Bullocke was burnt without the Campe Levit. 6. 12. And further the remooving the Scepter from Iudah which came to passe at the Idumean Herod entring to the Kingdome by the favour and furtherance of Antonius and afterward more strongly seated and setled by Augustus when he cruelly slaughtered their Sanhedrim as Philo their owâ—â— Countreyman doth witnesse and their owâ—â— Rabbins in their Talmud cry out Wee unto us for the Scepter is now taken away from Iudah and the Lawgiver from betweene his feet This might also be shewed by the generall ceasing of the Iewish Sacrifices the multitudes of Hecatombes among the Gentiles which all gave place and died with the great Heathenish Pan when this immaculate Lambe was slaine Also by the ending of the yeare of Iubile with Christ himselfe upon the Crosse proclaimed to be ended Ioh. 19. 30. It is finished the ending of the Monarchies prophecied by Daniel which should have their full Period when the Stone should be cut out of the mountaine without hands which ended in that lascivious Egyptian Queene Cleopatra all being brought under the yoke and subjection of the Romane their owne Simeon in whom they say the spirit of the great Sinagogue did cease hee testifieth Luke 2. 26 27 c. Also their owne Prophetesse Anna of the tribe of Asher Luke 2. 38. Also the ancient Sibyls as that Erithraea which spake so excellently of CHRIST that she seemes to Saint Augustine to have beene a Citizen of the Citie of God which bookes were had in that reverend esteeme that when Augustus Caesar searching up their ancient Prophecies throughout Africa Sicilia and the Colonies of Italie to be brought to Rome to examine the true from the false He caused 2000. to be devoured by fire yet he preserved the Zibillian Oracles and caused them to be locked up into golden chests at the foot of the Image of Apollo in mount Pallatine in Rome but these are copiously handled by that Hammer of the Iewes and Mahumetanes Philip Morney Lord of Plesse and others Thus must we provoke the seed of holy Sem to embrace the Gospell by shewing them that it is in vaine to expect any other to come in great power but that great mystery is already made knowne which is God manifested in the flesh iustified in the Spirit seene of Angels preached unto the Gentiles c. according to the Scriptures 1 Tim. 2. 16. That they may acknowledge Davids sonne and Davids Lord whom they must kisse in obedience or perish everlastingly Heare then yee sonnes of the Prophets and of the Covenant which God made unto our Fathers Acts 3. 25. Heare I say the kingly David sweet singer of Israel calling you forth of your blindnesse to joyne with the Gentile to praise God in this Hallelu-jah you must be one in the bond of the Spirit and the unity of peace be no more the deafe Adder that stoppeth their eares though the Charmer charme never so wisely Psal 58. 4. This is the CHRIST whose blood hath beene so long required at your hands Matth. 27. 25. Answere not with your elders Mar. 11. 33. Wee cannot tell you have had both your Patriarks and your Prophets pointing at him the Vale of the Temple is rent and now you have vs Gentiles to preach him unto you Luke 23. Heb. 9. The Lord therefore for his CHRISTS sake the sonne of his love and the ingraven Image of his Person remoove the vaile from your hearts that with us you may have your eyes opened to see the way into the holy or holies made open by the great High Priest of our Calling that you may come at the found of this silver Trumpet of your owne David that as your diminishing hath beene the riches of the world so your restoring may be life from the dead and that it may be in due time accomplished and performed we shall daily powre out our prayers in the name of IESVS CHRIST to the Father by the blessed Spirit to which three glorious Persons and but one onely wise God be all honour and glory for evermore Amen Here endeth the first part being verse 1. VERSE II. PSAL. 117. 2. For his mercifull kindnesse is great toward us and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever Praise yee the Lord. THe tres-noble branch of Iesse king David having by a propheticall spirit not onely summoned but enjoyned both Iewes and Gentiles to the joyntpraising of God declaring the boundlesse compasse and unlimited circuit of the kingdome of CHRIST not onely King of the Iewes as Pilate stiled him Iohn 19. 19. but even the heathen are his inheritance linked into the society of faithfull Abraham by the bond of faith and obedience elsewhere as Psal 19. 1. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy worke c. Even insensible creatures as Sunne Moone Starres Meteors Thunder Haile Snow c Psal 148. are called upon for the performance of this dutie every creature be it never so base in the sight of Man bearing upon it the workemanship of his hands even by silence loudly proclaimes it's Maker but he is praised of Man in a more lively and louder straine a shriller and sweeter Diapason sounding from an heaven-sprung soule which in the internall externall superiour and inferior powers and faculties thereof doth manifestly beare the Image of God and the characteristicall badge and stampe of the Divinitie as Calvin saith is invested and inriched with such a measure and furnishment of Graces as it pleaseth the Olimpian love to distribute to every one as Homer in the twylight of nature could say the ditty of whose duty in this vers 2. is composed of Gods mercy and truth and so this brings us to the reason for his mercifull kindnesse c. In which are considerable 1. His Mercie 2. His Trueth in performing his promises 3. The certainty of both confirmed in the object toward us 4. The Epiphonema and conclusion of this Psalme which is accounted the last of the Iewes Hallelu-jahs which were appointed to be sung at their Passeover ending in the same cadence in which it begun Praise yee the Lord. Mercifull kindnesse the first motive injoyning the dutie is a common place in which as in a Maze or Labyrinth we may loose our selves and make an easie entrance but no end for all the wayes of God are mercie and truth Psal 25. 9. The Almighty hath stepped no where beneath or above the circle of the Moone but he hath left plaine prints and characters of his mercies that he that runnes may reade them and that we may take notice of the tendernesse of them sometime they are expressed in the love of Parents to Children Psal 103. 13. As a father pittieth his children so doth the Lord pitty them that fear him sometime in the love of Eagles to their young Is 49. even exceeding the love of a woman to her sucking child verse 15. hee hath
and counterpane thereof but for our better assurance wee have his oath Gen. 22. 16. I have sworne by my selfe as much as if he had said let me be no more God if these things be not performed thus Isa 45. 23. sometime for this purpose he sweareth by his Soule Ier. 51. 14. Amos 6. 8. by his Name Ier. 44. 26. by his Holines Amos 4. 2. by his right hand Isa 62. 8. so to sweare by himselfe his Name Holinesse c. are all one contrary to Philo the Iewe who would have God to sweare by himselfe and man by his attributes thus God for our assurance deales with us like a debter who for the certainty of payment pawns his Faith Truth Soule and sometime his God and this promise was so Sacred even in the light of Nature that Adesilaus King of the Lacedemonians thanked Tissiphernes for breaking his promised truce because by this breach he had incurred the anger of the Gods if thus inviolable in Man how much more in God who will not falsifie his truth nor alter the thing that is gone out of his mouth Psal 89. 33. and whose truth of promise is so confirmed in his CHRIST Rom. 15. 8. It was the worthy resolution of the Prophets long before the actuall incarnation of CHRIST and the reall performance of that great mysterie 1 Tim. 3. 16. that he would performe his truth to Iacob Mic. 7. 20 that he is the Lord Iehova and changeth not Mal. 3. 6. and that he is faithfull 2 Tim. 2. 13 so that his truth endureth for ever And that we may be the more assured of this turth for our third Reason let us looke a little into the all-sufficiency of his power and launch our selves into the mayne Ocean of his omnipotencie David tels us Psal 115. 3 hee hath done whatsoever pleased him he hath potentiall power by which he is able to doe more then he will As of stones to rayse up children to Abraham Math. 3. 9. to send 12 legions of Angels to rescue our Saviour CHRIST from the Crosse Math. 26. 53. to built a thousand worlds c. But his will is the limmit of his power In his actuall power by which he mightily works in the daily preservation and gubernation of his creatures he works not with wearinesse irkesomenesse or tediousnesse but without all impediment not as Man in the sweate of his face but in the whole Hexameron and worke of Creation he onely spake the Word and they were made successively in order by his word onely he causeth the thunder which is his glorious voyce the Hindes to calve and the whole course of nature to be continued in her severall species without controlment so that whether wee respect his principall promise in sending CHRIST the desire of all nations or his inferiour lesse principall all are surely sealed duely to be performed unto us and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever But it may be obiected against the faithfulnes of Gods truth Gen. 12. 7 hee promiseth to give Abraham the land of Canaan but he inherited it not as the protomartyr witnesseth Acts 7. 4. God brought him in but gave him no inheritance in it no not the breadth of one foote Resp Though Abraham did not personally possesse it yet he may be said to inherite it two wayes First mystically as it was not onely a fertile fruitfull and country in Asia as Scicilia to Italie but likewise it did Typically shadowe the Kingdome of Heaven the celestiall Canaan the Church Tryumphant and this did Abraham inherit in his owne person called his owne bosome Luke 16. 23. into which all the faithfull are gathered as into a sure haven out of the raging stormes of the glassie Sea the brickle world Rev. 4. 6. So that God in the performance of his promises though he give not the samething yet hee give something equibalent as to Iosia 2 Kings 22. 10. Though he gaue him not long life the promised portion to obedient children Exo. 20. 12. yet he gave him a more excellent thing taking him from the evill which presentlie upon his death fell heavily vpon his people and giving him a better life in Heaven Secondly he may be said to inherit it though not in his owne person or his immediate seede yet in his posterity 430 yeares after the promise was made as the Apostle proveth Gal. 3. 17. so though not to the same parties yet to their successors the truth of God is surely performed the godly mans patience is expected for Hab. 2. 3. the vision is for an appoynted time though it tarty waite for it which shall surely come and not stay thus Psal 97. 11. Light is sowne for the the righteous not in the harvest but in the seede time thy harvest is but in hope as the husbandman casteth his seede into the ground and is content to stay the time of the reaping so must wee waite for the promises And though yet hee hath not gathered the dispiered of Iacob his ancient people yet the time shall come when the Shulamites shall returne and the spirit of grace shall be powred upon the Inhabitants of Ierusalem Zach. 12. 10. CHRIST himselfe the coyne or corner stone and to joyne together those two great seeds the Iewes and Gentiles as by a corner two wals which otherwise were broken a sunder are joyned and made one and the building perfected Ephes 2 20. and thus of the truth of all his promises revealed to his Church from time to time sealed by the infallible witnesse of the Spirit of truth even to Peters vision Acts 10. 19 are and shall surely be performed so the Doctrine is confirmed against all Atheists that doubt of any of the particulers and say 2 Pet 3. 5. Where is the promise of his comming and against all those by whom the way of truth is blasphmed and evill spoken of let God be true and every Man a lyer Rom. 3. 4. To teach us to make the truth of God in his promises the ground worke of our comfort stedfastly setling our faith and full assurance thereon devote Barnard in the consideration of this truth was even ravished in an holy extasie saying O the wonderfull love of God in our adoption the trueth of his promises and his power in their performance we must beleeve with Abraham beleeving above hope though in mans reason they seemed to be frustrate as those millions of Nations to issue out of halfe sacrificed Isaac and with faithfull Paul who in his dangerous voyage to Rome a great tempest arising neither Sunne nor Starres appearing for many dayes and being hopelesse of all safety Acts 27. 20. saw by the vision of his faith and comforts the Marriners that there should be no losse of any mans life but onely of the Ship and with David Psal 77. 2 â—n the day of my trouble I sought the Lord c. when his Soule
HALLELV-JAH OR KING DAVID'S SHRILL TRVMPET sounding a loude Summons to the whole World to Praise GOD. Delivered by way of Commentarie and plaine Exposâ—tion vpon the CXVII PSALME By RICHARD CHAPMAN Minister of the Word of God at Hunmanbie in Yorkshire Laus in nobis referatur ad ipsum laudabilium vniversorum authorem largitorem Bern. sup Cant. PSAL. 92. 1. It it a good thing to give Thankes vnto the Lord and to sing Praises vnto thy Name O most High LONDON Printed by B. Alsop and T. Fawcet for ROBERT ALLOT dwelling at the signe of the blacke Beare in St. Pauls Church-yard 1635. TO THE RIGHT VVOR pfull and his much honoured Friend RICHARD OSBALDESTON Esq all Happinesse c. Worthy Sir THE many and manifold kindnesses which I have received from you as reall additaments to my welfare like the officious Servant in the Comedy or like another Cynthius aurum vellet stand vp as so many Monitors bidding mee take heed of that detestable monster Ingratitude which so venemously hath stupified the sences of most so generally lessoned and taught in the Academie of the vnthankfull World Therefore to shun those detested shelves I have made bold out of a truly though not sufficiently thankfull heart to Dedicate this weake Embryo of my newly teeming braine vnto your selfe I might indeed take notice that there are Scyllean Criâ—tickes but Scylleos Canes obturata aure transibo Ierom. That there are left-handed Benjamites casting stones at an haire-bredth Iudg. 20. 6. Demea solus sapit that a Paper vessell may easily miscarry as the Travailer betwixt Ierusalem and Iericho Yet will I venture vnder your Worships patronage as little Teucer vnder the Buckler of Ajax to passe into the glassie Sea of the world having still more incouragement from Plinius secundus beati quibus Deorum munere datum est aut facere scribenda aut scribere facienda And it is given to Adamantius Origen Ne erubescas primum recte facere quae non potes bene melius erubescas male facere quae potes bene Euseb eccles Hist lib. 6. And though the manner of the handling of the Divine matter be weake and imperfect the very Image of the Author as you know yet the Subject of it is the Psalmodicall Hallelu-jah of Princely DAVID rowzing vp and goading the vnthankfull masse of Mankind to Praise-giving teaching them the Hosanna of Obedience here and their Hallelu-jah here and hereafter that they are ABRAHAMS sonnes who doe Abrahams workes Etiam fertus fecit mihi Iesum fratrem Abrahamum patrem Orig. hom 8. super Ezech. in Rom. câ—â— 4. And that there is Spuria pietas as well as Spuria febris a piety which goes with Iucobs voyce but Esaus hands masked in the colours and shewing forth the Symptomes of true holinesse which I desire to passe thus vnder your tutelarie Name and leave you and yours your actions and occasions to the All-guiding hand of Heavens protection and providence and rest Yours ever devoted to doe you service RICHARD CHAPMAN Ad Lectorem SI mihi viri Anglicani in presentia concedatis vitam hac conditione vt ne posthac in sapientiae inquisitione verseâ— diligo quidem vos sed Deo certum est parere potuis quam vobis ac quamdiu vivam valebo Philosophari atque vnumquemque vestruâ—â— exhortari ad virtutem non desistam SOCRATES oratio quae est apud Platonem in ejus Apologia HALLELV-IAH OR King DAVIDS shrill Trumpet founding a loude Summons to the whole World to Praise GOD. PSAL. 117. 1. O Praise the Lord all yee Nations praise him all yee People THis booke of Psalmes contayning the Sacred songs in the Scriptures was penned by the direction and inspiration of that all-guiding Spirit of Truth as a briefe Compendium of the holy Historie as Augustine saith Matchlesse DAVID in composing of them sometimes speakes as a King Psal 101. 2. I will walke in my house with a perfect heart noting his Princely and Religious government both of his Kingdome and Family Sometime as a Prophet speaking of the Messiah his Incarnation Sufferings Resurrection Exaltation c. himselfe the type CHRIST the antitype Some of them further comprehend matter of Inseruction concerning Faith and Manners as Psal 1. 15. 37. Other some contayne matter of Prayer and Confession of sinnes as Psal 25. 51 c. Some prayers against the Enemies of the Church as Psal 79. 83. c. Some Historicall as Psal 78. 105. 106 c. Some commâ—nding Gods lawes as Psal 19. 119. Some describing Gods wonderfull Power as Psal 18. Some Thankesgivings for severall deliverances as Psal 144. Some are for the stirring up of men to praise God for his Mercies as here Wherein the Prophet summons all Gods people comprised in these great Seedes of Iaphet and Sem to praise God to acknowledge the Scepter and Kingdome of CHRIST IESVS the true Messiah Not onely his generall regiment in which even the Devils are his vassals to exercise unregenerate Men and Women in theyr lusts till hee bring them to destruction from the poysonous soporiferous cup of sinne to the scalding cup of Gods eternall Wrath but obediently to submit themselves to that mighty Scepter by which in particular hee guides and governes his Church And so this Epaineticall or Praise-giving Psalme brancheth it selfe into two parts First a Proposition or generall exhortation verse 1. O praise the Lord all yee Nations praise him all yee People Secondly a double reason 1. In regard of his Mercy in making Promises 2. His Truth in the performing of them verse 2. To leave this for a while come wee to the first which is the Exhortation In which consider 1. The Duty enjoyned in the Exhortation Praise which is urged by the interjection O which is not supernumerall but necessary 2. The Object the Lord 3. The parties enjoyned 1. Nations 2. People which are taken of some generally for all the people of God but others and the more generall current of Interpreters doe by these note the two great Seedes The Gentiles which are accounted before theyr calling Hos 1. 6. Not beloved and vers 9. Not my People but heere Prophetically called to praise God And the Iewes which by a certaine speciall prerogative are called Gods people his darlings and dearely Beloved ones which hee carried upon his winges as an Eagle her young ones and led them in the Wildernesse like a flocke of Sheepe which had his speciall protection and favour the kisses of his mouth Hee gave his Lawes unto Iacob his Statutes and Ordinances to Israel Hee hath not dealt so with any Nation Psal 147. 19. As it were confining his Graces within the skirts and straite borders of Palestina at Salem is his Tabernacle Psal 76. 2. The duty is called here Hallelu-jah which is doubled in this Verse and repeated in the next To shew how necessary the sacrifice of Praise and Thankesgiving is and also
as it hath served to comfort us so now it serves to confute and confound that uncomfortable Antichristian principle bred in Popery strongly affirmed confirmed cannonized and ratified by the counsell of Trent prop and pillar of that cursed Idolatrie of the Beast agreed upon by those Italianated Machiavels viz. that A man must doubt of his Salvation so long as he lives as much as if one should say wee must doubt of what God hath promised in his mercy or ratified in his truth confirmed by oath and sealed unto us in the blood of his Son by the witnesse of the Spirit Rom 8. 16. 1 Iohn 5 10. Eph. 4. 30. making them all of none effect what is this but to beleive the father of lyes before the three witnesses in Heaven and the three in earth 1 Iohn 5. 7. What is this but to teach the sinne of Infidelity which above the rest is like the fourth beast Dan. 7. 7. dreadfull terrible excedding strong and had great Iron teeth this even pushed against the truth of God with the hornes of blaspemie What is this but to set a mans conscience upon the racke and to give into the hands of a desperate man swords Pistols halters the engines of his owne destruction and even to cause the hands in this distraction of minde in this deepe poynt of Salvation to imbrue themselves in their owne blood as never being sure of Gods mercy and truth towards him in the pardoning and forgiving his sinnes when he can never by the doctrine of his Religion say with David I put my trust in the Lords mercy nor with Thomas my Lord and my God nor with the faithfull Isa 25. 9. Loe this is our God wee have waited for him but his soule perplexedly hangeth tottering betwixt hope and dispaire Consider with Augustine that the name of IESVS is a name under which wee must not dispaire hee spreads his armes on the Crosse to imbrace both Iewe and Gentile Deus tibi de hoc mundo recedenti promisit immortalitem tu dubitas hoc est Deum omnino non nosse Christum credentium Magistrum peccato incredulitatis offendere God hath promised thee immortality when thou goest out of the world and doest thou doubt What is this but not to know God and to offend CHRIST the Master of the faithfull with the sinne of Infidelity the mercifull God hath shed abroad his love in our hearts that hee might beget and bring forth our love to him againe from the reflection of his owne non credit in deum qui non in eo solo collocat totius suae foelicitatis fiduciam he beleeves not in God who puts not the trust of his whole felicity for this life and a better onely in him What a comfortlesse doctrine is this which strives to blinde the eyes of faith CHRIST came to preach no such hee was preached by the Angels to be a Gospell and glad tydings of great Ioy to all people Luke 2. 10. and Zach. 6. 12 Reioyce O daughter Sion for thy King commeth unto thee c. wee must reioyce in him as men doe in harvest Isa 7. which wee cannot doe so long as the doctrine of our religion teacheth us to doubt of Gods mercy and truth cheare up thy selfe then performing thine obedience not from the spirit of meere bondage but with David Psal 119 chearefully runne the wayes of Gods commandements make thine election peace and reconciliation sure in CHRIST and being iustified thou hast peace with God by faith Rom. 5. 1. The fourth and last thing considerable in the reason is the conclusion of the Psalme the first last string of this well tuned Harpe beginning and ending in the same cadence of an holy and heavenly duety Praise yee the Lord. Which are considered two wayes 1 As they are repeated 2 As a duty enjoyned First wee see here not an idle Crambe bis cocta but a necessary repetition warranted by the Spirit which indited it and David that writ it where obserue that repetitions are used in the Scriptures in divers respects Sometime in prayer for the better stirring up of our zeale and fervency thus used by CHRIST himselfe Math 26 39. 42. and chap. 27. 46. My God my God and Psal 143. 1. Sometime in matters of Prophec◠and that most usually in the Coetaneall and Prophets of the same time as in Amos Isa and Hosea the same vices the same false Prophets and the same Idolatry is taxed Mich 1. 3. the same vices in the same words with Isa 26. 21. and the same concerning the mountaine of the Lord Isa 2. 2. hath Mich 4. 1. And not onely among them of the same time but also of many ages and generations distant as Iacobs Prophecy Gen. 49. 10. repeated many hundred yeares after Hag. 2. 8. Zach. 2. 8. borrowes that from Psal 17. 8. and the like Zach 9. 9 from Isa 62 11. so Zach 9. 10. from Psal 72. 8 and Zach. 11. 9. from Ierem. 15. 2. The promise concerning the powring out of the Spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. from Ioel. 2. 28 the destruction of the Idols which is threatned Zach. 13. 2. from Ezech 30. 13. All these to settle our faith in the certainty of the Scriptures in this united concordance and harmony of the writers thereof all agreeing in the Analogy of faith like Pharaohs dreame repeated Gen 41 32. to make him know it was established with God and hee will surely bring it to passe Sometime they are used in simple narrations to assure the beleever of the certainty of them as 1 Iohn 〈…〉 that which wee have heard from the beginning which wee have seene and handled c. To this end the God of nature hath given unto man two hands two eares two eyes that if the one faile in the object the other should not or to put us in minde with an earnest desire to performe our duties which brings us to the doctrine viz. Repititions are not alway vaine Battalogies and superfluous Tantologies but often times lawfull and warrantable for the better stirring men up to their duties The Prophet Isa desires for the teaching of knowledge to them that are wayned from the milke and drawne from the breasts Chap. 28. 10. Precept upon precept precept upon precept line upon line line upon line here a little and there a little Phil 3. 1. It greiveth not the Apostle to write the same things unto them and Iude 5. I will put you in remembrance though you once knewe this c. There is no newe thing under the Sunne saith the Preacher nothing spoken which hath not formerly bin upon the Stage what are the Prophets but Expositors of Moses the great Prophet the new Testament of the olde and our Sermons Comments upon both Men under the Gospell must be like the cleane beasts under the law of Ceremonies to chew the cud in in an holy