Gleanings from the Psalms

'Do you see yonder wicket Gate?' Evangelist pointing Christian in Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress to the way of salvation

Gleanings in the Psalms
(Psalm 12)

Verse 1. "Help, Lord: for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men".

Consider our markets, our fairs, our private contracts and bargains, our shops, our cellars, our weights, our measures, our promises, our protestations, our political tricks and villainous Machiavelism, our enhancing of the prices of all commodities, and tell whether the twelfth psalm may not as fitly be applied to our times as to the days of the man of God; in which the feigning, and lying, and guile, and subtlety of men provoked the psalmist to cry out: "help, Lord: for there is not a godly man left; for the faithful fail from among the children of men".

R. Wolcombe (1612)

Verse 1. "… for THE FAITHFUL fail from among the children of men". Look close. View thyself in the glass of "The Word".

Does thy neighbour or thy friend find thee FAITHFUL to him? What does our daily intercourse witness? Is not the attempt to speak what is agreeable often made at the expense of truth? In common life, where gross violations are restrained, a thousand petty offences are allowed, that break down the wall between sin and duty, and, judged by the Divine standard, are indeed guilty steps upon forbidden ground.

Charles Bridges

Verse 2. "With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak".

There is no such stuff to make a cloak of as religion; nothing so fashionable, nothing so profitable; it is a livery wherein a man may serve two masters, God and the world, and make a gainful service by either.

I SERVE BOTH

Before men none serves his God with more severe devotion; in private, I serve the world; not with so strict devotion, but with more delight. The house of prayer who more frequents than I? In all christian duties who more forward then I? I fast with those that fast, that I may eat with those that eat. No hand more open to the cause than mine, and in their families none prays longer and with more zeal. If I am covetous, it is interpreted providence; if miserable, it is counted temperance; if melancholy, it is construed godly sorrow; if merry, it is voted spiritual joy; if poor, it is supposed the fruit of conscientious dealing; if rich, it is thought the blessing of a godly life; if I be well spoken of, it is the merit of holy living; if ill spoken of, it is the malice of malignants. Thus I sail in every wind. This cloak in summer keeps me cool, in the winter warm, and hides the nasty bag of all my secret lusts. Under this cloak I walk in public fairly with applause, and in private sin securely without offence. At a fast I cry Geneva, and at a feast Rome. What I openly reprove abroad, for my own profit, that I secretly act at home, for my own pleasure.

BUT STAY,

I see a handwriting in my heart which dampens my soul. It is charactered in these sad words: "Woe be to you, hypocrites".

From Francis Quarles'
"Hypocrite's Soliloquy"

Verses 3 & 4. "The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips … our lips are our own…"

It need not now seem strange to tell you that the Lord is the owner of our bodies 7hellip they are more His than ours. Therefore, they spoke proud things, and presumptuously usurped the propriety of God, who said: "Our lips are our own". This provoked God to show what right He had to dispose of such lips and tongues by "cutting them off".

David Clarkson

Verse 5. "For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord …"

At that very nick of time when all seems lost, and when the poor, afflicted people of God can do nothing but sigh and weep, then the Lord will arise and ease them of their oppressions. (See Matthew 22 verses 6-7).

Thomas Brooks.

Verse 6. "The words of the Lord are PURE WORDS …"

They that purify silver put it in the fire again and again, that it may be thoroughly tried. So is the truth of God; there is scarce any truth but hath been tried over and over again, and still if any dross mingle with it God calls it in question again. The doctrine of God's Free Grace has been tried over and over and over again. Pelagius begins, and he mingles his dross with it; he saith that grace is nothing but nature in man. Well, his doctrine was purified and a great deal of dross purged out. Then came the semi-pelagians, and they part stakes; they make nature to concur with grace, and to have an influence as well as grace; and the dross of that was burnt up. The Papists, they take up the same quarrel. The Arminians, they come, and they refine popery in that point anew; still they mingle dross. God will have this truth tried seven times in the fire until He hath brought it forth as pure as pure can be. And I say it is because that truth is thus precious.

Thomas Goodwin.

This Page Title – Gleanings in the Psalms (Psalm 12)
The Wicket Gate Magazine "A Continuing Witness".
Internet Edition number 47 – placed on line March 2004
Wicket Gate contact address – Mr Cliff Westcombe cw@wicketgate.co.uk
If you wish to be notified when each new edition goes on line please send an e-mail to the above address
Magazine web address – www.wicketgate.co.uk

Labelled with ICRA