Exposition on the Seven Psalms of Repentance, Exposition 51 · Verse 15 – Verse 16
Verſe 15. Open thou my lips, O Lord, and my mouth ſhall ſhew forth thy praiſe.
HE promiſed in the former verſe to ſing ioyfully of Gods righteouſneſſe; now he bethinketh himſelfe that this is not in his owne power, but it muſt come from God. That as his faith and repentance was of him, ſo his thankfulneſſe muſt alſo proceed from him.There is no temporall or ſpirituall gift which doth not come from God. Phil. 2.13. So there is no temporall or ſpirituall gift, which doth not come from God. He worketh in vsus velle & perficere, to will and to do.
The tongue was conſecrated before to God; now he preſenteth his lips, another inſtrument; and at laſt the mouth it ſelfe, which containeth both. Seeing God hath giuen to eueryevery member the owne facultie and power,EueryEvery mē ber ſhould ſound Gods praiſes. it is good reaſon it ſhould be vied to his glorie. God hath giuen thee a tongue, mouth and lips, for no other end but to proclaime his praiſes. And curſed is that man (if he repent not) who ſoundeth any thing with his tongue, but Gods honour.
We ſee further, that we are all cloſe and bound vp by nature, except the God of nature enlarge our hearts with his louelove, and fit our mouthes with his praiſes; God hath the key of his lips; he can make infants and ſucklings proclaime his praiſes;Pſal. 8.2. Nū. 22.28. In Soliloq. yea he can open the mouth of Balaams aſſe to vtter his praiſe. Auguſtine thinketh non poſſe laudare Deum ſine ipſo, qui non ipſum habeat, qui ſe adiuuet, that God cannot be praiſed without himſelfe, he who hath not him to helpe them.
Moreouer obſerue, Doctr. Sorow for ſinne will break open the dumbe mouth to ſpeake for Gods merciemercy. Simil.how ſorrow for ſin will breake forth the dumbe mouth to ſpeake for Gods merciemercy. I reade of Croeſus his ſonne, who ſeeing a traitor going about to murder his father, though before he was alwayes dumbe, began to ſpeake and crie pitifully: why ſhould not we when we ſee that God is wounded with our ſinnes, once at laſt begin to crie.
Obiect. But there ariſeth here a queſtion, whether by our praiſes Gods name may be more amplified? Solut. I anſwer with that worthy ſeruant of God, M. Robert Rollock a holy man writing on this Pſalme, Deum in ſe eſſe perfectiſſimum, that God is moſt perfect …n himſelfe, without the worke of any crea…ure. The Father glorifying the Sonne, and …he Sonne the Father, the Father and Son the holy Spirit, the holy Spirit the Father & the Sonne. But yet will be glorified by the creature. Becauſe he is iuſt, his righteouſnes craueth, that the creature ſhould acknowledge the Creator, whoſe felicitie ſtandeth in this, that he ſhould reuerence his Maker with all dutifull ſeruice; he craueth it more for our weale, then for himſelfe. Thinke ye that God can be either worſe or better for our praiſes; but we our ſelues are then beſt, when we hauehave grace to praiſe him.
Philip finding Nicanor detracting him,Plut. relieued him from his neceſſitie, and then he began to praiſe him; wherefore he ſaid, Videtis eſſe in noſtra poteſtate & bene & male audire: Ye ſee it is in our power both to be well and euill thought of. But God is not ſo, he careth not for our praiſes, and our obloquies do not touch him; he is ſo farre from the one and the other. We can neither augment nor impaire his dignitie, ſpeake what we will or pleaſe, wee may doe our ſelues euill, him we cannot offend.
Sinne taketh away the benefit of our tongue,Sin maketh a man dūb that he can not praiſe God. that we become dumb, and cannot praiſe God, till he forgiue vsus our ſinnes, and then we ſhall ſpeak; and although we would ſpeake, God thinketh nothing of our ſpeeches, vntill we be reconciled to him. What haſt thou to do to declare mine ordinances, Pſal. 50.16and to take my name in thy mouth, ſeeing thou hateſt to be reformed? But wo to the tongue, mouth and lips, which are not employed in the ſeruice of God that made them, to proclaime his praiſes: and double woe to them who employ them to his diſhonour; for they ſhall ſay, would God they had bin rather dumbe,Nota. and could hauehave ſpoken nothing, then to hauehave ſpoken to the diſhonour of that Maieſtie which made them.
Verſe 16. For thou defireſt no ſacrifice, though I would giuegive it: thou delightſt not in burnt offering.
NOw toward the end of the Pſalme he is burſting forth in thankfulneſſe, ſetting downe the ſacrifice which the Lord would not hauehave, to wit, externall ſacrifices; and declaring that which he would hauehave, a contrite heart. Sacrifices of olde comprehended all Gods worſhip. For the burnt offerings and ſinne offerings repreſented Chriſts blood. The thankſgiuing offerings,The vſe of the legall ſacrifices. peace offerings, the incenſe, the thankfulnes of the Saints for his benefits; and what of all theſe, he was wearied with them, when they were not mixed with faith and repentence. Nazianzen ſaith, Vna Dei eſt purùm gratiſſima victima pectus.
Then if God delight not in ſacrifices which were commanded by himſelfe,Nota. what careth he for trifles inuented by men, of which he can hauehave no pleaſure. His delight is not in outward ſacrifices at any time, if they be alone. I will hauehave merciemercy (ſaith he) not ſacrifice; Hoſ. 6.6.much leſſe doth he reſpect the ſacrifice of the Maſſe, hauing no warrant in his word; neither yet of our prayers and praiſes, when we do but pretend religion, not ſerue God vnfainedly. Away with all our offerings, if we offer not to him that which he craueth chiefly, to wit, a penitent heart.
Lorinus obſerueth well, Sacrificia non operari per ſe peccatorum remiſſionem poſſe, ſed tantum repreſent are & praefiugare ſacrificium illud vnicum redemptoris: that is, that the ſacrifices of old could not worke by themſelues remiſſion of ſinnes, but onelyonly did repreſent and prefigure the onelyonly ſacrifice of our Redeemer. Then, as he ſaith truly, their ſacrifices ex opere operato, by the external working of them, cannot giuegive remiſſion of ſins. What reaſon then hath he to affirme that the Sacrament of the new Teſtament conferreth grace by the very externall giuing thereof;Lorinus againſt him. ſelfe. ſeeing that ſame thing was prefigurated by their ſacrifices which is repreſented by our Sacraments, that is, Chriſts blood both in Baptiſme and in the Lords Supper.