Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 5 · Psalm 150
The Hundred and Fiftieth Psalm.
‖Hallelujah.Praise ye the Lord. The last Psalm is a solemn exhortation to all men in the world, to make use of all melodious instruments and voices to celebrate the praises of Gods power and Majesty. The title of it was, according to the matter, Hallelujah.
1. PRaise God in his sanctuary: praise him ina. the firmament of his power.
Paraphrase. O let us praise and magnify the God of heaven, that dwelleth so high, in power and glory, above us poore creatures on this earth, and yet is pleased to exhibite and presentiate himself to us, to hear and answer our prayers, and accept and reward our praises in the place of the publick assembly. O let us be sure constantly to meet him there, and render him our humblest Eucharistical acknowledgments for all his mercies (those especially vouchsafed to us in Christ.)
2. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to†the multitude of his magnificence. foreign his excellent greatness.
He hath shewed sorth wonderfull acts of power toward us, not once or twice, but frequently reiterated his miracles of mercy: O let our acknowledgments indeavour to bear some proportion with them in the ardency and frequency of our services.
3. Praise himb. with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the Psaltery and Harp.
4. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5. Praise him upon the loud Cymbals: praise him upon the high-sounding Cymbals.
All the instruments of Musick that are at any time used to express the greatest ovations, to attend the noblest triumphs or festivities, the Trumpet, the Psaltery or decachord, the harp, the Timbrel, the Cymbals that have the loudest sounds, and are fittest for exultation, and withall the attendants of Musick, dancings, such as are customary in seasons of rejoycing, Jud. xxi. 21. Exod. xv. 20 are all very proper expressions of that thanksgiving which we owe unto God, and of the delight we take in paying him that tribute. There being no subject so fit for our devourest and most vigorous affections to poure out themselves upon, as this of the glorious excellencies and gracious acts of the divine power and goodness toward us.
6. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
Let this therefore be part of the daily constant offices of the Church of God, to sing Hosannahs and Hallelujahs, Psalms and Hymns to him (to frequent the blessed Eucharist, the cup of blessing and rejoycing.) And let him be thought unworthy to live, to injoy the breath of life (or any of the graces of Gods spirit) which doth not chearfully exercise himselfe in this part of devotion, as ready to acknowledge the receipt of mercies from God; as to sollicite them.
HALLELƲJAH.
Annotations on Psalm CL.
V. 1. Firmament of his power] The word foreign expansion, foreignwhich by the Lxxii. is generally rendred foreign firmament, (in respect of the firmeness, stability and compactedness of that vast body, so distended and beaten out, as it were, by God, after the manner of a plate of gold or any other metall) is known to comprehend both the regions of the aire, and all the celestial orbs, all that is above, and surrounds the earth. Here it is taken, as Gen. 1.14. for the superior part of this Expansion, that which we call the heavens, which being the place of Gods special residence, is called the expansion or firmament of his power, the throne where this powerfull God of heaven dwells. But then, as the sanctuary, or place of Gods appointed solemn worship here below, is by the Apostle, Heb. ix. 23, 24. styled the figure and patern, or copy of heaven, and God pleased in a singular manner to presentiate and exhibite himself there; so the sanctuary in this verse, exprest by foreign in his holy, or holiness, but by the Chaldee exprest to be foreign the house of his sanctuary, is poetically set down by this style which belongs to heaven it selfe, as the Church of God in the New Testament is oft styled the kingdome of heaven. So Aben Ezra renders the firmament by foreign the arke, and saith the Psalm is an exhortation to the Levites to praise God, who upon these ten sorts of instruments were wont to play in the Temple, and accordingly all of them are distinctly reckoned up.
V. 3. With the sound of the trumpet] The Hebrew foreign undoubtedly signifying a trumpet, foreignand so interpreted by the Lxxii. foreign, by the Chaldee foreign, lightly varied from the Hebrew, is yet rendred by the Syriack foreign (from which the Latine cornu is but little removed) an horne; but this not to inject any suspicion that any other instrument is here meant, but only to referr to the antient custome of making their trumpets of that matter, the horns of beasts bored or made hollow, agreeable to which is the Arabick foreign a trumpet (and the Latine buccina hath some affinity to that) from the common Hebrew verbe foreign to empty or make hollow. The use of trumpets in warr to celebrate a victory, and not only so, but to excite their souldiers and encourage them to fight, is most known, and allowed by the usage of all nations to have that propriety in it, and so might not unfitly be derived from the camp to the spiritual foreign or warfare, Gods service in the Temple, both to celebrate their thanksgivings with this solemnity of greatest joy and transportation, and also to quicken, to stirr up affections in the performance of such sacred Offices. The first mention we finde of it in Scripture is in consort with thunder from heaven, Ex. xix. 16. to solemnize and signify the presence of God on Sinai, and to raise a reverence in the people, and withall to assemble them thither. And that use of it for the calling assemblies, as it is taken from the military custome of assembling all to battaile unanimously by this sound, so is it of Gods own appointment, Num. x. 2. and to that use I suppose are the trumpets designed which are mentioned with other utensils of the Temple, 2 Kin. xii. 13. snuffers, basins, trumpets, &c. But for the use of trumpets in consort or harmony with other instruments, for the lauding of God, to which only this place belongs, the first mention we finde of them is 1 Chron. xiii. 8. at Davids fetching the Arke from Kiriath-jearim, when he and all Israel played before God with all their might, with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets: so again c. xv. 28. So on another, and not so festival an occasion, when on Azariah's prophesy Asa and Judah made a covenant to God, 2 Chron. xv. they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting and with trumpets and with cornets, v. 14. And as Jehosaphat 2 Chron. xx. 20. at his going out against his enemies, to his exhortation to belief in God, addes the appointing of singers unto the Lord, v. 21. (and this attended with a signal blessing, v. 22. a victory over their enemies wrought by Gods hand) so they celebrated their triumph accordingly, going in procession to Jerusalem with Psalteries and Harps and Trumpets, v. 28. So on Hezekiah's reformation and sacrifice 2 Chron. xxix. 26. the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the Priests with the Trumpets: and when the burnt-offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordeined by David King of Israel. So at the laying the foundation of the Temple, when it was reaedified, Ezra iii. 10. they set the Priests with trumpets, and the Levites with Cymbals: and so at the dedication of the wall, Neh. xii. 41. And as here, so Psal. cxviii. 6. the praises of God are appointed to be sung with that joyfull noise that the harps and trumpets and cornets do send forth. From these premisses it will not be difficult to judge of the solidity of that Annotation which the Geneva Bible hath affixt to this verse in these words, Exhorting the people to rejoyce in praising God, he maketh mention of those instruments which by Gods commandment were appointed in the old Law, but under Christ the use thereof is abolished in the Church. If by this phrase, appointed by Gods commandment in the old Law, be meant, that the use of these instruments was any part of the Ceremonial Law, given by God to Moses (in which onelyonly the abolishing of it in the Christian Church can be founded with any appearance of reason) it already appears that there is no truth in this: For as this practice of praising God with the assistance of instrumental as well as vocal musick is found to be antienter then the giving of the Law in Sinai, (much more then of the ceremonies in Gods service either in the Tabernacle or Temple) being related of Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, Ex. xv. 20. that to celebrate the delivery out of Aegypt, to Moses's song, took a timbrel in her hand, and the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances; so the appointment of it in Gods service cannot by the scripture be deduced from any higher original then that of David, according to that of 2 Chron. xxix. 26. which expresseth the instruments to have been ordeined by David. The appointment, I say, or praescript command; for as to the practice of it, we have an earlier example and instance of that 1 Sam. x. 5. where the company of prophets are met by Saul, coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harpe before them, while they prophesyed, or sang praises to God. And another yet earlier I mentioned, that of Miriam and her maidens. And indeed the universal usage among all the nations that we read of, gives us cause much rather to assigne it a place in the Natural Religion which the common light of Reason directed all civilized nations to, in attributing honour to God, then to number it among the ceremonies of the Mosaical Law. Homer, one of the antientest heathen writers that we have, gives a sufficient account of the usage of the Greeks in celebrating the praises of the Gods and Heroes upon the Harp; and after him nothing more frequent then the mention of the Paeans, Dithyrambicks, Choriambicks, Pythaulae, the foreign of Bacchus, the Phrygian way of service unto Cybele with the Drum, the Egyptians to Isis with the Timbrel or Sistrum. Of the more Eastern practice the third of Daniel is sufficient testimony, where the sound of the Cornet, Flute, Harp, Sackbut, Psaltery, Dulcimer, and all kinds of Musick are used in the worship of their Idol-Gods, v. 5. As for the Western or Roman, Musick was so great an ingredient in their Religion, that in the first Ages of that state, before they had learnt and received in to their own the rites of the nations they conquered, the Tibicines had a Colledg or Corporation among them; and when upon a disobligation they left the city, the Senate addrest a solemn Embassy to them to bring them back, and at their returne courted them with the donation of all the priviledges they desired. By all this it appears how little affinity to truth there is in that observation, which made Church-Musick a piece of abrogated Judaisme, it being no part of the Law given by Moses, and so great a part of the Religion of those to whose rites the Mosaical oeconomy was most contrary; and yet so farr also from being defamed by the Idolatrous heathens using of it, that the Prophets among the Jews practised it, Miriam celebrated the deliverance from Aegypt with it in the presence of Moses, and David solemnly ordein'd and endow'd it, (and from him the rest of the Kings of Judah) in the Tabernacle and the Temple. Which appointment of Davids although I suppose it not so farr to be extended as to lay an obligation on all Christians in all their services to use this solemnity of instrumental Musick, Davids practices being not thus obligatory to us, nor his appointments reaching all Christians; yet 1. neither is there any reason deducible from hence to perswade us, that these Instruments taken in to assist in Gods service either then were, or now are, unlawfull on that account, because they were not commanded by God, but appointed by David: for it being evident that David was both a Prophet and a King, the former (if not the latter of these alone) enabled and qualified him to ordein ceremonies in Gods service, as is visible in his numbring the age of the Levites, 1 Chron. xxiii. 27. otherwise then Moses had appointed, v. 3. & Num. iv. 3. and by his designe to build God a Temple not commanded (but after forbidden) and yet his designe of doing it approved by God. And 2. the motives which recommended the use thereof to David and his successors after him, being not shadows of things to come, (which therefore by the presence of the substance, the coming of Christ, are abolished) but reasons of equal efficacy now, and before, and in his time, viz. the propriety of those sounds to express and adde to the solemnity of rejoycing, to enliven and stirr up dull, and to compose irregular affections, to raise and inflame Devotion, to transport into holy extasyes, and this, as Boethius tells us, by vertue of the answerableness of the notes in Musick to those observed by nature in the temper of the body, which makes a well-composed harmony, a moral at least, if not even a natural instrument to work changes in humane affections, and if the Musick be designed with Judgment, and with respect to the present occasions, that change must in reason be to the better, and not to the worse. On these premisses, I say, the least that can be inferred is, that if we only consider Church-Musick as a suitable attendant on Divine Service, it is no more abrogated by the Gospel, then prostration of the body in prayer, setting apart Festival solemnities, making Oblations, building Oratories, and the like; and 2. if we joyne to this the consideration of the particular uses of it, then unless we have none of these wants which musick is proper to supply, the Use may now as reasonably be retein'd in the Church (and that for other parts of Gods service as well as that one of Lauds and Magnificats, from the examples of Asa and Jehoshaphat forementioned) as it was introduced into Gods service in, and before the Temple. Yet when I say it may, I do not assume it must: When by the consent (in a manner) of all mankind I discern it look'd on as an agreeable attendant and ornament of natural Religion, I do not yet esteem it either as any the least part of the Substance, or so much as a necessary rite of Divine Service, but place it in the classis of those things which, when they are seasonably and decently and reverently used, express our honour to the Deity. 'Tis most certain, I may speak the praises of God without the addition either of Instrumental or even of vocal Musick; and so I know we may pray, and not in a Church or Consecrated place, and without the lowlyest posture of the body, that of prostration. Yet it will as little be doubted upon Christian Principles, or those which are common to all Religion, but, as these, so that, when it is (by the Piety of Governours, or without, so it be not against, their commands) superinduced, it will with good propriety fill up the solemnity and honourary respect, and so (though abstracted from the forementioned accessory advantages) maintain, against all rational opposition, the decency of reteining it in the Church of Christ. 3. To say still, after all this, that it is abolished in the Christian Church, and neither to shew where, nor to tender any analogy or parity of reason by which that may (with some probability at least) be inferred, but having untruly suggested, that it was appointed by God in the Old Law, on that undue suggestion only, without the least tender of farther proof, to dictate magisterially that it is abolished, what is this but the fallacy in Logick of begging the Question, and no small degree of the sin of dogmatizing, as farre from the methods of Reason, as the purity or liberty of the Gospel? Especially when the Apostle under the New Testament, by prescribing Psalms and Hymns and spiritual songs Col. iii. 16. which three words are observed to comprize all the sorts of songs and Psalms mentioned among the Jews in the Old Testament (of the last of which those very Geneva-Annotations say, that they are peculiar and artificious songs, made fuller of musick) and by the addition of singing, and making melody (the latter foreign probably referring to‖The Psaltery is a known Instrument among the Hebrews, to which foreign may referr. instrumental, as the former to vocal musick) seems so far from the least unkindness to the Musick customary in the Temple, that he rather recommends it on fit occasions to the Christians. Nor can there be any reason rendred, either Christian or Moral, why vocal Musick should be commanded under the Gospel, and yet Instrumental forbidden; or why Songs more than ordinarily artificious, and fuller of Musick, being in the Genevan judgment prescribed, should yet be interdicted the additional use of the Harp or Organ, or any other sort of grave, solemn, and most esteemed Musical Instruments, to accompany, and either assist, or adorn them. A more rational enquiry it would be, whether when the holy anointing oile, wherewith the Tabernacle was anointed, was not to be used for secular purposes under the severest penalty, Ex. xxx. 33. such Instruments, 1. so solemnly appointed, and thereby in a manner consecrated by David the holy Psalmist, and 2. honoured by the usage of the Temple, and also the Christian Church, be not in some degree debased, if not prophaned, by being forbidden their Original proper Use, and imployed to uses most contrary.
HOSANNAH, HALLELUJAH.
The End.