receive Petitions of those that call on him in Truth 6. This is the sixth quality of a good King to shew himself easie to receive Petitions and to them that implore his aid which God doth Deâ—â—r 4.7.2 But the Prophet corrects his works and limits them 'T is to all that call upon him in Truth which word includes all the conditions of a good prayer 1. Faith For he that prayes without faith prayes to an Idol of his own brain 2. Hope and confidence He prayes not seriously that hopes not to be heard 3. Love For no man can call on him seriously whom he hates or to whom hateful 4. Desire For no man prayes heartily that desires not to obtain 5. Attention and intention without which the prayer is babling no true prayer Ver. 19 The Lord will fulfil the desire of them that fear him he also will hear their cry and save them 7. 7 To grant Petitions This is the seventh quality of a good King to grant Petitions so that they ask such Petitions as is fit for the King to grant this will Christ do 1. He will fulfil the desires But with this limitation So they fear him 2. He will hear their cry So it must be a cry vehement earnest 3. And will save them Hear he will ad salutem semper licet non ad voluntatem Ver. 20 The Lord preserves all them that love him but all the wicked will he destroy 8 Clemency 8. This is the last quality of a good King Parcere Subjectis debellare Superbos Which Christ will do The Conclusion a Doxology he preserves his Martyrs in patience constancy faith Ver. 21 receives them to glory and takes revenge on their enemies Martyres non eripuit sed nec deseruit 4. The Conclusion is an Epiphonema and answers to the beginning of the Psalm 1. For all these things which I have said My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord This shall be my work while I live 2. And I wish it may be done by all others also And let all flesh blest his holy Name for ever and ever A Hymn collected out of the One hundred and forty fifth Psalm I will ertol thée O my God and King and Governour of the whole World not that my words can make thée Higher who art the most Highest nor my praises make thée more Excellent Ver. 1 who art of all Excellencies the most Excellent but that I may insinuate and commend thy greatness to those that either know thée not or do not honour thée for this end I will bless thy Name through my whole life every day will I praise thée and leave upon Record a Hymn that the people that are yet unborn may magnifie thée it is my desire That thy Name may be praised for ever and ever Ver. 2 For thou Lord art truly great great in Heaven great on Earth there is no end of thy greatness it is unsearchable it is incomprehensible and therefore my desire is That there may be no end of thy praise Ver. 3 but that one Generation report it to another that the father record it to the son and the son deliver over to his séed thy works and thy mighty acts Ver. 4 for which thou art worthy to be praised Glorious O Lord are thy works terrible and yet full of mercy not any of them but beget wonder in me The Heavens above the Sun Moon and Stars speak of the glorious honour of thy Majesty Thy creation of them Ver. 5 declares thy power thy providence for their constant course thy wisdom their light motion influence and their effects in and upon these inferiour bodies thy goodness I never consider those strokes of divine vengeance which thou hast inflicted upon disobedient rebellions and incorrigible sinners Ver. 6 but they declare thée to be a terrible and a jealous God Thy hand was terrible upon the old World mighty upon Pharaoh with his Aegyptians just but full of indignation against that gain-saying Rabble that rose against the King and the Priest At the consideration of these terrible acts I tremble upon the meditation of these works of power I am horribly afraid That only which revives my heart is thy mercy and goodness for I know Thou art a gracious God and full of compassion slow to anger Ver. 8 and of great mercy That thou art good to all and thy mercy is above all thy works which Ver. 9 when I recount in my memory I can no less than abundantly utter thy great goodness Ver. 7 and sing of thy righteousness that gives thy Word and kéeps it that in justice dost administer all things inflicting severe judgments upon the rebellious and sparing thy servants dost reward their weak endeavours with thy choicest blessings Ver. 10 For which thy Saints shall bless thee they shall speak of the glory of thy Kingdom and talk of thy power They shall make known to the sons of men thy glorious Acts and commend to the ignorant the excellency of thy power that it is far beyond any Monarchy on earth in extent of place wealth time For whereas there 's is limited thine is universal there 's encumbred with troubles and wants thine is quiet peaceable and rich whereas there 's have had and shall have their periods thine shall be continual in duration Thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and thy Dominion endureth throughout all Generations And since we are assured That thy Church in which thou reignest shall continue for ever O Lord stir up thy strength and come amongst us O let thy Kingdom come O Lord uphold those who are ready to fall and raise up those who are bowed down Our eyes wait upon thee O Lord feed all thy faithful people with thy Word and Sacraments in due season open thine hand and satisfie with thy grace every hungry and thirsty soul Thou Lord art righteous in all thy wayes and holy in all thy works be nigh therefore to all that call upon thee with a pure true and honest heart fulfil the desires of them that fear thee and hear their cry and save them Preserve gracious God with a singular care all them that love thée from all evil but for the wicked which oppress them and séek to trample them under their féet bring them to a spéedy destruction So shall my mouth speak forth the praise of the Lord and I hope also That all flesh shall have just occasion to bless thy holy Name for ever and ever Amen Ver. 21 PSAL. CXLVI A Hymn Hallelujah THE Subject of this Hymn is the same with the former and it hath These four parts 1. An Exhortation to praise God ver 1. which David is resolved to do ver 2. 2. A Dehortation from confidence in man how great soever ver 3 4. 3. On the contrary he pronounceth them happy that trust in God ver 5. 4. And to this confidence in God he perswades for many Reasons from ver 6. to the last 1.
and in Truth according to his Word and Promise He will accept no mans person but render to every man according to his works The Prayer collected out of the ninty sixth Psalm O Merciful Lord so déep is the Sea of thy mercies which hath from everlasting flow'd over unto us and thy dayly favours Vers. 1 2. that thou doest conter upon us that except we will be ungrateful we must sing unto thee a new Song for new blessings and bless thy name for fresh gifts and graces Vers. 5 What is man that thou shouldst be so mindful of him or the son of man that thou shouldst regard him Thou who madest the heaven Vers. 4 createdst him after thy own image but he defaced it Vers. 5 Thou who wert to be feared far above all gods gavest him a command to worship and honour thee but he made to himself other gods which indéed were no gods Vers. 4 but petty and ridiculous Deities and cast by thée the great God of heaven and earth a God greatly to be praised a God to be feared above all gods and worshipped the inventions of his own brain and the works of his own hands But all this did not cool thy love nor retard thy mercy even when all the kindreds of the Nations did serve other gods thou sentest them Redemption thou sentest thy Son to be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel Great and marvellous are thy works O Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Vers. 2 who ought not to fear thee and glorifie thy Name Warm therefore our cold hearts with thy love that we may shew forth thy Salvation from day to day Vers. 3 Make our flow tongues eloquent and powerful that we may publish this glad-ridings and declare thy glory unto the heathen and thy wonders to all people So resplendent is thy Honour and Majesty so immense thy strength Vers. 6 so illustrious thy beauty that we dust and ashes tremble in our approaches to thee and were it not for those commands thou hast laid upon and invitations and encouragements thou hast given to penitent and believing sinners we durst not presume to tender our selves and our homage before thee Vers. 7 But since thou hast call'd for a gift from us we do fréely give unto thée glory and strength fluce thou doest expect as a due debt glory to thy name we chéerfully give thée glory and proclaim thy name to the whole world The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Offerings we have none that are worthy of thée Vers. 8 yet such as we have we bring we offer unto thée the Sacrifice of a troubled and a contrite spirit we tender unto thée our petitions and thanks upon the Altar of a mortified and broken heart we confess our unworthiness and fast and wéep before thée we come into thy Courts and present what we are able two poor mites soul and body Lord accept of these our offerings for Iesus Christs sake Our desire is to worship thee in the Beauty of Holiness to be holy as thou art holy to be perfect as thou art perfect but being conscious to our selves of the impurity and imperfections of our own hearts and sensible of thy excellencies we step back for very fear and retire for shame Bold and impudent we cannot be in thy presence but we worship thée with trembling spirits and adore with reverence Yet thus much we are and may be bold to proclaim among the heathen The Lord reigneth Vers. 10 Jehovah who is our righteousness is our King long let him reign Vers. 11 for ever let him live Hosannah to the son of David and let all things in heaven and earth say Amen to it Let the Angels and Saints in Heaven rejoice at it Vers. 12 let all men on earth be glad of it let the wicked who are like the troubled Sea will they nill they reare it out let the fulness thereof the impious spirits that move them bow at the Name of Jesus Yea let the wildest tree in the field and wood be brought at last to confess that Jesus is the Lord to the glory of God the Father O thou great King of all the world Vers. 11 to whom all power is given in heaven and earth rule thy people with thy Word and Spirit and judge the adversaries of thy worship and enemies of thy Gospel bear rule and dominion among the heathen that yet have not submitted unto thee let the whole world be established by thy Gospel and thy Laws take place among them and never be removed Lord hasten thy Kingdom and appear in thy glory Even so come Lord Jesus Vers. 13 Come quickly Come to judge the earth seat thy self upon thy Throne and call all the Nations of the world before thee and make it known that thou art not an accepter of any mans person but that thou wilt judge the world with righteousness and the people with thy Truth and that those that have done ill shall go into eternal punishment but the righteous into life eternal Be thou my King O sweet Iesus inform me in thy Law guide and rule me by thy Spirit cause me so to worship and fear thee to offer such spiritual Sacrifices unto thee to give what I owe such glory and honour to thy Name that at thy coming I may be set on thy right-hand and be one of that number to whom thou wilt say Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world For thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen PSAL. CXVII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 IN this Psalm David sets forth Gods power and glory and being moved by the Spirit of Prophesie foretels the downfall of Idolators and the happy estate of those who serve God with an honest heart Three parts there are of this Psalm 1. A Prophetical description of Christs power and glory especially at the day of judgement from vers 1. to 7. 2. A manifest difference put betwixt Idolators and the people of God Confusion he imprecates to the first vers 7. And gives notice of the joy of the second with the reasons vers 8 9. 3. He exhorts those that love God to a good life encouraging them upon Gods favour vers 10. And upon the joy that is like to follow it vers 11. for which he stirs them up to rejoice and to be thankful vers 12. He begins with a Solemn Acclamation The Lord reigneth The first part God is the Supreme King being the self-same that he commanded to be proclaimed in the former Psalm vers 10. As if he had said By the coming of Christ the Empire of Death Vers. 1 the Power of the Devil all Oracles are silenc'd and all Idols destroy'd And he will use his Scepter
soever ye live see that ye trust in the Lord and that for the same reason For he will be their help and their shield also In every Nation those that fear him and do righteousness are accepted of him He will be a Lord Protector even to these as to Job Naaman c. 3. And that his Exhortation to trust in God might take the deeper root The third part The blessing upon it he tells all three that they should be no losers by it for it was it that had and would bring a blessing upon them For God doth not use to forget those that trust in him but he hath been mindful of us Ver. 12 And by a singular and especial Providence and care of us he hath shew'd it and he will shew it to every one of you 1. To you of the Nation He will bless the house of Israel 1 To the Nation 2. To you of the Priesthood He will bless the house of Aaron 3. To all you that fear him He will bless them that fear the Lord 2 To the Priesthood both small and great And the Prophet taking his example from God 3 To all that fear him This the Prophet seconds with his prayer poures forth his blessing upon them also he thought it not enough to exhort them only to trust in God and acquaint them that God would bless them except he seconded it with his prayer and therefore to Gods blessing he adds his own and desires the blessing may rest upon the heads of them and their children 1. The Lord shall increase you more and more you and your children 2. Let the World curse you and speak evil of you yet I say Ye are the blessed of the Lord come ye blessed Deutr. 28. 3. That Lord which made heaven and earth which words are added that they be assured that their blessing is a real blessing coming from him in whose hand is the dew of heaven and fatness of the earth in which form Isaac blessed Jacob Gen. 27.28 4. It comes from one that is able to bless 1. For the heaven even the heavens are the Lords In them he especially shewes his Presence Majesty Glory from thence descend the dewes of grace and the drops of rain that water the earth 2. As for the earth he hath made a Deed of Gift for that He hath given it to the children of men that by his blessing upon their labour they may be sustained with food and rayment so that while they live in it and enjoy the Goods thereof they praise him 4. The fourth part For that is the true end of their being here the chief nay the sole end they live upon it And that for their blessing they again bless God the end that God gave it to them an end which they that are dead cannot attain unto This he illustrates by an Antithesis betwixt the dead and the living 1. Ver. 17 For the dead praise not the Lord neither any that go down into the silence Among them there is great silence of the dewes of heaven and the fatness of the earth they need neither and therefore they praise not God for them The blessing of the City and blessings of the Field are nothing unto them they have no mouths to fill and therefore no mouths in a corporal manner to open in the praise of God Him they praise but it is after their manner not ours him they praise but it is for other blessings than ours 2. Ver. 18 But we as yet are upon the earth we enjoy his protection we enjoy besides spiritual these temporal blessings also this his gift we must make use of And therefore we will do that the dead cannot We will bloss the Lord from this time forth for evermore By our selves while we live and desire it may be done by our posterity when we are going down into silence 3. However ye that are alive this day Praise ye the Lord. The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and fifteenth Psalm O Omnipotent and Gracious God in all Ages thou hast béen merciful to thy people and even in their greatest afflictions raised up the spirits of some one or other of thy servants by whose hands thou hast delivered them At this time we are in great misery at this time we are in affliction send us help from thy Sanctuary raise us up some Moses to go before us some Joshua to sight for us Ver. 2 some Sampson to deliver us wherefore should the uncircumcised triumph over us and say Where is now their God The reproach O Lord redounds to thée this insultation is to thy dishonour arise then O Lord and give the glory unto thy Name shew thy merciful countenance and that thou art a God of Truth Ver. 1 and for thy Mercy and Truths sake come down at last and deliver us Merit there is none on our part why thou shouldst do it for us and therefore it must be mercy Merit there is too much on our part why thou shouldst not do it and therefore if it be done it must be thy Truth thy Word pass'd to thy servants that moves thée to it We destre not that any part of this work be attributed to us but that the honour of it be wholly thine Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name which is now blashemed and vilified Ver. 3 give the Glory for thy Mercy and for thy Truths sake Make them know that have so long trusted in lying vanities and worshipped the imaginations of their own hearts That our God is in Heaven that he hath done whatsoever pleased him that as it hath béen his pleasure to humble us so it is his pleasure to exalt us he hath brought us very low but he can set us again on high when how and by whom he pleaseth O Lord heal our back-slidings and love us freely turn away thine anger from us be as a dew to thy Israel make his branches â—oread Ver. 9 and his beauty as the Olive-trée let him revive as the Corn and grow as the Vine what have we to do any more with Idols vain men That have hands and cannot help and ears and will not hear Thée O Lord will we hear Thée will we alone observe For thou art our help and our shield Thou wilt be the Lord Protector to thy Israel Thou wilt be a shield to the house of Aaron Thou wilt be a helper to all those that fear thée therefore renouncing the arm of flesh we will trust to thée alone O Lord be mindful of us and bless us bless the house of Israel that people which thou hast chosen to thy self and gathered from among the Nations Bless the house of Aaron that Tribe that thou hast chosen to thy self and set apart to come near unto thée among this people O Lord bless them all that sear thy Name in what part of the World soever they remain of what condition soever they he
and before all others for ye are the servants of the Lord chose out of the people to this service 3. Ye are those which by night stand in the house of the Lord ye are appointed Levit. 8. Numb 18. and must therefore stand upon your watch In the Temple you ought not to be sleepy and idle for you were set for another purpose Therefore 4. Lift up your hands by prayer in the Sanctuary before the Ark of the Covenant which was the symbol of his presence And to bless the people 5. Bless the Lord laud and magnifie his Name The other part of your office is to bless the people let not that be forgotten neither but say in this Form of words 1. Which they do The Lord blesse thee Let them know from whom the blessing comes 2. Out of Zion So long as they remain'd in the unity of the Church no blessing to be expected The form of blessing when Zion was left 3. That Lord who hath made heaven and earth He that hath power to bless and hath given and must give his blessing to all creatures without which they will not be blessed to thee The Prayer collected out of the one hundred and thirty fourth Psalm O Merciful God that hast chosen the Tribe of Levi and taker us neere unto thy self give us grace and abilities to perform our duties to thee We are thy chosen servants we are to stand in the house of the Lord cause us therefore night and day to stand consciouably upon our watch to lift up our hands in thy Sanctuary to offer up our prayers continually unto thee and to intercede for thy people and never let us forget to bless thee our Lord and thy people in thy name And moreover we intreat of thee dear Father that thou wouldst ever do good to thy people out of Zion who fly unto thée for a blessing Thou art the Lord who hast made heaven and earth deliver us from our present difficulties and dangers and since thou hast vouchsafed to call us to the knowledge of thy truth give us a hoart to land and praise thy holy Name for ever and ever Amen Here endeth the Psalms of Degrees PSAL. CXXXV IN this Psalm the Prophet invites the servants of God to praise him and Ministers especially vers 1 2. by arguments drawn 1. From his goodness especially in his election of Israel vers 3 4. 2. From his greatness and power shewed in his works from vers 5. to 8. 3. From his justice shewed upon the enemies of Israel from vers 8. to 13. 4. From his loving kindness extended and to be extended to his servants vers 13 14. 5. He invites the Levites to praise God The first part Having derided the vanity of Idols from vers 15. to 19. he returns to his exhortation calling upon all to blesse God from vers 19. to 21. 1. He calls upon the Ministers of Religion especially to attend to the recitation of divine praises and in the same words of the former Psalm 1. Ver. 1 Praise ye the Lord praise ye the Name of the Lord praise Him O ye servants of the Lord. 2. Ver. 2 Ye that stand in the house of the Lord in the Courts of the house of our God 2. The second part The reasons And now ingeminating his words again he produces his reasons to perswade it 1. Ver. 3 Because the Lord is worthy of all praise Praise the Lord for he is good What is good is worthy of praise 1 Because he is good what is bad worthy of dispraise But God is absolutely good not comparatively nor by participation from himself good not from any other and therefore praise the Lord because he is good 2. 2 It is a pleasent work Sing praises to his Name because it is pleasant it is no troublesome work or laborious but full of delight sweetness content The Hebrew word Nahim may be referred to the Lord to his Name or to the praise so that the sense may be sing unto the Lord because the Lord is sweet or sing to his name for it is sweet or sing unto the Lords Name for it is a pleasant and an action of content that delights the soul Ver. 4 3. Praise the Lord for his love to Israel which imposeth a debt and obligation to praise him 3 They tyed to do it because God chose Jacob. 1. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself to be his inheritance portion 2. And Israel to be his peculiar treasure Rom. 9. Malach 1. I have lâ—ved Jacob and hated Esau And this obligation lies upon Christians now The third part 3. The next Argument which the Prophet useth to perswade to the praise of God is from his greatness of which he was assured For I know first that the Lord is great secondly Ver. 5 that our Lord is above all gods 4 Because God is great And first that the Lord is great and of great power he proves by many instances 1. From his Empire and universal dominion in heaven the earth the seas c. Ver. 6 1. Whatsoever the Lord pleased that he did In his works Nothing is impossible to him We would do many things but cannot He does all by his free will not out of any need but we work for the most part because we want necessity compels us 'T is but 't fithen we give to him the praise not to our selves 2. He doth all things what he pleaseth in all places in heaven earth seas hell And these last words the Prophet amplifies by setting down some especial places in which his works are most apparent 1. In the earth 1 In the earth He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth from all parts East West North South Ver. 7 which are endued with several qualities 2. In the air and clouds above He maketh lightning for the rain 2 Aire A wonder that fire should be mixt with water and not distinguished 3. In the water For he brings the winds out of his treasures 3 The water A third wonder for nothing is more obscure than the generation of the winds out of his treasures they come from his rich and secret power John 3. 4. The third argument the Prophet useth to perswade us to praise God The fourth part is from his justice in taking vengeance of the enemies of his people as 5 Because just 1. Upon the Aegyptians Ver. 8 1. Who smote the first-born of Aegypt both of man and beast For instance on Egypt and it was evident that it was his hand because the first-born only were smitten and of the Aegyptians onely and not of Israel 2. Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee O Aegypt upon Pharaoh and all his servants Exod. 7.8 9 10 11 12. in brief he minds us of all the signs and plagues of Aegypt 2. On the Amoritish Kings Sihon and Og 2 On
of the One hundred forty and seventh Psalm O Thou great Lord of heaven and earth Ver. 5 thy power is great and thy understanding infinite thy goodnesse is incomprehensible and thy mercy above all thy works when I consider thy greatnesse I tremble when I look upon thy wisdom I admire but as often as I look back upon thy goodnesse and mercy I am animated to approach thy throne and to pay that debt of thankfulnesse unto thee for thy providence over the whole world and peculiarly thy care and love extended to thy poor Church When the thirsty earth gasps for rain thou coverest the heaven with clouds Ver. 8 and preparest to moisten it thou clothest the mountains with grass and blessest the valleys with plenty There 's not a beast to which thou givest not food Ver. 9 nor a bird of the aire nor a fowle of heaven no nor a young Raven that thou hearest not when they cry for want Ver. 15 Thy command is a Law and thy word runs very swiftly When thou sayest the word in winter the Snow descends like Wooll and the hoar-frost covers the earth like ashes the waters cake into ice and the rivers become stiff and run not But thou again no sooner sends forth thy word in the Spring but their hardnesse is dissolved thou causest thy wind to blow and the waters flow Who Ver. 1 Lord can consider these thy wayes without admiration and admiring Ver. 7 praise and in praising sing unto thée with thanksgiving O Lord make it our work for it is good make it our delight for it is pleasant make it our labour for it is comely that must néeds become us which becomes thy Angels and Saints in heaven whose joy it is day and night to sing prayses to thy holy name for thy wondrous works of providence wisdome goodnesse Ver. 11 and mercy toward the sons of men but especially for thy love and protection over that people that fear thée and hope in thy mercy Gracious God consider their afflictions and how that at this time a principal member groans under the Crosse thy Temples are cast down thy houses of prayer destroyed thy people scattered on the mountains as shéep that have no shepherd Ver. 2 O then build restore and confirme once more Jerusalem Ver. 3 and gather together unto her the outcasts of Israel Heal those that are broken in heart and binde up as a good Physitian the merciless wounds they have received Ver. 4 these are stars in the firmament of thy Church let them not wander up and down in shéeps skins and goats skins being destitute afflicted and tormented for ever their number thou knowest call them all then by their names and though now obscured yet let them shine again in thy Church Ver. 6 These are méek in heart and poor in spirit look to them O Lord and lift them up and execute thy just wrath against their oppressors and cast the wicked who with a proud hand insult over them down even to the ground Take pleasure Ver. 11 O Lord in them that fear thee and tremble at thy word bring back thy banished and build them a sure house provide for them a City to dwell in and strengthen the bars of the gates thereof Ver. 13 blesse her children within her Make peace in her borders and fill her with the finest of the wheat But above all shew thy word unto Jacob Ver. 19 and thy statutes and judgments unto Israel And where thou hast not dealt so with other Nations Ver. 20 to reveal unto them the secret Mysteries of thy Gospel open to us these glad-tydings and inflame our hearts with the love of them and give us grace to conform our lives unto them For so shall Jerusalem praise thee Ver. 12 and Zion magnifie thy Name for ever and ever Hallelujah Hallelujah Praise the Lord. PSAL. CXLVIII A Hymn Or Hallelujah THE Prophet in this Psalm calls upon the whole Creation to be instrumental in the praises of God By which he shews David calls upon all creatures to praise God 1. His ardent desire that God be praised in that as if Creatures endued with reason were too few to praise God he calls even to inanimate things that they would join with him and be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz. 2. His intention what he would have done then what could be done 3. That what could be should be done that they by our mouths praise God That is we seeing in them God power wisdom goodness be ready to praise 4. That in their kinds they really do praise him because being made in a wonderful beauty and order which they transgress proclaim to the world and testifie of God even without a voice that he must needs be a wise intelligent understanding that so made them The Psalm is disposed by an excellent Distribution 1. He calls to the celestial creatures in General 2. In special 1. The Angels Praise ye the Lord. 1. 1 The Angels Praise ye the Lord from the heavens Ye Of the celestial Order Or ut caeles i. e. Ver. 1 de habitaculo vestro and this is no command 〈◊〉 exhortation as if the Angels were negligent in their duty but an invitation to continue in doing what they do already 2. Praise him in the heights i. e. the heavens above 3. And yet more plainly For the second verse is but an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or declaration of the first 1. Praise him all his Angels 2. Praise him all his hosts Which in St. Luke are Militia caeli Ver. 2 2. The Sun and Moon Stars Praise ye him Sun and Moon 2 Sun Moon stars Praise him all ye Stars of light Though not with voice which ye want yet praise him by your greatness motion beauty light efficacy Ver. 3 3. He comes to the body of the heaven the Orbs. 3 The Orbs. 1. Praise him ye heaven of heavens that is the Coelum Empyraum Ver. 4 2. And ye waters that be above the heavens that is all the Orbs above the aire which in the Scripture is called heaven as volucres coeli nubes coeli c. For he established them And in the two next verses he gives the reason why the heavens praise God 1. He commanded and they were created They are his creatures Ver. 5 therefore 2. He hath established them for ever Ver. 6 he hath made a decree which shall not pass They are incorruptible they must keep the Order he made 2. From heaven he descends to the earth and all sublunary bodies as the earth 4 All sublunary Bodies Air water and creatures that live in these or are in these Praise the Lord from the earth All that are from the earth Ver. 7 all made of an elementary substance As 1. Ye Dragons Ye Whales Muse Greater fishes Bellar. 2. All Deeps All kind of waters Lakes Ponds Rivers Seas 3. Fire and hail snow and vapours stormy wind fulfilling his word Meteors 4. Mountains and all hills
instances in which the excellency of Gods name doth appear and he gives forth three First Infants Secondly The heavens and the Luminaries therein Thirdly Man himself 1. The excellency of Gods power divinity and goodness appears in infants 1 In infants Out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings hast thou ordained strength 1. Vers. 2 The sucking of babes and speaking of infants are evident demonstrations of Gods strength and excellent name For who taught the babe to suck or the dumb infant to speak but the Lord our Governour 2. Or the innocent babes that dyed for him by Herods hand were Martyrs and declared his strength 3. Or the children that cryed Hosanna 4. Or by Babes is meant such as the worldly wise repute no better than children and fools by simple Prophets ignorant fishermen humble confessours hath he perfected his praise and still'd the enemy and the avenger confounded the wisest Philosophers and stopp'd the mouth of Devils 2. The next instance 2 In the heavens in which the glory and excellency of Gods name is manifested is the Heavens Moon Stars These are the works of his fingers Vers. 3 call'd here therefore Thy heavens Whose amplitude is great order and Orbs wonderful beauty admirable matter durable motion various yet stable Together with the stars whose multitude is numerous magnitude various order admirable influences secret and wonderful and the constant course of the Moon and the other great Luminary all which thou hast order'd and ordain'd When I say I consider this then I think with my self What is man Vers. 4 that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou visitest him 3 In Man which is his third instance to manifest the excellency of Gods providence and government of the world In which he reflects upon man in his baseness and his dignity 1. Whose vileness the Prophet considering In his baseness vileness and misery signified by the question What is man as if he should say What a poor creature how miserable what except dust and ashes when he was at the best for he was taken from the dust of the ground even then when God created him after his own image But now miserable dust while he lives and to dust he shall return when he dyes What then is this miserable creature of what worth of what value that thou so great so immense a Creatour of all other things that dwellest above the stars and celestial Orbs shouldst vouchsafe to visit and have a care of him 2. Admires the love and care of God to him For that is his Dignity that above all other creatures thy love is greatest to man This thou hast shew'd these wayes 1. 1 In visiting him In visiting him Thou visitest him and art mindful of him 1. Thou visitest him by conferring many temporal blessings on him 2. Thou wert mindful of him and visitedst him first by thy Prophets then in person by thy dear Son that brought Redemption to him when he was utterly lost 2. Vers. 5 In making him thy second creature The Angels first him next and not in all things inferiour to them 2 In making him little lower than the Angels Thou madest him a little lower than the Angels Lower indeed according to his body and bodily necessities but in the faculties of his soul resembling those celestial Spirits 3. 3 In adorning him with glory and worship In creating him after thy own image which when he had lost thou again repairedst and restoredst it making him a partaker of the Divine Nature in thy Son And so didst compass invest and adorn him with glory and worship 4. Vers. 6 In making him Lord of all thy creatures Thou mad'st him to have dominion over the works of thy hands 4 In making him Lord of all creatures and putt'st all things under his feet that they should all obey serve him as their Lord and turn to his use and profit which though true of man yet it especially belongs to Christ when he took our humane nature for he was heir of all things And we in Christ are restored to our dominion over the creatures Which the Prophet illustrates and amplifies in particular 1. Vers. 7 All sheep and oxen yea and the beasts of the field 2. The fowls of the air the fishes of the sea c. He closes the Psalm with that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he began The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Lord our Governour how excellent is thy Name in all the world The Meditation or Prayer collected out of the eighth Psalm O Lord our God and governour Vers. 1 how great how admirable how ecxellent is thy Name not only in Judea but in all the earth Our words are too flat to express our senses and reason too weak to comprehend the wisdom of thy wayes the immensity of thy goodness which thou hast shew'd to the children of men Thy name and thy will thou hast made known in thy Word thy name thou hast magnified in thy works both which as often as we consider we are put into astonishment and admiration From this earth we cast up our eyes to heaven and in that Arch we behold nothing but matters of wonder for thou hast set thy glory above the heavens There is thy Seat and Throne of Majesty there the Angels and Saints praise thée there the Sun and the Moon with all the stars proclaim thy glory O Lord our God how excellent is thy Name in all the earth thou hast set thy glory above the heavens And though this thy goodness is diffused and may be séen in all things yet it is in nothing more admirable than in thy providence for infants and sucklings Vers. 2 for out of the mouth of these thou hast ordained strength The child is no sooner born but thou hast ordained a teat for it to suck and a strange instinct to séek after it The young of any creature is no sooner brought forth but thou hast provided for it milk and nourishment by which it should live grow up increase and become strong So great is thy care thy love thy provision for all creatures But which is yet more wonderful these very infants and sucklings could no sooner speak but thou hast taught their tongues to sound forth Hosannah to the Son of David What were all thy Prophets and Apostles but as it were babes and sucklings rude and illiterate men and yet in their mouths thou didst perfect the praise It was not by the power of arms it was not by strength it was not by humane wisdom and prudence that thou didst convert the world and gather thy Church but thou didst make choice of those ignorant and weak men by whose mouths no better than Babes and Sucklings thou wouldst still that enemy of our souls the Devil and put to silence that avenger of our sins Satan who by thée is appointed to take and is well pleased that he may take a just and cruel
corrupted by the fair perswasions of hypocrites Secondly Or that he might not be partaker of their punishments Draw me not away with the wicked and workers of iniquity upon whom he sets this mark Ver. 3 Who speak peace with their Neighbours but mischief in their hearts Against whom he imprecates 3. Against whom he useth this imprecation which is the second part of his prayer Give them according to their deeds and according to the wickedness of their endeavours Ver. 4 give them after the work of their hands render unto them their desert He doth not simply pray that punishment may overtake them but that it may be proportionable to their desert and he prayes earnestly for it as appears by the often repetition of words importing the same thing which that it seem not strange in the next verse he gives the Reason that they were enemies to Piety and contemners of God far from repentance and any hope of amendment Do this unto them Because they were enemies to piety Because they regard not the works of the Lord nor the operation of his hands And then intimates that this their punishment was just and that it should come from above Ver. 5 Therefore he shall destroy them and not build them up Then there follows an excellent form of giving Thanks The second part His thankfulness into which he falls by an admirable Acclamation Blessed be the Lord of which blessing he assigns the Reasons which excellently expresseth the chief parts of Thanksgiving 1. Ver. 6 That God heard him He hath heard the voyce of my supplications 2. The Reasons of it That he would be his Protector The Lord is my strength and my shield 3. Ver. 7 For his grace of confidence My heart trusted in him 4. That from him he had relief I am helped 5. The testification and annuntiation of his Gratitude Therefore my heart greatly rejoyceth and in my song will I praise him He remembers the Indenture I will deliver thee and thou shalt praise me and therefore with heart and tougue he gives thanks 6. And that God should be sure to have all the Honour he repeats what he said before Ver. 8 The Lord is not my strength but their strength i. e. of all those that are with me and he is my strength also the strength of salvation for there were a plurality of them of his Anointed He concludes the Psalm with a Prayer The third part He commends the Church to Gods care and tuition in which he commends the whole Church to Gods Care and Tuition 1. Save thy People in the midst of these Tumults and Distractions 2. Bless thine-Inheritance that they may increase in knowledge piety wealth 3. Feed them and give them a better Shepheard than Saul 4. Lift them up for ever Make their name famous among the Gentiles give them dominion over them that it may be known they are thy peculiar people The Prayer collected out of the twenty eighth Psalm VNLD thée O Lord with all intention of heart and fervour of spirit I cry forsake me not and withdraw not thy help from me be not deaf and still silent to answer my prayers Ver. 1 lest I become as heartless and hopeless as they that descend into the grave Ver. 2 Hear the voyce of my supplications when I call unto thee when with affectionate desire and heat I lift up my hands to thy Mercy-seat Suffer me not to be corrupted with the fair perswasions of hypocrites Ver. 3 nor to be drawn away and deceived by the flattering lips of the workers of iniquity lest I be partaker of their sin and punishment who give good words and speak peace to their Neighbours when yet they imagine mischief in their hearts I know Ver. 4 O Lord that thy justice will overtake their sin and therefore as thou hast decréed Reward them according to their deeds and according to the wickedness of their endeavours Ver. 5 give them after the work of their hands pay them what they have deserved I know they are malicious sinners that break thy Commands not upon ignorance and infirmity but presumptuoufly and with a high hand Shew thy great works in the Earth they regard it not let thy power of thy hand work wonders they pass it by without the least observance therefore O Lord destroy them with an irreparable ruine and never permit them to be raised and built again Blessed and thrice blessed be the Lord Ver. 6 to whose ears this my supplication is come and who I am certain will grant what I have asked of him The Lord is my strength to confirm me my shield to defend me in him my heart trusted and I am helped therefore my heart greatly rejoyceth my mouth I will open to his honour my song shall be of him all the day long and with a chearful mind and a grateful tongue I will praise him Lor save thy people and bless thine inheritance save them with thy hand bless them that they may increase in knowledge piety and wealth feed them with thy Word and lift up their heads above those that hate them that it may be known they are thy chosen Israel the people of thy love Be unto them a Tower of strength against the face of their enemy and send them salvation by the hand of thy Anointed and at last bring them to eternal life through Iesus Christ our Lord. Another out of the same Psalm O Heavenly Father we humbly beséech thy goodness when we cry unto thée to hear our supplications for if thou turn away thine ear and neglect to give us Audience in these our pressures and afflictions the men of thy hand will prevail against us and bring down our life unto the pit We do acknowledge before thée that our wayes have béen perverse our works wicked and the imagination of our hearts only vain and evil continually yet O Lord we desire to be holy render therefore not unto us not according to our deserts but according to thy great mercies Of thy insinite goodness reckon us not with the workers of iniquity suffer us not to be seduced by and punished with wicked men as we have deserved return unto them O Lord seven-fold into their bosome but to us thy people be propitious Be unto us O Lord strength and a buckler save us in our dangers féed us in our necessities favour us in our enterprises and give us success in our actions O Lord we are thine inheritance the people that thou hast adopted to be thy children and heirs heap upon us here thy mercies and hereafter bring us to an everlasting inheritance in Heaven by the precious merits of Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen PSAL. XXIX An Exhortation to praise God THERE be two parts of this Psalm 1. The Exhortation it self ver 1 2. 2. The Reasons to perswade drawn 1. From his Power from ver 3. to 11. 2. From the Protection of his people ver 11. The Exhortation which is
as some great King in his Throne providing for all the parts of his Empire examining all Causes and doing justice to every one 1. Vers. 13 The Lord looks from heaven and beholds all the sons of men 2. That he sees all From the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth Vers. 14 3. And he is not â—â—iosus spectator neither Vers. 15 He sees and considers their hearts their works Considers in what men put their trust And he sees in what they put their confidence in their Armies in theiâ— strength in their Horse not in him But all in vain Vers. 16 For there is no King that can be saved by the multitude of an Hoast Evacuates their designs A mighty man is not delivered by much strength An horse is a vain thing for safety neither shall he deliver any man by his great strength Multitude strength c. without God are useless 2. Hitherto he hath given a proof of Gods providence toward all men 2 But defends his Church but now he descends to a particular proof of it by his care over his Church which he wonderfully guides defends protects in all dangers and assaults And that notice be taken of it he begins with an Ecce Behold the eye of the Lord his tender'st care is over them that fear him Vers. 18 upon them that hope in his mercy To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine Upon this Gods people The third part The three last verses contain the Acclamation of Gods people who believe and place all their hope and trust in God For being excited as it were by the former Arguments They do three things Vers. 20 1. They express and profess their faith and dependance on God 1 Wait on him Our soul waiteth on God he is our help and our shield Vers. 21 2. They publish upon what hope they are held up and how comforted 2 Publish his name and rejoice in it For our heart shall rejoice in him because we have trusted in his Holy Name Vers. 22 3. Upon this hope they commend themselves by prayer to God 3 Commend themselves to Gods mercy Let thy mercy O Lord be upon us according as we hope in thee The Prayer collected out of the thirty third Psalm O God thy goodness is so great thy faithfulness so constant thy power so wonderful thy providence so universal but thy care so Fatherly toward thy people that we were unworthy of the least of thy mercies should we not acknowledge them and return thee due honour and thanks For there is nothing in the whole world which doth not witness thée to be a bountiful God Vers. 4 and a most Merciful Father Thy Word O Lord thy Decrée for the Creation and Government of the World is right and equal and all thy works are done in true wisdom righteousness and judgement Vers. 5 For there is nothing that thou hast commanded which is not just Nothing that thou hast promised which thou wilt not make good and bring to pass Out of that love thou bearest to righteousness and judgement the earth is full of thy goodness there being in it nothing so minute and vile which one way or other doth not partake of thy bounty Vers. 6 and commend thy goodness and mercy to us By thy Word alone and sole Command were those incorruptible Orbs of the Heavens made and confirm'd and all the hoast of them that multitude of starres so orderly and beautifully disposed by the breath the word the Fiat of thy mouth Thou hast gather'd together those unruly waters of the Sea into one place and shut them up with bounds and limits that they return not again to cover the earth And thou hast hidden and laid up great streams of waters in the bowels of the earth as in a Treasure-house which at thy pleasure thou bring'st forth to water a thirsty Land He spake and all this was done he commanded and it stood fast For so great is thy power that without any labour without any delay without any help all this was done and that by thy Will and Word only and by thy Word and Will it is that it doth so now continue and remain without dissolution Therefore O ye righteous rejoice in the Lord Praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner Vers. 2 praise therefore a righteous God with an upright heart Neither with your mouth only express his praise but set it forth with musical instruments Praise the Lord with the Harp sing unto him with the Psaltery and an instrument of ten strings And you who have so often sung of his honour now since he hath renew'd his mercies set forth your joy with a New Song play skilfully with a loud voice So set forth his praise his power his wisdom his mercy that all the earth may fear the Lord and the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him For what he hath ordained by his eternal counsel shall be fulfill'd and stand fast for ever and the thoughts of his heart to all generations Since then thou O Jehovah art most just most merciful most Mighty blessed is that Nation who have chosen and worshipped thee O Lord for their God and happy is the people whom thou hast chosen for thine inheritance O make us Lord alwayes of this people that we may be happy under thy protection Dwell in the midst of us and bless us But O Lord bring the counsels of wicked men against this thy people to nought and make the devices of the people of none effect Look down from heaven and behold all the sons of men from the place of thy habitation look upon the inhabitants of the earth Thou searchest the very hearts and reins and knowest all their plots and secret counsels they take against thy people thou séest their preparations and provisions O Lord make them know and so fashion their hearts that they may perceive that all hope and confidence is in vain which is not in thée Because there is no other can save besides thy self For there is no King that can be saved by the multitude of an hoast neither is a mighty man deliver'd by much strength An Horse whether in battle or flight is a vain-deceitful thing to save a man neither shall he deliver his rider by his great strength It is not in these vain helps we put our considence our hope is in thée alone on thée we relie to thée we trust from thée we look for help Let thy eye therefore O Lord be upon us that fear thee who relie not upon any merits and creatures but on thy méer mercy let thy everlasting mercy then follow us and deliver our souls from temporal and eternal death and suffain us with a sufficient livelihood in the time of famine Upon thee O Lord our soul doth wait be our shield to protect us our help to deliver us So shall our heart
be brought to thee i. e. the Church 2. Ver. 15 They shall be brought with joy and gladness and enter into the Kings Palace Ver. 16 gladly and willingly they shall enter into his Courts on earth and after be received to a Mansion in Heaven 5. For her fruitfulness Barren she shall not be for she shall have many children The Churches gratitude good children and great for the Fathers the Patriarchs Prophets Priests in the old Law Apostles Evangelists and their Successors in the New that may be made Princes in all Lands her Officers are not contemptible 3. The third part The conclusion which is gratulatory for for this honour the Church would 1. Erect as it were a statue I will make thy Name to be remembred in all Generations 2. Ver. 17 The praise shall be perpetuated Therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever The Prayer collected out of the forty fifth Psalm LET the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be alwayes acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my Redéemer Ver. 1 grant that my heart may endite a good matter and make my tongue a ready instrument of thy Spirit nimbly and aptly and solely to express what thou shalt dictate to me of the King of glory O thou wonderful God and Man the Messiah and Saviour of the World Ver. 2 Thou wert fairer in thy conception and more beautiful in thy birth than all the sons of men born we were all in iniquity and in sin our mother conceived us but thou wert holy in and from the womb being fréed and purified by the Holy Ghost from the stain and spots of our original corruption and when thou wast pleased to manifest thy self to the World thy lips were full of grace thy words drop'◠as the honey-comb never man spake like thée never was there such discourses of mercy such calls and offers of love by which thou didst encourage the weary and heavy-laden to come unto thée and we miserable sinners to be reconciled to God for which God hath blessed thee for ever and given thée all power in Heaven and Earth for which we bless thée for ever on Earth and hope to do it in Heaven Now since thou art the Lord of power Gird thy Sword I pray thee Ver. 3 upon thy Thigh O most Mighty conquer and subdue thy enemies whether impious Devils or devilish men take from the one that dominion which they usurp over thy people and bring the other readily and willingly to submit unto thée this will increase thy glory this will improve thy Majesty and Renown Ver. 4 and in thy power prosper and ride on that Truth and Meekness and Righteousness may flourish in thy Kingdom which is easie for thée to do because the right hand of thy power and Divine Omnipotence shall wonderfully teach and direct thée in this work causing thée to the admiration of all not to desist till thou hast obtained an absolute victory and lead in triumph thy enemies Let the words of thy Gospel be sharper than arrows Ver. 5 with a wonderful quickness let them pierce the hearts of many Nations that whereas now they are rebellious and enemies to thy Kingdom they may be wounded to their good that they may fall under thée even at thy foot-stool yield to thy command and be ready to do thy will whose Throne is for ever and ever Ver. 6 and the Scepter of whose Kingdom is a right Scepter Cause them to love that which thou lovest and hate that which thou hatest Thou lovest righteousness make them then in love with equity Ver. 7 thou hatest iniquity cause them to hate all injustice and since thou wast anointed with the oyle of gladness above thy fellows yet for thy fellows anoint also all those that thou hast taken into this fellowship with a fragrant portion of this thy holy oyle that they rejoyce to do thy will Let Kings Daughters noble and princely souls Ver. 9 stand among those thy Saints whom thou hast honoured and brought to thy obedience O let the Queen thy Church whom in mercy and loving-kindness in judgment and justice thou hast espoused to thée stand on thy right hand cloathed in a golden Robe of thy Righteousness O let the smell of their garments be as a Field that the Lord hath blessed Ver. 8 and the swéet of their vertues and graces more odoriferous in thy Nostrils than the perfumes of Myrrhe Cinnamon and Cassia compounded by the skilfullest art of the Apothicary And thou O Daughter so peculiarly beloved and elected by the Messiah consider and encline thine ear attend and give diligent héed what the King shall teach thée concerning the true God and his Service Our eyes are heavy and we cannot sée our ears are deaf and we cannot hear Lord open our eyes that we may sée and say thou Ephatha to our ears that we may hearken and soften our hearts that we may consider of the great honour thou hast done us Teach us to leave father and mother and house and land for thy sake to forget our own people and our fathers house and all that is most dear unto us the bewitching lusts of our own wills and the vanities of our former lewd conversation Enrich our hearts with thy gifts of Grace so shall the King have pleasure in our beauty and we shall acknowledge him for the Lord our God adore fear reverence and worship him Kéep our hearts O Lord in thy fear for then the Nations round about us shall séek and sue to us the Princes of Tyre shall come and bow to us and offer us gifts the rich also among the people shall intreat our favour and desire they may be united to our Communion Adorn us O Lord inwardly with thy Graces and outwardly with an orderly worship and discipline Let our chief glory be that which is within the hid man of the heart and then make us beautiful without in all the ornaments of true Religion vertuous works and Christian lives and over and above in the vestments of outward Ceremonies which are as it were the needle-work and embroydery of Holiness By all which the Virgin-souls of the people may be brought unto thee and accompany us to glorifie our Father which is in Heaven This may move them to enter into the unity of the Church with joy and gladness which is the door of those mansions which thou hast prepared for them in Heaven where they shall enjoy thy sight and thy presence for ever Raise up O Lord our King instead of the fathers of our profession the Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles Apostclical men Bishops Pastours and lawful Ministers of thy Word whom thou may'st make Princes to féed and guide to govern and teach thy Church in all lands O Lord thy Mercies are so great and manifold to thy Church that I will make thy name to be remembred in all Generations O let the people praise thee and sing of thy honour for
were inhumane They gave me Gall to eat and in my thirst they gave me Vinegar to drink Nothing more true than these four degrees in Christs Passion such enemies he found such Jewes 2. His prayer being ended The second part An imprecation he fitly subjoins a heavy imprecation by way of a Prophecy 1. And first he prayes That as they gave him Gall and Vinegar in his thirst that they might find the like at their Table Let their Table be made a snare to them and that for their welfare a Trap A heavy judgment The degrees are eight when that which God ordains for our necessity delight content health prosperity should be our hurt discontent sickness death 2. That they be struck blind and he means not so much in body as in mind a grievous judgment when a man can neither see imminent dangers nor future evils Let their eyes be darkned that they see not 3. That they be infeebled in their bodies and counsels Make their loyns continually to shake i. e. let them be unfit for War and action or as Saint Paul renders it Ever bow down their backs let them be in perpetual slavery and carry burdens 4. That they suffer speedily greatly and continually 1. Greatly for he prays effunde poure out and that is commonly out of a full Vessel and plentifully 2. Speedily Poure out thy indignation on them for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil 3. Perpetually Let thy wrathful anger take hold of them for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. That their Countrey be wasted and their posterity thrust from their inheritance and houses Let their habitation be desolate and none dwell in their Tents And here the Prophet interserts a Reason which was their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or which is worse their adding affliction to affliction so far from commiseration that they help to increase the grief of those whom God hath wounded For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten and they talk to grieve those whom thou hast wounded 6. That they may fill up the measure of their iniquity and so be ripe for Gods Sickle Add iniquity to iniquity withdraw thy grace that they sin freely 7. That they dye in the state of impenitency Let them not come into thy righteousness 8. That they finally perish Let them be blotted out of the Book of the living and not be written with the righteous 3. The third part He sings praise Hitherto we have heard Davids complaints and prayers but now out of the sense of divine protection he breaks out into praises 1. Ver. 29 He confesses his own condition As for me I am poor and sorrowful and then acknowledgeth Gods help Let thy salvation set me on high And assures himself of Gods acceptance The effects shall be 2. Then with full voyce he sings praise I will praise the Name of God with a Song and will magnifie it with Thanksgiving 3. And of this praise he promiseth himself acceptance This also shall please the Lord better than an Oxe or Bullock that hath Horns and Hoofs And the effect of this his praise for his deliverance 1 Joy to the afflicted will be double First upon the godly poor afflicted people and secondly upon the whole World 1. The effect upon the poor will be joy The humble and meek shall see this and be glad and your heart shall live that seek God their sad heart shall revive 2. The Reason is For the Lord heareth the poor and despiseth not his Prisoners David and Christ he heard and this gives assurance that he will hear suos vincta those that suffer for him Then secondly 2 Thanksgiving in all men the effect it shall have upon the whole World is a general Thanksgiving 1. Let the Heaven and the Earth praise him the Seas and every thing that moveth therein 2. And the Reason he gives for it is worth noting which is his goodness to his Church and people 1. For Gods goodness to his Church In saving them from their enemies He will save Zion 2. In confirming his Kingdom among them He will build the Cities of Judah 3. In giving them security and peace That men may dwell there and have it in possession 4. In conserving it perpetually that the Cates of Hell shall not prevail against it The seed also of his servants shall inherit it and they that love his Name shall dwell therein Not Hypocrites but they who love him sincerely and worship him in Spirit and Truth The Prayer collected out of the sixty ninth Psalm O Blessed Lord God who art more ready to grant than we to ask let this be the time when my prayer shall be accepted by thée O God Ver. 13 in the multitude of thy mercy hear me Hear me O Lord for thy loving-kindness is good Turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies and hide not thy face from thy servant for I am in trouble Hear me speedily Ver. 1 and save me O my God The waters are come even unto my soul Ver. 1 O let not the water-flood overflow me neither let the deep swallow me up and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me I sink in deep mire where there is no standing deliver me out of the mire Ver. 2 and let me not sink Now in the midst of these extremities I am weary with crying unto thee my throat is dry and hoarse through my daily complaining yea and my eyes are grown weak and dim in looking upward Ver. 18 and in waiting for help from my God Draw nigh then unto my soul and redeem it and let me have an experience of the truth of thy salvation My enemies O Lord are many and mighty and malicious Ver. 4 Those that hate me are more in number than the hairs of my head Mighty they are also Ver. 5 and most injurious for they call me to an account for that I never took and punish me for that I never deserved O Lord Thou knowest my foolishness Ver. 4 and my faults are not hid from thee against thee only I have sinned but to them I have done no harm and yet such is their malice that they séek to destroy me wrongfully and without any cause of mine séek to take away my life To thée O Lord all things are manifest Thou hast known my reproach my shame and my dishonour and my Adversaries are alwayes before thee and this reproach is so great that it hath even broken my heart and I am full of heaviness and which is yet more grievous in this my distress I looked for some to take pity on me but I found none and for comsorters but I found none for not only my enemies afflicted me but even my friends ran from me Ver. 8 and forsook me I am become as it were a stranger unto my Friends and Brethren and an Alien to those who are of my own blood my mothers children and most familiar friends stand staring upon my trouble
deny me and afford me no comfort And all this is done unto me without any fault or offence of mine Ver. 7 it is for thy sake I have born this reproach For thy sake shame hath covered my face for the zeal of thy House hath eaten me up I have béen very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts they have thrown down thine Altars and slain thy Prophets with the edge of the Sword very studious I have béen and fervent to maintain thy Religion in its purity which others have cast down and in it so much as lies in them have reproached thée but the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me Because thy Name was dishonoured I wept I chastned even my soul with fasting and whereas I ought for this to have béen more dear unto them I became a scorn even my humiliation and acts of repentance were turned to my reproach I testified also my sadness by my Sackloth and for this I became a Proverb of reproach The Iudges the chief of the City they which sit in the Gates speak against me condemning me and detracting from me and as for the common ordinary sort of people the Drunkards they made songs of me In a word They gave me Gall to eat and Vinegar to drink so inhumane they were that whereas in my greatest sufferings and extremities they ought to have refreshed and relieved me they increased my sorrows and under a colour of refreshment added affliction to the afflicted Now in the midst of these grievances that which most grieves my heart is the scandal of the Cross afraid I am lest that any of thy people looking upon those things which I suffer should estéem me stricken smitten of God and afflicted and thereby take an occasion to renounce the Truth of Religion and fall from thée I beséech thée therefore O Lord God of Hosts Let not them that wait on thee be ashamed for my sake let not them that seek thee be confounded for my sake O Lord God of Israel O Lord to remove this scandal there is no readier way than to bring them down to humble them and to poure the vials of thy wrath upon them Let then their Table be made a snare unto them and what should have been a welfare let it become a trap Gall and bitterness they have offered to me let their dainties be bitterness in their mouths and gall to their palates A snare they have laid for my féet and let that in which they hope to be prosperous and happy be an occasion of falling the very eating of the Paschal Lamb their ruine and thy Word the food of their souls an occasion of errour In hearing let them hear and not understand and in séeing let them sée and not perceive make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they sée with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed Inféeble them O Lord and make their loins to tremble and shake bow down their backs with slavery and hard bondage and press them continually with such burdens of miseries that they may groan and sigh under the heavy hand of their Oppressors Plentifully and speedily poure forth thy indignation upon them and let thy fiercest anger and vengeance continually pursue them let their houses be desolate not a stone left upon a stone and their land without an inhabitant let them procéed from one wickedness to another and add sin to sin till their iniquity come to the full neither ever let them repent them of their wicked wayes that thou might'st pardon and forgive their heinous transgressions or justifie them at thy great Tribunal with mercy thou wilt indulge to all true penitents And although hitherto they have béen reckoned among thy people of whom they are born and with whom thou hast established thy Covenant yet O Lord let them be blotted out of the Book of the living and not be written among the righteous And it is but just that all this happen unto them because when common humanity and thy Word also requires That we weep with him that weeps and lament with him that laments they have helped on the affliction for they persecute Him whom thou hast smitten and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded O Lord I am wounded I suffer justly under thy hand but to them I have done no harm at this time I am poor and sorrowful destitute of all humane help and affected with extream heaviness Arise then for me and let thy salvation set me up on High Deliver me O Lord from these troubles and so shall I praise thy Name with a Song Ver. 30 Save me from my enemies and I shall magnifie thee with Thanksgiving which sacrifice Ver. 31 I know will better please thee than the fat of fed Beasts or the incense of Rams Besides all those that are of a dejected spirit humbled and brought low at the sight of my afflictions will consider this sée they will That God heareth the poor and despiseth not those who are in captivity and imprisoned for his sake and they will be glad and rejoyce at it and the heart of all those that seek thâ—â— which was even dead before will then revive and live O Lord save Sion and build the Cities of Judah let men dwell there and have it in possession let the seed of thy servants inherit it and all those that love thy Name dwell therein so shall the Heaven and Earth praise thee and every thing that moveth therein Amen Amen PSAL. LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THIS Psalme is the same with the five last verses of the fortieth Psalm The Contents of this Psalm are 1. The Prayer of David for himself that he may be freed from his enemies ver 1. which he repeats ver 5. 2. For the speedy destruction of the wicked ver 2 3. 3. For the prosperity of the godly ver 4. 4. The Arguments he urgeth to move God to grant his prayer 1. His miserable condition I am poor and needy 2. Gods office Thou art my Helper and Redeemer therefore make no long tarrying O my God The Psalm needs no farther Analysis because it is fully Analysed before in the end of the fortieth Psalm The Prayer out of the seventieth Psalm O Lord we therefore daily implore thy mercy because we are daily beset with danger Enemies we have without within us from whose malice and cruelty we can find no safety Ver. 5 except in thy favour and mercy Thou alone art our Help and Deliverer make then no long tarrying O my God rather make haste to deliver us Ver. 1 make haste to help us Many there are that seek after my soul let them be ashamed and confounded Ver. 2 many there are that desire my hurt let them be turned backward and put to confusion suddenly let them be turned back and put to flight Ver. 3 that rejoyce at
the place of thy service where I may publickly acknowledge thee to be all these O happy men that may dwell in thy house for there as a good Master of the Family thou dispensest to them the bread of eternal life Thou suppliest unto them matter of praise and they again are as ready to praise thee in which constists the chief pleasure and selicity of man So often as they meet there they will invocate thy name offer thanksgiving confess their sins and give glory to God vow they will to propagate thy Truth and in reverence and fear do all acts of piety and devotion These are happiest but those are also happy that have a destre and a liberty to ascend thither O Lord increase in us these destres and give us again this freedom our strength is in thee and our hearts are in thy wayes and though we must pass through the Valley of tears yet we desire to ascend to that place which thou Lord hast appointed to thy self for an habitation In the strength of the Lord God we will procéed till we appear before God in Zion and find that Majesty and mercy which we so earnestly long for and séek For whatsoever happiness we are capable of in this life we know it is to be obtained in the pious Assemblies of thy Saints O Lord God of hosts hear my prayer give ear O God of Jacob. Thou who art our Shield and Protector behold me with a serene countenance and when I shall lift up my eyes unto thee O turn thy face toward thy Anointed and for his sake look upon me and thy people with mercy and bring us back again to thy house Grant that the love of thy house may be to us that which thou desirest that we may think the time of one day spent in it better than thousands in doing our own pleasure yea and that it is better to be the meanest servant a door-kéeper in the house of God than to dwell with honour in the Tents and Palaces of ungodly men The pleasures and delights which we may hope for in those Tents are nothing to the contents we may enjoy in thy house for there we shall enjoy thée who art our Sun our Shield the Father of all good gifts and wilt deny no good thing to those who sincerely serve thée O Lord be unto me a Shield and a Sun A Sun to illuminate us A Shield to protect us Dispell our darkness comfort and warm our hearts with thy light increase us with thy swéetest influence and defend us by thy power Give us grace and adopt us for thy Sons and at last bestow upon us eternal glory Thou hast promised to deny no good thing to those who walk before thée in simplicity and integrity Inable us then O God to walk in thy wayes with a pure and an honest heart For then we may be comforted with this hope and assurance that we shall be blessed and that we shall come at last to those eternal Mansions in heaven by the merits of Iesus Christ our Lord. PSAL. LXXXV 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 MYstically this whole Psalm is a Prophesie concerning the redemption of Mankind from the Tyranny of sin and Satan by the coming of Christ prefigured by the deliverance of the Jewes either from Egypt or rather from Babylon after which they fell again into grievous troubles under Antiochus Three parts of the Psalm 1. An Acknowledgment of Gods formet mercies ver 1 2 3. 2. A Petition upon that ground that he would still do the like 4 5 6 7. 3. A profession of obedience and an advice to continue in it ver 8. that men may be partakers of the promises both spiritual 9 10 11. and temporal ver 12. which shall be performed to those who keep in the wayes of God ver 13. 1. In the three first verses A Commemoration of Gods mercies the Prophet makes a Commemoration of Gods mercies to his people of which the Fountain is his good will and favour Lord Thou bast been favourable of which the effects were temporal and spiritual The first part 1. Temporal Thou hast been favourable to thy Land Ver. 1 Thou hast turned away or brought back the captivity of Jacob 1 Temporal freed them from the Babylonian yoke 2. Spiritual which consisted in two things Ver. 2 1. Justification Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people 2 Spiritual and covered all their sins Ver. 3 2. Reconciliation Thou hast taken away all thy wrath and hast turned thy self from the fierconess of thy anger 2. And now upon the experience of these former mercies The second part Upon this favour he prayes the Prophet commends a new Petition the sum whereof is briefly this Thou hast been favourable to us before and therefore we hope that thou wilt be so now this is the consequent of the former antecedent and upon it in confidence he prayes Turn us then O God our Saviour c. to the 8th verse Ver. 4 in which Petition is said over again That God would assure those mercies what was acknowledged before in the Commemoration of the benefits 1. Thou hast turned away the captivity Restore us then turn us then or return to us O God our Saviour 2. Thou hast been reconciled be again reconciled to us Thou hast taken away all thy wrath c. ver 3. Ver. 5 Now cause thine anger towards us to cease Wilt thou be displeased at us for ever Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all Generations This is contrary to thy nature who art slow to anger 3. Thou hast brought us back and so revived our hearts ver 1. And wilt thou not revive us again by delivering us from our present calamities and this death that thy people may rejoyce in thee 4. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people c. ver 2. Shew us then thy mercy O Lord and grant us thy salvation Save us in mercy first from sins the cause of our sufferings and then from the punishment our present miseries 3. And that the Church might prevail in her Petition she now promiseth obedience and to wait upon God I will hear what the Lord God will speak The third part As if she had said For which he waits why do I expostulate thus with my God why do I thus complain I will attend to his Word and hear what he will say for he is a trusty Counsellor in all our afflictions Ver. 8 and this it is that he will say I wound and I make whole I kill and I give life Being assured that God will turn all to the best 1. For he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints Though he begins to his people in the cup of his Cross yet he keeps the best wine till the last and turns his Cross into a Crown if they hear what he saith he will speak peace to them And speak peace to his people 2. If they
to dye even from my youth up thy terrors I have suffered with a troubled soul yea I have been so amazed and astonished with them that I have been even distracted and ready to dispair In me there hath appeared manifest signs of thy displeasure for thou hast laid me in the lowest pit and imprison'd me in darkness and in the depth of calamities As wave sacreeds wave so thy fierce wrath goeth over me it lies hard upon me and I am afflicted with all thy storms these billows came round about me dayly like water and not one after another set upon me but they engirt me all together My eye mourns Vers. 8 and grows dim by reason of affliction Lord then hear my err that I dayly present unto thee Turn from thy fierce anger and shew me again the light of thy countenance Deliver me from these thy terrors from the grave from this death and I will magnifie thy name and mercy among the living O Lord give a gracious answer to these my sighs and prayers stand not far off for ever Forsake me not in my distress but make haste to help For thou alone art the God of my salvation if thou leave me I must perish Wherefore good Father succour me and pardon my sin which hath brought this thy just indignation upon me for the merits of thy dearly beloved Son Iesus Christ my Lord. And thou O sweet Saviour which thy self hast suffered and wast for my sake tempted be a merciful and faithful High Priest to me in things pertaining to God make reconciliation for my sins and succour me that am tempted Amen PSAL. LXXXIX IN this Psalm the Prophet praiseth God and sets forth his goodness and faithfulness particularly that he made an everlasting Covenant with David and his seed In which the stability and perpetuity of Christs Kingdom of which the Kingdom of David was but a Type is excellently described and foretold The parts of this Psalm are these 1. The Sum Pith and Argument of the whole Psalm viz. the Loving-kindness and truth of God vers 1 2. 2. The particular instance of Gods goodness and truth in making a Covenant with David vers 3 4. 3. A Doxology containing the praise of God for his wonders faithfulness power providence justice judgement mercy truth from vers 5. to 15. 4. The Happy estate of Gods people from vers 15. to 19. 5. A special example of Gods goodness toward his Church exemplified in David but truly verified in Christ from vers 19. to 28. 6. How Davids posterity should be dealt with upon their disobedience from vers 28. to 38. 7. A Complaint or Expostulation upon the contrary events where he doth deplore the torne estate of the Judaical Kingdom from vers 38. to 47. 8. A Petition for mercy and restauration from vers 47. to 51. 9. An Epiphonematical conclusion vers 52. blessing God for the hope he hath in his favour and help in all estates 1. The Breviary of the Psalm is set down in the first verse and amplified by the reason in the second The first part The Sum of the Psalm Gods Mercies Thus he begins 1. I will sing Chant set forth in a Song The fittest way to express our joy for any thing so best inculcated so best remembred so best deliver'd to others to remember Vers. 1 2. Of which David will sing Of the mercies plurally for they are many And his Song should be of all 3. For ever Intentionally though not actually for as a wicked man could he live alwayes would alwayes sin so a good man could he live alwayes would alwayes sing the mercies of the Lord. 2. Or if ever be join'd to Mercies it is his everlasting Mercies 4. With my mouth I will make known thy faithfulness from generation to generation With my mouth while I have a being I will make known and when I have no being I will commit them to writing Ut sciat haec aetas posteritasque legat His reason for it is because Gods mercy is everlasting Because his mercy is everlasting and therefore fit to be the subject of an everlasting Song 1. For I have said Set down this for a certain position Vers. 2 an undoubted truth 2. Mercy shall be built up for ever 'T is not exhausted in one age but as a house built on a strong foundation it shall stand firm and be perceiv'd age after age 3. Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens As is thy mercy so is thy faithfulness perpetual as the heavens in which is found no change 2. And for the proof of Gods goodness and truth The second part The instance the Covenant he produceth an instance in his Covenant made with David Where by a Prosopopeia he brings in God speaking 1. I have made a Covenant with my chosen It was not Merit then Vers. 3 it was free Election 2. I have sworne Faelices nos quorum causâ Deus jurat To David my servant And the Covenant and Oath is extant 2 Sam. 7.11 3. And the tenour of the Covenant is Thy seed will I establish for ever and build up thy Throne to all generations Thy seed signally which is true of Christ only who was of the seed of David to whom the Lord gave the Throne of his father David Luke 1.32 33. who was to reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end The words then are not to be understood of Davids temporal Kingdom but of the seed of David that is Christs spiritual Kingdom for that was to be established for ever 3. And now what the Prophet undertook in the first verse he performs The third part Of this all good men will sing for at the fifth verse his Doxology begins The person is only chang'd and that to advantage For there he spoke of himself I will sing Here he saith it shall be done by others The heavens shall praise Vers. 5 1. Some by the heavens understand the Church and the Preachers in the Church Heavens Angels 2. Others the Angels and blessed spirits in heaven Both are true and of both it may be well affirm'd O Lord the heavens shall praise thy wondrous works Thy faithfulness also in the Congregation of Saints 2. The Subject of the Heavens and the Angels and Saints praise are The Subject of their Song 1. Gods wondrous works and his Truth In general Vers. 5 all his miracles but in particular this wondrous work viz. his making a Covenant with David in taking an Oath to perform it 1 His Works his Truth and his faithfulness in keeping it For it is a wonder that so great a Majesty should so far condescend And now he sings praise to this Majesty setting forth the power of it 2 His Majesty to whom none to be compared and that in three respects 1. By way of comparison in the 6 7 8 verses viz. That there is nor Angel
not the interposition of our sin so it be repented and left that can hinder his Grace to shine upon us and remove it 3. He is slow to anger and he hath this of a Father also 3 Slow to anger For no men more patient than Fathers in tolerating the infirmities and childishness of their Children this in him also For like as a Father pieth his Children Ver. 13 so the Lord pitieth them that fear him 4. Plenteous in mercy 4 Plenteous in mercy He takes into his consideration what frail Creatures we are and fading For he knoweth our frame he remembreth we are dust Ver. 14 As for man his dayes are as grass as a flower of the Field so he flourisheth for the wind passeth over it and it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more And this fragility and instability of our's causeth him to be exceeding merciful to us which David expresseth in the next verse by way of Antithesis But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting ab aeterno in aeternum from the Eternity of our Predestination to the Eternity of our Glorification yet not bestowed hand over head it is with thy Restriction and Limitation But to those that fear him and keep his Covenant 1. Upon them that fear him 2. And his righteousness that is veracity and faithfulness in performing his Covenant not to the Fathers alone but to Childrens children 3. To such as keep his Covenant Yea and are obedient observe the conditions of Faith and Repentance 4. Yea and of obedience also That remember his Commandments to do them These Benefits are many and wonderful and the mercy from which they proceed infinite but that no man doubt of the performance of it Ver. 19 that God will do for those That fear him and keep his Commandments This mercy God is able to make good what he hath promised and in the Close of this Part the Prophet puts us in mind of his Power 1. He is Dominus in Coelo not like our Lords on Earth his power is no where circumscribed 2. He hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens there he fits pro Tribunali can see and judge the World 3. And that we suspect him not to be some under-Judge set over us and appointed by another David tells us His Kingdom ruleth over all The Supremacy is his he is the Supreme Monarch 3. The third part For these Benefits he invites all Creatures to praise God And thus the Prophet having particularly remembred Gods Goodness and Benefits to his People as being not able to return sufficient thanks alone he invites all the Creatures to joyn with him in his praise and first the Angels Bless the Lord ye his Angels whom he describes 1. 1 Angels From their excellency Ye that excel in strength 2. From their obedience And do his Commandments 3. From their celerity readiness and chearfulness in it That hearken to the voyce of his words that you may shew you selves faithful Ministers and Servants 2. 2 Armies of God He invites all the Armies of God to joyn with him by which Bellarmine understands all the Superiour Order Archangels Principalities Dominations and Powers which is the Militia of Heaven Luke 2. together with the Angels before-named Bless the Lord all his Hosts ye who how glorious soever yet are but Ministers of his that do his pleasure faithfully receive your charge and do it diligently and daily execute it 3. 3 All his works He invites all the Creatures of God to joyn with him also as if they had sense 3 All his works and understood him Bless the Lord all his works All for that no man should think that he meant only rational Creatures in Heaven and Earth 2. He adds in all places of his Dominion which extends over the whole world All Creatures then without exception and all in all places he desires would do it and good Reason for he made all and rules over all and is in all places with all and fills all and preserves all and moves all and in their kinds they have done it the Water at the Flood the Fire at Babylon the Crowes in feeding Eliah the Lyons in sparing Daniel c. And they do it when all keep their own stations and work according to that Law of Nature which God hath put upon them 4. 4 Himself Lastly That no man should imagine that he that called on others would be backward in performing the Duty himself as he began so he concludes this excellent Psalm Bless the Lord O my Soul At all times let his praise be in thy mouth The Prayer collected out of the one hundred and third Psalm BOund I am Ver. 1 O Omnipotent God and most merciful Father for thy great favours unto me with heart with soul with all powers of my mind and all strength of my body perpetually to acknowledge thee to praise thee and laud thy holy Name Wherefore O my Soul Bless thou the Lord and all faculties within me and parts about me bless his holy Name Bless the Lord O my Soul Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all or any one of his Benefits My actual sins are many and grievous but thou O Lord in mercy hast forgiven my iniquities Thou hast justified me by the death of thy Son cleansed me by his blood of an unjust person made me just of an enemy a friend of a slave a san I consess O Lord that the bitter root of sin is so graffed in my nature that I carry it about me in my mortal body and I lament yet I give thanks to thy grace which hath so healed my infirmities and so subdued them by the power of thy Spirit that I féel it daily dying and the strength thereof so decayed that it cannot reign rule and command within me And this gives me assurance Ver. 4 That thou hast redeemed my life from death hell and destruction and that at last out of thy loving-kindness and tender mercies I shall be Crowned with a Crown of Glory Lord what was I or what could I deserve that thou shouldst bestow these wonderful Benefits upon me when I think upon them I am not able to comprehend them and when I comprehend them I should be never able to believe them had'st thou not revealed them and assured them to my foul by thy boly Spirit O my Soul then bless the Lord bless his holy Name and forget not all his Benefits But as if all these high favours had been too little Thou hast over and above added many temporal blessings I enjoy by thy bounty food and rayment Ver. 5 which are good things so long as well used with these thou hast satisfied my mouth and given me health and strength to make use of them So that my youth is renewed as the Eagles in this my old age I find my body healthful my senses not altogether impaired my
he hath done endureth for ever and shall in its time receive an ample reward Prov. 28.27 22.9 2. Nay by it increased his honour and perhaps his wealth also 2 And his Honour His Horn that is his power dignity glory shall be exalted with honour 10. Ver. 10 His last felicity is that he shall exceed and overcome all envy for it is most true 10 He shall overcome all Envy 1. That the wicked shall see it consider the prosperity and liberality of him that fears God and be grieved with his felicity and pine with envy 1 For the wicked shall envy him 2. That as a mad Dog he shall gnash his teeth at it and for very grief melt away 2 But not hurt him and seek his ruine 3. But yet he shall not be able to harm him all his endeavours shall be frustrate and his labours ineffectual The desire of the wicked shall perish He then that fears God is a happy man he that fears him not most unhappy The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and twelfth Psalm O On impotent God it is thy fear alone that can make men truly happy for where thy fear is truly rooted Ver. 1 there piety and justice there thy true worship and all fruits of charity and justice will flourish so therefore affect our bearts with a filial fear that we may make it our delight to run the wayes of thy Commandments Make our will conformable to thy Will and our affection◠correspondent to what thou dost affect so shall we find no labour or difficulty in thy precepts but be greatly pleased to be thy obedient servants It is time of the greatest of our desires Ver. 2 That our seed should be mighty upon earth which cannot be expected without thy blessing create in us then an upright he art that so the Generation which succéed us may be blessed We desire that wealth Ver. 3 and riches and honour should be in our house let us aim to attain to these in thy fear Ver. 3 in a just and a righteous way that they may endure to our posterity make us content with what thou bestowest and know That Piety is great gain when the mind is satisfied with what thou givest We now live O Lord in a difficult time we know not what to do but our eyes are to thée Ver. 4 Thou art a gracious God and full of compassion and righteous let therefore thy light arise to us in this darkness let thy counsel direct us and thy comforts shine unto us Ver. 5 that we may prudently carry our selves in these distrculties Provocations we have had to anger and revenge but touch our hearts with so much compassion that we may shew favour toward our enemies forgive them as thou for Christs sake hast forgiden us And since we are compassed about with temptations Ver. 6 enrich our hearts with prudence That we may guide our Affairs with discretion Ver. 7 discréetly putting a difference betwixt Truth and Falshood just and unjust acts and though we be violently assaulted make us constant in thy fear and patient in our sufferings O let us not be moved or seduced from the right way for ever Fix our hearts and make us trust in thée establish our hearts and never let any evil tydings make us afraid but let us rely upon thy promises till we sée our desire upon our enemies Let it not be our aim to heap up wealth but give us grace to use it well to disperse as well as to gather and to be content to give as well as to receine that so the loins of the néedy may bless us and the bellies of the poor pray for us With this unrighteous Mammon let us make our selves friends that when they fall we may be receiv'd into everlasting habitations this is a righteousness that will endure for ever this is a means not only to encrease our reward in the life to come Ver. 6 but also in this to exalt our Hor◠our power and dignity with honour For a good man alwayes lives in the memory of good men his name is precious his memorial is honourable whereas the memory of the wicked shall be buried in oblivion or remembred with reproach the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance Write our names O Lord in the Book of life Ver. 10 and conserve them in the memorials of thy Saints let the wicked sée it and be grieved at it and let the adversaries of thy fear and the blessed estate of thy servants gnash their téeth for envy and melt away to find that their desires come to naught O Lord whosoever he be that shall desire the ruine of those that fear thée let him never be able to fulfil it but together with him let his desire perish So shall thy people and sheep of thy pasture that fear thee the Lord Ver. 1 and delight greatly in thy Commandments bless thy Name for blessing them and call to all that love thee and thy Church to praise the Lord. Amen Amen PSAL. CXIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE Scope of this Psalm is the same with those that went before viz. to excite men to praise God Three parts of this Psalm 1. An Exhortation to praise him directed to his servants ver 1. 2. A Form set down for it expressing how when and where to praise him ver 2 3. 3. The Reasons that perswade us to it first his infinite Power ver 4 5. secondly his Providence most conspicuous in Heaven and in Earth ver 6. in Earth both in Common-wealths ver 7 8. and in private Families ver 9. 1. The Prophet exhorts men to praise the Lord And 1. First He doubles and trebles his Exhortation Praise the Lord praise The first part He exhorts to praise God praise the Name of the Lord that it be not coldly and dully but zealously done or else to shew that he alone is worthy of all praise Ver. 1 The Kingdom is his and therefore the Glory Especially his servants 2. He shewes us by whom he would have it done by his servants Praise the Lord O ye servants He is your Lord you his servants praise him then and do it with a pure heart For praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner 2. The Form in which it is to be done is this Say The second part A Form of thanksgiving 1. Blessed be the Name of the Lord Job 1. 2. And say it at all times Begin it ab ipso nunc From this time forth and continue in it from this time forth for evermore In prosperity adversity in this life in the future 1 For all times 3. And let it be said in all places even all the World over From the rising of the Sun unto the going down of the same 2 All places the Lords Name is to be praised 3. And now follow the Reasons The third part The reasons for it by which he perswades men
to praise him 1. The first is his Majesty his infinite Power Glory this extends not to men alone but to the Heavens and all above the Heavens Ver. 4 The Lord is high above all Nations and his Glory above the Heavens above Princes 1 Gods Majesty Heavens Angels therefore praise him 2. The second is his admirable Providence Benignity and Bounty 2 His. Providence and Condescension which being joyned with so great Majesty appears the more admirable Who is like the Lord our God who dwells on high None in Heaven and Earth to be compared to him and yet which sets forth his goodness Ver. 5 the care he hath of all things He as it were humbleth himself to behold the things that are in Heaven and in earth He is present with the greatest Angels and ready to help the meanest creature Two instances of it Now of his Providence in humbling himself to behold the things on earth he gives two instances the first is in States and Kingdoms the second in private Families 1. In States He raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth the needy out of the Dunghil 1 In Kingdoms in which he exalts men of low degree The examples of it may be Joseph Moses David Daniel Job Mordecai let then no man say Non vacant exiguis rebus adesse Jovi And the end is That he may set him with the Princes even with the Princes of his people He vindicates their name not only from contempt but exalts them to the highest places of honour 2. 2 In private Familes opening the womb In private Families As the infelicity of men is a low and despised condition so the infelicity of women is barrenness as therefore he looks upon humble men and raiseth them to a Crown so he looks upon humble women and makes them fruitful in which the happiness of a Family consists and therefore the Prophet adds this other instance of his Providence He maketh the barren woman to keep house and to be a joyful mother of children A joyful mother for that women rejoyce in nothing more than in bearing of children the examples may be Sarah Rebeccah Rachel Annah Elizabeth Jo. 16.21 But by most Expositors This appliable to the Church of the Gentiles this last verse hath a higher meaning and relates unto the Church of the Gentiles which was the barren woman before Christs coming but hath now more children than she that hath a Husband i. e. the Jewish Synagogue Isa 54.1 Rejoyce O barren that didst not bear break forth into joy and rejoyce thou that didst not travel with child for the desolate hath more children than the married wife and is to this purpose applied by St. Paul Gal. 4.27 The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and thirteenth Psalm O Omnipotent Lord Ver. 1 whosoever are addicted in faith and fincerepâ—ety to thy worship and service are bound at all times in all places to return unto thy Name immortal praises Ver. 2 we then who acknowledge thée to be our Lord and our selves thy dassals and servants with our whole hearts both secretly and in the Congregation of Saints do sound forth with full voyce Blessed be the Name of the Lord our God Ver. 3 from this time forth for â—vermore from the rising of the Sun unto the going down of the same our Lord's Name be praised O Lord thy Majesty is great thy Glory illustrious thy Goodness Clemency and Providence wonderful Ver. 4 thy Power is high above all Nations and the greatest in those Nations thy Glory above the Heavens and the most glorious in those Heavens Ver. 5 Who O Lord our God is like unto thée or among men or Angels may be compared with thée And yet though thou dwellest on high such is thy care thy provision thy clemency toward us men below Ver. 6 that thou dost as it were humble thy self and descend from thy Throne of Majesty to behold the things that are in Heaven to take a care for the things that are done in and on the Earth there is no action no event either in Heaven or Earth which thou rulest not which thou guidest not and orders not If the proud Angels in Heaven aspire to thy Throne Thou beholdest it and they shall féel thy power If insolent men on earth shall exalt themselves against thée they shall drink of the cup of thy wrath when thy servants sin against thée and yet shall humble themselves before thée Thou wilt behold their contrition and accept their tears and forgive their ungracious behaviour Look down O Lord at this time from thy dwelling place and behold the afflicted slate and condition of this thy Church Ver. 7 we have for many years béen trod under foot and lain in the dust we have béen and are yet oppressed and cast aside as it were to the Dunghil Thy judgments O Lord are just and thy wayes equal for unsavoury salt we were and deserved no better But thou who raisest the poor out of the dust and liftest the needy out of the Dunghil vouchsafe to stretch out thy arm of power and right hand of help to our Princes and Armies set our King whom thou hast hitherto dejected once again with Princes even the Princes of his people O Lord who makest the barren woman to keep house Ver. 8 and be a joyful mother of children take pity on the afflicted woman thy Church and let her not mourn and longer for her barrenness grant that by thy Word and Spirit Ver. 9 she may be a mother of many children with whom she may rejoyce in thy house and celebrate thy Name with perpetual praises through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen PSAL. CXIV 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 DAVID in this Psalm chants forth the wonderful works and miracles that God wrought when he brought forth the people of Israel out of Aegypt Two parts there are of this Psalm 1. A Narration of Israels deliverance amplified by the state they were in ver 1. The state to which they were brought ver 2. The miracles then done first at the red Sea and Jordan ver 3. and at Sinai when the Law was given wer 4. 2. A Prosopopeia set down by way of Dialogue first For the Prophet asks the Sea and Jordan Why they fled turned back ver 5 6. secondly To which the answer is made by the brutish Earth which is enough to strike a terrour a veneration and fear into all men That it trembled at the presence of the Lord ver 7 8. 1. In the Narration Israâ—ls condition is set down by way of comparison The first part Israels condition in Aegype set down that so their deliverance might make the deeper impression First we are to know that Israel and the house of Jacob and Judah in this place signifie the same thing viz. The whole Nation of the Israelites that descended out of Jacobs loins but of the house of Jacob there is peculiar mention because with him
which they have endeavoured That salvation which I expect is from thée Ver. 3 and my eyes have even failed for the vehemency of my desire to obtain it Thy promise thy righteous Word is passed unto me deal therefore with thy servant according to thy great mercy in making this promise frée me from these present evils and infuse also so much love and charity into my heart that I may learn what thou teachest Ver. 4 and practice what I learn and edifie others in thy statutes by my practice I am no stranger unto thée but thy bomestique servant and I have addicted my self to thy service by a firm purpose of heart let me not want that grace that may enable me to do my duty give me then understanding Ver. 5 that I may know thy Testimonies for I shall never be able to do that which I know not It is time O Lord to work thy Church is oppressed thy people are brought very low the sins of the Amalekites are at the full their impiety is grawn to that height Ver. 6 That they have not only broken but contemned nor only cantemned butanede vow and by their practice destroy'd thy Law they are not only my enemies and séek to oppress me but are thy enemies and labour to evacuale thy Truth It is now then a time to shew thy self Arise O Lord and take a Just revenge upon them for this their audacious impiety and malice Ver. 7 It must néeds be good which they hate their malice therefore hath inflamed my zeal They would destroy therefore I love thy Commandments I love that Law which I break I love it above gold yea than much fine gold By it I learn to do that which is just by it I learn to hate every evil way therefore I set an high estimate upon every particular Command in it Lord increase this zeal this love this estéem this hatred in me that I may direct my conversation aright so please thée in every one of thy Commands on earth that after this life is ended I may live with thée in heaven for ever and ever Amen 17. PE. IN this Octonary David praiseth Gods Word 2. Shews his affection to it The Contents 3. And prayes for Grace to keep it 1. The Elogy he gives Gods Word in this verse Ver. 1 is from a new quality not mentioned before Davids Elogie of Gods word that it is wonderfull 1. Thy Testimonies are wonderful For though the literal sense of them be easie and plain yet wonderful are the Mysteries contain'd in the two Testaments Great is the Mystery of Godliness The whole Ceremonial Law is wonderful because under those Ceremonies were obscurely shadowed out to us the Mystery of our Redemption by the Blood of Christ The Decalogue is wonderful written in so few words in which yet are hid all the principles of Justice and Charity to which may and must be reduced all the just Laws that have been or shall be made All these are but Conclusions and Determinations of the Laws of the Decalogue And must receive their trial by it As for the Mysteries of the New Testament no man can say but they are wonderful 2. Therefore doth my soul keep them Learn them love them 2 That it illuminates practise them 2. The next Elogy he gives Gods Law is that it is the Word of Illumination Yea the very 1. Entrance into it such the very first declaration of it Ver. 2 whether it be done by God by infusion of divine light or by some skilful Doctor or Teacher And if the first opening as it were of the door gives light what will the progress and continuance do 2. The entrance of thy Word gives light It is a light shining in a dark place 2 Pet. 1.19 without it then men walk in darkness 3. It gives understanding unto the simple The Simple Not to such as are high-minded and double in heart that are so wise in their own eyes that they will examine the Mysteries of Godliness by the strength of their own reason but to such as deny themselves and captivate their reason and submit it to the Word of God and labour more to believe than to reason These are the simple to whom the Word of God gives understanding of whom our Saviour speaks Mat. 11.25 And St. Paul 1 Cor. 1.25 26 c. 4. And now saith David I being one of these simple ones Ver. 3 Opened my mouth and panted For which David pants and longs 1. I opened my mouth by prayer as desirous of this good Spirit of light and piety 2. I panted after it as men do that want breath and defire fresh aire 3. For I longed for thy Commandments had a vehement intention to understand to fulfil them 3. From the praises of the Law David turns himself to prayer He said but now I opened my mouth and here he acquaints us what he said after his mouth was open I said 1. Ver. 4 Look thou upon me either as unjustly oppressed or under spiritual desertion 2. 2 He prayes for Mercy to pardon sin And be merciful unto me This is well subjoyned for God looks upon some in displeasure Shew me mercy who labour under the burden of thy precepts that by my own strength I cannot fulfil 3. As thou usest to do unto those that love thy Name shew me at least so much mercy as thou affordest to others let not thy custom be broken in me but do by me as thou usest to do by thy friends which love thee in sincerity and truth 2. And Grace to be kept from sin This was his first Petition for Mercy and to it he subjoins a second for Grace Many seek for Mercy to forgive sin that seek not for Grace to deliver them from the power of sin Ver. 5 which is to abuse Gods Mercy to wantonness And therefore David prayes 1. Order my steps in thy Word that is my whole conversation inwardly and outwardly let me be ordered by thee for as our director such will be our actions 2. And let not any iniquity have dominion over me Let me be no slave to sin and Satan in captivity to them so that they domineer over me 3. And deliverance from Calumnies And yet he makes a third Petition Gods children have not only to wrestle against the sin that dwells in them but with enemies from without Oppressors Ver. 6 Calumniators there be that by false reports and pressures retard good men in their way therefore David prayes 1. Deliver me from the oppressions of men that being nor disturb'd by their oppressions nor yet dishearthed by their calumnies I decline from the right way 2. So will I keep thy precepts This favour obtained should not disoblige David but bind him the more So will I keep 'T is but an ill use of a benefit obtained by prayer when we abuse it to Licentiousness How inexcusable are we 4. And that he might have a sense
remember what was done for them after They proved a rebellious people for which God humbled them and brought the Philistins and the Babylonian Kings against them who conquered them and kept them under and in subjection But God in this their oppression when they cryed and turned to him forsook them not but raised up some Judge King or other to deliver them as Gideon Sampson David Cyrus c. which the Prophet mentioneth in the next verses Ver. 23 Who remembred us when we were in our low estate for his mercy c. And hath redeemed us from our enemies for his mercy Psal 135.14 5. Lastly That this goodness is not extended only to his people 3 And his providence to all creatures but even to all Creatures is manifest in that he provides for nourishes and conserves every living creature for Caro here signifies every thing that hath life and bread all kind of nourishment by which the life is sustained Ver. 25 Who gives food to all flesh for his mercy endures for ever 6. He concludes as he begun O give thanks unto the God of Heaven The conclusion that we praise him for his mercy endureth for ever And he calls him the God of Heaven because he only made the Heaven and hath his Throne in Heaven Ver. 26 having the whole World under him and in his power that preserves moderates governs all things by his wisdom power mercy The Hymn collected out of the One hundred and thirty sixth Psalm O Omnipotent God so great is thy goodness so infinite is thy mercy to the sons of men that we are not able to express it because we cannot comprehend it Whatever we enjoy is from thy mercy whatever we hope to enjoy is thy mercy Thy mercy endures for ever and therefore we will sing of thy mercies from everlasting to everlasting Ver. 5 Whethersoever we cast our eyes we find objects of thy mercy whether we behold the Heavens framed by thy wisdom and adorned with great lights the Sun to rule the day or the Moon and Stars to govern the night or whether we look down upon the earth stretched out above the waters that it might be the habitation and yield food for all creatures in both these nay in all places they occur unto us ample Testimonies of thy bounty and mercy all which should we consider with a pious and serious mind we must néeds with an inflamed heart and free tongue never cease to sing with the Prophet Ver. 25 Thy mercy endureth for ever In the Creation of all things From Ver. 10. To Ver. 22. in giving food to all flesh thy mercy hath been wonderful But in the choosing gathering conserving revenging the wrongs and pardoning the sins of thy people more wonderful our hearts were as hard and as cold as a stone should we not consider what thou didst for thy people Israel which is an engagement to us what thou wilt do for thy Church For thy mercy endures for ever Thou smotest Aegypt and slew mighty Kings for their sakes Thou didst lead them as a Captain and provide Manna and Quails and waier for them as a father defend them from their enemies and never cease to prosecute them with mercy till thou givest them the heritage of the Heathen yea when they were brought to any low estate Thou redeemest them from their enemies for thy mercy endures for ever Thou therefore who art rich in bounty clemency and mercy that never can have an end behold we beséech thée thy Church and remember it now in a low estate remit our sins pardon our transgressions repent concerning thy servants and redeem us from our enemies for thy mercy endures for ever Thou which givest food to all flesh Ver. 25 féed our souls with the celestial Manna thy Word and thy Sacraments for thy mercy endures for ever So shall we give thanks to thee O Lord because thou art good and thy mercy endureth for ever Ver. 1 So shall we give thanks to the God of gods for his mercy endureth for ever So shall we give thanks to the Lord of lords for his mercy endureth for ever We will give thanks to the God of Heaven for his mercy endureth for ever Ver. 26 PSAL. CXXXVII AT the composure of this Psalm the Jewes were in captivity at Babylon under the heavy yoke of the Assyrian Tyrant far from their own Countrey banished from the Temple of God deprived of all publick Exercises of Religion scoffed and scorned by the pride and insultation of an enemy and now they begin to complain and pray remember what they were and what they are what they enjoyed and what they want that at Jerusalem they could sing songs of Zion but now at the Rivers of Babylon they must sit down and hang up their Harps The Psalm hath two parts 1. A complaint of Israel because of the insultation of the Babylonians in which they deplore their sad condition remember the pleasures of Jerusalem and the Religion of the Temple and long to be there from ver 1. to 7. 2. An imprecation for they pray for Divine vengeance to descend upon their Persecutors ver 7.8 9. Israels complaint in their captivity 1. Their complaint ariseth from the sense of their captivity which is aggravated The first part 1. From the place Babylon By the waters of Babylon 1 From the place a place far from their own Countrey where they served a cruel and barbarous people a people that were Aliens from the Covenant God made with Abraham Ver. 1 and scorners of their Religion that had wasted their City consumed with fire defiled robbed their Temple by them they were disposed to the Banks of the Rivers where in their fields they were forced to base and servile works 2. From the continuance of their captivity and misery There we sate down 2 From the continuance and misery took up the seats they alotted us and durst not remove for seventy years exposed to wind and weather and injuries of wild Beasts 3. From the effect it produced in them tears mourning yea 3 The effect tears we wept so we spent our time but our enemies cruelty was such that our tears wrought not any compassion on their hard hearts 4. From the cause that drew these tears from them 4 The cause the remembrance of Zion not so much their present calamities as the remembrance of what they enjoyed before but now were deprived of the Religion and Service of their God We wept when we remembred thee O Zion Toties quoties so often as they remembred the Temple the Feasts the Sacrifices the Songs the Hymns they sung to God in Zion so often they sate and wept 5. From the intensiveness of their grief so great it was 5 Their grief intensive that they laid aside whatever should provoke mirth they had more mind to weep than sing their Harps were unstrung Ver. 2 and their Instruments of Musick laid aside As for
Campi patentes Valles 5. Fruitful trees and all Cedars All trees fit to build with 6. Beasts and all Cattle both wild and tame 7. Greeping things Worms Serpents 8. And all flying fowls 3. 5 All mankind In the last place he cites all mankind to praise God 1. 1 Of all degrees The Highest Kings and all people They who command who obey 2. 2 Sexes Princes and all Judges of the earth All inferiour Magistrates 3. 3 Ages Of all Sexes Both young men and maidens 4. Of all Ages Old men and children Let them praise the Name of the Lord. For which he gives this reason 1. 1 For his Name is excellent For his Name is excellent alone There is no Name so sublime so high and worthy of all praise For all created things although great if compared to Gods greatness are nothing for what excellency soever they have they have from him whose Name is alone excellent 2. 2 His glory above His Glory is above the earth and heaven Their glory being from him 4. He concludes the Psalm with his goodness to his Church which is another reason 1. He also exalts the horn that is the power and glory of his people 2. 3 He is good to his Church He is the Praise of his Saints The Pride of Israel viz. 3. Even of the children of Israel a people near to him a people dedicated consecrated to God And near unto him in true knowledge faith true worship adoration Trust and filial love All which is to be understood not of Israel according to the flesh but of Israel according to the Spirit For all are not Israel that are of Israel Rom. 9. There were among them Generations of Vipers Mat. 3. and such as resisted the 〈…〉 â—host Act. 7. Now those that are true Israelites And therefore praise him and those especially he excites to sing Hallelujah Praise ye the Lord. The Prayer out of the one hundred and forty eighth Psalm O Omnipotent Lord Ver. 1 thy wonderful bounty admirable power and wisdom hath sufficiently declared thy Majesty in all those things which for mans sake thou hast created For which all thy creatures in heaven above and in earth beneath sing praises to thy Name The Angels land thée the Sun Moon and Stars magnifie thée the heaven of heavens exalt thée There is not a creature on the earth in the air or water that doth not set forth thy glory By thy command they were created by thy word established as they are and they observe strictly the Law thou hast made and transgress not in the least that decrée thou hast appointed for them All which when we consider we must néeds lament our own backwardness in setting forth thy glory Lamentable it is to think that man alone for whom all these things were made should be the ungrateful creature This we confess this we bewail Henceforth therefore we of all sorts of all sexes of all ages will fly to thée and praise thy Name alone because thy Name is excellent and thy glory above heaven and earth O Lord we humbly beséeth thée exalt the horn the power and glory of thy people those whom thou hast taken near unto thee and who worship thee in Spirit and Truth let not the gares of hell ever prevail against them and though Satan sift them like wheat yet let it be the praise of all thy Saints that still they adhere unto thee and come nearer unto thée by the merits of Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen PSAL. CXLIX Hallelujah A Hymn IN this Psalm the Saints of God are excited to give him due thanks The Prophes excites Gods Saints to praise him The first part for For two reasons 1. For the Grace and Favour received from him from vers 1. to 5. 2. For the Glory and Priviledges they shall receive Ver. 1 from vers 5. to 9. 1. The Prophet first excites the Saints to a return of thanks And amplifies it divers wayes Let Israel rejoice let the children of Zion praise Which is amplified 1. From the persons who are to perform it Saints call'd here Israel the children of Zion For praise is not comely in the mouth of sinners 2. From the Quality of the Song it must be Canticum novum a New Song it was an old Song the Creatures sung in the former Psalm for their Creation It must be a New Song the Saints must sing for their Renovation and Glorification A new matter to be sung by new men 3. From the place in which it is to be sung not in private but in publick in the Church in a full Congregation of the Saints 4. From the manner in which it is to be done in all allacrity with all the affection that may be with a Song with joy with praise Cantate psallite jubilate And as if all we could do were too little to take the help of all Musical instruments Let us praise his Name in the dance let us sing praises unto him with Timbrel and Harp 5. From the object God who was their Creatour and their King Ver. 2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him let the children of Zion be joyful in their King And this part he concludes with a strong reason for a New Song 1 For his love and favour to them 1. For the Lord takes pleasure in his people He loved them from everlasting and that out of meer good-will and this his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the root and foundation of all our good therefore he predestinated therefore he called therefore he justified therefore he sanctified Ver. 4 therefore he will glorifie because it was his good-pleasure so to do he takes pleasure in his people Luk. 12.32 2. He will beautifie the meek with Salvation What was his good-pleasure he will fulfill That people who hath learned of him to be meek and humble he will exalt he will save he will honour with beauty and glory 2. And now he begins to describe the future glory The second part with which he will beautifie them 1. Let the Saints be joyful in glory To which they shall never come He describes their future glory except Saints 2. Let them rejoice in their beds i. e. Ver. 5 Their Mansions prepared for them in heaven where they instantly rest from their labours Rev. 14. But not from their praising God that 's no labour They sing aloud they sleep not then Their work there is twofold Their work in heaven for present to praise God one for the present the other for the future 1. For the present The high praises the greatest and highest that can be thought on let these be in their mouths Exaltant Deum exultant Vers. 6 2. Hereafter to exercise judiciary power For the future when Christ shall come to judgement Let a two-edged sword be in their hand The sword is in a Judges hand for he is an avenger of all that do ill By
let us rest in those Mansions which thou hast prepared for us as in our beds and exercised with no other labour but in singing perpetual Allelujahs O let the high praises of thee our God be in our mouth let us sing the Song of Moses and the Lamb saying Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes Thou King of Saints Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name for thou only art holy We do not doubt Ver. 7 but thou art able to take revenge of the Nations and people who do blaspheme thée That thou canst bind their Kings in Chains and their Nobles with Links of Iron Therefore we pray thée that either by the two-edged Sword of thy Word thou wouldst convert them or else execute thy judgment written upon them Lord let thy Kingdom come Thy Kingdom of Grace by which thou dost reign in the hearts of all thy Elect Thy Kingdom of power by which thou wilt subdue all thy enemies and thy Kingdom of glory when thy Saints shall be called to sit upon their Thrones and with thée judge the World When vengeance shall be executed on the Heathen that have not known thy Name and an inheritance given to the Saints whom thou wilt honour for ever and ever PSAL. CL. A Hymn THIS Psalm is of the same Subject that the former In the 148. All creatures are invited to praise God In the 149. Men especially and those that are in the Church But in this that they praise him and that with all kind of Instruments The parts are 1. An Invitation to praise God which word is ingeminated thirteen times according to the number of the thirteen Attributes of God as the Rabbins reckon them 2. That this be done with all sorts of Instruments intending thereby that it be performed with all the zeal care alacrity ardency of affections that may be 1. The first part In the beginning and all along the Psalm he calls on men to praise God Ver. 1 1. He invites to praise God Praise praise praise praise 2. Praise God in his Sanctuary In his Temple or in your hearts which are the Temples of the Holy Ghost Or praise him that dwells in Sanctis that is in his holy Heaven 3. Praise him in the firmament of his power For his power magnificence which is firm Or who shewes his power in the Firmament when he sits as in his Throne or Palace Some understand the Church by it in which his Saints shine as Stats in the Firmament 4. Ver. 2 Praise him for his mighty Acts the works of power he doth 5. Praise him according to his excellent greatness That greatness whereby he excels all other things he being absolutely great they only comparatively 2. The second part He desires that no kind of way be omitted by which we may shew our zeal alacrity and ardency in praising him With zeal and all kind of Musick and to that end he makes mention of all sorts of Instruments which either make Musick being touch'd with the hand or forc'd to sound with wind 1. Praise him with the sound of Trumpet An Instrument then used in their solemn Feasts Tuba flatu sonitum reddet 2. Praise him with the Psaltery and Harp Pulsu chordarum resonant Ver. 3 And to these they sung so that the Musick was made by hand and voyce 3. Praise him with the Tymbrel and dance Tympano Choro Vulg. in the Quire where with the consent and harmony of many voyces 4. Praise him with stringed Instruments Lutes Viols c. and Organs Ver. 5 5. Praise him upon the loud Cymbals They are round and being shaken make a tinkling noise 6. Praise him upon the high sounding Cymbals An Instrument that yielded a great sound as Bells do amongst Christians Bellar. That he be praised by all His Conclusion is universal Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Allelujah 1. Every thing that breaths whatever hath strength or faculty to do it 2. Every thing that hath life whether spiritual as Angels or animal as Beasts or both as men Or Metaphorically all other things which though they be inanimate yet may be said to live to God because they obey his Order and Decree The Prophets intent may be that all things praise God because all things that have life or being have it from him A Thanksgiving occasioned by the last Psalm O Eternal God Lord and Creator Ver. 1 Governour and Disposer of all things both in the firmament of thy power and in the earth which is thy footstool who loadest us with blessings and only expects our Tribute of thanks we thy obliged creatures and servants in all humility appear before thée to pay that reverence and worship and devotion which is thy due and our duty Ver. 2 We praise thee for thy mighty Acts and we desire to praise thee according to thy excellent greatness Thy wisdom is infinite thy mercies are glorious and we are not worthy O Lord to appear before that presence at which the Angels cover their faces yet since thou O Lord art worthy to receive glory and honour and power Ver. 6 since thou art to be praised in thy Sanctuary because thou hast made preserved and redéemed us We unworthy wretches do in all humility and obedience offer thée all possible land and honour while we have breath we will praise the Lord. And that we do it with the greater alacrity and more attentive zeal Ver. 3 with more chearful hearts and warmer affections let us choose to our selves such apt and melodious instruments that may raise our souls in this Service and that the unity and melody of our devotions may be as swéet and pleasing in thy ears as the harmony is delightful to ours We cannot be too joyful in the presence of our God we cannot be too thankful to our Salvation and therefore we will sing Hallelujah after Hallelujah and call for Hymn after Hymn with Psalms and spiritual Songs voyces and instruments of Musick we will praise the Lord praise thy power praise thy wisdom praise thy goodness praise thy mercy thy bounty thy love to us for ever and ever And here I in particular thank thee for thy assistance in this work which I wholly attribute to thy Grace and dedicate to thy Honour And if I have done well and truly expressed the sense of the Spirit of God who inspired into the Prophet these Psalms and Hymns it is that I desired But if slenderly and meanly it is that which I could attain to Analyticam hanc Psalmorum explicationem per gratiam Dei absolvi devotiones inde collectas Anno. 1658. Octob. 22. Hallelujah FINIS