A Brief Explication of the Other Fifty Psalms, Psalm 65
PSAL. LXV. To the chief Musician. A Psalme and Song of David.
THis Psalme is all of Gods praises. The Proposition, that he is to be praised, is set down, ver. 1. The reasons of his praise unto the end, are nine. The first whereof is, because he heare h prayer, ver. 2. The second, because he mercifully pardoneth sins, ver. 3. The third, because of his gracious purpose, and powerful prosecution of the decree of election of his own redeemed on…s, ver 4. The fourth, because of his defending of his Ch…rch in all places, ver. 5. The fifth, is from his strength manifested in the framing and setling of the mountains, ver. 6. The sixth, from his wise and powerful over-ruling of all unruly and raging creatures, ver. 7. The seventh, is from his preventing of troubles, which are coming to his Church, by terrifying all Nations at the beholding of the tokens of his displeasure against the enemies of his people, ver. 8. The eighth argument is taken from the joyful peace, granted sometime to his people, ver. 8. The ninth Argument of Gods praise, is from the rich plenty of all necessary food from year to year, which God provideth for maintenance of man and beast, and specially of his people Israel in their land, ver. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
Ver. 1. PRaise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
From the Proposition, concerning his purpose to spend this Psalm only in praising of God; Learne, 1. Although prayer and praises do alwayes agree well, yet some time may call for praises, and for the work of praise only, and may take up the whole man for a time, as here. 2. How mournful a condition soever the Lords people may be in, yet God is preparing thereby matter for his own glory; Praise waiteth for thee. And whatsoever matter of praise be seen, or whatsoever measure of praise be given unto God by his people, more is due to him, and more is making ready for him; Praise waiteth for thee. 3. Although the rest of the world be senselesse of Gods benefits, yet his Church must set about the work of his praises, and shall be enabled to give him praise; Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion. 4. As it is the duty of every man, who doth seek deliverance from trouble, or any other benefit from God, to oblige himself, to praise God for it: so it is the Lords manner to gaine to himself praise by granting prayers, and to purchase the performance of praises promised unto him; Unto thee shall the vow be performed.
Ver. 2. O thou that hearest prayer! unto thee shall all flesh come.
From the first reason of the Lords praise; Learn, 1. The hearing and granting of prayer is the Lords property, and his usual practice, and his pleasure, and his nature, and his glory; O thou that hearest prayer! 2. The readinesse of the Lord to hear prayer, doth open the door of accesse to all sorts of people, who are sensible of their own frailty and necessities, and do know his readinesse to relieve them, Gentiles as well as Jewes shall come unto him; O thou that hearest prayer! all flesh shall come unto thee.
Ver. 3. Iniquities prevaile against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
From the second reason of the Lords praise; Learn, 1. Sin is a sore adversary, and many times prevails over us, and drawes on troubles on us, which makes us know the ill of it better, then we knew before the committing of it; Iniquities prevaile against me. 2. Whatsoever be the sins of the people we live amongst, let us make special accompt of our own guiltiness in the point of confession, as David doth here, when he saith, Iniquities prevaile against me. 3. Our sins should be looked upon, not to chase us from God, but to humble us, and drive us to seek pardon and purgation from the Lord, whose free grace only can take sins away; Iniquity prevails over me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. 4. The holy Prophets and Pen men of Scripture have no grounds of hope for pardon of sin, save those which are common to the meanest of Gods people; for David in his confession cometh in by himself alone aggravating his own sins most; Iniquities prevail against me, saith he. But in the hope of pardon, he joyneth with the rest of Gods people, saying, As for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
Ver. 4. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy Courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodnesse of▪ thy house, even of thy holy Temple.
From the third reason of the Lords praise; Learne, 1. God hath made election of some out of the rest of mankinde, on whom he doth effectually bestow blessednesse; Blessed is the man whom thou choosest. 2. All those whom God doth effectually call, and reconcile to himself, and draweth into communion and society with himself, are elected and blessed persons; Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee. 3. It is the free good will of God, which putteth the difference among men, and maketh some to be partakers of blessednesse, and not other some; Blessed is the man whom thou choosest. 4. The power and glory of the work of conversion, reconciliation, and drawing near to God, for communion with him, of so many as are converted, is the Lords power and glory, no lesse then election is his free choice and glory; Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and whom, thou causest to approach unto thee. 5. The man elected, effectually called, reconciled and drawn in society with God, is a true member of his Church, a constant member thereof in this life, and one who shall be a member of the Church triumphant▪ in the life to come, and so effectually blessed; He shall dwell in thy Courts, saith the text in the original. 6. Whatsoever is sufficient for begetting and entertaining the life of grace, and of true blessednesse in Gods elect, is to be found by the meanes of publick ordinances in the Church of God; We shall be satisfied with the goodnesse of thy house, even of thy holy Temple. 7. Whosoever do finde in themselves the proper effects or consequents of election, in special, a powerful drawing of them to the Covenant with God, and unto a nearer and nearer approaching unto God, in the way of obedience unto the publick ordinances of his house, may be assured of their election, of their effectual calling, of the blessednesse, and of their interest in all the goodnesse of Gods house to their full contentment, for after the general doctrine, he applieth, We shall be satisfied with the goodnes of thy house, even of thy holy Temple.
Ver. 5. By terrible things in righteousnesse wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation, who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea.
The fourth reason of the Lords praise is taken from the defending of his Church in all ages and places: and saving of his people by giving terrible answers to their prayers against their enemies, for the performance of his own word, and confirmation of the faith of his own people, in whatsoever part of the earth, unto the end of the world. Whence learn, 1. As the love of God to his people doth not exempt them from the molestation of enemies, because the Lord will have the faith of his people by this means exercised, and them put to pray unto him, and complain of the injuries done unto them; so his love to them will not suffer their prayers to want an answer in their troubles, to the amozement of their adversaries; By terrible things wilt thou answer us. 2. In the Lords relieving of his people, and destroying their enemies, he will have the work looked upon as the performance of his Word, wherein he hath promised to be a friend to the friends of his people, and a foe to their foes; By terrible things in righteousnesse, wilt thou answer us. 3. The reason of particular deliveries of Gods people from their enemies, is, because these deliveries are appendices of the Covenant of grace, established for giving to them everlasting life; Thou wilt answer us O God of our salvation. 4. What the Lord hath promised and done to his Church of old, is a sufficient ground of confidence to the people of God, in all times and places, to expect and finde the like mercy, unto that which they of old did expect and finde; O God of our salvation, the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off, upon the sea: that is, thy people, whether dwelling in the Continent, or in Isles; or sailing on the sea.
Ver. 6. Which by his strength setteth fast the mountaines, being girded with power.
The fifth reason of the Lords praise is, from his strong power, whereby he is able to do all things, as appeareth by his framing and setling the mountains; Whence learn, 1. The power of God manifested in the work of Creation, is a prop to the saith of his people to believe the promises, and a pledge of the performance thereof unto them; By his strength he setteth fast the mountaines. 2. Whatsoever great work the Lord hath done, he is able and ready to do a greater work, if need, be for his people; He is girded with power.
Ver. 8. Which stillest the noise of the seas: the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
From the sixth reason taken from his wise and powerful overruling all commotions of unruly creatures of whatsoever sort; Learn, 1. There is nothing so turbulent and raging, and reasonlesse in the whole world, which God doth not rule and bridle, and make quiet as he pleaseth: He stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waters. 2. As the commotions of people, their seditions, their insurrections and conspiracies against Gods people, within and without the visible Church, are no l…sse rageing and reasonlesse then are the commotions of the sea: so God hath the ruling of them, as well as of the seas, and by his stilling the noise of the seas, the noise of the waters thereof, he giveth an evidence of his power and purpose to bridle the sury and rage of reasonlesse men, who threaten trouble and destruction to his people; He stilleth their waves, and the tumult of the people.
Ver. 8. They also that dwell in the uttermost parts, are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoyce.
From the seventh reason of Gods praise, taken from the affright ing of all the world by his judgements against the enemies of his people, lest they should attempt the like; Learn, 1. As the Lord can still the tumults of the people, when they rage most; so he can by his terror prevent their commotions against his Church, by shewing them his terrible judgements executed on others, which are the tokens of the power of his displeasure against all who shall dare to be adversaries to his people; They also that dwell in the uttermost parts, are afraid at thy tokens.
The eight reason of Gods praise is, from the joyful tranquillity and peace, which he when he pleaseth, giveth to his people, after he hath setled their enemies rage and power against them▪ Whence learn, As the Lord doth sometime exercise his people, with trouble and persecution from their enemies; so also he can, and doth give them some breathing times, some comfortable seasons, as it were fair dayes from morning to evening; yea sundry …ull fair dayes, one after another, so that his people are made to rejoyce before him from day to day; Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoyce.
Ver. 9. Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
10. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou setlest the furrowes thereof: thou makest it soft with showres, thou blessest the springing thereof.
11. Thou crownest the yeer with thy goodnesse, and thy paths drop fatnesse.
12. They drop upon the pastures of the wildernesse: and the little hills rejoyce on every side.
13. The pastures are clothed with …ocks; the valleyes also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also ring.
The ninth reason of the Lords praise is, from his plentiful furnishing of food yearly for man and beast, but in special for his making the promised land fruitful unto his people Israel, when he shall give them rest from their enemies, and peace therein, after their being exercised with troubles. What may be prophetical, in this whole Psalme, as touching the Israelites, we will not here enquire; nor how far the Prophet did look beyond his own and Solomons time, when he said, Praise waiteth for thee in Sion, &c. Only, Hence learn general doctrines, 1. The Lords blessing of the ground, and making it fruitful, is his coming as it were to visit it; Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it▪ 2. Gods providence is then best seen▪ when particular parts are looked upon one after another; Thou waterest it, thou enrichest it, tho… … parest them corn, &c. 3. The sending of timely rain, and plent… of it, and after that abundance of victual, should not be slightly passed over, but well and carefully marked; for the husbandry is all the Lords: Thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. 4. Second causes, and the natural course of conveying benefits unto us, are not rightly seen, except when God, the first and prime cause, is seen to be nearest unto the actual disposing of them for producing the effect: Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly, &c. Thou …ssest the springing thereof. 5. From the one end of the year to the other God hath continual work about the bringing forth of the …ruits of the ground, and glo…iously doth perfect it once a year; Thou crownest the year by thy goodnesse. 6. Every one of the footsteps of Gods providence, for the p…ovision of his peoples food,, hath its own blessing…, as appeareth in the profitable use of the straw and stubble and chaffe, and multiplication of the seed; Thy paths drop fatnesse. 7. The Lord hath a care to provide food, not only for man, but also … beasts; and not only for …ame beasts, which are most useful for man, but also for wilde beasts in the wildernesse, making his rain to fall on all parts of the ground: They drop upon the pastures of the wildernesse, and the little hills rejoyce on every side. 8. Albeit temporal benefits be inferior to spiritual, yet because unto Gods children they be appendices of the spiritual, they are worthy to be taken notice of, and that God should be praised for them; as here the Paslmist sheweth, praising God for spiritual blessings, in the beginning of the Psalm; and here in the end, for temporal benefits. 9. The plurality of Gods creatures, and the comparison of Gods benefits set before our eyes, are the scale, musick book, and noted lessons of the harmony and melody which we ought to have in our hearts, in praising him: yea these benefits do begin and take up the song in their own kinde, that we may follow them in our kinde; The pastures are clothed with flocks, the valleyes also are covered over with corn, they shout for joy, they also sing.