the house of Saul, on whom he might shew mercy (2Sa 9:1). O how fair a thing is this mercy in the time of anguish and trouble! It is like a cloud of rain that cometh in the time of drought. But this mercy, here spoken of in the first part of our prophet's song, stretcheth further; unfolding itself in clemency, in courtesy, and in compassion. In clemency, by pardoning malefactors; in compassion, by relieving the afflicted; in courtesy, towards all. —George Hakewill, or Hakewell, 1579-1649.

Mercy and judgment. What is the history of every poor sinner, plucked as a brand from the fire and brought to heaven in peace at last, but a history of "mercy and judgment"? Judgment first awakes to terror and to fear; mercy meets the poor, trembling, returning prodigal, and falls on his neck, and kisses, and forgives. Then, through all his chequered course, God hems up his way with judgment, that he may not wander, and yet brightens his path with mercy, that he may not faint. Is there a child of God that can look into the varied record of his heart or of his outward history, and not see goodness and severity, severity and goodness, tracking him all his journey through? Has he ever had a cup so bitter that he could say, "There is no mercy here"? Has he ever had a lot so bright that he could say, "There is no chastisement or correction here"? Has he ever had any bad tidings, and there have been no good tidings set over against them to relieve them? Has he ever had a sky so dark that he could see in it no star, or a cloud so unchequered that he could trace no rainbow of promise there? . . . What a beautifully woven web of judgment and mercy does every man's secret history, in his way through the wilderness of life to the land of promise, present! and how good, and how wholesome, and how kindly, and how gracious is this blessed intermingling of both! How do we need the judgment, to keep us humble and watchful and pure! and how do we need the mercy to keep us hopeful, and to nerve our efforts, and to stir our hearts, and to sustain us in patience, amid life's battle and struggle, and disappointment and vexation! Oh, how good it is for us, that we should thus, therefore, have the rod and staff together —the rod to chasten, and the staff to solace and sustain! How good it is for us, that we should have to "sing of mercy and judgment!" And yet, what is judgment itself, but mercy with a sterner aspect? And what are the chidings of judgment, but the sterner tones of the voice of a Father's love? For even judgment is one of the "all things" that "work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose." —Hugh Stowell.

Mercy and judgment. God intermixeth mercy with affliction: he steeps his sword of justice in the oil of mercy; there was no night so dark, but Israel had a pillar of fire in it; there is no condition so dismal, but we may see a pillar of fire to give light. If the body be in pain, conscience is in peace, —there is mercy: affliction is for the prevention of sin, —there is mercy. In the ark there was a rod and a pot of manna, the emblem of a Christian's condition, mercy interlined with judgment. —Thomas Watson.

I will behave myself wisely. The first thing he vows touching himself, is wise behaviour; prudence, not sapience; not wise contemplation, but wise action. It is not wise thoughts, or wise speaking, or wise writing, or wise gesture and countenance, will serve the turn, but wise behaviour: the former are graceful, but the other needful. For as the apostle saith of godliness, "Having a show of godliness, but denying the power thereof"; so certainly there are those who in point of wisdom and sufficiency that do little or nothing thoroughly, but magno conatu nugas, they make much ado about small matters; using all the perspectives of shifting they can devise to make an empty superficies seem a body that hath depth and bulk. —George Hakewill.

I will walk. Walking is a word often used in Holy Scripture, and especially by our prophet in this book of the Psalms; yet more often figuratively than properly. It shall not be amiss, then, out of the property and nature of it, to consider the duties included and implied in it. The natural acts of it, then, are three; motion, progress, and moderations. As it includes motion, so is it opposed to lying, or standing, or sitting; as it includes progress in motion, so is it opposed to jumping or capering up and down in the same place; as it includes moderation, in a progressive motion, so is it opposed to violent running. —George Hakewill.

I will walk within my house. Much, though not all of the power of godliness, lies within doors. It is in vain to talk of holiness if we can bring no letters testimonial from our holy walking with our relations. Oh, it is sad when they that have reason to know us best, by their daily converse with us, do speak least for our godliness! Few so impudent as to come naked into the streets: if men have anything to cover their haughtiness they will put it on when they come abroad. But witat art thou within doors? What care and conscience to discharge thy duty to thy near relations? He is a bad husband that hath money to spend among company abroad, but none to lay in provisions to keep his family at home. And can he be a good Christian that spends all his religion abroad, and leaves none for his nearest relations at home? That is, a great zealot among strangers, and little or nothing of God comes from him in his family? Yea, it were well if some that gain the reputation of Christians abroad, did not fall short of others that pretend not to profession in those moral duties which they should perform to their relations. There are some who are great strangers to profession, who yet are loving and kind in their way to their wives. What kind of professors then are they who are dogged and currish to the wife of their bosom? Who by their tyrannical lording it over them embitter their spirit, and make them cover the Lord's altar with tears and weeping? There are wives to be found that are not clamorous, peevish, and froward to their husbands, who yet are far from a true work of grace in their hearts; do they then walk as becomes holiness who trouble the whole house with their violent passions? There are servants who from the authority of a natural conscience, are kept from railing and reviling language, when reproved by their masters, and shall not grace keep pace with nature? Holy David knew very well how near this part of a saint's duty lies to the very heart of godliness; and therefore, when he makes his solemn vow to walk holily before God, he instanceth this, as one stage wherein he might eminently discover the graciousness of his spirit; "I will walk within my house with a perfect heart." —William Gurnall.

Within my house. It is easier for most men to walk with a perfect heart in the church, or even in the world, than in their own families. How many are as meek as lambs among others, when at home they are wasps or tigers. —Adam Clarke.

Within my house with a perfect heart. Even in our best directed establishments, as well as in private families, cultivation is still in a great measure confined to intellect alone; and the direct exercise and training of the moral and religious sentiments and affections are rarely thought of as essential to their full and vigorous development. Moral precepts are, no doubt, offered in abundance; but these address thelnselves chiefly to the intellect. We must not be satisfied with merely exclaiming, "Be kind, just, and affectionate", when perhaps at the very moment we are counteracting the effect of the advice by our own opposite conduct. "She told me not to lie", said Guy Rivers in speaking of his mother, "and she set me the example herself by frequently deceiving my father, and teaching me to disobey and deceive him." Conduct like this is more common in real life than is supposed, although generally less flagrant in degree. Parents and teachers indeed too often forget that the sentiments feel and do not reason, and that, consequently, even a stupid child may, by the instinctive operation of its moral nature at once detect and revolt at the immorality of practices, the true character of which its reason is unable to penetrate or expose. It is one of the most effectual methods of cultivating and exciting the moral sentiments in children, to set before them the manifestations of these in our habitual conduct. . . . What kind of moral duties does the parent encourage, who, recommending kindness, openness, and justice, tricks the child into the confession of a fault, and then basely punishes it, having previously promised forgiveness? And how is openness best encouraged —by practising it in conduct, or by neglecting it in practice, and prescribing in words. Is it to be cultivated by thrusting suspicions in the face of honest intentions? And how is justice to be cultivated by a guardian who speaks about it, recommends it, and in practice charges each of four pupils the whole fare of a hackney-coach? Or what kind of moral education is that which says, "Do as I bid you, and I will give you sweet-meats or money, or I will tell your mama how good you were", holding out the lowest and most selfish propensities as the motives to moral conduct? Did space permit, I might indeed pursue the whole round of moral and religious duties, and ask similar questions at each. But it is needless. These examples will suffice; and I give them, not as applicable generally either to parents or teachers, but simply as individual instances from among both, which have come within the sphere of my own knowledge, and which bear directly upon the principle under discussion. —Andrew Combe, in "The Principles of Physiology", 1836.

Wicked thing. The original hath it, if we will render it word for word, "I will set no word of Belial before mine eyes." But word is figuratively there put for thing; as likewise Ps 41:8; and so is it rendered both by Montanus in the margin, and in the text by Junius; howbeit, in his comment upon this psalm, he precisely follows the original, applying it against sycophants and flatterers, the mice and moths of court. —George Hakewill.

I hate the work of them that turn aside. Mr. Schultens hath shown in his commentary on Pr 7:25 that hjv hath a much stronger and more significant meaning than that of mere turning aside; and that it is used of an unruly horse, that champs upon the bit through his fiery impatience; and when applied to a bad man, denotes one impatient of all restraint, of unbridled passions, and that is headstrong and ungovernable in the gratification of them, trampling on all the obligations of religion and virtue. Such as these are the deserved objects of the hatred of all good men, whose criminal deviations and presumptuous crimes they detest; none of which shall cleave to them; they will not harbour the love of, or inclination to them, nor habitually commit them, or encourage the practice of them. Persons of this character are too frequently about the courts of princes, but it is their honour and interest, as far as ever they can, to discountenance them. —Samuel Chandler.

It shall not cleave to me. A bird may light upon a man's house; but he may choose whether she shall nestle or breed there, or no: and the devil or his instruments may represent a wicked object to a man's sight; but he may choose whether he will entertain or embrace it or no. For a man to set wicked things before his eyes is nothing else but to sin of set purpose, to set himself to sin, or to sell himself to sin, as Ahab did, 1Ki 21:1-29. —George Hakewill.

It shall not cleave to me. A wicked plan or purpose is thus represented as having a tendency to fasten itself on a man, or to "stick to him" —as pitch, or wax, or a burr does. —Albert Barnes.

A froward heart. The original sense of vqe is torsit, contorsit, to twist together, and denotes, when applied to men, persons of a perverse, subtle disposition, that can twist and twine themselves into all manner of shapes, and who have no truth and honour to be depended on. —Samuel Chandler.

A froward heart. By which I understand "from-wardness" —giving way to sudden impulses of anger, or quick conception, and casting it forth in words or deeds of impetuous violence. —Thomas Chalmers.

Privily slandereth —literally, he that tongueth his neighbour secretly. Will I not suffer, is properly, "him I cannot", i.e., cannot live with, cannot bear about me, as the same verb is used in Isa 1:13. —Henry Cowles.

Him that hath an high look. Pride will sit and show itself in the eyes as soon as anywhere. A man is seen what he is in oculis, in poculis, in loculis (in his eyes, his cups, and his resorts) say the Rabbins. See Pr 6:17. —John Trapp.

Proud heart. From bxr latus or dilatatus est, is the noun bxr, here, broad, or wide, or large; and being applied to the heart or soul, it notes largeness of desires. —Henry Hammond.

Detraction, ambition, and avarice are three weeds which spring and flourish in the rich soil of a court. The psalmist declareth his resolution to undertake the difficult task of eradicating them for the benefit of his people, that Israelites might not be harassed by informers, or repressed by insolent and rapacious ministers. Shall we imagine these vices less odious in the eyes of that King whose character was composed of humilty and charity; or will Christ admit those tempers into the court of heaven, which David determined to exclude from his court upon earth? —George Horne.

Verses 5-10. Perfect, as prophetic of Christ, is the delineation of his associates and disciples. The perverse; the evil-doers; the slanderers, and the proud found no fellowship with him. There were no common principles; no bond of union between them. There was "a gulph" interposed, as in the parable, which they could not pass; and what they saw of Christ, they beheld only from a distance. Nor even now, as then, can "the deceitful" dwell in Christ's "house" —his holy temple; nor the man of "lies be established" by his love and favour. They must renounce their vices before they can be admitted to his covenant; or, however they may claim communion with Him, he in return can have no sympathy with them. —William Hill Tucker.

Whole Psalm. This is a psalm of wills and shalls. There are nine wills and five shalls. Resolutions should be made,

1. With deliberation; not, therefore, upon trifling matters.

2. With reservation. "If the Lord will, "etc.

3. With dependence upon divine strength for their fulfilment. —G.R.

—

1. The sweet work that is resolved upon is to "sing."

2. The sweet singer that thus resolves, namely, David, "l will sing."

3. The sweet subject of the song, "mercy and judgment."

4. The sweet object of this praise, and the manner in which he would sing it —"Unto three, 0 Lord, will I sing." —Ralph Ershikine.

What there is in mercy that affords ground of singing.

1. The freeness and undeservedhess of mercy.

2. The unexpectedness of mercy. When I was expecting a frown I got a smile; when I was expecting nothing but wrath, I got a glance of love; instead of a stroke of vengeance, I got a view of glory.

3. The seasonablehess of mercy is a ground of singing —grace to help in time of need.

4. The greatness and riches of mercy make the recipiants there of sing.

5. The sweetness of mercy makes them sing.

6. The sureness and firmness of mercy make them sing —"The sure mercies of David." —From Ralph Erskine's Sermon, entitled "The Militant's Song".

—

1. The different conditions of the righteous man in this life. Not all mercy, nor all judgment, but mercy and judgment.

2. His one duty and privilege in reference to them: "I will sing, "etc.

(a) Because they are both from God.

(b) Because they are both from love.

(c) Because they are both for present good.

(d) Because they are both preparative for the heavenly rest. —G.R.

The blending of song with holy living. The bell of praise and the pomegranate of holy fruitfulness should both adorn the Lord's priests.

1. The end desired: "To behave wisely, "etc.; consistency of conduct.

2. The means employed: "When wilt thou come, "etc.; only when God is with us we walk in a perfect way.

3. The test proposed: "Within my house, "where I am most myself and am best known. —G.R.

—The wisdom of holiness.

1. In selecting our sphere of duty.

2. In timing, :arranging, and balancing duties.

3. In managing others according to their tempers.

4. In avoiding disputes with adversaries.

5. In administering rebuke, giving alms, rendering advice, etc.; the blending of the serpent with the dove.

—O when wilt thou come unto me? A devout ejaculation.

1. Revealing the psalmist's need of the divine presence in order to holiness.

2. His intense longing.

3. His full expectation.

4. His the rough appreciation of the condescending visit.

Verse 2 (last clause). Home piety. Its duty, excellence, influence, sphere, and reward. Note also the change of heart and firmness of purpose necessary to it.

1. The sight of wickedness is to be avoided: "I will set no wicked thing, "etc.

2. When seen it is to be loathed: "I Hate, "etc.

3. When felt it is to be repudiated. It may touch me, but "it shall not cleave to me."

The need of extreme care in the choice of our intimates.

The detestable nature of slander, hurting three persons at once —the speaker, hearer, and person slandered.

The duty of believers who are wealthy to encourage and employ persons of pious character.

The work of the great King when he comes in judgment.