Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 92 – Psalm 93
The xcii. PSALM.
The Psalmist for the better sanctifying of the Sabbath, having penned this Psalm, shews the proper and adequate service of that day, is to praise the Lord for his manifestations of himself, and thank him for his gracious and beneficiall administrations to his people, richly declared in his works of creation, redemption, providence, and just judgements; all which are nothing in the eyes of worldlings, that mind the creature and not the Creatour, but how ever they neglect God, yet be neglects not to punish them and bless his people, who by him and in him shall be happy here and hereafter.
Psalm cxii. A Psalm or song for the Sabbath-day.A Psalm to be both sung and plaied by voices and instruments, principally of use upon the Sabbath-day, for its better celebrating and the peoples edifying, when then they are solemnly assembled to serve the Lord.
1IT is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord: & to sing praises unto thy name, O most high.1 IT is an acceptable service to God, and a commendable imploiment for his people to be much conversant, specially on the Sabbath-day, in the meditation and recollection of all the benefits of what nature soever, which God hath and doth bestow upon us, whether of creation, providence, or redemption; and to have our hearts affected and enflamed with them, so as to be exceeding thankfull for them: And to view and consider his power, goodness, and mercy manifested and exhibited in them, so as to be moved thereby with reverence, love, and admiration, devoutly and solemnly to worship before him, and to celebrate his glory and praise, as the great and onelyonly God worthy of honour.
2To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning: & thy faithfulness every night.2 Our duty is to take continuall notice of thy continued and renewed benefits, and always to have our hearts upheld thereby in a sweet gratuitous frame and temper, with the eye of faith piercing into the love and faithfulness, answerable to his grace and promises, which shine forth in them, that should take us more than the things themselves, and cause our thanksgivings far beyond them.
3 Which cannot be too solemnly celebrated,3Upon an instrument of ten strings, & upon the Psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn …ound. all the musick of the Temple is too little to do it, therefore lay out your utmost strength and skill you that are especially appointed to that honour and service, and gifted for it, resembling the heavenly Quire, raise up your hearts, and in that holy place, at the appointed times tune up all your instruments, those chiefly that are most affecting and heart-ravishing, to this work, chiefly on this day.
4 For though,4For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O Lord, thou art exceeding beneficiall to all mankind, yet of all the world thou hast done most for us, which I and the rest of thy peculiar people have cause to remember and acknowledge, and with joyfull hearts to praise thee for, especially for that transcendent work of mercy, in chosing us from out all the world to be thine, which together with those concomitant powerfull dispensations and manifestations of thy self in our behalfes from time to time, gives cause to me and them to triumph, and glory in faith and hope.
5 O Lord,5O Lord, how great art thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. how unconceivable is thy power and wisdom in all thy decrees, counsels, and dispensations towards both thy Church and the enemies thereof, in thy strange providences and marvellous judgements?
6 Which yet are little taken notice of by most men,6A bruitish man knoweth not: neither doth a fool understand this. so worldly minded and sensually disposed are people ordinarily, that God is not in all their thoughts, spending their time more like beasts than men of reason, minding the creature more than the Creatour, who is never so much as owned, much less honoured by the earthly minded, and wicked Athiesticall persons of the world in any thing he doth, though never so remarkable.
7When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish: it is that they shall be destroied for ever.7 Neither the hazardous condition that they themselves are in, in this their earthly felicity, which they take to be a speciall note of Gods peculiar favour to them, that they can sin and yet prosper, when others that are holy and strict in their wayes are at an ebb-water, in poverty and misery: not considering that God gives wicked men their hearts desire here, lets them swim in plenty and pleasure for a while during a short life, that they may compleat their sins to the sum totall, and he his judgements even unto everlasting destruction in endless pains, never to enter into his rest.
8But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.8 They neither understand themselves nor thee, O Lord God, never imagining that thou rulest in the highest heavens, and thence judgest of all men and their actions here below: But whatever their vain thoughts are, thou art the everlasting King of thy Church and people, and the righteous judge of thine and their enemies, and so they shall find thee to be to the worlds end.
9For lo, thine enemies O Lord, for lo thine enemies shall perish: all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.9 For as sure as Gods in heaven, so sure shall the wicked of the earth however they prosper, and whatever they may think of themselves compared with other men, come to ruine and utter destruction; for though they think God their friend, yet doth he know, and reckon them for his enemies, and as such, shall his proceedings be towards them, for all evil doers though they be many, and the godly few in all ages and places, they shall be weeded out and consume away by the hand of God upon them, they and their felicity shall part and be everlastingly seperated.
10 But as despicable as the godly are in the eyes of worldlings,10But my horn shall thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oyl. they shall have their turn, I and other thy faithfull servants shall see better dayes, when they shall see worse, principally in heaven that everlasting sabbatism; when our turn comes to rise, then they shall fall, and there is no doubt but that day will come, when we shall be made able by thee, whose faithfulness is engaged for it, to lift up our heads, and enjoy those everlasting consolations hoped for, and those divine honours of being Kings and Priests unto thee.
11 The faithfull shall not fail of the grace promised them,11Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. and the justice to be executed upon their enemies, but they shall undoubtedly be both eye, and ear-witnesses of the righteous judgements of God upon the wicked of the world, that hate and persecute them.
12 The righteous however they be decried and depressed by wicked worldlings,12The righteous shall flourish like the Palm-tree he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon. yet shall God so bless them, that they shall out-grow their miseries, and over-top their enemies: Gods Church and his people of whom it consists, shall grow in grace untill they arrive in glory.
13 Those that are Israelites indeed,13Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God. which by the spirit and faith are made members, and have taken rooting in the family and Church of God, shall thrive and come on prosperously in spirituall graces, by use of holy means in frequenting his sanctuary, and sanctifying his Sabbath to Gods glory, their own assurance, and unspeakable rejoycing. They that are rooted here in grace, shall grow up from grace to grace, and be crowned at last with eternall life in the heavens.
14They shall still bring forth fruit in old age: they shall be fat and flourishing.14 These trees and plants of Gods own planting, by a divine supernaturall supply of spirituall sap and nourishment, contrary to the course of nature, the elder they grow the better, they shall flourish and fructifie both on earth and to all eternity in heaven.
15To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.15 Thus shall both the wicked perish, and the godly flourish, to shew that however by outward appearance of providences and weakness of faith, the Lord seems oft-times to us to go against himself and break his word, yet its nothing so, the Lord for all that, is faithfull, true of his promise, a never failing refuge to every true believer, and there is no such thing as our sinfull imagination and unbelief-fancy of him, not the least u…righteousness in word or deed.
The xciii. PSALM.
The Psalmist goes about to settle the faith of the Church in the Empire, and omnipotency of the Lord her God, together with his faithfull engagements, the holy performances whereof she is bound to believe and relie upon for ever.Psalm cxiii.
1THe Lord reigneth he is clothed with majesty, the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself, the world also is established that it cannot be moved.1 THe Church and people of God ought to know and believe this for an infallible maxim in practicall, as well as dogmaticall divinitie, that The Lord reigneth. He that is their God is God and King of all and over all: the empire and regalitie of the whole world is his, the resplendent majestie whereof appears in all created Beings in heaven and earth, and in that power which he so effectually and dexterously manifests for his Churches preservation, and their enemies confusion, whereby the world also is centred so firm as upon a basis, so that though it hang like a ball in the air, yet it is as firm and immoveable as the fixed mountains.
2 This dominion of thine,2Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. O Lord, glorious in its administrations of protection and government, hath ever been, never was there any vacation of it, and as it hath been, so it shall be from everlasting to everlasting, as thou thy self art.
3 As in nature thou,3The flouds have lifted up, O Lord, the flouds have lifted up their voice: the flouds lift up their waves. Lord, hast ordained in the waterie element thereof, v…y formidable and dreadfull agitations, as in the tempestuous ragings of the sea, & the over-flowing of great waters making a hideous noise; such storms and concussions are raised on land too, even all the earth over against thy Church, tossed as a ship at sea, and boistrously handled by wicked and unreasonable men that rage against her, readie to be swallowed up and devoured by them.
4 But as high as these waves and tempests of danger and destruction to thy Church do mount,4The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters: yea than the mighty waves of the sea. yet is the Lord in heaven both higher and mightier than they, be they never so terrible for noise and number, he can allay and quiet them at his pleasure, yea though the Church be as a boat in a storm at sea in the midst of gusts and surges, God can preserve it, and will; for as he raiseth sea-tempests, and therefore can lay them, so he by his providence and appointment sends landstorms, & therefore can order & quit them in like sort.
5Thy testimonies are very sure: holines becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever.5 And as thou art powerfull, so art thou faithfull, we need no more doubt of the one than of the other what thou hast promised; as thou hast power, so likewise hast thou will to perform it. Thy grace of protection is as certain and infallible, as thy power is omnipotent. The obediential faith of thy holy performance of all that thou hast promised, becomes thy Church, the house of the living God, which, O Lord, ought to be fixed and established by it, and in it for ever, what ever befall her.