being this I will be thy God and the God of thy seed upon which follows Walk before me and be thou perfect 4. Upon the confidence of which Promise and Covenant David repeats his prayer Upon which he repeats his prayer For thy Name sake O Lord pardon my iniquity for it is great Multa magna And yet David proceeds in the consideration of Gods Nature his Goodness his Truth and Mercy to those that keep his Covenant And admires the happiness of him that trusts in God and by way of admiration asks Quis i. e. Quantus qualis O how happy how blessed is the man that fears the Lord worships God loves his Word and casts not away his hope and faith in the day of trouble and tentation Ver. 12 which happiness he sets forth by the fruits that follow his piety 1. The first fruit and benefit that he shall reap is instruction and direction in his Vocation and private life For God shall direct him Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose 2. Ver. 13 The second is that his happiness shall not be momentary but firm and lasting 2 He shall dwell at ease not molested but quiet His soul shall dwell at ease 3. 3 Happy in his seed A third is that he shall be happy in his children and posterity His seed shall inherit the land 4. The fourth is that Redemption of Mankind by the blood of Christ and all the effects of it Remission Reconciliation c. which is a secret unknown to flesh and blood shall be revealed and applied to him Ver. 14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him 4 Gods Covenant applied to him and he will shew them his Covenant Being confirmed with these promises and cheered with these fruits he The fourth part 1. Testifies his acquiescence and faith in God for deliverance My eye◠are ever towards the Lord he shall pluck my feet out of the Net In this he acquiesceth 2. And then returns to his Prayer again being in effect the very self-same that he began with which he offereth in several Clauses 1. Turn thee unto me He renews his former prayer 2. Have mercy upon me 3. O bring thou me out of my distresses 4. Look upon my affliction and trouble and forgive me all my sins 5. Consider mine enemies 6. O keep my soul and deliver me 7. Let me not be ashamed 8. Let integrity and uprightness wait upon me Petitioners and men in misery think that they can never say enough this makes him so earnest and so often repeat the same thing in which longing there is yet an incrementum The sum is That God would hear and grant him defence and deliverance in his dangers remission of sins which caused them and protect direct and govern him in his troubles Now that he might prevail in his Suit as an excellent Orator And useth many Arguments that God be propitious to him he useth many Arguments to induce God to be propitious to him 1. His faith and trust in his promises Min◠eyes are ever towards the Lord. 2. The danger he was now in His feet were in the Net Ver. 15 3. He was oppressed and alone had none to help him I am desolate and afflicted Ver. 16 4. His inward afflictions and pain was grievous Ver. 17. 18. The troubles of my heart are enlarged by which he was distressed in pain in sorrow 5. And without his enemies powerful many merciless cruel Ver. 19 My enemies are many and they hate me with cruel hatred Ver. 21 6. And yet I am an Innocent and desire to be so thy servant Let integrity and uprightness preserve me for I wait upon thee And thus David having through the whole Psalm pray'd for himself He prayes for the Church The fifth part at last in the close he offers up a short but earnest Petition for all the People and for the whole Church which proceeded from that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ver. 22 which ought to be among the Saints Redeem Israel O God out of all their troubles The Prayer collected out of the twenty fifth Psalm UNTO thée O Lord I do lift up not only my eyes and hands Ver. 1 but my very soul and heart early in the Morning will I direct my prayer unto thée and will look up O Lord I am not ignorant how uncapable I have made my self of thy favour by my transgressions multiplied against thée but O Lord Ver. 6 declare thy self mindful of thy pity and mercy which thou hast shewed to Mankind from the beginning of the World and according to the multitude of thy mercies deal with me My sin is very great more in number than the sand heavier in weight than the greatest burden O pardon my iniquity for thy Name sake The offences of my younger years are over-many Ver. 11 into which the boyling of concupiscence inconsideration and my youthful heat and imprudence hath cast me head-long but O good God I beséech thée Remember not the sins of my youth nor the transgressions of my unruly and unbrideled Age but according to thy mercy think thou upon me blot out of thy remembrance my abominations and remit my crying exorbitances for thy goodness sake O Lord. O Lord Ver. 8 Thou art good and upright all thy paths are Mercy and Truth Thy Goodness and Mercy is shewed in admitting sinners to Repentance and thy Vprightness and Truth in pardoning them and making good thy Promises admit me then among the number of thy Penitents and seal my pardon as thou hast promised to penitent and believing sinners Thou art the God of my salvation Ver. 5 on thee do I wait all my life long from thy Mercy I look for my Instruction Ver. 4 from thée my Direction Shew me thy wayes and reach me thy paths and lead me in thy Truth I am a man of a broken and contrite spirit guide me in the day of Iudgment and suffer me not to be tempted above my strength and whatever way I choose be thou my Teacher and Monitor that I slip not and fall not in it I desire O Lord to kéep thy Covenant and Testimonies let therefore that great secret of Mans Redemption by the blood of thy dear Son be made known to me and the mercies of thy Covenant assur'd to my soul by which alone my heart shall dwell at ease and my Conscience be quieted from the guilt of sinne and sense of thy wrath These my sins have procured me many enemies and thou hast justly raised up these Rebels to revenge my Rebellions against thée with these I am so compassed that I know not what to do But mine eyes are toward thee O Lord and except thou pluck my séet out of the Net I must néeds perish in the snares that they have privily laid for me Turn thee then unto me and have mercy upon me for I am destitute of all humane help left
Vers. 1 That many multiplied and increased So many they were that he could not on a sudden number them Vers. 2 For all Israel was gathered from Dan to Beersheba as the sand of the Sea for multitude 2 Sam. 17.11 2. From their malice They came together to do him a mischief 2 That malicious They rose up not for him but against him not to honour him but to trouble him not to defend him as they ought but to take away his Crown and life 2 Sam. 17.2 3. From their insultation and Sarcasm It was not Shimei only 3 That insulters scoffers but many that said it Many there be that say unto my soul Vers. 2 There is no help for him in his God 2. The second part of the Psalm sets forth Davids confidence The second part Davids confidence in God 1. To their maltitude he opposeth one God But thou O Lord. 2. To their malicious insurrection Jehovah who he believ'd 1. Would be a Buckler to receive all the arrows they shot against him Vers. 3 2. His glory to honour though they went about to dishonour him 3. The lifter up of his head which they would lay low enough 3. To their vain boast of desertion There is no help for him in his God Vers. 4 he opposeth his own experience I cryed unto the Lord and he heard me out of his holly hill 4. By whose protection being sustained and secured he deposeth all care Which quiets his soul and gives him rest and fear all anxiety and distraction 1. He sleeps with a quiet mind I laid me down and slept I awoke Vers. 5 2. He sings a Requiem I will not fear Vers. 6 I will not be afraid for ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about The third part He prayes that God would deliver him as hitherto he had 3. In the close or third part he Petitions and prayes notwithstanding his security Arise O Lord Save me O my God To move God to grant his request he thankfully remembers him of what he had done before 1. Arise and save me Vers. 7 for thou hast smitten all my enemies on the cheek bone For to him alone Salvation belongs thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly Thou art the same God do then the same work be as good to thy servant as ever thou hast been 2. Vers. 8 He intersets an excellent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Maxime Salvation belongeth to the Lord. Which he desires may be extended to his people also As if he had said 'T is thy property and peculiar O Lord to save If thou save not I expect it from no other 3. Lastly as a good King should in his prayers he remembers his Subjects Thy blessing be upon the people The Prayer collected out of the third Psalm O Omnipotent and wise Jehovah without whose providence nothing falls out in this world that broughtst thy own people through the red Sea and Wilderness before thou gavest them rest in the land of Canaan We acknowledge that thy wrath is just and that all the punishments brought upon thy people procéeds from thy righteous hand and that we have deserv'd for our disobedience and rebellion to be cast out of thy sight and to have thy Candlestick removed from us But gracious God cast us not off as a people in whom thou hast no delight once more make trial of us whether we will not serve théé with more fear rejoyce before thée with more reverence and give kisses of love and obedience unto thy Son So sanctifie all afflictions unto us that they may be a means to bring us to rest Behold Vers. 1 Lord how they are increased that trouble thy poor Church how many they are that rise up against us Vers. 2 how many that say There is no help for us in our God Will the Lord absent himself forever and will he be no more intreated Is his mercy clean gone for ever and is his promise come utterly to an end for evermore Hath God forgotten to be gracious and will he shut up his loving-kindness in displeasure And I said It is mine own infirmity but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high I will remember the works of the Lord and call to mind thy wonders of old time Our fathers O God our fathers trusted in thée and thou didst deliver them With their voice they cryed unto thée Vers. 4 and thou heardst them out of thy holy hill They laid them down with a quiet mind and slept without anxiety and thou sustainedst and upheldst them Vers. 5 We are the children of the same fathers sons of the same hope heirs of the same promises Be then O Lord a buckler to us to desend us Vers. 3 our glory who are despised and lift up the heads of thy people that are brought very low Secure us and we will not fear save us Vers. 6 and suffer us not to be afraid of the ten thousands of enemies that have set themselves against us round about Put them in fear that they may know themselves to be but men Vers. 7 Arise and help us and save us O our God and smite all our enemies on the cheek-bone and break thou the teeth of the ungodly Repress their Serceness and break their strength who more cruel than brute beasts séek to devour us Whom have we in heaven but thée Vers. 8 and there is none we desire on earth in comparison of thée Salvation belongs only to thée O Lord Let therefore thy blessing be upon the people that fears thée and wait for deliverance from thée Thy people of Israel many times by their sins provoked thine anger and thou punishedst them by thy just judgment yet though their sinnes were never so grievous if they once return'd from their iniquity thou receivedst them to mercy We therefore wretched sinners bewail our manifold sins and earnestly repent us of our former wickedness and ungodly behaviour toward thée and whereas we cannot of our selves purchase thy pardon and blessing yet we humbly beséech thée for Iesus Christs sake to shew thy mercy upon us and to receive us again to thy favour Let the smell of his garment ascend into thy nostrils and through him let thy blessing be upon the people Let our sons be as the young plants and our daughters as the polish'◠corners of the Temple let our garners be plenteous with all manner of store let our shéep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our stréets let our oxen be strong to labour that there be no decay no leading into captavity no complaining in our stréets O good Father impart to us so great a share of thy blessing that we may be fully perswaded that our help and salvation depends upon thée alone Vngracious children we are and deserve it not yet out of thy méer mercy we humbly beséech thée to bestow thy benediction upon us for his
Lord. Vers. 7 The administration of his Kingdom is 1. Eternal The Lord shall endure for ever Vers. 8 2. His Office to be Judge He hath prepared his Throne for judgement 3. He is an universal Judge He shall judge the whole world 4. He is a just Judge He shall judge in righteousness Which begets a confidence in his people he shall minister judgement to the people in uprightness 5. He is a merciful Judge to his people Vers. 9 For the Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed a refuge in time of trouble 5. The effect or consequent upon this his execution of justice which is the confidence thence arising in the hearts of his people which are here describ'd by their knowledge of God 2. Seeking him Vers. 10 They that know thy name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee 2. An Exhortation to others to praise God 2 He exhorts others to praise God Sing praises to the Lord that dwells in Zion that is in the midst of his people and Church to defend them Declare among the people his doings The second part Of which he assigns the reason that he is a just God and will require their blood at the hands of those that oppressed and slew them Vers. 11 An inquisition for blood he will make And when he makes inquisition for blood For his justice he remembreth them the innocent unjustly oppressed and slain Vers. 12 and forgets not the cry of the humble The cry of their blood shall be heard 3. A Petition for himself that God would shew him mercy 3 He Petitions for favour and look upon his affliction Have mercy upon me O Lord The third part consider the trouble of them that hate me thou that lifts me up from the gates that is the power of death Vers. 13 As if he had said Do by me now as thou hast done heretofore And the Reason or Argument by which he perswades God to hear him and shew mercy is drawn from the final cause Vers. 14 he looks not so much upon himself as Gods honour it is That he may have just cause to praise God which he vows That I may shew thy praise 2. All thy praise 3. In thy Church in the gates of the daughter of Zion 4. That I may do it with joyful lips 5. Which I will do I will rejoice in thy salvation 4. And then as if he were shewing forth this praise in the Congregation The fourth part he sings forth his Song of Triumph his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 over his enemies in Metaphors And performs in a Song of Triumph 1. The heathen are sunk down into the pit that they made 2. In the net which they hid is their own foot taken 3. This is the Lords doing Vers. 15 Therefore though wicked men did doubt before of his providence and justice yet Vers. 16 now the Lord is known by the judgement he executes For 4. The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands Higgaion Selah Which is a thing exceedingly to be meditated on and not forgotten 5. The wicked shall be turn'd to hell and all the people that forget God Vers. 17 their breath is in their nostrils and dye they must which is some comfort to those they oppress and if they repent not Vers. 18 suffer eternal punishment 2. But the chief comfort is The fifth part is A Petition and proceeds from Gods justice and his goodness toward the innocent unjustly oppressed For the needy shall not alway be forgotten the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever Their hope shall not be frustrate Vers 19 5. The Conclusion is Petitory Arise O Lord. Against the enemies of the Church 1. Let not man prevail over thy people 2. Let the heathen be judg'd in thy sight Vers. 20 3. Put them in fear O Lord now they fear nothing That they may fear being in their height and prosperity they are insolent and proud manifest thy divine presence to their terrour For then 4. And know themselves to be but men They will know themselves to be but men infirm and mortal creatures and not insult over thy people and glory upon their own strength and prosperity The Prayer and Hymn out of the ninth Psalm for the Church in affliction persecuted and oppressed by enemies I Will praise thee Vers. 1 O Lord with my whole heart and I will make known to others as much as in me lies those wonderful works which thou hast done for thy people in all ages Vers. 2 I will not be glad and rejoice so much in the vain and empty things of this life as in thée the giver of them and for that I will sing praise to thy name O thou most high higher than all things in this world and far beyond all praise that I can give For thou Vers. 7 Lord who art from all eternity and shall continue the same for ever Vers. 8 hast prepared thy seat to judge the world on which being ascended thou wilt judge the world in righteousness rewarding every man according to his deserts repaying good things to those who know thy name and séek thée but heavy judgements to those who dishonour thée and oppress thy people Have mercy upon me Vers. 13 O Lord consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me Vers. 4 O thou that sittest in the Throne and judgest right maintain my right and my cause Vers. 16 and lift me up from the power of death Make thy self known by executing judgement for me Vers. 3 O let my enemies be turn'd back and perish at thy presence Vers. 18 Forget not the cry of the needy and let not the expectation of the poor perish for ever Vers. 12 Make inquisition for that innocent blood of thy servants which they have poured out like water that cannot be gathered up again and forget not the voice of Abels blood that yet from the earth cryes unto thée O God we have heard with our ears and our Fathers have declared unto us the noble works that thou didst in their dayes and in the old time before them Vers. 5 how thou hast destroy'd the wicked and rebuked the heathen and put out their name for ever and ever Vers. 9 Arise therefore O Lord be a refuge to the oppressed Vers. 19 a refuge in this needful time of trouble let not man prevail and let thy enemies be judged in thy sight Put them in fear O Lord that they may know themselves that they are not God but weak infirm and mortal men Now they are proud of their victories and puff'd up with their successes O break the hardness of their heart with some calamities and fearful disasters that being brought to consider their own frail condition and intolerable insolence they may cease to pride it against thée and thy Church O thou enemy Vers. 6 thou breathest nothing but
as bread 2. 2 That they are guilty Impiety For they call not upon God 4. 1 Of injustice Now that his testimony is true he convinceth them 1. 2 Of impiety By the light of their own conscience An non sibi sunt conscii Have they no knowledge Ver. 4 Know they not that all this is true that they do this and this 1 By the testimony of their own conscience which is naught as Doth not their own heart tell them all this is true 2. By the effect that which follows an evil conscience an extream fear and horrour Trepidarunt trepidatione They are alwayes in an extream fear which shews that all is not well They said there was no God But for all that 3 The effects shew by which he also convicts them their heart tells them That God is in the Generation of the Righteous and they shall dearly answer for the eating up of his people 3. Ver. 5 By a second effect which is their scorn and derision of any good counsel 1 An extream fear and horrour that the man whom they esteemed poor and contemptible gave them If any man who had the fear of God before his eyes chanc'd to say unto them 2 Their desperate contempt of good counsel O my Brethren do not so wickedly they scoff'd at it they made a mock at it and did all they could to shame him for it if he replied That God was his Refuge he whatever they said to the contrary ' trusted in God They made light of it and were apt to return He trusted in God Ver. 6 that he should deliver him let him deliver him now Nay of God himself if he will have him Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor because the Lord is his Refuge The second part of the Psalm The second part contains a Petition for the Church and an exaltation upon the favour exhibited 1. Ver. 7 He prayes that God would send salvation to his people 2. And that it be He prayes for the Church Out of Zion because Christ was set a King upon the holy hill of Zion that is the Church O that the salvation of Israel were out of Zion 2. Of which the consequent would be the joy of his people For then the consequent would be the joy and rejoycing of his people for their deliverance from captivity spiritual and temporal When the Lord turneth the captivity of his people then shall Jacob rejoyce and Israel shall be right glad The Prayer out of the fourteenth Psalm O Most holy and undefiled Majesty in comparison of whose purity all other things are impure we miserable wretches conceived in sin and born in iniquity do confess and acknowledge that we are laden with those fruits growing from that bitter root and that till we are born again by thy Spirit we are wholly corrupt in thy sight the faculties of our souls are very much wounded Ver. 1 so foolish we are and blinded in our understanding that we labour to perswade our selves There is no God no God that knows cares for or will judge the actions of men in this World so averted we are from thée in our wills that we bear no affection at all to that which is good though to compass our own ends we profess to know thée in words yet in déeds we deny thée Ver. 2 for our lives are corrupt our works abominable and such as sends up a stinking savour into thy nostrils there is not one of us that doth the good thou hast commanded not a man that understands as thou hast revealed thy self in thy Word or séek to honour thée to fear thée to put his whole trust and confidence in thée not a man that she we that love he ought to his Neighbour O Lord if thou shalt look down from Heaven Ver. 3 and shalt set thine eyes to consider the wayes of the children of men Thou shalt not sée a wise man amongst us not a man that sets his heart seriously to enquire and religiously to séek after God For we are all gone aside we have béen sway'd by our desires and lusts and turned from thy wayes to our own Ver. 4 we are become unprofitable and filthy and reprobate to every good work Wo wo unto us which are such workers of iniquity against the light of our conscience we have oppressed thy people and with delight devoured them as a man would eat bread daily easily gréedily No religious Bond is able to restrain us for that God whom we should call upon we invoke not that God whom we should honour we worship not Impious wretches we are and leaving then the Well of living water we have digg'd to our selves Pits that will hold no water sacrificing to our own inventions our own arm our own net For this our wickedness thy just judgment hath overtaken us Ver. 5 and we tremble and are afraid lest thou should utterly forsake us thy presence is indéed in the generation and company of the righteous these thou dost defend and kéep secure from fear but our conscience doth so sharply accuse us and the guilt of our malicious wickedness so far load us that we have just reason to fear rejection from thy face and the extreamest of thy wrath and indignation Ver. 6 And so much the more because when thy servants thy Ministers of whom the World was not worthy have given us warning to trust in thée after their example we have laboured to shame them and derided and mocked at their counsel But O Iust God Ver. 6 though thou dost poure out the vials of thy wrath upon the wicked yet in judgment remember mercy and deliver thy people be among the generation of the righteous protect thy servants by their refuge and hide them under the shadow of thy wings till thy anger be over-past Send thy Israel salvation out of Zion that place over which thy Son is King Ver. 7 Bring back thy people from Captivity from the prison and bondage of sin and from the cruel yoke which the Oppressor hath laid upon their necks so shall Jacob rejoyce and Israel shall be glad PSAL. XV. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or A Psalm of Doctrine in which we have the Character of a sound Christian TWO parts it hath 1. The first delivered in form of a Dialogue betwixt the Prophet and God from ver 1. to 5. The first part Davids question Who shall dwell 2. The Epiphonema in the end of the last verse 1. The question proposed by David to God 1. Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle 2. Who shall rest upon thy holy Hill That is because all are not Israel Ver. 1 which are of Israel therefore David asks of God 2 The answer made by God containing the Notes of a good man who shall dwell as a true Member in the Tabernacle or the Church Militant and who shall rest in the Church Triumphant 2. To which question God returns
external internal worship 3. And to perswade to this he gives two reasons 1. Drawn from Gods goodness his acceptance of the Worship 1 Because God will accepts is and hearing our prayers and affording help when we call Vers. 24 For the Lord hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted neither hath he hid his face from him but when he cryed to him he heard him 2. This is the first Reason A second there is at the 26. verse 2 By the promises made to them which is the great good that should happen to those that believe and accept of the Gospel preach'd to them Vers. 26 Whom he calls here The Meek i. e. the humble the broken-hearted the penitent the heavy-laden those who are oppressed with the burden of their sins and astonished at the sense of Gods wrath Three promises of comfort are made unto them 1. 1 They shall be satisfied with the Gospel They shall eat and be satisfied i. e. They shall be fed by the Word of the Gospel and the Sacrament and they shall be satisfied with the glad tidings thereof 2. 2 Celebrate the Eucharist They shall praise the Lord for this mercy seeking his favour in his Ordinances especially the Eucharist The Sacrifices of the New Testament are Sacrifices of praise 3. 3 Their conscience quieted Their heart shall live for ever Their conscience being quieted and pacified and freed from the sense of Gods wrath And now the Prophet goes on These promises made to the Gentiles as wel as the Jews and sets forth unto us the extension and amplitude of these benefits that they belong'd not only to the Jews but even to the Gentiles by whose Conversion the Kingdom of Christ was to be enlarged All the ends of the World Vers. 27 1. Being warn'd by the preaching of the Gospel and allured by these promises shall remember themselves Who were to be converted consider of their lamentable condition in which they are and deplore their former estate impiety idolatry c. and the mercy of God now manifested to them being laid to heart 2. They casting away their gods and forsaking their lewd courses shall turn unto the Lord from whom they have been alienated 3. And embrace a new form of Religion And being converted they shall embrace a new form of Religion under the Gospel All the Kingdoms of the Nations shall worship before thee Of which the reason is Vers. 28 Because Christ is advanc'd to the Throne All power is given to him For Christ is exalted to be King For the Kingdom i. e. of the Church is the Lords and he is the governour among the people And then he instanceth in two sorts of men that should become subjects of this Kingdom In effect all Rich and poor 1. Vers. 29 The fat upon the earth that is the wealthy the mighty Kings Princes 1 To whom the rich should be Subjects Great Men are not excluded from the society of this Kingdom and participation of Grace All they that be fat upon the earth shall eat and worship 2. 2 And the poor penitents Ezek. 27.30 They also that go down to the dust that is who are poor neglected draw out their life in misery and sit as it were in the dust Those that are perpetual Mourners and have perpetual dust and ashes on their heads These shall bow before him And No man hath quickned his own soul Or None can keep alive his own soul This clause is diversly read Moller Et qui animam suam non vivificat Vulgar Et anima mea illi vivet Jun. Qui animam suam in vita non conservaverit Musculus Quorum nemo animam suam vivificabit Chald. Et anima impii non vivet And therefore admits of several interpretations which read in the Authours 3. 2 And to be a perpetual King Lastly He doth amplifie the greatness of this benefit by the perpetuity of Christs Kingdom It was not a Feast of one hour but it was to continue 1. Vers. 30 A seed shall serve him It shall be counted to the Lord for a generation a holy Nation Whom his seed shall serve a royal Priesthood 2. And when one generation was past another should come up to perform this Duty Vers. 31 being instructed by their fathers They shall come and declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born For ever Manebit semper Ecclesia 3. Lastly He concludes with the cause of all why we call'd why justified why sanctified why saved Quia ipse fecit Ipse God the Authour of all This is Gods doing or if we read That he hath done it Then it is to be a part of the Declaration A Prayer collected out of the 22. Psalm to be used by a disconsolate soul in a spiritual Desertion O Heavenly Father and most Merciful God thou séest that at this time I am a man of sorrows and beset with heaviness thy comforts I now most néed and yet thou séemest to turn thy face from me My God Vers. 1 whom I have alwayes served my God whom I have alwayes trusted why hast thou forsaken me why art thou so farre from my help why is it that thou doest not hear the words of my complaint O my God Vers. 2 I cry day and night to thée to take away this bitter cup from me but thou who art wont to hear those who call upon thee yet doest not regard the voice of my roaring As water that is poured out upon the ground and hath no consistence Vers. 14 as wax that melts at the heat of the fire and loseth its continuity so is the heart in the midst of my body it flows every way and is melted by the furnace of thy fierce wrath I have not whereon to stay I have not whereon to consist I pine with grief I dissolve with pain I pine and languish and faint and dye My bones are fill'd with torture Vers. 15 all the strength of my limbs is wasted my vital spirits fail my moysture is dryed up my tongue cleaveth to my gums and I am brought even to the very dust of death I looked about to sée if any would pity me Vers. 17 but I found them all miserable comforters they shew no pity no compassion at all Vers. 6 For as if I were a worm and no man they stare and look upon me delighting themselves in my misery They scoff and scorn me so that I am become the reproach of men and the despised of the people Their words are bitter their gestures worse Vers. 12 They laugh me to scorn they shoot out their lips they shake their heads They thus insult over me nay blaspheme thée He trusted in God that he would deliver him let him deliver him now if he hath any delight in him They compass me as wild Bulls they enclose me as mad doggs they gape upon me as roaring Lyons They pierce my soul
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
indulgence to this sin In giving him 1. A right spirit there was a crooked and perverse spirit that had prevailed over him he judged not as he did before of Gods Law but perversly opposed it he desires that God would give him a spirit to judge rightly as he did before and firmly to resolve to keep to that was the right and strait way to happiness Renew O Lord in me a right Spirit 2. A holy Spirit The profane carnal spirit is opposed to this 2 A boly spirit and to that he hearkned by this holy Spirit he was wont to be carried which opposed all carnality but such good and sweet motions he perceived to be departed and therefore he desires of God a restitution of this holy Spirit this sanctifying and renewing Spirit that might again kindle in him the love of God holy motions agreeable to Gods Law and an obedience to the same Take not thy holy Spirit from me 3. A free Spirit He found that ever since he fell into his sin he did his duty 3 A free spirit and served his God with an ill will with much reluctancy he took no delight in the doing of it as he did before this therefore he begs that God would again give and restore to him a free Spirit that freely chearfully willingly he might run the way of Gods Commandments and that he would so uphold him with his Spirit that he might constantly continue in the same to his lives end Uphold me O Lord with thy free Spirit 2. Hitherto the Prophet hath presented his three Petitions The second part of the Psalm in which he vows three things and upon the confidence of these he makes his vows first to teach others secondly to praise God thirdly to offer him the best sacrifice a sacrifice which should be instead of all sacrifices which he knew would accept a contrite heart 1. Then that is after my pardon obtained and my reconciliation unto thee I shall teach Ver. 13 for a man under guiltiness himself is not meet to speak and declare a pardon to others His first vow to teach others 2. I will teach thy wayes to sinners not my wayes of sinning but thy methods of pardoning viz. That to the stubborn thou wilt shew thy self froward and stubborn but to the penitent such as I am thou wilt shew mercy 3. And the effect will be That sinners shall be converted unto thee They who were perverted before and averted from thee being encouraged by the mercy I have found shall be converted 2. His second vow to praise God His second vow and promise is to praise God My tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness Ver. 14 my mouth shall shew forth thy praise But to this he was unapt so long as he remained in his sin Ver. 15 for praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner And also unable to do without Gods special assistance But because not fit to do this he prayes and therefore he prayes for a capacity to do both 1. 1 For remission Deliver me from blood-guiltiness O God and then my tongue shall sing 2. 2 For assistance O Lord open my lips and then my mouth shall shew forth thy praise 3. His third vow is about a sacrifice which should be better than any then in use not the sacrifice of a beast but the sacrifice of a heart a heart well-conditioned His Preface to his third vow Negatively That God delights not in sacrifices seasoned with contrition and sorrow such he knew God would accept and such he should have 1. Thou desirest no sacrifice That is the outward in comparison of the inward would the outward please I would not be behind for that also I would give it thee but I know Thou delightest not in burnt-offerings without the heart 2. Nor in the heart till contrite No nor with the heart neither till it be broken and contrite broken for sin and contrite for meer love that it hath offended so good a Father I vowe therefore to bring thee this sacrifice this is instead of all other instead of many sacrifices this thou wilt not despise and this I will tender The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit His third vow a contrite heart The third part in which he prayes for the Church a broken and a contrite heart Thou O God wilt not despise 3. David having finished his prayers and vows for himself forgets not to petition for Jerusalem for Gods Church and the reason might be a religious fear in him lest for his sin Jerusalem might suffer such a thing might happen for so it did when he numbred the people Peccant Reges plectuntur Achivi His method was to be commended and his charity 1. His method first to be reconciled to God himself before he prayes for others for the prayers of a righteous man prevails much and the Apostle speaks of intercession 2. His charity for we are alwayes bound to remember the afflictions of Joseph and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem He prayes then for her 1. Ver. 18 That God who out of his good pleasure did choose a Church would out of his meer good will and love preserve it 1 That God protect his Church Do good in thy good pleasure to Zion 2. That he would have a special favour even to the material buildings Build thou the walls of Jerusalem 2 Even the walls for these fall not alone Religion and the Service of God fall when the Temple and Houses of God fall to ruine Probatum est 3. Then Religion would flourish For the consequence of Jerusalems prosperity would be this That Religion would flourish with it Then there would be sacrifices burnt-offerings and Holocausts Ver. 19 then they shall offer Bullocks upon thine Altar And which is yet more we shall offer And God pleased with it and thou shalt accept Then thou shalt be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness We being reconciled unto thee justified sanctified righteous upon thy account and in favour all our sacrifices shall find a gracious acceptance The Prayer collected out of the fifty first Psalm O Almighty Lord and most merciful God thou hast shewed compassion to many penitent sinners since the very beginning of the World thou never rejectedst any that sought to thée with a penstent soul and therefore Lord since thou art the same and no shadow of change in thée I beféech thée cloze not that door of mercy on me that hath béen opened to receive so many before me and let not those Rivers of compassion be dried up to me that have flowed so plentifully to others Have mercy on me O Lord on me Ver. 1 that have sinned against Heaven and against thee and am not worthy to be called thy son but according to thy goodness and multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquities I know Lord thou hast thy debt-book wherein thou writest the
vers 1. and the reason vers 2. 2. A double vow vers 3 4. with the reason The vow repeated vers 5. 3. The effects which were to follow vers 6 7. 1. The first part A prayer for 1. Mercy He first desires of God that he would so carry himself to his Church and people that it might appear that he hath a care of them that he loves them 1. Vers. 1 God be merciful to us favour us for his Mercy is the fountain of all our good 2. 2 A blessing Then Bless us Give whatsoever is good Temporal spiritual blessings 3. 3 The blessing of favour and grace Vers. 2 In particular Cause his face to shine upon us Clear up his countenance to us Every man desires a blessing the good man this blessing 4 That this blessing be extended to all people the blessing of the right-hand Let him openly shew that he favours us And for this he gives his reason viz. That the light may be communicative and the benefit pass over to others The second part even unto all men all Nations 1. In which he votes praise to God and desires that all may join with him That thy Way thy Will thy Word thy Works may be known on earth 2. Thy saving health not in Jury alone but among all Nations He desires that all men may come to the knowledge of the Truth and take notice of those wayes which he takes for the salvation of his people 2. And upon it he Votes honour to God for one will easily and naturally flow from the other Vers. 3 his mercy brings knowledge and his knowledge praise Let the people praise thee O God Let all the people praise thee This verse is Emphatical 1. Vers. 5 In respect of the Object Te. Thee Not other strange gods 2. Celebrent omnes All the people Not mutter thy praises but make them illustrious 3. And do it he artily And do it often Repeat them again and again as he doth this verse vers 5. 4. Vers. 4 And do it with a joyful and glad heart O let the Nations rejoice and sing for joy And of this also he gives his reason The reason the Acts that flow from Gods special providence his governing his moderating his directing his people 1. 1 Gods equity in judging His equity in judging Thou shalt judge the people righteously 2. 2 His wisdom in ordering His wisdom in governing Thou shalt govern lead and direct the Nations and that on earth that they know the way to eternal happiness Via gratia via gloriae 3. The third part The Consequences The effects of his blessing and our praise are expressed in the two last verses 1. Vers. 6 Then shall the earth yield her increase Which literally is an ample Harvest Spiritually 1 An increase the inhabitants of the earth shall increase in knowledge thanks c. 2. And God shall bless this increase for without his blessing 2 A blessing of that increase the increase will be to little purpose God even our God shall bless Which he ingeminates that it be not forgotten God shall bless Vers. 7 3. The last effect is 3 Gods worship that God shall be worshipped and honoured all the world over And all the ends of the earth shall fear him The Prayer collected out of the sixty seventh Psalm O God great in power but infinite in mercy acknowledge we do that thou art the Father of all gifts and the Fountain of all goodness Vers. 1 and from thy bounty and liberality it is that we receive whatsoever we can call ours and therefore we humbly beséech thée to be favourable and merciful to us to bless unto us whatsoever is good and make it openly and plainly appear that thou doest carry a serene aspect and a clear countenance towards us That so while we remain in this earth we may perfectly know that way that leads to thée and to our future happiness And this mercy we ask not for our selves alone but for all Nations Vers. 2 O happy day when not in Jury alone but all the world over thy wayes shall be made known when there shall be but one fold and one shepherd and thy saving health made evident and receiv'd by all Nations Bring to pass O God that many may come from the East and West and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God Vers. 3 Thy name will be glorious thy honour enlarg'd when the Gentiles with the Jews and the Jews with the Gentiles shall with one heart and one voice sing hymns to thy name O then let the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee Thou art a just God in equity judge for us thou art a wise God in wisdom govern and direct us Deliver thy people from the tyranny of men and from the rage and fury of Devils direct and govern our hearts in the way of thy Laws and in the works of thy Commandments so shall we appear in thy presence with joyful and glad hearts and sing merrily our songs of Zion to thy name Again and again I beg of thée O Lord that all men may come to the knowledge of thy truth and confess thy name O let the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee Let them cast away their strange gods and fall low before thy foot-stool and adore thée alone the Maker of all things the Redéemer of all men for then the Lord will hear the heavens and the heavens shall hear the earth and the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oyle and they shall hear Israel Out of thy mercy O God bestow upon us the light of thy countenance and grateful hearts that so all other things may be administred unto us bless our fields with increase and our houses with abundance and because all plenty is no better than poverty without thy blessing give thy blessing to that thou hast given so shall we fear thy name and adore thy Majesty and admire thy wise providence and in all reverence and humility set forth thy praise from generation to generation Amen PSAL. LXVIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 DIverse conjectures there are of the occasion of the composure of this Psalm But the most probable is that it was composed by David when he brought up the Ark of God which was the Type of the Church and Symbol of Gods presence to Jerusalem This after it was sent home by the Philistines rested first in the obscure Lodge of Aminadab then for a while it stay'd with Obed-Edom near sixty years in both places It was Davids care to provide a fit room for it in the head of the Tribes even in his own City And to express his joy and honour the Solemnity David led the way dancing with all his might in a linnen Ephod and all the house of Israel followed with shouts and instruments of
The Prayer collected out of the seventy third Psalm O Lord God of Israel who sits above the Cherubims and yet casts thy eyes down to behold all things that are in the Earth wisely dispensing and secretly governing and by thy Providence and secret counsel disposing of the Affairs of this World in all humility I present my self before thy Throne intreating thée to forget and to forgive the disorderly passions of my soul and the secret whispers of my heart by which I have béen tempted to doubt of thy Wisdom and Providence When I have séen the prosperity of wicked men Ver. 3 I confess my heart hath grown hot within me my soul hath béen moved with envy at their peace and with indignation at their successes angry I have béen That their strength is firm That they should be fréed from the troubles of famine cold weariness and the sharp pangs and cruelty of death to which thy best servants are subject and which they suffer their pride is intolerable their violence bottomed on their wealth impudent they are and their thoughts impious their words lofty For they set their mouth against Heaven and their tongues walk through the Earth endeavouring to aunul or change the Laws of God and man these are the ungodly and these prosper in the World these are they that increase in riches Yea and this prosperity of their's I confess it to my own shame prevailed so far upon me that I forgot my self Ver. 2 and thy Covenant of mercies made with thy servants upon it my féet were almost gone from that confidence I had in thée my God and my treadings had well nigh slip't from the study of vertue and practice of piety I was even ready to say Verily then have I cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency Ver. 13 Especially when I saw how the whole World ran after them how the multitude clove to them applauded their wayes blessed their happiness yea Ver. 10 even then when they impiously blaspheme How doth God know what we do in the Earth Is there any knowledge or care of these worldly businesses in the most High Thus my heart was grieved and disquieted and my very reins within me were sorely pricked The felicity wealth and flourishing estate of wicked men made so déep impression upon my soul that I was tempted with thoughts of falling to them and to tread those steps they had chalked to my happiness So foolish was I and ignorant even as it were a beast before thee Being in this perplexity of soul and agony of spirit I cast about which way to come to a resolution I consulted my own heart but found no comfort my own reason was too dark and flesh and blood too weak to give me satisfaction why the wicked should flourish be rich and mighty and the good man plagued all the day long and chastned every morning when I thought to know this it was too hard and painful for me Again I said if I speak thus that the good man is miserable and the ungodly happy then I shall condemn of vanity the whole Generation of thy children who have béen studious of piety denied themselves and taken up their Cross and followed thée Being thus tossed with these waves of discomfort I found no assurance of rest untill I went into the Sanctuary of God entred thy School and addicted my self wholly to learn thy will and thy wayes for then I plainly understood the end of these whom the World and their own corrupt heart accounted the sole happy men that their felicity was but momentary their end fearful their prosperity as a dream that the temporal things in which they gloried their sole reward for the bad use of which they were like to lose Heaven and be tormented for ever O my God make this thy Word good and as thou hast ser them in slippery places so let them find no stedfast standing let them slip and fall and suddenly cast them down to destruction bring them to desolation in a moment and let their consumption be full of amazement let the conscience of their former wickedness pursue them at their death and their end be accompanied with terrours to themselves and others even as a dream when one awaketh vanisheth suddenly and deceives the man that was detained while he slept with a vain and empty delight of what was represented so let all their pomp and shew of great happiness be unto them at their latter end if the remembrance thereof serve for any thing let it be to vex them that it is past and gone and must be exchanged for a never dying torment For lo they that depart far from thee from thy Law from their Duty shall perish and thou wilt destroy all those who leaving thée the Fountain of living water have digged to themselves broken pits that will hold no water who run a whoring after the creature and forsake thée their Creator to whom they ought only to adhere and be conjoyned in a firm bond of love While then other men féed themselves with the shadow of these pleasing dainties so encline my heart O God That I may be continually with thee persevere and continue thy servant notwithstanding all tentations to the contrary and as a good Father so uphold me by my right hand that I fall not from thée guide me by thy counsel thy Spirit thy Word and afterward receive me to glory for whom have I to flie to in Heaven but thee To which of the Saints should I turn and what one of the Angels should I invocate And when I turn my eyes down upon the Earth I find every creature so unable to make me happy That they are all vanity and vexation of spirit I must confess my own infirmity I do acknowledge my own weaknes when I beheld the prosperity of the wicked my flesh and my heart failed Thy goodness it is that I recovered for I acknowledge that God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever with thée I am content in thee satisfied worldly prosperity wealth preferment honour power are a very poor inheritance in comparison of thée I have learned out of the Oracles of thy Word I have béen instructed in thy School That it is good by faith and love for me to draw near to God and to commit my self wholly to thy dispose I will therefore put my whole trust in the Lord God and therefore having had an assurance of thy mercies I will declare thy wonderful works and sing forth thy praises in the Gates of the daughter of Zion and in the City of Jerusalem for ever and ever PSAL. LXXIV 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THIS Psalm was composed by the Prophet upon some grievous desolation which he either saw or fore-saw to fall upon the Temple and Houses of God in the land of Judaea whether by Nebuchodonozer Antiochus Epiphanes or some other is uncertain Two parts 1. His Complaint from ver 1. to 10. 2.
that they should inherit the Land which now they could not do in quiet For all the earth was full of darkness i. e. impiety and cruel habitations Plunderers every where And he goes on in his Prayer and useth two Arguments more 1. That Gods people be not ashamed of their hope and expectation and dependance on God O let not the oppressed return ashamed 2. From their gratitude Let the poor and needy praise thy Name In the close of the Psalm he more openly expresseth the affection of his heart for God and presseth him for help because the cause is his the enemies his the blasphemy against him and redounds to the dishonour of his name and that it dayly increaseth 1. Arise O Lord plead thine own cause 2. Remember how the foolish people reproach thee dayly 3. Forget not the voice of thine enemies 4. The tumult of those that rise against thee increaseth continually The Prayer to be collected out of the seventy fourth Psalm is needless it being so powerful methodical and easie a Prayer of it self I shall only then Paraphrase upon it AND why O God doest thou carry thy self toward us at this time Vers. 1 as if thou didst seem to have cast us off rejected us from thy care and favour wholly and for ever O good God why doth the severity of thy indignation smoke against those whom thou hast chosen to feed care for Vers. 2 and govern as if they had been thine own sheep thy selected flock O thou which hast seem'd for a long time to be unmindful of us remember we beseech thee thy Congregation which thou hast purchased with thy blood whom thou hast bought to be thy inheritance not yesterday nor to day but before the beginning of the world Remember Mount Zion that is now destroy'd by the enemy and that place wherein thou hast dwelt Therefore that thy mercy may be answerable to thy former love Vers. 3 with-hold not any longer the hand of thy Omnipotence and Iustice but make bare thy arm and lift up thy feet to the perpetual desolation and eternal destruction of every enemy that hath done wickedly in the Sanctuary Thy adversaries being become conquerors have cryed with a loud voice Vers. 4 and proudly boasted and roared as Lions in the midst of the Congregations they have prophaned thy Solemn Feasts they have thrown down thy Altars and slain thy Priests with the edge of the sword and they have set up their banners in thy Temples as manifest signs of their victories without any reverence had to thy holy place without any acknowledgement or honour exhibited to thy name by whose permission for our prophaneness they thus triumph over us and these confecrated places When they enter'd into these holy Oratories they shew'd no more reverence than if they had fet footing into some thick wood Those beams of Cedar which our fore-fathers out of piety and dedotion had polished and dedicated to the ornament and deanty of thy house these those rude and barbarous hands have broken down with Ares and Hammers Yea they have cast fire into thy Sanctuary they have prophaned the Tabernacle consecrated to thy name drawing it down to the ground despoyling it of all glory and the sincere worship of thy name being taken away instead thereof they have set up and worship'd their own indentions Nay their malice stay'd not here Not a Synagogue of the Land but hath felt their fury no School of the Prophets but hath groaned under their oppression They encourage each other in mischief Come say they let us destroy them all together Thus have they made all thy Solemn Festivals to cease and thy whole worship to be annihilated As for thy Prophets they are few left and those that are disgraced eiected imprisoned oppressed accounted the off-scouring of the world and made a spectacle to men and Angels thy Word in their mouths is estéemed a lye and the defence of thy truth held for superstition and the Traditions of men and with them thy holy Ordinances are all cast aside as â—â—ecessary Ceremonies O Lord how long wilt thou suffer the adversary to reproach Wilt thou be of that long-suffering and patience that the prophane shall blaspheme thy holy Name and by his blasphemies provoke thée to anger for ever Why as a lazy man is wont toda doest thou kéep thy right-hand in thy bosome why doest than not pluck it from thence and make these profane persons féel the blow and thy people the mercy It cannot be ascribed to thy want of power that thou art thus patient For thou art the same God now as of old Thou art the great King which hast wrought salvation for our fathers in the midst of the earth even in the sight of all people Marvellous and terrible were thy works Vers. 13 which thou didst for thy people of Israel Thou didst divide the Sea by thy strength and made the waters to stand on a heap till thy people were past through it Thou brakest the heads of that Dragon Pharaoh and all his hoast in the red Sea Thou didst cleave the Rock and turn'dst the flint-stone into a springing Well that thence the thirst of thy people might be satisfied as from a fountain And on the contrary thou hast dryed up the swiftest current and mest violent stream that thy people might pass dry-foot through it Neither is thy power declared only in these extraordinary miracles but also in all creatures The night and day were created by thee Thou hast prepared the light and the Sun Thou hast set the bounds of the Sea and all the borders of the earth Thou hast made Summer and Winter The vicissitudes of all things is a manifest of thy power and the change of all times and seasons is thy Ordinance wisely disposed for the commodity of man When then O Lord thy power is so great shew thy might and come amongst us remember this that the enemy hath reproached in effect imputed weakness and impotence to thée said in his heart What God shall deliver them out of my hand O Lord remember that the foolish people in prophaning thy Temples and trampling thy Prophets have blasphemed thy name being regardless of thy Omnipotence and secure upon thy patience We beséech thée suffer no longer the souls of those innocent mournful Turtle Doves who desire to worship and praise thée to be delivered to the multitude and rabble of the wicked neither leave destitute of thy favour and help for ever the Congregation of the afflicted people whose considence is thy care and security thy sole protection Have respect O Lord to the Covenant thou hast made with our fathers Never let the gates of Hell as thou hast promised prevail against thy Church which at this time can find no rest for the sole of her foot since the places of the earth are full of darkness and cruel habitations for bloody and deceitful men having their heart darkned are spread over the Land and by violence and
they had béen strucken with fear by thy hand they fled and the depths of the Ocean being troubled forgetting to flow on the right and left hand stood up in heaps as if they had béen congealed to Mountains of ice but after thy people were passed through at thy command they relented and with an hasty and hideons reflux overwhelmed Pharoah and his Chariots by their violence Then the clouds poured out water from above there came a fearful noise which astonished his warlike Horses thy hail in manner of arrows were shot from Heaven Thou roaredst from the sky in the voyce of Thunder and thy lightning flashed in their faces from which their fear was so great that they thought the immovable Orb of the earth did shake and tremble under their féet Thy way was then in the Sea and thy path in the waters and after the parted streams came together again thy footsteps are not known no evidence there was thou hadst béen there Moses thy Prince and Aaron thy Priest were then thy Ministers who led thy people as a Shepherd his flock through the depths of the red Sea This thy miraculous redemption is written for our instruction I do remember O Lord what thou hast done fréed a distressed people delivered a broken hearted Nation saved from death those who did despair of life Lord I am distressed send from Heaven and relieve me I am broken-hearted O Lord come and heal me I am even at the point to dye save and quicken me As thou hast set me up for a mark of thy justice so make me also a monument of thy compassion let me obtain mercy that in me first Christ Iesus might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to everlasting life Despair I will not for I serve a good Lord hope for pardon I will for I trust in a merciful God This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation That Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners of these I am the chief the chiefest object then O Lord for thy mercy thy goodness can be no where so conspicuous as in saving me Lord then have mercy upon me Christ have mercy upon me Lord have mercy upon me hear my voyce give ear to my cry in the day of my trouble I have sought to thee let me find thée so shall my heart rejoyce my flesh rest in hope and my tongue be encouraged to sing Now unto the King Eternal Immortal Invisible the only wise God be Honour and Glory for ever and ever Amen PSAL. LXXVIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE Prophet considering that it is Gods Command that his works be not forgotten but that the Fathers deliver his former doings to posterity that they might be to them for comfort and instruction deter them from obstinacy in sin and perswade them to the fear of God he doth in this Psalm give in a prolix Catalogue of Gods dealing with his people even from their coming out of Aegypt to the dayes of David The parts of the Psalm are these 1. A Preface in which he exhorts to learn and declare the way of God from ver 1. to 9. 2. A continued Narrative of Gods administration among his people and their stubbornness disobedience and contumacy together with the revenge that God took upon them from ver 9. to 67. 3. His mercy yet that he did not wholly cast them off but after the rejection of Ephraim made choice of Judah Zion David from ver 67. to 72. 1. In the Exordium he labours to gain attention Give ear O my people The Exordium in which he labours for attention to my Law encline your ears to the words of my mouth and in this and the following verses useth many arguments to gain attention as 1. It is Gods Law which he is to deliver his Doctrine The first part the words of his mouth taught delivered from Heaven Ver. 1 and deposited only with the Prophet To Gods Law from the 1. Excellency of it 2. It is worth hearing for it is a Parable a dark but wise saying and it of old I will open my mouth in a Parable I will utter dark sayings of old it hath dignity wisdom antiquity to commend it Ver. 2 3. Yea and certainty of Tradition also Which we have heard and known and such as our Fathers have told us And now he acquaints them with the end 2 The end to be shewn not hid which is another Argument for attention 1. It was not to hide them or conceal them from their children Ver. 4 2. But to shew them to the Generations to come of vvhich That God might be 1. Praised and the ultimatus finis vvas 1. That God be praised for his benefits 1 Praised and shewing the praises of the Lord. 2. That his povver be celebrated in his miracles And his strength 2 His power magnified and wonderful works that he hath done But the intermedius finis was the good of his people for it was 3 His people edified that they might 1. Know God 2. Hope in God 3. And obey God not being rebellious For he that is God established a Testimony in Jacob and appointed a Law in Israel It was not a Law which our Fathers invented but taught from above Now the Duty of the Fathers was to communicate this Law to their posterity Which he commanded our Fathers that they should make known to their children And the Duties of the children follow which are the three ends before 1. That they know God and his Law and Works 1 In knowledge That the Generation to come might know them and the children that were yet unborn and their Duty is again To declare them to their children 2 Faith 2. That they might trust and set their hope in God and not forget the works of God 3. 3 Obedience and That they might be an obedient people and keep his Commandments which they could not be if they were like their fore-fathers for they were a stubborn and rebellious Generation a Generation that set not their heart aright Not rebellious as their fathers of which he gives divers instances The second part and whose spirit cleaved not stedfastly to God 2. And now the Prophet begins his Narration and proves by examples that they were a stubborn and rebellious Generation of which his 1. First example is of the Tribe of Ephraim who being armed and carrying Bowes turned back in the day of Battel which Moller refers to the children of Ephraim invading the land of Canaan before Moses time 1 In Ephraim and were overthrown 1 Chron. 17.21 and were slain because they did it without command Ephraim by a Synecdoche is put for all Israel who were disobedient and cowardly as Souldiers in War that turn their back on the enemy Bellarmine 2. These Ephraimites kept not the Covenant of God and refused to walk in his Law Jeroboam being
good-will to man and what he will have done by all his loving Subjects which is that they be a Holy people 2. 2 And holy as are his Subjects also For Holiness becomes thy House for ever The Temple the Priests the people must be a Holy Nation for ever correspondent to the Holiness of his Law and Testimonies Be ye Holy for I am Holy Holiness becomes thy House O Lord for ever The Prayer collected out of the ninty third Psalm O Omnipotent Lord which framedst the whole world by thy power and orderest all things by thy wisdom and yet in mercy hast made choice of some only to be a peculiar people to thy self Vers. 3 thou seest how this thy little flock is opposed afflicted oppressed by the pride and malice of bloody men Our enemies O Lord are mighty and insult over us they roare as the Sea they lift up their voice they seek to dash us in pieces with their insolent waves of anger and hatred as an inundation of waters and a tempestuous Sea they encompass us and seek to swallow us quick Let it be thy pleasure Vers. 4 O Lord to deliver us from these waves we believe that thou O Lord art mightier than the noyse of many waters yea than the mighty waves of the Sea stir up then thy strength and come amongst us Cast them then down in thy power still the waves of this troublesome Sea with thy word break in pieces the heads of Leviathan in these waters that we may have just cause to glorifie thy name Other Lords now raign over us Vers. 1 but thou art our King shew thy self then thou that sitt'st between the Cherubims appear as thou art clothed with Majesty Vers. 2 fortified with power and strength girded with thy sword upon thy thigh revenge thine own cause upon thy enemies and defend thy little flock Thou art from everlasting Vers. 1 thou art the sole Monarch of the World thou reignest thy Throne is established of old let not man then have the upper hand lest he grow too proud Shew that thou hast so established the World and thy Church in the World that it shall never be moved In thee Vers. 5 all the promises made unto us are yea and Amen thy Testimonies are very sure and the decrées of thy Kingdom immutable They require of us Faith Obedience and Holiness Oh thou who art our King and our God give us Faith to relie on thy promises Obedience to submit to thy Laws and a study of Holiness constantly and ever to perform such holy services and duties that thou requirest and becomes thy house and those that dwell in it Make our bodies Temples of the Holy Ghost that the Holy Ghost may take delight to dwell in this Temple for ever Amen PSAL. CXIV 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 IN this Psalm our Prophet prayes complains inveighs against wicked men Oppressors of the innocent reproves their Atheism and informs them of Gods Omniscience Comforts the godly and encourages the just to put their trust in God assuring them that God will reward the wicked and defend the righteous In this Psalm then The parts are 1. A Petition for vengeance upon the wicked vers 1 2. 2. A pitiful complaint with the causes of it which were two 1. The delay of Gods judgements on them vers 3 4. 2. Their insolence oppression of the poor blasphemy against God to 7. 3. A sharp reprehension of their blasphemy and Atheism and the refutation of it from vers 8. to 12. 4. A consolation to all good men that God will reward the wicked and defend the righteous from vers 12. to the end Which is confirmed 1. From Gods faithfulness who hath promised and will perform it vers 14. 2. From Davids own experience from vers 16. to 20. 3. From Gods hatred of injustice tyranny oppression vers 20 21. 1. Which will cause him to be a Rock and defence to his people vers 22. 2. A severe Revenger to the Oppressors vers 23. 1. He begins with a Petition The first part He petitions for vengeance on the wicked that God would take vengeance of the Oppressors of his people which that he might the easier perswade he makes choice of an Attribute and to shew the ardour of his prayer ingeminates it which is peculiar to God for mihi vindicta ego retribuam O Lord God Vers. 1 to whom vengeance belongs to whom vengeance belongs As if he had said Thou art the most powerful Lord a God of power and justice and hast vengeance into thy own hand Therefore now 1. Shew thy self appear shine forth evidently and apparently shew thy justice vers 1. 2. Lift up thy self thou Judge of the earth Do thy Office of Judicature Vers. 2 ascend thy Throne and Tribunal as Judges use to do when they give judgement 3. Render a reward to the proud For the proud humble not themselves to thee they repent not pronounce therefore the sentence of condemnation against them 2. And now the Prophet begins to Complain The second part He complains that it is delayed by which that by the delay of Gods vengeance wicked men were hardned in their impiety and gloryed in their villany 1. How long how long This thy forbearance seems tedious to us especially since the wicked grow worse and worse by it and insult over us the more 2. For they triumph of their strength they glory in their prosperity Vers. 3 and in their wickedness The wicked are encouraged in mischief 3. They utter and speak hard things boldly rashly Vers. 4 proudly they threaten ruine to thy Church they breath nothing but blood and eversion of Kingdoms and Cities freely and without fear they talk of nothing else but what they have done and what they will do 4. They are workers of iniquity and they boast themselves 'T is not sufficient for them to do ill but they boast of it Of their strength they boast of their power they boast of their success they boast as if nothing were able to withstand their counsel their sword their wisdom Especially to insult over and oppress the Church and poor Now to what end do they make use of all these for of that I must complain also the consequence is lamentable the event sad the effects are lamentable for in their fury and injustice 1. Vers. 5 They break in pieces thy people O Lord. The people elect seperate dedicated to thee 2. They afflict thine heritage The people that thou hast chosen for thy possession 3. Vers. 6 They slay the widow destitute of the comfort of an Husband 2. And the stranger a man far from his Friends and Countrey 3. And murder the fatherless all which thou hast taken into thy protection and commanded that they be not wrong'd Exod. 22. Deut. 24. Yet such is their fury that they spare not Sex nor age nor any condition of men Nay And to blaspheme God himself it were yet tolerable if their rage
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
5 Reproach From the reproach of them who had been his friends but were now his enemies for a wicked man thinks himself reproached by a good mans honest conversation Wisd 5. Mine enemies reproach me all the day long and they are mad against me are sworn against me have conspited by an Oath to undo me 6. And that which made them so mad and sweâ—r was my repentance which I testified by ashes on my head 6 Sadness and tears in my eyes I have caten ashes like bread my dayly food and mingled my drink with weeping I drank tears with my wine that is I was fed with bitterness and sustain'd with tears which they derided And now behold the reason why every true penitent is thus humbled All these increased by the sense of Gods anger it is not for want nor yet for want of wit but it is out of a true sense of Gods anger which he hopes to pacifie by his sorrow and humiliation 1. Ver. 10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath for my former sin 2. Which I collect thus Thou hast formerly lifted me up then sure I was in thy fovour but hast now cast me down whence I may well conclude that I am in disfavour with thee 3. And the effect plainly shews it For my dayes are as a shadow that declines and am withered like grace Become mortal flying fading from thy wrath raised by my own default 2. The second part He yet comforts himself in Gods promises Hitherto the Prophet hath petition'd and complain'd His case was lamentable yet he is notswallow'd up of sorrow Heart he begins to take and comfort he promiseth himself in the Eternity and Immutability of God and his love to his Church Hence he conceives hope of reconciliation and being moved by the Spirit of God foretells the restauration of Zion and Jerusalem and typically the state of Christs Church 1. To his Church on which he will have mercy and had when he restored them True I wither away as grass and so shall all Individual men But 1. Thou O Lord shalt endure for ever and therefore thy Church and promises to thy Church 2. And thy Remembrance from generation to generation The Covenant which thou hast made shall be remembred from father to son Ver. 13 till the worlds end 2. Thou seemest now to sleep But thou shalt arise 1. Thou shalt have mercy on Zion and save thy people 2. For the time to favour her yea the set time is come Literally the seventy years of the Captivity were neer expired Typically by the Spirit the Prophet foresaw and conceiv'd the Redemption of the Church in the future as a thing present And both he calls a time of favour for from the favour and mercy of God both proceeded 3. And this Consideration wrought a double effect This wrought a double effect 1. One upon Gods people for the present viz. an earnest desire to have it so Ver. 14 Earnest they were that Jerusalem should again be built the Church set up For thy servants take pleasure in her stones 1 A desire to have it so and favour the dust thereof Ver. 15 2. The other upon the Heathen 2 Another on the Heathen viz. Compassion Conversion So the Heathen shall fear thy name which began when Darius and Cyrus saw and acknowledged the Prophesies and obeyed them 2. And all the Kings of the earth thy glory which was truly fulfill'd in the conversion of Constantine c. to the Faith And he adds the cause why Kings and Nations should be so strangely converted because he had beyond all belief and expectation of man Ver. 16 so strangely delivered his people from Captivity and so miraculously set up his Kingdom in his Church This shall be done When or because the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in glory Before he cast his people into the grave as it were without any hope of life or restitution but when he shall bring them from thence he shall make his glory and honour manifest And that which moved him to it was the prayers of his people Ver. 17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer Which effects followed on their prayer Of this mercy a Record to be kept Now lest the Jews should conceive that what was done for them did concern them only and not their Children or to speak more properly the whole people of God in all ages to come God would have a Record kept of it 1. This shall be written for the generation to come 2. And the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord Ver. 18 Cum viderint impleta quae praedicta And of this he assigns two reasons even the self-same set down at the 16. and 17. Verses 1. For be hath looked down from the height of his Sanctuary Ver. 19 from the heaven did the Lord behold the earth 2. To hear the groans of the prisoners Ver. 20 to loose those that are appointed to death That the glory be returned to God Now this Mercy from God calls upon us for our Duty for the proper end of it was and the effect that it should work upon us is that we should be thankful Therefore he looked down therefore he heard the groans of the prisoners c. That being freed 1. They should declare the name of the Lord in Zion Ver. 21 and his praise in Jerusalem 2. And this praise should be compleated Ver. 22 When the people are gathered simul or in unum united together and the Kingdoms to serve the Lord. The Gentiles join with the Jews in it And here methinks I hear the Prophet breaking off his comfort The Prophet laments he shal not live to see it and breaking out in the midst of his prophecy with Balaam As if he had said I am assured all this shall come to pass and be done for Gods people but alas who shall live when God doth this Whosoever shall I shall not certainly For he weakned my strength in the way and hath shortned my dayes Ver. 23 Yet my desire is it might be otherwise Yet he desires he might and in this my desire is but the same with many Kings and Prophets that have gone before me all which long and desired to see the flourishing estate of the Church under the Messiah and therefore Ver. 24 I said O my God take me not away in the midst of my age But suffer me to draw out my life to see that that all good men have aspired to see to wit that I may behold Christ promised in the flesh and be a partaker of the glory of his Kingdom Which Petition And presseth that he might Perswading God to it upon 24. The consideration of Gods eternity and immutability that it might be the easier granted he presseth it by a Collation of Gods Eternity and Immutability with his own life As if he should say Spare me
Psalm with an Epiphonema in which he perswades all good men to consider the former Premises and lay it to heart To observe the whole course of Gods Providence that they impute not the Changes of the World to Chance and Fortune nor be overmuch dejected at them but rather bless God for all as Job did 1. The righteous shall see it Consider and seriously meditate upon it 2. And rejoyce when they are assured that God is their Guardian and that therefore the Crosses which he layes upon them are trials for their good not for their ruine 3. And all iniquity shall stop her mouth By observation of the event at last evil doers shall not have occasion to laugh and blaspheme and find fault with Gods wayes but confess That all was by God justly done and wisely disposed But this is a Consideration not for every brain 't is for wise men that look afar off and think on it 1. Who is so wise will observe these things That is vicissitudes and changes of this World 2. And they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord It shall appear unto them at last how ineffable his mercy is toward them which truly fear him and call upon his Name but our life is hid with Christ in God The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and seventh Psalm O Omnipotent God when we look upon the strange vicissitudes and alterations of the things of this World our faith would waver and our hearts would faint were we not assured that all things are guided by thy hand and over-ruled by thy Providence and secret Will and Counsel Ver. 1 Who art good and whose mercy endures for ever Be it then that we are brought to wander in the Wilderness in a solitary way that we be pilgrims and strangers and have no City to dwell in that we are oppress'd with hunger and dryed up with thirst so that our soul is ready to faint within us yet will we not despair In our trouble to thée will we cry to thée will we make our moan nothing doubting but that if it shall be for thy glory and our good Thou wilt deal by us as thou hast done formerly with thy servants them thou hast deliver'd from their distresses those thou hast led forth by the right way and brought to dwell in their own Cities and Habitations Thou hast satisfied their longing souls and filled their hungry souls with good things which since thou art good and thy mercy endureth for ever we are in good hope Thou wilt do for us Redéem O Lord thy banished and bring them home So shall we praise thee for thy goodness and declare thy wonderful works which thou dost for the Children of men Long it is O merciful God That we have sate in darkness Ver. 10 and in the shadow of death our back is bowed down with many iron hands that we cannot lift up our head our heart is brought low through affliction and we find none to help and all this is justly come upon us because we have rebelled against the words of our God and contemned the Counsel of the most High We have not done thy Will nor kept thy Commandments but have set up abominations and have multiplied offences But now O Lord in our trouble we cry unto thée we how the knées of our hearts beséeching thée of grace forgive forgive O Lord and destroy us not with our iniquities Save us Lord from our distresses bring us out of this darkness and shadow of death and break our Bands asunder break these gates of Brass and cut asunder these Bands of Iron so shall we thy redeemed praise thee O Lord for thy goodness all the dayes of our lives and declare the wonderful works which thou dost for the children of men O Lord I confess against mine own soul that I have béen seduced and pielded to many foolish lusts of the flesh Ver. 17 and because of this my iniquity and transgression I am justly afflicted and séel no whole part in my body that thou shouldst lengthen out my dayes any farther I sée no hope my disease is so grievous That my soul abhorreth all manner of meat and my vital spirits so far spent That I am drawing to the gates of death To whom O Lord should I flie but to thée To whom should I cry in this my trouble but to thée O God be merciful to thy servant and press me not beyond my strength save me out of my distress send out thy Word and heal me and deliver me from destructions O let not thy fierce anger go beyond a fatherly correction and in judgment remember thy mercy that endures for ever So shall I whom Thou hast redeemed from the jawes of death praise thee my God for thy goodness and for thy wonderful works to the children of men I will sacrifice the Sacrifices of Thanksgiving and declare thy works with rejoycing O Lord our Vocation calls upon us to go down to the Sea in Ships and to negotiate Ver. 23 and do our business in great waters where we see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep At thy Command the stormy wind ariseth and the waves of the Sea are lifted up Tossed we are and mount up to Heaven and by and by we go down to the bottom of the Sea so that there we dwell in the shadow of death and our soul is melted and faints because of the present trouble we reel too and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at our wits end for our wisdom and our skill then fails us our sole refuge is in our prayers In this instant of our trouble as thou hast commanded We cry unto thee look down upon thy servants who in the abyss of the Seas and the abyss of our trouble invocate the abyss of thy mercies bring us out of these distresses Thou which didst command the winds and rebuke the Seas and they obeyed thée Make the storm a calm Rebuke the furious winds and waves and still them by thy power make us glad by rescuing us from the present danger and quietly bring us to the desired Haven So will we praise thee O Lord for thy goodness and for thy wonderful works to the children of men And when we come to land We will exalt thy Name in the Congregation of thy people and praise thee in the Assembly of the Elders O Lord we set our minds too much upon earthly things and attribute too much to Nature and second Causes whereas all the power that is in the Creature is from thée and that restraint that is upon the Creature procéeds from thée Remove from our hearts this heavy and gross ignorance and impiety and make us know and acknowledge that it is thy hand That turns Rivers into a Wilderness and a land water'd with pleasant Springs into a dry ground by which a fruitful land becomes barren But in this change thy Iustice O Lord is exalted by this thou shewest
and full of compassion 1 A gracious God 1. Gracious in doing these works for they came from his meer grace pity and favour 2 Full of compassion and not from any desert of mans 2. And full of compassion Rachum affected with the bowels of a father toward his children The instances of his mercy are gracious in habit compassionate in act Of which the Prophet now descending to particulars gives in several instances gracious and full of compassion he was in that 1. 1 Manna given He hath given meat to them that fear him He nourished his people for forty years in the Wilderness and gave them Manna from Heaven this meat he gave especially to those that fear'd him and for their sakes to others or else the whole Congregation might well be said to fear him because at that time they took him for their God and worshipped him 2. 2 Keeping his Covenant He will be ever mindful of his Covenant which is his second instance A mercy it was to make a Covenant with them but notwithstanding their high provocations to be ever mindful of it and keep it is a higher degree of mercy 3. 3 Doing miracles for them He hath shewed his people the power of his works which is a third instance His works were the turning of Jordan backward the overthrow of Jericho by the sound of Rams Horns the staying of the Sun and Moon in the valley of Ajalon at Joshua's prayer c. All these were works of power which he then shew'd his people 4. 4 Giving them the land of Canaan And these he did That he might give them the heritage of the Heathen which is his fourth instance For who can deny but it was a work of mercy to expel the Canaanites before them and bestow upon his own people their inheritances Now as before he used an Acclamation when he entred upon the works of God in the Creation of the World Ver. 7 and the Conservation and Governance of it The works of the Lord are great honourable glorious So after these instances of his works of mercy lest any man should suspect him unjust in this last instance especially viz. ejecting the Canaanites and giving away their inheritances he aptly interserts this Elogy of them The Elogy of these done 1. Ver. 7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment 1. 1 In verity 2. In judgment The Elgoy of the moral Law Verity these works had truth in them for by it he had made good his promise made to Abraham to give them the land 2. And secondly Judgment for by it his Justice was executed upon Idolaters and profane persons 2. Which shewes unto the whole World that 1. All his Commandments are sure That his Laws 1 It is sure especially that which is Moral are certainly true and that he deceives none in the promulgation of them but that they bring a punishment to the Transgressors and a reward to the Observers of them as it appears by the example of the Canaanites that were ejected for the breach of them Levit. 18.24 c. 2. That these Commands being but the Law of Nature stand fast for ever Ver. 8 2 Eternal that they are indispensable and immutable and for this reason because they are done and established in truth and uprightness containing in them the most absolute Justice Equity Rectitude and Truth that is conceivable 5. The Elogy of Gods Law being ended 5 His last instance of mercy Redemption he at last instances in a work of mercy that exceeds all the rest to wit the work of Redemption of all Mankind by his Son for however it be true of the Redemption of Israel out of Aegypt yet it is better with the Fathers to expound it of that Redemption purchased by Christ of which he saith 1. He sent Redemption i. e. a Redeemer so often promised Ver. 9 so much expected to his people who redeemed them from the power of darkness 2. And with them in him he established an eternal Covenant For he hath commanded this his Covenant for ever which is extant Jer. 31.31 Hebr. 8.8 3. Thus the Prophet having enumerated many of Gods works both of Power The third part For all these his Name to be accounted Wisdom and Mercy concludes the Psalm with three Epiphonema's which shew us the manner how God is to be praised holily reverently fearfully Ver. 9 1. The first Epiphonema is to the Name of God 1 Holy Holy and Reverent is his Name i. e. his Service or any thing whereby he is signified This is 1. Holy It may not then be polluted with a false hypocritical Service the Command being Be ye holy for I am holy 2. Reverent Not then rashly carelesly negligently to be performed 2 Reverent Terrible but with the greatest Reverence that may be Or as some read it Terrible and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God 2. The second Epiphonemn followes upon the other Ver. 10 for if the Name of the Lord be Holy and Reverent then it is wisdom to fear him Wisdom therefore to fear him Now 1. This fear is the beginning of wisdom for then men begin to be wise when they begin to fear God eschew evil and do good and it is best out of filial fear out of love rather than dread of punishment 2. This fear if it be right will be practical And this fear will be practical and this practice will proceed out of science and knowledge of what is to be done all other knowledge is but vain For a good understanding have all they that do his Commandments for to him that knows what is good and doth it not to him it is sin Jam. 4. 3. The third Epiphonema or Acclamation is His praise endureth for ever Hi. praise and fear will continue for ever which some refer to God others to the man that fears God and both are true 1. For the praise of God will and must continue for ever his power his wisdom his mercy is for ever and then his praise must continue for over 2. But if referr'd to the man that fears God then the sense will be that 1. His praise that is the praise with which a man that fears God praiseth him will endure for ever For they that dwell in thy house will be alwayes praising thee Psal 84.4 2. And the praise of him that fears God Or his praise that is the commendation of a good man will be had in everlasting remembrance Psal 112.6 The name of the wicked shall rot but the memorial of the just is blessed Prov. 10.7 The Lord will say to such a man Well done thou good and faithful servant Matth. 25.21 His praise is in this World lasting in the future everlasting The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and eleventh Psalm O Omnipotent most wise and merciful God it is our Duty to
they came into Aegypt and of Judah because from him they were called Jewes This being premised I come now to Analyse and explain the Psalm in which is described 1. The condition of the Jewes before their deliverance they were in Aegypt Ver. 1 all one as if he had said in bondage and liv'd among Idolators 1 They were in bondage nor form'd into a State nor into a Church 2. Among a barbarous people or a people of a strange language 2. The condition of the Jewes after their deliverance 2 But delivered by God they were then his Sanctuary and his Scigniory When Israel went art of Aegypt c. then Judah was his Sanctuary and Israel his Dominion 1. Ver. 2 His Sanctuary a people sanctified and adopted by him a peculiar people consecrated to his Worship 1 His Sanctuary a holy people as holy Temples and Sanctuaries and having holy Priests to govern them in points of Piety 2. 2 His Seigniory he their Lord and King His Dominion or Seigniory in whom he reigned as a King by his Lawes and spirit and appointed godly Magistrates to rule them in matters of Policy for the Government among them was first a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 till they cast it off by choosing to themselves a King whence God told Samuel They have not rejected thee but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them 1 Sam. 8.7 2. 2 The manner of their deliverance by wonders done The Prophet sets down the manner of their deliverance which was not by ordinary means but extraordinary by signs miracles and wonders of which he gives us these instances 1. Ver. 3 In the red Sea The Seasaw that and fled That is the Sea seeing Gods people come toward it 1 At the red Sea and desirous to pass through it at the presence of the Lord turned back all night Exod. 14. Wisd 19.7 Where in a Poetical stâ—rein he attributes sense to the Sea The Sea saw that 2. 2 In and at Jordan In or at Jordan forty years after when they were entring the Land when Jordan was driven back and suffered a reflux for a long time Josh 4. Ver. 4 3. 3 At Sinai At Sinai where the Law was given where the greater parts of that Mountain and the lesser Hillocks about it trembled and quaked The Mountains skipped like Rams and the little Hills like Lambs The sum is That all the Creatures at the Commandment of the Creator were then turned upside down ready to do or not to do to continue in or to change their natural courses according to his good-will or pleasure Wisd 19.18 2. The second part The Psalm is composed after a Poetical vein and therefore having related the wonderful deliverance His Expostulation and the manner of it he expostulates with the Sea Jordan and the Mountains what the matter was with them that they so strangely alter'd their course with what passion they were affected and why What aileth thee Ver. 5 O thou Sea that thou fleddest and thou Jordan that wast driven back 1 With the Sea and Jordan O ye Mountains what aile ye that ye skipped like Rams and ye little Hills like young sheep 2 And the Mountains To which The answer of the Prophet in the person of the earth speaking to her self the Prophet answers so that it is both a Prosopopeia and an Apostrophe 1. Ver. 7 Tremble thou earth at the presence of the Lord at the presence of the God of Jacob. That Gods presence was the cause As if it had been said Would you know the reason why we flie turn back move The cause is this The Lord hath appeared and shewed his Force and Power and laid his Commands upon us and therefore not abiding his Presence trembleth the Mountains are moved c. 2. Now of his Power let this miracle suffice for an instance 't is that God Who turned the hard Rock into a standing water Ver. 8 and the flint-stone into Fountains of water Caused not only waters to flow from thence but turned the very substance of a flint which is apter to yield fire than water into that fluid Element Numb 20. The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and fourteenth Psalm O Lord our Governour how excellent is thy Name in all the World Thou art glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders able to do whatsoever thou wilt Ver. 2 and willing to do whatsoever is best for Judah whom thou hast adopted to be thy Sanctuary wherein thou wilt be served and Israel thy Dominion over whom thou wilt reign as a King by thy holy Word and Spirit O God Thou hast béen very gracious unto us that were Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel for in every Nation every one that feareth God and worketh righteousness is now accepted of thée all true believers are now become the séed of Abraham and the house of Jacob. Thou hast brought us out of Aegypt out of that Kingdom of darkness and ignorance in which we lived into a marvellous light Thou hast fréed us from the bondage of Pharaoh the Prince of darkness under whom we served and groaned Ver. 1 Thou hast taken the burden of the Law a yoke grievous and heavy to be born from off our shoulders and cancelled the Hand-writing that was against us laying upon our necks an easier yoke and upon our shoulders a lighter burden Thou hast overturned as it were the Chariots and Horse-men and destroyed the Host of our enemies by suâ—â—uing our iniquities and casting all of them into the bottom of the Sea that they may never appear before us again to confound our Consetences in this World or condemn our Souls in the next O Lord shall the dumb and insensible Creatures tremble at thy presence and shall not we be moved with so great mercies Shall they all in their kinds praise thée and shall not we who are endued with reason alwayes sing of the loving-kindness of our God Shall the Sea flée and the waters r etire and the Mountains and Hills skip at the presence of the God of Jacob Ver. 3 and shall not Jacob himself serve the Lord in fear and rejoyce before him in trembling Shall the hard Rock be turned into a standing water and the flint-stone into a springing Well and shall not our hard and flinty hearts in consideration of our own miseries Ver. 8 and Gods unspeakable mercies in delivering us from the bondage of our sins and tyranny of Satan if not gush forth into Fountains of tears express so much as a little standing water in our eyes It is a hard heart indeed that is not rent with compunction nor softned with kindness nor moved with prayers nor will yield to threats and blowes And yet O Lord such are our hearts so hard so flinty O touch thou the Mountains and they shall smoke touch our lips with a Coal from the Altar and they shall shew
that they may glorifie my Father which is in Heaven Thy praise I will sound forth thy Name I will magniffe confess I will that thou hast been to me a gracious God and merciful Father even in the Courts of the Lords house even in the midst of thee O jerusalem in which I know thou wilt alone accept of thanks and hear and grant the pelitions of thy servants that are offered unto thée through the merits and in the Name of thy Son Iesus Christ our Lord and Saviour PSAL. CXVII A Hymn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THIS Psalm is short and sweet it contains a Doxology to God for his mercy and truth and it is also Prophetical in reference to the calling of the Gentiles as it appears Rom. 15.11 Two parts there are of it 1. An Exhortation to all Nations to praise God The first part 1. A Doxology both Gentiles and Jewes 1. He speaks to the Gentiles Praise the Lord all ye Nations he means after they were converted and made sons of the Church For how shall they call on him in whom they have not believeâ—â— Rom. 10. 2. He speaks to the converted Jewes whom he notes under the name of people as they are call'd Psal 2.1 Acts 4.25 Praise the Lord all ye people Both now make but one Church and therefore both now ought to joyn together in the praise of God 2. The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Reason give for it The second part 1. Because his merciful kindness is great nay confirmed toward us 2 The reason in sending his Son to be a Saviour both of Jewes and Gentiles His Church is built on a foundation against which the gates of Hell shall not prevail 2. Neither is his mercy only by this confirmed but the truth also of his promises fulfilled as he promised to send a Messias so he hath performed it and this his truth endures for ever for it shall never be challenged there is no other Messiah to be expected now for this Praise ye the Lord. The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and seventeenth Psalm O Omnipotent and gracious God when all Mankind walked according to the course of this World according to the Prince of the power of the Aire the spirit that works in the children of disobedience When they walked according to the lusts of the flesh and fulfilled the desires of the flesh and were by nature the children of wrath Thou who art rich in mercy for thy great love wherewith thou hast loved us wast pleased to send thy only begotten Son Jesus Christ and to deliver him to death for the salvation of the World This thy great mercy it pleased thée to make known to us by thy Apostles and to call us who were Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the Covenant of Promise to be partakers of thy merciful kindness In Christ Jesus we who were sometimes afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ so great hath thy mercy béen even toward us therefore from us immortal thanks are due unto thée who find our selves saved not for our merits but by thy sole goodness We therefore beséech thée that thou wouldst so confirm our hearts by the Spirit of faith that without any doubt adhering to thy truth which endures for ever we may apprehend those good things which thou hast promised and offerest fréely to us O Lord have mercy upon all Iewes Turks Iufidels and Hereticks and take from them all ignorance hardness of heart and contempt of thy Word and so fetch them home blessed Lord to thy flock that they may be saved among the remnant of thy true Israelites let us all méet in one Fold and have but one Shepherd that all Nations may praise the Lord and all people sing Hallelujah to thy holy Name through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen PSAL. CXVIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 DAVID being freed from many dangers and confirmed in his Kingdom according to Gods promise in this Psalm gives thanks The parts of this Psalm are 1. An Exhortation to praise God for his mercy from ver 1. to 5. 2. A perswasion to trust in God and that from his own example who call'd upon God in trouble and was deliver'd from ver 5. to 15. 3. The Exultation of the Church for it from ver 15. to 19. 4. A solemn Thanksgiving kept for it and in what manner it was celebrated from ver 19. to 28. 5. David invites to praise God The first part A short Doxology ver 28 29. 1. David invites all to praise God O give thanks unto the Lord and adds his Reasons 1. For he is good than which nothing could be said more briefly nothing more powerfully he is properly and absolutely good and therefore ought to be praised because there is nothing rightly worthy of praise but that which is good Ver. 1 Solum honestum laudabile 2. His reasons are 1. Good Good to us a mercifull God But secondly He is good and ever good to us a merciful God which flowes from his goodness and is then most conspicuous when it is imparted to those in misery Praise him because his mercy endureth for ever His mercy created us his mercy redeemed us his mercy protects us his mercy will crown us there is then no end of his mercy This his mercy extends especially to his people To his people and therefore he puts into the mouth of all his people this song of his mercy whom he distributes into three parts 1. Ver. 2 Let Israel now say the whole Nation that his mercy endureth for ever 2. Ver. 3 Let the house of Aaron that whole Tribe consecrated now to him say that his mercy endures for ever 3. Ver. 4 Let them now that fear the Lord Proselytes c. now say that his mercy endures for ever that is the burden of the Hymn so he begins so he ends ver 29. 2. The second part And so in general having given a Commendation of his mercy he desoends to that particular in which his mercy did consist The particulars of his mercy viz. A great deliverance of him when he was in a great strait which he could impute to no other cause than his mercy 1. Ver. 5 I was in distress And that 's the case of Gods people as well as Davids 2. I called upon the Lord I boasted not of my merits I complained not that I suffered unjustly but I fled to his mercy and invoked so did the Church in Peters case Of which he is an example Acts. 12.5 3. The issue was The Lord answered and set me in a large place and so it fell out to Peter Upon which experience David exults Shewing how God had been mercifull to him upon which he makes three Conclusions as the Church in the like case may so that all be still attributed to God and his mercy 1. The Lord is my helper And the first inference upon it
the head of the corner that was rejected that it was Gods doing alone and a marvellous work that the day in which this was done was a Festival and the people to rejoyce in it that then they pray'd to God to save them by his hand and blessed their King adorned their Temple and offer'd Sacrifices with many thanks to God for his mercies Thus no question these verses may literally be understood of David But it must be confessed that in all this David was but a Type of Christ and that these words properly belong unto him we have a clear testimony first from his own mouth attested by three Evangelists Matth. 21.42 Mark 12.10 Luke 20.17 and by his Apostles St. Peter Acts 4.11 and St. Paul Rom. 9.33 These words to be applied to Christ out of Isa 28.16 Of Christ then I shall rather interpret them than of David without doubt the Prophet being wonderfully illuminated by the Holy Ghost wrote concerning Christ as followeth 1. The stone which the builders refused is become the head-stone of the corner Ver. 22 1. The Church is oftentimes in Scripture likened to a building of which the Saints are living stones of which Christ is the chief stone the head and corner stone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that joins and keeps together the two walls Jewes and Gentiles 2. But the Jewes the Priests especially to whom did pertain the office of building the Church refused this stone and cast him aside We will not have this man to reign over us we have no King but Caesar They crucified him and in his Grave call'd him a Deceiver St. Peter layes it to their charge Acts 4.11 3. But God call'd for him again and he is become the head of the corner Ephes 2.20 That is he is made head of the whole Church and such a head that whosoever is not built upon him cannot be saved 2. This saith the Prophet was the Lords doing both his rejection and raising again was from him it was done by his Election and Divine Power not from any counsel or hand of man Acts 2.23 24. 3. And it is marvellous in our eyes For who can do less than wonder that a crucified man dead and butied should by his own power rise again after three dayes be immortal and have all power given to him and be made Head and Prince of all men and Angels For this mercy a day set apart and that by him there should be a way made to mortal men to the Kingdom of Heaven to the society of Angels and an immortal life For so great a work fit it is that a day be set apart and such there is saith David 1. This is the day that the Lord hath made which questionless was the day of his Resurrection and God is said to have made this day more than other as honouring it above other making it memorable to posterity in which the Son of righteousness arose from the Grave and making it an high and holy day from which every other Sunday had his Original This is the Lords day 2. And the end why this day was made for joy and gladness The duty of the day The day wherein Adam fell was a doleful day but this day wherein Christ rose from the dead is a joyful day The Redemption by Christ is a year of Jubilee the Resurrection of Christ is the chief day in the year We will therefore rejoyce for it and be glad in it 3. Yea and in the midst of our rejoycing we will pray and sound forth Osanuah to the son of David which is being interpreted Save now we beseech thee O Lord O Lord we beseech thee send now prosperity Blessed be he that comes in the Name of the Lord Which was the gratulatoâ—â— and precatory words that the people used to our Saviour when he rode in Triumph into Jerusalem Mat. 21. That we may be assured that the Form of Acclamation belongs nor so much to David as to Christ and it was the opinion of the Jewes That when their Messiah came these words should be sung before him that being the cause that the people used them then The whole Prophesie of Christs coming riding into Jerusalem in Triumph The Priests duty then to bless Rejection Passion Resurrection Benediction being thus explained the Prophet turns his speech to the people putting into the mouth of the Priests these words in which they were to do their Duty Numb 6. and to bless 1. We have blessed you as we ought to do all happiness be to you under this King 2. And all happiness be to you out of the house of the Lord from the Church and to the Church alone the blessing belongs Ye are the blessed of the Lord. 3. God is the Lord which hath shewed us light Revealed unto his Son the light of the World and removed from us the darkness of errour sin hell c. 4. Therefore be thankful unto him bind the Sacrifice with cords even to the horns of the Altar make a solemn day for it and meet in the Church to praise him 5. The fifth part Being a Doxology The Prophet concludes with a Doxology fit to be used by the people met and assembled in which he sets forth his faith and gratitude 1. Thou art my God 2. And I will praise thee which he ingeminates Thou art my God and I will exalt thee which ingemination shewes his ardent desire to be thankful 3. And so concludes with the same Exhortation that he began the Psalm and in the same words O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and eighteenth Psalm O Blessed and Holy Iesus King of the World and Head of the Church who hast bought us by thy blood and espoused us in mercy and loving-kindness Ver. 13 it is not unknown unto thée how the enemies of thy Truth dally oppose us and with what storms and tempests of persecutions we are daily assaulted The Devil daily thrusts sore at us that we might fall and Antichrist with his complices compass us about they compass us about they compass us about in anger and rage they swarm about us as thick as Bées to sting us even to death might they have their will upon us In these our dangers we have none to fly to but thée we have none to call upon in our distress but on thée Who art the Lord our God answer us O Lord and set our feet in a large place Be on our side and then we will not fear what man can do unto us take our part with them that help us and so shall we see our desire upon them that hate us We confess O Lord we confess before men and Angels that our sins with which we have provoked thy justice Ver. 18 have deserved far greater punishments and that for these Thou hast sorely chastned and corrected us yet in mercy Thou hast not
the Amoritish Kings and the thirty one Kings of Canaan He smote great Nations and slew mighty Kings as for example Ver. 10 Sihon King of the Amorites and Og the King of Bashan Ver. 11 And gave away their land for an heritage Ver. 12 an heritage unto Israel his people All which is evident out of the books of Numb Deut. Joshua 5. The fifth part For this he extols God To the commemoration of the revenge that God took upon the enemies of his people and the benefits he bestowed on them he adds a conclusion formed into an Epiphonima in which he first extols Gods name and then shews his mercy to his people 1. Thy Name O Lord endures for ever i. e. for these thy wonderful works 2. And thy memorial throughout all generations Thy memory thy fame the remembrance of thy Acts shall flourish and remain to all posterity 2. And the reason is drawn from his mercy which excites us also to praise him 1. And shews his mercy to his people For the Lord will judge his people The world judgeth them forsaken but he is their keeper and defender and will judge their cause and at last take revenge on their persecutors and deliver them 2. And he will repent himself concerning his servants Though he punisheth his dearest children yet he will be at last entreated be propitious and kind and remove his heavy hand Psal 136.23 6. The sixth part 2. God above all gods The Prophet hath proved that God is absolutely great in himself which he proposed vers 5. And now he proves the second part of his proposition that our Lord is above all gods For being compared to the Idols of the Heathen he far exceeds them They were Divels not gods they the work of mens hands made of earthy materials they could not infuse life sense reason into their images as God did into his image man they nor saw nor heard nor moved For he shews their vanity divers ways And shews the vanity of Idols 1. From their matter wherof they were made The Idols of the beathen are silver and gold Ver. 15 2. From the efficient cause their makers men The work of mens bands 3. From their impotence from performing any act of life They have mouths but they speak not eyes they have but they see not They have ears but they hear not neither is there any breath in their mouths 4. From the sortishness and misery of those that worship them They that make them are like unto them Ver. 18 so is every one that trusteth in them The makers are blind mute deaf understand nothing at all who suppose that they can make gods And they that trust in them more sotrish that think a stone can help them 7. The seventh part In the last part he invites all the true worshippers of God to praise him because they are lively images of the living God they see they hear they speak they understand That therefore all praise God and therefore they praise that God from whom they the faculty of living hearing speaking seeing and understanding To this he invites 1. All Israel Bless the Lord O house of Israel 2. Ver. 19 Then the Priests Bless the Lord O house of Aaron 3. The Levites Bless the Lord O house of Levi. 4. Lastly of all the Laity Ye that fear the Lord bless the Lord. To which he adds his own vote concluding with this Epiphonima 1. Blessed be the Lord out of Zion where he shews his presence by the Ark. 2. Which dwelleth at Jerusalem who though he be every where by his Essence and presence yet peculiarly dwells in his Church by his inhabiting Spirit Let the Citizens of Zion and Jerusalem never cease to bless him The Hymn and Prayer collected from the One hundred and thirty fifth Psalm O Omnipotent God all we thy servants now gathered together in thy Spirit to blesse thy name and here met in the Courts of the house of our God to praise thee Ver. 1 do acknowledge that we have instnite reasons to pay this debt to thy divine Majesty For we know O Lord that thou art good good absolutely in thy self and gracious unto us and that all our goodnesse is as nothing in comparison of thee We know again that to sing praises unto thee is a pleasant thing and therefore our heart shall be glad when we send forth prayses unto thee with joyful lips Wee know also that thou art great and far above all Gods Thy benefits are innumerable not only which thou hast conferd upon thy chosen people thy Israel who is thy pecultar treasure but even which with a full hand thou hast poured forth upon all mankind For in heaven the earth the seas and in all deep places thou hast done whatsoever thou pleasedst Thou so orderest the clouds the vapours the lightning winds and rain that they may be obedient to thee and serviceable for the use and sustenance of man And when thou hast in thy power the hearts of all Kings and Princes thou so bendest them as may make most for the good and saidation of thy people upon them thou revengest their wrongs and deliverest in due time thy chosen people from their power and oppression Egypt the Amorites and Canaanites felt thy power whom thou smotest in thy anger plaguest and slew in thy wrath and gavest away their Land for an heritage even for an heritage to Israel thy people Thy Name O Lord endureth for ever Ver. 13 and thy memorial through all generations and therefore our hope which is grounded upon thy promises is thereby confirmed and increased that though thou art risen up in judgment against thy people yet at last it will repent thée concerning thy servants O merciful God arise we beséech thée and behold the miseries and calamities of thy poor servants and deal not with us according to the merit of our iniquities Pardon our offences and let it repent thée of the evil thou hast brought upon us We have liv'd unworthy of thy Name unworthy of our Vocation yet at last break the force of the Devil and his instruments and repress their pride and boldness that we be not compelled to fall down and worship the imaginations of their own brains which are little better than the Idols of the Heathens that nor saw nor spake nor heard nor understood Which mercy if thou will grant us then all that fear the Lord both Priest and people the whole house of Aaron of Levi and all Israel shall have just occasion to bless the Lord and say Blessed be the Lord out of Zion which dwelleth at Jerusalem Allelujah PSAL. CXXXVI THIS Psalm is of the same Argument that the former For in it all men are call'd upon to praise God for his greatness and goodness his providence and mercy in creating governing and ordering the world but especially his love shew'd to his people the Church All which works because they proceeded from his Mercy therefore
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
it rase it even to the foundations And thou O Babylon which hast done the work as I doubt not but as my God hath begun and will in his good time take a condign punishment upon the Edomites so also he will bring thée down Thou art miserable and thou shalt be miserable Happy shall that King and people be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones O merciful God whatever wrath and indignation is due unto us for the breach of thy Commandments and dishonouring thée in thy Service remove it O Lord from thy people and transfer it upon them that with an implacable malice pursue thy people and séek by all means to corrupt and waste thine inheritance which was purchased by the precious blood of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ PSAL. CXXXVIII DAVID delivered from his enemies and troubles and advanced to the Kingdom gives thanks to God acknowledgeth Gods goodnesse in hearing his prayers foretels the conversion of Kings shews that God regards the humble rejects the proud puts his trust in God for the future and prayes that God would continue and enlarge his mercy to him More briefly 1. In the three first verses he promiseth a grateful heart and to sing forth the praises of God because God heard his cryes and prayers and in tribulations sent him comfort 2. In the three next he shews what after Kings would do when the works and truth of God should be made known to them 3. In the two last verses he professeth his confidence in God shews what he hopes for from him and in assurance that God will perfect his work prayes him not to desert and forsake him David shews his thankfulness 1. First David shews his thankfulness which he illustrates and amplifies 1. The first part And illustrates it that From the manner of the doing of it done it should be cordially sincerely ardently totally I will praise thee with my whole heart 2. From the witnesses before whom it should be done Before the Gods will I sing praise Ver. 1 Coram Elohim Not only privately but publickly before the Potentates 1 He would do it heartily 2 Before all men whether Angels or Kings of the earth Psal 111.1 Psal 107.32 3. From the place the Temple then the Tabernacle a symbol of Gods presence with his people Ver. 2 It was as it were Gods Palace and there he ruled as a King 3 In the Temple and therefore he would fall low bow worship I will worship toward thy Holy Temple Which the Jews did when absent from Jerusalem Dan. 6. 4. 4 The causes inducing him to it From the causes inwardly inducing him to it I will praise thy Name for thy loving kindnesse and for thy truth 1. 1 Gods calling him to be King For thy loving kindnesse in calling me from the sheepfold to the Kingdom 2. 2 Performing his word And for thy Truth in performing thy promise In performing which 5. Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name This clause is diversly read Thou hast magnified thy Name in thy Word that is in performing thy Word above all things Or Thou hast-magnified thy Name and thy Word above all things Or Magnificas cum toâ—o nomine tuo sermonem tuum Jun. All these have the same sense But the vulgar reads it thus Quoniam magnificasti super omne nomen sanctum tuum And Bellarmine by Sanctum tuum understands Christ who Luc. 1. is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to whom he gave a Name above every Name I suppose our English Translation should be pointed thus Thus hast thou magnified thy Word above all thy Name or and above all thy Name For Musculus by and joyns the Substantives 3 For hearing and granting his petitions Magnificasti super omnia nomen tuum eloquium 6. From Gods facility in hearing and granting his petitions which he presented to his God in the time of his banishment and affliction Ver. 3 In the day when I cryed thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul Infirme creatures we are and in temptations and afflictions must faint except God strengthen us Out of all these motives David would praise God 2. David having set down what God had done for him The second part in mercy call'd him from following the Ewes great with young ones anointed him to be a King heard his prayers strengthned him in his affliction and in truth performed his promises conceives it impossible but that either the Neighbour or future Kings should take this when they heard of it into their consideration and â—cknowledge the miracle and praise God for it This certainly is the literal sense This mercy to David was like to move other Kings to magnifie God though it may have an eye to the conversion of Kings in future to the faith 1. All the Kings of the earth Hiram Toe c. or the future Kings of Israel Judah shall praise thee when they hear the words of thy mouth what thou hast said of me David and of my seed Ver. 5 2. Yea They shall sing in the wayes of the Lord that is of the wayes of the Lord Muscul of his mercy truth clemency For great is the glory of the Lord he is very glorious in all his wayes his works his proceedings 3. Of which this is one Though the Lord be high yet hath he respect to the lowly of which I David may be an instanÌ„ce But the proud he beholds afar off He removes far from him he will not have to do with them they are in remotis agendis of which Saul may be an example and the Devil 3. Because God who is high looks upon the lowly The third part With it so mov'd he was that he puts his affiance in God therefore David being conscious to himself of his own humility promiseth himself help from God in all his tribulation even for the time to come 1. If I walk in the midst of trouble that is on all sides exposed to trouble Ver. 7 2. Thou wilt revive me make me live and preserve me safe and untouch't 3. Thou shalt stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of my enemies Thou by thy power shalt restrain their fury that would devour me and hinder their endeavours and enterprises 4. And thy right hand shall save me Thy power thy virtue thy Christ who in Isa 53. is call'd the arm of the Lord shall do it The last verse depends on the former because he knew And that that God who had would yet deliver him that as yet many troubles and afflictions remained to be undergone therefore he was confident that the same God who had hitherto delivered him would be a good God to him for the future and deliver him in time to come and so make his work perfect 1. The Lord will perfect that which concernt me not for any
before Psal 103.8 3. Ver. 9 The Lord is good to all For he rains upon the just and unjust Slow to execute wrath upon the reprobates 2 Tim. 2.4.2 Pet. 3.9 Prov. 1.21 Hos 14.9 Ezek. 18.31 32. 4. His mercies are over all his works There is not any work of God but hath mercy in it Psal 1.36 For whenas in rigour of justice for their sins he might destroy the world out of mercy he gives time of repentance 3. The third part He praiseth God for a new mercy The Prophet hitherto hath sung of the marvellous works of God both of Glory Terror and Mercy And adds for the close All thy works shall praise thee O Lord. But now he begins to praise him for a New matter viz. for the erection of his peculiar Kingdom in his Church viz. The choice of his Church in which he is to have for his Subjects a peculiar people a holy nation a royal Priesthood which he in this place calls Saints Now be it that profane and impious men of the world should neglect to praise God and not admire his works of Glory Terrour and Mercy yet these will not neglect their Duty Ver. 10 And thy Saints shall blesse thee They shall blesse thee for thy marvellous works before mentioned In which he erects his Kingdom but they shall not stay there consider they shall thy Kingdom in thy Church and lay to heart the Quality of that Kingdom and especially praise thee for that Ver. 11 They shall speak of the glory of thy Kingdom and talk of thy power Ver. 12 To make known to the sons of men thy mighty acts and the glorious Majesty of thy Kingdom Ver. 13 Thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and thy Dominion endureth throughout all generations Now the power and glory of Christs Kingdom 1 The amplitude of it from the Kingdoms of men may be known by this fourfold difference 1. That Kings on earth have but few subjects and small wealth and treasure being Commanders perhaps but of one or at most but of some few Provinces But God hath for his subjects Angels Men Devils and the wealth of the whole world is his 2 Independance 2. Earthly Kings so reign over their subjects that they must be servants to their people they depend upon them and are forced to yield to them yea though they abound in wealth yet they want and are forced to beg or exact Subsidies Contributions Tributes Taxes c. from them being often indebted great summes But God is so a Lord that he serves none he needs not their help so abounds that in a moment he can create of nothing much more than he hath 3. Earthly Kings glory indeed in their power 3 Security and rejoyce in their dignity and honour but their crown is but a crown of thornes for they are tormented with cares anxiety fear sorrows But God is glorious without fear or care he reigns in security tranquility peace and ease 4. Earthly Kings reign but for a time Christ for ever 4 Eternity All which differences are found in these verses 1. The first in the eleventh verse They shall speak of the glory of thy Kingdom c. They shall speak of the power and glory of it that in multitude of subjects in wealth and riches it exceeds all other Kingdoms 2. The second and third in the twelfth verse They shall make known c. that they Acts are far beyond theirs and thy magnificence no dependency no needy no thorny crown 3. The fourth in the thirteenth verse Thy Kingdom Everlasting so not theirs And so the Prophet having described the Kingdom of Christ The qualities of Christ the King begins to set down the excellent Qualities and Vertues of a good King which do most perfectly agree to Christ In this place after the thirteenth verse it is very probable that there is a verse omitted in the Hebrew Copies we now use which yet anciently were in it For the Septuagint the Arabique Copies and the Vulgar out of them retain it and so doth Kimhi It is supposed it came to pass incuria librariorum And Bellarmine Moller conceive it should be admitted because when the Psalm is disposed according to the order and number of the Hebrew Alphabet it will be imperfect without it For the verse will be wanting that begins with the letter Nun. Musculus receives it into the Text. In it are set down two excellent qualities of a good King 1. Veracity 1 Veracity and 2. Probity The verse is this 2 Holiness Faithful the Lord is in all his words and holy in all his works But I go on Ver. 14 The Lord upholdeth all that fall and raiseth up all those that be down 3 Goodness 3. This is another quality of a good King which is Veri regia Pastoralis so to govern his Subjects that they fall not and to raise them if fallen This is Mercy Goodness And it is proper to Christ who by his Grace sustains and upholds his people that they fall not into sin or if fallen raiseth them up again by a new Grace when they are down This verified in David Peter the Prodigal c. He sustains raiseth them by his Gospel and Spirit Ver. 15 The eyes of all wait upon thee and thou givest them their meat in due season Thou openest thy hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing 4. This is Liberality and Bounty and is an excellent vertue in a King 4 Liberality and Bounty whose care for his Subjects ought to be that they want no necessaries Benefacere regjum est and most properly may be attributed to Christ who provides for his Church all manner of things that are good Temporal Spiritual 1. They are expectants Their eyes wait upon him 2. And he gives 'T is a gift not a debt 3. Their meat Variety to every one what is fit for him 4. In due season Then when fit for them to eat Wine oyle corn c. as the season fits He crowns the year Psal 65.11 He gives when fit to eat for sometimes 't is fit that the meat be taken away when men are wanton exceed and riot in it 5. Thou openest thy hand He gives not sparingly but bountifully 6. Thou satisfiest For a man may have and not be satisfied Avarui semper eget The content and satisfaction is from God 7. The desire of every living thing Giving to every living thing such meat as is sutable to his appetite all which is much more true in spiritual blessings Ver. 17 The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works 5. 5 Justice This is another vertue of a good King to be just which is most true of Christ for just he is in distribution of punishments and giving rewards Ver. 18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him to all that call upon him in Truth 6 Easie to