Exposition on the Seven Psalms of Repentance, Psalm 32 · Verse 11
VERS. 11. Be glad yee righteous, and reioyce in the Lord, and be ioyfull all yee that are vpright in heart.
The ſubſtance of this verſe.THis verſe containeth the concluſion of the Pſalme, wherein is ſet downe, an exhortation …o ſuch as are happie and bleſſed by remiſſion of their ſinnes, to a ſpirituall ioy and prayſing of God. And this exhortation dependeth very well on the antecedents; for hauing ſpoken of the remiſſion of ſinnes, and the fruites of repentance, and the fatherlie mercy of God towards the faythfull, to whom properly this exhortation belongeth.
For after the remiſſion of ſinnes,After remiſſion of ſinne ariſeth ioy. Gal. 5. Rom. 5.1. there ariſeth an vnſpeakeable ioy in the beleeuers heart, for ioy is that fruit of faith. And after the Apoſtle. Rom. 4. had ſpoken of iuſtification, hee inferreth, Rom. 5. Then being iuſtifieed by faith, we hauehave peace toward God, through our Lord Ieſus Chriſt. Which doubtleſly cō prehendeth all ſorts of ioy, and the Angels when they Preached to the ſhepheards of Chriſt,Luk. 2.10. they profeſſed they tolde ioyfull tydings.
This exhortation containeth three parts. Firſt, what hee doth exhort, to reioyce. Secondly, whom; the righteous and vpright men. Thirdly, the limitation thereof, in the Lord.
Be glad:] He exhorteth them three times, be glad, reioyce, and be ioyfull, and as …ee made mentiō of a threefold bleſſing, ſo doth hee of a threefold ioy. Wherein, we hauehave two things neceſſary to be obſerued: Firſt, the duineſſe of our nature, who as ſlow horſes neede many ſpurres,Mans ſenſleſneſſe in ſpirituall things. and prou…c…tions to ſpirituall things, for we are naturally ouermuch …ent to carnall things, that wee neede no incitations to the ſame. But by the contrary in ſpirituall things, wee are caſt in a deepe ſleepe, who cannot be wakened at the firſt cry, as thoſe men after drinke hauehave neede to be rouſed often, that they may behold the light, ſo men drunken with the pleaſures of ſinne, as Nazianzen ſayth, Muſt be wakened by diuerſe exhortations, as this ſame Prophet in the ſubſequet Pſalme, redoubleth his exhortatiōs for the ſame effect. And the Apoſtle to the Philippians ſayth,Phil. 4.4. reioyce in the Lord continually, and I ſay againe, Tho proper ſignification of the words, be glad.reioyce.
Next, I perceiue that this exhortation growes, for the word Be glad, properly in the owne language ſignifieth an inward and hearty ioy,Pſal. 35.26. Reioyce. by the preſence or hope at leaſt of a thing deſirable or good. The ſecond word Reioyce, in the owne language ſignifieth, to expreſſe our ioy by ſome outward geſture, ſometimes vſed for dancing, as the Hills skip for gladneſſe. Pſal. 65.12. Be ioyfull. Iſa. 35.6.The third word Be ioyfull, ſignifieth to cry forth for gladneſſe, as the dumbe mans tongue ſhall ſing.
This Gradation teacheth vsus, Doctr. Spirituall ioy alwayes increaſeth.that this is the nature of Spirituall ioy. That it is alwayes augmented to vsus by certaine degrees, vntill the time is come to the perfection of all ioy, which is ſignified by the laſt word, importing as it were a triumph, and ſhowting after victorie. So that they are truly penitent, when they hauehave ouercome ſinne, and Satan in their ſpirituall combate, triumphes ouer them as vanquiſhed enemies.
Obi But it may be obiected, that the beſt chriſtians, commonly hauehave the leaſt cauſe of reioycing, in regard they are more ſubiect to Troubles, Croſſes, Impriſonments, Pouerty, Sickneſſe, &c. then others▪ Our Sauiour anſwereth to that. In the world yee ſhall hauehave trouble, Anſ: Ioh. 16.33.but in me yee ſhall hauehave ioy; reioyce, I hauehave ouercome the world. The Martyrs who ſuffer the loſſe of their liues, and riches, with great ioy anſweres in the midſt of the fierie flames where they ſing, and prayſe God, as though they felt no paine; their inward ioy ſwallowing vp their outward trouble. Chriſtians in their very death anſweres to that, when they cry. O death where is thy ſting, O hell where is thy victory. So,1 Cor. 15. Inward ioy ſwalloweth vp outward croſſes. how ſo euer they be ſubiect to the greateſt miſeries outwardly, yet the ioy ariſing from the aſſurance of Gods fauour doth ſwallow them vp.
Obſerue, Doctr. Only thoſe truly reioice whoſe ſinne is pardoned Pro. 29.6. Pro. 14.10. Pſal. 40.16. Iſa. 65.13. Rev. 2.17.moreouer that none can truly reioyce, but theſe who hauehave gotten remiſſiō of their ſins. The righteous doth ſing & reioyce. The ſtranger ſhal not medle with his ioy. Let them that ſeeke reioyce and be glad in thee. My ſeruants ſhall reioyce ſayth the Lord. For they get the white ſtone giuen them, And a name written therein, which no man knoweth, ſauing hee that receiueth it. And this is, Thy ſinnes are forgiuen thee. Indeede the wicked hauehave their owne earthly and fleſhly ioyes, but if yee would examine them ſtrictly, they are rather torments then ioyes, which Chryſoſtome obſerueth wel,Chryſ. h…m. 18. ad pop. Atiochenum affirming that ioy is only proper to the godly, & neuer to be attributed to the wicked. For the couetous man whoſe pleaſure is in riches, the more they grow, the more his thirſt increaſeth, which deſire tormenteth them, as alſo the feare of the loſſe of them, excrutiats his minde night and day, when riches grow, feare groweth. And the Prophet Iſaias ſayth,Iſa. 57.20. The wicked are like the raging Sea, Eſ. 57.21.that cannot reſt, whoſe waters caſt vp myre and dirt, there is no peace, ſayth, my God to the wicked.
The godly and wickeds ioy differ.But there is a great difference beweene the ioy of the godly and the ioy of the wicked, if yee will compare them, for the one reioyceth onelyonly in God, the other in earthly things. The ſcule of the godly is indued with true and ſolid ioy: the fleſh of the wicked only enioyes periſhing pleaſures, the godly they reioyce in the midſt of their troubles, the wicked are grieued in the midſt of their ioyes. The ioyes of the godly are eternall, the ioyes of the godly are euermore augmented till at laſt they attaine to eternal felicitie, but the hope of the wicked turneth in diſpaire, their life in death eternal. Finally the ioyes of the godlie ſpring out of teares, They ſow a precious ſeed in teares, and reape in ioy, for the ſpirituall harueſt is farre different from the temporall harueſt,The Spirituall and earthly harueſt differ. for the huſbandmen holdes by their experience, that the harueſt will be anſwerable to the ſeede time, but in the Chriſtian harueſt, wee fow with watrie teares and reapes on dry weather, by the contrarie the wicked hauehave a dry and ſeaſonable ſeede-time, but they reape with waterie teares with confuſion.
Reaſons of the peoples ioy.The reaſons wherefore, Firſt becauſe none elſe hauehave warrand to reioyce. For the wicked man, nothing troubles him, not ſinne,1 The godlie hauehave a warrand to reioyce. for it is his pleaſure: not tentations, theſe he ſwalloweth vp: not his conſcience, it is a ſleepe: not the Deuill, he is alreadie made his vaſſall and Seruant: not the world, it is his treaſure: no outward afflictions, hee will not indure them:Iam. 5 1. Luk 6.25. Yea S. Iames bids them not reioyce but houle. Houle yee rich men. And S. Luke ſaith to them, woe be to you that reioyce now for yee ſhall mourne.
2. They are commanded to reioyce.Secondly as the godly onelyonly are commanded to reioyce, ſo they hauehave onelyonly cruſe to reioyce, becauſe they onelyonly enioy the preſence of God by reaſon of the couenant, they hauehave entreſſe to all things in heauen and in earth, as a woman hath to the goods of her husband: which is a great cauſe of ioy. Next, they know that their names are written in the booke of life, as our Sauiour ſaith.Luk. 10.20. Reioyce not in this, that yee may caſt out deuils, but that your names are written in the booke of life.
3. They hauehave the ſpirit of God, the author of ioy.Thirdly, onelyonly they hauehave the ſpirit of God, the author of true ioy, which is therefore called the ioy of the holy Ghoſt. OnelyOnly they are annoynted with the oyle of gladneſſe.
Fourthly, onelyonly they hauehave eſcaped from condemnation,1 Theſ 1.6. Pſal. 45.7. as the Iſraelites eſcaped the hand of Pharoah, and reioyced.
4. They eſcape condemnation. Exod 15.1.Fiftly, onelyonly theſe ſucke and draw their ioy out of the Wells of ſound conſolation, that is, out of the Scriptures, which are written, that their ioy may be full.
5. They draw ioy out of the Scriptures. Iſa. 12.3. 1 Ioh. 1.4.Sixtly, onelyonly theſe enioy a good conſcience, which is a continuall feaſt; and the cauſe of the Apoſtles ioy, in the midſt of their perſecutions.
Finally, onelyonly they hauehave the hope of eternall glory; We reioyce vnderunder the hope of the glory of God, 6. They hauehave a good conſcience. Pro. 15.15.ſayth the Apoſtle.
Ye righteous and vpright in heart.] They are called righteous in two reſpects. 1. Becauſe they hauehave received the bloud of Ieſus Chriſt, which hath made them righteous before God,7. Hope of eternall glory. Why called righteous. by his p…ſſiue obedience, in that hee hath ſuffered for their ſinnes; as likewiſe by his actiue obedience, whereby he hath fulfilled the law, which are both imputed to them, as though they had ſuffered, and done both themſelues. As alſo they are righteous, having received the Spirit of ſanctification, which teacheth them to render to every one that which is his owne. To Caeſar, Mat. 22.21.that which is Caeſars. To the Superiours that which is his. To his equall that which appertaines to him; to his Inferiour, that which he ought to doe.
The rule of righteouſneſſe.The rule of righteouſneſſe is ſet downe in the 15. Pſalme, that neither in name, bodie, nor goods, we ſhould iniure any man.
The righteous man muſt be ſincere and vpright.The righteous man muſt alſo be vpright in heart, that is, ſincere, for faith and hypocriſie can never ſtand together, for of all vertues, God liketh beſt of ſinceritie, and ſingleneſſe of heart, that in our Religion we meane ſincerelie, and we may ſay to the Lord, Thou tryeſt my reines in the night ſeaſon, and foundest nothing in my mouth, which was not in my heart.
And with our neighbours, we ſhould deale ſo vprightly, that we may not hauehave Butter and Oyle in our mouth, and a ſword in our heart, but as we profeſſe kindneſſe to them, who ſpeake kindly, ſo our heart may meane the ſame,Pſal. 12. Righteouſnes cannot be without ſinceritie. and hauehave not an heart and an heart.
To conclude this point, righteouſneſſe and ſinceritie are ſo ioyned together, that the one can never be without the other, and they are reciprocall, that a righteous man muſt be ſincere, and a ſincere man muſt be righteous.
The godly reioyce in the Lord.The limitation of this ioy is ſet downe in the laſt part, In Iehovah, which diſtinguiſheth the Chriſtian ioy, from all ioyes earthly. Some reioyce in one thing; ſome in another, but the Chriſtian reioyceth in the Lord. Let not the rich man reioyce in his riches, nor the ſtrong man in his ſtrength, nor the wiſe man in his wiſedome, but reioyce in the Lord.
OnelyOnly one queſtion remaineth to be diſſolved;Ob: Whether may not men lawfully reioyce in the bleſſings that God hath given them, as a man in the Wife of his youth, Parents in their children, and in their temporall bleſſings?
I anſwere, yea, verily, providing alway, that God be the ground and end of their reioycing: Anſ. that they reioyce in them as pledges of Gods merciemercy, and louelove them, becauſe they ſee them readie to ſerue God, and that they regard more grace then nature in their wiues and children, otherwiſe their prepoſterous affection turneth into ſorrow and griefe,1 Sam. 4.17 18. as did the louelove of Eli to his children, who in the end ſmarted for it.
The Lord moderate our ioyes, that they may be all in him, and ſanctifie our perſons, that they may be righteous, and vpright, that the loyes we receiue here, may be entrances to the euerlaſting ioyes we ſhall receiue in the kingdome of Heaven, through Chriſt our Lord. Amen.
FINIS.