Henry Alford on "the Spirit who spoke in David"

(Henry Alford, The New Testament for English Readers [1866], on Acts 2:25).

"We are met at every turn by the shallow objections of the Rationalists, who seem incapable of comprehending the principle on which the sayings of David [in the Psalms] respecting himself are referred to Christ. ... To interpret the sayings of David (or indeed those of any one else) 'historically,' i.e. solely as referring to the occasion which gave rise to them, and having no wider reference, would be to establish a canon of interpretation wholly counter to the common sense of mankind. Every one, placed in any given position, when speaking of himself as in that position, speaks what will refer to others similarly situated, and most pointedly to any one who shall in any especial and pre-eminent way stand in that position. Applying even this common rule to David's sayings, the applicability of them to Christ will be legitimized:—but how much more, when we take into account the whole circumstances of David's theocratic position, as the prophetic representative and type of Christ. Whether the Messiah were present or not to the mind of the Psalmist, is of very little import: in some cases He plainly was: in others, as here [Psalm 16:8-11], David's words, spoken of himself and his circumstances, could only be in their highest and literal sense true of the great Son of David who was to come. David often spoke concerning himself: but THE SPIRIT WHO SPOKE IN DAVID, concerning Christ."