Meditations and Disquisitions Upon the Seven Consolatory Psalms of David, Commentary 3
MEDITATIONS VPONUPON THE XXX. PSALME OF DAVID.
IT ſeemes to be a courſe in Nature, Verſe 1 for Hoſanna's alwayes to precede Allelujahs; and therefore the Exordiums of Davids Pſalmes are commonly thus; Have mercy upon mee, O God: heare my prayer, O Lord, rebuke mee not in thine anger: or ſome ſuch forme of Hoſanna: but in this Pſalme, contrary to his cuſtome, he makes his Exordium of an Allelujah: I will extoll thee, O God: And why is this done? is it out of Devotion, that he might get before hand, and begin with God in Praiſes, before God ſhould begin with him in Benefits? O my ſoule, the ſhowres of Gods bleſſings are ſo continually poured downe upon us, that it is impoſſible we ſhould ever get before hand with God in Allelujahs. Although therefore he begin with an Allelujah, yet it is becauſe God hath prevented him in his Hoſanna: Hee will extoll God, but it is becauſe God hath lifted him up: Gods praiſe indeed is put in the Preſent Tenſe, but it is becauſe his benefit is in the Preterperfect Tenſe: I will extoll thee, O God; for thou haſt lifted mee up, and haſt not made my foes to rejoyce over me.
But if David will extoll God; how will he doe it? for to doe it unworthily, it were better to be left undone, and who is able to extoll God worthily? Hee will therefore perhaps call all the creatures of God to aſſiſt him, and ſay; Praiſe the Lord, all yee his Angels; Praiſe him all his Hoſts; praiſe yee him Sun and Moone; praiſe him all yee ſtarres of light: Let every thing that hath breath, praiſe the Lord. But if it be expected he muſt extoll him himſelfe; and not looke for helpe from others; Hee will then extoll him in his exaltation, and ſay; Bee thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: Or, he will extoll him in his owne humilitie, by kneeling, and falling downe before him: hee will extoll him in his ſingularitie, and ſay; There is no other God in heaven, or in earth, but onelyonly, thou O God: or he will extoll him in his pluralitie, and ſay; Thou, O God, art wonderfull in thy Being; Three Perſons, and one God, bleſſed for ever. And if to extoll him with ſayings will not ſerve, he will then extoll him with workes, that men ſeeing his good workes, may glorifie our Father which is in heaven. And if neither words nor workes will be ſufficient; hoe will then extoll him with his ſilence, and his wonder: leaving that for Thought which cannot be expreſt: and leaving that for aſtoniſhment which cannot be conceived.
But why is it that David will thus extoll God? Is it, that hee may returne a thankfulneſſe anſwerable to the benefit: returne it in the ſame kind, and anſwer it, as it were in its owne language? He will therefore extoll God, which is a kind of lifting God up: becauſe God hath lifted him up, which is a kind of extolling of him. For as our extolling of God, is the higheſt worke of our thankfulneſſe; ſo Gods lifting us up, is the greateſt benefit of his goodneſſe. We are thankfull to God, and ought to be, for his other benefits, even for caſting us downe: but we uſe not to extoll him, but for lifting us up: For naturally indeed, wee are all of us deſirous to bee lifted up; to be ſet aloft, and to be high in the world: for this pleaſeth the eyes, that they may ſee the more, and pleaſeth the whole body, that it may the more bee ſeene: but this is not the lifting up that David meanes; but to be lifted up out of danger; and out of the reach of the arme of his enemies. O my ſoule, let this bee thy comfort, that although thy enemies be many, and great, yet they are not more thy enemies, then they are Gods ſlaves; and can goe no further, then the length of their chaine, which is ſeldome ſo long to reach to triumphing. Sathan was a bitter enemie to Job, and had certainly defeated him utterly, if God had not held him ſhort in his chaine; and though linke after linke, hee eetched out his chaine to a great length, yet he could never make it reach ſo farre, as to a Triumph. For it is not properly a Triumph, but when Dux Duci arma detrahit; When one Generall diſarmes another: and this could never be done to Job; for he kept on his Armour ſtill; his Helmet of Faith; and his Breſt-plate of Righteouſneſſe, hee never let it goe off from him: that there could be no cauſe for Sathan to triumph. Men commonly are not ſatiſfied, unleſſe themſelves can triumph over their enemies: but it is enough for me, O Lord, that thou ſuffer not my enemies to triumph over me: for I aime not at glory, but at ſafetie; I might then ayme at glory, if I were the aſſailant: but now that I am onelyonly the aſſailed; what can I more deſire then ſafetie, and to bee out of the reach of all my enemies? and ſuch ſafetie, without any glory, may well give contentment, ſeeing of all the miſeries that can befall a man in this wretched world; there is none greater, none ſo great, as to fall into the hands of enemies, whoſe Malice, like the fire of Hell, is commonly unquenchable. Let a friend ſtrike me, and it ſhall be a Balme to my head; but to be ſtrucken by an enemie, who can endure it? The ſtriking of a friend is out of love, and intends amendment; but the blowes of an enemie are out of malice, and tend to ruine. It troubles mee not, that my enemies rejoyce, ſo their rejoycing have no relation to mee: It troubled not Samſon ſo much, to have his eyes put out, as to bee brought out before his enemies, to be the laughing-ſtock for them to rejoyce at.
But why will David ſpeake thus; Thou haſt not made my enemies to rejoyce over me: as though it were God, that made our enemies to rejoyce over us, and not their owne ſpitefulneſſe and malice? Is it, that permiſſion is in God a kind of action; and therefore he may juſtly be ſaid to doe that, which he ſuffers to be done? Or is it, that in his anger, he makes our enemies the Executioners of his juſtice: and puniſheth our neglect of rejoycing in him, with giving them power to rejoyce over us? and ſo their rejoycing, is not more in us, his judgement; then it is in them his act and operation.
But what enemies do we talk of, all this while? worldly minds have no feare, but of worldly enemies; and from ſuch, perhaps worldly friends may free them: but the ſpirituall man feares rather ſpiritual enemies; and who can free them from ſuch, but onelyonly thou, O God, that art the God of ſpirits? O mercifull God, let not ſpirituall enemies have the victory over mee; and I make no great reckoning of other enemies triumphing: Alas! I know that worldly enemies can never triumph over me, if ſpirituall enemies get not firſt the victory.
And now, O my ſoule, if God have done this for me, have lifted me up above theſe enemies, above theſe enemies of both kindes, have I not a double cauſe to extoll him for it, and to praiſe his Name? And yet I may ſay, I extoll him not more for doing it, then for his readineſſe of doing it; For I cryed unto him, and hee healed mee: I no ſooner cryed, but hee heard me; he no ſooner heard me, but he healed me; My ſuite was no ſooner made, then granted; My diſeaſe as ſoone cured, as diſcovered; hee kept me not languiſhing, by drawing out his cure in length; but he applyed a preſent remedy, and prevented Hope with haſt. As therefore I extolled him before for his love, in lifting me up above my enemies; ſo I muſt extoll him now for his compaſſion, in being moved to doe it, for my onelyonly crying to him; I uſed no interceſſour, but my owne voyce, and hee healed me; and for God to be moved with the cry of a wretched ſinner; and ſo to be moved, as preſently to heale him; Is it not a juſt cauſe to extoll him, and ſay; O the wonderfull bowels of compaſſion that are in God?
Verſe 3 To be lifted up from any place, is an act of Power; but the lower the place is, it is the greater act of MercieMercy; and can there be a lower place then the Grave? at leaſt, then the grave of the Soule? and from this low place, was David lifted up, as yee may heare himſelfe ſay; Thou, O Lord haſt brought up my ſoule from the grave; Thou haſt kept mee alive, that I ſhould not goe downe into the pit. But is not this a ſtrange ſpeech in David, as though there were a grave of the Soule, as there is of the Body? for if there be not, how then is it true, that God hath brought up his ſoule from the Grave? Is it perhaps, that he calls it the Soule, which is but the cementing of the Body, and life together? or that he calls it the Grave of the Soule, when it is in the loweſt eſtate of vivifying the Body? What ever it be, it ſhewes a great mercy in God, and a great power of that mercy, to raiſe him up, that was brought ſo low, and to keepe him from falling into the Pit, that was fallen already to the pits brinke. The truth is, that as ſinne is the death of the Soule, ſo continuance in ſinne, is the grave of the Soule; and in this Grave of continuance, did Davids ſoule lye a long time: (Alas! the ſhorteſt time, in this caſe is long) till God by his quickning Spirit, reſtored him againe to the life of Grace; that hee had juſt cauſe to ſay; Thou, O Lord, haſt brought up my ſoule from the grave, and haſt kept mee alive, that I ſhould not goe downe into the Pit. Oh how many there are that have bodyes walking above ground, when their ſoules are lying in the Grave? that are luſtie and ſtrong in the naturall life; when in the ſpirituall life, they are dead and buryed? yet ſo long as they lye not buried above foure dayes, ſo long as they continue not in ſin ſo long, till it have brought the Soule into an abſolute corruption; there is example in Lazarus, and where there is Example, there is hope, they may be raiſed againe to life, and be kept from falling into the Pit of perdition. And now, O my ſoule, though God have not lifted thee up to as high a place; yet ſeeing he hath lifted thee up from as low a place, as he did David: haſt thou not as juſt cauſe as he to ſay; I will extoll thee, O God; for thou haſt lifted mee up, and haſt not ſuffered my enemies, ſinne, and death, to triumph over mee. And here I find my ſelfe ſo oppreſſed with joy, that I am not able to expreſſe it without aſſiſtance; and what aſſiſtance can I looke for, but from the Saints of God? O therefore ſing unto the Lord, all yee ſaints of his; give thankes unto him at the remembrance of his Holineſſe. It is not enough to praiſe him, if yee doe not ſing his praiſes; for it muſt be done with chearefulneſſe, and exultation; and it is not enough to ſing, if yee doe not praiſe him; for your joy muſt be in him, and for him: in his goodneſſe, and for his glory.
If it were to ſing of another thing, I ſhould require the whole Quire of Gods creatures, to joyne in the ſinging; but now, that it is to ſing of Gods holineſſe; what ſhould prophane voyces doe in the Conſort? None but Saints are fit to ſing of holineſſe, and ſpecially of Gods holineſſe; but moſt ſpecially with ſongs of holineſſe. O therefore ſing to the Lord, all yee ſaints of his; and let your ſongs, be more of his praiſes, then of your owne thankfulneſſe: and let your thankfulneſſe, not be ſo much for the benefits which you have received; as for the holineſſe with which they are beſtowed: for God gives not his benefits, as the world uſeth to doe, out of any corrupt affection, or with any corrupt intention; but there is a holineſſe in his giving, as well as in his gifts; and ſeeing the Cherubins, and Seraphins doe continually cry to God; Holy, Holy, Holy: You that are his Saints may well afford to ſing to God, at the remembrance of his holineſſe.
But what holineſſe can there be in Anger? Verſe 5 and is there not anger in God ſometimes? and will not this then bee a cauſe, rather of weeping to thinke of his anger; then of ſinging, at the remembrance of his holineſſe? O my ſoule, this need be no cauſe to breake off the ſinging; for his anger endureth but a moment; and even anger it ſelfe, is in God a holineſſe; It is none of the things that are naturall, and permanent in God; It is but forced upon him by the violence of ſinne; and as forced as it is, it ſtayes not with him; it is but as a wind that paſſeth; Dum oritur moritur; It dyes in the birth; Nothing lives, and is permanent in God, but onelyonly his favour, and his love, and therefore, Though weeping may endure for a night, yet joy commeth in the morning. And ſeeing our life is of this condition, that heavineſſe ſometimes muſt as well be had as joy; it is happy for us, they are ſo diſpoſed, that heavineſſe comes but in the Evening, when wee may ſleepe it out; and when our ſenſes are apt to be tyed up from feeling it: but joy commeth in the Morning; when all our ſenſes are waking to entertaine it. What is the Evening, but the end of the day? and what is the Evening of our life, but the end of our dayes? and in this Evening indeed there is commonly heavineſſe; weeping for parting of friends that have lived together: but this heavineſſe is removed aſſoone as morning comes; for what is the Morning, but when the Sunne riſeth againe? and what is our Morning, but when we ſhall riſe againe? and as when this morning comes, there will bee a day that ſhall have no more Evening; ſo when this joy comes, all teares ſhall be wiped from our eyes, and there ſhall be no more weeping. Indeed all our great joyes have ever come in the morning: It was a Joy that came in the morning, at the Birth of Chriſt; It was a Joy that came in the morning, at the Reſurrection of Chriſt; It was a Joy that came in the morning, at the Deſcending of the Holy Ghoſt upon the Apoſtles; and theſe Joyes were then ſo great, that they have made us Feaſts ever ſince: (Our Chriſtmaſſe, our Eaſter, and our Whitſontide:) yet theſe Joyes had their heavineſſe preceding: the Joy of Chriſts birth, had the heavineſſe of his Mothers ſlight; the Joy of Chriſts Reſurrection, had the heavineſſe for his Paſſion: the Joy of the Deſcending of the Holy Ghoſt, the heavineſſe for Chriſts departing: but theſe heavineſſes were ſo preſently followed with joyes, that it hath made this Aphoriſme be found true ſtill; Heavineſſe may endure for a night, but joy commeth in the morning. And now, O my ſoule, what need it trouble thee, to have heavineſſe in the Evening, ſo long as thou art ſure to have joy in the morning? What need it trouble thee to be weeping for a time, when thou art ſure of rejoycing, when time ſhall be no more?
Hitherto I have beene buſie about ſinging Gods praiſes, for lifting mee up, which hath beene his worke; Now I muſt leave ſinging, and come to ſaying, to ſpeake of my owne worke; And I ſaid in my proſperitie, I ſhall never Verſe 6 be moved: but alas, if my ſinging were no Verſe 7 better then my ſaying, it had beene better for me, to have held my peace in both: for what a ſaying is this, to ſay; I ſhall never be moved? Is there any Mountaine ſo ſtrong, that it cannot be moved? and if no Mountaine, how any man? but this is the inſolent language of proſperitie, to give over crying to God, and fall a boaſting of it ſelfe. Alas! Proſperitie hath neither good tongue, nor good eyes; as it made David ſay, hee ſhould never be moved; ſo it made him thinke it enough, that God by his favour had made his Mountaine ſtrong; but as for the maintaining it ſtrong, to arrogate that to himſelfe: when God knowes, if once we leave depending upon God, and arrogate any thing to our ſelves, our Mountaine will ſoone bee turned into a Valley, and our ſtrength will goe from us, as it did from Samſon, when his haire was cut off; and this makes David ſay now; Thou didſt hide thy face, and I was troubled: for as it is the favour of God, that makes our Mountaine ſtrong; and our Mountaine being ſtrong, wee are kept from trouble: ſo it is the hiding of Gods face, that makes our moutaine weake; and our mountaine being weake, wee are preſently troubled; but rather indeed, if God doe not as well maintaine our mountaine ſtrong, as make it ſtrong, we ſhall quickly bring our Mountaine to a Mole-hill; wee ſhall quickly either fall our ſelves from our Mountaine; or have our mountaine to fall upon us.
Wee ſee the Earth hath no comfort but in the Sunne; and therefore if the Sunne bee removed, the Earth preſently puts on Blacks; is pincht with cold, and covered with darkneſſe: That which the Sunne is to the Earth; thy Face, O God, is to me, and what marvell then, when thou hideſt thy face; if I bee left, as a diſconſolate Earth, in trouble and mourning? God uſeth not to hide his face from any that depend upon him; and therefore as long as I put my truſt and confidence in him, he was to me as a ſtrong Mountain; I enjoyed his favour, and the light of his Countenance; but aſſoone as I left depending upon him, and truſted to my owne ſtrength, my Mountaine was ſuddenly turned into a Valley; and I was left alas in a vale of miſerie. O therefore, my ſoule, notwithſtanding any proſperitie whatſoever; Doe thou depend upon God for thy Mountaine, both for making it ſtrong, and for maintaing it ſtrong, and never bee moved to ſay, thou ſhalt never be moved; for to bee immovable, is a priviledge of God himſelfe, and of God alone, and is not communicable to any creature. It is a falſe ſaying in any eſtate to ſay; I ſhall never be moved; but in proſperitie, falſeſt of all: for hee that is in proſperitie, ſtands in a ſlipperie place, and ſuch a place is not capable of ſtabilitie. What is proſperitie but an earthy thing? and can any thing that is earthy be ſecure from moving, when the body of the Earth it ſelfe is moved? O my ſoule, the conſideration of this; Alas! the feeling of this hath made mee leave, both ſinging, and ſaying, and fall to my crying againe: I cryed to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made ſupplication: Verſe 8 Indeed crying is the voyce of a ſuppliant, and the fitteſt voyce for a ſupplication: but yet why ſhould David tell God of his crying to him, and ſay; I cryed to thee, O Lord; as though God knew it not, without his telling it? No doubt, God knew of his crying, for how elſe did he heare it? and of his ſupplication; for how elſe could hee grant it? and therefore it ſeemes, hee tells it not ſo much to God, as to us; that wee may take notice, with what ſacrifices God is pleaſed. For as there are divers ſacrifices that are acceptable to God: ſo each of them, in the due time, is the fitteſt, and moſt acceptable: ſinging, fitteſt after a benefit obtained; and crying, fitteſt for obtaining a benefit: Allelujahs fitteſt, when wee are in triumph: Hoſanna's, fitteſt when we are in diſtreſſe. And therefore being at the preſent, in perill of his life; and delivered as it were into the hands of Death; the ſacrifice he offers now, is a ſupplication; which yet ſeemes not ſo much a ſupplication, as an Expoſtulation; Verſe 9 What profit is there in my bloud, when I goe downe into the pit? ſhall the duſt praiſe thee? ſhall it declare thy truth? If I goe downe into the Pit, ſhall I not bee turned into duſt? and is duſt good for any thing, but to be food for the Serpent? May I not doe thee better ſervice above ground, then under it? Alas! I ſhall be there but in the company of Wormes, poore ſilly things, that are not capable of knowing thee: I am here, in the ſocietie of reaſonable creatures, with whom I may joyne in extolling thy Praiſes. Haſt thou not breathed into mee the breath of life, and wilt thou draw in thy breath ſo quickly againe, and leave mee but duſt, as thou foundeſt me at firſt? Though the ſervice I can doe thee be not great, yet it is more then duſt can doe: Hath duſt a tongue, or a voyce, or any inſtruments of life, for the declaring of thy truth? and why then wilt thou make a divorce of parts, which thou haſt joyned together of purpoſe, for that purpoſe? If I deſired life for any end of my owne, thou hadſt juſt cauſe then, to make an end of my life; but now that I deſire it, to doe thee ſervice, why wilt thou diminiſh the number of thy ſervants, and not leave enow for the ſervice thou haſt to doe? Can any number be ſufficient to praiſe thee? Can there ever be mouthes enow to declare thy Truth? and may not I make one, a ſinfull one I know; but yet one in the number, if thou but pleaſe to ſpare mee for deſcending into the Pit? But what Pit? I meane not the Pit, where the Apoſtate Angels are; I know they deſcended not, but fell; and I know the Pit they fell into, is a Pit of blaſphemie: the Pit I feare deſcending into, is but a Pit of ſilence, and yet in one thing, is worſe then theirs; for they in their Pit, retaine their ſubſtance ſtill; but I in this, ſhall loſe my very Being; at leaſt, the quantitas continua of my body, ſhall bee turned into the quantitas Diſcreta of duſt: and the frame compacted of all the Elements diſſolved; I ſhall remaine nothing, but as it were a few crummes of Earth; and what can Earth doe, when it is not aſſiſted with fire and water? O therefore, Verſe 10 Heare, O Lord; and have mercy upon me, Lord, bee thou my helper: for if thou lend mee not thine eare, how can I hope thou wilt ſhew mee mercy? and if thou have not mercy upon me, how can I hope thou wilt bee my helper? Heare me, O God, while I am in a place, where I may be heard; for if once I be deſcended into the Pit, I ſhall quite then be out of all hearing. Have mercy upon me, while I am capable of mercy; for if once I be turned into duſt, what mercy can I looke for? Be thou my helper, O God, now that I am in a ſtate to bee helped; for if my bloud in which my life conſiſts bee once ſhed; what good then will thy helpe doe me? I place Gods mercy in the midſt here, becauſe it muſt ſerve to both the other; both to make God to heare me, and to make him to helpe me: and Gods mercy can doe both; it can make him to heare me, though I were ſilent; and can make him to helpe me, though I were duſt. But though Gods mercy can doe it, am I ſure it will doe it? O my ſoule, his mercy hath done it already: for it is the worke of his mercy, that Hee hath turned my mourning into dauncing, that hee hath put off my ſackcloth, and girded mee with gladneſſe. O wonderfull converſion; the very ſame myracle, I may ſay, that Chriſt wrought at the Mariage in Cana, for to turne Mourning into Dauncing; what is it, but to turne water into Wine? To have turned my mourning, but into comfort, had beene a great worke, and a great favour: but to turne my mourning into dauncing; the extremitie of ſorrow, into extremitie of joy; who could doe this, but thou onelyonly, O God; with whom, as no Myracles are wonders; ſo no extremities are limits. Mourning is not properly, but for one that is dead: and indeed ſo neere being dead was I, that I might well be ſaid to mourne for my owne death: not unlike the Swan; if it be true, that ſhee ſings her owne Elegie: and now to have my mourning turned into dauncing; the drooping act for Death, be turned into the moſt lively act of Life: what is it, but the Myracle, as it were, of Reſurrection, and Aſcention both at once? at leaſt, from the loweſt ſtayre of miſerie, to be raiſed to the higheſt of happineſſe: and not Gradatim, by degrees and ſteps, but per ſaltum, by a motion more ſwift, than the Fiery Chariot, that carried up Elias into Heaven: and ſo the change not more wonderfull, then the ſuddenneſſe; Mourning turned into Dauncing, a wonderfull change; and done, as it were, in the turning of a hand, as wonderfull a ſuddenneſſe.
And now to make me fit for Dauncing; Thou haſt put off my ſackcloth, and girded me with gladneſſe: for indeed, if I had kept on my ſackcloth ſtill; I ſhould have made but a heavie Dauncer; but now, that my ſackcloth is off, and I am girded with gladneſſe; I ſhall leape as light, as Abraham did, to ſee thy day.
I put on ſackcloth when I was a Mourner; but now that I am to be a Dauncer, I am girded with gladneſs: and if I mourned before, to think of Gods anger; may I not juſtly daunce now, to thinke of his favour? If I put on ſackcloth before, as ſorrowing for my ſinne; may I not juſtly now be girded with gladneſſe, as rejoycing in my Saviour? For though it be Gods mercy, that hath done this for me, yet it is his mercy in Chriſt my Saviour: without whom, his mercy alone would never have done it: He would never have put off my ſackcloth, and girded me with gladneſſe, but for his ſake, and through his meanes, that was anoynted with the Oyle of gladneſſe above his fellowes. My ſackcloth was but a looſe garment about mee, which might eaſily be put off at pleaſure, but my gladneſſe is girt about me, to bee faſt and ſure, and cannot leave me, though it would; at leaſt, none ſhall be able to take it from me.
And now, though this be ſpoken here in the caſe of David, yet it may bee conceived as in Type for all the godly: if they mourne, and lye in ſackcloth now; yet they ſhall ere long be girded with Gladneſſe, and daunce for joy; but what Dauncing? Not like that of Herodias Daughter; for which Herod allowed her to aske halfe his Kingdome; but like that of David before the Arke; for which God without asking, will give us a whole Kingdome. And when ſhall the time bee? Alas! it cannot be long: For they ſhall not goe out of Egypt into Canaan, as the old Iſraelites did, by the tedious paſſages of a troubleſome Wilderneſſe; but their Mourning ſhall be turned into Dauncing: a converſion as ſudden, as when Moſes his Leprous hand was turned to be ſound againe, by putting it onelyonly in his boſome.
But to what end is it, that God hath done Verſe 12 this for me? It may be thought, becauſe hee hath turned my Mourning into Dauncing, and hath girded me with Gladneſſe; that hee hath done it to this end, that I might live in jollity, and ſpend my time with Belſhazzar, in revelling and feaſting: but there is no ſuch matter: hee hath done it to this end, that my glory may ſing praiſe unto him, and not bee ſilent: to this end, that not onelyonly I may praiſe him, but may ſing his praiſes; and not onelyonly that I, but that my glory may ſing them; and alas what glory have I? doth not all glory belong to God? Indeed ſo it is, my glory then ſings his Prayſes, when I aſcribe to him all praiſe and glory; my glory then ſings his prayſes, when I praiſe him with all I have to glory in, with all the faculties and powers of my ſoule and body; thoſe eſpecially in which I was made after his Image, for this is my Glory.
If this then bee the end that God intends, ſhall I be ſo ungratefull, to croſſe his intentions? if hee have given mee a Tongue, and a Voyce to ſerve him; ſhall I hold my peace, and be ſilent in his ſervice? if he have turned my Mourning into Dauncing; ſhall I bee ſullen, and ſlow to ſing his Prayſes? Alas! my Dauncing can never be kindly without Muſick; and what muſick ſo fit for it, as ſinging? and what ſinging ſo fit, as to the Ditty of his Prayſes? O my ſoule, ſeeing God hath procured thee libertie to Daunce, thou mayſt well afford to find the muſick: and yet neither my Dauncing ſhall hearken to the muſicke, nor my ſinging ſhall looke toward the Dauncing; but my Singing and my Dauncing both, ſhall bee addreſſed, and directed to God alone. Shall my heart be ſo ſet upon my joy, as to make me forget the Authour of my joy? No, O God, my joy hath ſo ſure a foundation, that I can never be unmindfull of the Founder: I will give thankes to thee, O Lord, my God, for ever. Not for a time which will ceaſe; Not as long as the Sunne and Moone endure, which ſhall not alwayes endure; not as long as I have breath in my body; No my ſoule, but as long as thou thy ſelfe haſt Being; which being breathed into mee by God, ſhall never ceaſe; ſhall alwayes endure; ſhall be forever.
When I extolled God, I had relation to his Omnipotencie: when I ſung his Prayſes, to his MercieMercy; and now that I give him thankes for ever, to his Eternitie: that now I may conclude, and ſay; O Almightie, moſt Mercifull, and ever-living God; to thee be aſcribed all Honour, Prayſe, and Glory, world without end.