Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 50
The l. PSALM.
God by the Psalmist declares that as all the world lies in sinne, so he will judge them for it, and yet can and will save his faithfull and elect people, when he condemns the rest, which he will proc… against in judgement, though they never partaked of that divine light which sh… onelyonly amongst his people Israel, who therefore he more especially taxes and reproves, not onelyonly for a sinfull but an ungratefull and a despising people, that having those excellent priviledges of his worship and presence amongst them, so shamefully play the hypocrits with him, pretending holiness in outward ceremoniall worship and performances, but never heed how faith and grace acts in their services, nay many of them are not onelyonly formall, but even prophane hypocrites, that dare to live in sin, even gross sins, and yet be frequent in duties, thus mocking God to his face, and yet think he likes well enough of that they do, because they smart not for it, but God tells them, they shall tast the bitter fruit of their wayes if they repent not. And for them that spiritually and uprightly worship him amongst them; as they honour him, so he will reward them to their hearts content.
Psalm l. A Psalm of Asaph.A Psalm made by Asaph.
1THe mighty God, even the Lord hath spoken, & called the earth from the rising of the sun, unto the going down thereof.THe onelyonly true and Almighty God, the Lord of all the earth, having noted thē Idolatrous miscarriages, and false worships, that are every where practised, summons all men in all the world to take notice.
2Out of Sion the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.2 That though the whole world be in sinfull darkness, and ignorance of the true God, and the right way of serving him. Yet there is a corner of the earth that God hath vouchsafed to shine out of, as the sun when it arises in the East, and spreads its light by degrees over the face of the whole heavens, a place and people that he hath chosen to reveal himself in and amongst, it is his people Israel in the land of Canaan, principally in the Citie Jerusalem, but most especially upon mout Sion, there shall you find and see in a breife map of lively types and representations God manifested not onelyonly in his majesty, but in his true and saving way of worship, grace and truth shining there, and from thence shall take its rise to overspread the whole world.
3 This God that is so peculiarly ours,3Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. and at present seems comparatively to be professour of no part of the earth, but this that his people dwell in, nor to have no dominion over any else, for none serve him but they. This God of ours shall one day make it appear that he is Lord of all the world, when he shall come to judge it, which he will do, though now he forbear, and suffer it to lie in ignorance and Idolatry, but he will appear in terrour, and great glory to the astonishing and confounding of all men all the world over, that believe not in him, nor worship him aright.
4 None shall escape his judgement,4He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. the heavens and the earth which he made, he shall command to render up all mankind, alive, or dead and dissolved into their elements or first principles, as subject to him to be judged by him, from the four corners of the world.
5 Then shall it appear that but some of all the world are Gods peculiar sanctified ones,5Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. a people sprinkled with the bloud of the covenant, keeping faith and a good conscience, which the Angels by speciall appointment shall gather together from out the rest of the world, and set them on Gods right hand in heaven, as now his Israel, his onelyonly covenanting and sacrificing people, severed from all the world besides, are by a powerfull hand settled in Canaan.
6And the heavens shall declare his righteousness; for God is judge himself. Selah.6 His righteous justice shall be made manifest over all the earth in condemning the wicked, be they never so many, and saving those that are godly from amongst them, be they never so few, for the righteous and omnipotent God that is Lord over all, and hath all power both in heaven and earth, who is of wisdom to judge aright of all men, and of power to execute his judgement, shall himself pass sentance infallibly from heaven upon them. Even so be it.
7Hear O my people, and I will speak…; O Israel, and I will testifie against thee: I am God, even thy God.7 What have been said of my peculiar favour to you above all the world besides, is true, how that I have chosen you out of the whole earth, placed you in the promised land, vouchsafed you my speciall presence in my speciall place of worship, entered covenant with you to be your God, and you likewise with me to be my people, mine Israel, to tread in the steps of your faithfull forefathers; and therefore, though I have a quarrell with all the world for their sinfull evil ways, for which I will one day judge them as I have said, yet you that are my people, even because you are so; I would have you know, and therefore do I passionately press it upon you, that your sins in your ignorance of me and abuse of my name and worship in an outward pretence of holiness without faith and affection, are my greatest trouble, and which I cannot but with griefe complain of as a great unkindness against me the God of all the world; but more especially your God above and beyond all the world besides, and therefore exspect to be served in sincerity, and not in hypocriticall shews and formalities by you.
8 It is not your sacrifices that I so much care for,8I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, or thy burnt-offerings, to have been continually before me. nor do I complain the want of them, I have had enough and too many of such ceremonies from you, that I even surfet again of them.
9 Those are things which thou valuest,9I will take no Bullock out of thy house, nor He-Goats out of thy folds. thy Bullocks and thy Goats, they are thy livelihood and sustenance, which makes thee set by such kind of service, but they are not of that value to me, nor of that use, it is not they that give me content, I had rather be without them, than have them after that carnall and formall manner you offer them; you think you do me a pleasure by being at such charges, and that you feast me as you do your selves with the sacrifices you offer me; whereas did I need such things, I would not be beholden to your stalls or folds for them.
10 I would go where there is better choice,10For every beast of the forrest is mine, and the cattell upon a thousand hills. and more variety, and take either what I wanted, or what I pleased, all the world over, for they are all mine, the whole store that the whole earth is furnished with, and where you can plead no propriety.
11 Yea,11I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. I can command also the fowls that flie in the air, or that breed in the mountains, out of your reach, and those beasts that naturally are wild and untameable, and never will be at your command, they are all mine.
12 So that if I were an hungry,12If I be hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is mine, & the fulness thereof. and had an appetite to eat and feed upon the creature, as thou dost, as by your manner of service you seem to fancy me to be, I need not take the meat out of thy mouth by appointing you sacrifices to any such end, who am the God of all the world, and can serve my self as I please upon the creature which I have replenished the whole earth withall.
13Will I eat the flesh of Bulls, or drink the bloud of goats.13 Can you have such low and base thoughts of me, as to think me to have appointed the sacrifices I command you for any such carnall and sensuall respects, that am a spirit, and look to be worshipped in spirit, or are you so void of reason and understanding, as to offer them to me upon such humane and grosse principles, as if the killing of cattell and shedding their bloud, never discerning the Lords body, were the thing I coveted, were served by, and took pleasure in, no, I hate such services, and have no pleasure in such sacrifices, it is not for want of such that I reprove thee, I have had enow and too many of them.
14Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the most high.14 If you will serve me aright, and sacrifice, to give me content, then offer other manner of sacrifices than these, or these sacrifices after another manner; I that am a spirit look for the service of your faith and affections, let the ceremonies and sacrifices you perform be significant, not shells without kernels, when you pretend to thank me in peace-offerings &c. Bring your hearts with you, let your faith and affections be offered up unto me through the propitiatory mediatour in whom onelyonly they are accepted, in an humble gratulatory way, for the good you acknowledge. Remember its God you have to do with, who looks for the service of the inward as well as the outward man, have thy mind on high in the heavens where I am, when thou worships me here below, and therefore be sure with the spirit thou pour forth praise and thanks unto me for the goodness and benefits thou acknowledgest to have received from me, when as thou offerest sacrifice.
15 Its prayer and praise offered up in faith to me,15And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorifie me. because of my grace and faithfulness to you, that I set by, its that shall prevail with me, not your empty ceremonies, and sapless sacrifices. If you be in trouble at any time, let me then hear from you in that way, and you shall be sure of a gracious answer from me, because then and never till then, I know I shall be sure to have a faithfull return made me of praise, glory, and thanks, for the goodness I shew unto you.
16 These are the men and this is that manner of service that God accepts of,16But unto the wicked God saith, what hast thou to do to declare my statures, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth. but to the carnall hypocrit, or meer formall professor, that is so busie in externall performances of legall rites commanded by God, he would have such an one know, that he had rather have his room than his company, for all he does is but in abuse of God and his worship, making shew of serving him and keeping covenant with him, but without any truth or sincerity of heart, whereby he adulterates Gods own ordinances, and makes them utterly unpleasing to him, though appointed by him, but never intended they should be practised or preached by such men in such a manner.
17 To bolster them up in their impieties,17Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. taking liberty to sin because they conform to outward ceremoniall ordinances: God would have such know, that they neither glorifie him nor profit themselves, that are carefull in outward duties, and acts of Religion, and careless of holiness in heart and conversation.
18When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.18 Thou, that art so full of seeming sanctity, thinkest thou, that God regards thy services, if withall thy heart be full of hypocrisie, and thy ways of unrighteousness, breaking the morall law, whilst thou makest conscience of the ceremoniall, giving the reins to thy corrupt heart, and hands to contrive and act all manner of impieties, as theft, adultery, and joyning thy self with such companions.
19Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.19 Taking liberty to lie, and deceive, and makest even a trade and common practise of it.
20Thou …i…test and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mothers sonne.20 Studiously back-biting and traducing others, that mean thee no hurt, nor never did thee any, but ought to be loved of thee as brethren, and of envy or emulation slandering those that are near and should be dear unto thee, thine own very kindred, and allies, labouring their disparagement, and disgrace.
21These things hast thou done, and I kept silence: thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thy self; but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.21 These things you know have been acted amongst you, even by and amongst you that yet pretend to be a people in covenant with me, and come and worship before me, and sacrifice unto me, and because I bear with you in these hypocriticall evil ways of yours, and suffered my self to be thus mocked, and abused by you, you thought that I approved of you and your doings, but you shall find that I set not so light by mine honour, as you think for, nor will not so easily put up with such abuses as you imagine, there will come a time, that I will make you smart for your base abuse of me, and mine holy ordinances, and you shall know that I am sensible of your ingratitude, and so shall you be of my just indignation for these your sins, which I have marked all along; you shall find so much, how that Ile remember, when you have forgotten them, and mind you of them to your cost.
22 For think you,22Now consider this, ye that forget God, least I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. that I will be so severe against the sins of the rest of the world, that in comparison of you have no knowledge of me, nor have received no favours from me, and that I will not be much more so towards you; That I cannot pretend ignorance, but sin against me either out of a stupid supine negligence, and disrespect of me, or out of a spirit of rebellion; But consider it you had best, how my name hath been prophaned amongst you, and persist not to despise me in this sort, and forget the duty and gratitude that you owe me, who deserve better from you; least that of all the world you smart most for it, for as your sins are the greatest being against light, and loving-kindness, so without repentance shall your plagues be the sorest, for as you are without excuse, so shall you be without mercy; no one, not Moses nor any your forefathers upon whom you bear your selves, no nor the Messiah himself shall open his mouth for you, to save or deliver such an hypocriticall ill-deserving people.
23 This is generally a nationall fault amongst you,23Who so offereth praise, glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I shew the salvation of God. and will at last bring forth nationall judgements, and common destruction upon you, but yet as I have known and chosen you (though ill deserving it) to be my people of all the world, so do I know, and have chosen some from among you, that bear me better respect than the rest; And such an one who ever he be, let not him fear to perish with the rest, but be confident who ever he is that makes conscience to worship me in spirit as well as in form, and when he sacrifices to me, then with an humble, faithfull, and affectionate heart praiseth me for my benefits and favours vouchsafed, thats the man that mine eye is upon, and upon the worship and service he performs to accept it, for he alone worships me aright, all else is lost labour, and meer mockery: The spirituall minded man, and the reall sincere hearted Israelite, who is as well conscionable and carefull of his life and conversation, to walk uprightly with God, and honestly with men, as of the rites and formalities of the ceremoniall law, and mine externall worship to do them; this is the man, that as he serves me acceptably, so will I reward him bountifully, he shall see with the eye of faith, and feel to the rejoycing of his heart, by the inward testimony of Gods spirit, his gracious acceptance of him, and his services, with the assured hope of eternall happiness in the Kingdom of heaven, and gracious providence here on earth, when others shall perish both temporally and eternally.