Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 136
The cxxxvi. PSALM.
This Psalm for the magnifying of merciemercy, it is thought was sung daily in the Tabernacle and Temple. 1 Chron. 16.41. Jer. 33.11. and this clause for his merciemercy endureth for ever, so oft repeated was sung by turns of the Levites, and oft used for the burden of the song at solemn celebrations of remarkable mercies. 2 Chron. 7.3. and 6. and 20.21. The drift of the Psalmist is to advance covenant-merciemercy, that Church priviledge in the eyes of the faithful, as the great and allmost onelyonly thank-worthie benefit, by which God himself, and all that is Gods, is his Churches, the fountain of all good, general, special, of creation, and providence, to the world, to the Church, which therefore we should behold in every thing, and thank God for in all things.Psalm cxxxvi.
1 GOds greatness is better known and more taken notice of than his goodness,1O Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. but this ought principally to be his peoples studie, to see all he does as well the acts of his grace, and that a stable covenant-grace, as of his power; Therefore ye that are so, be sure to do so, be thankful to him, and faithful in him for his goodness sake, that is so transcendent even to the sins of all mankind in general, who live, move, and have their beings, in and from, him notwithstanding them, and to his Church in particular, as appears by his many gracious promises and great performances temporal and spiritual in goodness made, and in merciemercy made good; sin cannot finally hinder the current of his grace, which is as himself everlasting, as in being, so in acting, an ever overflowing fountain, whose mercies therefore are renewed every morning.
2O give thanks unto the God of Gods: for his merciemercy endureth for ever.2, 3 Exalt him in his greatness, yea, in the full dimensions of it, superlatively prefer him to all things in heaven and earth,3O give thanks to the Lord of Lords: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. principalities, powers, or imaginarie deities. Praise him as such, but withal be thankful to him that is such, so great, and yet of such condiscention in continual dispensation of mercies; for the consideration of his goodness setteth forth his greatness with greater beautie and sweetness, which by reason thereof becomes a useful propertie and encouragement to his Church and people to draw nigh to him, and trust in him for ever.
4To him who alone doth great wonders: for his merciemercy endureth for ever.4 And as for his merciemercy sake he is to be honoured in what he is essentially, being thereby that to us, and for us which he is in himself, so also in what he does, for his merciemercy and free grace, it is the cause of the manifestation of so great power in all those glorious works of wonder, wrought so apparently by the immediate hand and finger of God, (who onelyonly is Almighty, for, and in his peoples behalfs) in all their dangers notwithstanding all their sins, as we can witness in an everlasting Series of them.
5 Free grace and merciemercy is and ought to be the salt that seasons all things,5To him that by wisdom made the heavens, for his merciemercy endureth for ever. as what you offer to God is seasoned with the salt of the covenant, so let all the considerations you have of God his acts or attributes, works, or wisdom, be salted and seasoned in like sort, with the thankful memorial of covenant-grace, without which all God is, and all God does is as nothing; for grace onelyonly gives verdure to and proprietie in all, (yea, and in himself that is more than all) not onelyonly his works of wonder to his Church in particular, but even his wonderful works in common of creation, are to be considered, not as acts of power and wisdom onelyonly, but his merciemercy in both is chiefly to be considered, …s that which makes the very heavens to be heavens to us; as at first they were, so still to be, glorious and excellent in their beautie and use, be thankful therefore to the God of everlasting grace, ever when you behold the heavens, and admire his wisdom in those works of nature.
6 Yea,6To him that stretched out the earth above the waters, for his merciemercy endureth for ever. whethersoever ye look upward or downward, and whatsoever ye see in heaven or earth, that shews you God under any notion, see merciemercy in it, and so be thankful for it, as the drie land and habitable earth which wonderfully declares his power, being so great a superficies by his appointment above the waters that were above it, and would be so again, but that his decree stands firm, our sins have not let them loose from their restraint, because his never-failing grace and merciemercy over-rules them now as did his word of command at first, therefore whensoever you see him in the one, do not over-see him in the other, for what power created, powerful merciemercy hath continued.
7To him that made great lights, for his merciemercy endureth for ever.7 How many are enlightened by those two glorious luminaries that shine in the firmament, that either see not God by them, or if they do, but with a natural notion of temporal benefit, and common goodness, and are not thereby raised in their thoughts to see him a God in covenant, and that therefore as at first, in goodness he made them, so in merciemercy he continueth them for the use of man.
8The son to rule by day, …or his merciemercy endureth for ever.8, 9 The sun to give light by day wherein man is to labour, and therefore hath need of greater light, and the moon that other great,9The moon and stars to rule by night: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. but lesser light, together with the additionals of infinite stars, all which giving less light, seasonably shine in the night, the time appointed properly for rest, and improperly imployed in business, which yet more or less cannot well be avoided, and therefore hath his goodness afforded, and his wisdom ordered these gradual lights to shine so opportunely and successively, as man hath more and less need of them, and so also his merciemercy doth and hath continued them for these many thousand years, notwithstanding so many millions of sins; never therefore see these lights or by them, but see Gods grace and merciemercy shine through them, and be thankful for it and them.
10To him that smote Egypt in their first-born: for his merciemercy endureth for-ever.10 If merciemercy be the motive of common natural benefits, why God gives them and we enjoy them, and be to be seen in them as thank-worthie, how much more in those special and supernatural benefits and miracles wrought for his Church in peculiar, surely we are not to forget them, nor his merciemercy in them, but as to magnifie it in his acts of creation, which are common, so much more in those of providence and preservation to his people in special, as that of his killing all the first-born of Egypt both of Prince and people, man and beast, when they would not let Israel go, which is for ever to be memorized and recorded by his first-born the Church, as a special fruit and effect of that covenant-merciemercy, by which she is, and shall ever be preserved, thereby to be corroborated.
11, 12 Whereby he rescued his embondaged people Israel,11And brought out Israel from among them: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. even all of them, by a mightie hand of power,12With a strong hand, and a stretchedout arm: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. which his merciemercy set on work, from their cruel Task-masters, whose power through merciemercy wrought that their deliverance, maugre the Egyptians powerful opposition; remember it, see merciemercy in it, and thank him for it, yea, let your thoughts run descant upon it, double and treble your sense of it, and thanks for such a merciemercy, the great seal, and first-born merciemercy of his everlasting covenant to his Church national.
Yea,13To him which divided the red-sea into parts: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. go from circumstance to circumstance, see a succession of miraculous mercies, and all of them springing out of that everliving root and mother-merciemercy, covenant-grace, as before in Egypt, so out of Egypt at the red-sea, which by almightie merciemercy (being one) was divided into two (as it were) walls of water, on each hand them, and a great distance of drie land betwixt.
14 Through which he made all Israel to pass with safetie,14And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. the divided sea never offering to unite, the whilest they and their cattel journeyed through it.
15 But on the contrarie when hard-hearted Pharaoh that pursued Israel after he had let them go,15But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the red-sea: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. ventured after them, God the second time made dreadful slaughter of the Egyptians, even of Pharaoh and all his host, causing the sea to return and destroy all them, who else had destroyed all Israel, a merciemercy indeed as well as a miracle, and so to be taken notice of; admire therefore the one, and thank him for the other, (by an eye of faith see merciemercy all along, yea, covenant-merciemercy, such as makes God himself to be yours, as well as his benefits, and that by a tie of grace, which through grace is never to be dissolved, else your digestion of benefits themselves is crude and not nourishing,) as therefore this was typical, so let your apprehension of it be spiritual, see a blessing as well as a benefit in it to Israel, which is the much more sweet and beneficial consideration, and bless ye the Lord for blessing his people, with so gracious as well as great deliverance.
16To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his merciemercy endureth for ever.16 And as in your minds you revolve and carrie on the storie of Israels march from Egypt through the sea, and so from the sea, where they took an everlasting fare-wel of Pharaoh, through the drie and desart wilderness, where God lead them all along as a shepheard his sheep, providing for them, meat, drink, and clothes, shade, and protection miraculously, but no less mercifully, their provocations and his admirable patience shewed it, and proved it too to be such a merciemercy, whose motive is in God, and therefore everlasting like himself, a merciemercy that dures for ever, else had it and the Church for ever there received an end, for which then as such, we are to thank and praise him, and to mind that merciemercy in a paralel line quite along, through all our consideration of the storie.
17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 And as before he overthrew Pharaoh for their sakes in their enterance into the wilderness,17To him which smote great Kings: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. so now at their going out of it and entering into Canaan,18And slew famous Kings: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. by virtue of that his everlasting merciemercy,19Sihon King of the Amorites: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. patience,20And Og the King of Bashan: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. & long-suffering exercised for so long together upon a people of so great provocations,21And gave their land for an heritage: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. did he destroy potent Princes and Kings that were famous warriours,22Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. by them a wayfaring people, as Sihon King of the Amorites, & Og the Giant King of Bashan, who opposed them, and so utterly subdued them, as that in stead of leave to pass, he gave livery and seisin of all they had to his people Israel, whose sword and service he made use of against them, and well rewarded their labour and travel, making them conquerours and heirs of the conquered, both beyond and on this side Jordan in Canaan, whose lands they have to this day, and where they are to serve and worship him, merciemercy gave it and merciemercy hath continued it, our sins could neither hinder the getting nor the keeping it, because though sin breaks on our part, yet grace keeps covenant on Gods part, thank and admire the God of so rich, infinite, and everlasting merciemercy in all and every passage from first to last, of his dispensations and Israels provocations.
23 Indeed we cannot say that ever his merciemercy failed us,23Who remembered us in our low estate: for his merciemercy endureth: for ever. he remembred us many and many a time, when we forgot our selves towards him, giving us the inheritance of that merciemercy he long since passed over by Indenture and covenant to our fore-fathers, insomuch as our extremitie was but his opportunitie, alwayes when our miseries and dangers were greatest, merciemercy and deliverance was nearest.
24 Yea,24And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his merciemercy endureth for ever. he hath redeemed us from our enemies with the bloud and slaughter of them, when but for merciemercy we had been slaughtered by them, or been perpetual bond-men to them; and that many a time with successive deliverances by never-failing mercies.
25Who giveth food to all flesh: … for his merciemercy endureth for ever.25 Nor do his people onelyonly thus fare the better for his merciemercy, but for their sakes all creatures living do so too, his covenant of grace made everlastingly with his Church in special hath influence upon the creation in general, the world subsists by it, and for it, and all flesh living is plentifully provided for, with suitable and seasonable food by reason of it, temporal benefits are bestowed on the Churches enemies for the Churches sake, and on those out of covenant, because of the covenant, and them it pertains to, according as he promised to Abraham, saying, In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
26O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his merciemercy endureth for ever.26 You therefore that have such priviledges to be the Lords adopted, heirs of the covenant & covenant-mercies, do not you degenerate, own this God for your God, that hath thus owned us by his special mercies for his peculiar people, even the onelyonly true God whose throne is in the heavens, no vain earthly Idol; give, as, is due, praise and thanks to him for his merciemercy, and especially for that it is made over to you, and all the faithfull Israel by a covenant of grace, as unchangeable and everlasting as God himself.