Exposition of the Principal Scriptures Used in our English Liturgy, Part 22
Cantate Domino. Psalm. 98.
THe Church hath done well in ioyning to the Magnificat, Psalme 98: for the one is a perfect eccho to the other (allpAugust. Hieron. Euthym. Caluin. Genebrard. in loc. Interpreters agreeing) that Dauids mystery, and Maries historie, are all one. Whatsoeuer is obscurely foretold in his Psalme, is plainly told in her Song: as he prophecied, O sing vntounto the Lord a new song; shew your selues ioyfull▪ So she practised: My soule doth magnifie the Lord, and my spirit reioiceth in God my Sauiour. And this (qIohn 4. 23. as Christ teacheth) is a new song: The houre commeth, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth. The voice doth say, Magna fecit, Hee hath done maruellous things: and the Eccho: Magna mihi fecit He hath magnified, or done maruellous things in me. For it is an exceeding wonder (asr1. Tim. 3. 16. Paul speaks) a great mysterie, that God should be manifested in the flesh, that the father of all, should bee the sonne of Mary. Voice: With his owne right hand, and with his holy arme hath he gotten himselfe the victorie. Eccho: He hath shewed strength with his arme, he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. Voice: The Lord declared his saluation, his righteousnesse hath hee openly shewed in the sight of the Heathen. Eccho: His merciemercy is on them that feare him, throughout all generations: he hath filled the hungrie with good things, and the rich hee hath sent emptie away. Gentiles esurientes, Iudaeos diuites, as Theophylact expounds it.
Voice: Hee hath remembred his merciemercy and truth towards the house of Israel. Eccho: He remembring his merciemercy, hath holpen his seruant Israel.
In the whole Psalme fiue circumstances are to be considered especially:
Who.
What.
Whereto.
Wherefore.
Wherewith.
1. Who must sing: All men, all things For the Prophet in the latter end of the Psalme doth incite sensible men, by directing his speech vntounto insensible creatures: Let the sea make a noise, let the floods clap their hands, and let the hils be ioyfull. All which sing Psalmes and Hymnes in their kinde: onelyonly man, for whom all these were made, is vnkind.sEsay 1. 3. The oxe knoweth his owner▪ and the dull a…e his masters crib: but Israel hath not knowne, my people hath not vnderstood.
2. What: Sing a new song. This is mans end, to seeke God in this life, to see God in the next: to bee a subiect in the kingdome of grace, and Saint in the kingdome of glorie. Whatsoeuer in this world befalleth vsus, wee must sing: be thankfull for weale, for woe; songs ought alwaies to be in our mouth and sometimes a new song: for so Dauid heere, sing a new song: that is,tAugust. in loc. let vsus put off the old man, and become new men,u2. Cor. 5. 17. new creatures in Christ: for the old man sings old songs: onelyonly the new man sings a new song, hee speaketh with axMark. 16. 17. new tongue, and walkes inyMatth. 2. 12. new waies: and therefore doth new things, and sings new songs: his language is not of Babylon, or Egypt, but of Canaan: his communication doth edifie men, his song glorifie God.
Or a new song, that is, a fresh song,zHieron. in loc. noua res, nouum canticum; new for a new benefit. Ephes. 5. 20. GiueGive thanks alway for all things. It is very grosse to thanke God only in grosse, and not in parcell. Hast thou been sicke and now made whole? praise God with the Leper, Luke 17, sing a new song, for this new salue.
Doest thou hunger and thirst after righteousnes; whereas heretofore thou couldest not endure the words of exhortation and doctrine? sing a new song for this new grace. Doth almightie God giuegive thee a true sense of thy sinne; whereas heretofore thou diddest draw iniquitie with cords of vanitie, and sinne as it were with cartropes, and wast giuen ouer to worke all vncleannes, euen with greedinesse? O sing, sing, sing a new song for this new merciemercy.
Or new, that is,aCaluin. in loc. no common or ordinarie song, but as Gods merciemercy toward vsus is exceeding maruellous and extraordinarie, so our thankes ought to bee most exquisite, and more then ordinarie: not new in regard of the matter; for we may not pray to God, or praise God, otherwise then he hath prescribed in his word, which is the old way, but new in respect of the manner and making, that as occasion is offered, wee may beate our wits after the best fashion to bee thankfull.
Or, because this Psalme is propheticall, a new song, that is,bAugustin. & Turre…rematensis in loc. the song of the glorious Angels at Christs birth, cLuke 2. 14.Glorie to God on high, peace in earth, towards men good will; a song which the world neuer heard before: that the seede of the woman should bruse the Serpents head is an old song, the first that euer was sung: but this was no plaine song; till Christ did manifest himselfe in the flesh. In the old Testament there were many old songs, but in the new Testament a new song.
That vntounto vsus is borne a Sauiour, which is Christ the Lord, in many respects a new song: for whereas Christ was but shadowed in the Law, he is shewed in the Gospell: and new, because sung of new mē, of all men.dRom. 10. 18. For the sound of the Gospell is gone through all the earth, vntounto the ends of the world: whereas in old time Gods old songs were sung in Iury, his name great in Israel, at Salem his Tabernacle, and dwelling in Sion: Psal. 76.
3. Whereto] To the Lord. See before Psalme 95.
4. Wherefore] For he hath done maruellous things: he hath opened his greatnes and goodnesse to the whole world, in his creation, and preseruation, in his redemption especially, being a worke of greater might and merciemercy then all the rest: for in the creation he made man like himselfe; but in the redemption he made himselfe like man.eGranatensis con. 2. Dom. 1. aduent. Illic participes nos fecit bonorum suorum: hîc particeps est factus malorum nostrorum. In making the world, hee spake the word onelyonly and it was done: but to redeeme the world, dixit multa, & fecit mira, saith the text: Passus est dura verba, duriora verbera. The creation of the world was a worke as it were of his fingers: Psal. 8. 3. When I consider the heauen, euen the work of thy fingers. But the redemption (as it is here called) is the worke of his arme: With his owne right hand, and with his holy arme hath he gotten himselfe the victorie.
So that if the Iewes obserued a Sabbath in honour of the worlds creation; how many festiuals ought we to keepe in thankfull remembrance of our redemption? As Diogenes said, eueryevery day was an holy day to a good man, so eueryevery day should be a Sunday to the Christian man.
Aquinas excellently: Bonum gratiae vnius, maius est quàm bonum naturae totius vniuersi: The sauing of one soule is a greater work, then the making of a whole world: 12. quaest. 113. art. 9.
5. Wherewith: in a literall sense with all kinde offAugustin. in Psalmum vlt. musicke,
Vocall: Sing to the Lord.
Chordall: Praise him vponupon the Harpe.
Pneumatical: With trumpets, &c.
In an allegoricall exposition (asgIn locum. Euthymius interpretes it) we must praise God in our actions, and praise him in our contemplation: praise him in our words, praise him in our workes: praise him in our life, praise him at our death: being not only temples (ash1. Cor. 3 16. Paul) but (asiIn Protreptico. Clemens Alexandrinus calles vsus) Timbrels also of the holy Ghost.
Nunc dimittis, or the song of Simeon.