The Saints Sacrifice, Section 107
§. 107. Of the reſolution of the three laſt Verſes.
PSAL. CXVI.
VER. 17. I will offer to thee the ſacrifice of thankeſgiving: and will call upon the name of the LORD.
VER. 18. I will pay my vowes unto the LORD, now in the preſence of all his people.
VER. 19. In the Courts of the LORDS houſe, in the middest of thee, O Ieruſalem. Praiſe ye the LORD.
IN theſe three laſt verſes of this Pſalme the Prophet returneth to his profeſſion of rendring praiſe unto the Lord: wherein ſome things, that were before ſet downe, are repeated: and other things are added thereto. For the better diſcerning whereof take notice of two maine points expreſſed therein.
1 A Proteſtation to praiſe the Lord himſelfe.
2 A Provocation to others, ſo to doe.
In his Protestation we have,
1 The Matter thereof.
2 The Motive thereto.
The Matter conſiſteth of two duties.
1 Giving thanks to God. I will offer to thee the ſacrifice of thankeſgiving.
2 Calling upon God. And will call upon the name of the LORD.
The motive is taken from his vow: where we have to conſider
1 The generall Matter thereof, I will pay my vowes unto the LORD.
2 The particular Manner of performing it.
The Manner is ſet out by two circumſtances.
1 The Time. Now.
2 The Place; which is largely deſcribed, and that
1 Indefinitely. In the preſence of his people.
2 Determinately, by a deſcription of the place where Gods people met. This is here deſcribed
1 By the Relation it had to God, In the courts of the Lords houſe.
2 By the Scituation of it. In the middest of thee O Ieruſalem.
The Provocation to others, is in the very laſt clauſe of all, thus expreſſed, Praiſe ye the LORD.
The firſt duty in the Protestation was before ſet downe, verſe 13. I will take the cup of ſalvation. Here it is in other words repeated, thus, I will offer to thee the ſacrifice of thanksgiving.
The ſecond duty is here repeated in the very ſame words wherein it was expreſſed before verſe 13. thus, And I will call upon the name of the Lord.
The Matter of the motive, and the amplification thereof by the Time, and by the place, as it is indefinitely ſet downe, are all, word for word, repeated in this 18th verſe, as they were before expreſſed in the 14th verſe, thus, I will pay my vowes unto the LORD, now in the preſence of all his people.
The determinate deſcription of the place in the 19th verſ. by the relation it hath to God, and by the ſcituation of it, thus, In the courts of the LORDS houſe, in the middest of thee, O Ieruſalem, is for ſubſtance the ſame that was noted before, in the latter end of the 14th and 18th verſes.Bonorum repetitio doctrinam in animabus b…ne ſlabilit. Chryſ. Serm de fide & lege.
Concerning theſe repetitions, we may not thinke that he which uſed them, uſed them in vaine. He was guided by that divine ſpirit which would not ſuffer the leaſt title to bee in vaine. By repetitions good doctrines are faſt fixed in mens minds. Beſides other ends *§ 98.before noted for repeating of one and the ſame thing, whether in the ſame, or in Repetitions import deepe affection.differing words and phraſes, this is a principall one, to teſtifie, and expreſſe the more lively, how deeply the ſoule is affected with ſuch and ſuch a thing. Fit and not affected repetitions are cleare expreſſions of deepe affections: yea they are alſo forcible incitations to incenſe holy paſſion in him that uſeth them, and in them that heare or read them ſo uſed. Theſe are the ends why Rhetoricians have invented figures of all manner of repetitions, as,
1 aforeignBy repeating the ſame words immediately together in the ſame ſentence, as in the verſe before▪ I am thy ſervant, I am thy ſervant: and in the Pſalme before this, bPſal. 115. 1.Not unto us O Lord▪ not unto us, &c.
2 cforeignBy repeating the ſame in the end of one ſentence, and beginning of the next, thus, dPſal. 9…. 5.Sing unto the LORD with the harpe: with the harpe, and the voice of a Pſalme.
3 By eforeignrepeating the ſame in the beginnings of ſeverall ſentences thus, fPſal. 135. 19, 20.Bleſſe the Lord O houſe of Iſrael. Bleſſe the Lord O houſe of Aaron, &c.
4 By gforeignrepeating the ſame in the ends of ſeverall ſentences, as hPſal …36.where every verſe of a Pſalme endeth with this clauſe, His mercy endureth for ever.
5 By iforeignrepeating the ſame in the beginning and in the end, as kPſal. 8. …, 9.where the ſame Pſalme beginneth and endeth with this clauſe, O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth?
6 By lforeignrepeating the ſame in the beginning, middeſt, and end, thus, mPſal. 47. 6.Sing praiſes to God, ſing praiſes, ſing praiſes unto our King, ſing praiſes.