Thy faithfulness whereupon the promise of mercie and grace is builded and whereby it shall be fulfilled it is engaged and ratified to thy son the Churches head in heaven on thy Churches behalf on earth therefore sure enough to be accomplished from first to last both here and hereafter as well in heaven as on earth nothing shall hinder 3 Even this mercie which thou hast declared and stipulated Covenant-wise and sworn it too the faster to bind thee and strengthen our faith to thy chosen servant even to David that Kingly type of Christ and head of thy people 4 That thou wilt establish the Kingdom and Church in David the type and his posteritie in successive generations and in Christ the antitype for ever and will make his throne glorious and his dominion to increase and enlarge it self to all nations and all generations Even so Amen 5 According to which Covenant for the fulfilling thereof in the preservation and deliverance of thy Church thou shalt manifest such power and do such wonders as shall affect the very Angels in heaven who shall in the sympathy and love they bear to thy people praise thee as if themselves shared in the benefit and in heaven magnifie thy faithfulness as well as we on earth for keeping promise and remembering thy Covenant to fulfil it 6 For as there is none that on earth ought to be adored and magnified but God so nor in heaven where he alone rules as well as here below the Angels are our fellow-creatures and subjects as much inferiour to him as we are to them Yea though they are not of humane race propagated as we are but by the immediate hand of God created as was Adam yet there is no more comparison betwixt them and him than betwixt us and him he alone is absolute and Almighty 7 As God is great yea the sole Monarch of heaven aswell as earth so is he there greatly had in reverence and so ought to be of those his holy Angels and glorified saints aswell as here of his people they therefore have the honour to be his servants in ordinarie domesticks in heaven with him that they may glorifie him sutably to their excellent natures and happie condition it is their dutie and his due 8 O God that hast the sole Empire in heaven and earth and the sovereign chief command of all creatures in both who therefore is of strength like unto thee nay of any strength at all but thee from whom all things are and thou onely eternally of thy self who then can match thee in power or in faithfulness which is equal to thy power and appears in all things wherein thy power appears be they acts of providence or created Beeings and where is it that thy power appears not on every side in heaven or earth before or behind on the right hand or on thy left and of like extent is thy truth thy promise being as large as thy power and thy goodness as large as both in thy Churches behalf for her preservation and accomplishment 9 10 What was it but thy power and faithfulness that when time was did dispose and rule the unruly waters of the red-sea for the preservation of thy Church then ready to be killed or drownd by it before and the Egyptians behind whom thou as it were at one blow cutst off and destroyest as one man at once and didst defeat those thine enemies because thy Churches and their great preparations and bloudy designs upon thy people by a mightie manifestation of power which thou shalt ever put forth in thy Churches behalf stilling the storms that every where in the world she shall meet with like a ship at sea and preserve her spite of all her enemies though never so proud and potent 11 How can it be otherwise for all is thine and at thy dispose heaven earth and all things in them both it is thou that hast given existence and Being to the whole world and all things in it both sea and land as many as they are 12 Thou hast created all things from one end of the heavens to the other from pole to pole thy Church every where from East to West for so it shall spread as Judea from mount Tabor in the West to mount Hermon in the East shall have cause of rejoycing in thy power and faithfulness manifested in her behalf and to praise thee for it 13 Thy strength and power when as thou pleasest to make use of it and put it forth either by means or miracles in an ordinarie or extraordinarie way it is unresistable and prevalent 14 As thou hast power worthie thy greatness to execute thy will withall so also justice judgement mercy and truth the beauty and establishment of thrones and dominions these are principally and originally in thee who governest and orders thy jurisdiction over the world respectively to good and bad by them dispensing to the unrighteous enemies of thy Church and thee justice and judgement and unto her even all thy holy ones thou wilt exhibit merciful providences and for her fulfil faithfully thy promises with the gracious manifestation of thy love and favour to her in all those thy dispensations 15 Blessed are thy people above all the world for they onely of all the world are acquainted with the inward sense and savorie tast of thy peculiar love and saving grace whispered into their consciences by the still voice and secret workings of the spirit to the ravishing their hearts with joy unspeakable and glorious as thine Israelites are inured to and cheared with the sound of the sacred trumpets of God in their solemn feasts and sacrifies Such shall comfortably run their race in the whole progress of their lives they shall walk in a steady course by a faithful dependancie upon thy faithful providence and in sweet interviews of thee and frequent feelings of thy favour 16 Such as these shall all their life long have cause of rejoycing in thy powerful dispensation of providences from time to time in their behalf and in thy keeping promise with them the experience and faith whereof shall lift up their heads above dangers and difficulties 17 For their glorying is in thee who though weak in themselves yet are as it were omnipotent by their interest in thee and relation to thee that art so by whose power and gracious favour we that are thy people Israel resemblancers of thy Church doubt not of a prosperous state both civil and sacred and to have the better of our enemies 18 For the great and faithful God is our defence protection his power and goodness shall preserve us as a shield the holy Lord that hath chosen Israel to be a holy people and that shall ever have on earth a holy Church is the Sovereign Lord and protector of us and it and so shall Christ his vicegerent be and David his 19 Thou Lord in
shall have no more power to hurt thee through his gracious providence and protection over thee than a worm under thy feet 7 Fear neither less nor more great nor small for God shall certainly protect thee as well from one evil as another especially thy soul whether respecting life temporal or eternal shall have a special guard fear that least because as it is most of wroth in it self so also in Gods esteem and valuation 8 God is every where in all places at all times thou needest not put cases of fear and doubt to thy self of this though not that may befal me and then though not now for whatsoever thou doest and whither ever thou goest God is with thee and it and will ever be so to keep thee from evil and bless thee with good and to prosper thee in all thy wayes of well-doing believe it stedfastly and live comfortably in the faith thereof The cxxii PSALM David overjoyed to see the universal concord and conformitie in his people for the bringing the Ark to Ierusalem and worshipping the Lord there as God had appointed the more to sharpen them to it and ingratiate it to them highly commends the prerogative of that place and that people by reason of it and therefore exhorts them not to degenerate but in love and zeal still to labour and pray for the happiness of it promising happiness to those that do so and so does he himself and shews the reasons why See the title of the 120 Psalm the Authors name superadded here 1 HOw infinitly did it rejoyce me to hear and see such an universal unanimity in my people Israel to submit to and approve of the transportation and fixing the Ark and sanctuarie in Jerusalem where God had appointed it with desire and forwardness to worship God there without the least scruple or question 2 Saying amongst themselves with rejoycing now is the time and Jerusalem is the place that God will fulfil his promise by giving his Ark a settled condition which hitherto hath moved and removed from place to place and together with his Ark his Church and people Israel who have been both for worship and Government in an unsetled and various state but now shall there be an happie establishment as both Christ and the Church by Christ shall have at his glorifying 3 And indeed a blessed and desireable place Jerusalem is exceeding lovely for uniformitie of structure order in Government and harmonie of hearts and affections in the inhabitants towards the true worship of the onely true God stately and strong both in men and materials sweetly composed and well compact a Citie specially blessed of God to represent the happie condition of his Church both under Christ on earth united by faith in him their head and with Christ in heaven 4 It is the most beautiful place of the world and enriched with the most singular and Divine priviledges of any on earth being a resemblance of heaven it self and the Church both there and here for as thither the twelve tribes of Israel a chosen generation out of the whole world do congregate and ascend to the mount of God solemnly to worship him before the Ark the testimonie of his covenant and presence with his people so shall his elect the Church of the first born all the world over be gathered to Jesus and ascend into the heavenly Jerusalem evermore to praise him in that general assembly the celestial Quire of innumerable Angels and spirits of just men made perfect Yea by spirit and faith they shall meet in one bodie mystical on earth and with raised affections worship one God in Christ that blessed Emmanuel the mediatour of the new testament upon mount Sion in spiritual Jerusalem the Church that Citie of the living God 5 And as Christs Priestly office is established and clearly held forth in the sanctuarie-worship in Jerusalem so also is his Kingly in those thrones of honour and justice civil and ecclesiastical erected and perpetuated there in the royal line of David his posterity Kings of Judah the figure and progenitours of Christ according to the flesh as is his tribunal in heaven where he hath dominion over his Church and the whole world and from whence he shall come to judge all flesh at the latter day 6 Many are the enemies of this flourishing Citie Jerusalem as shall be to the Church yea all the world is against it and the worship and Government that is in it but yet we need not fear for God is for it able to preserve it in peace and prosperitie maugre all its adversaries if our sins and carnal presumption do not indispose him to it Therefore all ye Israelites specially ye that with a spiritual understanding are inlightned to know the worth and excellencie of the place which is in the world as the sun is in the firmament mystically comprehending all that Divine light and life that the sun of righteousness the Messiah shall illuminate the world withall when he comes to save his Church as Gods High-priest and take possession of his Kingdom as King of Kings and Lord of Lords do you serve the Lord and seek to him for the continuation of his grace and favour to it and his blessing upon it that it may be evermore happie with his love and presence and as a consequent thereof have rest and quiet from its enemies And of this be confident that they that thus for Christ and religion sake under that notion and relation sincerely love pray for and endeavour the happiness of it shall how ever it may suffer by other mens sins and formal hypocrisies within the pale or without by external violence of Gentile enemies be themselves happie and blessedly rewarded of God with grace peace and protection in their own particulars 7 It is and shall be my heartie prayer that the Lord will preserve thee as from outward forrain enemies so also from intestine civil broils and disunions in peace unanimity and concord within thy self as the Church shall be in heaven and ought to be on earth as one so at one under their one and onely head the Lord Christ. And that the throne of David his royal seed successours over his people Israel here in Jerusalem may successively flourish in peace and prosperitie and by the blessing and favour of God be established in judgement and righteousness there administred in honourable equipage as shall the Prince of peace Christ Jesus the righteous his throne and dominion over his Church be for ever in heaven 8 Nor am I a self-seeker in my well-wishes to this place no the Lord can witness for me that I desire the good and happiness of all the faithful yea of all Israel as mine own who to me are as dear as my nearest kindred and acquaintance by that relation natural and civil that God hath given me to them knowing right well that in the peace and
at the right hand of his Father in the heavenly Jerusalem whose blessed exaltation unto the execution of those offices there is the desire and delight of his soul as being onely well pleased in him and reconciled by him therefore so is Sion here which is the representation of him and them 15 I will multiply blessings for so thou hast said upon the whole land for Sions sake that she may be provided with all manner of store for holy services Let not the poor Israelite fear to bring his offerings and disfurnish himself to worship me as I have appointed for if the service of my sanctuarie lessen his store if there he seek me faithfully he shall carrie such a blessing home with him as he shall have no cause to repent him for I will both bless him with lively-hood let him not fear it and bless it to him 16 The Priests that there officiate in consecrated garments shall be in like manner clothed upon with the saving and sanctifying righteousness of the Messiah which in their zeal and faithful discharge of their places they shall hold forth to the example and edification of their brethren who in the sinceritie of their hearts shall bless the Lord for such happie times wherein so much of God his grace and favour appears in blessing them with a holy Priest-hood and Divine worship and powerfully protecting both it and them 17 I will bless Sion and there shall David my servant be blessed not onely in himself during the time of his regencie but after him his successour and Gods anointed King Solomon shall far exceed him in power and glorie whose wisdom which I shall give him to govern by shall shine with that brightness as shall wonderfully increase his fame and dignitie the world over who shall be a lively pattern of the anointed Messiah that also shall spring out of the stock of David that spiritual Solomon the Prince of peace and mightie counsellour 18 And his enemies that would not he should rule over them but oppose his advancement or disturb his Government I will shamefully cut off both them and their enterprises but him will I bless with a flourishing reign of glorie and affluence at home and abroad resembling Christ both in his own happiness and his enemies confusion The cxxxiii PSALM David being received of all Israel for their King by common and joynt consent after much disagreement and war among the tribes some being for and some against him He shews the happie condition they were now in upon the change how amiable and acceptable unitie had rendered them to God what a flourishing Church and Common-wealth they had and should have by it and that nothing can be a greater blessing to them nor shall be to the Church and people of God in all ages than for them to honour their father and head in heaven by living in brother-hood here on earth See the title of the 120 Psalm the Authors name superadded here 1 COnsider well the singular mercie of God in uniting all the tribes sons of the same father both by nature and adoption that were so far asunder at deadly feud and open war among themselves to the hazard of the whole had not God graciously over-ruled them to peace and unitie under one head and to be all of one heart And as the mercie so the good and benefit of this union is worthie your consideration to move you to cherish and nourish it all you can for besides that Harmonie of hearts is it self an unestimable Jewel and beautiful ornament in the Church and among the people of God a very resemblance of that concord and consort which shall be in heaven the commodities also that issue thence to the publick and every mans particular weal is very considerable and impulsive how thereby all things go well and happily forward in Church and Common-wealth the worship and service of God that flourisheth the re-publick that does the like things are now orderly constituted magistracie maintained people protected justice administred and whereas before we weakened our selves by civil wars now we are strong to defend our selves and offend our enemies round about us In breef it renders us acceptable to God comfortable to our selves and an astonishment to our adversaries both profit and pleasure yea all manner of good that can be named is complicate in and productive from this one comprehensive mercie of concord we for our parts find the sweet of it and so shall the Church of God allwayes especially after such sowr dissentious as we have waded through 2 If I would compare this brotherly union of us so of the people of God in all ages in the pleasurable delectable part of it to any thing it must be to a non-such for such it is I cannot liken it to any thing that in all points better resembleth it than that rich sacred odoriferous ointment made by the special appointment of God himself for so is peace unitie in his Church for the consecration of Aaron and his sons to their holy office and service which being plentifully poured upon the High-priests head did diffuse it self down to his beard and so from thence to the holy vestments from top to toe such in perfect analogie is this general amity wrought by God among us in the sweet savour and blessed effects of it God by me your King and head consecrated as it were to mine office by this your unanimous consent and election as with an holy unction as well as by Gods immediate designation conveighing the benefit and sweetness thereof through the blessing and mediation of the Priestly office and service as by Aarons beard down to you again and so you made happie in the sweet and comfortable benefits and blessings of both by means of amitie and unitie with them and among your selves like as the Church mystical united to her head Christ at Gods right hand in glorie and at brotherly love and amitie in it self shall be unspeakably blessed with those Divine influences of grace and spirit derived from her King and Priest Christ Jesus by the mediation and ministration of his Evangelists and Gospel-ministers down to all the members of his bodie partakers of the sweet fruits and benefits of all his offices and thereby consecrated a sweet savour even Kings and Priests to God with the self-same spirit or holy unction to their infinite honour and consolation 3 And as brotherly love and concord is a pleasant and amiable thing in it self and sweet and acceptable with God so also it is exceeding profitable and brings with it abundance of blessings peace God is wont to bless with plentie whereas wars and discord are accompanied with curses and scarcitie Look how the fruitful dew that falls upon and from mount Hermon that fertil hill down into the fields of Bashan and so abundantly enricheth them to the owners benefit or look which is indeed a properer
tongue is made apt to utter them with a ready dexteritie 2 As God hath advanced thee O Solomon with honour to be King over Israel as Christ shall be over his Church so hath he beautified thee above the ordinarie ranck of men and adorned thee with excellent Divine wisdom and utterance worthie thy place of regiment like as he will do Christ the blessed King and bridegroom of his Church with all the excellent inward ornaments of grace and spirit wherein he shall exceed all and of which his excellencies he shall participate to all his people by his powerful and saving word of grace which is an infallible argument of the never failing love and favour God hath to thee and will ever bear thee the type as to Christ the antitype and the blessings that shall accompany it 3 Whensoever thou preparest for war prepare for victorie O thou that art mightily blessed and aided by the Almighty God of heaven and made the King of most renown and majestie in all the world as Christ shall be the most powerful and victorious Saviour of his Church and mightiest potentate to whom all power shall be given both in heaven and earth 4 And in the majestick power that God hath given thee prosperously proceed to aw and conquer all thine enemies not by falshood pride and injustice as do other Kings that move upon earthly principles but in Gods way by the exercise of his graces of faithfulness meekness and justice as shall do Christ by his Kingly office in behalf of his Church prevailing and conquering by the saving truth of his word patient long-suffering and righteous performing of his promises ruling and walking in this manner thou shalt be able to work wonders and shalt strike terrour into thine enemies and reverence into thy people as shall Christ into his 5 Those that shall oppose thy Sovereign rule and government will have but bad success for thou art as Christ shall be of power to quell them whereby whole nations of the Gentils shall be subdued to thy subjection and obedience as they shall to his 6 Thy dominion and sovereigntie O Solomon the type of Christ the son of God is not like meer earthly Kings that perish but it shall in him who is God and our Divine mediator be extended over all and to all eternity Thou hast right to rule for God himself hath given thee dominion over Jews and Gentils as he hath done to Christ over all the world a just and righteous government shalt thou the type execute in him the antitype who is the just and holy God not subject to the corruptions of earthly Princes 7 For he whom thou resemblest perfectly loves and obeys the holy and righteous will of God and as perfectly hateth both sin and sinners for which cause that he may be Gods high officer and King over his Church chosen peculiarly to that place and honour before all mankind and Gods own people too as David was before all Israel and both he and thou before the rest of your brethren therefore is he inabled and enriched from God whose son even by nature he is and whose love most especially he hath with the spirit of consolation and all his Divine graces in his humane nature even without measure whereof the adopted sons of God and fellow-members of Christ that are partakers with him of the Divine nature as he is with them of the humane do share but in measure short of him receiving grace for grace from him 8 All thy royall robes O Solomon are richly and odoriferously perfumed with the most costly aromatick spices when as thou shewest thy self to thy people from out thy stately palaces who at the sight and smell of thee are rejoyced and refreshed and reciprocally return their joyfull and loyal acclamations to thee again to thy great contentment as well as theirs Like as Christ shall come from heaven furnished in his humane nature with all excellent graces and perfections befitting his high office to the infinit joy of his people who enjoy the sweet and benefit thereof which they return again unto him in love honour and service to his good content 9 Thou art honoured with many wives and concubines of high birth even Kings daughters are in the number of them but especially and of most account with thee is Pharaohs daughter who is Queen above all the rest and more gloriously attired than any Like as Christ shall have the attendance and company of many noble and famous congregations that will profess him and worship him externally in his ordinances But his onely and principal spouse is the holy Catholick Church consisting principally of the elect Gentils whom he shall cloth like himself in his own righteousness and adorn her with the Divine nature and the graces of his spirit and prefer her to special favour here and glorie with him hereafter in heaven 10 O daughter of Aegypt whom God hath made so happie as to bring thee thence and to marrie thee to King Solomon the type of Christ be thou also the resemblance of his spouse the Church specially of the Gentils by hearkening unto and embracing the true and saving knowledge of the onely true God and be converted by it as she shall be and turn from the errours wherein thou wast bred and born inheriting them by education and birth-right as do even the elect of God their sinful and corrupt nature till they be married to Christ by a new nature and forsake all for him 11 So shall King Solomon far more entirely love thee and delight in thee thy beautie being much increased thereby and thou made glorious within as well as without who is thy Lord and husband and therefore one whom thou oughtest to obey and desire to please Like as shall the Church be infinitly pleasing to Christ when she hath given herself to him and is endowed with his graces whose Lord and husband he is and whom she ought to serve and honour 12 Nor shalt thou lose thereby but God will greatly increase thine honour and esteem far more than being the daughter of Pharaoah comes to for so shalt thou in conjugal participation gain the homage and subjection of great and rich nations the most mightie and powerful people of all the world shall be brought under and made glad of thy favour through the favour and blessing of God upon thee Like as it shall be with the Church which worships Christ in puritie and sinceritie she shall be so blessed by him as that no enemy shall stand before her but by the assistance of the power and grace of Christ her Lord and husband she shall be Ladie and Mistresse of the whole world sought unto of all nations for the knowledge of her saving truth and participation of her graces with the renouncing of their false confidences to share with her in Christ. 13 Thou the daughter of King Pharaoh art not gloriously
attired onely at such times as thou appearest in the worlds eye as ordinarie women are but art ever so even within thy palace as well as without as is the Church not formally hypocritical and to the worlds view onely but really and sincerely gracious adorned by Christ with his own justifying righteousousness and sanctifying graces 14 That so thou maiest delight and please thy Lord and King when ever thou art presented to him in raiment worthy thy high linage and royal marriage and art accompanied to him with a gallant train of damosels fitting thy state and dignitie As shall the Catholick Church be by Christ his sanctifying spirit presented to himself in holiness and righteousness even all the blessed company of saints gathered from out the whole world to make up that blessed society and onely spouse of Christ. 15 Thou with thy troup of damosels shalt by Somons command and his servants ready attendance and obedience be ushered to his royal presence and pallace with infinit rejoycings and acclamations at that meeting and mutual imbracing As shall the Church and spouse of Christ made up of all the holy saints and sanctified ones be brought and presented by their holy calling in the ministry and by the ministers of the word unto Christ his grace and favour and by Angels into his everlasting glorie and presence in heaven to the infinit joy of Gods ministers and servants and with the acclamation of all those ministring spirits 16 By forsaking thy fathers house God himself will become a father to thee and will bless thee and make thee a happie mother of many hopefull children who shall command both Jews and Gentils As shall the Church of Christ by choosing him the second Adam for her Lord and husband and forsaking the first she shall thereby have God for her father and shall be blessed with a numerous off-spring all the world over all which spiritual progenie are a royal Generation children of the most high and put in Kingly office by him to command over all their earthly corruptions 17 And by so doing thou shalt lose no honour but through my blessing upon thee for it I will make the renown of this glorious act of thine to be famous and thou for it from age to age and thy memorie shall be precious and thy praises recorded in everlasting remembrance by the people of the Lord. As shall be the Church and spouse of Christ successively famous and honoured in all Generations for being his and her memorie happie and blessed from age to age after Generations of Gods people honorably memorizing them that went before with estimation and imitation to the worlds end The xlvi PSALM Ierusalem or the people of Israel being at present in some great strait or siedge by a powerful enemie and receiving deliverance The Author of this Psalm expresseth it in a high and hyperbolical strain thereby to incourage the faith of Gods people to a strong and extraordinarie belief in God for ever from their late eminent experience of his power and readiness to help them his favour towards them and presence with them which ought to establish and secure them for future A Psalm or song made and set to Alamoth an instrument or tune for the treble and committed to the family of the Korathites for them to sing 1 GOd is to us his people that depend upon him and trust in him both safetie from and power against our enemies he may be confided in to the uttermost peril for when we are nearest danger he is nearest to deliver 2 And therefore should there be never such revolutions in nature strange and terrible yet our faith in God shall keep us steadie yea though the center of the earth should shake and remove from its place and that by the violence of tempests the very mountains should be taken and hurled as a stone out of a sling from their place of residence far into the sea yet shall our faith establish our hearts in God his grace and protection how much more in the greatest tumults and commotions of civil affairs 3 Though storms both at land and sea should at once seem to overwhelm us and all the world and to dissolve the very course of nature it self the seas threatning an universal deluge by their tempestuous rising and fearful roaring and should even shake the very mountains with their violent and impetuous beating upon them yet in God shall our hearts hold up their heads 4 When the sea of troubles and combustions seem to overwhelm all the world besides and they be made to drink of most bitter and troubled waters even then shall the land of Jewry and especially the Citie of Jerusalem have peace and tranquillitie and drink their fill of the fresh and pleasant streams of Cedron for that it is Gods peculiar habitation and therefore hath it his peculiar protection and favour as shall have his holy and Catholick Church typified by his sanctuarie there the onely place of resort for all the Israel of God to worship him in 5 God in his worship and presence is there above all the world and therefore she shall be protected though the world be exposed she shall need to fear no danger for God shall both certainly and seasonably deliver her 6 The heathen people with great force and furie were inraged against us whole Kingdoms and conspiracies of the Gentil-nations were moved at us to seek our overthrow but the Lord Almighty took our parts and expressing his wrathful indignation by terrible thunder-claps from heaven against them dissipated and discomfited all their earthly power 7 Whatsoever armies are against us the powerful and great commander the Lord of hosts is with us the God of our father Jacob that mightily delivered him is on our side and in covenant with us to do the like for us Let us therefore be comforted in him 8 Consider well and thankfully remember the mighty mercies he hath shewn us in the powerful overthrows of our great and numerous enemies how for our sakes he hath wonderfully destroyed them more than once and nations more than one or two 9 He hath often times settled his people Israel in an universal peace spite of all the nations of the world their opposits whose forces he hath defeated and disabled their strength though great and as he hath done so his power and promises are still of force to do for his Church which he will preserve maugre her enemies and persecutors that infest her and will give her peace by their destruction and disablement as he hath done for us 10 Repose your hearts on God with inward content and securitie by a faithful expecting and apprehending of him for a God all-sufficient in your behalfs one that for your sakes will destroy the heathen and will honour his power and greatness upon the Gentils round about 11 Whatsoever armies are against us the powerful
and great commander in chief the Lord of Hosts even of all the numberless number of created beings in heaven and earth is with us the God of Jacob that mightily delivered him is on our side and in covenant with us to do the like for us in time of danger and difficultie Let us therefore be comforted in him The xlvii PSALM The Author of this Psalm which seems to be penned in the time of the glorious condition of the people of Israel under David and Solomon in the name of the Iewish Church and nation invites all the world to yield obedience to the Government of Christ typified in theirs then ascendent and to be partakers of their happiness and tells them the danger of refusing for as Christ must prevail so must his Church and people whose happiness he greatly extols because of the love and presence of God with them for which he stirs them up mightily to magnifie the Lord. And prophesies the enlargement of Christs Kingdom over and amongst the Gentils by the Almightie over-ruling hand of God and the glorious condition of the Evangelical Church under him as of theirs under David or Salomon and far beyond it A Psalm committed to Heman the chief musician of the familie of the Korathites for him and them to sing 1 O That all the world would be advised to share in our happiness by entertaining that common salvation tendred them in the Messiah now as it were ascended into heaven in that pledge of his presence the Ark pitched upon Sion and that now they would subject themselves unto him together with us not of constraint but of a willing mind with joyful and thankful hearts as one day they shall receiving him for their Lord and King that he might triumphantly reign over Jews and Gentils 2 For they that refuse voluntarie subjection to him will have cause to repent it they will find him even the Messiah whom they slighted in his types on earth to be the most high God reigning not onely in heaven but on earth also yea all the world over as he will make it appear by executing terrible vengeance upon such as rebel against him 3 But for our parts that are his chosen people we shall be blessed of the Lord and how ever the Gentils do stubbornly refuse to come in unto us partake of our priviledges and subject themselves to his government among us yet shall they be made subject to us and to our Kings the types of Christ whose spiritual Kingdom shall enlarge it self over all the world over-powring by his spirit the most ignorant and rebellious to receive him and be subject to him 4 As he hath graciously made choice of us for his people so will he accordingly give us the utmost he hath promised to our forefathers his faithful servants and their faithful seed concerning both an earthly and heavenly inheritance maugre all enemies temporal or spiritual and dignifie us the seed of holy Jacob his beloved with those excellent priviledges appropriated by promise of Temple-worship and royal government figuring Christ his King and priestly office An honour unspeakable 5 How do we see it made good to us in that the Lords Ark the sure pledge and token of his presence with us and favour to us is at this time to be fixed in its abiding place upon mount Sion whether it is triumphantly carried with joyful acclamations and sound of trumpet answerable to the welcome entertainment of Christ in the hearts of his Gospel-converts and faithful people in his Church Evangelical on earth and his glorious entertainment at his ascention by saints and Angels in heaven 6 O that we could rise up to their pitch of praise and gratitude for this unestinable mercie and priviledge we enjoy of the gracious presence and divine favour of God in Christ to us and amongst us in its lively types but though we cannot but come short of what it merits from us yet let us lay out our selves to the utmost of our skill and abilities in praising magnifying and exalting the Lord both for his own excellencies and for our interest and proprietie in him and them as a people ought to do that have such a God for their King and gracious benefactor 7 We above all people have cause to praise him for though he be King of all the whole earth yet of us in a differing manner and eminencie so that though honour be due to him from all creatures yet more especially from us for that none have that knowledge of him and peculiar obligation to him that we have Therefore we are not to praise him as others that know him onely by acts of creation and providence and are subjects at large but with a saving Gospel-understanding of him in the Messiah and powerfully not formally acting-faith in our hearts answerably to the praises of our lips 8 And though we be now the onely peculiar of God and all the world but we are as it were exempted out of grace and favour Yet are the heathen as well as we under his government and power And the same God that hath been gracious to us can make them also his people when he pleaseth And doubtless will from heaven his place of holiness remember in truth and faithfulness the promises made to and concerning them for light to shine out of Sion to them that sit in darkness which he is able to fulfil and bring them in to himself accordingly 9 Yea and which he will certainly do in great abundance even Kings and Kingdoms that now are heathenish shall imbrace the faith of Christ preached amongst them out of Jerusalem and be ingrafted into the stock of faithful Abraham our predecessour as well as we our selves whose seed they all are that do or shall believe upon the face of the whole earth and have as good a right to the God of Abraham as we whose priviledge ought not to be in the flesh but in the spirit by and in which spirit shall Jews and Gentils be united when the power of God shall be made manifest in Christ then shall the great as well as the small belong unto God and how ever they have refused subjection to him and stood in opposition against him yet they shall take Laws from him and and that right willingly becomming of enemies friends yea under him protectors and defendors of their fellow-brethren believers in Christ throughout all the earth Thus shall God in Christ be universally worshipped and his Kingdom enlarged far beyond the bounds of Jewry The particion shall be taken down and his dominion shall be throughout all the world as Davids and Salomons is over Jews and Gentils The xlviii PSALM This Psalm seems to be made upon some notable deliverance that Ierusalem had from some potent armie made up of several nations that had besiedged it but by a special and immediate hand of God wâ—re wonderfully defeated and sent away
provoke God thereby against them And finds all he said to be true concerning Gods faithfulness to deliver him which was done in so marvellous a manner that it ravished his heart and raised him above all fears and doubts for future so that he promises nothing but faith in and praise to God for time to come by reason of it To the President of the Quire in this Psalm made by David committed for his ordering it to be sung to the speciall tune of Michtam The sum or substance whereof is comprised in this one word Al-taschith signifying destroy not upon occasion of the imminent danger he and all his men were in when they hid themselves in the cave of Engedi from Saul 1 Sam. 24. 1 AS my danger is extraordinary so Lord let be thy mercy I humbly pray thee for to effect my deliverance out of it for from my very heart do I depend upon thee and stedfastly believe in thee for it as the chicken refugeth it self under the wing of the Hen till the Kite be flown over so do I by faith take sanctuary in thee thy truth and protection untill all these storms be blown away which for an appointed time I must undergo and that thou land me safe out of all these miseries in an estate of rest 2 Be my danger whatsoever it will I will make mine application to God in prayer and faith because of his omnipotency over all men and all things wherein I trust for his power and faithfulness is will be the same to me it hath been untill he hath fulfilled all his promises and perfected his begun undertakings concerning me and his Church 3 Rather than I shall miscarry and God fail of his faithfulness I know I shall be delivered by miracle from the rage of my bloudy enemies who if they could gain their wills of me would triumph and scornfully mock at my faith in God and even at God himself too for my sake I dare say they would But God will never suffer it so to come to pass but as occasion requires God shall still manifest his mercy and truth in my behalf 4 I am in a cave like a den and mine enemies like lions round about me raging mad to devour me I am round beset with men of cruell exasperated minds that burn with rage against me men that are given over to wickedness utterly without the fear of God or common humanity who deadly hate me and irritate Saul against me to destroy me by all the damnable lies and slanders they can invent 5 Let it appear O God that thou that dwellest in heaven art above such earth-worms as through me the Type of the distressed Church on earth do fight against thy self and could they vanquish me would trample upon thy great and glorious name let the proudest of them be forced to stoop and made to confess that thy power of preserving is above theirs of destroying 6 How have they encompassed me as in a net so that humanely I see no way of escape but death is ready to seize on me as a hawk that is over his prey they have hunted me narrowly driven me under ground into this cave where in this my hazardous condition having no other shift I am forced to hide my self from them ready to catch me but yet in stead of finding me whom they seek I have found them whom I sought not even Saul himself is cast into mine hands in this mine hiding hole O strange providence 7 By this unlooked for deliverance not onely of me but of mine enemy into my power in this my most desperate condition I am so fully confirmed in my faith touching thy power and faithfulness as I hope never to doubt again because of danger but to live the rest of my life in such assurance and praise-full tempers as if I were actually instated into the full possession of all that thou hast promised me and I live in hope of 8 I am so ravished with this providence that I know not how to extoll it to give my self satisfaction but I will lay out all the skill I have upon it both in singing and playing by voice and instrument there shall be nothing wanting that I can do to set it forth 9 Nor shall the praise and renown of this wondrous mercy and Almighty providence be circumscribed within Jury or Canaan the Gentils and Heathens shall also hear of it by my means that in all places and upon all occasions will extoll it and thee for it 10 For to those that fear thee and stedfastly trust in thee thy mercy is unspeakably great and so is thy faithfulness comparatively they are as farre beyond the reach of our reason as the heavens and clouds there are above the earth 11 See the fifth verse of this Psalm which is here repeated in way of praise that there was spoken in way of prayer The lviii PSALM David being wrongfully persecuted and indangered of his life taxeth ' his enemies of injustice and violence and shews the reason because of the naturall antipathy the wicked bear to the godly and prayâ—s they may never have power to execute their malice but may come to nought they and their enterprises which they shall certainly and suddenly do to the joy of the righteous and the glory of God and his justice To the President of the Quire is this Psalm made by David committed for his ordering of it to be sung to the speciall tune of Michtam the sum or substance whereof is comprised in this one word Al-taschith signifying destroy not 1 YOu that pretend to do justice and to give faithfull advice and who by your places which you hold in the state and about the King ought to do so do you do it Nay do you not the quite contrary When you are assembled together is not your practise to advise how to intrap me an innocent person and as men that favour not the things of the spirit that have no fear of God or love of goodness do you not unjustly condemn and accuse me of treasonable practises against Saul When as it s nothing so 2 Yea you study how one to exceed another in false suggestions and mischievous contrivements against me you weigh and ponder this thing and the tother thing with your selves and cast about every way in your thoughts which is likeliest to take effect you role every stone and use all the means in the world to mischieve me 3 There is an innate Antipathy in wicked men such as are mine enemies to the servants and people of God they manifest it almost as soon as they can either speak or act they are trained up early in the way and practise of their Parents to believe and slander them that are better than themselves 4 Their malice is as naturall and as destructive to the people of God if he suffer it to take effect and
given them Canaan the type of heaven which his people what ever they may suffer heâ—e shall be sure of For which mercies to all Israel but principally for his own particular ones which have been extraordinarie he promiseth praise with a free heart and a libâ—ral hand in all sorts of sacrifices appointed by God and would have the upright take notice for their learning that he never praid but was answered which he speaks to incourage such not Hypocrites who have no such priviledge as he and the rest of the â—aithful have whose prayers shall be effectual as his was To the President of the Quire is this Psalm committed for his ordering it to be sung and plaid by voices and instruments 1 THough all nations but we are as forreiners to God yet shall he have a Church of larger extent even all the World over that shall worship and praise him with joyful acclamations for his saving truths and benefits vouchsafed to them 2 They shall have their temple as well as we even the Gentils shall partake so liberally of his saving graces as that in the Antitype and complement of all our ceremonious musick they shall upon the coming of Christ his having a Church amongst them spiritually in a more divine strain than ours honour and magnifie his saving goodness gloriously praise him for it in higher degrees of faith and knowledge 3 Magnifie God for the terrible victories he hath at sundry times wrought upon the Gentils by the power of his might on the behalf of us his chosen people through the greatness of the power of whose grace shall these same rebellious Idolatrous Gentils one day be won to take Laws from God and become his people that now are in open enmitie against him and his Church to destroy it for which he so destroyes them 4 The time shall come that not we onely but the whole World shall know thee fear thee and believe in thee the Lord and shall offer thee that worship in substance which ours portrayes out in shadows the whole earth shall be thy temple and Quire for thy Church shall every where praise thee and magnifie thy saving goodness to them Lord let this thy Kingdom come 5 I would have all that are Gods in all ages often to recollect and consider for the strengthening of their faith and glorifying of God the wondrous things from time to time that he hath done for his Church and the works he hath wrought for the preservation of it how terribly he hath ever proceeded against the men of this World that have offended them and what judgements he hath alwayes executed upon such and ever will 6 How of old when his people Israel were in jeopardie and humanely impossible to escape being encompassed on all hands with unavoidable dangers the sea before and Pharaoh and his host behind how then the Lord by miracle wrought for them and divided the sea through which they passed upon drie land so also when they entred the land of Canaan what way the Lord made for them over Jordan in like sort though at that time it overflowed not going over it by help of boats or bridges but just as they did before through the red-sea the waters were divided miraculously and they went through on foot in the face of their enemies as if there had been no river betwixt O the joy that then was apprehended by our fore-fathers at the sight and experience of such wonderful power and goodness of God extended to his Church in their so supernatural accommodations for their safe transporting and their enemis destruction and disheartning which ought also in the memorie of it to rejoyce us and the people of God for ever being wrought by God as a pledge and assurance of his continual love towards the whole bodie of his Church and that he is the eternal Saviour of it from which act therefore ought to flow cause of rejoycing to us and all the Godly in all ages in the faith of the same immutable goodness 7 And power which shall never be weakened but as he then was so he is and ever will be of the same strength and sufficiencie to stand his Church in steed and to over-master their enemies nor will he be one jot less careful of his people hereafter than heretofore but as circumspect over them for their good in all parts of the world when they are universally called and gathered out of all nations to be peculiarly his as he was then to those that were so And as that ought to be an example and incouragement of joy and confidence for ever to the Church of God so of terrour and humbling to her enemies that having such a president before their eyes upon sacred and everlasting record dare rebel against God by wronging his people thinking to suppress and root them out because they are few and short of them for power and policie but it shall turn to their ruin in after-ages as well as then They may be sure of it 8 All Gods people ought to bless God and magnifie him for what he hath done and assuredly will do for his Church but especially we that are before-hand possessed of so many mercies and great deliverances we ought to resound and publish the praise of his famous acts for the Gentils to take notice thereof thence to be confirmed in faith and hope 9 From what he hath done for us who but for his care over us had long ere this been swallowed up a thousand times over of death and destruction by our many enemies which yet were never able to have their will of us but that still we are a people and have been upheld against as it were the whole world who because of Gods peculiar choice have a special malignant hatred to us 10 For Lord thou knowst what troubles we have undergone since we have been a people to thee and all to the end thou mightest have occasion to shew how firm thou art to us as thou hast ever made it to appear and to trie whether we will be as firm to thee in our faith in thee and worship of thee thou hast proved us over and over again by afflictions to give us testimonie of thee and that thou mightest have assurance of us a faithful sincere people 11 Thou thus to trie us and shew thy self hast many times led us into inavoidable dangers and to outward appearance exposed us into the power of our enemies to be destroyed by them and suffered them to oppress us sore as in Aegypt and otherwise 12 We have undergone as base and cruel usage as can be imagined counted no more of them than the dirt in the streets enduring the uttermost hardships under cruel task-masters and bloudie enemies as could possibly be invented and contrived against us and such things must thy Church alwayes look for in this World but thou hast made us
it was conveyed thence to Ierusalem whither he excites all Israel to come and duely frequent iâ— and promises himself as much of them both one and other assuring thâ—m that as its God that hath put them into this good condition so must be preserve them in it and therefore must be sought to for it and then shall the Church flourish from a tabernacle to a temple even like unto Gospel-times when Gentils as well as Iews shall make up the Church whereof he would have the world take notice and be 〈◊〉 to God for it when it is who now onely is made manifest to them by works of creation by which they are to know him and for which they are to praise him even him who is at present the God which they the Israelites worship and who from heaven and his sanctuarie hath so blessed them and overthrown their enemies as he hath done To the President of the Quire is this Psalm committed by David that made it for his ordering it to be sung and plaid by voices and instruments 1 THine Ark O Lord the token of thy presence hath hitherto been in obscuritie in comparison of what it shall be upon this remove of it to Jerusalem there to be placed upon thy holy hill where it shall be in far more eminencie than formerly and thy worship and service better acted and frequented And as hath been thine Ark so hath been thy self under a cloud towards thy people till now that I doubt not will be far otherwayes for time to come and wilt let the World see that as thy glorie and worship is promoted and thy people awakened as it were out of their supine neglect of thee to honour and serve thee so wilt thou arise for them to do them good and make them a flourishing nation under me the type of Christ and his Government so that their enemies which hereafter shall be thine because theirs shall by thy power and in thy wrath be discomfited and confounded in all their attempts against them and they shall destroy and be victorious over all that have formerly triumphed over them and though still they hate them yet shall they not now in the flourishing estate of thy Church be able any more to hurt them Lord let all these things be so 2 Let thine and thy Churches enemies come to nought scatter their forces and vacate their counsels and let it appear by the nature and manner of thy destructive judgements upon such wicked wretches that it was thee that didst it in the behalf of thy people and for their sakes with whom and for whom thou art as really present as thine Ark is present in Jerusalem 3 Let it be now the portion of thy faithful ones thy poor afflicted people to joy their while in thy presence as they have been sadned a long time at thine absence let them so clearly see thee for them and with them as may even ravish their hearts and raise up their spirits exceedingly 4 In confidence of this that he will now be with and do after this sort for us his Church and people in the faith of it I say for ye need not doubt it sing praises to him for it even for his grace and faithfulness to us and the just remuneration of our enemies which he counts his let your thoughts be of him and praises to him answerable to his greatness let your faith pierce the Heavens to behold him there in his glorie and majestie over-looking the World from thence and ruling and ordering all things here by his mightie power who onely hath his being of himself and gives being to every thing else which can be said of no God or Gods besides him as such be sure to magnifie and praise him and in the faith hereof that this his infinit power absolute regiment and glorious independant Being shall be improved and imployed for you do you rejoyce in him 5 God is both gracious to help those that are in need and just to relieve those that are oppressed have they never so few friends or many enemies this though all the World be against us we shall even therefore be sure of him on our side he will from heaven hear our prayers put up to him in his tabernacle take our parts and judge our cause against them that are against us 6 Those that are comfortless exiles solitarily wasting their dayes far from home in penurie and pressures incident to banishment amongst strangers God hath his eye on such to pitie them and to give them a settled habitation in a comfortable enjoyment of their possessions and relations at home he hath compassion on those that suffer for his sake which they shall not do alwayes but shall have deliverance from under their yoaks and bonds and be preferred to a free and happie condition when as those that are wicked and oppress them shall be transplanted from that their prosperous estate and made miserable 7 We have cause to say so that have had so great experience of his power and goodness towards us in that wonderful enfranchising of us out of our Aegyptian thraldom and destroying the Aegyptians before our faces what wonders did he work to bring it to pass which we have cause to record in all the circumstances of it as a certain pledge to his Church for ever of his care over her How then when the Lord by evident tokens of his presence in a pillar of fire and cloud conducted and protected his people our fore-fathers out of Aegypt through the red-sea and along throughout the desert wilderness Let it never be forgotten 8 How then I say he did appear with them and for them altering the very course of nature many times for their supply and benefit both the heaven and the earth the one and the other though sensless of all other things yet seemed sensible of the presence of the Lord with his people The earth quaking with awful reverence the clouds doing fealtie and paying their tribute in emptying themselves of their exhalations Sinai also that mightie mountain when in that dreadful manner God gave the Law and manifested his presence upon it was affected at it with signs of terrour and amazement and all this was when he undertook the protection and conduct of his people Israel the emblem of his Gospel-Church and her travel through this world her wilderness to Canaan which is above 9 And though we left behind us the fruitful plains of Aegypt over-flowed with Nilus yet hast thou brought us into a good land of hils and valleys blessed by thee from heaven with seasonable and fructifying showres whereby thou didst approve it to be a land of promise and thy gift having made good it to thy people and thy blessings unto it as it stood need 10 Thy Church and people Israel chosen to be so from out the whole earth as thou hast placed them so thou hast preserved them
though sent of God to better purpose amongst his people proud of their priviledges which they abuse to their own destruction that was intended for their salvation 23 Let them that persecute me the type and Christ the Antitype be ruined never to see good days but live in perpetuall infelicity anguish and fear let them neither know what tends to their good nor have power to make use of it but miserably and irrecoverably miscarry in horrour and darkness like hell it self 24 Blast them in every thing they put their hands unto and make them a noted people by the terrible executions of thy wrathfull displeasure against them and fearfull judgements upon them 25 Let the land spue out my persecutours and Christs let them become as vagabonds upon the face of the earth exposed to destruction that neither they nor their posterity may ever inherit thy favour or inhabit this inheritance of thine and theirs any more but be desolate 26 For as they do by me so will they do by Christ because thou that art the sovereign God of all the earth art pleased in righteousness to exercise and try thy servant with hardship and to humble me before thou exalt me these men instead of praying for and pitying of me they take advantage of thine hand upon me and double and trebble my misery yea persecute me to the death which thou never meantest and because thou art pleased to wound me and cast me down with a purpose to heal me and raise me up like as Christ shall die and be buried to rise and live again they to the grief both of his heart and mine shall and do blaspeme thee scoffing at me in my misery and him in his torments 27 Do thou give them over unto their lawless and sinfull lusts untill they heap up their iniquities that the measure of them be full and let them never partake of pardoning grace nor share in thy justifying or renewing righteousness 28 Let them by their fearful sinnings and thy fearful judgements appear and be known to be that which indeed they are hypocrites and reprobates none of thine elect nor never let them be such as are thus wicked enemies to thee and thy Christ and persecutors of thy faithful Church and innocent people let them be taken away from amongst them and neither have the name of Israel named upon them here nor be partakers of their divine and heavenly priviledges either here or hereafter 29 But Lord take notice into what a low and uncomfortable condition I am brought by my persecutors for thy sake which though it be their doing yet is it I am sure by thy permitting let them not have their wills quite to overthrow me but do thou that art faithful and able to deliver bring to pass thy promised salvation and that high dignitie of my being the Kingly type of the Messiah 30 Then Lord will I not forget to do my homage and pay my tribute to thee from whom I am sure I must have my Kingdom and of whom I will hold it and will declare in the ears of all the people to the praise of thy free grace thy choosing me for it and bringing me to it through such difficulties and by such deliverances all which I will repeat and register in Psalms and Songs enumerating them and thy power grace and mercie to me in them and with my uttermost zeal and skill will thankfully exalt thee for thy goodness illustrating the full demensions of it 31 And as I promise praise and thanks to God so I dare promise my self his acceptance of them spiritually and faithfully offered up in the merits and mediation Christ who is the kernell and scope of all legall sacrifices which be they never so great and good and exactly performed are but shadows and of no acceptance with God saving as they are offered in spirit and faith of him their Antitype 32 O the happiness and joy of that day not onely to me but to all the humble and faithfull expectants of it like that of Christs and doubt not but it will come to the reviving of you from out your fears and doubts and the animation of all such as you are in times to come to seek the Lord as you have done in hope of the like success and issue in greatest distress 33 For the Lord hath an ear to hear the prayers of his poor afflicted people in all places and all ages and how despicable so ever they may be in mens eyes subject to all manner of injury and abuse yet God is regardfull of them that suffer for his sake and that most when they are in the worst condition 34 Let the heavens the earth and sea and all the creatures that he hath given existence to in all these let them I say be sensible of and in their kind thankfull to him 35 For the good that God will do for his Church which if he should cast off it would be the dissolution of all things even the whole creation but he of his grace will preserve Sion the place of his worship and save his people Israel all the Church he now hath and not let them be ruinated but will now make them flourish and will so maintain and uphold them and will never suffer his Church to cease from off the earth but will preserve it and all created Beings for his Churches sake 36 There shall not be wanting a holy seed to inhabit this holy land and to be a Church unto him whom he will preserve and bless and all things for their sakes yea for his elects sake the whole world shall subsist The lxx PSALM A Psalm made by David and by him committed to the President of the Quire for his ordering of it the purport whereof is to put God in mind of his piteous state and his faith in him thereby to gain relief THis whole Psalm consisting of five verses is the same with the five last verses of the 40. Psalm viz. the 13 14 15 16 17. verses being a part of that Psalm here repeated upon the like occasion of distress some few words onely varying in the texts which being compared serve the better to explain and illustrate the sense The lxxi PSALM David being in great straits by Absoloms conspiracie flies to God for refuge which he prays for and presseth hard by many arguments taken from Gods purpose his enemies wickedness his own hope trust and long experience the strangeness of his condition his declining age and constitution his enemies insultation upon which last he re-inforceth his prayer for himself and against them declares the stedfastness of his hope notwithstanding strengthned by former experiences And praies that his latter end as well as his beginning may glorifie and demonstrate the power and faithfulness of God and particularly in this deliverance for which he promises to praise and magnifie
and thanks-giving by mercifull and powerfull deliverances which I have celebrated accordingly 18 And now Lord approve thine unchangeableness make out thy goodness to the uttermost period of my life when I have most need stick closest to me now in my declining old age O God withdraw not thine assistance but still be helpfull to me and magnifie thy power in my weakness that I may have cause to declare thy stedfastness and al-sufficiencie to preserve and deliver out and out and may be a pattern to the faithfull throughout the whole series of my life not onely to the past but present and all succeeding ages and generations of thy power to protect by thy wonderfull deliverances vouchsafed me in all of them 19 And thy faithfulness is no less to be extolled than thy power and will be by this mercie magnified in the same degree equally sharing in the glorie of all the wonderous deliverances thou hast and shalt vouchsafe me O God how wilt thou alone be exalted and thy peoples faith strengthened when they shall consider what thou hast done for me from one end of my life to the other it will cause astonishment and admiration and make thee to rule alone in all thy peoples hearts 20 For my sake they shall never have cause to despare when they consider how often I was plunged into most intricate perplexities and yet by thine almighty hand hath been extricated out of them as I shall be out of this as well as all the rest and shall have a resurrection out of this state of death and miserie wherein I seem to be swallowed up as of the grave 21 Yea thou shalt make this humbling a step to my further exaltation and as a foil to my future glorie which shall shine the brighter for it and my present sorrows shall bring me an increase of comforts favour and peace with God and man shall succeed them 22 And as thou shalt exalt my glorie and increase my comforts so will I magnifie thee in thanks-giving and praises which with mine uttermost power and skill I will give thee and particularly for thy truths sake which hath so firmly stuck to me and never deceived me whensoever I relied upon thee for it who hast ever been a faithfull God unto me therefore will I all the waies I can devise celebrate thy praises in the most solemn and affectionate manner that may be O thou God of truth and never failing faithfulness to thine ellect and chosen people that put their trust in thee worship and serve thee in holiness and righteousness 23 Lord I will every way that instrument and voice art and nature inward and outward man can act and perform celebrate thy praises and that with energie of spirit in the joyfull impressions and apprehensions of the things I utter will I express my mind and not with bare lip labour my mouth shall speak my heart and both shall greatly rejoice in thy salvation 24 Nor shalt thou be the onely subject of my song or solemn worship but also of my discourse and common converse thy faithfulness and just performance of thy promises shall never be out of my mouth I will make it even my table-talk for all to take notice of when as thou shalt as I know thou wilt with shame and destruction disapoint and defeat mine enemies that conspire against me to take away my life and Kingdom The lxxii PSALM David having set Solomon upon his throne a little before he dyed praies for him and prophesies of him according to what he praies how blessed a King he shall prove and what a flourishing Church and Kingdom there shall be in his daies how he shall be admired abroad and beloved at home admirably prefiguring Christ and his spiritual Kingdom A Psalm made by David near his death for and concerning his son and successour Solomon and his government 1 O God thou by whom Kings reign as thou hast called me and my son Solomon after me to sway the Scepter of Israel so do thou inable both me for that little time I have yet to live and him in an happy succession to me with those gifts of wisdom and knowledge as also of justice and holiness that are fit for Israels King to have above the Tyrants of the world who is to represent the Messiah thy son his government in and over his Church 2 And Lord what I pray for I also prophesie in thy name concerning this my son and successour whom thou hast especially chosen before all his brethren to rule in my stead He shall with understanding and uprightness administer justice and judgement unto this thy people committed to his charge and with impartialitie with just and fatherly pitie shall he give easie access to and judge the cause of the poor of thy people as well as of the rich he shall be no accepter of persons thy proprietie in them shall make him accept and esteem them equally and administer justice to them accordingly 3 O the wonderfull happiness of peace and plentie by the blessing of God that shall be all the land over under his government by the righteous administration thereof 4 He shall not onely be a father to the poor of thy people Israel but a just impartial Judge also to all other poor that come under his governance and a mercifull protectour of the helpless one or other against those that by might would wrong and oppress them not suffering a just cause to miscarrie for want of money and friends to carry it on but himself shall be the poor mans advocate and the judge of his oppressour who shall not escape by his greatness but be severely yet justly censured according to his merits 5 In his time the Temple shall be built and the Church and people of Israel put into a flourishing condition the worship of God in the types and significant ceremonies thereof shall be in his time compleated never to receive any more augmentation after who shall reign as well long as happily and is to be the liveliest type of Christ the saviour and King of his Church who in the age of the Gospel when he is come and taken upon him the Kingdom shall have a people a Church as in all places so in all ages of the world that shall fear and worship him in spirit and truth according to those resemblances that shall be in Solomons daies 6 His wise and just administrations with sweet and gracious deportments shall clear up the hearts of his people and make Israel by the blessing of God grow again and be a flourishing Common-wealth that hath undergone sad times and afflictions formerly like as Christ shall with evangelical Doctrines and the heavenly divine graces of his spirit distil into and upon the hearts of his people to their spiritual growth and refreshing 7 Together with the worship of God shall the number of the righteous people
of God increase in his daies and exceeding great happiness shall be to them during the long reign of Solomon even as under Christ when the church shall grow and be blessed with all spiritual imbellishments throughout the ages of the world 8 He shall admirably point out Christ and his Kingdom as in prosperitie and duration so in extent and demensions of length and breadth for as Christs must be universal all the world over some of all nations and all of some yielding their subjection to him so shall Solomons to figure out this be inlarged far beyond the ordinarie bounds to the uttermost extent of Moses in his predictions even from the red sea adjoyning upon the Egyptian unto the sea of the Philistines parcel of the Mediterranian and also from the greater river the river Euphrates unto the wilderness and Lebanon 9 People remote and barbarous shall be subject to him and the stout and stubborn enemies of Israel shall under his government be brought to a submissive reverential subjugation far and near 10 The Kings of Cilicia and of the Islands in and countries beyond the Mediterranian sea shall have him in respect and honour shall desire his friendship and confederation and shall from those remote parts send embassies and presents to him so shall the Queen of the South come out of Sheba in Arabia-Faelix to see his glorie and hear his wisdom and shall not come empty-handed but shall bring and present him with the chiefest riches and choisest commodities of that countrey and other far distant Kings and Princes of the world shall do the like shall come or send to him even from Seba in or bordering upon Ethiopia 11 No Princes nor people round about him but they shall give him precedencie of honour and dignitie and shall serve him either as subjects or as friends or allies freely transacting the commodities of their countreys for the use and service of him and his All which shall be in resemblance of that universal acknowledgement that shall be made by the Gentiles of the sovereignty of Christ when once he is estated in his Kingdom spiritual as Solomon his type in his Kingdom temporal 12 Wherein not onely greatness justice and mercie he shall figure out the Messiah for he shall not be a Tyrant according to the common course of Kings nor imploy his power to oppression and wrong but shall be a Saviour of the oppressed and miserable the poor and helpless shall be relieved by him for which the Lord shall exalt and prosper him 13 He shall be gentle-handed and tender-hearted to those that are the objects of compassion and shall imploy his power and authoritie for the preservation not for the destruction of the helpless and afflicted 14 He shall make it his work to search out a matter in the poors behalf and to save him out of the hands of them that would destroy him his wisdom authority shall be the bulwarks of the poor mans innocencie against the might or fraudulencie of his oppressour how light soever others set by the lives of poor men he shall value them at a higher rate if they be under his protection and government the bloud of the poor shall be as precious as the bloud of the rich 15 Would all Kings reign thus and improve their power and greatness to these uses they should be happie as he shall to whom God shall give a long and prosperous reign in peace and affluence far and near shall he be honoured and enriched with the presents of his friends and tributes of his subjects willingly paid so great and gainfull shall be their trading To the poor he shall yield such protection govern with such moderation and administer justice with so equal an hand that all people shall bless him pray for his long life and happie reign and acknowledge it a rich mercie of God so to change the face of things in Israel to what they have been in former ages by giveing them a King so divinely qualified with wisdom and and virtue which they shall daily reap the benefit of and he the thanks and praises 16 The happiness of his government is not to be expressed with what peace and plenty God shall bless them all his long reign there shall be strange increase in the land all over it shall seem to bring forth of it self the blessing of God shall so strangely metamorphose things as that barrenest places with no great pains nor cost shall fructifie unmeasurably a little scattered corn on mountains that cannot be husbanded shall yet yield a great increase high hills shall be as fruitfull vallies and the whole land both town and countrie shall be exceedingly enriched so multiply increase with people as that children shall seem to grow in cities and villages like corn and grass in the field so populous and plentiful shall all places be with all manner of opulencie 17 The renown of his wisdom as it shall spread into all nations so it shall also be recorded unto all ages the fame of it shall never die it shall be proverbial As wise as Solomon his rules and precepts shall for ever remain in the Church of God to teach men true wisdom and understanding even the fear of the Lord the onely thing that makes men happie and blessed All nations and all ages shall confess him to have been peculiarly chosen and extraordinarily inspired of God for that his Kingly office over Israel in a blessed resemblance of Christ who in like sort shall govern his Church with wisdom power and justice 18 Thus O Lord I know shall be the happie condition of thy people in the reign of my son Solomon Blessed be thou O Lord God for it who art the faithfull and gracious God of this thine Israel and therefore hast thou the onely wonder-working God marvellously endowed him with wisdom extraordinarie and supernatural to govern them happily and make them a flourishing Church and State to the admiration of all the world that were wont to be a people of least regard 19 And now Lord as thou hast got thee a name a glorious renown over all the nations by the wisdom and government of Solomon and the flourishing condition of thy people which I pray may continue for ever and that it may do so let thy Kingdom come let the Messiah happily and speedily succeed his type and prefiguration that not onely Israel but the whole world may flourish with a glorious Church and the saving light of thy Gospel Lord as I pray so do thou say Amen unto it 20 And thus ended David his prayer for his son Solomon which was the last he made of publick note and upon Scripture record in time though not in order he dying soon after who was born a sheapheard the son of Jesse and died a King and the father of Solomon The lxxiii PSALM The Psalmist being delivered out of an extraordinary
with thee in it nor ascribe it to ought else besides thee such extraordinary and strange vengeance didst thou take upon those blasphemous enemies as if it had been with the stroke and terrour of a Thunder-bolt from heaven and so terrifying it was to all nations where the fame of it came and it spread not a little ground the report of this wonderfull overthrow of so mighty an army as that none of them had the heart to invade us but were quiet and durst not stir though their fingers itched to be at us 9 Upon Gods executing this just and fearfull judgement on the Assyrian army in rescue of his own poor distressed people even all his whole Church and faithfull servants at once which he had upon the face of the whole earth that were in a helpless hopeless condition and had no remedy left but prayer 10 Surely Lord thy servants need fear nothing but thee for the rage and fury of thy peoples and Churches enemies shall serve not for theirs but their own destruction thou shalt so order the matter as that it shall prove but the ripening of their sins and the hastening of thy righteous judgements upon their heads and be occasion of thy peoples praises and thanksgivings to thee and shalt so terribly affright others that are like minded towards thy Church that they shall have no mind to meddle when they hear so great an army that gave out so great words and threats could effect nothing but came to such an end 11 O Israel and chiefly you inhabitants of Jerusalem vow praises and thanksgivings to the Lord for this unspeakable deliverance and miraculous preservation and forget not to pay what you owe in that kind let neither supine negligence now you are in peace and quietness nor unfaithfull covetousness hinder your solemn returns to God both with inward fervour and outward legall solemnities and sacrifices yea let all the heathen people and nations round about that hear of this wondrous work of God do homage to him as the onely God worthy to be worshipped and feared of all the world even Israels God 12 For as he hath done by these so shall he do by others even the Princes and Potentates of the earth if they take not warning thus they shall be served it shall cost them their lives if they blaspheme and rebell against God contemn his worship or distress his Church in his wrath shall he destroy them suddainly and make them a terrour to the Kings of the earth like as he hath made Senacherib exemplary unto them The lxxvii PSALM The Psalmist in grievous affliction and desertion labours to comfort himself with the success of former prayers in former distresses and by parallel difficulty in prevailing then so now but is overpowered with the extremity and prolixity of his present grief and the ineffectualness of his endeavours to minister comfort to himself which puts him upon an expostulatory interrogating himself with some diffidence touching the nature and promise of God for which he chides himself at last takes up another resolution and falls to work in a quite other way incouraging himself by the faith of those very things and experiences God to his Church in their distress which before he perverted and made use of to the encrease of diffidence To Jeduthun one of the prime musicians and the principall of all his lineage do I Asaph that made this Psalm recommend it for the care and ordering of it to be sung 1 O Lord how oft have I upon occasion put up my prayers unto thee even continually in my distresses of what sort soever I made thee still my sanctuary fled to thee by faithfull and fervent prayer and I do not know the time that ever I went without mine errant but was always heard and had my suite granted though long first and hardly gained 2 I will remember what a troublous fit I had under a painfull disease in what extremity I lay for a long time both in pain of body and anguish of mind finding neither remedy for the one nor comfort for the other though I sought to God earnestly and importunately in that my sad condition yet I could have no ease my pain was the same and my soul that nothing else could comfort could obtain no glimpse of Gods favour towards it to quiet and refresh it withall for a long season 3 Insomuch that I was even tired out with fruitless solicitations I was in such misery and found so little remedy though I prayed hard for it as that at last prayer it self became painfull to me I could not think of going to God having gone so oft and sped so ill but it troubled me when as all my complaints in so sad a condition moved nothing it even killed my very heart This case was I in and to this extremity was I brought 4 And as it was then so is it now thou hast cast me into such extream affliction and misery that it doth not onely take up whole dayes the pain of it but whole nights too without any intermission so that I can take no rest all the night long and so from night to night and I have praied so long and sped so ill that the trouble of my mind hath even stopped my mouth I can speak no more 5 I have cast about every way and considered every thing that might make for my comfort I have called to mind thy former gracious dispensations to thy people and servants of old in their distresses recorded purposely for thy Churches benefit in succeeding times 6 As also mine own former experiments and happy changes which thou hast made of sorrow into joy and praise I consider how many times thou hast ravished my heart with the sense of thy loving kindness and made me lie awake in the night season to bless and praise thee with a ravished heart not to weep and lament as now I do I think with my self what may comfort me and call to mind all things of that nature as also what should be the cause that no comfort can fasten but that there is so great and so long an estrangement and that I and comfort are so far asunder 7 Insomuch as then I think with my self surely I have seen all the comfort that ever I must have in this life and yet I cannot conclude it neither but the length and extremity of my grief makes me in some fear and doubtfulness interrogate with my self whether or no it will ever be other whether God is purposed thus to afflict me and withdraw the signs and sense of his favour from me always 8 Shall I never tast of mercy any more but must I wear away under trouble and sorrow thus shall his promise of pity and compassion whereupon I so much relie be for ever ineffectuall to me 9 Hath God quite forgotten me can he so contrary to his nature let me thus pine
under his hand and come to nought even in a moment if he took that course he should destitute himself for ever of a Church and people upon earth and quite overthrow the design of his grace for of them Christ was to come which must not be frustrated 40 There is evident testimony of Gods long-suffering for how oft did they provoke him murmuring and quarrelling time after time in the wilderness where God did miracle after miracle for their sakes and still they were the same men persisting to sin against God and by their ungratefull unbelief and stubbornness to grieve his patience and irritate his anger even there where they were so at his mercy having nothing supplied to them by art and nature but were at his immediate finding who notwithstanding all their provocations there did either provide them food and raiment for which they neither digged nor span 41 Yea they appostatiz'd many and many a time breaking all ingagements and committing old sins upon new occasions never wanting any thing but presently fall a murmuring yea they threatened God to go back into Egypt again if they might not have their wills in the wilderness and thus provoked and tempted him to destroy them that would fain have saved them every foot questioning and mis-believing his power faithfulness and good-will towards them notwithstanding his gracious promises and wonderfull performances if they had not all things they had a mind to 42 And the cause of this was because they were a sinfull ungratefull people never heeding mercies longer than God wrought them nor valuing them for any other end than self-pleasing and preservation never regarding them as to God or the bettering of their faith and obedience unto him but so soon as they had suck'd the honey they despised the flower all mercies though miracles were transient things perished in the deed done even that great one when with such an out-streched arm he brought them out of Egypt and set them free from Pharaoh the very day and hour whereof they ought never to have forgotten 43 Yea every jot of that wonderfull deliverance ought to have been treasured up in everlasting rememberance which yet was quite forgotten what clusters of miracles there grew upon the stem of that one onely deliverance what clear tokens of his omnipotent power and goodness he made to appear then and there in his peoples behalf by those ten plagues brought successively for their sakes upon the King and kingdom of Egypt in Court and countrey The story is well known but not so well remembered 44 How miraculously he turned all the waters of Egypt into bloud by the stroke of Moses his rod the famous over-flowing river of that countrey with all their lesser streams yea their ponds and cisterns also all the land over was turned into bloud so that the fish died the river stunck and the Egyptians could not drink of the water no not of Nilus whose streams could not purge it 45 Also when that would not do to get Israels release he multiplied more plagues upon them sent grievous swarms of several sorts of promiscuous venemous flies and noisom worms into the house of Pharaoh and of his servants and into all the land of Egypt so that the land was corrupted with them and many of the Egyptians destroyed by them Aaron also brought frogs out of the waters of Egypt so abundantly that they covered the whole land went up into Pharaohs house his bed-chamber and bed and into the house of his servants and people their ovens and kneading-troughs yea crept upon the person and persons of the King and people and destroyed many 46 He also utterly destroyed the fruits of the earth to the loss both of their husbandry harvest by sending upon Moses his streching out his rod over the land of Egypt an East-wind over all the land which brought into and scattered all over Egypt such infinite of caterpillars and locusts exceeding grievous never was there any such nor shall be covering the face of the whole earth darkening the land devouring every green thing both upon the ground and growing on trees hearbs and fruits 47 48. He furthermore sent so terrible a hail and great quantities of hard frozen ice as brake the trees vines and sycomores destroyed the hearbs yea the very men and beasts that were in the field for it came tempestuously accompanied with thunder and fire that ran along upon the ground so that there was hail and fire mingled with the hail very grievous terribly tormenting and destroying all it light on 49 God did infinite of waies magnifie and manifest the power and terrour of his wrath indignation and anger and the ardencie of it also against those enemies of his people to be as an everlasting monument to his Church of his love and care over them and to their enemies of his fearfull displeasure for in the fierceness of his wrath he gave them into the power of the Prince of the air and his emissarie evil angels by whose means and operation many of those judgements which were inflicted upon Egypt were wrought and terribly executed 50 51. These plagues and more than these he sent upon the Egyptians which yet were all but fore-runners of the last which was worst and most capital of all the rest wherein his anger did most appear when as he sent a plague amongst them that at midnight destroyed the first-born in every house and caused such lamentation in Egypt as never was nor shall be the like for each father and mother there lost the first-begotten their dearest child the staff of their age the flower of Egypt throughout all the families of that cursed people who were the posteritie of Mizraim second son to Ham cruel oppressours and mortal enemies to the Church and Israel of God 52 The posteritie of Sem whom God chose to be a people to him peculiarly related his own both by choise and covenant and these in despight of their enmitie to them and empire over them he conducted by the guidance of Moses and Aaron himself especially being present out of Egypt from under their burthens and from amongst their cruel task-masters even every man woman and child of them as loth as Pharaoh was to part with them into the wilderness through the red sea where he had most tender care of them to protect them and provide for them as a sheepheard over his sheep 53 And for all that Pharaoh with his power and malice could do God preserved them as he could not keep them in Egypt so nor overtake them when they went thence though in eager pursuit after them to do them any hurt for God made them a passage through the sea it self where they went safely and without fear of drowning but Pharaoh and his whole host were over-whelmed in those waters 54 After that he had led them from station to station provided for them time
for Phinehas his wife giving up the ghost at the dolour of it her last words were The glorie is departed from Israel for the Ark of God is taken forgetting her husband 65 The Lord himself was amazed at what was done to see himself as it were taken prisoner his strength gone like Sampsons and as it were a binding by the Philistines to be made their pastime and reproch as he was whereupon the Lord whom the Philistines thought they had vanquished as well as his people having the Ark their prisoner or that he had quite cast off care either of it or them on a sudden he alone fell foul upon the Philistines by his own immediate power in their own countrey he took them to task for the rescue of his Ark and vindicating his honour from their insolencies and laid about him like Sampson awakened out of his sleep when his strength was upon him or as some mightie Giant enraged and transported with wine and passion dealing judgements on all hands to every Town and people Lords and Commons where the Ark came at Ashdod Gath and Ekron destroying them with deadly destruction so that their crie went up to heaven 66 For the plague he sent amonst them made them die a pace tormented with grievous pain and horrour the disease being sore Emerods in their secret hinder parts Neither could their God Dagon stand before it but paid his head in homage to it when it came into his house so that the Ark made such destruction wheresoever it came of them and their Gods that these great conquerours made no brags of their booty but sent it home again and glad they were to be rid of it accompanied with the Images and representations of those so shameful Emerods in their secret parts by the advice of their priests sent as a trespass-offering but ordered by providence to be indeed a perpetual monument and memorial among the Israelites of that disgraceful punishment and ignominious disease God inflicted on them to whom they to their own shame were thus enforced to give glorie even to the God of Israel and ask him pardon whom they thought they had overcome and taken prisoner when they had his Ark captive 67 But though God thus plagued his enemies and rescued his Ark out of their hands and brought it home to Israel yet to shew his displeasure against them too he abandoned Shilo quite and would not suffer that testimonie of his presence to return any more thither whence it was taken captive for their sins but refused to reside and be worshipped any longer in the tribe of Ephraim the sons of Joseph behaved themselves so ill within whose lotment Shiloh was where his Ark had so long sojourned and he had been so much neglected 68 But instead thereof chose Jerusalem mount Sion there which he preferred to all the earth to be the place for his Ark to reside on there in the tribe of Judah did he chuse to fix his presence appoint his worship where he knew he should be faithfully served to his content and established the Kingdom there also which both Kingdom and Priest-hood in the tribe of Judah shall continue and be preserved when as Ephraim and that opposit Kingdom of the ten tribes with their Idolatrous service shall be quite extinct and led away captive 69 There did he build himself a glorious Temple in the glorious flourishing times of Solomon for his Ark to abide in immoveably and with it his presence beautified and enriched with all the ornaments and precious things that nature or Art could contribute to it raised upon a mount exceeding sightly for scituation and it self stately for building and Architecture there to flourish and abide firm as the earth by the mightie power of God protecting that as he supports this for so shall his Church spiritual which Christ shall build and beautifie figured by the Temple be established upon the earth as the earth and in heaven for ever 70 And as that tribe and place was honoured with the temple sacred service also so with the Kingdom and that eminent servant and Kingly type of the Messiah David who was chosen thence to rule his people whom he advanced thereunto from a mean condition even from keeping his fathers sheep in token of Christs abasement before his glorious and sovereign advancement over his Church and Kingdom 71 From taking care of his fathers flock the yeanning ewes and tender lambs did the Lord raise him to be the Kingly shepheard of his own espoused people that have been his inheritance ever since they were Jacobs posteritie that he might yield protection to these and deliver them from their enemies as he did those from the Lion and the Bear and in tender love and care administer mercie and justice to them instructing them in the fear of the Lord as Christ shall do his Church 72 And David did not fail of his dutie no more shall Christ of his but with an upright honest heart both towards God above him and those under him did he discharge his place providing for them protecting of them and administring to them and indeed throughout his reign ruled them very prosperously with much sagacitie of wisdom and happie success in all his great undertakings The spirit of God being with him as he shall be with Christ. The lxxix PSALM The Psalmist sadly relates to God the condition of his people the land the holy Citie the Temple under either the Assyrian or Antiochus what cruelty and devastation was every where executed what reproch he and they were fallen into by it and prayeth for redress and remarkable judgement upon their cruel oppressours and the blasphemers of his name promising everlasting remembrance of his mercie and praise for it if vouchsafed A Psalm made either by Asaph himself in a prophetical prediction of Jerusalems calamities or committed to his successours bearing his name by some man of God that made it after they fell out 1 O God that didst chuse and set apart this land of Canaan specially Judea for thy self and Church to inhabit and to worship thee in and didst drive out them that were not thy people and tookest and keptst possession of it hitherto till now that the heathen no whit related to thee have re-assumed it broken in with rage and cruelty and dispossessed both thee and thy people for now Jerusalem which thou hast formerly so wonderfully preserved from them and the Temple there that place of thy special presence and sacred worship have they also mastered as well as the rest of the land of Israel and Judah the one of them they have done all manner of spight to for thy sake defiled that sacred place with the bloud of thine own people that were wont there to worship thee and introduced their prophane Idolatries into it The other they have devastated the walls and houses are demolished inhabitants slaughtred all ruinated 2 It
never to live again Lord think other thoughts towards us bring us again into a comfortable condition and raise us up in joy as much as thou hast cast us down in sorrow by the return of thy reconciled favour to us which will infinitely rejoyce us 7 Let us be so happy as to see and feel the sweet effects of thy pardoning grace O good God by granting us a powerfull deliverance from under this misery and bondage 8 As pray so I will also expect an answer my faith shall listen diligently to the promise of God what it sayes as also to his providence what it will speak effectually by way of performance for his promises are then words he will do as he sayes and therefore I am confident how ever Gods time is now of punishing us so it will be of pardoning us his people shall have rest from these their troubles for his Saints the invisible Church sake that are amongst them but let them take heed of abusing such goodness by provoking the Lord again to wrath with back-sliding ingratitude lest he never take their words more 9 Surely deliverance from the Lord will make haste for the enfranchizing of all those that faithfully wait for it and will heartily imbrace it when it comes to the promoting and re-establishing his worship and service again in that land of his and ours though we are wrongfully disseiz'd of it and restoring it to its former glorie and splendour 10 Our return as it shall doubtless be so it shall be exceeding happie the very embleme of the salvation that comes by the Messiah to the Church and the glorious effects thereof for in our restauration there shall be an admirable commixtion of the mercie and truth of God thereby graciously fulfilling his promise touching the well-fare of his Church and freedom from her enemies together with a righteous obediential walking of his people with him in peace and tranquillitie Like as in Christ and in the restauration that he shall make of poor distressed sinners to a spiritual Libertie from their ghostly enemies sin and Satan there shall be a glorious reconciliation of those cross pleading attributes and properties in Gods divine nature and in the soul of every justified regenerate member of the Church for according to truth and righteousness Man that sinned hath died Christ being made a sacrifice and according to mercie and peace Man that hath sinned is saved and God he are reconciled and at one in the propitiation of his son so that in him the Laws threatnings and Gospels promises are agreed the rigour of Gods justice is fully satisfied all things in God peaceably accorded and God and man sweetly reconciled and man in his own conscience by the faith of all these comfortably quieted 11 We shall serve and obey God in truth and uprightness such sweet fruit shall Judea yield upon our restitution and God shall take pleasure in us and from heaven pour forth his righteous blessings upon us in grace and favour to us as it shall be with the Church when the Messiah that Truth of God shall be born in our nature of earthly parents with what satisfactorie content shall God then behold him and those justified sanctified members of his here below aswell as those glorified ones in heaven above and how shall he bless them 12 Yea the Lord shall be so reconciled to us that our evils shall be turned into their contrarie blessings he shall be our friend and make every thing else befriend us for good the creature shall be reconciled aswell as the creator and the land that our sins have made barren and fruitless shall by the blessing of God upon it be restored to that fertilitie it had heretofore when God was better served and it was better blessed and made to resemble the plenteous spiritual blessings that Christs enfranchized Church shall abound with here 13 God himself shall plentifully vouchsafe his graces and make us walk to his well-pleasing in holiness and righteousness as Christ shall his Church and set us in the right way which we have so miserably strayed from and enable us to walk it even the path of his precepts The lxxxvi PSALM David in this Psalm made probably either during Sauls persecution of him or after in mindfulness of that his estate personating himself as then it was with him praies for audience and deliverance because of his incessant intercessions and Gods innate goodness and promises himself what he praies for he extols God and prophesies all the World shall do so too prayeth for direction and establishment under his pressures promiseth praise for what God hath done for him and relates what manner of enemies his are as bad as bad can be but comforts himself in Gods opposit grace and goodness which he praies for a sensible sight and taste of by some remarkable act of providence and power for him against them to their shame and confusion and to his corroboration and consolation A praier that David made in the time of his grievous affliction recorded as a pattern and for the use of every faithful afflicted member of the Church 1 THou Lord that hast an ear for men in my case and heart too Let me I pray thee prevail for a gracious audience and though thou beest of so immense greatness and inhabitest heavens in unaccessable glorie yet Lord have regard to a poor worm on earth in this my deplorable helpless condition 2 That my life Lord is in danger thou knowest it and that my heart is upright towards thee and innocent towards man even to my very enemies thou Lord art not ignorant of it Therefore in righteousness deliver me out of their hands and save my life which they would destroy O Lord that art my God both in near relation and dear affection save me that thou knowest am entirely thine in loving obedience and faithful dependance and reliance 3 Let thy goodness and my miserie move thee to have mercie on me O Almightie Lord and to vouchsafe me deliverance for as I have cause my pressures being exceeding great and incessant so are my cries unto thee vehement and quotidian because my faith and hope is in thee 4 Set me free from my troubles and these despondencies of spirit that accompany them that I may with a joyful and thankful heart apprehend thy grace and mercie to me for Lord thou knowest my trust and confidence is in none besides thee as thou mayest perceive by my faithful and fervent addresses 5 For I know both from thine own word which I believe and mine own experience that thou art of a gracious compassionate nature to poor distressed suppliants and though just to punish sinners yet as ready to pardon penitents and to shew mercie of every kind both of forgiveness to humbled sinners and of deliverance to distressed innocents that in the faith thereof pray earnestly unto thee 6 And
Lord I am one of those be thou therefore so to me in thy goodness and mercie hear me calling and crying unto thee for relief in this my distressed estate 7 And truly Lord that goodness of thine and my confidence in it prompts me what ever and whensoever I am in affliction to flie to thee by prayer and supplication not doubting of a gracious answer and issue 8 There are many gods worshipped in the world besides thee but for my part I know none but thee nor will pray or seek to any else for I am sure it is but lost labour Thine onely is the Kingdom power and glorie Thy works are worthy of thee but they as they are no Gods so there is nothing they can do neither god nor man besides thy self no creature whatsoever can do any thing worthy a mans trust for all that is done is either of thee or from thee and those things wherein thou art pleased to appear and to put forth thy power how transcendent are they 9 Yea though it be a thing almost incredible and seemingly impossible considering that ignorance and enmity that is all the world over yet shalt thou that by thine infinit Almighty power hast made all nations make to thy self a Church of every people in the whole earth aswel Gentiles as Jews and they shall yield thee not constrained but voluntarie obedience and acknowledgement under the Kingdom of Christ whereof my Kingdom no less powerfully brought about by thee shall be some resemblance for then shall the heathen nations do thee homage and dread thy power I shall convince them but Christ shall convert them whose people and servants they shall then be as we now are 10 For there is nothing impossible to God who is able to do whatsoever he will his power is infinit and omnipotent as his wondrous works declare and the strange transcendent things he hath done for his Church in all ages and will do still even make the whole world his Church and himself to be worshipped and acknowledged of the very heathen they that now are Idolaters and serve many Gods yea every thing for God but God shall serve him and none besides him as we do 11 O Lord in the hour of temptation and time of trouble which is now upon me thou knowest how apt we are to step aside partly by ignorance partly by frailty my suit therefore is that thou wouldest instruct me how to demean my self so that I sin not against thee and to that end mind me of my dutie in every emergencie Let me hear a voice behind me saying this is the way and my purpose is not to deviat from it but my power must be from thee to make good this purpose therefore Lord give me such grace and courage and such seasonable supplement thereof that I may be resolved to believe firmly in thee and to walk exactly with thee at all essayes not staggering either in faith or a good conscience 12 As I have found thee mindful of me in trouble so shalt thou find me no less mindful of thee and my dutie to thee out of it I will not forget nor fail to give thee praises and that unfeigned ones uttered from my heart in the faith of thy power and grace O Lord my good God yea it shall be my constant practise to praise thee and to magnifie thee in and for them whilest I have any being 13 For greatly have they been manifested in thy mercie towards me and in so wonderfully preserving me from death and destruction that so unavoidably assailed me and had certainly devoured me hadst not thou mightily preserved me 14 And indeed I had need of no less power than thine to preserve me considering my humane help how weak it is and mine enemies insolencie and rage how great they are for multitudes of such as care neither for God nor man that disdain to walk by any rules but their own dictates without regard either to mine innocencie or thy severitie and justice resolve to persecute me to death 15 But thou O Lord art as gracious and merciful as they are cruel as pitiful as they are pitiless pardoning the sins and sensible of the sufferings of thy servant bearing with my frailties and passing by my infirmities in these my trials and failest me not as I have need of thee but hast abundantly approved thy goodness to be as large as thy truth and promise and thy self to be every jot as good as thy word 16 And so let me still find thee thy favour and grace O Lord vouchsafe me and in a time of need have mercie upon me to deliver me as I am thy servant so Lord inable me to persevere give inward strength of faith and courage to uphold me in and under these outward calamities and power to wade through them so as that I perish not in them have a gracious regard to me who thou knowest am a child not onely of thy visible but of thine invisible Church an heir of the promise born and bred under thy roof of thine own family neerly related to thee and therefore pray and hope for protection from thee 17 As I stand in need of more than ordinarie supportation so also of extraordinarie consolation and mine enemies of extraordinarie conviction by reason of their arrogance and malignitie Therefore Lord vouchsafe some notable act of providence in the behalf of my preservation and of power in their confusion that they which so extreamly hate me may know thou lovest me and hatest them for hating me and be ashamed at their hating and persecuting one whom they see thou lovest and preservest and for whose sake thou discomfits them to be a help and comfort unto me The lxxxvii PSALM For as much as 〈◊〉 the captivity upon their return the Iewâ— wâ—re or might bâ— dâ—jâ—cted with the paâ—citie of their people and povertie of their condition the holy Ghost by the Psalmist animates them and diverts the thoughts and apprehensions of the godly by setting forth the glorious priviledges of Sion prophâ—sted of old but not yet fulfilled saving in their shâ—dows which shortly would be accomplished in substance when all nations should be ambitious to be Sionists for the Church it selfe should bear that name which shall abound both in a numerous issue and heavenly qualifications A Psalm made to be both sung and played by the Korathites 1 THe holy Lord God from out all the world hath chosen Canaan a hilly countrey Jerusalem a mountainous place and in Jerusalem mount Sion and Moriah to scituate his Temple and to rest his Ark and establish his worship in There had his Church the pillar and ground of truth the first setling and truth it self the first firm footing upon which foundation laid among these hils was to be built and reared that great famous structure of the Gentil-Church Christ himself the principal corner-stone digged out of those mountains
and natural reason thou hast broken all the ties that were upon thee oath promise faithfulness holiness covenant which seems to be quite made void even that thou mad'st with thy servant David concerning the establishment of his throne and dignitie upon him and his posteritie for ever For thou hast suffered as much despight to be done to that royal diadem as the prophane ignorant Idolatrous heathen can devise to do by captivating King and Kingdom contemptibly subjugated and transplanted into another nation far remote where they are made bon dmen even the people and posteritie of David his throne is thus abased of whom thou saidst The enemy shall not exact nor the son of wickedness afflict him 40 Instead of protection thou hast brought upon it utter devastation thou hast quite ruinated all the strength of the Kingdom defensive and offensive and made the enemy absolute there 41 He is brought to so forlorn a condition that the whole Kingdom countrey cities people goods every thing are preid upon and spoiled at pleasure by all that will houses gardens vine-yards all the whole land is a very through-fare for all commers and goers that take and leave as they list themselves there is no bodie nor nothing to resist them Those Idolatrous prophane people the Ammonites Moabites c. that border about us whom thou saidest should be under him are got above him and most insultingly reproch him upon this occasion and deridingly ask if this be the King whose throne shall endure so long as the Sun and Moon which extreamly reflects upon the Messiah himself and calls in question thy covenant as to him 42 Thou hast given strength courage and success to his enemies and made them triumphant over him 43 On the contrarie thou hast weakned his power made ineffectual all his indeavours and turned the courage wherewith he was wont to be endowed into cowardise and made him to flie before the enemie who was wont to flie before him 44 Thou hast put an end to that honour and dignitie which thou saidst nay swearest should continue for ever his throne which thou covenantest to establish is utterly demolished he is laid level with the common people nay a very bondman in captivitie 45 Instead of estating him and his Kingdom in everlasting happiness thou hast brought sudden and speedie desolation it is true some few dayes of glorie and felicitie he hath seen but they soon have an end nay a shameful end Lord this is true 46 Lord instead of being everlastingly gracious wilt thou be everlastingly displeased shall we never partake of favour and grace again art thou utterly estranged and we utterly rejected shall we be quite consumed in thine anger without any mixture of mercie or mitigation of thy wrath 47 48 Lord consider the shortness and vanitie of my life and by me judge of all other men that by course of nature are as I am short-lived and sure to die Now then if thou thus breakest covenant casts off thy people nullifies thy Church and hereby overthrows all possibilitie of the Messiah and his Kingdom what a vain thing must it needs be for thee to have made man if all the happiness he shall have is but to live a few dayes on earth and so die or if that be all the honour and service thou art like to have of him and truly Lord if thy Church and covenant be null that is all can come on 't for none shall be saved but thy people and no people are so but by Covenant if then the one be not and so the other be frustrate we are all reduced into the sinful mass of mankind at best to live miserably and die wretchedly This will be the issue 49 Lord thou doest infinitly amaze us to consider what loving kindness thou hast heretofore covenanted to shew to David and his seed for ever and ratified it with a deep and solemn Oath obliging thee in thine infinit truth and faithfulness to fulfil it we are at a stand to think on this and withall how this thy word and these thy works are consistent and reconcileable 50 Lord for all this make it appear thou canst keep Covenant and preserve thy Church and people as low as they be brought and that thou mayest be moved hereunto Remember and take notice of the reprochful contumelious usage thy servants have at their enemies hands for thy sake more than their own and to thy dishonour more than theirs Weigh well to what an ebb of fortune we are fallen when subjugated and captivated under the insolentest and mightiest nation upon earth whose reprochful insufferable abuse of thy people they are forced to put up and with infinit patience to dissemble their grief which goes to my heart to think of and am as sensible of it as if I bare the whole burden on my own back 51 Even those blasphemous reprochful taunts which those victorious heathen enemies to thee and for thy sake to thy people do cast upon their hope in thy promises and their faithful expectation of the coming and near approch of the Messiah their King thine anointed now in this their so low miserable and irrecoverable estate 52 But how ever it be neither our miserie the enemies insolencie thy severitie and seeming perfidie nor our amazements upon all these shall eradicate the faith and hope mine heart hath in thee and thy covenant nor stop my mouth from praising thee for it but that I do affirm thee holy faithful and gracious for all these even to David to whom thou wilt make good all that ever thou hast promised yea to the end of the World shall his Kingdom last The Messiah for all this shall come whose shall be the Kingdom power and glorie for evermore And in the faith hereof I do bless thee now as if it were and pronounce thee worthie of blessing praise and thanksgiving throughout all ages of the World so long as Sun and Moon endures so be it yea Lord dispose the hearts of thy people to believe that so it shall be that in the hope thereof we may praise thee and in the happie enjoyment thereof all ages hereafter may do so too The xc PSALM This praier of Moses in likelihood was made by him some time before his death betwixt the Israelites being inhabited Canaan because of their murmuring and misbelief when the spies brought an evil report upon the land in that long peregrination of theirs in the wilderness and the time they entered it wherein he first mentions the continual care that he the everlasting God hath had over them in all their travels and sojournings and next the often afflictions and destructions to which their sins and his displeasure brought them and the great deliverances he hath afforded them as it were a resurrection from the dead Then declares how its worse with them his people than the rest of mankind for though all must and
people have cause to remember and acknowledge and with joyfull hearts to praise thee for especially for that transcendent work of mercy in chosing us from out all the world to be thine which together with those concomitant powerfull dispensations and manifestations of thy self in our behalfes from time to time gives cause to me and them to triumph and glory in faith and hope 5 O Lord how unconceivable is thy power and wisdom in all thy decrees counsels and dispensations towards both thy Church and the enemies thereof in thy strange providences and marvellous judgements 6 Which yet are little taken notice of by most men so worldly minded and sensually disposed are people ordinarily that God is not in all their thoughts spending their time more like beasts than men of reason minding the creature more than the Creatour who is never so much as owned much less honoured by the earthly minded and wicked Athiesticall persons of the world in any thing he doth though never so remarkable 7 Neither the hazardous condition that they themselves are in in this their earthly felicity which they take to be a speciall note of Gods peculiar favour to them that they can sin and yet prosper when others that are holy and strict in their wayes are at an ebb-water in poverty and misery not considering that God gives wicked men their hearts desire here le ts them swim in plenty and pleasure for a while during a short life that they may compleat their sins to the sum totall and he his judgements even unto everlasting destruction in endless pains never to enter into his rest 8 They neither understand themselves nor thee O Lord God never imagining that thou rulest in the highest heavens and thence judgest of all men and their actions here below But whatever their vain thoughts are thou art the everlasting King of thy Church and people and the righteous judge of thine and their enemies and so they shall find thee to be to the worlds end 9 For as sure as Gods in heaven so sure shall the wicked of the earth however they prosper and whatever they may think of themselves compared with other men come to ruine and utter destruction for though they think God their friend yet doth he know and reckon them for his enemies and as such shall his proceedings be towards them for all evil doers though they be many and the godly few in all ages and places they shall be weeded out and consume away by the hand of God upon them they and their felicity shall part and be everlastingly seperated 10 But as despicable as the godly are in the eyes of worldlings they shall have their turn I and other thy faithfull servants shall see better dayes when they shall see worse principally in heaven that everlasting sabbatism when our turn comes to rise then they shall fall and there is no doubt but that day will come when we shall be made able by thee whose faithfulness is engaged for it to lift up our heads and enjoy those everlasting consolations hoped for and those divine honours of being Kings and Priests unto thee 11 The faithfull shall not fail of the grace promised them and the justice to be executed upon their enemies but they shall undoubtedly be both eye and ear-witnesses of the righteous judgements of God upon the wicked of the world that hate and persecute them 12 The righteous however they be decried and depressed by wicked worldlings yet shall God so bless them that they shall out-grow their miseries and over-top their enemies Gods Church and his people of whom it consists shall grow in grace untill they arrive in glory 13 Those that are Israelites indeed which by the spirit and faith are made members and have taken rooting in the family and Church of God shall thrive and come on prosperously in spirituall graces by use of holy means in frequenting his sanctuary and sanctifying his Sabbath to Gods glory their own assurance and unspeakable rejoycing They that are rooted here in grace shall grow up from grace to grace and be crowned at last with eternall life in the heavens 14 These trees and plants of Gods own planting by a divine supernaturall supply of spirituall sap and nourishment contrary to the course of nature the elder they grow the better they shall flourish and fructifie both on earth and to all eternity in heaven 15 Thus shall both the wicked perish and the godly flourish to shew that however by outward appearance of providences and weakness of faith the Lord seems oft-times to us to go against himself and break his word yet it s nothing so the Lord for all that is faithfull true of his promise a never failing refuge to every true believer and there is no such thing as our sinfull imagination and unbelief-fancy of him not the least uâ—righteousness in word or deed The xciii PSALM The Psalmist goes about to settle the faith of the Church in the Empire and omnipotency of the Lord her God together with his faithfull engagements the holy performances whereof she is bound to believe and relie upon for ever 1 THe Church and people of God ought to know and believe this for an infallible maxim in practicall as well as dogmaticall divinitie that The Lord reigneth He that is their God is God and King of all and over all the empire and regalitie of the whole world is his the resplendent majestie whereof appears in all created Beings in heaven and earth and in that power which he so effectually and dexterously manifests for his Churches preservation and their enemies confusion whereby the world also is centred so firm as upon a basis so that though it hang like a ball in the air yet it is as firm and immoveable as the fixed mountains 2 This dominion of thine O Lord glorious in its administrations of protection and government hath ever been never was there any vacation of it and as it hath been so it shall be from everlasting to everlasting as thou thy self art 3 As in nature thou Lord hast ordained in the waterie element thereof vâ—â—y formidable and dreadfull agitations as in the tempestuous ragings of the sea the over-flowing of great waters making a hideous noise such storms and concussions are raised on land too even all the earth over against thy Church tossed as a ship at sea and boistrously handled by wicked and unreasonable men that rage against her readie to be swallowed up and devoured by them 4 But as high as these waves and tempests of danger and destruction to thy Church do mount yet is the Lord in heaven both higher and mightier than they be they never so terrible for noise and number he can allay and quiet them at his pleasure yea though the Church be as a boat in a storm at sea in the midst of gusts and surges God can preserve
it and will for as he raiseth sea-tempests and therefore can lay them so he by his providence and appointment sends land-storms therefore can order quit them in like sort 5 And as thou art powerfull so art thou faithfull we need no more doubt of the one than of the other what thou hast promised as thou hast power so likewise hast thou will to perform it Thy grace of protection is as certain and infallible as thy power is omnipotent The obediential faith of thy holy performance of all that thou hast promised becomes thy Church the house of the living God which O Lord ought to be fixed and established by it and in it for ever what ever befall her The xciv PSALM In some very heavie pressure that lay upon the people of God in generall by by the heathens or else upon the faithfull under the wicked Kings and Iudges of Israel this Psalm seems to be made wherein God is earnestly called upon to take off the yoke which lay so heavily upon them by the tyrannie and persecution of bloudie and 〈◊〉 hemous wretches whom be counsells to do better and from their abuse of Gods own clemencie to their own perdition shews the blessed estate of Gods own people because of Gods fatherly chastisements He acknowledgeth God for his sole support which is his comfort when he is at a loss and is confident God will not always suffer tyrants to sit in his seat and rule over his Church but that he will find a time to judge them and deliver her out of their hands 1 2 O Almightie and righteous Lord God who hast power and to whom of right it belongs to revenge the injuries oppressions of thy Church appear in her behalf so that both she and her oppressours may see thou doest so Let her proud insulting enemies feellingly find that thou that art judge of all the earth favourest her cause and doest her right upon them 3 4 Lord it is not without cause that we crie to thee for as our pressures have been very great so they have been very long The wicked have had a long reign and lorded it with a witness over the good and by reason of thy delay they glory in their doings as if either thou couldst not or wouldst not punish them And what they think they stick not to speak even blasphemies against thee and cruelties against us and the more wickedness they commit the more they give themselves content boasting one to another and vying one with another who can do most mischief thy impunitie being their immunitie 5 6 They make pot-sheards of thy people O Lord loading them with such merciless oppressions and afflictions even thine own chosen and peculiar heritage and that because they are so as they break their very hearts and leave them not the name or face of a people scarce upon earth destroying all before them mercilesly breaking all laws humane and divine respecting neither age nor sex pitying none in any kind or condition though never such objects of compassion 7 And so hardened are they in their wicked courses and so presumptious by thy forbearance that they are confident thou regardest not what they do to thy people nor never will call them to account for it making a very aw-word of the God of Jacob. 8 Be men of more understanding than to harbour such vain thoughts of so great a God ye that though ye be heads and chief among the vulgar yet are as void of understanding and true judgement as the common people themselves be not still so foolish to persist in wickedness provoking the Lord but consider that the end must needs be bad and that you will repent when it is too late 9 For weigh with your selves whether it be reasonable to think that you can either act such things or speak such words and God not see nor hear them that gives ears and eyes to all men living shall the authour of those senses be senseless 10 He that is Judge of all the earth and punisheth the very heathens for their exorbitancies and unjust oppressions among themselves shall not he much more be righteous to revenge the wrongs done to his own people and have you such mean thoughts of God as to judge him any thing less than omniscient think you to escape or deceive him that gives you your selves the knowledge you have and all men else 11 The Lord very well knows what vain and wicked thoughts men naturally have of him how they abuse his clemencie as if he neither saw heard regarded nor will judge them for their wickedness because he delays to do it 12 Therefore what ever the world think of the godly under afflictions yet blessed is the man that is so much favoured of God as to be chastised for his faults and admonished of his dutie to Gods commandments whilst he suffers others to run riot without check or control 13 That he may make him meet for the inheritance of the saints prepare him for heaven which shall be the end of his course which is accompanied with sorrows as hell shall be of the wicked when they are prepared for it by a consummation of the number and measure of their sins by their libertie of sinning 14 For whatever we through shortness of spirit and impatience under afflictions may think of God as if he had disregarded his people yet it s nothing so God may cast them into afflictions but not because he rejects them but because he loves them he will find a time to make it appear so that for all that nay that therefore he is their God and they his dearly beloved because he doth afflict them when as he saves them by it suffering others to go to hell for want of it 15 But how ever things seem to be topsi-turvie the wicked a top of the wheel and the good under it yet there is a time when the world shall be set right again each man shall be paid his wages God shall take the government into his hands whereas now the reins seem to be let loose and in righteousness judge the good and the bad which is the time that all upright-hearted sincere Godly-ones long for and in hope of it shall notwithstanding all obstructions follow it in the way of pietie 16 Who is there beside thee O Lord willing or able to deliver me from under this tyrannicall oppression of wicked workers surely none in all the world If thou doest not save me I perish 17 Yea hadst not thou when time was been a present help so near was I to destruction I had certainly died and been silent in the grave instead of being now speaking to thee and praising of thee 18 When I concluded with my self there was no way but death then of a sudden beyond expectation in so eminent a danger did thy mercie appear to
questioning his power and goodness instead of meekly yielding to be proved by him and answering his expectations by suitable returns These were our progenitours of whom we come and of whose sins we therefore ought to beware 10 11 And this they did not onely once but often nor out of frailtie but obstinacie Nothing I could do or say saith God could reclaim them but they persisted the self same men from first to last from the Red-sea to the skirts of Canaan fourtie years together perpetually vexing me with their unbelief and rebellion even all the generation of them scarce a man that did other insomuch that at last after so long trial and experience of them I concluded that there was no good to be done they are a people whose hearts are not upright with me that erre not of infirmitie but obstinacie and for all that by my word and works I have taught and assured them thus long of my love care power and faithfulness yet have not they learned in all this time nor never will being wilfully blind and perversly inconsiderate how to walk and demean themselves towards me by honouring of me with their faithfull dependance humble submission and hopefull expectation of my goodness and power to appear for them and be extended to them and to return me praise and thanks love and obedience that so a perpetual intercourse of friendship and sweet correspondencie might have been traded betwixt us for ever as I intended But so hatefull and vexatious was their carriage and so infinite and endless their provocation that at last when I had tried them to the uttermost had brought them to the very borders of the promised land and saw they were still the same as unbelieving and murmuring as ever before it made me past patience so that in my rage I sware never to revoke it that so unworthy a people that I saw neither was nor never would be good do all that I could I say I sware they should upon no terms nor entreaty enter into and be possessed of the end of their travels the type of heaven that resting place the land of Canaan but should wast their days and end their lives in the wilderness where they had so sinned against me even the whole generation of them which I made good to the last man of that rebellious crew Let us fear and tremble hearken and obey praise and give thanks lest we the ofspring of such progenitours be guiltie of their sins and partake of their plagues be cast out as they were kept out of this good land The xcvi PSALM This Psalm was â—ndited at the remove of the Ark to its settled abode upon the hill of Sion in Jerusalem being in substance all one with that 1. Chron. 16.23 to 33. wherewith David ravished in spirit and prophetically disposed stirs up all the world Iews and Gentiles to praise the Lord for the Kingdom of Christ which was approching which that typified yea and all creatures the most irrational and unsensible â—or the general Iubilee that shall then be the happie restauration begun and not long to perfecting 1 2 O What a joyfull day is this to see the Ark brought after all its travels to its place of abode the holy mount in Jerusalem This new mercy deserves a new song yea extraordinarie praise and thanks not onely from us but from all the world the Gentiles as well as Israelites which from Sion shall have the glad tidings of salvation published to them news worthy of new songs and ineffable praises to be given to God whom we nor they can praise enough nor bless that infinite goodnese of his in vouchsafing the grace and knowledge of his salvation to us so eminently in this type of Christs peaceable and glorious Kingdom which they shall have really and indeed everlastingly amongst them worthy everlasting praises for them 3 Spread the glorious tidings of Christ and his approching Kingdoms far and near let it be told the Gentiles for they shall share in it and glorifie for it let all that he hath done for his Church and promised to do those wonderfull things of sending his Son calling the Gentiles and spreading his Church over the face of the earth be made known all the world over to prepare them for it with joy and thanks to receive it 4 For the Lord shall be better known though now they are ignorant of him and set light by him valuing stocks and stones before him yet the time will come when they shall know that this our God is the onely great and praise-worthy God and as well worthy to be worshipped and honoured of them instead of those false and fond gods they now serve as of us That there is none like him nor none but him 5 For all other gods which they ignorantly worship every where for all the world lies in darknesse are but dumb and deaf Idols made of wood and stone or at the best but creatures the Lord onely is the Creatour that made the whole world the glorious and beautifull heavens and reigns therein alone 6 In the midst of unaccessible Honour and Majesty which no man can see and live communicating thence some beams and rays of his heavenly and Divine properties of grace and power in that spiritual splendour that powerfully shines out of his holy sanctuarie into the souls and spirits of those that in faith and sincerity worshipping him there have their hearts thereby strengthened in believing and their graces enlivened by the fresh communicating of his ordinances and effectual answers to their prayers against their enemies 7 All ye people whether sons of Adam or of Abraham understand the Lord aright so as to honour him worthy of himself by glorifying him as the onely God of power yea the Lord Almightie 8 Worship not other gods instead of him nor yet together with him let him rule alone in your hearts that rules alone in the world pay your tribute and do your homage to him at his sanctuarie neither worship any God but him nor him in any other manner than as he hath appointed sacrifice to him upon his own altar in his own courts 9 Let all far and near come and welcome too do as we do worship the Lord in his holy sanctuarie O that the whole earth would turn to the Lord Gentiles as well as Jews as when Christ comes they shall have as free access to worship God as we and their worship as well accepted then as ours is now 10 Publish to the heathen what God hath made known to you his people How that the Lord onely is God and that the kingdom of the world as well as of Israel belongs to him and that his Church shall flourish every where as well as here which is not long to all things shall be brought into a better order one God in Christ shall be worshipped and stedfastly believed in instead of those
mutiplicitie of gods and extravagancies of worship that the world is distracted with He shall take upon him the kingdom of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews they shall take laws from him as well as we and be subjected to his righteous judgements as we are who now are a lawless people void both of the knowledge and fear of God 11 When that day comes that we shall be no more under the Law but under Grace it shall be like the restoring of all things a very first fruits of it Christ when he comes to enter upon his Gospel-kingdom shall give cause of joy to all things above and below heaven earth land water and to all creatures that live in and replenish all elements shall be glad to be from under his spreading confusion and chaos of ignorance and disorder now abounding under the time of nature and the curse and to be reduced under the headship and government of the reconciling and peace-making Mediatour authour of light and life as the fore-runner of their final and absolute deliverance at his second coming 12 13 All the earth and all the creatures in it shall have cause of rejoycing even the irrational and the unsensible like as also all the wide world of Gentilism for its deliverance from the bondage of corruption then certainly begun which is not far off being till then made subject to vanitie and its restorement into the glorious libertie of the children of God then assuredly hastening The whole creation in the mean time groaning and travelling in pain together waiting for the adoption and day of redemption to come from the presence of the Lord which is not far behind the coming of the Messiah nay he himself is that King and Judge that comes to that very end and purpose to put an end to confusion and unrighteousness and to create himself a righteous Church out of the unrighteous world that now is nothing else and a people that shall know Holiness and Truth from lies and vanitie whom he shall bless and the creature for their sakes and ease them of the curse that lies upon them by taking it upon himself dispensing grace and mercie to the good judgement wrath to the wicked by whose righteous government the whole creation shall be rendered much more acceptable in the eyes of the creatour and so the creature partake of the first fruits of its redemption and restauration and the assured hopes of the speedie compleatment and finishing thereof so much desired by it The xcvii PSALM This Psalm is a prophesie of the kingdom of Christ in the time of the Gospel when he is come in the flesh amplifying it in its certaintie and universality together with its dreadfull concomitants as to unbelievers and contemners of it The joy that it shall be of to all the Israel of God And concludes with an animadversion to sinceritie in contradistinction to formalitie and the happiness of such maugre all enemies and evils that shall befall them 1 THe glorious kingdom of Gods sole regencie by Jesus Christ is near at hand whereby errour and vanitie that hath hitherto prevailed over the face of the whole earth shall be extinguished and the light of the gospel of salvation shall shine like the sun into all the regions to the unexpressable joy of the whole earth yea it shall spread in its saving efficacie and virtue from out Judea where it hath long been confined to the remotest and unfrequentedst corners and countreys of the world by land and sea 2 You know how terribly the Lord appeared when he came down from heaven to earth to give the Law on Sinai his terrour and Majestie shall be every whit as great at his second coming to bring and publish the Gospel as dreadfull shall he be to the contemners and disobeyers thereof as of the Law for righteousness and judgement shall be administered in and are essential to his Gospel-kingdom and not to the Law onely as Gospel-sinners shall be sure to find 3 Whithersoever his Gospel-grace and mercy goes and wheresoever it is published there goes along with it wrath and judgement which shall certainly and heavily fall upon the enemies and refusers thereof for the defence of it and his Church every where 4 5. Recollect and enumerate all the terrible things that accompanied the mightie and dreadfull majestie of Almightie God when he gave the law on mount Sinai thunderings lightenings earth-quakes c. and the same dreadfulness accompanies the Gospel for its vindication and protection upon contemners and against opposers 6 The heavens declare him to be a faithfull Creatour one that in mightie long-suffering and patience towards the sons of men keeps his promise made to Noah after the floud causing the lights and influences of heaven to keep their natural courses and afford their benefits even to the heathenish idolotrous nations notwithstanding their sins who are eye-witnesses of his manifold glorious dispensations every where in all the parts and places of the world 7 Who see not their sin and folly in taking the benefit of Gods creatures such glorious ones as shine from heaven and yet fall down to the stock of a tree and worship it for God a strange stupiditie O that therefore the time were come which certainly shall come and is not long to of that gospel-light which shall shine like the sun upon the face of all the earth to the conversion or confusion of all idolatrous nations who now in this time of ignorance God bears with but when light is come into the world if then men love darkness more than light they shall be and so let them be destroyed all that are so wilfully blind and bruitish as still to worship and confide in idols and set them in opposition to the onely true God made manifest in Christ. All ye supposed gods cease to deceive men now let truth take place ye living oracles feigned deities disclaim the superstition and adoration wherewith the foolish people worship you tell them you are no Gods that God in Christ is onely to be worshipped do you exalt him and abase your selves that his Kingdom may come amongst the deluded heathen 8 What joy will it be to the faithfull Israel of God at that day when Christ shall come and shall shine out of Sion as the Sun out of the East his Kingdom taking rise from thence to the fall of Idols and Idolatry every where the happy predictions of the near approaches and the early dawnings of it being heard and seen shall be unspeakable joy to them because the truth of all those ancient long looked for promises and prophesies are then immediately to be fulfilled in the universall Sovereignty and Empire of Jesus Christ who comes to judge the world and rule his Church 9 For however the world is grosly mistaken by fancying other divinities besides thee as if the Government were not thine and thou
joyfull praises of his coming from heaven to earth to redeem his Church Yea all that is within you praise his holy name for so great salvation wrought not onely by the power as all the rest were but also by the person of God himself whom you ought therefore with studied thankfulness and elaborate expressions of joy and honour entertain and usher into the world worthy his greatness and best expressing your high esteem of such unvaluable grace 7 8 9 These three last verses being the same in sence and almost in letter with the 11 12 13 being also the three last verses of the 96 Psalm see the Paraphrase upon them for the explanation of these Saving that those words in the eighth verse of this Psalm let the hills be joyfull together signifie that as all people are admitted into the same priviledge with the Jews by Christ so all places have the same fellowship in propriety and title to God and his worship as hath the hill of Sion once his peculiar Iohn 4.21 The xcix PSALM The Psalmist probably upon some deliverance magnifies the Lord in relation to his people the Iews and their happy condition above all people exciting them to praise God answerably to his mercies and righteousness even that God which hath ever been their God and done great things for them by his servants of old 1 THe Amighty God whose throne is in the heavens is pleased in behalf of his Church and chosen people to make it appear that he also hath dominion upon earth by their powerfull preservation and their enemies destruction therefore let the heathen people our neighbour nations that so malign us take it into serious consideration and tremble to think of provoking him by injuring his Church Let them rather and all the rest of the Gentiles with a reverentiall fear submit themselves to his regiment and be gathered into the number of his people worshipping him not after their own imaginations but in the manner and place that he hath appointed the Temple where onely he hath fixed his presence upon the mercy-seat between the Cherubims which condescention of the great God of heaven full of incomprehensible majesty and holiness to reside on earth ought to make even the whole creation sensible of it by way of Allegiance and subjection to him and honour of the place where and the people amongst whom he is pleased to erect his throne 2 Wonderfull great hath the power of God appeared in the preservation of his people and the defence of his holy Temple in the behalf whereof he hath mightily approved his wisdom and power infinitely to exceed all humane policy and strength of the great Sages and confederate forces of the world which sundry times he hath dissipated and strangely defeated 3 O therefore let thy people who have been so extraordinarily blessed by thee return answerable thanks unto thee and praise thee for those righteous and terrible judgements executed upon their enemies wherein thou hast manifested such Almighty power and gracious providence and hast thereby approved thy self a holy God faithfull of thy word and promise 4 And as well righteous as holy not exercising a Tyrannicall absolute Arbitrary power over the creature yea though thou canst yet thou wilt not but affectest to subject thy proceedings to the rules of righteousnese ordering thy power by thy justice and putting it forth by way of judgement which thou both justly and severely executest upon sinners and enemies to thee and thy people unto whom both by thy works and word president and precept thou holdest forth and recommendedst equity and righteousness for them to walk thereafter yea thou art not partiall to thine owne people the seed of Jacob no more than to the heathen but if they sin they smart for it in righteousness thou punishest them as well as others 5 Magnifie and praise O ye his people this your God the onely Lord come frequent his Temple the onely place on earth where he that sits in heaven is pleased to be present there bow down with adoration and reverence before him as at the foot-stool of the great and glorious Majesty of heaven worshipping him in spirit with holiness of heart abasing your selves and exalting the Lord who onely is holy and his worship holy all other Gods throughout the world being vain Idols and their worship sin and superstition 6 That God that hath made himself known to you as by eminent Miracles so by eminent Messengers such as the memory of them is famous and honourable amongst you how much more ought God to be so Moses and Aaron those chosen worthies that in the beginning were prime Rulers and Peers of his Church and Samuel an honourable Prophet in the after-ages of it what gracious answers did he vouchsafe to their prayers These holy men powerfull intercessours Types of the Messiah the great Mediatour of his Church how ever and anon were they heard when they prayed for the people and what salvation was vouchsafed still at their request 7 These Saints and servants of God had familiar communication with him as Moses and Aaron all the way in the wilderness they had God present with them ordering and advising their course in that great charge that lay upon them whose command and covenant they faithfully delivered over to the people and observed themselves 8 These holy men were beloved and honoured by the holy Lord God who for us his peoples sake put them into office made them intercessours yea effectuall prevailing-ones such as Christ shall be many a time passing by the sins of Israel for their sakes whom thou didst not nor wouldest not have punished but forgiven and forgotten too had not iterated provocations and back-slidings from thee and thy commandments to Idolatry and wil-worship forced thee to take vengeance and minded thee of the abuse of former long-suffering which then thou also reckonedst with them for when once thine anger did break forth 9 See the fifth verse of this Psalm onely the word holy-hill here instead of foot-stool there means the same thing viz. The Temple built upon his holy hill mount Sion The c. PSALM The Psalmist excites the Church and people of God among the Gentiles as well as Iews to praise the Lord and imbrace his salvation so freely bestowed upon them who are so dear to him whom therefore he would have turn proselites apace and lose no time but glorifie him both now and hereafter for his grace to his Church in all ages A Psalm penned to stir up the people to praise the Lord. O give thanks sing forth the praises of the Lord and of his great gracious salvation in Christ all ye people of the earth not Jews onely but Gentiles also every where where the glad tidings of it come to entertain it joyfully and praise him for it thankfully 2 Cast off all old superstitious and vain worship of
in pieces lifts it on high with the greater violence to dash it against the ground 11 Thy poor Church O Lord whom I personate to thee it is even at sun-setting it is but a shadow of a Church and people no substance or Being left and that shadow too is extinguishing it is expiring like the shadows that towards sun-setting now are and anon are not so soon as the sun is gone down Like the grass that is mown withered with the sun and sapless such are thy people miserably parched with grief and sorrow and utterly comfortless 12 Thus it is with thy Church she is at last gasp she hath as it were received the sentence of death in her self But thou that art her God her support and strength canst never die nor she as considered in thee interessed in thy faithfulness though in outward appearance she be perishing yet thy truth past in promise to her which is thy self cannot fail thou wilt certainly remember to make it good to the uttermost period even to the Worlds end shall it endure and therefore so shall thy Church as low as it is brought at present 13 Therefore Lord though we seem to be dying our faith begins to sprout we are in hope that these our greatest extremities are thine immediate opportunities and that as thou hast lifted us up and cast us down so now thou casts us down to lift us up Yea we are very confident our sorrows are shorter-lived than we that we shall out-live them for all this yea we shall see a speedy end of them and that thou art even now about to shew thy self for us and to restore thy Church and in mercie pardon her sins which thou hast punished all this while and suddenly ease her of her miseries which she hath so long undergone and make Sion that was the glorie of the whole earth flourish again for as thou art mindfull of thy promise so are we that is that livens our faith and clears our heart even the thought of the expiration of the seventy years which is now drawing on the time appointed prophesied and promised by thee to end our captivitie and restore us to mercy which time is now accomplished revives our hopes 14 For such is the love thy servants bear to thee thy worship and the place appointed for it where thou hast promised thy presence that it is not the devastations which before hand they know they shall find there that does any whit discourage them no they are joyed to think that ever they shall set footing there and see that sacred rubbish that remains of that glorious fabrick what travel or pains so ever they undergo which they purpose to re-edifie 15 When thou hast thus wonderfully brought about our restauration after so long captivitie and the re-edification of that thy ruinated Temple what an amazement shall it put the heathen into how shall they admire thine omnipotencie that thus raised the dead and saved us as a brand out of the fire Yea the Princes and potentates of the whole earth hearing shall be strucken with astonishment at so glorious and Almightie a work 16 When the time comes which is now at hand that both thy spiritual and local Sion O Lord shall be restored and repaired by thee thy worship and worshippers in statu quo O how glorious wilt thou then appear in the eyes of Jews and Gentiles 17 And this be confident of that as God at this time hath extraordinarily stirred up his people to hope and pray to be delivered out of his destitute condition and made them more than ordinarily sensible of the loss of their countrey and happie priviledges they there enjoyed and ardently desire to return thither again so will he effect it and not let them lose their labour and pray in vain 18 This deliverance like that out of Egypt shall be upon everlasting record and renown for all posteritie and after-ages to admire and be strengthned thereby in the faith of Gods all-sufficiencie truth and grace And those of us that shall be gathered together again into the land of Judah in a formed bodie and an orderly way of worshipping the Lord from out this confusion and Chaos where we are neither a people nor a Church but a scattered mixture of vagrant folk O how shall we jointly praise the Lord and his power that hath thus raised us from the grave and as it were created us again out of the very dust nay the nothing whereinto we are resolved as Christ shall his Church 19 For from heaven which his sanctuarie was wont to represent hath the Lord heard and seen our moans and miseries though he be there in unaccessable glorie and majesty yet from that height hath he vouchsafed to pitie us here below that are no better then the earth we tread on 20 And to hear the groans we sent up to him in that sorrowful condition and save the lives and restore the liberties of his people a poor remainder of them who were destined to death and destruction aswel as the rest that they killed in hot bloud having sworn to root us all out every mothers son and not leave us a name upon earth 21 This shall the Lord do to the end his people so heard and so saved may magnifie the glorious power and rich grace of God in Sion as aforetime and praise him in Jerusalem his royal Citie and place of special residence 22 Which they shall do when they are embodied there again and reduced from that dissipation and confusion they now lie under which shall be a lively adumbration of the calling of the Gentiles and the gathering of Church and Kingdom from out the Kingdoms of the earth every where to believe in and and worship him many whereof shall be won and induced to give in their names unto him by that great deliverance like as when that great Jubile and goal-delivery by Christ himself shall be which is not far behind 23 Long have we looked for his coming and much hath his people suffered in the profession of his truth and for it in the interim the whilest they have lived in expectation of that happiness even to the loss of many yea almost of all his whole Church here in Babylon as must be the lot of the Church inhabitant in this world to suffer even death it self in way to the end the salvation of their souls 24 But I put my self before the Lord in the name of his faithful people and poor Church still remaining The ciii PSALM 2 O thou soul of mine that art of such transcendent excellencie to all sublunarie created beings and so adapted for to praise the Lord above them all do not thou burie thy talent in a napkin nor steward it unseeming thy trust to whom he hath committed such praise-worthie endowments and on whom he hath bestowed such thank-worthie benefits natural and divine which
thou art bound no never to forget neither all nor any of them but to sum them up in thank-ful praises to his name 3 Who hath called thee to be faithfull and of his onely good grace hath freely in the merits of his son forgiven thee all thy sins justified thee from their guilt and pardoned their punishment so that from an heir of hell thou art translated to be an heir of heaven And hath also enabled thee by the spirit of regeneration to walk worthie so rich grace in mortifying thy lusts and raising thee to newness of life and conversation by his sanctifying quickening graces bestowed upon thee 4 Who to save thy life lost his own gave it a price for thee the virtue whereof hath influence every day and hour upon thee O my soul for every trespass thou committest dying virtually as oft as thou sinnest whereby thou art kept from perishing everlastingly as else thou hadst done and wouldst do continually and though the bodie wherein thou doest officiate do die a temporal death and lie down in the grave as all men must yet at that instant shalt thou be translated to live with him in Heaven that died for thee on earth instead of being sent to Hell according to thy demerits and at the resurrection shalt have a happie re-union with a glorified incorruptible bodie having honoured and enriched thee here with the first fruits of glorie pardoning protecting regenerating justifying graces more than I can enumerate because of his love and mercie to thee and for no cause else 5 Who feasts thee with Spiritual and Heavenly dainties suting thy tast and appetite answers all thy prayers touching requisit graces and comforts so that whensoever thy stock of either seems to be spent thy graces enfeebled and thy comforts exhausted then at thy request comes God with sweet and seasonable supplies and maketh them and so thee that wast a dying to live again vigorous and active like an eagle that by casting her beak and feathers and new-ones coming in their stead resumes her former agilitie and strength till then disabled so is thy regenerate part and sanctified habits by fresh auxiliaries and immediate breathings revived when at a loss 6 And not onely in spiritual soul-desertions but also in external bodily afflictions does the Lord appear seasonably for when I was oppressed and opened my case to God pleading mine innocencie and mine enemies injurie how did he judge my cause against them and upon them and so will he do for all his faithful upright innocent people in their wrongful pressures in a season most comfortable and profitable he will deliver them and judge their oppressours 7 Witness his wonderful works of old in the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt he did foretel to Moses what powerful and terrible judgements he would bring upon the Egyptians and how wonderfully in truth and righteousness he would enfranchise his people and what he said he did all he told to Moses by promise he made it good by experience in the sight of all the twelve tribes Israels posteritie he faild not in a tittle nor shall his Covenant of grace made with our redeemer Christ touching his redeemed 8 And as the Lord betwixt man and man is pitiful to the oppressed especially to his Church and terrible to their enemies So is he also betwixt himself and them a very graciously disposed God in respect of the sins and deserved punishments of his people as Israel well experimented all along the wilderness exceeding readie to shew mercie and to pardon sin and punishment when it is petitioned for not easily provoked nor apt to anger as they found and extream readie to grant forgiveness of one sin after another if the sinner pray it uprightly God will grant it willingly even the pardon of all our sins though both many and great as theirs were 9 And when he does visit our sins upon us for he will not alwayes bear with us so nor then will he be alwayes wroth against us punish us he may destroy us he never will no nor yet be alwayes angrie at us or frown upon us his face shall clear up and his favour shine forth after a while faithful prayer will scatter those clouds 10 We of all the World have cause to acknowledge him such an one he hath not done by us as we have deserved our experiences from time to time have made good all his gracious properties of grace long-suffering and plenteous mercie having ever been a God exceedingly bearing with us and forbearing of us though a provoking ungreatful people towards him 11 For the immensity of his mercie is superlative to any natural comparison no dimensions can proportion it the height of heaven above the earth does not resemble it to us such and beyond it is his mercie in preterition and pardon to his people that unfeinedly repent them of their sins and with full purpose of heart Covenant to fear and serve him 12 Consider the heavens either for height or wideness and which you think is the greater for the help of your faith conclude that so great and greater is the mercie of God towards such as turn to him and walk with him sincerely The East and West shall as soon come together as the sins of such shall be laid to their charge how grievous so ever they have been for at a greater distance and disproportion hath God sundred a penitent sinner and his sins even as far as infinite is from finite Christ himself who is God having taken them off of him upon himself 13 You that are earthly parents know what are the bowels of a father to a child when with tears and prayers it begs pardon for its offences such for such comparisons we are fain to use for the help of our natural apprehensions and far greater are the earnings of God and his compassions towards those that in the faith of his mercie repent of their transgressions beg pardon of their punishments and promise and perform upright obedience 14 For the Lord knoweth of what brickle matter we are made he remembers how transitorie our natures are so that should he deal with us after our sins and would punish us according to our provocations he would have no people left on earth to serve him or to carrie on the existence and being of a Church so that our frailtie moved him to mercie and not to do as sin would have him cut our short lives shorter 15 Man being no better than grass both sprung out of the earth hath a little time of Being alotted him here wherein he takes some contentment during part of that little in his youthful season as a flower that hath its moneth to spring flourish and decay in so at best is mans condition by course of nature but besides that naturally he is so frail and momentany he is subject to be cut off by infinite accidents that
his sins expose him to if God did not guard him as a field-flower that lieth open to men and beasts wind and weather 16 Subject to be despoiled of its beauty and laid along by every blast that blows and as gay as it is now appears straightway it disappears and is not and such is man 17 But for all this that man is of himself thus subjected by sin to return to dust and nothingness every moment yet is the mercie of God long-lived his Church and faithful people who shall never fail upon the face of the earth shall find that it shall never fail them but they and theirs throughout all generations that believe in him and filially fear him shall have the benefit of it grace and protection 18 Even all in all ages that enter Covenant with God and are careful and conscionable in the keeping of it by stedfast believing in him and exact walking with him in universal obedience to all his commandments seasonably and respectively calling to mind his will and their dutie as occasion requires to do accordingly in all occurrences 19 The glorie of the Lord is most perspicuous in heaven where his throne of dominion and rule is principally placed and he in his excellencies far more conspicuous there than the creature here doth or can represent or demonstrate him being seen of us thereby as but through a glass darkly from whence yet he extends his Sovereigntie hither ordering and governing aswell all things here as there especially his Church and that for ever 20 As the Lord appears most glorious in heaven so you his glorified angels that excel all other creatures in all manner of excellencies whose strength though derivative and created yet exceeds all humane power yea all humane imagination who are as fellow-creatures so fellow-servants with us yielding obedience to his commandments aswel as we and do his will revealed and commanded from his mouth as we from his word do you I say with us and for us bless the Lord and praise him both in his greatness and goodness 21 You that are so many millions waiting upon him and ministring at his pleasure what he commands do you even that whole heavenly army of glorious and mightie angels again and again bless and praise him that is as much above you in power and place as you are above us 22 And as his dominion is aswell over the earth and all things there and in the firmament above the earth as in heaven so ought his praises to be extended Even every creature that he hath made for so far extends his governance in all places throughout all ages ow him all the honour that in their kinds and after their created abilities they can do unto him But chiefly O thou my soul that art not onely beholden to God for a created being but for redemption and salvation which of free grace he hath vouchsafed thee a mercie far exceeding all meer created bounty do thou therefore above all in heaven and earth praise the Lord and bless his holy name answerable to thine ingagements so far beyond theirs The civ PSALM This Psalm as it is subsequent to the last so it is coherent with it made doubtless by the same Author the beginning and end of both being alike and the argument not unlike The one treating of God as a gracious redeemer of his Church and people and the benefits that redownd thereby the other as a powerful Creatour of all things heavens earth seas and all things in them together with their orderly conservation and provident preservation All which things strikes the Psalmist into admiration and puts him upon ingagement to constant meditation and praise wishing none might live that live not to the Lord in like sort 1 O Thou my soul my best and principal part praise thou the Lord the Lord Almighty which is the onely true God whom I worship and serve Thou Lord art wonderfully great in power and dominion the whole frame and order of nature in the great work of creation shew thee to be such specially the heavens whose scituation is above as thou art which as in a mirrour shew forth thine incomparable honour and Majesty in those glorious lights which is the visiblest representation of thee to our capacities thy throne being there 2 Thou hast spread the light over our heads throughout the aery element so that it is filled therewith and the Heavens where thou art seem to be covered thereby from our sight who can onely see on this side those supernal luminaries And as the light so that vast expanse of heaven thy Princely pavilion is drawn between thine unaccessible Majesty and us like the curtains of a royal Tent. 3 Who as he hath laid the foundation of the earth which is his foot-stool in the depths of the sea so hath he laid the floor of his upper loft the heavens where principally he resides as great men do above stairs amongst the clouds that spread like a sea far and wide over our heads on which he seems to ride as great men do in Chariots directing the uncertain motions thereof hither and thither and so also disposeth of the winds in their swift transition and sudden mutation to go and do as pleaseth him 4 Who therefore hath made the glorious angels those heavenly messengers of his not of such natures as we sublunaries are but spirits agil and active to come and go of his errands and do his pleasure here below instantly and effectually as far distant as it seems making those celestial ministers of his to execute his fiery indignation either visibly appearing as flames of fire as sometimes they have done so the Israelites were consumed in the wilderness or invisibly destroying his enemies but suddenly and terribly like as fire devoures combustible matter 5 Who also hath by his transcendent supernatural wisdom so established the earth upon its center as a house upon a firm foundation so that though it be pendent as a ball in the air and therefore seems nothing more moveable yet indeed there is nothing more immoveable all the winds and storms that overthrow other things that have foundations cannot stir this that hath none but from the first creation to the uttermost dissolution of all things it shall continue firm 6 In the first creation thou didst overflow all the earth and encompassed it with those waters that are now the sea they then spread themselves over the earth as a garment over a mans body so that no drie land appeared the mountains as well as the valleys were then under water 7 Until thou wast pleased to command the contrarie and then when thou preparedst that great Abyss to receive them that now contains them and biddest them contrarie to their nature that would still be overflowing all and drowning the whole earth to retire into it as into their mansion and place of abode they in reverence
Lord and hath vouchsafed us the honour to be his onely people of all the earth which for our sakes he hath every where judged and punished the nations thereof in several parts of the world where we and our forefathers have sojourned in case of violence and injurie done us which in most places we have met with 8 We have cause thankfully to bear in mind how graciously God hath always born us in mind in all places and conditions never forgetting us nor the promise of protection and mercie he of old made to us at no time but hath faithfully performed the covenant on his part which he commanded us to trust in and yield obedience to on our Thereby to maintain a blessed and mutual correspondencie of interest and relation of him for ours and we for his everlastingly 9 The covenant which of old laid the foundation of friendship and relation betwixt God and us in our fore-father Abraham promising to be his God and the God of his seed in case they would be his people walk before him and be perfect by a stedfast faith and upright obedience which covenant he reiterated to Isaac and reinforced with an oath to increase our confidence and ingage us deeper in reciprocal love and gratuituosness 10 Which he further ratified to Jaâ—ob by a legislative sanction more uchangeable than the laws of Medes and Persians and not onely whilest his name was Jacob but after he had the name of Israel which was to endure to him and his posteritie even all the faithful Israel of God and so was the Covenant entailed upon him 11 As is evident by that promise of the investiture of his off-spring into the land of Canaan which by lot was to be divided for a sure possession and inheritance which we see litterally fulfilled this day in ample sort and so shall spiritual Canaan heaven it self be given to Gods spiritual Israel by virtue of the same covennant 12 And this promise did he make to Israel not when they were a numerous bodie of many hundred thousands as after by his blessing they multiplied unto but then when he in the nature of a Pater-familias with some sons and a few servants guest-waies sojourned here and there in the land then wholely inhabited and possessed by many and great nations altogether strangers to him and he to them 13 When God by appointment and providence led them from place to place without any settlement wandering amongst nations first one and then another of strange language and different religions now in this Kingdom and anon in that Republike 14 And for all they traversed the earth in that sort and many Princes and people picked quarrels with them that to speak humanely had been able to have swallowed them up yet the Lord so protected them that they were still preserved they and their flocks wheresoever they went and those that did attempt to wrong them as Pharaoh King of Egypt and Abimelech King of Gerar by taking Sarah from Abraham were made to restore her and glad to crie Peccavi 15 For God had warned them of him what manner of man he was whom they offered to wrong how that he was a chosen vessel and an extraordinarie servant of his a Prophet and therefore at their uttermost peril if they persisted to wrong him or his or to harm them in the least And the same protection he afforded him he afforded to the rest of the Patriarks Abrahams successours in their itineraries so that Isaac and Jacob sojourned amongst them as he did safe enough from harm amongst strangers and those that bare them no good will by the meer over-awing power of God moving the hearts of the Kings and rulers of the countries where they came to think reverently of them and treat them well for his sake whose in special manner and in extraordinary relation and profession he made it known to them they were consecrated peculiarly above all men for the instructing and propagating a Church unto him that were to come out of their loins 16 And when the Lord was pleased to command that great famin to be which happened in the days of Joseph over the whole earth so that in no countreys was bread that chief support of mans life to be had 17 No more in Canaan where Jacob and his sons sojourned than any where else yet the Lord was so mindfull of and provident for them that he took a course before-hand to provide for them and therefore so disposed it by his providence that Joseph who proved so famous a man afterward he by the errour of his brethren that sold him but by the over-ruling hand of God was carried into Egypt and there sold of them for a servant to Potiphar who after commanded all Egypt and sustained his father and brethren there during that long famin 18 But first he under-went great hardship was sold as a slave falsly accused by his mistress wrongfully imprisoned by his master with cruel usage there for a time being laid long in irons which te into his own flesh and were extream painfull to him and that for no offence of his 19 This life he led during the time that God had ordained him so to do till the time came wherein God purposed and had promised in a dream long before that better should befall him till then what God had ordained and decreed concerning the humbling him and exercising of his faith and patience did thus happen to him for his triall 20 But when that time was come then though he was a prisoner an abject person and a stranger an Hebrew no Egyptian yet did God so bring things about as even he in this estate was made known to the King who by express command sent no meaner a man than his own Master Captain of the guard that had the chief custody of the Kings prisoners and himself had cast Joseph among them to loose him and bring him into his presence and took such contentment in him that he not onely commanded him to be set at liberty 21 But made him chief next under himself in honour and command over all that he had in his dominions at home and abroad domestick or republick 22 All Pharaohs great men and officers were at and under Josephs command what he directed was done yea the wisest of his counsellours were ordered by him and received orders from him 23 By whose means his father and brethren were all well provided for in that time of extream famine for by the leave of Pharaoh he sent for Israel even Jacob and all his sons and thâ—ir families to come into Egypt to him whither accordingly he and they came and sojourned there among the posterity of Cham of whom came the Egyptians being there sustained by the plenty that Joseph had stored up in that land 24 And the Lord did greatly multiply the seed of Israel his people whilest
Apostleship shall be transferred upon Matthias and the Jewish priviledges translated to the Gentiles for crucifying Christ. 9 As the sin of my persecutour and Christs crucifiers is communicative and tendeth to the destruction not of me onely but of Christ his Church and Spouse also so let their punishment be derivative let their wives and children become widows and fatherless by their untimely ends pitied and relieved of none for that they oppress and are merciless to the innocent and afflicted 10 Let my persecutours prosperity be hatefull as shall the Jews amongst all nations let them that have made me an exile out of my own Countrey among the heathen Idolaters be themselves and their children after them no better but be like the wandering Jews that when they have crucifyed the Lord of glorie shall not be restored into Canaan as aforetime out of their captivities but be continual vagabonds a dispersed people in all countries glad to beg an abiding place any where being hatefull every where and driven so from place to place that very necessitie shall inforce them to take up and seek relief in the most abject desolate places of the world such as will scarce yield them to keep life and soul and glad they may 11 12 Let them become a prey to all manner of men let the griping usurious extortioner so entangle their estates in bonds and bils and use upon use that they may never be able to come out of debt till the creditor seize on all they have and turn them out of doors a begging let them find no manner of mercy but be esteemed as enemies of mankind every where where they are let them be made a prey counted for intruders and exposed to the spoil and rapine of the inhabitants and natives of all countries where they come as a people not fit to be entertained any where into scocietie and protection both they and their children though never so fatherless and destitute let them be relict and deserted of all according to the curse of guiltless bloud which they brought upon them and theirs so let it be with them and upon them 13 Let my persecutours by the sword of thy justice weilded in the hands of their enemies be quite cut off let them be destroyed root and branch so that after a while no succession or name of them may remain though in yet not over Israel but the rule thereof be utterly and for ever trans-ferred from them to another as shall befall the rebellious Jews Christs persecutours by the Romans no name nor place of any such nation once so famous shall remain but be quite blotted out a Lo-ammi or vagabond people they shall be at best and Christian written in the room of it in the next age of thy Church which shall be among the Gentiles to whom thou wilt trans-fer thy grace and favour for ever 14 Let the persisting in the same sin of abrenunciation and blaspheming Christ by their scattered progeny bring to remembrance the guilt of all their stiff-necked predecessours transgressions and rebellions ever since they were a Church espoused to thee their Lord and husband the punishment whereof was then sparingly inflicted by thee but now upon divorce and putting away let justice and judgement run down like a torrent upon them without any mixture and stop of mercie 15 As the bloud of Christ shall alwaies appear before God so let the sins of them do that murtherously shed it that as they would have destroyed the Messiah whom yet God raised again so his vengeance may root out them either to have no being or to be hatefull and odious where ever they are 16 Let such things befall mine enemies whose mercilesness to me doth in a figure pourtray out the usage of Christ himself for as they shew me no more mercie in miserie but are the more cruel and pitiless by how much I am the more miserable and the more they see me implunged into distress and insupportable grief of bodie and mind by so much the more eagerly lust they after my life to take it away thus shall it be with him and so as aforesaid let it be with them 17 Let the cursed calumnies and balsphemies of mine and his enemies wherein they are so conversant bring like evil upon their own heads as they intend to others let their curses light upon themselves that refuse salvation and blessing and put it far from them when God graciously visites them with it renouncing me for their King and Christ when he comes for their Saviour 18 Let such as take the curse and bring the guilt of mine and Christs guiltless bloud upon themselves have enough for it as they are ambitious to be known to be his crucifiers and my persecutours and voluntarily involve themselves into so great a sin and the deadly consequences that attend it by acting the one and labouring the other so let it be unto them let hardness of heart blindness of mind and seared consciences be the cursed product of such wicked bloud-suckers 19 Let the guilt and curse they so sinfully bring upn themselves never depart from them but stick by them and accompanie them in all places and throughout all ages 20 Let these foresaid maledictions be the judgement and reward of mine and my Lord Christs adversaries who can right himself and me though all men joyn together to wrong us and devise to take away both good name and life it self as mine enemies and his do endeavour and shall in great measure effect but wo be to them by whom such offences do come 21 But Lord as much as others are against me and mine Anti-type the Lord Christ so thou that art his God and father and in him mine be thou as much for me and him for thy covenant and righteousness sake wherein and whereby thy grace and faithfulness is engaged to approve thy self a mercifull good God protector of the innocent and deliverer of the oppressed be thou so to me let my preservation and deliverance from mine enemies by thine Almighty power adumbrate Christs powerfull resurrection out of the grave whence thou shalt raise him and the Churches final deliverance out of all her terrestial miseries by thy mercie both whom I personate 22 Let both thy mercie and my misery move thee who am low brought by reason of outward afflictions inward fears and terrours which affect me deeply and distress me sore as Christ himself shall be with complicate evils within and without in soul and body-sufferings 23 My life seemeth to me by reason of mine imminent dangers that threaten death every moment to be but as a shadow when the sun is setting ready to extinguish and whilest I do live I have no setlement but am harrowed hither and thither from place to place by the incessant persecutions and various contrivances of mine enemies to take away my life even as the grashopper
that never rests in a place but by every blast of wind is driven to and fro 24 My sorrows are so great perils so many and mind so restless that through voluntarie abstinence and involuntarie faintness and decay of nature I am become stomackless and strengthless my joints enfeebled and my flesh macerated 25 And this my misery was so far from moving mercie or pitie in my persecutours that they rejoyced to see it and mocked at me yea and at thee too for it reviling me with taunting tearms saying in derision Is this the man that must be King of Israel and in disdainfull diffidence of any such matter wagging their heads at me by that reproachfull gesture scornfully concluding the contrarie like as they shall demean themselves to Christ hanging upon the Cross pass by him look upon him and in that dolorous posture afford him no other pitie then scornfull nods and bitter mocks 26 I am in a condition so desperate hopeless and friendless that none but thy self can or will stand me in any stead But though it be so with me yea if it were worse if worse could be I would not doubt either thy power or mercie nor shall the badness of my condition overthrow my faith of relation but I still believe thee to be as my God in Christ so as able and gracious to deliver me as powerfull and faithfull to raise him which I pray thee to do for thy mercies sake in him 27 That my wicked and ungodly enemies may by experience of thy just judgements upon themselves and evident signes of favour unto me know thou hast done it for me because none but an Almighty power and goodness could have effected it as shall appear to be in Christ his resurrection and Jews dispersion 28 Their cursed wishes false slanders and wicked devices Lord frustrate them nay let them bring forth quite contrary effects the more ill they intend me let the greater good befall me and let the evil befall themselves let them do nothing that they may have cause to brag of in the issue when they are most confident let them be least successfull in what they unjustly attempt but let me have cause to make my boasts of thee and rejoice when as they hang their heads for sorrow and shame 29 Let mine adversaries have no cause of insulting over me but be ashamed of all they have done when they see that it is not against me but thee they did it by the event let them see what a fair thread they have spun that ends in nothing but shame and confusion that that is the web they have taken so much pains to weave for themselves all this while 30 When thou shalt have so done whereof I am most sure and certain then will I publish thy praises and magnifie thy mercies in the sight and hearing of all thy people by Sacrifices and Psalms 31 For all my sad condition and the grievous plight I am in yet it shall appear God is not so far from me as they think for but that he is at hand to help when his mine and their time is come spight of what they can do to hinder and notwithstanding their confidence because of their power and my povertie yet he can and will save me from those that in their own thoughts have adjudged and concluded me to death The cx PSALM David that Kingly Prophet and sweet singer in this Psalm shews the glorious exaltation of Christ in our nature at Gods right hand there to rule as sole sovereign whence it shall come to pass that by his divine spiritual omnipotencie his Gospel shall be effectual to the creating this King a Kingdom of loving loyal subjects maugre all his and their enemies and opposers speciallie upon his first inthronization and royal nuptials his Church shall get ground spight of the divel and all those earthly Potentates he sâ—ts on work to hinder it Such power hath he by virtue of his Kingly office to protect his people against men and divels and of such â—fficacie is his Priesthood with God able to save his Church to the uttermost ever living to make propitiatorie intercession for them in the heavens And he concludes with rendering the reason of all this his high esteem and powerfull prevailancie with God and power over angels and men even because for the effecting of this his Mediatourship and mans redemption he shall drink of a full cup the bitter waters of affliction shall be poured out upon him and wrung out to him with an Almightie hand A Psalm which David made in the spirit of Prophecie 1 GOd the Father in his eternal councel and covenant said to his son who is God and man my Lord and Saviour whose resurrection ascention and sitting at Gods right hand in dominion and power I shadow out in mine advancement from my low and troublelous state to the throne and scepter of Israel for that thou who art my fellow in the God-head hast undertaken to do my whole will in the Redemption of man and condescended to take his nature the better to effect it and therein hath effectually wrought it by dying for sin but being without sin hath conquered death which could not hold thee and art risen and ascended into heaven I give thee therefore there all power and authority in that very nature to rule and exercise sovereign and supream Jurisdiction over the Church which thou hast purchased by thy bloud together with the empire and absolute dominion of all things else for the Churches sake whose King and sole Mediatour thou art and this thy government I give thee to execute in a throne of majestie equal with my self in the highest heavens thence in thy humane nature with divine power to dispense and transact all things belonging to this thy Kingdom whilest there is any Church or that I have any people on earth to be governed officiated for by thee even until I who am as solicitous of thine honour as thou art of mine by my power dispenced by thy self shall have subdued unto that thy humane nature once so contemptible all thine enemies whether divels men or things Jews or Gentiles that shall oppose or not submit to thy regiment yea death it self or whatsoever shall impede the compleating of that glorious Kingdom of thy Mediatourship in for and over the Church bone of thy bone and flesh of thy flesh until thou hast fulfilled her number and safely brought the last man and member of that thy mystical bodie to heaven there in body and soul to be glorified with thee till then I say shall this royal office of thine continue whereof having then given me a just account according to thy undertaking and my covenant thou shalt deliver up the regal state and Kingdom of that thy Mediatour-ship in the humane nature into my hands as God alone for ever after of my self in the divine nature onely to govern that glorified
Church which by a mightie and out-stretched arm thou hast bought and brought thither there to remain in perfect happiness with thee and under me for ever 2 The Lord Almighty who is able to bring to pass great things by weak means shall raise up glorious lights in Jerusalem and Jurie where thou first manifests thy self as Aopstles Evangelist c. that shall give light to them that sit in darkness the glad tidings of the Gospel which is the mightie power of God to salvation that rod of Moses to save Israel shall by these his emissareis be held forth and preached to the Gentiles people of all nations and languages whereby they that now are forreigners shall be brought within the pale and shall take laws from thee and be subjected to thee O blessed Saviour that art advanced in the humane nature wherein thou sufferedst in such power and glorie at the right hand of the most high God there by his appointment to sway the Scepter of thy Mediatorian Kingdom by the power whereof the preaching of the Gospel through the eternal spirit accompanying it shall maugre all opposition of Gentilism who now are thy professed enemies and then shall strongly oppose thy Kingdom prevail to set up thy throne in the hearts of thy chosen all the world over who shall every where make glorious profession of thy name and own thee for their Lord and King spite of all earthly opposing powers and contemners of a crucified Saviour who shall be no more able to hinder thy Church from flourishing than thee from rising out of the grave 3 Those that are given to thee of God the Father and redeemed by thee out of the world when thou shalt have offered thy self a propitiatorie and taken possession of thy Kingdom at his right hand through thy mission of the spirit thence and his mighty working by the word upon the hearts of those thy people they shall thick and three-fold be converted neither the pravitie of their natures nor their long accustomed Idolatries shall obstruct their ready and chearfull compliance with the Gospel but shall willingly imbrace the tender of grace and come under thy governance in the Church which shall then so multiply as to assemble and conveen in all places for the exercise of Christian religion as thy people the Jews do at the beautifull and holy Temple that type of Christ in which Christian Synagogues especially in the first breaking forth of the light of the Gospel as the morning sun upon the face of the earth shall be born unto thee out of the then pregnant productive womb thereof begotten by the holy Ghost in those thy first loves and nuptial imbraces of the Church thy Spouse immediately upon thine ascention and investiture into glory an off-spring spread far and wide upon the whole earth as innumerable as the dew drops which insensibly fall from the heavens as the spirit shall then invisibly upon their hearts at the preaching of the word 4 For the great God of heaven by his everlasting decree and immutable oath revealed for the consolation of his people and corroboration of their faith hath never to revoke it conferred upon thee their Mediatour and Saviour the honour and office of that everlasting Priest-hood not temporary as the Levitical but without change or succession pourtraied in Melchisedeck Yea to be a King and Priest in one person as he was and none else to typifie that glorious priviledge to belong to thee and none other who therefore at thy Fathers right hand for thy Church and people transacts a royal Priesthood of righteousnes and peace according to the office person and name of Melchisedeck King of Salem 5 The Lord the God and Father who onely hath the preheminencie of thee as thou hast under him of of all things else shall imploy his power for the advancement of thine honour and revenge of thy dishonour wrathfully destroying Kings Kingdoms that shall oppose themselves and hinder the coming of thy Kingdom in thy Churches growth and felicity in the time when he thinks fit to judge them for it 6 Thou who art paramount the onely He or the promised Messiah for the Churhes comfort shalt rule the world the Gentiles shall be under his Judicature he will preserve his people that are converted to him and profess his name every where among the heathen taking vengeance on their enemies whom he shall remarkably destroy as he was wont to do the enemies of Israel The earthly Potentates of the world shall find him to be above them if they bruise his heel afflict his people as they will in all places he will bruise their heads their greatness shall not priviledge them at all 7 If you will know the reason of this high preferment of Christ in our nature at Gods right hand and of the power and head-ship he hath there it is because he shall drink deep of the wrath of the Almighty streamed down upon him in the way thereunto and for the obtaining thereof by suffering a cursed death upon the Cross with bodily torments and unutterable soul-agonies the unavoidable means of effecting his Mediatour-ship and mans redemption therefore shall he upon that full and faithfull discharge of his office here upon earth ascend unto and sit for ever at the right hand of his Father which is in heaven to act there the glorified part thereof in full powerâ— and absolute dominion over all there and here Angels and men Jews and Gentiles friends and foes The cxi PSALM The Psalmist first gives the word and then the example for praising the Lord which he tels us Gods works gives us cause enough to do if we consider them well especially to his Church supplying them in their need possessing them of the promised land fulfilling his promises of grace to them and for their sakes his judgements threatened upon their enemies for which he looks his commandements should be respected which are as binding to us as his covenant to him and through grace his covenant is as binding to him as they are to us Therefore he shews a man is never wise pretend what he will till he have gotten God upon this lock to be his by being Gods in faith and obedience And concludes as he begun with invitation to praise him 1 LEt all of us be diligent and cordial in praising the Lord. I will not be wanting on my part and in mine own example herein for he shall have the heartiest thanks that I can give him both in lesser meetings of entire Israelites that voluntarily and frequently assemble themselves to perform such holy exercises as also in those more solemn rare and mixed congregations that at times appointed assemble themselves at thy Sanctuarie 2 Greatly doth the Lord appear in his wonderous works of Creation Providence and Redemption his manifold attributes are made manifest therein yet not to all but onely to those that in love to God love to busie
their neck serves meerly to hold their heads on their shoulders but is of no Organicall use at all for speech c. 8 And they that make them are as void of true understanding as they of sence that can so against the light of reason think such things fit to be worshipped which they make and which made not them and that when they are made are but inanimate statues short of all living creatures even the meanest and what must they then be that put confidence of good or evil in such but irrational senceless people and as little able to do good or hurt as they saving thou the onely living God orders and appoints them 9 O ye sonns of Israel your fathers with whom and his seed God made an everlasting covenant whatever befall you let not an evil heart of unbelief to depart from the living God to dumb and deaf Idols possess you as he hath peculiarly chosen and adopted you for his people from out all the world so do you him for your God from all other Gods trust in him relie upon him for your sole helper and defendour against these Idols and Idol worshippers which can do you just so much hurt as he for your sinns permits them and no more 10 O ye Preists and Levites that are the successours and assistants of faithfull Aaron in that high office of Preist-hood and more immediate worshippers of the high God within his holy Temple do you exemplarily declare your faith of and in the Lord alone that hath so highly honoured you above your brethren that he is of power al-sufficient and faithfull of his word and promise to protect and restore his people and you to their places and your imployments 11 But chiefly you that are nearer and dearer to God than any externall adoption or office can make men you that are Israelites indeed spirituall Priests and Levites the adopted and called of the Lord that have the spirit of reverence and godly fear in you do you as I hope you will not fail to do trust assuredly in God for he is your help and shield against worse enemies than these that can but destroy the body and that do but serve to typifie the power that our ghostly enemies have over us by sinne as these for sinne and Gods greater power to deliver us from them as from these which he will certainly do 12 No doubt is to be made of it but that as God hath done so he will do exercise mercy in deliverance as well as justice in afflicting us if we seek to him and that he see us mindfull of him he will be so of us as ever heretofore in like case to ours now he was wont to be Israel and the Priest-hood is still dear to him for old love to our forefathers and the covenant he made with them and for Aaron his servants sake that Preistly type of our powerfull Mediatour and therefore will he certainly bless us with joyfull deliverance and restauration 13 Yea for his covenant sake he will bless Israel and Aaron according to the letter but thank them for it that amongst you are so in the spirit with whom properly and principally that covenant is made these of what outward condition soever high or low are dear to God whom he will certainly bless and the rest for their sakes 14 You are the men that have the promise of this life and of a better as you are the blessed seed of blessed Abraham in whom his name is upheld because his faith is inherited by you so shall the Lord raise you up faithfull successours a more numerous off-spring than ever yet his Church produced from generation to generation shall the faithfull your heirs and successours flourish and multiply 15 As you are the promised seed so are you heirs of the blessed promise He that by his Almighty power made the heavens and the earth is your God and for your sakes made he them and with both heavenly and earthly blessings will he bless you 16 The Lord made both and governs both but so that heaven the heaven of heavens which is superlative to all the rest is the more immediate place of his glorious residence and inhabitancy and the earth of mans which he hath bountifully furnished with all needfull things for his sustentation and existence there 17 And why hath the Lord done so lent me life and livelihood here below but that they should imploy their time and improve those blessings to the praises of him in the highest for its true that God made the earth and all things in it for man but he made man for himself for his praise and glory who yet praise him not but serve other Gods all the world but we so that if we should perish that are his onely Church on earth the praises of the Lord would cease upon it which must not be whilest it is to have a being he is to have a people that shall glorifie him 18 Therefore O Israel O house of Aaron and especially ye that fear the Lord trust in the Lord that he will be your help and shield for the Lord will not unchurch himself no nor us neither we are the people though unworthy that his name is and shall be named upon chosen out of all the earth so that how ever we are at the graves mouth yet deliverance will come and we shall be restored else nature must be dissolved which cannot be considering what promises are yet to be fulfilled Therefore be confident in hope and in the faith hereof ingage our selves for future when God shall so bless us that we will answerably bless and praise him yea in full assurance let us begin at present and be doing in that dutie now aswel as hereafter that the Lord may see the useful existence of a Church for ever on earth for that they alwayes and they onely praise him What ever your condition be then though it were worse than it is which at present is bad enough be sure to praise the Lord for which you live and have your Beings and in you all the world which else should cease The cxvi PSALM David being possessed of the Kingdom according to promise looks behind him to see the difficulties God carried him through to mind himself to his mercies and his own ingagements for them And in the first place offers the Lord his affections promiseth him his faith for future because of what is past and therefore excites his soul to comfortable confidence and peaceable acquiescence together with a gratuitous walking with God recalling his offs and on s he is in an extasie how to return to God that brought him out of them and resolves to celebrate his praises in the most publick and solemn manner according to the prescript of the Law Assuring all Gods people from his example that in their greatest danger God hath the greatest care Magnifies the Lord that
and temptations for I have not cast off thy Law though through strength of temptation I have warped but recollect my self and remember thy commandments approving and justifying as holy and desireable to conform thereunto The cxx PSALM David grounding his hopes upon former experience of mercie praies to be delivered from that sad disaster which Doegs slanderous misre-presentation of him to Saul had brought him into Prophetically he delivers his doom for it and sadly laments his own banishment by it whereof he shews the necessitie and pleads his own integrity Why these Psalms are called songs of degrees is unresolved amongst expositors nor is the thing much material to be known but it is concluded most probably for one of those two reasons Either from the ascending of the voice by a gradual rising in the tune or else because the Levites or Priests did sing them in the ascent of the stairs to the Temple or else standing upon the tops of the stairs or on some high place above the people where either they sung them alone or begun them to the people the better to be seen and heard 1 I Have had experience of Gods good grace to me for heretofore when I have been in jeopardie I put up my earnest prayer to him and truly I was heard in what I prayed for had deliverance and preservation out of my danger 2 And this incourageth me still to apply my self to him when ever I have need or that any thing aileth me Good Lord look upon my wronged innocencie the cause of my cruel persecution and deliver me from the mischievous false reports suggested against me by Doeg to Saul that fawning sycophant and lying informer for which I run hazard to lose my life if God preserve it not 3 Thou art in hope to get favour and preferment for this thy wicked officiousness whereas thy reward shall be of a far other nature I doubt not but God will requite thee he will give thee thy desert and pay thee thy wages for such service done against his chosen thy false and slanderous tongue shall have its recompence 4 Even the mischief that by falshood it brings upon me exasperating the displeasure and implacably inkindling the anger of Saul against me to destroy me shall justly by a mightier hand be retorted upon thy self for God shall one day let thy conscience loose upon thee which shall be as so many pointed arrows in thy bosom shot from an Almighty arm yea the unutterable torments and unquenchable fire of hell it self shall be thy portion 5 Wo is me that by thy pernicious lies I am persecuted and driven into exile from the enjoyment of Gods ordinances and Communion of his people in the land of the living to wander in strange places and cohabit amongst Gentiles void of the knowledge and fear of God and common humanity as bad to me as if I were in the barbarous and savage countrey and confines of Arabia being forced out of the pale of the Church to shift for my life 6 My life hath been in a great deal of danger along time and sundry wayes in the land of Canaan where I inhabited as long as possibly I could being loth to leave it till I must needs labouring by all means possible to be in peace with Saul that I might be quiet but nothing would do to gain his good opinion or perswade with him such deadly hatred does he and his partie bear me and so irreconcileable are they to me 7 Lord thou knowest how I have laboured for attonement and how much I desire peace contrarie to what is falsly suggested against me as if by rebellion I sought to get the Kingdom nor can I be heard speak for my self to acquit mine innocencie but am condemned and proscribed nothing will serve them but my bloud that they are resolved to have and with hostile rage proclaim it The cxxi PSALM The Psalmist abasing all false and earthly subtersuges advanceth God onely in his valuation and recommends him for sole protectour to the whole Church and every member of it to trust in and relie upon promising to such in his name safety against all annoyances and direction and success in their affairs and enterprises See the title of the 120 Psalm 1 MAny men have many refuges and different confidences whereunto in time of danger they flie and wherein they trust but for my part I put more confidence in faithful prayer addressed towards the sanctuarie of God that pledge of his presence scituate upon those hills Moriah and Sion in Jerusalem than in the highest mountain or strongest Fort on earth thence is my help and hope and from thence will I seek and expect it in greatest danger like as the faithful shall from heaven where shall be their confidence and whither the Churches prayers shall be addressed in all emergencies 2 Because the Lord God is there as in heaven especially resident for mine aid and assistance no Idol God do I mean such as the heathen worship and expect aid from but the onely true God that by his Allmighty power made heaven and earth from him and onely him who both can and will bestead me and all the faithful it is that I hope for help and so shall they 3 Be thou confident of it for thy self and let others for themselves be so too that are his and trust faithfully in him that he will protect and have a care of such that they shall not miscarry by any power or malice on earth no accident or emergencie can befal thee that he is not privy to whose eie is never off his church every member of it yea upon every member of that member from head to foot 4 Take it for a truth infallible That God that by his covenant of grace hath taken upon him the guidance and guardianship of his faithful Church and people will never break his word his protection is not as mans is subject to miscarriage and who himself had need be protected but he is omniscient as well as omnipotent he sees and knows all things allwayes so that nothing at no time acts without him nor can act against him to the prejudice of his people 5 And what he is to all his whole Church that he is to every one each member may apply the covenant and promises to it self that are made to the bodie touching grace and protection that God is particularly his undoubted helper and preserver yea that allwayes at all times in all perils he is at hand to shelter and shield him 6 Night and day will God protect thee from whatsoever would annoy thee no created Being whatsoever of it self hath or shall have power to offend thee The creatures above thee in the heavens sun moon and stars whose influences and operations thou of thy self canst not avoid by any humane wisdom or power are yet subject to God under him
prosperitie of it the Government and worship in it consists the happiness and tranquillitie of all Israel chiefly the Israel of God whose heaven upon earth Jerusalem is where they worship and serve the God of Israel seek his face and enjoy his presence therefore pray I for her prosperitie and well-fare that they may be blessed with her and by her who are interessed and concerned equally in her felicitie with my self I as the head and they as the bodie 9 It is the zeal I have to the Church and glorie of God that makes me pray thus and for which I will spend and be spent therefore will I lay out mine uttermost endeavours to compass the good and well-fare of Jerusalem that that singular happiness and priviledge of the sanctuarie and sanctuarie-worship of the Lord God of Israel who there is present with us his people and from thence hears our prayers and to which appertains so many excellent promises and by it to us redounds so many precious priviledges and benefits and where is performed the onely true honour and service to the onely true God in all the world Therefore for these reasons do I will I evermore pray and faithfully endeavour the good of this place and so let all others do that are good together with me as members of the Church bodie mystical typified in this resemblance The cxxiii PSALM The Church and people of Israel being at present either under Babylons captivitie or Antiochus his crueltie some Prophet or holy man of God bespake the Lord in this pathetical short psalm in her behalf uttering much of the spirit in few words for afflictions commonly swell the heart too big for the mouth which makes him here to pray rather by signs than words with his eies rather than his tongue yea with both he presseth hard upon God for free grace to shew them mercie in their unspeakable miserie professing their patient waiting till then See the title of the 120 Psalm 1 WHat the present distress and calamities of thy poor Church and people Israel are thou Lord knowest right well utterly helpless and hopeless forlorn and disconsolate none on earth favouring us shewing any mercie or compassion to us but exercise all manner of crueltie and scorn towards us yet Lord in thy Churches and mine own behalf I am an humble suitor to thee in the agonie of my heart who I dare not can not believe hast quite forgotten to be gracious though thou seemest so as things frame here below but O thou that inhabitest the heavens and hast thy reserves of good will and pleasure there known to thy self unknown to us but hoped in by us and power to bring them to pass though to us impossible as much above all sublunarie powers as heaven is above earth to thee there with groans and sighs lift we up our eyes speechless with grief for thee graciously to look down upon us here in this our calamitie 2 Look how bond-men and bond-women who by their condition are as we exposed to hard and uncourteous usage depend upon the free grace and beneficence of their masters and mistesses can chalenge nothing no wages nor reward but wait with patience till pitie and compassion move them to extend their hand of favour and good will to them so do we under this just deserved punishment of long and grievous thraldom by cruel task-masters humbly and patiently wait till thine own mercie move thee towards us a sinful undeserving people yet thy people and thou our God by grace and election which hold us in hope 3 Good Lord take our case into consideration and commiseration to pitie us at last and to shew mercie to us a people that are made the very scum and scorn of our proud imperious enemies who for thy sake whose name we bear and whose we are do Lord it over us with disdain which imbitters our sorrows and breaks our hearts 4 Yea Lord it is not to be spoken how afflictive the reprochful vilifications of our insolent enemies are to us who judging by events because of our calamities scoff and scorn us as a vain besotted people that believe in we know not what and worship we know not whom and boast themselves unmeasurably over us our God and religion to our unutterable grief because of their superioritie and present felicitie which puffs them up with pride and contempt even to blasphemie The cxxiv PSALM David mindes Israel in their prosperitie of their adversitie to make them mindful of God praiseful to God and evermore dependent on God as his Church and people ought ever to be in their transmutations of estates and fortunes See the title of the 120 Psalm the Authors name superadded here 1 2 3 NOw that the Lord hath been pleased to bring us to the happie condition we are in we should do well to look back we the Israel and and Church of God and consider from the beginning to this day ever since we were a people chosen of the Lord out of the world to name his name upon what a world of enemies we have had and perils we have waded through before and since we came into this land where we have been a continual eye-sore not onely to the natives remaining in it but to all the mightie nations and Gentile people bordering round about it who severally and joyntly by combination of great men and Potentates have sundry times and wayes subtilly projected and violently attempted our utter abolition which to speak humanely was inavoidable had not the Lord our good God miraculously from time to time delivered us from their furie and preserved us a people to this day maugre all they could do as he shall his Church spite of the wicked world its power and malice who else long ere this had been no people nor nation but destroyed again and again by those many mightie barbarous enemies of ours that on all hands from all quarters have assailed us with most mortal and bloudie purposes greedy to prey upon us and with that odds of strength that they were able to have devoured us and as it were swallowed us alive as easily as the great fish does the little ones or the savage and ravenous beast tears his prey in pieces if God had not over-powered them and been for us against them when we were altogether unable to make resistance which now we should do well to weigh seriously and in all humilitie to acknowledge thankfully to his praise and glorie 4 5 Yea to consider that when all mankind was as it were against us and we were like sheep in the midst of Wolves and Bears that with mightie power and rage have broken in upon us like an unresistable torrent able to over-run the whole land and destroy man woman and child as easily as the sea or some mightie river drowns the countrey when it breaketh the banks and with pride and confident disdain made
God made to be a blessing to the common-wealth where he lives being thereby more than ordinarily usefull fitted to do God and it service in any kind sacred civil and military as God disposeth and adapts so he hath them to dispose of for publick weal in Church or State 5 There are diversitie of imaginarie happiness but certainly of all earthly ones this is really the best and that man the happiest that hath his house and family well filled with such living riches that no money can purchase for they are if good and got by prayers faith the immediate gift and extraordinarie favour of God to him that hath them who thereby is strengthened against the wrongs and oppressions that men in a solitarie condition are subject unto and able to stand the common-wealth in stead in opposing open enemies or suppressing civil injuries The cxxviii PSALM The Psalmist to undeceive the world shâ—ws who and who onely is a blessed man he that fears and obeys God and shâ—ws every such an one the favours he is in with God both as to his own particular his family and postâ—ritie the Church whereof he is a member and the common-wealth whereof he is a part all these shall fare the better for him whom God will bless both in his person and in all his relations See the Title of the 120. Psalm 1 ALl men would be blessed men but few take a right course for it nor indeed do they either judge that to be blessedness which is so or that to be the way to it which onely is so for as to the favour of God they see no such matter in it as that it should make them happy or blessed conceiving of spiritual things with carnal apprehensions knowing no felicity but what is earthly and sensual for the fear of God that leads to his favour obedience to his commandements which he rewards with blessedness these they skill not it is against the hair and loth they are to purchase God by being good But let deluded worldlings think how they please The God of truth tels thee who ever thou art that if thou wilt be blessed of him and otherwaies thou canst not thou must with a reverential filial fear in the faith of him thy God and Father do his will and not thine own please him not thy self and so doing thou and every such one shall be as surely blessed as God is faithfull 2 For God whose thou art will also be thine not onely in the grace of salvation but also in the grace of providence and protection if in his fear and faith thou usest the means soberly he will bless them successfully to thy contentment so that though he give not to surfet thee yet to suffice thee he will thy labour shall not be in vain in the Lord nor cursed of the Lord as others are but though thou work for thy living yet thou shalt be able to live by thy work which shall maintain thee and thine and that happily and contentedly which many that have much do not for thou shalt have the favour of God to thee and the blessing of God upon thee in what thou dost and hast 3 Within doors and without shall God bless thee with what ever blessings he knows convenient for thee if thou beest in a married condition whilest others that are so either have no children or have them taken from them when they have them or are cursed to them if not taken from them Thou that fearest God he will provide better for thee thy wife and thou shall with conjugal comfort behold the blessing of the Lord upon your marriage bed in her fruitfull womb and thy hopefull issue children wherein thou maist have comfort and not a few nor short-lived which shall delight thee to look on them and see God in them enriching thee by his gift with what rich men cannot purchase by their wealth and with them will give thee sustenance for them if he send thee mouths he will also send the meat 4 O that men would effectually believe this and take out this lesson that they that in conscience to God fear to sin and do good are the blessed of the Lord in their own persons and shall be blessed of the Lord in what is theirs find all true that I have said 5 The God of Israel shall upon thy prayers made at or towards the place of his presence and pledge of his Covenant the Ark and Mercie-Seat in his Sanctuarie upon Sion the type of Christ in heaven hear thee and bless thee as he hath promised to do and thou shalt be a means not onely to procure blessing to thy self but to the whole Israel and Church of God typified in Jerusalem which shall fare the better for thy sake and such as thou art and thou and they for its sake reciprocally as parts and whole as shall the Church and members mutually in all ages 6 Yea thy pietie shall preserve thee in grace and favour with God and make thee both blessed in thy self and a blessing to many others yea to the whole Israel of God thou shalt thy self be blessed with long life and happy daies and in thy family and relations with children and with childrens children which shall be a rejoycing to thee to behold and walking in thy waies who walks in Gods shall to many generations fare the better for thee and inherit the grace and faithfulness of God promised to the righteous and their seed yea the Church and common-wealth whereof thou art a member and wherein thou livest shall prosper for thy sake and such as thou art grace and peace from God and with men shall thy prayers and godly walking procure them The cxxix PSALM The Psalmist laies forth the common state of the Church for her present comfort under her present affliction the Iews as is conceived at this time being under those pressures that besel them after their return out of their grievous Babylonish captivitie by their wicked envious pick-thank neighbours the Samaritans endeavouring their subversion by accusing them to the Persian Kings encourageing the â—aithfull by late experience in Gods faithfulness for the Churches preservation and her enemies disappointment and destruction which with a prophetical prayer equivalent to a promise he foretels and desires See the Title of the 120. Psalm 1 2 WHen was the Church and people of God which for the paucitie of them in the world is as it were but one man amongst a many ever without afflictions and enemies at any time in any place among any people on earth from the very beginning in Abel and so along through all the Patriarks quite down to us from Egypt till very now whose fortune therefore is not singular in that at present we undergo but common with all the faithfull in all ages this you know to be true and yet this world of wicked enemies which the poor Church hath
the Temple it self with his Church on earth as well as in heaven Praise ye therefore the Lord ye that worship him without as well as within the holy sanctuarie of our God both Priests and people 3 Be not so much awed by fear to praise the Lord as induced by love for those lovely excellencies of grace and goodness that are in him and shine forth from him to his people let the faith and experience the Church hath had thereof in all ages tune your voice and instruments to the exaltation of his name in praise-worthy commemoration of all the good he hath either promised or performed which to do is delightfull to God and every good heart 4 Surely we far above all the world are debtors to God ow more in way of praise than ever we can pay him for this unestimable mercie and priviledge of adoption to be his peculiar to name his name upon and marked out of all the great fold of the world for his people and the sheep of his pasture even we a poor hand-full that came out of the loins of one man our Father Jacob that he should choose him and his out of all mankind to set his love upon and thus to honour as to esteem none else worth reckoning of but us and us as his treasure and Jewels of value whom he onely sets by as he shall by his Church and people in all the world and onely by them 5 Under what notion soever we apprehend God he is worthie our uttermost praises whether as good to us or as great in himself who indeed is of that immensitie as that his positive admits of no comparative degree he is abstractly great even greatness it self in power majesty beyond humane apprehension and capacity in the faith whereof yet we ought to praise him for so his people best know him and that not onely as absolutely and essentially so but also relatively and derivatively so to us this great God being greatly our God his greatness as it is superlative to all greatnesses whether humane powers or imaginarie deities so his grace shall extend it accordingly unto our protection and preservation against them and to the confusion of men and Idols that are set against him or us his Church and people 6 I mean the great and mightie God the sole Sovereign and Monarch of all the world both heaven and earth who of his meer will and by his onely word made all things to be that they are from the highest to the lowest whether in the heavens above or in the earth beneath or in the waters under the earth and the invisible depths of both down to the very center and as he commanded them to be so he rules and commands them now they are to be and do what he would have them and not otherwayes to his praise and his peoples security 7 He createth ruin by appointing and impowering the sun from all parts of the world sea and land to exhale the vapours which we see ascend on high into the middle region of the air where they engender clouds those clouds rain which by his providence is dispersed and dispensed all the world over what the earth sends up in exhalations from all parts it receives down again every where for its use in showers and dews Yea what a piece of Artifice do our eyes behold when by the force of thunder he sends lightning and rain fire and water out of one and the same cloud so that when we see the one break forth we conclude the other not far behind as if naturally fire produced water which are so contrarie but yet are made to cohabit till and be subservient when he pleaseth to dispose of them in storms and tempests The wind also blows when where and how he lists and not otherwayes how unruly and boisterous so ever it seem it breaks not prison of it self but is let out of its restraint by him without whose will and pleasure it cannot so much as breath who is the God of nature ordeining and ordering her in all causes and all their effects how rare soever beyond our knowledge and above our reach transacted in the heavens whereof these are few instances 8 Yea and on earth too where not a few things praise-worthie have been wrought by the same Almighty power for his people Israel whereof we will enumerate some a few of many as the high mightie slaughter he made of the first-born both of man and beast in Egypt with a strong hand bringing his people thence spite of Pharaohs power and oppugnation 9 He wrought miracles and made strange demonstration of his heavy displeasure by manifold judgements destructive signs and prodigies in the midst of thee O Egypt for their sakes when his people the Israelites had no harm there forcing thereby hard-hearted Pharaoh thy King and his courtiers to acknowledge his power and at last submit to his will 10 Nor in Egypt onely did he do wonders and execute judgements upon his Churches enemies but when by a mightie hand the destruction of the Egyptians he had brought them thence by the same out-stretched arm did he lead them through the wilderness destroying all that made opposition to them both Princes and people though far greater and every way better provided then they way-faring men were 11 As for instance Sihon the King of the Amorites and Og that mightie man the King of Bashan who opposed their passage these Kings and their people they destroyed on the other side Jordan and on this side even all the Kings and Kingdoms of Canaan thirty one in number those under Moses these under Josua were subdued by the Lord who fought for Israel against all their enemies 12 And he that is Lord of all the earth as before he had promised to Abraham so now he fulfilled his word by an effectual possession and implantation of his people Israel in the lands and possessions of all the foresaid Kings and Kingdoms gave them to them and their heirs for ever which he hath ever since preserved to and for them and their posteritie with as Almighty a hand as at first he gained and gave them 13 The glorious manifestations thou hast alwayes made of thy powerful goodness and gracious faithfulness in the behalf of thy people against their enemies ought to be renowned for ever hereafter in all ages which also shall produce experiments answerable to those thy properties which are ever the same in thy Churches behalf who shall transmit the grateful memorie of thy former mercies and miracles down from age to age and from one generation successively to another to thine everlasting glorie and their corroboration and comfort in the faith of thy faithfulness to thy covenant and promises the grand charter of the Catholick Church theirs as well as ours made to them as to us 14 For the Lord is his peoples according to covenant so
long together upon a people of so great provocations did he destroy potent Princes and Kings that were famous warriours by them a wayfaring people as Sihon King of the Amorites Og the Giant King of Bashan who opposed them and so utterly subdued them as that in stead of leave to pass he gave livery and seisin of all they had to his people Israel whose sword and service he made use of against them and well rewarded their labour and travel making them conquerours and heirs of the conquered both beyond and on this side Jordan in Canaan whose lands they have to this day and where they are to serve and worship him mercie gave it and mercie hath continued it our sins could neither hinder the getting nor the keeping it because though sin breaks on our part yet grace keeps covenant on Gods part thank and admire the God of so rich infinite and everlasting mercie in all and every passage from first to last of his dispensations and Israels provocations 23 Indeed we cannot say that ever his mercie failed us he remembred us many and many a time when we forgot our selves towards him giving us the inheritance of that mercie he long since passed over by Indenture and covenant to our fore-fathers insomuch as our extremitie was but his opportunitie alwayes when our miseries and dangers were greatest mercie and deliverance was nearest 24 Yea he hath redeemed us from our enemies with the bloud and slaughter of them when but for mercie we had been slaughtered by them or been perpetual bond-men to them and that many a time with successive deliverances by never-failing mercies 25 Nor do his people onely thus fare the better for his mercie but for their sakes all creatures living do so too his covenant of grace made everlastingly with his Church in special hath influence upon the creation in general the world subsists by it and for it and all flesh living is plentifully provided for with suitable and seasonable food by reason of it temporal benefits are bestowed on the Churches enemies for the Churches sake and on those out of covenant because of the covenant and them it pertains to according as he promised to Abraham saying In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed 26 You therefore that have such priviledges to be the Lords adopted heirs of the covenant covenant-mercies do not you degenerate own this God for your God that hath thus owned us by his special mercies for his peculiar people even the onely true God whose throne is in the heavens no vain earthly Idol give as is due praise and thanks to him for his mercie and especially for that it is made over to you and all the faithfull Israel by a covenant of grace as unchangeable and everlasting as God himself The cxxxvii PSALM The Psalmist in the name of the whole Church led captive into the empire of Babylon and Iudah and Ierusalem miserably destroyed shews their behaviour there how uncomfortable their condition was that could joy in nothing derided in captivitie with the very worship of God their glorie which notwithstanding they resolve to glorie in and in nothing comparably He praies and prophecies against Edom and Babylon that they may be rewarded as they have done and deserve 1 WHen the Lord brought that great judgement upon Judah the ruin of all at once by the Babylonian who destroyed many and carried the rest captive when in that condition we were far advanced into that Kingdom and from our own countrey the solitarie consideration of it seized sadly upon us no earthly nor pleasurable improvements here could give allay to our sorrows but with restless repose we sate down as the rest did by those pleasant rivers where notwithstanding we were capable of no content or refreshing except it were by venting of our grief in tears which whilest they rejoyced we shed abundantly at our rememberance of so unvaluable a loss as is Sion to be driven from the enjoyment of God and his worship there and to leave it in that desolate estate which no earthly felicities could recompence 2 Whereupon though the Priests and Levites in the midst of that general plunder and devastation in their zeal to the memorie of Gods worship in the Temple preserved their instruments and carried them as fellow-mourners into captivitie with themselves thinking to mitigate and mixe their sorrows with some musical refreshings yet when at leasurable times and delectable places by clear streams under cool shades they were invited to it their hearts misgave their fingers failed them sorrow so overwhelmed their spirits that it put all out of tune them and their instruments which in the condition and place they were in they as useless hung by untuned and unstrung upon the willows their grief encreasing by their sight in stead of lessening by their use when they apprehended them and themselves joyntly and totally captived in the midst of their mortal enemies far from Jerusalem which too was left as desolate as themselves were disconsolate 3 And the rather for that the Babylonians insultingly called to us to sing and be merrie laughing at the miserie they had brought us into being now their prisoners far from home in their own countrey having laid ours quite wast and with deriding insolence commanded us to prophane the worship of God which we were wont solemnly to celebrate in his Temple upon Sion by making them merrie with one of those sacred songs 4 But we took courage and disdained to do it at their command though in that condition resolving to expose our selves rather than Gods sacred service to heathenish derâ—sion and therefore made answer Though we are your prisoners yet we are servants to the Lord our God and must obey him before you who hath commanded those songs you require to be sung in a sacred manner to him onely and in the place appointed by him his Temple in Jerusalem and not to be prophaned to any other use in any other place nor were it lawful are we in a condition to sing that are as you see such sad spectacles of miserie and misfortune in a strange place and captives to a strange people that understand not our language much less our musical ditties 5 If any worldly contentment whatsoever burie in me who personate in that I speak Gods faithful servants Priests and Levites uttering their thoughts the sad rememberance of the Churches desolations that my grief for thee O Jerusalem that was wont to afford such sacred solace in Gods worship now under scorn and derision be not ever in my thoughts above pleasing my self or others let me forfeit the priviledge of that gift and honour God hath given me of celebrating his divine praise and worship let mine hand fail to do its duty when I fail of mine to thee and all my skill forsake me If I abuse or use it to any other purpose than God
hath appointed it for his worship in his Temple do mine enemies what they can 6 Nay if I let out my hopes or joys towards any thing comparable to thy restitution if any thing though in this estate take up my mind and heart more than that so that I make it not the continual subject of my desire and prayer let me be dumb and my tongue cease to speak especially to sing and celebrate thy praise if above all desires I desire not and above all joys rejoice not in the happie recoverie and flourishing estate of Jerusalem and Gods worship there as my sole and onely solace how ever both it and we are here in derision 7 O Lord as thy people forget not Jerusalem now in her and their captivity so nor do thou forget her enemies hereafter in the day of her prosperity let the cruel despight the Edomites those sons of Esau old enemies though near of kin to Jacob and his posterity together with the other bordering nations be upon record against them that with greater hatred than the very Babylonians themselves whom they stirred up against us helped to demollish that sacred citie encouraging them and one another to do it to the full not to leave one stone upon another desiring the utter abolition of it and its memory for ever so insatiable was their malice Lay therefore thy vengeance upon Edom by the hand of thy people when thou shalt restore them and let them do in Edom according to thine anger and furie as by thy Prophet thou hast foretold they shall 8 O thou great and mighty Empire now in thy prime that takest thy denomination from famous Babylon the mother-citie who for all thy pride and potencie wherewith thou now insultest over others and us especially as thou art the rod in Gods hand for our punishment at present so the time shall come and that assuredly that thou shalt be cast into the fire lamentable destruction is preparing for thee and shall in the time appointed befall thee unavoidably by the Medes and Persians the Princes and people whereof shall do by thee as thou hast done by us utterly ruin and captivate the whole Empire with reciprocal cruelty to that we have found at thine hands for all thy might at present this is true of thee and so thou shalt find it neither thy great citie Babylon nor its Empire shall scape one jot better than our poor Jerusalem and Judah but confusion and desolation shall be thy portion for they shall prevail against thee and be victorious 9 Remember how thou tyrannizedst in thy victory over us deflowring ravishing butchering even poor innocent infants taking pleasure in barbarism and cruelty such measure shall be met to thee in those daies Cyrus and Darius shall revenge our quarrel and right our wrongs and with like success and no less delight in bloud shall they recompence thee with utter subversion even to the slaughtering men women and children without sparing sex or age none pitying your condition but rejoycing at your misery no more than you pitied us but rejoyced at ours and thought it your felicitie so shall yours be theirs The cxxxviii PSALM David having got through the worst of his troubles under Saul whom God had dispatched and being earnested of the whole Kingdom by possession of a considerable part stâ—â—ds as it were and admires what is past and the wonderfull progress alreadie made by God in the fulfilling of his promise promising himself cause of praising God for the rest that is behind and promising God the actual performance of it who hath never failed him in his need but upheld his faith which upheld him Which wonderfull grace of his exaltation shall shine as the sun in the firmament to give light and conviction to all the Princes round about that hear of it to their admiration and Gods glorification And lastly he recommends by experience an humble suffering State before a proud presumptuous one not doubting of Gods perseverance in mercie towards him unto preservation and in judgement towards his enemies unto their utter confusion A Psalm of thanks-giving of Davids making 1 LOrd I am neither unmindfull of nor unthankfull for the great things thou hast done and wilt do for me but will not with hypocrytical semblance as too many do that worship thee but with an honest and sincere heart give the glory of them wholly to thee and those opportunities that may most advance thy praise will I take more especially to celebrate it even then when the greatest concourse of heaven and earth is present when the Princes of thy people Israel and thy people with their Heads and Elders are solemnly congregated at thy sanctuary and thine Angels those blessed spectatours who are there figured by the Cherubims attendants upon the Ark that sacred representation of thine own presence be present also even in the sight and hearing of these created powers and principallities celestial and terrene will I with cordial affection and musical adoration celebrate thy praises that art God of Gods and Lord of Lords 2 Yea both in thy Sancturay and out of it will I memorize thy praise-worthy goodness to me wheresoever I am the face of my soul shall turn like the needle of a dial by sacred instinct towards thee in that holy repesentation of thee the Ark of thy presence when fixed upon Sion where it is to have its residence for ever in the Temple which shall be built thereon thither-ward will I worship thee that art there wheresoever I am even as thy Church from all places on the earth shall Christ their head in heaven and magnifie thy power and goodness so clearly demonstrated on my behalf in those acts of grace and favour and of no less truth and faithfulness vouchsafed me in my manifold protections wonderfull deliverances and happy establishment in the Kingdom according as long since thou promised and fore-told by thy Prophets which considering the greatness of the thing the remoteness of time the improbability of means the distance of my condition and the difficulties intervening these things considered though all thine attributes of greatness and goodness shine with a beautifull lustre in thine accomplishment thus far advanced yet thy faithfulness in fulfilling those thy so unlikely promises and prophesies out-shines and be-dims them all for they being known to all and believed of few or none because of those interposing improbabilities now they are fulfilled in a good measure in their view and to their admiration it makes thy truth to bear the bell comparatively nothing else is thought of thy power nor mercie saving in subservience thereunto It is magnified of all and above all 3 In my calamitous estate when as I cried unto thee as I did oft and many a time thou still heardest and answeredst me graciously and gavest me inward supportation strengthening me by faith in that thy word to undergo my time of trouble with patience and wait for
being a peculiar propertie of thine the onely wise God I stand at gaze and admire it and thee the God of it that is the nearest that I a poor finite foolish creature can come to so infinite a wisdom 7 Had I a mind to shift out of thy sight or knowledge as those have that walk in waies of wickedness whither can I go to do it or how possibly can I avoid thy presence that art both omniscient and omnipresent 8 There is neither height nor depth that can obscure or hide me from thine all-seeing eye or ubiquitarie being if I could ascend into the heavens there I should be sure to find thee where thou art more especially or if knowing and fearing that I run into the contrary extream and by death seek a burying place out of thy sight why it is utterly impossible For the earth and under the earth the very grave it self is visible to thee thy sun shines into it though ours do not there thou art in power and presence as well as in any other place knowing and disposing every crum of dust 9 If in any instant as the light upon sun-rising disperseth it self I could convey my self from where I am to the remotest parts of all the world over sea as well as land thinking by so sudden shifting my place and sight to so great distance to quit thy presence and deceive thy sight as one may mans 10 But I should find I am mistaken and that as swift as I may conceive my self to move thou wilt out-go me and be there with me and before me conveying me all the way thither if ever I come there and ordering me there as here and where instead of being at libertie and free from thee to do mine own will I shall find my self under thy cognizance and power not able to stir a foot think nor act one jot more or less than thou dispenseth and disposeth 11 12 If according to humane apprehension I foolishly imagine and perswade my self that though by transmigration of place I cannot in the day time shift thy sight yet no doubt when the sun is down and that I can see nothing nothing not God himself can then see me but that I am then at mine own dispose to do what I fancie without discoverie even that very darkness mid-night it self shal though indeed it be a cover from man that sees by created light yet shall it respecting God be none at all who sees not by a borrowed light as we do but by his own and so sees all men and all their actions alwaies night as well as day there is no difference to his uncreated all-seeing eye that needs no help nor is capable of no hinderance 13 And Lord no wonder thou shouldest thus know and discern me in all places and touching all things thoughts as well as deeds within as without for from my very first initiation and beginning to be wast thou in me and with me yea thy power made me therefore thine eye saw me even my most inward parts were then ordered by thee in their being and so have they been ever since in their acting as my very reins are in me so art thou in them by thy power and efficacie even in all those secret closeted parts of nature which thou causedst to be thus externally covered over with flesh and skin in my conception whereby though born into the world they are yet hid from mans eyes but not from thee and thine who as thou framedst and madest them in the dark womb where and when no man saw them so under this skin covering are they also open and perspicuous to thee 14 And though divine art and skill in framing my many inward parts and their concurrences be thus hid from mine eyes yet so much knowledge have I of it as to know my self both within and without to be wonderfully framed by an incomprehensible power and wisdom that makes me astonished at the consideration of it and fear and reverence thee the God of such transcendencies and never shall my mind reflect upon my self that am thine Artifice but with praise to thee the great and wise Artificer Yea Lord which way soever we look either with the eyes of mind or bodie we cannot but acknowledge all created substances in the heavens and the earth in their several kinds and orderly sub-ordinations to be all and every of them marvellously framed and extream wisely contrived and disposed which hath not taken me up a little time nor a few thoughts but many and many a serious consideration have I had of them and of thee thy power and greatness manifested in them to glorifie thee answerably my soul hath not been idle touching thy works in general and mine own fabrick in particular both bodie and soul which thou hast so marvellously made and endowed but been studious in practical Philosophie wherein in a sanctified way studying the creature for the Creatours sake and mine own spiritual improvements I have made good proficiencie 15 All that I am my bones veins and sinews every thing of me was known to thee even from the very first conception of them when nature made my several parts and of them an entire body in the unseen cavern of my mothers womb there they were most artificially framed joynted and contrived and all this by thee in heaven seemingly at infinite distance and in as it were the darksom cells and concaves of the earth where no light comes for such is the shop thou madest me in where yet thou sawest and orderest all the marvellous proceeding of my conception and formation here below 16 Thou sawest and knewest me when I was in my Chaos mine Embrio even in that confused slimy congealed lump and substance of mine original matter before nature had concocted and digested it into any form of parts and members which yet in thine eternal decree and praeordination were appointed to be and which for that onely reason by thine onely power concurring with thy will was in process of time such and so long as thou hast ordained for nature to ripen and heat and moisture to bring to maturity in at last formed into a comely and beautifull order worthy the name of thy creature and bearing thine Image even this didst thou produce out of most unlikely materials by thy skil in thy time 17 18 Nor art thou onely admirable in thy creative power and goodness but otherwaies also thy word declares by manifold promises and prophecies very gracious and mercifull intentions and inclinations toward me in a special manner and thy works of grace and providence have also shewn as much which I can better admire than number for they are numberless which occupy my thoughts continually day and night alwaies but when I am asleep 19 And as my thoughts are of thy wisdom power and goodness so also am I mindfull of thy justice and holiness how
fore-fathers specially they that are in Covenant the faithfull seed of faithful Abraham Isaack and Israel a people that through grace are precious and nearly related to him not for any inherent natural excellencie or meritoriousness in them above the rest of the created world which far out-strips them in motives of that nature but because freely chosen especially if effectually called grace being the onely motive that made him difference them from and indear them above all the world for sons and servants redeemed out of the hands of all their enemies and exalted to participation of fellowship and glorie with Christ the head of his Church whom respectively Israel and I resemble Therefore as he hath thus exalted you above all so do you him with praise proportionable to his goodness so superlative and peculiar The cxlix PSALM David in these five last Psalms is treating upon several Theams to enlarge the praises of God in the hearts and mouths of men principally of his people and therefore he intermingles common and created with special and peculiar excellencies and benefits of which latter sort this Psalm consists viz. of Gods singular good will to his people and saints whom he stiles here and else where in divers Psalms by the name of Israel because Israel was or ought to be such not onely in outward election but inward vocation for such at least they figured and therefore are the terms promiscuously used And these he would first have lay a foundation of joy in believing and knowing their superlative happiness in their near relation to and interest in God and Gods in them and favour to them and then to make the result of that their joy excess of praise yea he would have them discern their condition as well glorious and honourable as beneficial and joy thereafter in absolute certaintie and tranquillitie of mind praise-fully and proportionably enlarged And concludes with a prophetical prayer of Israels happiness now under him as the saints shall have certain and triumphant felicitie by Christ in their enemies vanquishments both many and great to the utmost of what is promised and threatened respectively for which honour he would have them as to be sensible of it so to be praise-full for it 1 O Ye the people and chosen of the Lord out of all the earth be you conscionable and carefull to give God his praises which he deserves specially at your hands above all the world besides let not your praises that are heirs of grace and partakers of such preheminences be like the sons of nature the children of this world who inherit but the good things thereof raise up your hearts to a higher pin celebrate you his name after another sort as he is singular in goodness to you so be you in gratefulness to him yea let every special mercie which in special grace at any time he vouchsafesh unto you be solemnized afresh from time to time by thanks-giving with praiseful affections and united harmonie in Temple-musick at the solemn meetings of his people there to worship and honour him especially his saints 2 Well may Israel afford to sing special praise and new songs to the Lord whom he hath pecualiarly chosen out of all the world and so made them as it were a new people begotten again out of the lost-lump of mankind not onely by the power of creation as at first which in effect the fall dissolved but by the grace of adoption and covenant smitten freely with their fore-father and in him with them Let this prerogative royall exceedingly affect the whole Church and people of God thankfully and praisefully toward him and comfortably in themselves by the faithfull apprehension of so rich mercie vouchsafed them as to be not subjects at large as the whole earth is but even sons and servants chosen by him to be his to serve and worship him in Sion where and how he hath appointed out of all the world besides that follow their own inventions and condiscending himself to be theirs in grace protection and government so as to none else 3 Let them be so ravished with this peculiarity of the grace mercie and love of God unto them as to lay out themselves again upon God with the utmost of their strength skill and affection in his praises by all wayes and means as may best express them to his glorie and increase of their own grace and consolation 4 For though all mankind be degenerated by the fall so that he that made them hath no pleasure in them Yet hath it pleased him to elect a few out of many an Israel whom he hath made and as it were re-created to be his and to serve him and in these he takes contentment to do them good and to receive the returns thereof in praise and thanks-giving from them and to that very end will he shew himself powerful for them and gracious to them that meekly wait and faithfully depend upon him in delivering and exalting them after a wonderful sort to the admiration of all the earth that shall have them in singular esteem for a non-such for such a people serving such a God of salvation as is not in the world besides like as he shall crown his sanctified ones his faithfull spiritual Israel and their graces with the eternal salvation in heaven triumphant over all and out of all this worlds miseries to his unspeakable praise and the worlds wonder that here despise them as the Gentils did us till God wrought a change 5 Let the Lords people his holy ones which all Israel should be consider the glorious state and condition they are advanced into by being so even the sons of the most high heirs of heaven a glorie beyond all earthly preheminence or created excellencie whatsoever and in this let them comfort themselves both above all comforts and discomforts the world can afford or inflict and with joyful praises magnifie the Lord that hath done so great things for them and with sweet peace and tranquillitie of mind possess their souls to the un-utterable consolation thereof A type of which is that blessed condition God is investing his Church and people Israel into at present by and under me making them triumphantly glorious over all their enemies abroad with abundance of securitie and peace at home wherein they ought exceedingly to rejoyce and joyfully to praise the God of heaven that hath thus advanced them and altered their condition even as those glorified saints in heaven do and shall that there enjoy an absolute and everlasting rest 6 7 Let Israel observe the singular mercies to them surpassing all to all people and the mightie victories which God bestowes upon them over their enemies types of the saints adoption and the conquests they shall have over their corruptions and the Church her adversaries which by the power of his might shall be subdued thereby to fill their mouthes with proportionable praises to a God so great and graciously
good Let them be strong in strength and with a mightie irresistable power prevail against all opposers as indeed they shall like as shall Christ by his word and spirit in the mouth of his Ministers to the setting up of his Kingdom all the world over Israel shall be prevalent over the heathen and Gentile nations round about that have so cruelly vexed and plagued them their turn is now come to be under and ours to be over to revenge and punish Gods dishonour and his peoples miseries upon them as the Church shall triumph over the wicked at the glorious appearing of Christs Kingdom 8 Yea as well Princes as people shall be brought into subjection Israel shall have dominion over all her enemies of what ranck so ever and shall lead captivitie captive under me as Christ and his Church shall do overcome at last their over-comers we shall have a resurrection out of our long endured miseries and be free-men when as ours and the Churches enemies how great soever shall have their declension and abasement no power on earth can hinder the powerful decree of heaven nor resist the execution thereof when the set time is come as now it is neither Kings nor nobles who then shall be but like other men easily vanquishable for all their power and authoritie as they shall be by Christ either brought into subjection and fealtie to him in his Kingdom of grace or led in triumph by him at his appearing in his Kingdom of glorie when his Church shall be triumphant 9 What the Lord hath promised in his peoples behalf and threatened to their enemies is now to be fulfilled even their destruction or subjection not by their own power but by the power of his word and promise who is faithful and almightie therefore shall it come to pass and in the faith thereof shall they prevail under me as shall the Church of Christ under him either ministerially to vanquish them or ultimately to triumph over them in a final and total destruction This glorious priviledge have the people of God his Israel which are or should be saints and his saints his really sanctified and adopted ones which are indeed his onely Israel thus by the power of his might the faithfulness of his never failing promise to overcome or overthrow all their rebellious opposers oppressours Therefore both one and other Israel now and Israel hereafter even all the people of God chew the cud upon this your happie condition through the mercie and grace of God in Christ and praise him for it The cl PSALM David never wearie of this theme presseth hard upon all principally the Church and people of God to praise the Lord and that both in and by his commanded worship as also by the book and borrowed helps of nature creation and providence and the glorious manifestations he makes of himsâ—â—f herein and this to be done with Heart and Art to the utmost of both He concludes that all flesh by nature is bound to do it and Israel by grace 1 YE that are the people of the Lord be much imployed in this singular service of praising and magnifying him that is so much yours above others and that have his peculiar residence amongst you in his sanctuarie the resemblance of heaven where is his proper residence such is the condiscention of his Divine greatness and Majestie to be worshipped as in heaven by glorified saints so also here by sanctified ones which be sure you neglect not that are his chosen priviledged people worhsip him here below with your minds above as you extend your voices so enlarge your graces eye him and reverence him in his heavenly sanctuarie when you draw nigh to praise him in his earthly where he principally resides in glorie and Majestie even above the firmament which so manifests his greatness and magnifies his power in the infinit extension of it and the varietie of excellent creatures that are in it to draw your soul upward though your bodies are prostrate and to give you to understand that it is the great God of heaven whose wonders shine in the firmament above that you are to magnifie in your sanctuarie-praises here beneath 2 Whose works of power are not onely in the firmament but extended like it every where upon the face of the whole earth for all which both above and below you ought to praise him and that with faith and reverence proportionable to such powerful efficatiousness that can bring forth such wonderful effects of creative and providential omnipotencie as every where he doeth especially for his people all which shews with what surpassing greatness he excelleth whose throne is so high above all and his power in and over all the glorie and reverence whereof as he expects it so we ought to render it with praisefull adoration that are the peculiar people of such a God 3 4 5 Muster up all your forces to this work and dutie Praise him in his sanctuarie with the utmost expression can be made tune all your stringed instruments and that unto the highest key and make your wind instruments speak out aloud Let nature Art and grace put forth themselves to the utmost with the highest affections and utmost expressions celebrate his praises on earth as in heaven who deserves it and whose deserts do far transcend it 6 Let all flesh breathing give glorie to God their Creatour and praise his name that is so praise-worthie in the eyes of all by the manifold manifestations of his infinite and superlative excellencies in their own particulars and in the whole creation so plainly appearing but most especially ye that are especially the Lords praise ye the Lord not onely for the generalitie of greatness and goodness that all the world partakes the knowledge and benefit of but be ye so ravished with the peculiaritie of the grace mercie and love of God to you respectively as to put forth your selves in a return of praise above nature suitable and acceptable magnifying grace with grace singing and making melodie in your hearts to the Lord your God FINIS 1 BLessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornfull 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper 4 The ungodly are not so but are like the chaft which the wind driveth away 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous 6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish Psalm 2. 1 WHy do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing 2 The
judgement portending thy everlasting displeasure and disregard as well of their souls as bodies 6 Thou Lord hast brought me into such an estate as I can scare tell how to express it or find fit tearms to parallel the condition and dimensions of my miserie I am as it were shut up under ground excluded the societie of mankind in an Abiss void of the suns comfortable light a very dungeon of darkness in the bottom of the bottomless sea with all the waters a top of me so extream uncomfortable is this my condition so full of horrour and perturbation of spirit and so overwhelmed with grief and withall so remediless 7 For thou hast afflicted me with such a weight of wrath and so loaden me with judgements that I am even pressed to death all comforts are gone and life it self is going after thou as it were hast let in the sea upon my soul thy terrours and affrightments come so thick one in the neck of another that they bear down all before them no hope nor comfort can stand in their way My grief is very great 8 Thou hast made me so uncomfortable a companion that my old friends and acquaintance seperate from me they have abandoned all societie and converse with me for indeed I am like no man nor fit companie for any being miserably inclaved in this forlorn comfortless condition whence I cannot extricate my self nor none for me but am as without comfort so without hope and help 9 I have almost wept my self blind by reason of the long duration and heavie oppression of this mine affliction Lord thou knowest with what uncessant prayers and hands lifted up to heaven I have importuned thy favour and mitigation of this my terrour 10 Lord how long shall it be before thy mercie and truth relieve me if it be whilest I live it must not be much longer deferred if thou hast a purpose to do me good thou must either do it suddenly before the breath go out of my bodie which truly is expiring or else miraculously when I am quite departed but that is not likely it is not thy manner to shew mercie to men dead but living as yet I am I expect not to be raised out of my grave to live again after I am dead to praise thee on earth no therefore I hope to do it ere I die for all this 11 Thy love and faithfulness will certainly be better manifested and fulfill'd in preservation and deliverance than in death and destruction and thy people can better magnifie thee for them living than dead 12 Is it under-ground that thou wilt manifest thy power where none shall see it and fulfil thy promise in the gravem when we are in an incapacitie for it where nothing is taken notice of but thy power grace and faithfulness will die and be buried with us 13 But Lord as I have not deferred my prayers to the grave so I hope nor wilt thou thine answers and whilest I live that the evening of death do not close up mine eyes and shut my mouth I will not cease to importune thee and hope to prevent so sad a farewel by obtaining mercie before I die 14 Lord what is the cause of this grievous desertion and seeming rejection of my soul why am I thus benighted thy face over-clouded no beam of divine favour shining into me nor no spark of renewing grace glowing in me 15 Lord thou knowest I am sure I for my part remember well that ever since I could remember I have scarce had a good day my trials and troubles have been so grievous they have brought me I know not how often to deaths door so tedious and comfortless a life have I led being almost alwayes exercised either under the present sence or future expectation and fear of their return to my no small torment and distraction 16 Lord it is no small matter that I complain of thou knowest I have cause for my burden is greater than I can bear or any man alive that had the feeling of it as I have Thy fierce wrath who can stand under it and yet I am made to bear it and to undergo the surges and waves thereof which are raised like storms and tempests in my soul readie to overwhelm it my terrours and perplexities of mind are such that they have cut me off of all comfort in my self and almost of all hope in thee 17 They brake in upon me like a fierce torrent dayly they do so I have seldom any ease or quiet they fill every crannie of my soul and so begirt me round that I can come at no comfort by no means I can use with complicate evils on all sides am I besiedged so that comfort can enter in at no door 18 Mine intimates avoid me and mine old acquaintance will not now know me I am as a man dead and buried out of their sight having no companion but grief and sorrow not any to make my moan to besides thy self or that can or will comfort me The lxxxix PSALM Expositours differ upon the occasion of this Psalm some make it to be in reference to the salling of the ten tribes from Rehoboam others to Absalons rebellion others to the Babylonish captivitie to which I encline conceiving it prophetically to be composed by Ethan for them to use in that estate It contains matter of praise to God for his covenant for his power to make it good which he both hath done and will do But expostulates how that captivitie and the matter of that covenant can be reconciled and puts God in mind of dangerous inconvenience that must needs insue upon breach of covenant and abolition of Davids Kingdom as also of the enemies reprochful blasphemies And concludes with faithful praises notwithstanding all seeming discouragements An instruction for the people of God how to demean themselves in publick calamities and concussions of Church or Common-wealth by sad complaining humble expostulating and earnest prayer to God penned by Ethan one of the sons of Zerah of the posteritie of Judah famous for his wisdom 1 Kings 4.31 1 WHat ever befal I will be confident of the mercies God hath promised that they shall be fulfilled I will set them forth and sing their praises whilest I live and leave them upon record to thy Church for ever to do the like Thy faithfulness to thy people according to thy promises I will publish and assert it to this age and all that are to come 2 For upon a deliberate well-grounded faith I believe and therefore do and dare affirm and have ever done so in the midst of the greatest concussions that ever befel us that mercie shall be built up from one age of the Church to another like so many stories untill it come in the end like a building perfected to its full accomplishment the Churches perfection in her glorified condition to all eternitie
it were a sensible creature and dejected even to trembling and amazement at the dispensations of his frowns and displeasure the great stupendious mountains are but as stubble to the fire if the Lord do but actuate the least token of his anger upon them they also are extreamly troubled and affrighted or annihilated and consumed for all their greatness like other things 33 Such are the works of God and so resplendent his greatness and goodness in them as that not a day shall go over my head wherein I will not out of the serious consideration and happy impression they make upon my spirit give glorie to God and will sing their praises to him day by day not for a fit or in a humor as hypocrits do when he humours them but how ever it go with me in weal or woe him will I worship and his name will I magnifie nothing shall hinder whilest God lends me life 34 I will not as most men do overlook his works and see nothing praise-worthy in them the commonness of them shall not so blind mine eyes but I will consider them and his praise-worthy attributes that shine forth in them I will not let mine heart stick in the creature it shall be my foot-stool to lift me up to the Creator to take a view of his excellencies and properties there shall mine heart lay out it self and suck in their sweetnesses which shall rejoice and establish it because of my relation to and interest in such a God so wonderfully qualified I will improve my meditation into application my thoughts shall not be meerly speculative but practical to the warning and working of my heart usefully towards God when my head is imployed about the creature 35 Those that will not honour and serve such a God that hath done all these things furnished the earth with such excellent commodities whereof they reap the benefit it is pitie they should live upon it to devour the creature without magnifying the Creatour especially they that abuse so much goodness and turn grace into wantonness making the creature against its nature to disserve the Lord by their perverting the use of it unto sin and Idolatrie I would such were in their graves that discontent God and discommode the godly But what ever others do O my soul do thou thy duty muster up all his mercies meditate all his works be thou affected by them to praise him for them and return the glorie of his Attributes that shine forth in them And all yee whose souls are like mine even all that are faithfull and upright in heart do as I do let him have his due praises as well from you as from me The cv PSALM This Psalm made by David as appears by part of that song upon the Arks remove to Ierusalem 1 Chron. 16. Exciteth the people of Israel to be thankfull to God to praise him and in faith to seek him for all that he hath done in the behalf of them and their fore-fathers of old in that he chose them entred covenant with them of all the earth for which covenant sake he had so infinitely befriended them ever since in the Patriarks sojournings Iosephs preferring Israels preserving in Egypt and wonderfull deliverance thence their provision and conduct in the wilderness and possession of Canaan and lastly shews the final cause of all the service of God and what should be the result His praise 1 AFter so many and great mercies as God hath afforded you above all people even to the setling the Ark of his presence amongst you upon his holy hill the resting place of it and him be not unmindfull of nor ungratefull for them but pour out your souls in thankfull acknowledgements of them all to the Lord especially of this tending so much to the perfecting and full accomplishment of the happie condition of this Church and Kingdom so long since promised and foretold and to that purpose frequent this place of his special residence here to worship him pray to him and praise him yea every where where you come and have opportunitie publish the great things he hath done from time to time and the wonders he hath wrought in behalf of his chosen Israel to get him glorie both amongst Jews and Gentiles 2 Make it your business to praise the Lord every way and by all manner of means sing forth his praises with heart and voice in Psalms solemnly sung and Quire-like with all the Art and Melodie that musical instruments added thereunto can make and at your own houses as well as at his busie your selves about him when you have not opportunitie to glorifie him one way do it another way speak and discourse of him and his works wrought for you to the keeping them alive in memorie and affections both your own and others at home and abroad as you have occasion 3 Make your boasts of God ye that are so nearly related to him both of what he hath done and of what he is able and hath promised to do for you be strong in faith and with assured hope and confidence rejoyce in the Lords future favour and grace to his people have no doubts nor fears to the contrarie onely frequent his sanctuary and there worship him and open your hearts in faithfull prayer unto him 4 You know where the Lord is to be sought and where he will be found his Ark is both the pledge of his strength and favour there you may have them for asking therefore be not lazie lose not such pearls for the digging though it cost you some travel yet such gains will quit your cost bestir you therefore come often at least as oft as he requires you and your posteritie after you keep him now you have him never forsake him and he will never forsake you 5 And when you do come come warm in affection carrie along in your hearts the faithfull and gratefull memorie of what wonderfull works he hath alreadie heretofore wrought in your behalfs the better to possess you of his power and good will towards you and to animate you in faithfull prayer towards him that you have found so faithfull and true of his word both of promise to you and of judgements to your enemies as he threatened 6 What I have spoken by way of exhortation I speak it to you and you onely that are the Israel of God heirs of promise the people of his covenant which he made with Abraham your father and his faithfull and obedient servant who as you come of him so I exhort you to inherit and imitate his graces that his God may be yours as also your more immediate father Jacob that holy Patriarch chosen of Gods free grace and you in him to be his peculiar Church and people when as his elder brother Esau and the Edomites his posteritie were and are rejected and given up to serve other gods yea all the world but you 7 He onely is the