they may also look upon themselves as a people created a-new to praise the Lord. 19. For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary from heaven did the LORD behold the earth 19. Because in much mercy He hath been pleased to preserve a miserable Nation from utter destruction and though He be infinitely exalted above all our thoughts yet the Lord hath graciously condescended to mind the afflicted condition of this distressed Country 20. To hear the groaning of the prisoner to loose those that are appointed to death 20. And to be moved by our groans to deliver us out of a sad captivity and to revive us when we had reason to look upon our selves as dead and hopeless 21. To declare the name of the LORD in Sion and his praise in Jerusalem 21. That we might go and recount in his Temple the famous things which He hath done and make the holy City sound with the praises of his power goodness and truth which He hath declared in our restauration 22. When the people are gathered together and the kingdoms to serve the LORD 22. When all the people shall be gathered together there to worship the Divine Majesty and other Kingdoms join with us unanimously in his service 23. He weakened my strength in the way he shortned my days 23. I had hopes to have lived to see this blessed time and thought I had been in the way to it III. Ezra 8 c. But He hath stopt our vigorous beginnings IV. Ezra 4. and thereby so sorely afflicted me that I feel I am like to fall short of my expectations 24. I said O my God take me not away in the midst of my days thy years are throughout all generations 24. Though I prayed most earnestly to Him and said O my God who hast so graciously begun our deliverance take me not away before it be compleatly finished but let me see thy promise fulfilled which Thou who diest not as we do I am sure wilt not fail to make good 25. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands 25. For it cannot be too hard for Thee to raise Sion out of her ruins who hast many ages ago created this goodly fabrick of heaven and earth by thy eternal Word I. Heb. 10. 26. They shall perish but thou shalt endure yea all of them shall wax old like a garment as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed 26. And Thou dost neither decay nor alter in process of time as thy creatures do some of which shall perish but Thou shalt eternally subsist and all of them shall grow old like our garments with long wearing even the heavens themselves which now enwrap the earth as our cloaths do our bodies shall be folded up I. Heb. 12. and laid aside like a tattered garment when Thou shalt command that alteration 27. But thou art the same and thy years shall have no end 27. But Thou and thy Word art still the very same and shalt always continue so without any the least variation 28. The children of thy servants shall continue and their seed shall be established before thee 28. Yet all that I conclude from hence is onely this that though I do not live to see our perfect restauration yet according to thy unalterable purpose the Temple and Jerusalem shall be rebuilt and the children of thy servants who now are in great distress be peaceably settled there yea their posterity after them remain unmovable in thy favour and enjoy the tokens of thy Divine presence among them PSALM CIII A Psalm of David ARGUMENT The Title tells us this Psalm is one of Davids and the third fourth and fifth Verses may satisfie us that he composed it after his recovery from a dangerous sickness to such a vigorous health as the Eagles have when they renew their plumes To that he alludes Ver. 5. as Euthymius and Saint Hierom understand it The latter of which says upon XL. Isaiah that he had often taught the Eagles do no otherway return to youthfulness when they are old but onely mutatione pennarum by change of their feathers I have expressed this a little more largely then ordinary in the Paraphrase as I have done in the rest of the Psalm to fit it the better to their use now that have escaped the like danger who should take occasion when they thank God for such a blessing to imitate David in making a thankfull commemoration of the rest of his mercies both to him and to others both in the present and in past ages And the more to excite devout souls to this and that I might make their thankfulness the more affectionate if they please to make use of this Hymn for that purpose I have oft repeated the beginning of the Psalm which I think refers to the whole and likewise put it into a little different form of a soul actually praising God without the least alteration of the sense 1. BLess the LORD O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name 1. BLessed for ever blessed be the Lord of life and health and all other blessings Blessed be his eternal power wisedom and goodness with my whole heart do I bless Him with my most ardent love and the devoutest affections of my soul 2. Bless the LORD O my soul and forget not all his benefits 2. Which shall be every day thus employed and praise his name with continual pleasure I will never forget how shouldst thou prove so ungratefull O my soul as not to acknowledge the inestimable benefits I have received from his bounty which are more then thought can number 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases 3. More particularly I render Thee O Lord my most hearty thanks for thy late mercies vouchsafed to me Blessed be thy mercifull kindness that after a short correction for my faults Thou hast graciously pardoned them and healed all the sores and grievous wounds which they had made 4. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies 4. Blessed be God who hath saved me from death and not onely spared my life but surrounded it most graciously with I know not how many benefits which make it exceeding delightfull to me I owe my friends lovers and acquaintance my carefull attendants my warm and quiet habitation the plentifull estate Thou hast given me the liberal provision Thou makest for me with all the rest of thy mercies to the bowels of thy tender compassions towards me 5. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles 5. Blessed be thy almighty Goodness that my mouth which lately disgusted all things or was restrained from what is desired or was prescribed that which was disgustfull to it can now relish its food again and is satisfied with many good things I can never sufficiently bless thy Goodness who by this
Locust which flies or is driven with the wind uncertainly from place to place 24. My knees are weak through fasting and my flesh faileth of fatness 24. And for want of food in those desart places I am sometimes scarce able to remove for my body which heretofore was plump and fat 1 Sam. XVI 12. is now grown lank and thin like one of those miserable lean Creatures 25. I became also a reproach unto them when they looked upon me they shaked their heads 25. Which instead of moving their pity hath exposed me to such contempt and scorn that when I am seen by any of them they deride and scoff at me as an undone wretch that vainly hopes to escape their hands 26. Help me O LORD my God O save me according to thy mercy 26. But my hope is that Thou O Lord who hast hitherto been my most gracious God wilt seasonably interpose for my relief and deliver me out of that tender mercy which is wont to extend it self to those who have nothing else to depend upon 27. That they may know that this is thy hand that thou LORD hast done it 27. Whereby they themselves may be convinced and forced to acknowledge that not by chance no more then by my small forces but by thy Almighty power alone and thy care of me O Lord I am delivered 28. Let them curse but bless thou when they arise let them be ashamed but let thy servant rejoice 28. Thy blessing and protection I implore which if Thou wilt vouchsafe me let them go on to curse and slander me as long as they please it shall not hurt me nay let them assault me with armed force they shall onely be confounded at their vain attempt and give thy servant the greater cause to rejoice at their disappointment 29. Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame and let them cover themselves with their own confusion as with a mantle 29. Which shall so increase the confusion of my malicious adversaries that they shall not be able to bear the disgrace but wish they could hide themselves from the sight of their shame which their own wickedness hath brought upon them 30. I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth yea I will praise him among the multitude 30. In hope of which defeat I now beforehand to the Lord the best expressions of my gratitude that I am able to make not onely in private but in the greatest Assemblies where I will not cease to praise his Almighty love 31. For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor to save him from those that condemn his soul 31. And bid them trust in God who hath pleaded my cause and rescued me from death and will ever be the Advocate of him that hath no helper but depends on his goodness to deliver him from the hands of those Judges who prosecute the unjust sentence they have passed upon him to lose his life PSALM CX A Psalm of David ARGUMENT There is the same reason to think this Psalm was composed by David not by some other concerning David that there is to conclude all the rest to be so which have the same Title And then as it is very plain he speaks of some person much greater then himself whom he calls his Lord so it can be no other but the Lord Christ of whom he here prophesies Not as he is wont to doe elsewhere with respect to himself in the first place as His type and figure but in plain words which can belong to none but Christ alone For no other King but He can be said in any sense to sit at God's right hand nor was there any Priest of the order of Melchisedek that could be a shadow of him David indeed seems once to have exercised the Office of a Priest when he blessed the people at the bringing of the Ark to Sion 2 Sam. VI. 18. and so to have been then both King and Priest in one person as Melchifedek was but not a Priest for ever on whom the Office was perpetually established and that by an Oath as it was on the Priest here mentioned And therefore it is in vain to endeavour to accommodate any part of this Psalm to David who conquered many of the neighbouring Countries smote their Kings made them bring him tributes and at last smote the head of the Country of Rabbah as some render the last words of the sixth verse of this Psalm that is the King of the Children of Ammon But still we are to seek how the rest can be applied to him who never had any pretence to such an authority as is here described nor can in any sense call himself my Lord but as our Lord Christ hath demonstrated spake concerning Him XXII Matt. 43 c. and his Exaltation after his Resurrection from the dead as Saint Peter and Saint Paul also shew II. Act. 34 35. 1 Cor XV. 25. IV. Hebr. 1 13. V. 6. when He set up another Priesthood and abolished that of Moses which change is here predicted And though the Jews have taken a great deal of pains to wrest this Psalm to another sense yet they are so divided in their opinions about it speaking inconsistent things like drunken men as Saint Chrysostom's words are or rather says he like men in the dark running against one another that from thence alone we may be satisfied they are in the wrong and have their eyes blinded else they would not have embraced such interpretations as those which may be seen in them that have written upon this Psalm Which some of the Jews themselves such as R. Moses Hadarsan Saadias Gaon and divers others whom I might mention have been forced to acknowledge belongs to Christ and is a very plain prediction of his Divinity his royal Dignity his Priesthood and his victories and triumphs which the Psalmist sets forth as follows 1. THe LORD said unto my Lord Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy footstool 1. THis is the decree of the eternal LORD that the great person whom we expect and whom I honour as my Lord and Master shall be advanced after his sufferings to the highest dignity 1 King II. 19. in the heavens and reign with Him as the King of all the world till He have perfectly subdued X. Josh 24. the most powerfull opposers of his Kingdom and overcome death it self by whom all mankind are conquered 1 Cor. XV. 25 26. 2. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Sion rule thou in the mids of thine enemies 2. The eternal Lord wâ—… hath thus decreed to honour Thee O most mighty Prince will make Sion first of all to feel how powerfull thy Scepter is I. Act. 8. II. 34 37. and thence extend thy Empire over all the Earth where I wish Thou mayest and foretell Thou wilt prevail over all Infidelity Idolatry Superstition and Impiety which will set themselves against thy Authority 3. Thy people shall be willing in
into the Temple which is now built for it 2 Chron. V. 2 3 4 c. 8. Arise O LORD into thy rest thou and the Ark of thy strength 8. And be pleased O Lord together with the Ark the token of thy powerfull presence among us to translate thy Divine Glory thither 2 Chron. V. 13 14. VII 1 2 3. there to settle it self and stir from thence no more for ever 9. Let thy priests be cloathed with righteousness and let thy saints shout for joy 9. Guard also thy Priests who minister unto Thee here and incompass them with thy Goodness 2 Chr. VI. 41. that they may procure thy blessings for others and make all thy pious Worshippers who are dear unto Thee triumph in thy kindness to them 10. For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed 10. I beseech Thee have a respect to the sincere piety of my Father David and thy gracious promise to him 1 Chron. XXII 2 10 14. XXVIII 2 6 c. and upon that account deny me not but grant the petitions of thy servant who by thy special appointment succeeds him in the government of thy people 11. The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David he will not turn from it Of the the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne 11. According to that Oath whereby the Lord secured the Kingdom to his Family that faithfull Oath which He will never break saying One of thy Sons will I advance to sit upon thy Throne when thou shalt leave it 1 Chron. XVII 11. XXVIII 5. 2 Chron. VI. 10. 12. If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them their children also shall sit upon thy throne for evermore 12. Yea I will perpetuate this royal Dignity to thy Children in all succeeding generations and not take it from them as I did from Saul 2 Sam. VII 15 16. if they prove faithfull and constant in their Religion and observe all the Commandments whereby I will teach and instruct them how my pleasure is that they should worship and serve me 1 King II. 4. IX 4 5 6. 13. For the LORD hath chosen Sion he hath desired it for his habitation 13. For the Lord hath such a love to Sion the seat of the royal Family 2 Sam. V. 7 9. that He hath chosen to place his own dwelling very near unto it 2 Chron. III. 1. VII 12. 14. This is my rest for ever here will I dwell for I have desired it 14. Saying this is the place where my Glory shall fix it self for ever 2 Chron. VII 16. I will remove no more but here will I take up my abode for I have pitched on this place and declared that it is acceptable unto me above all other 1 Chron. XXI 26. XXII 2. 15. I will abundantly bless her provision I will satisfie her poor with bread 15. From whence I will dispense my blessings so abundantly that Sion which is become the City of God as well as of David shall never be in any want But I will make such liberal provision for it by fruitfull years that the poorest person there shall be satisfied with food 2 Chr. VII 13 14. 16. I will also clothe her priests with salvation and her saints shall shout aloud for joy 16. I will also defend her Priests and they shall be giving continual thanks and praise for the blessings they shall procure for my pious Worshippers who shall exceedingly triumph in my kindness towards them 17. There will I make the horn of David to bud I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed 17. There will I make the Regal Power and Majesty of David to put forth it self afresh in his royal Successours no sooner shall one be extinguished but another shall shine 1 King XI 36. 2 Chron. XXI 7. in such splendour as shall give a lustre to the name of that anointed Servant of mine till the great Prince the Messiah appear 18. His enemies will I clothe with shame but upon himself shall his crown flourish 18. And whosoever they be that go about to destroy this succession they shall be so miserably defeated that they shall not be able to shew their faces while with shame and confusion they behold the regal Dignity in his Family notwithstanding all their attempts against it in an unfading glory PSALM CXXXIII A Song of degrees of David see CXX ARGUMENT When there was no other strife among all the Tribes of Israel then who should be most forward in returning to their allegiance and the Children of Judah also were inclined as one man to bring back David to his Kingdom from which his Son Absalom had driven him 2 Sam. XIX 9 14. he fell into a rapturous admiration of that happy unity and concord which he commended to them afterwards in this Psalm as their best preservative and security in future ages This seems to me more probable to be the occasion of it then the concurrence of all the Tribes to make him King after Saul's death which is the common account that is given of it for then Sion was not in his possession and it is not likely he would then have made such mention of it as he doth here while it remained in the hands of the Jebusites But whatsoever was the first occasion it was aptly applied to their condition after the return of their Captivity from Babylon when as Theodoret notes the Tribes which had been divided by the imprudence of Rehoboam were then again united living under one and the same Government and worshipping God in the same place and the same manner as the Law prescribed It was as fitly used by the first Christians to express their joy for the blessed union of Jews and Gentiles and may now serve the uses of all Christian Societies whose happiness lies in holy peace and concord 1. BEhold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity 1. O Consider how beneficial and delightfull it is beyond all expression for those that come from the same stock and are of the same Religion to have no differences one with another but to live together in such a friendly agreement as if they had but one Soul among them all 2. It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard even Aarons beard that went down to the skirts of his garments 2. I cannot resemble it to any thing better then to that excellent ointment compounded of several spices XXX Exod. 21 c. which consecrated the high Priest to the Divine Service VIII Levit. 12. and was poured in such plenty that running over all his face even to the collar of his garment where he did bear the names of all the Tribes of Israel it perfumed all the place with its fragrant odour for just so doth this holy concord make you both dear to God and procure you an excellent fame among men who cannot but be pleased to