John Trapp on Psalms 6:1

PSAL. VI.

TO the chief Muſician on Neginoth] See Pſal. 4. Title.

Upon Sheminith] or upon the eight, i.e. Intentiſſimo ſono & clariſſimo voce, Vatab. to be ſung aloud. An Eight is the higheſt Note in Muſick. See 1 Chron. 15.21. Others ſay, that hereby is meant the Baſe and Tenor, as fitteſt for a Mourner.

Verſ. 1. O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger] In this and ſome other Pſalms, David begins ſo heavenly, ends ſo merrily, that one might think they had been compoſed by two men of a contrary humour, as Moulin obſerveth.De L' amont Divin. Every new man is two men, Rom. 7. The Shulamite hath in her as it were the company of two Armies, Cant. 6.13. The Lord alſo chequereth his Providences white and black, hee ſpeckleth his work; (repreſented by thoſe ſpeckled Horſes, Zach. 1.8.) Mercies and Croſſes are inter-woven.

Neither chaſten me in thy hot diſpleaſure] Chaſtened, David deſires to be, as Jer. 10.24. 1 Cor. 11.32. Heb. 12.7, 8. But in Mercy, and in meaſure, 1 Cor. 10.13 Fury is not in me, ſaith God, however it may ſometimes ſeem to be, Iſa. 27.4. Of furious people the Philoſopher giveth this Character, that they are angry, [non-Latin text not transcribed] againſt thoſe whom they ſhould not. 2 [non-Latin text not transcribed] for matters they ſhould not. 3 [non-Latin text not transcribed] more than they ſhould be. But none of all theſe can be affirmed of God. Anger is not in him ſecundum affectum, but ſeemeth ſo to be ſecundum effectum, when he chideth and ſmiteth (as angry people uſe to do) when there is no other remedy, 2 Chron. 36.16. his anger is in Scripture put, 1 For his threatnings, Hoſ. 11.9. Jon. 3.10. 2. For his puniſhments, Mat. 3.7. Rom. 2.8. But as God therefore threatneth that he may not puniſh, Amo. 4.12. ſo in the midſt of Judgement he remembreth Mercy, and it ſoon repenteth him concerning his people.