Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 97
The xcvii. PSALM.
This Psalm is a prophesie of the kingdom of Christ in the time of the Gospel, when he is come in the flesh, amplifying it in its certaintie and universality, together with its dreadfull concomitants, as to unbelievers and contemners of it. The joy that it shall be of to all the Israel of God. And concludes with an animadversion to sinceritie in contradistinction to formalitie, and the happiness of such, maugre all enemies and evils that shall befall them.Psalm xcvii.
1 THe glorious kingdom of Gods sole regencie by Jesus Christ is near at hand,1THe Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoyce: let the multitude of Isles be glad thereof. whereby errour and vanitie that hath hitherto prevailed over the face of the whole earth shall be extinguished, and the light of the gospel of salvation shall shine like the sun into all the regions, to the unexpressable joy of the whole earth, yea, it shall spread in its saving efficacie and virtue, from out Judea where it hath long been confined, to the remotest and unfrequentedst corners and countreys of the world, by land and sea.
2 You know how terribly the Lord appeared when he came down from heaven to earth,2Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness & judgement are the habitations of his throne to give the Law on Sinai, his terrour and Majestie shall be every whit as great at his second coming, to bring and publish the Gospel, as dreadfull shall he be to the contemners and disobeyers thereof as of the Law, for righteousness and judgement shall be administered in, and are essential to his Gospel-kingdom, and not to the Law onelyonly, as Gospel-sinners shall be sure to find.
3 Whithersoever his Gospel-grace and mercy goes,3A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. and wheresoever it is published, there goes along with it wrath and judgement, which shall certainly and heavily fall upon the enemies and refusers thereof, for the defence of it and his Church every where.
4His lightenings enlightned the world: the earth saw and trembled.4, 5. Recollect and enumerate all the terrible things that accompanied the mightie and dreadfull majestie of Almightie God,5The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord: at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. when he gave the law on mount Sinai, thunderings, lightenings, earth-quakes, &c. and the same dreadfulness accompanies the Gospel for its vindication and protection, upon contemners and against opposers.
6The heavens declare his righteousnes: and all the people …ee his glory.6 The heavens declare him to be a faithfull Creatour, one that in mightie long-suffering and patience towards the sons of men, keeps his promise made to Noah after the floud, causing the lights and influences of heaven to keep their natural courses, and afford their benefits even to the heathenish idolotrous nations, notwithstanding their sins, who are eye-witnesses of his manifold glorious dispensations every where, in all the parts and places of the world.
7Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him all ye gods.7 Who see not their sin and folly in taking the benefit of Gods creatures, such glorious ones as shine from heaven, and yet fall down to the stock of a tree, and worship it for God; a strange stupiditie. O that therefore the time were come, which certainly shall come, and is not long to, of that gospel-light which shall shine like the sun upon the face of all the earth, to the conversion or confusion of all idolatrous nations, who now in this time of ignorance God bears with, but when light is come into the world, if then men love darkness more than light, they shall be, and so let them be, destroyed, all that are so wilfully blind and bruitish, as still to worship and confide in idols, and set them in opposition to the onelyonly true God made manifest in Christ. All ye supposed gods, cease to deceive men, now let truth take place; ye living oracles, feigned deities, disclaim the superstition and adoration wherewith the foolish people worship you, tell them you are no Gods, that God in Christ is onelyonly to be worshipped, do you exalt him and abase your selves, that his Kingdom may come amongst the deluded heathen.
8 What joy will it be to the faithfull Israel of God,8Sion heard, & was glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoyced; because of thy judgements, O Lord. at that day when Christ shall come, and shall shine out of Sion as the Sun out of the East, his Kingdom taking rise from thence to the fall of Idols and Idolatry every where, the happy predictions of the near approaches, and the early dawnings of it being heard and seen shall be unspeakable joy to them, because the truth of all those ancient long looked for promises and prophesies, are then immediately to be fulfilled in the universall Sovereignty and Empire of Jesus Christ, who comes to judge the world and rule his Church.
9 For however the world is grosly mistaken by fancying other divinities besides thee,9For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all Gods. as if the Government were not thine, and thou wert not God alone; yet thou wilt now set their judgements right, and let them know, that none can pretend to Godhead but thy self, as heaven is thy throne, so the earth is thy foot-stool, and shall be subdued unto Jesus Christ, for that in him thou shalt be magnified beyond all that are called Gods, who shall then appear to be what indeed they are, Lying vanities, and so shall be accounted of.
10 Great shall be the numbers of Professours,10Ye that love the Lord hate evil, he preserveth the souls of his Saints, he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. and pretenders to Christianity, infinite will give their names to Christ, and be ambitious to have his name named upon them in those dayes, but there is more belongs to it than so. He that is indeed the Lord Christs, a loyall subject of his Kingdom, and member of his Church, must sincerely love him, and that must appear by an upright walking with him, and believing on him, he must fear to offend him, and therefore hate sin because it doth so; and so doing be fearless as touching his salvation and preservation, faithfully relying upon the truth and providence of God for both, maugre both his ghostly and temporall enemies; which God may suffer to hazard his Church and people for the triall of their faith and exercise of their graces, but never to ruine them.
11Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.11 For when ever God seems to plow and harrow his Church by persecutions and troubles, that is, his and her seeds-time, then is he but husbanding his field, weeding and clodding it, all that time of darkness and infelicity is but the seed-season and preparatory, to the breaking out of greater favour and grace upon her, which he preserves in store; she shall not lose but gain by it, when the spring and harvest comes, her joy shall be redoubled when the ecclipse is over. Thus shall it be not with all professours, but with the uncorrupt and pure in heart, who are the Lords as well within as without, in affections as actions, whose ends and motives are principled from God and for God, by faith in him and love to him.
12Rejoyce in the Lord, ye righteous: & give thanks at the remembrance of his holines….12 Let such righteous ones, though they meet with never so many rubs in the way, be so far from being dismaid at them, as to go on with full sails of assurance and joy in God, making no stop, but overtopping all fear by faith, still casting their eye upon Gods never-failing faithfulness, and being as thankfull for a happy issue and deliverance out of their afflictions, as if they had it, because of the ingagement of Gods holiness which cannot deceive them.