The Joy of the English Church for the Coronation of Pious Prince James, Meditations on psalm · Part · Meditation 1
The 1. meditation.
First, the occasion, as is partly touched before, was threefold: 1. the vniting of the citie of Ierusalem before infested with the idolatrous Iebusites. 2. The restoring of religion maimed before by the absence of the Arke, which was twentie yeares in the house of Abinadab. 1. Sam. 7. 2. 3. The reconciling of the kingdome before diuided betweene the house of Dauid & Saul: for these so great blessings the Prophet reioyceth before the Lord, and exhorteth the whole church of God to reioyce with him. We learne hereby, that like blessings, require like thanks, & that we also should for all Gods mercies to his Church remē ber to be thankfull.
1. Thus elswhere the prophet Dauid saith: My soule praise thou the Lord, and forget not any of his benefits, Psal. 103. 2. Yea this is an euident marke of Gods Church to shew themselues thankfull: The voice of ioy and health is in the tabernacles of the righteous, Psal. 118. 15.
2 This hath beene the practise of the Church of God from time to time: Thus Moses and the children of Israel, as soone as they came foorth of the red sea, sung a song of thanksgiuing vntounto God. Exod. 15. 1. Dauid daunced and sprang for ioy, for the bringing home of the Arke. 2. Sam. 6. 14. Iehosaphat and his people praised God for the victorie ouer the Moabites and Ammonites, in the valley of Berachah, which was so called, because there they blessed God. 2. Chro. 20. 27.
3 Our thanksgiuing vntounto God is as incense,Thanksgiuing the incense of Christians. Psal. 141. 2. that as they vsed to lay oyle, and incense vponupon their sacrifices. Levit. 2. 15. the one maketh a cheerefull countenance, the other is gratefull to the smell: …o should all our actions be perfumed with thanksgiuing vntounto God. This dutie of praise is compared by the people, to a young bullocke, that hath hornes and hoofes, Psal. 66. 31. He then that remembreth not to giuegive thankes vntounto God, is as though he offered an olde and leane bullocke, beeing faint and slouthfull to praise God: without hornes and hoofes: such an one shall neither hauehave strength to withstand and push the spirituall aduersarie, neither is shodde with hoofes and prepared to beare all things patiently.
4 If the superstitious heathen doe encourage themselues to praise the gods of gold and of siluer, Dan. 5. 4. to whome no praise is due, much more are we bound to render praise to God, to whome it of duty belongeth: it is all the recompence which we pay vntounto the Lord. Quid repēdam Iehouae? What shall I pay vntounto the Lord, for all his benefits towards me, I will take the cuppe of sauing health, and call vponupon the name of the Lord, Psal. 116. 12. Giuing of thanks then vntounto God for his benefits▪ is as our Landlords rent; vnworthie are we to hold our farmes, if we refuse to pay so easie a rent-charge: our great Landlord, of whome kings and princes hold their kingdomes, raiseth not his rent, but onelyonly expecteth the old seruice of thanksgiuing, which is the freest rent that can be.
5 So then, as here the Prophet Dauid made this song or hymne for his people, to shewe their thankefulnesse to God, for those great blessings: we ought also, vponupon the like occasion now offered to expresse our ioy before the Lord: Dauid vnited the kingdome before deuided; and now God hath raised vp vntounto vsus a prince, in whome both the regiments of England and Scotland are conioyned: great was the rent which in time past was between these two nations (though for these 40. yeares,The vniting of these two kingdomes. the gospell,1. Benefit. the onelyonly bond of peace, hath maintained louelove and amitie amongest vsus) yet pitifull is the remembrance of former calamities: how continually these nations did one offend another, with bloudie and grieuous battells: Sometime the English preuailed, as in the 21. yeare of Edward the first,Lanquet. there were 40. thousand of the Scots slaine in one battell: Sometime the Scottes had the vpper hand, as in the 7. yeare of Edward the second, in a battell fought at Retraueling in Scotland, there were put to the sword, and taken, 10 thousand, or after the Scottish historie, 50. thousand English▪ I will not make mention of Flodden and Musleborough fields, & other fierce battels between these nations By this ye may consider, what a great blessing is like to ensue vponupon this ioyfull coniunction of these kingdomes.
Dauid againe brought home the arke, that a long time had soiourned abroad: & this is our greatest comfort,2. Benefit. that contrarie to the desire and expectation of the Papists,Continuance of religion. God hath sent vsus a Princely shepheard, that shall still lead his people to the greene pastures, and refresh them stil with the waters of the word of life.
Dauid also expelled the Iebusites out of Ierusalem: and there are yet some Cananites in the land; Iesuites they are called, but more truely Iudasites, and other of Baals priests, with whome I trust such order shall be taken, that they be no more as thornes in our eies, and prickes in our sides. Thus you see how iust cause we hauehave to celebrate a song of thanksgiuing, with the Prophet Dauid for Gods great mercies: which shall be a meanes, when the Lord seeth our thankfull acceptance of these good beginnings, that the proceedings shall be answerable: for God by our thanksgiuing is not profited, but we are altogether thereby benefited: as it is said in Iob, If thou be righteous, what giuest thou vntounto him? thy righteousnesse may profit the sonne of man. Augustine teacheth this point well: Non laudibus nostris ille crescit, sed nos, deus nec melior fit si lauda…eris, nec deterior, si vituperaueris, &c. God increaseth not by our praise, but we: he is not the better for our praise, Psal. 133.nor worse for our dispraise: but we are the better if we praise him, and worse if we praise him not.