Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 148
The cxlviii. PSALM.
David being himself a man of a praisefull spirit, & an inlarged heart to Godward in that way, feeding that happie temper by frequent observations and and deductions. He also factours for God, and negotiates in this Psalm with all things, in all places to be industrious in his dutie, he summons heaven and earth to pay their tribute, and do their homage to the most high God, for all they themselves are, and have, as being the maker of them, and giver of that, and who himself is all that, and much more. And the better to effect his design when he hath first bespoke them in the general, from heaven to earth, he also makes a scedule, or enumeration of several created existencies of both sor…s, and of different rancks, ages, and sexes, exciting them all severally by name, to make up a joint harmony and Quire, according to their utmost capacities of praisefull solemnization to the Lord paramount. But principally, and above all, his Church and chosen people, so much obliged to him beyond all, for his … love to them in exalting them so high in his favour, by Covenant-in…est.Psalm cxlviii.
1 ALl creatures that have their being from the Lord,1PRaise ye the Lord: praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights. one & other in their several kinds, places, and offices wherein he hath disposed them, set ye forth his glorious greatness and goodness, unto the praise thereof. More particulary all ye rational and irrational one, whose position and residence is above in the heavens, whether within the Imperial, or on this side it, be occupied in his praises according to your several natures, some actively towards God, others declaratively towards men, which is the end of all our beings, and of that your advancement also into such a superiority of place, and excellencie of nature and offices, above sublunaries.
2Praise ye him all his Angels: praise ye him all his hosts.2 But in particular, principally and primarily, ye that are his glorious Angels, the immediate favourites and domesticks in the court of heaven, which in infinite number he hath created to serve and honour him there, and dignified with eminencie and proximitie to himself above all his creatures, even to the numberless number of you his heavenly hosts do I speak, who are ordained to do his commands, that commands in chief over all created beings how excellent soever; do you I say, who ow it, and are enabled to it above all, joyn with the rest of your fellow creatures in this duty of praise (your proper office) to mend the musick.
3Praise ye him sun and moon: praise ye him all ye stars of light.3 Also you inanimate creatures that possess the suburbs of those celestial mansions, and in your kinds are glorious and excellently usefull, endowed with singular proprieties, and significant representations of the greatness and goodness of him that made you that you are, and honoured you with the places you hold, and the offices you perform: even all the Lunaries of heaven, great and small, sun, moon, and stars, that by day and night according to your appointments and capacities enlighten the earth, and the inhabitants thereof, act you your part in praising the Lord by doing his will, and manifesting his power and glorie, run your courses, keep your orders, do your offices, that all times and seasons which are ruled by you, that are ruled by him, may exalt him.
4 From the lowest to the highest of all those several spheres,4Praise him ye heavens of heavens: & ye waters that be above the heavens. all which are above the firmament, wherein are diversly situate, first the fixed stars, and then the moveable planets in their several and subordinate orbs, and the ponderous clouds that weigh so heavy, containing such oceans of waters in you, and yet hang so high above the aerie regions; all you excellent creatures of several natures in your gradual existences above in the heavens, do you declare (as indeed you do) the praise-worthy work-manship of him that is above all, that hath so orderly disposed you in that vast expanse, such variety and infinite of created lights and clouds, fire and water that do severally inhabite those upper lofts and chambers over our heads, without confusion, intermixtion, and destruction of nature, which else would follow.
5 Do you and every of you jointly and severally according to that power,5Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, & they were created. wisdom and goodness that shines forth in you, declare the glorious skill of such celestial arts, to the praise of the Artificer in those admirable transcendent properties of his, who was able to bring forth such things of such use, and in such an order by his meer fiat, he but bid them be, and they were; he made use of no other tools or instruments to build so great and strange a structure, but his bare word of command, which gave being to all those celestial altitudes, with the stars and meteors that inhabite them.
6 And as his word gave them a being at first,6He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. so also did he command their perpetuity, and orderly existence and influence to the last, wherefore it is, that they have continued all this while, and must do so, from one generation to another to the end of the world, not by the power and efficacie of their own natures (which in that regard are as all things else are, reductive to a nothingness every moment) but by his eternal decree and edict past upon them is it, that these supernatural creatures are the same in existence that ever they were, as also in their motions and operations, which are guided by God his appointment and providence, unalterably to those ends and effects, for which he hath ordained them.
7Praise the lord from the earth, ye dragons & all deeps.7, 8 So also all ye creatures though in inferiour situations, who yet have the same Creatour, and are the products of the self-same wisdom and power,8Fire & hail, snow and vapour, stormy wind fulfilling his word that the heavens and the things contained in them are, whose habitations are in these lower parts terrestial, or aerial, do you also praise him. Let the great God have glorie from all his wonderous works, one as well as another, from of the globe of the earth and sea here below, as well as from heaven on high. Let his immense power be magnified in framing such depths, as well as heights, even those vast and profound seas, adequate for those huge and formidable whales, and sea-dragons which he hath made and disposed of there as their proper place and element. And so ye exhalations and meteors (whether of fire or water) that by the force of the sun are drawn from the earth into the air, and there by an Almightie power severally disposed of into divers forms and beings, and to several ends, and all as pleaseth God, whether unto thunder, lightenings, hail, snow, rain, mists, storms and tempests, all of you jointly, severally, as God pleaseth to use you, sometimes for good, sometimes for evil whose will in both you must, and do obey, acting as by him, and not your selves; so for him to fulfil his command, and do the errand whereon he sends you; set ye forth the power and greatness of God to his praise in doing his pleasure.
9 And ye earthly heights,9Mountains and all hils, fruitful trees and all Cedars. as well as waterie depths, ye hils and mountains of several quantities and dimensions, higher and lower, greater and less; also ye trees that grow upon the earth of several natures, to several uses, some for fruit, and some for timber, as all of you are of and from the Lord, so are you for and to him, you ought to be to his praise, who gave you your several kinds and existences, for the use and benefit of man.
10 Ye that exceed these vegetives (which yet are excellent in their kind toward the making up the beautifull frame and order of nature) you,10Beasts and a… cattel, creeping things and flying fowl. I say, that are a form higher in the creation; ye animals endowed with sence, as well as life, and first ye four footed beasts, and cattel of several sorts and kinds which are so manifold, great and small, one and other; yea, and you (that by gods ordination are under the same Genus, but of a far different Species) that instead of going upon feet, are wonderfully facilitated to creep upon your bellies, as also you several fowl that live in another element, the air, dexterously conveying your selves by flight from place to place, with wings instead of feet, do you in your several kinds, natures and places, set forth the Almighty power and wisdom of the Creatour of all things.
11, 12 And you who enjoy the best of beings,11Kings of the earth, and all people, Princes, & all Judges of the earth. next the angels, comprehending the perfection of all living creatures,12Both young men and maidens: old men and children. vegetative, and sensitive, with a superaddition of a reasonable soul: you men, and of men principally, you that are principal: ye Kings and great men of the world, lead you the way, and go before others in good example, that have so much cause above others to magnifie God, and celebrate his praise. And all ye people also, not onelyonly in, but under authoritie, both high and low, do you the like. Chiefly, ye great men, look you to it, to whom it principally appertains, and who for the most part are most deficient, and too high to do homage; but be your power or wisdom never so great, yet be so wise and lowly, as to let God be both greater and wiser, and be you never so beneficial in your places, yet let God be acknowledged the best benefactor by you, and those that are under you, who is above all, as in greatness, (the sovereign King, and Judge of all the earth,) so in goodness, administring righteous judgement, and yielding just protection. And though principally, yet not onelyonly doth this duty of praise belong to great men, no nor yet to men, whether you respect their age or sex, for though their priviledge in both regards engage them comparatively beyond others, yet it belongs to all of all ages and sexes both men and women, to them that are in their prime for mind & body, with strength and beauty, as young men and maids, and them also that are growing to it, or gone beyond it, old men and children; for as in civil government there are degrees of places & offices higher and lower, as princes & peopele; so in nature there are, and must be degrees of ages & succession of generations, as fathers & children, both which are respectively thereby beautified with orderly subsistence, which else would be a confused paritie, each setting forth the praise-worthy wisdom of God in their gradual subordinations, as high and low, so young and old, some governing, some governed, one generation coming, another going, to the praise of the God of nature, that so orders things in the great Common-wealth thereof, and in that variety of creatures, ages, and sexes, as to produce so beautiful and orderly a progression from one end of the world to the other.
13 All the whole creation consisting of infinite particulars,13Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent, his glorie is above the earth and heaven. never all of them to be enumerated in their several kinds and capacities, let them joyn in this harmonie of Halelu-jah; celestial and terrestrial creatures, every of them severally, and all of them joyntly, make up a Quire of praising God for his praise-worthy excellencies of several sorts specified, in their several kinds, some (as men and angels) actually offer up, others (as all other creatures) declaratively set forth the greatness and goodness, power, wisdom, and glorie of their maker, who therefore made them, and who excels all created excellencies, all and every of them being but borrowed from the fountain of his sole sufficiencie. He onelyonly is originally, and they derivatively good, whose transcendent, Majestie and glorious excellencie inherent in himself, is infinitly superlative to all earthly Majesties, and all natural excellencies, whether in the heavens above, or the earth here beneath, yea, though you could fancie them all in one collective bodie, and frame an Idea of all created perfections (the glorie, riches, beautie, order, of all creatures) in one entire resplendencie and representation yet is he alone infinitely beyond them all, in all their several excellencies joyntly considered, and to be praised both above them, and for them, who himself both is all, above all, and all in all.
14He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord.14 He is worthy praise from all creatures for what they are, and have derivatively from him; but that which is of greatest note, and most praise-worthie, is the Crown of all the rest, which he hath set upon his peoples head, his Covenant-merciemercy and grace, and that not onelyonly in promise, but performance, having in and by me (as he hath and shall spiritually by and in Christ) wonderfully blessed and prospered his people, brought them out of all their sorrows, and set them above all their enemies, and therefore is he if to the creatures, much more to his elect and chosen people, especially the called and sanctified ones among them, matter of praise, who hath exatalted and preferred them to that praise-worthie priviledge of being his in a peculiar singular way of grace and adoption, differing from all men and all creatures besides: I mean his Israel, the people of his Covenant made with their fore-fathers, specially they that are in Covenant, the faithfull seed of faithful Abraham, Isaack and Israel, a people that through grace are precious and nearly related to him, not for any inherent natural excellencie, or meritoriousness in them above the rest of the created world, which far out-strips them in motives of that nature, but because freely chosen, especially if effectually called, grace being the onelyonly motive that made him difference them from, and indear them above all the world for sons and servants, redeemed out of the hands of all their enemies, and exalted to participation of fellowship and glorie with Christ, the head of his Church, whom respectively Israel and I resemble. Therefore as he hath thus exalted you above all, so do you him, with praise proportionable to his goodness so superlative and peculiar.