Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 66 – Psalm 67
The lxvi. PSALM.
David fore…els the happie condition of the Gentils, how that God shall have his Church among them, as unlikely as it is, that shall worship and serve him faithfully: which he will he as careful of, and propitious to, as ever he was to them, and what things he hath done for them are not to be forgotten, but to be had in remembrance of the faithful in all ages as the pledge of like merciemercy and protection unto them▪ as the praise-worthie deliverances he hath wrought for them out of all their sufferings and dangers that they have long undergone, and given them Canaan the type of heaven, which his people what ever they may suffer he…e shall be sure of. For which mercies to all Israel, but principally for his own particular ones which have been extraordinarie, he promiseth praise with a free heart and a lib…ral hand in all sorts of sacrifices appointed by God: and would have the upright take notice for their learning, that he never praid, but was answered, which he speaks to incourage such, not Hypocrites, who have no such priviledge as he and the rest of the …aithful have, whose prayers shall be effectual, as his was.Psalm lxvi. To the chief musician, A song or Psalm.
To the President of the Quire is this Psalm committed for his ordering it to be sung, and plaid by voices and instruments.
1MAke a joyful noise unto God all ye lands.1 THough all nations but we are as forreiners to God, yet shall he have a Church of larger extent, even all the World over, that shall worship and praise him with joyful acclamations for his saving truths and benefits vouchsafed to them.
2Sing forth the honour or his name: make his praise glorious.2 They shall have their temple as well as we, even the Gentils shall partake so liberally of his saving graces, as that in the Antitype and complement of all our ceremonious musick, they shall upon the coming of Christ, & his having a Church amongst them, spiritually, & in a more divine strain than ours, honour and magnifie his saving goodness, & gloriously praise him for it in higher degrees of faith and knowledge.
3 Magnifie God for the terrible victories he hath at sundry times wrought upon the Gentils by the power of his might on the behalf of us his chosen people,3Say unto God, How t…rrible art thou in thy works? through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. through the greatness of the power of whose grace, shall these same rebellious Idolatrous Gentils one day be won to take Laws from God, and become his people, that now are in open enmitie against him and his Church to destroy it, for which he so destroyes them.
4 The time shall come, that not we onelyonly, but the whole World shall know thee,4All the earth shall worship thee, & shall sing unto thee, they shall sing to thy name. Selah. fear thee, and believe in thee the Lord, and shall offer thee that worship in substance which ours portrayes out in shadows, the whole earth shall be thy temple and Quire, for thy Church shall every where praise thee and magnifie thy saving goodness, to them, Lord, let this thy Kingdom come.
5 I would have all that are Gods in all ages,5Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. often to recollect and consider for the strengthening of their faith and glorifying of God, the wondrous things from time to time that he hath done for his Church, and the works he hath wrought for the preservation of it, how terribly he hath ever proceeded against the men of this World that have offended them, and what judgements he hath alwayes executed upon such, and ever will.
6 How of old when his people Israel were in jeopardie,6He turned the sea into drie land: they went through the floud on foot, there did we rejoyce in him. and (humanely) impossible to escape being encompassed on all hands with unavoidable dangers, the sea before, and Pharaoh and his host behind, how then the Lord by miracle wrought for them and divided the sea, through which they passed upon drie land, so also when they entred the land of Canaan, what way the Lord made for them over Jordan, in like sort though at that time it overflowed, not going over it by help of boats or bridges, but just as they did before through the red-sea, the waters were divided miraculously, and they went through on foot in the face of their enemies, as if there had been no river betwixt; O the joy that then was apprehended by our fore-fathers at the sight and experience of such wonderful power, and goodness of God extended to his Church in their so supernatural accommodations for their safe transporting, and their enemis destruction, and disheartning! which ought also in the memorie of it to rejoyce us and the people of God for ever, being wrought by God as a pledge and assurance of his continual love towards the whole bodie of his Church, and that he is the eternal Saviour of it, from which act therefore ought to flow cause of rejoycing to us, and all the Godly in all ages, in the faith of the same immutable goodness.
7He ruleth by his power for ever, his eyes behold the nations; let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.7 And power, which shall never be weakened, but as he then was, so he is and ever will be of the same strength and sufficiencie to stand his Church in steed, and to over-master their enemies, nor will he be one jot less careful of his people hereafter than heretofore, but as circumspect over them for their good in all parts of the world, when they are universally called and gathered out of all nations to be peculiarly his, as he was then to those that were so. And as that ought to be an example and incouragement of joy and confidence for ever to the Church of God, so of terrour and humbling to her enemies, that having such a president before their eyes upon sacred and everlasting record dare rebel against God by wronging his people, thinking to suppress and root them out, because they are few and short of them for power and policie, but it shall turn to their ruin in after-ages as well as then; They may be sure of it.
8O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard.8 All Gods people ought to bless God and magnifie him for what he hath done, and assuredly will do for his Church, but especially, we, that are beforehand possessed of so many mercies and great deliverances, we ought to resound and publish the praise of his famous acts for the Gentils to take notice thereof, thence to be confirmed in faith and hope.
9Which holdeth our soul in life and suffereth not our feet to be moved.9 From what he hath done for us; who, but for his care over us had long ere this been swallowed up a thousand times over of death and destruction, by our many enemies which yet were never able to have their will of us, but that still we are a people, and have been upheld against, as it were, the whole world, who because of Gods peculiar choice, have a special malignant hatred to us.
10 For,10For thou, O God, hast reproved us; thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Lord, thou knowst what troubles we have undergone since we have been a people to thee, and all to the end thou mightest have occasion to shew how firm thou art to us, as thou hast ever made it to appear, and to trie whether we will be as firm to thee, in our faith in thee and worship of thee, thou hast proved us over and over again by afflictions, to give us testimonie of thee, and that thou mightest have assurance of us, a faithful sincere people.
11 Thou thus to trie us and shew thy self,11Thou broughtest us into the net, thou laidst affliction upon our loins. hast many times led us into inavoidable dangers, and to outward appearance exposed us into the power of our enemies to be destroyed by them, and suffered them to oppress us sore as in Aegypt and otherwise.
12 We have undergone as base and cruel usage as can be imagined,12Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads, we went through …fire and through water…; but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. counted no more of them than the dirt in the streets, & enduring the uttermost hardships under cruel task-masters and bloudie enemies as could possibly be invented and contrived against us, and such things must thy Church alwayes look for in this World, but thou hast made us amends at last, and all that thou promisedst hast thou performed, for thou hast by a strong hand invested us in a happie condition, and possessed us of a fruitful land, spite of all our enemies, so shall thy Church have deliverances here, but let not them never doubt of heaven hereafter.
13, 14 What I would have others do,13I will go into thy house with burnt-offerings: I will pay thee my vous. I hope I shall not fail for mine own part to practise; I am resolved upon consideration of what I have recounted,14Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble. that thou hast done for us, and I am sure wilt do for thy Church; to give thee praise and thanks not onelyonly inwardly in my heart, but also outwardly in the eyes, and for the example sake of all others, according to thine appointment by solemn sacrifices: and especially for my self, who have been in not a few, nor those no small troubles, at what time I vowed them to thee, and have tasted accordingly of not a few and those no small deliverances.
15I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, … inc…nse of rams: I will offer bullocks wit… goats. Selah.15 What ever thou hast commanded to be offered thee, I will do it to the full in the performance of my thanks and acknowledgement of thy mercies, both for number and worth, even the best I can get, what charge soever I am at. And that with a free heart.
16Come and hear all ye that fear God, I will de…lare what he hath done for my soul.16 Thou hast set me up as a pillar and monument of thy unspeakable goodness to thy servants: which I hope and do desire, that all thy people in all ages of the World would take notice of, and to that end I will leave it upon record, even the wondrous mercies I have partaked of, and miraculous preservation that I have had.
17I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.17 How that I never in my need put up my prayer to him in fervour and faith, but I had a return answerable, and my prayer was turned to praise.
18If I regard iniquitie in my heart: the Lord will not hear me.18 I speak not this to embolden hypocrits, as if they were so priviledged, who are apt enough to pray in their need as well as the Godly, but for the incouragement of the sincere and upright, such as I bless God I am, harbouring the love of no known sin in me, I know how I should have sped if I had, not as I have done, but have had the deaf ear turned upon me; and well I had deserved it, as all hypocrits and carnal, formal, professers do.
19 But assuredly the Lord from time to time hath heard me,19But verily God hath heard me: he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. and answered me too, very graciously, yea, he hath carefully had respect to me, whensoever I poured out my heart before him in the anguish thereof, in time of trouble.
20 I bless the Lord he hath blessed me,20Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his merciemercy from me. and not sent me away without mine errand when as I have come to him in prayer and supplication, nor withheld his merciemercy from me in mine extremitie, but hath effectually appeared for me, and so he will for all that trust in him, and seek to him, as I have done.
The lxvii. PSALM.
The Psalmist praies that God would in such a sort be good to Israel, that the Gentils may note it, and be won by it to imbrace his saving truth, and serve him as well as they. But for the full …ffecting of their conversion, he wishes heartily for the comming of Christ and his Kingdom, and the happie dayes that shall be then all the World over.
To him that is most skilful upon the stringed instrument Neginoth to which this Psalm is chiefly set, Psalm lxvii. To the chief musician, on Neginoth. A psalm or song.is it committed for his care and ordering it be sung and plaid.
1 THe good Lord be merciful unto us in the pardon of our sins,1GOd be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us. Selah. and graciously benevolent and propitious in multiplying blessings upon us, and manifesting his favour to us, so as it may be notorious in the eyes of the World. Even so be it.
2 That the whole earth,2That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. that now wander out of the way may be brought to acknowledge thee for the only true God, & to worship thee aright, when they perceive the mercies, that we that do so, do enjoy above all others, & may be brought to hearken & enquire after the saving righteousness thou hast revealed to us, whereof they are utterly ignorant.
3Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.3 Lord let the Gentils as well as we have the knowledge and experience of thy rich merciemercy and saving goodness, that they may praise thee for it, yea, spread and proclaim it to all the World, that thou mayest every where have a people to magnifie thee for it upon the whole earth.
4O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.4 When shall Christ come to proclaim the year of Jubile, even life and salvation to the Gentils, to their unspeakable joy and thy unspeakable praise, and to take the Government into his hands, which he shall sway with equitie and justice both to the good and to the bad? Lord hasten it.
5Let the people praise thee, O God, let all the people praise thee.5 Let the Gentils as well as we have the knowledge and experience of thy rich merciemercy and saving goodness, that they may praise thee for it, yea, spread and proclaim it to all the World, that thou mayest every where have a people to magnifie thee for it upon the whole earth.
6Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God shall bless us.6 O that this time were now, for when it is, happie shall those dayes be, when the Messiah shall come, infinite of blessings of every sort temporal and spiritual will he bring with him. The whole earth that is cursed by the fall shall by him be blessedly restored, and made a Canaan, fruitful to God and man, and God who was become a stranger by it, shall by and in him be as much and more his peoples, in more near proprietie and relation than ever, and bless them with better blessings through grace, than ever they were and could be capable of other wayes.
7God shall bless us and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.7 Then shall be a time of sweet harmonious interchangeable correspondencies betwixt heaven and earth; God he shall pour out his spirit upon all flesh, and spread his Gospel over the whole earth, and accompany it with no small store of temporal mercies, and his people shall from all the ends of the World be hereby gathered to him, and give up themselves in faith and obedience to be his.