Davids Harp, Part 7
¶ The seuenth verse.
I wyll offer to the / the sacrifyce of prayse / & on the name of the Lorde wyl I call.
¶ The tente strynge.
OUr Mynstrell Dauid goethe Dauid is lyke hym selfe.forth to be lyke hymself, y• is to saye, to shewe that he is one of a very gentle & thankefull nature, redy at all times vntounto the vttermoost of his power to recompēce and make amendes for ony poynte of kyndenes that is shewed to hī, as we may se here. For after y• he hath songe of the singulare & incōparable benefi tes of god, which are shewed not on ly to hym, but also to all mankynd, I meane so many, as are the faythfull people of God, beleue in hym, & lyue accordynge to his diuine wyll, and hathe consydered howe greatly Ephe. ….both he & all the faythfull are blyssed of God thorowe them in Christ Iesu, he now taketh an occasion to ponder wyth hym selfe how he may shewe hym selfe thankefull agayne to God, as he dyd before in y• …ourth & fyfte verse of this his songe. For he desyreth nothynge to be more estraunged from his manners, than ingratitude & vnthankefulnes. He Notethyncketh it no poynte of humanite to leaue the beneficence and gentle liberalite of a mortall mā vnrecompensed to neglecte therfore and nothynge to regarde the inestimable goodnes & the infinite benefites of God, he recoūteth it an acte highly to be detested and abhored of ony christen harte. To shewe hymselfe therfore thankefull to God for his benignite, he is now full bent. But what wyll he gyue God agayne? What amendes wyll he make him? In what thynges wyll he shewe … selfe thanckefull agayne vntounto the LORDE▪ Wyll he gyue hym mountaynes of golde? Wyl he bryng him heapes of precious stones? Wyll he fetche hym frankensence, and other swete sauours out of Araby? Wyll he offer vntounto hym fatte oxen, lusty hayffers, well lykynge shepe. &c. Na verely, for he knoweth ful wel, that Esa. …. Iere. vii. Psal. xxiii. xlix. Agge. ii. …. Cor. x. Math. xxv.GOD reiectethe all these thynges in many places of the holy Scripture, neyther hathe he ony nede of Dauids goodes, which hath bothe heauen and earth at his owne plea sure, and all that is contayned in them. Dauid knowethe full well, y• his goodes were gyuen hym of god that he should help his poore neigh bours with thē. What wyl he gyue God than? Uerely the sacrifyce of The Sacri fice of praise Psal. xlix.prayse & of thanckes gyuynge. For this is that thynge, whiche God de syreth so greatly, as he hymselfe testifyethe, The Sacrifyce of prayse, sayth he, shall honour me. Agayne, offer to God the sacrifyce of prayse Co…oss. iii.What so euer ye do, sayth s. Paule, in worde & dede, do all thynges in y• name of the LORDE Iesu, gyuynge thanckes to God and the father by hym. Agayne, he mercyfull. Also in Ephe. … ▪another place, Gyue thākes alway for all thynges in the name of oure LORDE Iesu Christ to God & the fa ther. To the Hebrewes also he wry teth on this māner: By hym, he me Heb. …neth Christ, do we offer the Sacrifice of prayse alwaye to god, that is to saye, the fruyte of y• lyppes, that gyue glory to his name.
Thus se we howe acceptable a What it is to offer y• sacrifice of prayse.thyng to god, the sacrifice of praise …s. But what is it to offer the Sacrifyce of prayse vntounto god? Uerely to confesse & vnsaynedly to graunt that what so euer is noughte, commeth of our selues, agen y• all that euer good is, commeth of God only as he saythe by the Prophet, O Israell thy destruccion commethe of …. xiiithy selfe, but thy health and saluacion commeth only of me. For this is the greatest prayse y• we can giuegive ☞to God, for to knowlege hym alone the author & gyuer of all goodnes, & that all oure ryghteousnes, wysdome, holynes, sanctificacion, redē cion, …. Cor. iiii. Iacob. i.vertue, deuocion, and all that euer good is, cometh of hym alone, & not of our selues. This is that sa crifyce wherwith God is hyghly de lyghted. This is that oblaciō, that gyueth so godlye an odoure before god. This is that offryng, that ma keth God well pleased with hym, y• doth offer it, in as muche as by the oblacion hereof he confessethe hym selfe to be able to do no thyng, that of the owne dignite & righteousnes …therof, maye seme worthy to be accepted in the syght of god, and ther fore gyueth he al the glory, honour encomy, laud, prayse & magnificēce to god alone, as the Prophet sayth …. i.O Lorde all glory be vntounto the, and to vsus shame & confusion. The sayntes thēselues also praye on this mā Psal. …xi.ner, Not to vsus, O Lorde, not to vsus, but to thy name gyue all the glory for thy mercy and truethes sake. God hymselfe also sayth, I am the Esa. xiii.Lord, this is my name, I wyl giuegive my glory to no other, nor my praise to grauen Images. If God hym selfe wyll not gyue away hys glory & prayse to other, certes we do hym thā much iniury, yfwe steale it frō hym, and gyue it to ony other crea ture eyther in heauen or in earthe. If we depely consyder with our sel ues at al tymes the great kyndnes of God toward vsus, we shal vndoub tedly be moued to synge perpetual prayses to his moost blyssed name, and continuallye to offer the sacrifice of thankes gyuyng vntounto hym.
But in as much as I hauehave entre ted abundātly of thankes gyuing, and of the sacrifice of prayse in my Pathway vntounto prayer, I wyl now cease to speke ony more of it at this tyme. Reade from the li…. vntounto the …v. Chapter.
As towchynge the inuocacion of the Lordes name, wherof Dauid agen maketh mēciō in this place, I hauehave spoken sufficiently of it in the fourth verse of this Psalme. Thou mayst therfore (moost gentle Reader) yf thou wylte, resorte thyther for this matter. I am lothe to be te dious vntounto the. I wyl go forth and make an ende, althogh that whiche followeth, maye also seme abundāt ly to be entreated of heretofore.